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142-713-231-141-783
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US
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C12N15/09,A01H5/00,A01H5/10,A01K67/027,B09B3/00,C07K16/40,C12N1/15,C12N1/19,C12N1/21,C12N5/10,C12N9/42,C12N11/02,D21C9/10,C12N15/52,C12N15/56,C07H21/04,C12N9/24,C12N11/00,C12N15/63,C12P19/02,D21C3/00,D21C5/02,D21H17/22,C12P19/14,A01H1/00,A21D2/26,A23G3/34,A23G4/00,A23K1/16,A23K1/165,A23L1/30,A61K38/43,A61P1/00,A61P3/00,C07K19/00,C11D3/386,C12C5/02,C12C7/00,C12P7/10,C12Q1/34,A23L1/305,C12P7/04,C12N15/113,C12N/,C12N15/62,C12P19/00
| 2007-10-03T00:00:00 |
2007
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xylanases, nucleic acids encoding them and methods for producing and using them
|
problem to be solved: to provide methods and processes for degrading hemicellulose (a major component of plant cell wall), methods for designing novel xylanases, mannanases and/or glucanases, and use methods thereof.solution: the invention provides a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a certain mutation and a xylanase activity, and a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid. the polypeptide comprises a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to an original xylanase from which the polypeptide has been recombinantly synthesized, where the mutation of the xylanase is amino acid residue 38 changed from arginine (r) to histidine (h).selected drawing: none
|
an isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the nucleic acid comprises a sequence having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%), sequence identity to a sequence which is seq id no:1 having the mutation that the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 38 of seq id no: 2 is changed from cgt to cac, and amino acid residue 38 arginine, arg (or "r") is changed to histidine, his (or "h"), wherein the said polypeptide shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg / g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid of claim 1: a) wherein the nucleic acid has one or more further nucleotide residue changes selected from a) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 4 of seq id no: 2 is changed from acc to aac, and amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to n; b) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 4 of seq id no: 2 is changed from acc to cgc, and amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to r; c) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 4 of seq id no: 2 is changed from acc to cac, and amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to h; d) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 9 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ccc to gac, and amino acid residue 9 is changed from p to d; e) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 17 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ttc to gtc, and amino acid residue 17 is changed from f to v; f) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 21 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ttc to tac, and amino acid residue 21 is changed from f to y; g) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 33 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ctg to gcg, and amino acid residue 33 is changed from l to a; h) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 44 of seq id no: 2 is changed from agc to acg, and amino acid residue 44 is changed from s to t; i) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 63 of seq id no: 2 is changed from atc to gtc, and amino acid residue 63 is changed from i to v; j) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 73 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ggc to tac, and amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to y; k) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 73 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ggc to gag, and amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to e; l) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 73 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ggc to gtc, and amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to v; m) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 108 of seq id no: 2 is changed from ttc to aag, and amino acid residue 108 is changed from f to k; n) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 125 of seq id no: 2 is changed from cag to tac, and amino acid residue 125 is changed from q to y; o) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 150 of seq id no: 2 is changed from gta to gcc, and amino acid residue 150 is changed from v to a; p) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 188 of seq id no: 2 is changed from agc to gag, and amino acid residue 188 is changed from s to e; and q) the nucleic acid codon encoding amino acid residue 189 of seq id no: 2 is changed from tcc to cag, and amino acid residue 189 is changed from s to q; or b) wherein the nucleic acid encodes at least one polypeptide having at least one further amino acid residue change selected from: a) the amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to n; b) the amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to r; c) the amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to h; d) the amino acid residue 9 is changed from p to d; e) the amino acid residue 17 is changed from f to v; f) the amino acid residue 21 is changed from f to y; g) the amino acid residue 33 is changed from l to a; h) the amino acid residue 44 is changed from s to t; i) the amino acid residue 63 is changed from i to v; j) the amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to y; k) the amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to e; l) the amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to v; m) the amino acid residue 108 is changed from f to k; n) the amino acid residue 125 is changed from q to y; o) the amino acid residue 150 is changed from v to a; p) the amino acid residue 188 is changed from s to e; and q) the amino acid residue 189 is changed from s to q; wherein the nucleic acid of a) or b) comprises a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to seq id no: 1 and it encodes a polypeptide which shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg / g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid of claim 1 or 2, wherein the nucleic acid further comprises one or more nucleotide changes such that the nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide having at least one conservative amino acid substitution and retains its xylanase activity; and, optionally, wherein the at least one conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting an amino acid with another amino acid of like characteristics; or, a conservative substitution comprises: replacement of an aliphatic amino acid with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a serine with a threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue with another basic residue; or replacement of an aromatic residue with another aromatic residue; and wherein the nucleic acid comprises a sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to seq id no: 1 and it encodes a polypeptide which shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg / g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading the isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid of any preceding claim, a) wherein the nucleic acid further comprises a heterologous nucleic acid sequence or further comprises a heterologous nucleic acid sequence encoding a heterologous polypeptide sequence; b) wherein the nucleic acid is of (a), and wherein the heterologous polypeptide sequence comprises, or consists of: (i) a heterologous signal sequence, a heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm), a heterologous dockerin domain, a heterologous catalytic domain (cd), or a combination thereof; (ii) the sequence of (i), wherein the heterologous signal sequence, carbohydrate binding module or catalytic domain (cd) is derived from a heterologous enzyme; or, (iii) a tag, an epitope, a targeting peptide, a cleavable sequence, a detectable moiety or an enzyme; c) wherein the nucleic acid is of (b), and wherein the heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm) comprises, or consists of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or an arabinofuranosidase binding module; or d) wherein the nucleic acid is of (c), and wherein the heterologous signal sequence targets the encoded protein to a vacuole, the endoplasmic reticulum, a chloroplast or a starch granule; and wherein the nucleic acid encodes a polypeptide which shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg / g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays release with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. an isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid sequence which is fully (completely) complementary to the sequence of any of claims 1-4, over the entire length of the coding region. an expression cassette, a vector, or a cloning vehicle comprising a nucleic acid comprising the sequence of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein optionally the cloning vehicle comprises a viral vector, a plasmid, a phage, a phagemid, a cosmid, a fosmid, a bacteriophage, or an artificial chromosome, or optionally the viral vector comprises an adenovirus vector, a retroviral vector or an adeno-associated viral vector, or, the artificial chromosome comprises a bacterial artificial chromosome (bac), a bacteriophage pi-derived vector (pac), a yeast artificial chromosome (yac), or a mammalian artificial chromosome (mac). a transformed cell comprising as transgene a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5, or comprising the expression cassette, vector or cloning vehicle of claim 6, wherein optionally the cell is a bacterial cell, a mammalian cell, a fungal cell, a yeast cell, an insect cell or a plant cell. a transgenic plant, transgenic plant part or transgenic plant seed, or a transgenic non-human animal, comprising as transgene a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5, or comprising the expression cassette, vector or cloning vehicle of claim 6, or the transformed cell of claim 7, wherein optionally the plant is a corn plant, a sorghum plant, a potato plant, a tomato plant, a wheat plant, an oilseed plant, a rapeseed plant, a soybean plant, a rice plant, a barley plant, a grass, a cotton plant, a cottonseed plant, a palm, a sesame plant, a peanut plant, a sunflower plant or a tobacco plant; or optionally the animal is a mouse, a rat, a rabbit, a sheep, a pig, a chicken, a goat, a fish, or a cow. an isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide or peptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide or peptide comprises a sequence having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%), sequence identity to a sequence which is seq id no:2 having the mutation that the amino acid residue 38 arginine, arg (or "r") is changed to histidine, his (or "h"), wherein the said polypeptide with xylanase activity shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg / g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide or peptide of claim 9, a) wherein the polypeptide or peptide has at least one of the following further amino acid residue changes: a) the amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to n; b) the amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to r; c) the amino acid residue 4 is changed from t to h; d) the amino acid residue 9 is changed from p to d; e) the amino acid residue 17 is changed from f to v; f) the amino acid residue 21 is changed from f to y; g) the amino acid residue 33 is changed from l to a; h) the amino acid residue 44 is changed from s to t; i) the amino acid residue 63 is changed from i to v; j) the amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to y; k) the amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to e; l) the amino acid residue 73 is changed from g to v; m) the amino acid residue 108 is changed from f to k; n) the amino acid residue 125 is changed from q to y; o) the amino acid residue 150 is changed from v to a; p) the amino acid residue 188 is changed from s to e; and q) the amino acid residue 189 is changed from s to q wherein the polypeptide or peptide comprises a sequence having at least 95% identity to seq id no: 2 and and shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg /g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide or peptide of claim 9 or 10, wherein the polypeptide further comprises at least one conservative amino acid substitution and retains its xylanase activity; wherein, optionally, the at least one conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting an amino acid with another amino acid of like characteristics; or, a conservative substitution comprises: replacement of an aliphatic amino acid with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a serine with a threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue with another basic residue; or replacement of an aromatic residue with another aromatic residue; wherein the polypeptide or peptide comprises a sequence having at least 95% identity to seq id no: 2 and shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg /g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide or peptide of claim 9, wherein the polypeptide or peptide is encoded by the nucleic acid of claim 1. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide or peptide of any of claims 9 to 12, wherein a) the polypeptide or peptide further comprises a heterologous amino or polypeptide or peptide sequence; b) wherein the polypeptide or peptide is of (a), and wherein the heterologous polypeptide or peptide sequence comprises, or consists of: (a) a heterologous signal sequence, a heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm), a heterologous dockerin domain, a heterologous catalytic domain (cd), or a combination thereof; (b) the sequence of (a), wherein the heterologous signal sequence, carbohydrate binding module or catalytic domain (cd) is derived from a heterologous enzyme; or, (c) a tag, an epitope, a targeting peptide, a cleavable sequence, a detectable moiety or an enzyme; c) wherein the polypeptide or peptide is of (b), and wherein the heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm) comprises, or consists of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or an arabinofuranosidase binding module; or d) wherein the polypeptide or peptide is of (c), and wherein the heterologous signal sequence targets the encoded protein to a vacuole, the endoplasmic reticulum, a chloroplast or a starch granule; wherein the polypeptide or peptide shows an improved rate of xylose release of greater than 90% when compared to assays showing 63% release with seq id no: 2, at the same enzyme loading of 0.6 mg /g cellulose, and shows an improved rate of xylose release when compared to assays with seq id no: 2, at a reduced enzyme loading. a protein preparation, or an immobilized polypeptide, comprising the polypeptide of any of claims 9 to 13, wherein the protein preparation comprises a liquid, a solid or a gel. an isolated, synthetic or recombinant antibody that specifically binds to the polypeptide of any of claims 9 to 13, wherein optionally the antibody is a monoclonal or a polyclonal antibody, or is a single chained antibody. an industrial process or a method for using a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises an amino acid sequence of any of claims 9 to 13, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5; comprising: (a) a method for hydrolyzing, liquefying, breaking up or disrupting a xylan-, cellulose- or hemicellulose-comprising composition comprising contacting the said polypeptide with a composition comprising a xylan, a cellulose or a hemicellulose under conditions wherein the said polypeptide hydrolyzes, liquefies, breaks up or disrupts the xylan-, cellulose- or hemicellulose-comprising composition, wherein optionally the composition comprises a plant cell or a bacterial cell, (b) a method for reducing the amount of lignin (delignification), or solubilizing a lignin, in a paper or paper product, a wood, wood pulp or wood product, or a wood or paper recycling composition, comprising contacting the paper or paper product, wood, wood pulp or wood product, or wood or paper recycling composition with the said polypeptide; (c) a method for hydrolyzing celluloses, hemicelluloses or xylans in a biomass, a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste comprising contacting the wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste with the said polypeptide; (d) a method for enzymatic decoloring of paper, hemp or flax pulp comprising contacting the paper, hemp or flax pulp with the said polypeptide and a bleaching agent, wherein optionally the decoloring agent comprises oxygen or hydrogen peroxide under conditions suitable for enzymatic decoloring; (e) a method for of decoloring a lignocellulose pulp comprising contacting the lignocellulose pulp with the said polypeptide under conditions suitable for enzymatic decoloring; (f) a method for enzymatic deinking of paper, paper waste, paper recycled product, deinking toner from non-contact printed wastepaper or mixtures of non-contact and contact printed wastepaper, comprising contacting the paper, paper waste, paper recycled product, non-contact printed wastepaper or contact printed wastepaper with the said polypeptide, under conditions suitable for enzymatic deinking; (g) a method for decoloring or deinking newspaper comprising contacting the newspaper with the said polypeptide under conditions suitable for enzymatic decoloring or deinking; or (h) method for reducing lignin in a composition selected from a wood or wood product, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp, comprising contacting the composition with the said polypeptide under conditions suitable for enzymatic reducing of the lignin. an enzyme mixture or cocktail comprising (a) at least one polypeptide of any of claims 9 to 13, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5, and one or more other enzyme(s); or (b) the mixture or cocktail of (a), wherein the one or more other enzyme(s) is another xylanase, a mannanase and/or a glucanase, cellulases, lipases, esterases, proteases, or endoglycosidases, endo-beta-i,4- glucanases, beta-glucanases, endo-beta-i,3(4)-glucanases, cutinases, peroxidases, catalases, laccases, amylases, glucoamylases, pectinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, ligninases, pullulanases, arabinanases, hemicellulases, mannanases, xyloglucanases, xylanase, a mannanase and/or a glucanases, pectin acetyl esterases, rhamnogalacturonan acetyl esterases, polygalacturonases, rhamnogalacturonases, galactanases, pectin lyases, pectin methylesterases, cellobiohydrolases and/or transglutaminases. a process for hydrolyzing xylans, celluloses or hemicelluloses in any organic compound, plant or wood or wood product or byproduct, wood waste, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste or byproduct comprising use of a polypeptide of any of claims 9 to 13, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5, or the enzyme mixture or cocktail of claim 17, or a combination thereof. a liquid composition comprising (a) (i) an alcohol and (ii) a polypeptide of any of claims 9 to 13, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5, or the enzyme mixture or cocktail of claim 17, or a combination thereof; (b) the liquid composition of (a), wherein the alcohol is or comprises ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol; or (c) the liquid composition of (a) or (b) comprising or contained in a fuels, a biofuel, a synthetic liquid or gas or a syngas. the enzyme mixture or cocktail of claim 17, comprising an endo glucanase, an oligomerase i (beta-glucosidase), a cbhi (gh family 7), a cbh2 (gh family 6), a xylanase (gh family 11), an arabinofuranosidase, a xylanase (gh family 10) and an oligomerase ii (beta-xylosidase), wherein at least one of these enzymes is a polypeptide of any of claims 9 to 13, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of any of claims 1 to 5.
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this application was filed electronically via the uspto efs-web server, as authorized and set forth in mpep §1730 ii.b.2.(a)(a), and this electronic filing includes an electronically submitted sequence (seq id) listing; the entire content of this sequence listing is herein incorporated for all purposes. the sequence listing is identified on the electronically filed .txt file as follows: table-tabl0001 file name date of creation size 564462016140.txt august 1, 2008 88,832 bytes field of the invention this invention relates generally to enzymes, polynucleotides encoding the enzymes, the use of such polynucleotides and polypeptides, the enzymes having xylanase activity, e.g., endoxylanase activity, and/or catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages or endo- β-1,4-glucanase linkages; and/or degrading a linear polysaccharide beta-1,4-xylan into xylose. thus, the invention provides methods and processes for breaking down hemicellulose, which is a major component of the cell wall of plants, including methods and processes for hydrolyzing hemicelluloses in any organic compound, plant or wood or wood product or byproduct, wood waste, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste or byproduct. the invention further provides methods and processes for breaking down plant matter containing cellulose and/or hemicellulose into simple sugars using the "cocktails" of the invention. background xylanases (e.g., endo-1,4-beta-xylanase, ec 3.2.1.8) hydrolyze internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages in xylan to produce smaller molecular weight xylose and xylo-oligomers. xylans are polysaccharides formed from 1,4-β-glycoside-linked d-xylopyranoses. xylanases are of considerable commercial value, being used in the food industry, for baking and fruit and vegetable processing, breakdown of agricultural waste, in the manufacture of animal feed and in pulp and paper production. xylanases are formed by fungi and bacteria. arabinoxylans are major non-starch polysaccharides of cereals representing 2.5 - 7.1% w/w depending on variety and growth conditions. the physicochemical properties of this polysaccharide are such that it gives rise to viscous solutions or even gels under oxidative conditions. in addition, arabinoxylans have high water-binding capacity and may have a role in protein foam stability. all of these characteristics present problems for several industries including brewing, baking, animal nutrition and paper manufacturing. in brewing applications, the presence of xylan results in wort filterability and haze formation issues. in baking applications (especially for cookies and crackers), these arabinoxylans create sticky doughs that are difficult to machine and reduce biscuit size. in addition, this carbohydrate is implicated in rapid rehydration of the baked product resulting in loss of crispiness and reduced shelf-life. for monogastric animal feed applications with cereal diets, arabinoxylan is a major contributing factor to viscosity of gut contents and thereby adversely affects the digestibility of the feed and animal growth rate. for ruminant animals, these polysaccharides represent substantial components of fiber intake and more complete digestion of arabinoxylans would facilitate higher feed conversion efficiencies. there remains a need in the art for xylanases to be used in the paper and pulp industry, for example, where the enzyme is active in the temperature range of 65°c to 75°c and at a ph of approximately 10. additionally, an enzyme useful in the paper and pulp industry would decrease the need for bleaching chemicals, such as chlorine dioxide. additionally, there remains a need to provide efficient, low cost processes and compositions for producing bioalcohols, biofuels and/or biofuel- (e.g., bioethanol-, propanol-, butanol- and/or methanol-) by conversion of biomass. an enzyme or enzyme "cocktail" could provide a route to convert biomass into sugars that could then be fermented into biofuels. summary of the invention the invention provides enzymes having: xylanase activity, e.g., endoxylanase activity, and/or catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages or endo- β-1,4-glucanase linkages; and, nucleic acids encoding them, vectors and cells comprising them, probes for amplifying and identifying these xylanase-encoding nucleic acids, and methods for making and using these polypeptides and peptides. for example, the invention provides enzymes having xylanase (e.g., endoxylanase activity), and compositions and methods comprising them, for hydrolyzing internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages or endo- β-1,4-glucanase linkages, or hemicelluloses, in a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of xylan, e.g., degrading a linear polysaccharide beta-1,4-xylan into a xylose. thus, the invention provides methods and processes for breaking down a xylan-comprising composition and/or a hemicellulose, which is a major component of the cell wall of plants. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises hydrolyzing a glucan or other polysaccharide to produce a smaller molecular weight polysaccharide or oligomer. in one aspect, the glucan comprises a beta-glucan, such as a water soluble beta-glucan. the invention provides enzymes, compositions, methods and processes for hydrolyzing hemicelluloses in any organic matter, including cells, plants and/or wood or wood products, wood waste, paper pulp, paper products or paper waste or byproducts. the invention further provides methods and processes for breaking down plant matter containing cellulose and/or hemicellulose into simple sugars using the "cocktails" of the invention. the invention provides enzymes for the bioconversion of any biomass, e.g., a lignocellulosic residue, into fermentable sugars or polysaccharides; and these sugars or polysaccharides can be used as a chemical feedstock for the production of alcohols such as ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol, production of fuels, e.g., biofuels such as synthetic liquids or gases, such as syngas, and the production of other fermentation products, e.g. succinic acid, lactic acid, or acetic acid. enzymes of the invention can be added to bioconversion and other industrial processes continuously, in batches or by fed-batch methods. in another aspect, enzymes of the invention can be recycled in bioconversion and other industrial processes, thereby lowering enzyme requirements. in one aspect, the enzymes of the invention have an increased catalytic rate to improve the process of substrate (e.g., a lignocellulosic residue, cellulose, bagasse) hydrolysis. this increased efficiency in catalytic rate leads to an increased efficiency in producing sugars or polysaccharides, which can be useful in industrial, agricultural or medical applications, e.g., to make a biofuel or an alcohol such as ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol. in one aspect, sugars produced by hydrolysis using enzymes of this invention can be used by microorganisms for alcohol (e.g., ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol) production and/or fuel (e.g., biofuel) production. additionally, the sugars produced by hydrolysis using the enzymes of the invention can be used by microorganisms for the production of other fermentation products, e.g. succinic acid, lactic acid, or acetic acid. the invention provides industrial, agricultural or medical applications: e.g., biomass to biofuel, e.g., ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol, using enzymes of the invention having decreased enzyme costs, e.g., decreased costs in biomass to biofuel conversion processes. thus, the invention provides efficient processes for producing bioalcohols, biofuels and/or biofuel- (e.g., bioethanol-, propanol-, butanol- and/or methanol-) comprising compositions, including synthetic, liquid or gas fuels comprising a bioalcohol, from any biomass. in one aspect, enzymes of the invention, including the enzyme "cocktails" of the invention ("cocktails" meaning mixtures of enzymes comprising at least one enzyme of this invention), are used to hydrolyze the major components of a lignocellulosic biomass, or any composition comprising cellulose and/or hemicellulose (lignocellulosic biomass also comprises lignin), e.g., seeds, grains, tubers, plant waste (such as a hay or straw, e.g., a rice straw or a wheat straw, or any the dry stalk of any cereal plant) or byproducts of food processing or industrial processing (e.g., stalks), corn (including cobs, stover, and the like), grasses (e.g., indian grass, such as sorghastrum nutans ; or, switch grass, e.g., panicum species, such as panicum virgatum ), wood (including wood chips, processing waste, such as wood waste), paper, pulp, recycled paper (e.g., newspaper); also including a monocot or a dicot, or a monocot corn, sugarcane or parts thereof (e.g., cane tops), rice, wheat, barley, switchgrass or miscanthus ; or a dicot oilseed crop, soy, canola, rapeseed, flax, cotton, palm oil, sugar beet, peanut, tree, poplar or lupine; or, woods or wood processing byproducts, such as wood waste, e.g., in the wood processing, pulp and/or paper industry, in textile manufacture and in household and industrial cleaning agents, and/or in biomass waste processing. in one aspect, enzymes of the invention are used to hydrolyze cellulose comprising a linear chain of β-1,4-linked glucose moieties, and/or hemicellulose as a complex structure that varies from plant to plant. in one aspect, enzymes of the invention are used to hydrolyze hemicelluloses containing a backbone of β-1,4 linked xylose molecules with intermittent branches of arabinose, galactose, glucuronic acid and/or mannose. in one aspect, enzymes of the invention are used to hydrolyze hemicellulose containing non-carbohydrate constituents such as acetyl groups on xylose and ferulic acid esters on arabinose. in one aspect, enzymes of the invention are used to hydrolyze hemicelluloses covalently linked to lignin and/or coupled to other hemicellulose strands via diferulate crosslinks. in one aspect, the compositions and methods of the invention are used in the enzymatic digestion of biomass and can comprise use of many different enzymes, including the cellulases and hemicellulases. lignocellulosic enzymes used to practice the invention can digest cellulose to monomeric sugars, including glucose. in one aspect, compositions used to practice the invention can include mixtures of enzymes, e.g., glycosyl hydrolases, glucose oxidases, xylanases, xylosidases (e.g., β-xylosidases), cellobiohydrolases, and/or arabinofuranosidases or other enzymes that can digest hemicellulose to monomer sugars. mixtures of the invention can comprise, or consist of, only enzymes of this invention, or can include at least one enzyme of this invention and another enzyme, which can also be a lignocellulosic enzyme and/or any other enzyme. in alternative embodiments, the invention provides polypeptides (and the nucleic acids that encode them) having at least one conservative amino acid substitution and retaining its xylanase activity; or, wherein the at least one conservative amino acid substitution comprises substituting an amino acid with another amino acid of like characteristics; or, a conservative substitution comprises: replacement of an aliphatic amino acid with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a serine with a threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue with another basic residue; or replacement of an aromatic residue with another aromatic residue; in alternative embodiments, the invention provides polypeptides (and the nucleic acids that encode them) having a xylanase (e.g., an endoxylanase) activity but lacking a signal sequence, a prepro domain, a dockerin domain, and/or a carbohydrate binding module (cbm); and in one aspect, the carbohydrate binding module (cbm) comprises, or consists of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or a arabinofuranosidase binding module. in alternative embodiments, the invention provides polypeptides (and the nucleic acids that encode them) having a xylanase (e.g., an endoxylanase) activity further comprising a heterologous sequence; and in one aspect, the heterologous sequence comprises, or consists of a sequence encoding: (i) a heterologous signal sequence, a heterologous carbohydrate binding module, a heterologous dockerin domain, a heterologous catalytic domain (cd), or a combination thereof; (ii) the sequence of (i), wherein the heterologous signal sequence, carbohydrate binding module or catalytic domain (cd) is derived from a heterologous enzyme; or, (iii) a tag, an epitope, a targeting peptide, a cleavable sequence, a detectable moiety or an enzyme; and in one aspect, the heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm) comprises, or consists of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or a arabinofuranosidase binding module; and in one aspect, the heterologous signal sequence targets the encoded protein to a vacuole, the endoplasmic reticulum, a chloroplast or a starch granule. the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids comprising a nucleic acid (polynucleotide) encoding at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the nucleic acid comprises a sequence having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more or complete (100%) sequence identity to a sequence which is (i) the nucleic acid (polynucleotide) sequence of seq id no:1 wherein the nucleic acid codon of seq id no:1 encoding residue 38 of seq id no:2 is changed from cgt to cac and amino acid 38 r is changed to h and wherein the polypeptide has increased xylanase activity as measured by increased xylan hydrolysis as compared to seq id no:2, as set out in the accompanying claims. the nucleic acid may have at least one of the following further nucleotide residue changes: the codon encoding amino acid residue 4 changed from acc to aac; the codon encoding amino acid residue 4 changed from acc to cgc; the codon encoding amino acid residue 4 changed from acc to cac; the codon encoding amino acid residue 9 changed from ccc to gac; the codon encoding amino acid residue 17 changed from ttc to gtc; the codon encoding amino acid residue 21 changed from ttc to tac; the codon encoding amino acid residue 33 changed from ctg to gcg; the codon encoding amino acid residue 44 changed from agc to acg; the codon encoding amino acid residue 63 changed from atc to gtc; the codon encoding amino acid residue 73 changed from ggc to tac; the codon encoding amino acid residue 73 changed from ggc to gag; the codon encoding amino acid residue 73 changed from ggc to gtc; the codon encoding amino acid residue 108 changed from ttc to aag; the codon encoding amino acid residue 125 changed from cag to tac; the codon encoding amino acid residue 150 changed from gta to gcc; the codon encoding amino acid residue 188 changed from agc to gag; and/or, the codon encoding amino acid residue 189 changed from tcc to cag. the sequence identities may be determined: (a) by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by a visual inspection, or (b) over a region of at least about 20, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150 or more residues, or over the full length of a cdna, transcript (mrna) or gene. the sequence comparison algorithm may be a blast version 2.2.2 algorithm where a filtering setting is set to blastall -p blastp -d "nr pataa" -f f, and all other options are set to default. a nucleic acid (polynucleotide) encoding at least one polypeptide or peptide, may comprise a sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid comprising the nucleic acid (polynucleotide) sequence of seq id no:1 having one or more nucleotide residue changes (or the equivalent thereof) as set forth above, wherein the polypeptide or peptide has a xylanase activity or is capable of generating a xylanase specific antibody (a polypeptide or peptide that acts as an epitope or immunogen), and the stringent conditions comprise a wash step comprising a wash in 0.2x ssc at a temperature of about 65°c for about 15 minutes. fragments of any nucleic acid (polynucleotide) mentioned above may have a length of at least about 20, 25, 30, 50, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, 1050, 1100, 1150 or more nucleotide residues, or the full length of a gene or a transcript. the invention provides a nucleic acid (polynucleotide) encoding at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises the sequence of seq id no:2, and has the amino acid residue changes as set out herein. these nucleic acids (polynucleotide) of the invention may encode a polypeptide having at least one conservative amino acid substitution and retaining its xylanase activity. the at least one conservative amino acid substitution may comprise substituting an amino acid with another amino acid of like characteristics; or, a conservative substitution comprises: replacement of an aliphatic amino acid with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a serine with a threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue with another basic residue; or replacement of an aromatic residue with another aromatic residue. the nucleic acid (polynucleotide) may encode a polypeptide having a xylanase activity but lacking a signal sequence, a prepro domain, a dockerin domain, and/or a carbohydrate binding module (cbm). the carbohydrate binding module (cbm) may comprise, or consist of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or a arabinofuranosidase binding module. the nucleic acids (polynucleotide) of the invention may encode a polypeptide having a xylanase activity further comprising a heterologous sequence. the heterologous sequence may comprise, or consist of a sequence encoding: (a) a heterologous signal sequence, a heterologous carbohydrate binding module, a heterologous dockerin domain, a heterologous catalytic domain (cd), or a combination thereof; (b) the sequence of (1), wherein the heterologous signal sequence, carbohydrate binding module or catalytic domain (cd) is derived from a heterologous enzyme; or, (c) a tag, an epitope, a targeting peptide, a cleavable sequence, a detectable moiety or an enzyme. the heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm) may comprise, or consist of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or a arabinofuranosidase binding module. the heterologous signal sequence may target the encoded protein to a vacuole, the endoplasmic reticulum, a chloroplast or a starch granule. the invention provides a nucleic acid sequence (polynucleotide) fully (completely) complementary to the sequences of the invention described herein. the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one polypeptide having a xylanase (e.g., an endoxylanase) activity, wherein the polypeptide has a sequence as set forth in seq id no:2 having one or more changes as described herein and in table 1. the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids comprising sequences completely complementary to all of these nucleic acid sequences of the invention (complementary (non-coding) and coding sequences also hereinafter collectively referred to as nucleic acid sequences of the invention). in one aspect, the invention also provides enzyme-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they encode a novel subset of xylanases, or a clade, comprising the "x14 module" ( j bacteriol. 2002 august; 184(15): 4124-4133 ). in one aspect, the invention also provides enzyme-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they encode a novel subset of xylanases, or a clade, comprising the "x14 module". thus, in one aspect, the invention provides a novel genus of xylanases comprising xylanase members of seq id no:2 having one or more mutations as described herein, e.g., in table 1. in one aspect (optionally), the xylanase activity of the sequences comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages; comprises an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase activity; comprises hydrolyzing a xylan or an arabinoxylan to produce a smaller molecular weight xylose and xylo-oligomer; comprises hydrolyzing a polysaccharide comprising a 1,4-β-glycoside-linked d-xylopyranose; comprises hydrolyzing a cellulose or a hemicellulose; comprises hydrolyzing a cellulose or a hemicellulose in a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste; comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of a xylan or an arabinoxylan in a feed or a food product; or, comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of a xylan or an arabinoxylan in a microbial cell or a plant cell. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises hydrolyzing polysaccharides comprising 1,4-β-glycoside-linked d-xylopyranoses or hydrolyzing hemicelluloses, e.g., hydrolyzing hemicelluloses in a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste. in one aspect, the arabinoxylan is a cereal arabinoxylan, such as a wheat arabinoxylan. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of polysaccarides, e.g., mannans or xylans, in a feed or a food product, such as a cereal-based animal feed, a wort or a beer, a milk or a milk product, a fruit or a vegetable. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of polysaccarides, e.g., mannans or xylans, in a microbial cell or a plant cell. in one aspect, the xylanase activity is thermostable, e.g., wherein the polypeptide retains a xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature range from about - 100°c to about -80°c, about -80°c to about -40°c, about -40°c to about -20°c, about -20°c to about 0°c, about 0°c to about 5°c, about 5°c to about 15°c, about 15°c to about 25°c, about 25°c to about 37°c, about 37°c to about 45°c, about 45°c to about 55°c, about 55°c to about 70°c, about 70°c to about 75°c, about 75°c to about 85°c, about 85°c to about 90°c, about 90°c to about 95°c, about 95°c to about 100°c, about 100°c to about 105°c, about 105°c to about 110°c, about 110°c to about 120°c, or 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 104°c, 105°c, 106°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c, 110°c, 111°c, 112°c, 113°c, 114°c, 115°c or more. in some embodiments, the thermostable polypeptides according to the invention retains activity at a temperature in the ranges described above, at about ph 3.0, about ph 3.5, about ph 4.0, about ph 4.5, about ph 5.0, about ph 5.5, about ph 6.0, about ph 6.5, about ph 7.0, about ph 7.5, about ph 8.0, about ph 8.5, about ph 9.0, about ph 9.5, about ph 10.0, about ph 10.5, about ph 11.0, about ph 11.5, about ph 12.0 or more. in one aspect, the xylanase activity is thermotolerant, e.g., wherein the polypeptide retains a xylanase activity after exposure to a temperature in the range from about -100°c to about -80°c, about -80°c to about -40°c, about -40°c to about -20°c, about -20°c to about 0°c, about 0°c to about 5°c, about 5°c to about 15°c, about 15°c to about 25°c, about 25°c to about 37°c, about 37°c to about 45°c, about 45°c to about 55°c, about 55°c to about 70°c, about 70°c to about 75°c, about 75°c to about 85°c, about 85°c to about 90°c, about 90°c to about 95°c, about 95°c to about 100°c, about 100°c to about 105°c, about 105°c to about 110°c, about 110°c to about 120°c, or 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 104°c, 105°c, 106°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c, 110°c, 111°c, 112°c, 113°c, 114°c, 115°c or more. the thermotolerant polypeptides according to the invention can retain activity after exposure to a temperature in the range from about -100°c to about - 80°c, about -80°c to about -40°c, about -40°c to about -20°c, about -20°c to about 0°c, about 0°c to about 5°c, about 5°c to about 15°c, about 15°c to about 25°c, about 25°c to about 37°c, about 37°c to about 45°c, about 45°c to about 55°c, about 55°c to about 70°c, about 70°c to about 75°c, about 75°c to about 85°c, about 85°c to about 90°c, about 90°c to about 95°c, about 95°c to about 100°c, about 100°c to about 105°c, about 105°c to about 110°c, about 110°c to about 120°c, or 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 104°c, 105°c, 106°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c, 110°c, 111°c, 112°c, 113°c, 114°c, 115°c or more. in some embodiments, the thermotolerant polypeptides according to the invention retains activity after exposure to a temperature in the ranges described above, at about ph 3.0, about ph 3.5, about ph 4.0, about ph 4.5, about ph 5.0, about ph 5.5, about ph 6.0, about ph 6.5, about ph 7.0, about ph 7.5, about ph 8.0, about ph 8.5, about ph 9.0, about ph 9.5, about ph 10.0, about ph 10.5, about ph 11.0, about ph 11.5, about ph 12.0 or more. in one aspect, the polypeptides encoded by nucleic acids of the invention retain activity under acidic conditions comprising about ph 6.5, ph 6, ph 5.5, ph 5, ph 4.5, ph 4.0, ph 3.5, ph 3.0 or less (more acidic) ph, or, retain activity after exposure to acidic conditions comprising about ph 6.5, ph 6, ph 5.5, ph 5, ph 4.5, ph 4.0, ph 3.5, ph 3.0 or less (more acidic) ph; or, retain activity under basic conditions comprising about ph 7, ph 7.5 ph 8.0, ph 8.5, ph 9, ph 9.5, ph 10, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 11.5, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (more basic) or, retain activity after exposure to basic conditions comprising about ph 7, ph 7.5 ph 8.0, ph 8.5, ph 9, ph 9.5, ph 10, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 11.5, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (more basic). in one aspect, xylanase activity of polypeptides encoded by nucleic acids of the invention retain activity at a temperature of at least about 80°c, 81°c, 82°c, 83°c, 84°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 7.5 ph 8.0, ph 8.5, ph 9, ph 9.5, ph 10, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 11.5, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (more basic). the invention provides expression cassettes, cloning vehicles, or a vector (e.g., expression vectors) comprising a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention. the cloning vehicle can comprise a viral vector, a plasmid, a phage, a phagemid, a cosmid, a fosmid, a bacteriophage or an artificial chromosome. the viral vector can comprise an adenovirus vector, a retroviral vector or an adeno-associated viral vector. the cloning vehicle can comprise an artificial chromosome comprising a bacterial artificial chromosome (bac), a bacteriophage p1-derived vector (pac), a yeast artificial chromosome (yac), or a mammalian artificial chromosome (mac). probes for identifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide with a xylanase activity may comprise at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300 or more consecutive bases of a nucleic acid comprising an exemplary sequence of the invention, or, any sequence of the invention (as defined herein), wherein in one aspect (optionally) the probe comprises an oligonucleotide comprising between at least about 10 to 300, about 25 to 250, about 10 to 50, about 20 to 60, about 30 to 70, about 40 to 80, about 60 to 100, or about 50 to 150 or more consecutive bases. an amplification primer pair for amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, may be capable of amplifying a nucleic acid comprising an exemplary sequence of the invention, or, any sequence of the invention (as defined herein), or a subsequence thereof, wherein optionally a member of the amplification primer sequence pair comprises an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50 consecutive bases of the sequence, or, about 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 or more consecutive bases of the sequence. the primer pair may comprise a first member having a sequence as set forth by about the first (the 5') 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 or more residues of an exemplary sequence of the invention, or, any sequence of the invention (as defined herein), and a second member having a sequence as set forth by about the first (the 5') 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 or more residues of the complementary strand of the first member. xylanase- encoding nucleic acids may be generated by amplification of a polynucleotide using such an amplification primer pair. optionally the amplification is by polymerase chain reaction (pcr). the nucleic acid may be generated by amplification of a gene library, which may be an environmental library. isolated, synthetic or recombinant xylanases may be encoded by a xylanase- encoding nucleic acid generated by amplification of a polynucleotide using such an amplification primer pair. methods of amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity comprises the step of amplification of a template nucleic acid with an amplification primer sequence pair capable of amplifying an exemplary sequence of the invention, or, any sequence of the invention (as defined herein), or a subsequence thereof. the invention provides expression cassette, a vector or a cloning vehicle comprising a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, wherein optionally the cloning vehicle comprises a viral vector, a plasmid, a phage, a phagemid, a cosmid, a fosmid, a bacteriophage or an artificial chromosome. the viral vector can comprise an adenovirus vector, a retroviral vector or an adeno-associated viral vector, or, the artificial chromosome comprises a bacterial artificial chromosome (bac), a bacteriophage p1-derived vector (pac), a yeast artificial chromosome (yac), or a mammalian artificial chromosome (mac). the invention provides transformed cells comprising a nucleic acid or vector of the invention, or an expression cassette or cloning vehicle of the invention. the transformed cell can be a bacterial cell, a mammalian cell, a fungal cell, a yeast cell, an insect cell or a plant cell. the invention provides transgenic non-human animals comprising a sequence of the invention. the transgenic non-human animal can be a mouse, a rat, a rabbit, a sheep, a pig, a chicken, a goat, a fish, a dog, or a cow. the invention provides transgenic plants comprising a sequence of the invention, e.g., wherein the plant is a corn plant, a sorghum plant, a potato plant, a tomato plant, a wheat plant, an oilseed plant, a rapeseed plant, a soybean plant, a rice plant, a barley plant, a grass, or a tobacco plant. the invention provides transgenic seeds comprising a sequence of the invention, e.g., wherein the seed is a corn seed, a wheat kernel, an oilseed, a rapeseed, a soybean seed, a palm kernel, a sunflower seed, a sesame seed, a rice, a barley, a peanut or a tobacco plant seed. antisense oligonucleotides may comprise a nucleic acid sequence complementary to or capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions to a sequence of the invention (including, e.g., exemplary sequences of the invention), or a subsequence thereof, wherein optionally the antisense oligonucleotide is between about 10 to 50, about 20 to 60, about 30 to 70, about 40 to 80, or about 60 to 100 bases in length, and in one aspect (optionally) the stringent conditions comprise a wash step comprising a wash in 0.2x ssc at a temperature of about 65°c for about 15 minutes. methods of inhibiting the translation of a xylanase message in a cell comprise administering to the cell or expressing in the cell an antisense oligonucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence complementary to or capable of hybridizing under stringent conditions to a sequence of the invention (including, e.g., exemplary sequences of the invention). double-stranded inhibitory rna (rnai) molecules may comprise a subsequence of a sequence of the invention (including, e.g., exemplary sequences of the invention). the double-stranded inhibitory rna (rnai) molecule can be about 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, or 30 or more duplex nucleotides in length. methods of inhibiting the expression of a xylanase in a cell comprise administering to the cell or expressing in the cell a double-stranded inhibitory rna (irna), wherein the rna comprises a subsequence of a sequence of the invention (including, e.g., exemplary sequences of the invention). the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptides having a xylanase activity, or polypeptides capable of generating an immune response specific for a xylanase (e.g., an endoxylanase); and in alternative aspects peptide and polypeptide of the invention comprise a sequence comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or has 100% (complete) sequence identity to a sequence which is: (i) the amino acid sequence of seq id no:2, and having a change at amino acid residue 38 from r to h and wherein the polypeptide has increased xylanase activity as measured by increased xylan hydrolysis as compared to seq id no:2, as set out in the accompanying claims. the polypeptide may have at least one of the following further amino acid residue changes (or the equivalent thereof): amino acid residue 4 is changed from a t (or thr, or threonine) to an n (or asn, or asparagine); amino acid residue 4 is changed from a t (or thr, or threonine) to an r (or arg, or arginine); amino acid residue 4 is changed from a t (or thr, or threonine) to an h (or his, or histidine); amino acid residue 9 is changed from a p (or pro, or proline) to an d (or asp, or aspartic acid); amino acid residue 17 is changed from a f (or phe, or phenylalanine) to an v (or val, or valine); amino acid residue 21 is changed from a f (or phe, or phenylalanine) to an y (or tyr, or tyrosine); amino acid residue 33 is changed from a l (or leu, or leucine) to an a (or ala, or alanine); amino acid residue 44 is changed from a s (or ser, or serine) to a t (or thr, or threonine); amino acid residue 63 is changed from a i (or ile, or isoleucine) to an v (or val, or valine); amino acid residue 73 is change from a g (or gly, or glycine) to an y (or tyr, or tyrosine); amino acid residue 73 is changed from a g (or gly, or glycine) to an v (or val, or valine); amino acid residue 73 is changed from a g (or gly, or glycine) to an e (or glu, or glutamic acid); amino acid residue 108 is changed from a f (or phe, or phenylalaine) to an k (or lys, or lysine); amino acid residue 125 is change from a q (or gln, or glutamine) to an y (or tyr, or tyrosine); amino acid residue 150 is change from a v (or val, or valine) to an a (or ala, or alanine); amino acid residue 188 is changed from a s (or ser, or serine) to an e (or glu, or glutamic acid); and/or amino acid residue 189 is changed from a s (or ser, or serine) to an q (or gln, or glutamine), or (ii) the amino acid sequence of seq id no:2, seq id no:4, seq id no:6, seq id no:8, seq id no:10, seq id no:12, seq id no:14, seq id no:16, seq id no:18, seq id no:20, seq id no:22 or seq id no:24; wherein the polypeptide or peptide of (i) or (ii) has a xylanase activity, or the polypeptide or peptide is capable of generating a xylanase specific antibody (a polypeptide or peptide that acts as an epitope or immunogen). the sequence identities may be determined: (a) by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by a visual inspection, or (b) over a region of at least about 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 75, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300 or more amino acid residues, or over the full length of the polypeptide or peptide or enzyme, and/or enzymatically active subsequences (fragments) thereof. the sequence identities may be determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by a visual inspection. optionally the sequence comparison algorithm is a blast version 2.2.2 algorithm where a filtering setting is set to blastall -p blastp -d "nr pataa" -f f, and all other options are set to default. the invention provides an amino acid sequence encoded by the nucleic acid of claim 1, wherein the polypeptide has (i) a xylanase activity, or, (ii) has immunogenic activity in that it is capable of generating an antibody that specifically binds to a polypeptide having a sequence as set out above, and/or enzymatically active subsequences (fragments) thereof. the amino acid sequence of the invention may comprise at least one amino acid residue conservative substitution, and the polypeptide or peptide retains xylanase activity. the conservative substitution may comprise replacement of an aliphatic amino acid with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a serine with a threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue with another basic residue; or, replacement of an aromatic residue with another aromatic residue, or a combination thereof. the aliphatic residue may comprise alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine or a synthetic equivalent thereof; the acidic residue comprises aspartic acid, glutamic acid or a synthetic equivalent thereof; the residue comprising an amide group comprises aspartic acid, glutamic acid or a synthetic equivalent thereof; the basic residue comprises lysine, arginine or a synthetic equivalent thereof; or, the aromatic residue comprises phenylalanine, tyrosine or a synthetic equivalent thereof. the polypeptide of the invention may lack a signal sequence, a prepro domain, a dockerin domain, and/or a carbohydrate binding module (cbm). the carbohydrate binding module (cbm) may comprise or consist of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannanse binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or a arabinofuranosidase binding module. the polypeptide of the invention may further comprise a heterologous sequence. the heterologous sequence may comprise, or consist of: (a) a heterologous signal sequence, a heterologous carbohydrate binding module, a heterologous dockerin domain, a heterologous catalytic domain (cd), or a combination thereof; (b) the sequence of (a), wherein the heterologous signal sequence, carbohydrate binding module or catalytic domain (cd) is derived from a heterologous lignocellulosic enzyme; and/or, (c) a tag, an epitope, a targeting peptide, a cleavable sequence, a detectable moiety or an enzyme. the heterologous sequence or the heterologous carbohydrate binding module (cbm) may comprise, or consist of, a xylan binding module, a cellulose binding module, a lignin binding module, a xylose binding module, a mannan binding module, a xyloglucan-specific module and/or a arabinofuranosidase binding module. the heterologous signal sequence may target the encoded protein to a vacuole, the endoplasmic reticulum, a chloroplast or a starch granule. the isolated, synthetic or recombinant peptides of the invention have a xylanase activity, e.g., wherein the xylanase activity comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages; comprises an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase activity; comprises hydrolyzing a xylan or an arabinoxylan to produce a smaller molecular weight xylose and xylo-oligomer; comprises hydrolyzing a polysaccharide comprising a 1,4-β-glycoside-linked d-xylopyranose; comprises hydrolyzing a cellulose or a hemicellulose; comprises hydrolyzing a cellulose or a hemicellulose in a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste; comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of a xylan or an arabinoxylan in a feed or a food product; or, comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of a xylan or an arabinoxylan in a microbial cell or a plant cell. the xylan can comprises an arabinoxylan, e.g., a water soluble arabinoxylan, e.g., a water soluble arabinoxylan in a dough or a bread product. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises hydrolyzing polysaccharides, for example, comprising 1,4-β-glycoside-linked d-xylopyranoses, or hydrolyzing hemicelluloses, e.g., hydrolyzing hemicelluloses in a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of polysaccharides, e.g., xylans, in a feed or a food product, such as a cereal-based animal feed, a wort or a beer, a milk or a milk product, a fruit or a vegetable. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises catalyzing hydrolysis of xylans in a microbial cell or a plant cell. the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptides comprising a polypeptide of the invention and lacking a signal sequence or a prepro sequence. the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptides comprising a polypeptide of the invention and having a heterologous signal sequence or a heterologous prepro sequence. in one aspect, a polypeptide of the invention has xylanase activity comprising a specific activity at about 37°c in the range from about 100 to about 1000 units per milligram of protein, from about 500 to about 750 units per milligram of protein, from about 500 to about 1200 units per milligram of protein, or from about 750 to about 1000 units per milligram of protein. in one aspect, units are defined as 0.1 to 20 units/g of pulp, where a unit equals umol of xylose released per minute per mg of enzyme, using arabinoxylan as a substrate as described in the nelson somogyi assay, described in detail below. in alternative aspects, polypeptides of the invention have xylanase activity in the range of between about 0.05 to 20 units per gram of pulp, or 0.05, 0.10, 0.20, 0.30, 0.40, 0.50, 0.60, 0.70, 0.80, 0.90, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or 20 or more units per gram of pulp (where a unit equals umol of xylose released per minute per mg of enzyme, using arabinoxylan as a substrate as described in the nelson somogyi assay). in one aspect, the thermotolerance comprises retention of at least half of the specific activity of the xylanase at 37°c after being heated to an elevated temperature, such as a temperature from about 0°c to about 20°c, about 20°c to about 37°c, about 37°c to about 50°c, about 50°c to about 70°c, about 70°c to about 75°c, about 75°c to about 80°c, about 80°c to about 85°c, about 85°c to about 90°c, about 90°c to about 95°c, about 95°c to about 100°c, about 100°c to about 110°c, or higher. the thermotolerance can comprise retention of specific activity at 37°c in the range from about 500 to about 1200 units per milligram of protein after being heated to an elevated temperature, such as a temperature from about 0°c to about 20°c, about 20°c to about 37°c, about 37°c to about 50°c, about 50°c to about 70°c, about 70°c to about 75°c, about 75°c to about 80°c, about 80°c to about 85°c, about 85°c to about 90°c, about 90°c to about 95°c, about 95°c to about 100°c, about 100°c to about 110°c, or higher. in one aspect, the polypeptides of the invention comprise at least one glycosylation site or further comprises a polysaccharide. the glycosylation can be an n-linked glycosylation, e.g., wherein the polypeptide is glycosylated after being expressed in a p. pastoris or a s. pombe. in one aspect, the xylanase activity of polypeptides of the invention retain activity under acidic conditions comprising about ph 6.5, ph 6, ph 5.5, ph 5, ph 4.5 or ph 4 or less (more acidic), or, retain a xylanase activity after exposure to acidic conditions comprising about ph 6.5, ph 6, ph 5.5, ph 5, ph 4.5 or ph 4 or less (more acidic); or, retain activity under basic conditions comprising about ph 7, ph 7.5 ph 8.0, ph 8.5, ph 9, ph 9.5, ph 10, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 11.5, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (more basic) or, retain a xylanase activity after exposure to basic conditions comprising about ph 7, ph 7.5 ph 8.0, ph 8.5, ph 9, ph 9.5, ph 10, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 11.5, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (more basic). in one aspect, xylanase activity of polypeptides of the invention retain activity at a temperature of at least about 80°c, 81°c, 82°c, 83°c, 84°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c or 90°c, and a basic ph of at least about ph 7.5 ph 8.0, ph 8.5, ph 9, ph 9.5, ph 10, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 11.5, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (more basic). the invention provides protein preparation comprising a polypeptide of the invention, wherein the protein preparation comprises a liquid, a slurry, a solid or a gel. heterodimers may comprise a polypeptide of the invention and a second domain. the second domain can be a polypeptide and the heterodimer is a fusion protein. the second domain can be an epitope or a tag. homodimers or heterodimers may comprise a polypeptide of the invention. immobilized polypeptides comprising a sequence of the invention, or a subsequence thereof, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or a polypeptide comprising a polypeptide of the invention and a second domain may be immobilized on or inside a cell, a vesicle, a liposome, a film, a membrane, a metal, a resin, a polymer, a ceramic, a glass, a microelectrode, a graphitic particle, a bead, a gel, a plate, an array, a capillary tube, a crystal, a tablet, a pill, a capsule, a powder, an agglomerate, a surface, a porous structure, or materials such as wood chips, brownstock, pulp, paper, and materials deriving therefrom. the xylanases of the invention can be used or formulated alone or as mixture (a "cocktail") of xylanases and glucanases, and other hydrolytic enzymes such as cellulases, mannanases, proteases, lipases, amylases, or redox enzymes such as laccases, peroxidases, catalases, oxidases, or reductases. they can be used formulated in a solid form such as a powder, a lyophilized preparation, a granule, a tablet, a bar, a crystal, a capsule, a pill, a pellet, or in a liquid form such as in an aqueous solution, an aerosol, a gel, a paste, a slurry, an aqueous/oil emulsion, a cream, a capsule, or in a vesicular or micellar suspension. the formulations of the invention can comprise any or a combination of the following ingredients: polyols such as a polyethylene glycol, a polyvinylalcohol, a glycerol, a sugar such as a sucrose, a sorbitol, a trehalose, a glucose, a fructose, a maltose, a mannose, a gelling agent such as a guar gum, a carageenan, an alginate, a dextrans, a cellulosic derivative, a pectin, a salt such as a sodium chloride, a sodium sulfate, an ammonium sulfate, a calcium chloride, a magnesium chloride, a zinc chloride, a zinc sulfate, a salt of a fatty acid and a fatty acid derivative, a metal chelator such as an edta, an egta, a sodium citrate, an antimicrobial agent such as a fatty acid or a fatty acid derivative, a paraben, a sorbate, a benzoate, an additional modulating compound to block the impact of an enzyme such as a protease, a bulk proteins such as a bsa, a wheat hydrolysate, a borate compound, an amino acid or a peptide, an appropriate ph or temperature modulating compound, an emulsifier such as a non-ionic and/or an ionic detergent, a redox agent such as a cystine/cysteine, a glutathione, an oxidized glutathione, a reduced or an antioxidant compound such as an ascorbic acid, or a dispersant. cross-linking and protein modification such as pegylation, fatty acid modification, glycosylation can also be used to improve enzyme stability. arrays may comprise immobilized polypeptide(s) and/or nucleic acids of the invention, or an immobilized oligonucleotide of the invention. the enzymes, fragments thereof and nucleic acids which encode the enzymes, or probes therefor, and fragments thereof, can be affixed to a solid support; and these can be economical and efficient in the use of enzymes and nucleic acids of the invention in industrial, medical, research, pharmaceutical, food and feed and food and feed supplement processing and other applications and processes. for example, a consortium or cocktail of enzymes (or active fragments thereof), which are used in a specific chemical reaction, can be attached to a solid support and dunked into a process vat. the enzymatic reaction can occur. then, the solid support can be taken out of the vat, along with the enzymes affixed thereto, for repeated use. the isolated nucleic acid may be affixed to a solid support, which may be selected from the group of a gel, a resin, a polymer, a ceramic, a glass, a microelectrode and any combination thereof. for example useful solid supports include gels. some examples of gels include sepharose, gelatin, glutaraldehyde, chitosan-treated glutaraldehyde, albumin-glutaraldehyde, chitosan-xanthan, toyopearl gel (polymer gel), alginate, alginate-polylysine, carrageenan, agarose, glyoxyl agarose, magnetic agarose, dextran-agarose, poly(carbamoyl sulfonate) hydrogel, bsa-peg hydrogel, phosphorylated polyvinyl alcohol (pva), monoaminoethyl-n-aminoethyl (mana), amino, or any combination thereof. also useful are resins or polymers. some examples of resins or polymers include cellulose, acrylamide, nylon, rayon, polyester, anion-exchange resin, amberlite™ xad-7, amberlite™ xad-8, amberlite™ ira-94, amberlite™ irc-50, polyvinyl, polyacrylic, polymethacrylate, or any combination thereof. another useful type of solid support is ceramic. some examples include non-porous ceramic, porous ceramic, sio2, al2o3. glass supports are useful, including non-porous glass, porus glass, aminopropyl glass or any combination thereof. another type of solid support which can be used is a mcroelectrode. an example is a polyethyleneimine-coated magnetite. graphitic particles can be used as a solid support. another example of a solid support is a cell, such as a red blood cell. there are many methods which would be known to one of skill in the art for immobilizing enzymes or fragments thereof, or nucleic acids, onto a solid support. some examples of such methods include electrostatic droplet generation, electrochemical means, via adsorption, via covalent binding, via cross-linking, via a chemical reaction or process, via encapsulation, via entrapment, via calcium alginate, or via poly (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). like methods are described in methods in enzymology, immobilized enzymes and cells, part c. 1987. academic press. edited by s. p. colowick and n. o. kaplan. volume 136 ; and immobilization of enzymes and cells. 1997. humana press. edited by g. f. bickerstaff . series: methods in biotechnology, edited by j. m. walker . the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant antibodies that specifically binds to a polypeptide of the invention. the antibody can be a monoclonal or a polyclonal antibody, or is a single chained antibody. hybridomas may comprise an antibody that specifically binds to a polypeptide of the invention. methods of isolating or identifying a polypeptide with a xylanase activity comprise the steps of: (a) providing an antibody of the invention; (b) providing a sample comprising polypeptides; and (c) contacting the sample of step (b) with the antibody of step (a) under conditions wherein the antibody can specifically bind to the polypeptide, thereby isolating or identifying a polypeptide having a xylanase activity. the invention provides methods of making an anti-xylanase antibody comprising administering to a non-human animal a nucleic acid of the invention or a subsequence thereof in an amount sufficient to generate a humoral immune response, thereby making an anti-xylanase antibody. the invention provides methods of making an anti-xylanase antibody comprising administering to a non-human animal a polypeptide of the invention or a subsequence thereof in an amount sufficient to generate a humoral immune response, thereby making an anti-xylanase antibody. methods of producing a recombinant polypeptide comprise the steps of: (a) providing a nucleic acid operably linked to a promoter, wherein the nucleic acid comprises a sequence of the invention; and (b) expressing the nucleic acid of step (a) under conditions that allow expression of the polypeptide, thereby producing a recombinant polypeptide. the method can further comprise transforming a host cell with the nucleic acid of step (a) followed by expressing the nucleic acid of step (a), thereby producing a recombinant polypeptide in a transformed cell. methods for identifying a polypeptide having a xylanase activity comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention; (b) providing a xylanase substrate; and (c) contacting the polypeptide with the substrate of step (b) and detecting a decrease in the amount of substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product, wherein a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of the reaction product detects a polypeptide having a xylanase activity. methods for identifying a xylanase substrate comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention; (b) providing a test substrate; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the test substrate of step (b) and detecting a decrease in the amount of substrate or an increase in the amount of reaction product, wherein a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product identifies the test substrate as a xylanase substrate. methods of determining whether a test compound specifically binds to a polypeptide comprise: (a) expressing a nucleic acid or a vector comprising the nucleic acid under conditions permissive for translation of the nucleic acid to a polypeptide, wherein the nucleic acid has a sequence of the invention; (b) providing a test compound; (c) contacting the polypeptide with the test compound; and (d) determining whether the test compound of step (b) specifically binds to the polypeptide. methods of determining whether a test compound specifically binds to a polypeptide comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention; (b) providing a test compound; (c) contacting the polypeptide with the test compound; and (d) determining whether the test compound of step (b) specifically binds to the polypeptide. methods for identifying a modulator of a xylanase activity comprising: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention; (b) providing a test compound; (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the test compound of step (b) and measuring an activity of the xylanase wherein a change in the xylanase activity measured in the presence of the test compound compared to the activity in the absence of the test compound provides a determination that the test compound modulates the xylanase activity. the xylanase activity can be measured by providing a xylanase substrate and detecting a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product, or, an increase in the amount of the substrate or a decrease in the amount of a reaction product. a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of the reaction product with the test compound as compared to the amount of substrate or reaction product without the test compound identifies the test compound as an activator of a xylanase activity. in one aspect, an increase in the amount of the substrate or a decrease in the amount of the reaction product with the test compound as compared to the amount of substrate or reaction product without the test compound identifies the test compound as an inhibitor of a xylanase activity. computer systems may comprise a processor and a data storage device wherein said data storage device has stored thereon a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence, wherein the polypeptide sequence comprises sequence of the invention, a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. the computer systems can further comprise a sequence comparison algorithm and a data storage device having at least one reference sequence stored thereon. the sequence comparison algorithm may comprise a computer program that indicates polymorphisms. the computer system can further comprise an identifier that identifies one or more features in said sequence. computer readable media may have stored thereon a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention. methods for identifying a feature in a sequence comprise the steps of: (a) reading the sequence using a computer program which identifies one or more features in a sequence, wherein the sequence comprises a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention; and (b) identifying one or more features in the sequence with the computer program. methods for comparing a first sequence to a second sequence comprise the steps of: (a) reading the first sequence and the second sequence through use of a computer program which compares sequences, wherein the first sequence comprises a polypeptide sequence or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention; and (b) determining differences between the first sequence and the second sequence with the computer program. the step of determining differences between the first sequence and the second sequence can further comprise the step of identifying polymorphisms. the method can further comprise an identifier that identifies one or more features in a sequence. the method can comprise reading the first sequence using a computer program and identifying one or more features in the sequence. methods for isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity from an environmental sample comprise the steps of: (a) providing an amplification primer sequence pair for amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the primer pair is capable of amplifying a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) isolating a nucleic acid from the environmental sample or treating the environmental sample such that nucleic acid in the sample is accessible for hybridization to the amplification primer pair; and, (c) combining the nucleic acid of step (b) with the amplification primer pair of step (a) and amplifying nucleic acid from the environmental sample, thereby isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity from an environmental sample. one or each member of the amplification primer sequence pair can comprise an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50 consecutive bases of a sequence of the invention. the amplification primer sequence pair may be an amplification pair as disclosed herein. methods for isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity from an environmental sample comprise the steps of: (a) providing a polynucleotide probe comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or a subsequence thereof; (b) isolating a nucleic acid from the environmental sample or treating the environmental sample such that nucleic acid in the sample is accessible for hybridization to a polynucleotide probe of step (a); (c) combining the isolated nucleic acid or the treated environmental sample of step (b) with the polynucleotide probe of step (a); and (d) isolating a nucleic acid that specifically hybridizes with the polynucleotide probe of step (a), thereby isolating or recovering a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity from an environmental sample. the environmental sample can comprise a water sample, a liquid sample, a soil sample, an air sample or a biological sample. in one aspect, the biological sample can be derived from a bacterial cell, a protozoan cell, an insect cell, a yeast cell, a plant cell, a fungal cell or a mammalian cell. methods of generating a variant of a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity comprise the steps of: (a) providing a template nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid of the invention; and (b) modifying, deleting or adding one or more nucleotides in the template sequence, or a combination thereof, to generate a variant of the template nucleic acid. the method can further comprise expressing the variant nucleic acid to generate a variant xylanase polypeptide. the modifications, additions or deletions can be introduced by a method comprising error-prone pcr, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly pcr, sexual pcr mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly (e.g., genereassembly, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,537,776 ), gene site saturation mutagenesis (gssm), synthetic ligation reassembly (slr) or a combination thereof. the modifications, additions or deletions may be introduced by a method comprising recombination, recursive sequence recombination, phosphothioate-modified dna mutagenesis, uracil-containing template mutagenesis, gapped duplex mutagenesis, point mismatch repair mutagenesis, repair-deficient host strain mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, radiogenic mutagenesis, deletion mutagenesis, restriction-selection mutagenesis, restriction-purification mutagenesis, artificial gene synthesis, ensemble mutagenesis, chimeric nucleic acid multimer creation and a combination thereof. the method can be iteratively repeated until a xylanase having an altered or different activity or an altered or different stability from that of a polypeptide encoded by the template nucleic acid is produced. the variant xylanase polypeptide may be thermotolerant, and retain some activity after being exposed to an elevated temperature. the variant xylanase polypeptide may have increased glycosylation as compared to the xylanase encoded by a template nucleic acid. alternatively, the variant xylanase polypeptide has a xylanase activity under a high temperature, wherein the xylanase encoded by the template nucleic acid is not active under the high temperature. the method can be iteratively repeated until a xylanase coding sequence having an altered codon usage from that of the template nucleic acid is produced. the method can be iteratively repeated until a xylanase gene having higher or lower level of message expression or stability from that of the template nucleic acid is produced. formulation of the final xylanase product may enable an increase or modulation of the performance of the xylanase in the product. methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity to increase its expression in a host cell comprise: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity; and, (b) identifying a non-preferred or a less preferred codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a preferred or neutrally used codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, wherein a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell, thereby modifying the nucleic acid to increase its expression in a host cell. methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity comprise: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention; and, (b) identifying a codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a different codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, thereby modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a xylanase. methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity to increase its expression in a host cell comprise: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention encoding a xylanase polypeptide; and, (b) identifying a non-preferred or a less preferred codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a preferred or neutrally used codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, wherein a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell, thereby modifying the nucleic acid to increase its expression in a host cell. methods for modifying a codon in a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity to decrease its expression in a host cell comprise: (a) providing a nucleic acid of the invention; and (b) identifying at least one preferred codon in the nucleic acid of step (a) and replacing it with a non-preferred or less preferred codon encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon, wherein a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in a host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell, thereby modifying the nucleic acid to decrease its expression in a host cell. the host cell can be a bacterial cell, a fungal cell, an insect cell, a yeast cell, a plant cell or a mammalian cell. methods for producing a library of nucleic acids encoding a plurality of modified xylanase active sites or substrate binding sites, wherein the modified active sites or substrate binding sites are derived from a first nucleic acid comprising a sequence encoding a first active site or a first substrate binding site, comprise: (a) providing a first nucleic acid encoding a first active site or first substrate binding site, wherein the first nucleic acid sequence comprises a sequence that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a sequence of the invention, or a subsequence thereof, and the nucleic acid encodes a xylanase active site or a xylanase substrate binding site; (b) providing a set of mutagenic oligonucleotides that encode naturally-occurring amino acid variants at a plurality of targeted codons in the first nucleic acid; and, (c) using the set of mutagenic oligonucleotides to generate a set of active site-encoding or substrate binding site-encoding variant nucleic acids encoding a range of amino acid variations at each amino acid codon that was mutagenized, thereby producing a library of nucleic acids encoding a plurality of modified xylanase active sites or substrate binding sites. the method may comprise mutagenizing the first nucleic acid of step (a) by a method comprising an optimized directed evolution system, gene site saturation mutagenesis (gssm), or a synthetic ligation reassembly (slr). the method may comprise mutagenizing the first nucleic acid of step (a) or variants by a method comprising error-prone pcr, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly pcr, sexual pcr mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly (genereassembly, u.s. patent no. 6,537,776 ), gene site saturation mutagenesis (gssm), synthetic ligation reassembly (slr) and a combination thereof. the method may comprise mutagenizing the first nucleic acid of step (a) or variants by a method comprising recombination, recursive sequence recombination, phosphothioate-modified dna mutagenesis, uracil-containing template mutagenesis, gapped duplex mutagenesis, point mismatch repair mutagenesis, repair-deficient host strain mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, radiogenic mutagenesis, deletion mutagenesis, restriction-selection mutagenesis, restriction-purification mutagenesis, artificial gene synthesis, ensemble mutagenesis, chimeric nucleic acid multimer creation and a combination thereof. methods for making a small molecule comprise: (a) providing a plurality of biosynthetic enzymes capable of synthesizing or modifying a small molecule, wherein one of the enzymes comprises a xylanase enzyme encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a substrate for at least one of the enzymes of step (a); and (c) reacting the substrate of step (b) with the enzymes under conditions that facilitate a plurality of biocatalytic reactions to generate a small molecule by a series of biocatalytic reactions. methods for modifying a small molecule comprise: (a) providing a xylanase enzyme, wherein the enzyme comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or, a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or a subsequence thereof; (b) providing a small molecule; and (c) reacting the enzyme of step (a) with the small molecule of step (b) under conditions that facilitate an enzymatic reaction catalyzed by the xylanase enzyme, thereby modifying a small molecule by a xylanase enzymatic reaction. the method can comprise a plurality of small molecule substrates for the enzyme of step (a), thereby generating a library of modified small molecules produced by at least one enzymatic reaction catalyzed by the xylanase enzyme. the method can comprise a plurality of additional enzymes under conditions that facilitate a plurality of biocatalytic reactions by the enzymes to form a library of modified small molecules produced by the plurality of enzymatic reactions. the method can further comprise the step of testing the library to determine if a particular modified small molecule that exhibits a desired activity is present within the library. the step of testing the library can further comprise the steps of systematically eliminating all but one of the biocatalytic reactions used to produce a portion of the plurality of the modified small molecules within the library by testing the portion of the modified small molecule for the presence or absence of the particular modified small molecule with a desired activity, and identifying at least one specific biocatalytic reaction that produces the particular modified small molecule of desired activity. methods for determining a functional fragment of a xylanase enzyme comprise the steps of: (a) providing a xylanase enzyme, wherein the enzyme comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or a subsequence thereof; and (b) deleting a plurality of amino acid residues from the sequence of step (a) and testing the remaining subsequence for a xylanase activity, thereby determining a functional fragment of a xylanase enzyme. in one aspect, the xylanase activity is measured by providing a xylanase substrate and detecting a decrease in the amount of the substrate or an increase in the amount of a reaction product. methods for whole cell engineering of new or modified phenotypes by using real-time metabolic flux analysis comprise: (a) making a modified cell by modifying the genetic composition of a cell, wherein the genetic composition is modified by addition to the cell of a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) culturing the modified cell to generate a plurality of modified cells; (c) measuring at least one metabolic parameter of the cell by monitoring the cell culture of step (b) in real time; and, (d) analyzing the data of step (c) to determine if the measured parameter differs from a comparable measurement in an unmodified cell under similar conditions, thereby identifying an engineered phenotype in the cell using real-time metabolic flux analysis. the genetic composition of the cell can be modified by a method comprising deletion of a sequence or modification of a sequence in the cell, or, knocking out the expression of a gene. the method can further comprise selecting a cell comprising a newly engineered phenotype. the method can comprise culturing the selected cell, thereby generating a new cell strain comprising a newly engineered phenotype. isolated, synthetic or recombinant signal sequences may consist of, or comprise, a sequence as set forth in residues 1 to 12, 1 to 13, 1 to 14, 1 to 15, 1 to 16, 1 to 17, 1 to 18, 1 to 19, 1 to 20, 1 to 21, 1 to 22, 1 to 23, 1 to 24, 1 to 25, 1 to 26, 1 to 27, 1 to 28, 1 to 28, 1 to 30, 1 to 31, 1 to 32, 1 to 33, 1 to 34, 1 to 35, 1 to 36, 1 to 37, 1 to 38, 1 to 40, 1 to 41, 1 to 42, 1 to 43 or 1 to 44, of a polypeptide of the invention, including exemplary polypeptide sequences of the invention. chimeric polypeptides may comprise at least a first domain comprising a signal peptide (sp) and at least a second domain comprising a heterologous polypeptide or peptide comprising a sequence of the invention, or a subsequence thereof, wherein the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not naturally associated with the signal peptide (sp). the signal peptide (sp) may not be derived from a xylanase. the heterologous polypeptide or peptide can be amino terminal to, carboxy terminal to or on both ends of the signal peptide (sp) or a xylanase catalytic domain (cd). isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids encoding a chimeric polypeptide may comprise at least a first domain comprising signal peptide (sp) and at least a second domain comprising a heterologous polypeptide or peptide comprising a sequence of the invention, or a subsequence thereof, wherein the heterologous polypeptide or peptide is not naturally associated with the signal peptide (sp). methods of increasing thermotolerance or thermostability of a xylanase polypeptide comprising glycosylating a xylanase polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide comprises at least thirty contiguous amino acids of a polypeptide of the invention; or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, thereby increasing the thermotolerance or thermostability of the xylanase polypeptide. in one aspect, the xylanase specific activity can be thermostable or thermotolerant at a temperature in the range from greater than about 0°c to about 20°c, about 20°c to about 37°c, about 37°c to about 50°c, about 50°c to about 70°c, about 70°c to about 75°c, about 75°c to about 80°c, about 80°c to about 85°c, about 85°c to about 90°c, about 90°c to about 95°c, about 95°c to about 100°c, about 100°c to about 110°c, or higher. methods for overexpressing a recombinant xylanase polypeptide in a cell comprise expressing a vector comprising a nucleic acid comprising a nucleic acid of the invention or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, wherein the sequence identities are determined by analysis with a sequence comparison algorithm or by visual inspection, wherein overexpression is effected by use of a high activity promoter, a dicistronic vector or by gene amplification of the vector. methods of making a transgenic plant and seeds comprise: (a) introducing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence into the cell, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, thereby producing a transformed plant or seed cell; and (b) producing a transgenic plant from the transformed cell or seed. the step (a) can further comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence by electroporation or microinjection of plant cell protoplasts. the step (a) can further comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence directly to plant tissue by dna particle bombardment. alternatively, the step (a) can further comprise introducing the heterologous nucleic acid sequence into the plant cell dna using an agrobacterium tumefaciens host. the plant cell can be a potato, corn, rice, wheat, tobacco, or barley cell. methods of expressing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell comprise: (a) transforming the plant cell with a heterologous nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) growing the plant under conditions wherein the heterologous nucleic acids sequence is expressed in the plant cell. methods of expressing a heterologous nucleic acid sequence in a plant cell comprise: (a) transforming the plant cell with a heterologous nucleic acid sequence operably linked to a promoter, wherein the heterologous nucleic sequence comprises a sequence of the invention; (b) growing the plant under conditions wherein the heterologous nucleic acids sequence is expressed in the plant cell. the invention provides methods for hydrolyzing, breaking up or disrupting a xylan-comprising composition comprising: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition comprising a xylan; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the xylanase hydrolyzes, breaks up or disrupts the xylan-comprising composition. in one aspect, the composition comprises a plant cell, a bacterial cell, a yeast cell, an insect cell, or an animal cell. thus, the composition can comprise any plant or plant part, any xylan-containing food or feed, a waste product and the like. the invention provides methods for liquefying or removing a xylan-comprising composition comprising: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition comprising a xylan; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) with the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the xylanase removes, softens or liquefies the xylan-comprising composition. detergent compositions may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. the said xylanase can be a nonsurface-active xylanase or a surface-active xylanase. the xylanase can be formulated in a non-aqueous liquid composition, a cast solid, a granular form, a particulate form, a compressed tablet, a gel form, a paste or a slurry form. methods for washing an object comprise: (a) providing a composition comprising a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing an object; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the object of step (b) under conditions wherein the composition can wash the object. textiles or fabrics, including, e.g., threads, may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. the textiles or fabrics may comprise xylan-containing fibers. methods for treating a textile or fabric (e.g., removing a stain from a composition) comprise: (a) providing a composition comprising a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a textile or fabric comprising a xylan; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the xylanase can treat the textile or fabric (e.g., remove the stain). the invention provides methods for improving the finish of a fabric comprising: (a) providing a composition comprising a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a fabric; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the fabric of step (b) under conditions wherein the polypeptide can treat the fabric thereby improving the finish of the fabric. the fabric may be wool or a silk, or the fabric is a cellulosic fiber or a blend of a natural fiber and a synthetic fiber. feeds or foods may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. methods for hydrolyzing xylans in a feed or a food prior to consumption by an animal comprise: (a) obtaining a feed material comprising a xylanase of the invention, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; and (b) adding the polypeptide of step (a) to the feed or food material in an amount sufficient for a sufficient time period to cause hydrolysis of the xylan and formation of a treated food or feed, thereby hydrolyzing the xylans in the food or the feed prior to consumption by the animal. methods for hydrolyzing xylans in a feed or a food after consumption by an animal comprise: (a) obtaining a feed material comprising a xylanase of the invention, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) adding the polypeptide of step (a) to the feed or food material; and (c) administering the feed or food material to the animal, wherein after consumption, the xylanase causes hydrolysis of xylans in the feed or food in the digestive tract of the animal. the food or the feed can be, e.g., a cereal, a grain, a corn and the like. dough or bread products may comprise a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods of dough conditioning comprise contacting a dough or a bread product with at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof, under conditions sufficient for conditioning the dough. beverages may comprise a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention. methods of beverage production comprise administration of at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof, to a beverage or a beverage precursor under conditions sufficient for decreasing the viscosity of the beverage, wherein in one aspect (optionally) the beverage or beverage precursor is a wort or a beer. food or nutritional supplements for an animal may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid of the invention. the polypeptide in the food or nutritional supplement can be glycosylated. edible enzyme delivery matrices may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, e.g., a polypeptide encoded by the nucleic acid of the invention. the delivery matrix may comprise a pellet. the polypeptide can be glycosylated. the xylanase activity may be thermotolerant or thermostable. a food, a feed or a nutritional supplement may comprise a polypeptide of the invention. methods for utilizing a xylanase as a nutritional supplement in an animal diet comprise: preparing a nutritional supplement containing a xylanase enzyme comprising at least thirty contiguous amino acids of a polypeptide of the invention; and administering the nutritional supplement to an animal to increase utilization of a xylan contained in a feed or a food ingested by the animal. the animal can be a human, a ruminant or a monogastric animal. the xylanase enzyme can be prepared by expression of a polynucleotide encoding the xylanase in an organism selected from the group consisting of a bacterium, a yeast, a plant, an insect, a fungus and an animal. the organism can be selected from the group consisting of an s. pombe, s. cerevisiae, pichia pastoris, pseudomonas sp., e. coli, streptomyces sp., bacillus sp. and lactobacillus sp. edible enzyme delivery matrix may comprise a thermostable recombinant xylanase enzyme of the invention. methods for delivering a xylanase supplement to an animal comprise: preparing an edible enzyme delivery matrix in the form of pellets comprising a granulate edible carrier and a thermostable recombinant xylanase enzyme, wherein the pellets readily disperse the xylanase enzyme contained therein into aqueous media, and administering the edible enzyme delivery matrix to the animal. the recombinant xylanase enzyme can comprise a polypeptide of the invention. the granulate edible carrier can comprise a carrier selected from the group consisting of a grain germ, a grain germ that is spent of oil, a hay, an alfalfa, a timothy, a soy hull, a sunflower seed meal and a wheat midd. the edible carrier can comprise grain germ that is spent of oil. the xylanase enzyme can be glycosylated to provide thermostability at pelletizing conditions. the delivery matrix can be formed by pelletizing a mixture comprising a grain germ and a xylanase. the pelletizing conditions can include application of steam. the pelletizing conditions can comprise application of a temperature in excess of about 80°c for about 5 minutes and the enzyme retains a specific activity of at least 350 to about 900 units per milligram of enzyme. methods for improving texture and flavor of a dairy product comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a dairy product; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the dairy product of step (b) under conditions wherein the xylanase can improve the texture or flavor of the dairy product. the dairy product may comprise a cheese or a yogurt. dairy products may comprise a xylanase of the invention, or is encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. methods for improving the extraction of oil from an oil-rich plant material comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing an oil-rich plant material; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the oil-rich plant material. the oil-rich plant material may comprise an oil-rich seed. the oil can be a soybean oil, an olive oil, a rapeseed (canola) oil or a sunflower oil. methods for preparing a fruit or vegetable juice, syrup, puree or extract comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition or a liquid comprising a fruit or vegetable material; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the composition, thereby preparing the fruit or vegetable juice, syrup, puree or extract. papers or paper products or paper pulp may comprise a xylanasee of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. methods for treating a biomass, e.g., any paper or a paper or wood pulp comprise: (a) providing a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention; (b) providing a composition, e.g, a biomass, comprising a paper or a paper or wood pulp; and (c) contacting the polypeptide of step (a) and the composition of step (b) under conditions wherein the xylanase can treat the paper or paper or wood pulp. methods for reducing the amount of lignin (delignification), or solubilizing a lignin, in a paper or paper product, a paper waste, a wood, wood pulp or wood product, or a wood or paper recycling composition, comprise contacting the paper or paper product, wood, wood pulp or wood product, or wood or paper recycling composition with a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for hydrolyzing hemicelluloses in a wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste comprise contacting the wood, wood product, paper pulp, paper product or paper waste with a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for enzymatic decoloring (e.g., bleaching) of paper, hemp or flax pulp comprise contacting the paper, hemp or flax pulp with a xylanase and a decoloring (e.g., bleaching) agent, wherein the xylanase comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. the decoloring (e.g., bleaching) agent can comprise oxygen or hydrogen peroxide. methods for of decoloring (e.g., bleaching) a lignocellulose pulp comprise contacting the lignocellulose pulp with a xylanase, comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for enzymatic deinking of paper, paper waste, paper recycled product, deinking toner from non-contact printed wastepaper or mixtures of non-contact and contact printed wastepaper, comprise contacting the paper, paper waste, paper recycled product, non-contact printed wastepaper or contact printed wastepaper with a xylanase comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for decoloring (e.g., bleaching) a thread, fabric, yarn, cloth or textile comprise contacting the fabric, yarn, cloth or textile with a xylanase under conditions suitable to produce a whitening of the textile, wherein the xylanase comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. the thread, fabric, yarn, cloth or textile can comprise a non-cotton cellulosic thread, fabric, yarn, cloth or textile. fabrics, yarns, cloths or textiles may comprise a polypeptide having a sequence of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof, wherein in one aspect (optionally) the fabric, yarn, cloth or textile comprises a non-cotton cellulosic fabric, yarn, cloth or textile. methods for decoloring (e.g., bleaching) or deinking newspaper comprise contacting the newspaper, wherein the xylanase comprises a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. wood, wood chips, wood pulp, wood products, paper pulps, paper products, newspapers or paper waste may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. thread, fabric, yarn, cloth or textile may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for reducing lignin in a wood or wood product comprise contacting the wood or wood product with a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide has a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for reducing a lignin in a biomass, e.g., in a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp under high temperature and basic ph conditions comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic) wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing a lignin-comprising biomass, e.g., a lignin-comprising wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp; and (c) contacting the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide reduces the lignin-comprising biomass, e.g., the lignin in the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp. methods for treating a lignin-comprising biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper product, a paper or a paper pulp under high temperature and basic ph conditions, comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing a lignin-comprising biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp; and (c) contacting the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide catalyzes hydrolysis of compounds in the lignin-comprising biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp, and wherein in one aspect (optionally) the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp comprises a softwood and hardwood, or the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper or paper pulp is derived from a softwood and hardwood; and wherein optionally after the treatment the pulp has a consistency of at least about 10%, or at least about 32%. methods for decoloring a biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp under high temperature and basic ph conditions, comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing a biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp; and (c) contacting the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 9.5, ph 10.0, ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide catalyzes hydrolysis of compounds in the biomass, e.g., a wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp, thereby decoloring (e.g., bleaching) the biomass, e.g., a wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp. methods for reducing the use of decoloring (e.g., bleaching) chemicals in a biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp decoloring (e.g., bleaching) process under high temperature and basic ph conditions, comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c , 85°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing a biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp; and (c) contacting the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 10.5, ph 11, ph 12, ph 12.5 or more (basic), wherein the polypeptide catalyzes hydrolysis of compounds in the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp, thereby biobleaching the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp and reducing the use of decoloring (e.g., bleaching) chemicals in the decoloring (e.g., bleaching) process; wherein optionally the decoloring (e.g., bleaching) chemical comprises a chlorine, a chlorine dioxide, a caustic, a peroxide, or any combination thereof. methods for paper or pulp deinking under high temperature and basic ph conditions, comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing an ink-comprising biomass, e.g., a wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, a paper product or paper pulp; and (c) contacting the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 85°c and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, wherein the polypeptide catalyzes hydrolysis of compounds in the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper or paper pulp, thereby facilitating deinking of the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp. methods for releasing a lignin from a biomass, e.g., a wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp under high temperature and basic ph conditions, comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing a lignin-comprising biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp; and (c) contacting the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or a paper pulp of step (b) with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, wherein the polypeptide catalyzes hydrolysis of compounds in the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp, thereby facilitating release of lignin from the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp; wherein in one aspect (optionally) after the treatment the pulp has a consistency of about 10%. compositions may comprise a biomass, e.g., wood, a wood pulp, a kraft pulp, a paper, a paper product or a paper pulp comprising a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide has a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. optionally the biomass, e.g., wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp comprises a softwood and hardwood, or the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp derived from a softwood and hardwood. methods for making ethanol comprise contacting a starch-comprising composition with a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide has a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. compositions may comprise an ethanol and a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide has a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for making ethanol under high temperature and basic ph conditions, comprise: (a) providing at least one polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide retains xylanase activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, wherein the polypeptide comprises a xylanase having a sequence of the invention, or the xylanase is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof; (b) providing a starch-comprising composition comprising a wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, a paper product or paper pulp; and (c) contacting the composition of step (b) with the polypeptide of step (a) under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, wherein the polypeptide catalyzes hydrolysis of compounds in the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper or paper pulp, thereby generating ethanol from the wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp. pharmaceutical compositions may comprise a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, wherein the polypeptide comprises a sequence of the invention, or the polypeptide is encoded by a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or an enzymatically active fragment thereof. methods for eliminating or protecting animals from a microorganism comprising a xylan comprise administering a polypeptide of the invention. the microorganism can be a bacterium comprising a xylan, e.g., salmonella. the pharmaceutical composition may act as a digestive aid or an anti-microbial (e.g., against salmonella ). the treatment may be prophylactic. oral care products may comprise a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. the oral care product can comprise a toothpaste, a dental cream, a gel or a tooth powder, an odontic, a mouth wash, a pre- or post brushing rinse formulation, a chewing gum, a lozenge or a candy. contact lens cleaning compositions may comprise a polypeptide of the invention having a xylanase activity, or a xylanase encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. chimeric xylanases may comprise a polypeptide sequence of the invention and at least one heterologous carbohydrate-binding module (cbm), wherein optionally the cbm comprises a cbm3a, cbm3b, cbm4, cbm6, cbm22 or x14, or a cbm as listed and discussed, below. chimeric xylanases may comprise at least one heterologous carbohydrate-binding module (cbm), wherein the cbm comprises a carbohydrate-binding subsequence of a xylanase sequence of the invention, or a carbohydrate-binding subsequence comprising a x14. methods for designing a chimeric xylanase having a new carbohydrate-binding specificity or an enhanced carbohydrate-binding specificity, comprise inserting a heterologous or an additional endogenous carbohydrate-binding module (cbm) into a xylanase, wherein the cbm comprises a carbohydrate-binding subsequence of a xylanase sequence of the invention, or a carbohydrate-binding subsequence comprising a x14, or alternatively a heterologous cbm, or an additional endogenous cbm, is inserted into a xylanase sequence of the invention. the invention provides enzyme mixtures, or "cocktails" comprising at least one enzyme of the invention and one or more other enzyme(s), which can be another xylanase, a mannanase or glucanase, or any other enzyme; for example, the "cocktails" of the invention, in addition to at least one enzyme of this invention, can comprise any other enzyme, such as xylanase (not of this invention), cellulases, lipases, esterases, proteases, or endoglycosidases, endo-beta.-1,4-glucanases, beta-glucanases, endo-beta-1,3(4)-glucanases, cutinases, peroxidases, catalases, laccases, amylases, glucoamylases, pectinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, ligninases, pullulanases, arabinanases, hemicellulases, mannanases, xyloglucanases, xylanases, pectin acetyl esterases, rhamnogalacturonan acetyl esterases, polygalacturonases, rhamnogalacturonases, galactanases, pectin lyases, pectin methylesterases, cellobiohydrolases and/or transglutaminases, to name just a few examples. in alternative embodiments, these enzyme mixtures, or "cocktails" comprising at least one enzyme of the invention can be used in any process or method described herein, or composition of the disclosure, e.g., in foods or feeds, food or feed supplements, textiles, papers, processed woods, etc. and methods for making them, and in compositions and methods for treating paper, pulp, wood, paper, pulp or wood waste or by-products, and the like, and in the final products thereof. aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying claims. the details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. brief description of the drawings the following drawings are illustrative of aspects of the invention and are not meant to limit the scope of the invention as encompassed by the claims. the patent or application file contains at least one drawing executed in color. copies of this patent or patent application publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the office upon request and payment of the necessary fee. figure 1 is a block diagram of a computer system. figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process for comparing a new nucleotide or protein sequence with a database of sequences in order to determine the homology levels between the new sequence and the sequences in the database. figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process in a computer for determining whether two sequences are homologous. figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of an identifier process 300 for detecting the presence of a feature in a sequence. figure 5 is a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary routine screening protocol to determine whether a xylanase of the invention is useful in pretreating paper pulp, as described in detail in example 3, below. figure 6 illustrates a biobleaching industrial process of the invention, as described in detail in example 5, below. like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. detailed description of the invention the invention provides xylanases (e.g., endoxylanases) and polynucleotides encoding them and methods of making and using them. xylanase activity of the polypeptides of the invention encompasses enzymes capable of hydrolyzing glycosidic linkages in a polysaccharide, for example a glycosidic linkage present in xylan, e.g., catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages. the xylanases of the invention can be used to make and/or process foods, feeds, nutritional supplements, textiles, detergents and the like. the xylanases of the invention can be used in pharmaceutical compositions and dietary aids. xylanases of the invention are particularly useful in baking, animal feed, beverage and wood, wood pulp, kraft pulp, paper, paper product or paper pulp processes. in one aspect, an enzyme of the invention is thermotolerant and/or tolerant of high and/or low ph conditions. for example, in one aspect, a xylanase of the invention retains activity under conditions comprising a temperature of at least about 80°c, 85°c, 86°c, 87°c, 88°c, 89°c, 90°c, 91°c , 92°c , 93°c , 94°c, 95°c, 96°c, 97°c, 98°c, 99°c, 100°c, 101°c, 102°c, 103°c, 103.5°c, 104°c, 105°c, 107°c, 108°c, 109°c or 110°c, or more, and a basic ph of at least about ph 11, or more. the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids comprising a nucleic acid encoding at least one polypeptide having a xylanase (e.g., an endoxylanase) activity, or other activity as described herein, wherein the nucleic acid comprises a sequence having at least 95% to 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity (homology) to a sequence which is seq id no:1 having one or more nucleotide residue changes (modifications, mutations) a sequences which is as described herein. nucleic acids of the invention includes those encoding a polypeptide of this invention, which includes, e.g., seq id no:2 having one or more amino acid residue changes (mutations) as described herein. table-tabl0002 table 1: clone name (xyl 111 and xyl 11 mutants) residue original codon changed to other codons for same aa change original aa changed to aa average a560 average wt-a560 average % of wt xyl 11 wt 100 100 xyl 11 mutant 1 108 ttc aag aaa f k 0.655 0.740 87.5 xyl 11 mutant 2 21 ttc tac tat f y 0.815 0.813 100.3 xyl 11 mutant 3 189 tcc cag caa s q 0.909 0.906 100.4 xyl 11 mutant 4 150 gta gcc gct, gca, gcg v a 0.634 0.623 101.8 xyl 11 mutant 5 9 ccc gac gat p d 0.570 0.556 102.5 xyl 11 mutant 6 188 agc gag gaa s e 0.749 0.722 104.1 xyl 11 mutant 7 125 cag tac tat q y 0.936 0.902 104.2 xyl 11 mutant 8 73 ggc gtc gtt, gta, gtg g v 0.769 0.736 104.6 xyl 11 mutant 9 73 ggc gag gaa g e 0.965 0.902 106.6 xyl 11 mutant 10 33 ctg gcg gct, gcc, gca l a 0.795 0.736 108.0 xyl 11 mutant 11 38 cgt cac cat r h 0.969 0.894 108.3 xyl 11 mutant 12 17 ttc gtc gtt, gta, gtg f v 0.981 0.901 109.0 xyl 11 mutant 13 63 atc gtc gtt, gta, gtg i v 0.996 0.901 110.5 xyl 11 mutant 14 44 agc acg act, acc, aca s t 1.008 0.894 112.7 xyl 11 mutant 15 73 ggc tac tat g y 0.958 0.813 118.2 xyl 11 mutant 16 4 acc cac cat t h l 1.057 0.881 119.9 xyl 11 mutant 17 4 acc cgc cgt, cga, cgg, aga, agg t r 1.087 0.906 120.1 xyl 11 mutant 18 4 acc aac aat t n 1.092 0.881 123.7 variants of polynucleotides or polypeptides of the invention, may comprise sequences modified at one or more base pairs, codons, introns, exons, or amino acid residues (respectively) yet still retain the biological activity of a xylanase of the invention. variants can be produced by any number of means included methods such as, for example, error-prone pcr, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly pcr, sexual pcr mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly (e.g., genereassembly, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,537,776 ), gssm and any combination thereof. the term "saturation mutagenesis", "gene site saturation mutagenesis" or "gssm" includes a method that uses degenerate oligonucleotide primers to introduce point mutations into a polynucleotide, as described in detail, below. the term "optimized directed evolution system" or "optimized directed evolution" includes a method for reassembling fragments of related nucleic acid sequences, e.g., related genes, and explained in detail, below. the term "synthetic ligation reassembly" or "slr" includes a method of ligating oligonucleotide fragments in a non-stochastic fashion, and explained in detail, below. generating and manipulating nucleic acids the invention provides nucleic acids as disclosed herein. the disclosure also includes methods for discovering new xylanase sequences using the nucleic acids of the invention. methods for inhibiting the expression of xylanase genes, transcripts and polypeptides may use the nucleic acids of the invention. methods for modifying the nucleic acids of the invention may be by, e.g., synthetic ligation reassembly, optimized directed evolution system and/or saturation mutagenesis. the nucleic acids of the invention can be made, isolated and/or manipulated by, e.g., cloning and expression of cdna libraries, amplification of message or genomic dna by pcr, and the like. homologous genes can be modified by manipulating a template nucleic acid, as described herein. this can be practiced in conjunction with any method or protocol or device known in the art, which are well described in the scientific and patent literature. one aspect of the invention is an isolated nucleic acid as disclosed herein. the isolated nucleic acids may comprise dna, including cdna, genomic dna and synthetic dna. the dna may be double-stranded or single-stranded and if single stranded may be the coding strand or non-coding (anti-sense) strand. alternatively, the isolated nucleic acids may comprise rna. accordingly, another aspect of the invention is an isolated nucleic acid which encodes one of the polypeptides of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids of one of the polypeptides of the invention. the coding sequences of these nucleic acids may be identical to one of the coding sequences of one of the nucleic acids of the invention, or a fragment thereof or may be different coding sequences which encode one of the polypeptides of the invention, sequences substantially identical thereto and fragments having at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids of one of the polypeptides of the invention, as a result of the redundancy or degeneracy of the genetic code. the genetic code is well known to those of skill in the art and can be obtained, for example, on page 214 of b. lewin, genes vi, oxford university press, 1997 . the isolated nucleic acid which encodes one of the polypeptides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, may include, but is not limited to: only the coding sequence of a nucleic acid of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto and additional coding sequences, such as leader sequences or proprotein sequences and non-coding sequences, such as introns or non-coding sequences 5' and/or 3' of the coding sequence. thus, as used herein, the term "polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide" encompasses a polynucleotide which includes only the coding sequence for the polypeptide as well as a polynucleotide which includes additional coding and/or non-coding sequence. alternatively, the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, may be mutagenized using conventional techniques, such as site directed mutagenesis, or other techniques familiar to those skilled in the art, to introduce silent changes into the polynucleotides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. as used herein, "silent changes" include, for example, changes which do not alter the amino acid sequence encoded by the polynucleotide. such changes may be desirable in order to increase the level of the polypeptide produced by host cells containing a vector encoding the polypeptide by introducing codons or codon pairs which occur frequently in the host organism. the invention also relates to polynucleotides which have nucleotide changes which result in amino acid substitutions, additions, deletions, fusions and truncations in the polypeptides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. such nucleotide changes may be introduced using techniques such as site directed mutagenesis, random chemical mutagenesis, exonuclease iii deletion and other recombinant dna techniques. alternatively, such nucleotide changes may be naturally occurring allelic variants which are isolated by identifying nucleic acids which specifically hybridize to probes comprising at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, or 500 consecutive bases of one of the sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto (or the sequences complementary thereto) under conditions of high, moderate, or low stringency as provided herein. general techniques the nucleic acids used to practice this invention, whether rna, irna, antisense nucleic acid, cdna, genomic dna, vectors, viruses or hybrids thereof, may be isolated from a variety of sources, genetically engineered, amplified, and/or expressed/ generated recombinantly. recombinant polypeptides (e.g., glycosyl hydrolases of the invention) generated from these nucleic acids can be individually isolated or cloned and tested for a desired activity. any recombinant expression system can be used, including bacterial, mammalian, yeast, insect or plant cell expression systems. alternatively, these nucleic acids can be synthesized in vitro by well-known chemical synthesis techniques, as described in, e.g., adams (1983) j. am. chem. soc. 105:661 ; belousov (1997) nucleic acids res. 25:3440-3444 ; frenkel (1995) free radic. biol. med. 19:373-380 ; blommers (1994) biochemistry 33:7886-7896 ; narang (1979) meth. enzymol. 68:90 ; brown (1979) meth. enzymol. 68:109 ; beaucage (1981) tetra. lett. 22:1859 ; u.s. patent no. 4,458,066 . techniques for the manipulation of nucleic acids, such as, e.g., subcloning, labeling probes (e.g., random-primer labeling using klenow polymerase, nick translation, amplification), sequencing, hybridization and the like are well described in the scientific and patent literature, see, e.g., sambrook, ed., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual (2nd ed.), vols. 1-3, cold spring harbor laboratory, (1989 ); current protocols in molecular biology, ausubel, ed. john wiley & sons, inc., new york (1997 ); laboratory techniques in biochemistry and molecular biology: hybridization with nucleic acid probes, part i. theory and nucleic acid preparation, tijssen, ed. elsevier, n.y. (1993 ). another useful means of obtaining and manipulating nucleic acids used to practice the methods of the invention is to clone from genomic samples, and, if desired, screen and re-clone inserts isolated or amplified from, e.g., genomic clones or cdna clones. sources of nucleic acid used in the methods of the invention include genomic or cdna libraries contained in, e.g., mammalian artificial chromosomes (macs), see, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 5,721,118 ; 6,025,155 ; human artificial chromosomes, see, e.g., rosenfeld (1997) nat. genet. 15:333-335 ; yeast artificial chromosomes (yac); bacterial artificial chromosomes (bac); p1 artificial chromosomes, see, e.g., woon (1998) genomics 50:306-316 ; p1-derived vectors (pacs), see, e.g., kern (1997) biotechniques 23:120-124 ; cosmids, recombinant viruses, phages or plasmids. in one aspect, a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide of the invention is assembled in appropriate phase with a leader sequence capable of directing secretion of the translated polypeptide or fragment thereof. the invention provides fusion proteins and nucleic acids encoding them. a polypeptide of the invention can be fused to a heterologous peptide or polypeptide, such as n-terminal identification peptides which impart desired characteristics, such as increased stability or simplified purification. peptides and polypeptides of the invention can also be synthesized and expressed as fusion proteins with one or more additional domains linked thereto for, e.g., producing a more immunogenic peptide, to more readily isolate a recombinantly synthesized peptide, to identify and isolate antibodies and antibody-expressing b cells, and the like. detection and purification facilitating domains include, e.g., metal chelating peptides such as polyhistidine tracts and histidine-tryptophan modules that allow purification on immobilized metals, protein a domains that allow purification on immobilized immunoglobulin, and the domain utilized in the flags extension/affinity purification system (immunex corp, seattle wa). the inclusion of a cleavable linker sequences such as factor xa or enterokinase (invitrogen, san diego ca) between a purification domain and the motif-comprising peptide or polypeptide to facilitate purification. for example, an expression vector can include an epitope-encoding nucleic acid sequence linked to six histidine residues followed by a thioredoxin and an enterokinase cleavage site (see e.g., williams (1995) biochemistry 34:1787-1797 ; dobeli (1998) protein expr. purif. 12:404-414 ). the histidine residues facilitate detection and purification while the enterokinase cleavage site provides a means for purifying the epitope from the remainder of the fusion protein. technology pertaining to vectors encoding fusion proteins and application of fusion proteins are well described in the scientific and patent literature, see e.g., kroll (1993) dna cell. biol., 12:441-53 . the phrases "nucleic acid" or "nucleic acid sequence" as used herein refer to an oligonucleotide, nucleotide, polynucleotide, or to a fragment of any of these, to dna or rna of genomic or synthetic origin which may be single-stranded or double-stranded and may represent a sense or antisense strand, to peptide nucleic acid (pna), or to any dna-like or rna-like material, natural or synthetic in origin. the phrases "nucleic acid" or "nucleic acid sequence" includes oligonucleotide, nucleotide, polynucleotide, or to a fragment of any of these, to dna or rna (e.g., mrna, rrna, trna, irna) of genomic or synthetic origin which may be single-stranded or double-stranded and may represent a sense or antisense strand, to peptide nucleic acid (pna), or to any dna-like or rna-like material, natural or synthetic in origin, including, e.g., irna, ribonucleoproteins (e.g., e.g., double stranded irnas, e.g., irnps). the term encompasses nucleic acids, i.e., oligonucleotides, containing known analogues of natural nucleotides. the term also encompasses nucleic-acid-like structures with synthetic backbones, see e.g., mata (1997) toxicol. appl. pharmacol. 144:189-197 ; strauss-soukup (1997) biochemistry 36:8692-8698 ; samstag (1996) antisense nucleic acid drug dev 6:153-156 . "oligonucleotide" includes either a single stranded polydeoxynucleotide or two complementary polydeoxynucleotide strands that may be chemically synthesized. such synthetic oligonucleotides have no 5' phosphate and thus will not ligate to another oligonucleotide without adding a phosphate with an atp in the presence of a kinase. a synthetic oligonucleotide can ligate to a fragment that has not been dephosphorylated. a "coding sequence of' or a "nucleotide sequence encoding" a particular polypeptide or protein, is a nucleic acid sequence which is transcribed and translated into a polypeptide or protein when placed under the control of appropriate regulatory sequences. the term "gene" means the segment of dna involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it includes regions preceding and following the coding region (leader and trailer) as well as, where applicable, intervening sequences (introns) between individual coding segments (exons). "operably linked" as used herein refers to a functional relationship between two or more nucleic acid (e.g., dna) segments. typically, it refers to the functional relationship of transcriptional regulatory sequence to a transcribed sequence. for example, a promoter is operably linked to a coding sequence, such as a nucleic acid of the invention, if it stimulates or modulates the transcription of the coding sequence in an appropriate host cell or other expression system. generally, promoter transcriptional regulatory sequences that are operably linked to a transcribed sequence are physically contiguous to the transcribed sequence, i.e., they are cis-acting. however, some transcriptional regulatory sequences, such as enhancers, need not be physically contiguous or located in close proximity to the coding sequences whose transcription they enhance. the term "expression cassette" as used herein refers to a nucleotide sequence which is capable of affecting expression of a structural gene (i.e., a protein coding sequence, such as a xylanase of the invention) in a host compatible with such sequences. expression cassettes include at least a promoter operably linked with the polypeptide coding sequence; and, in one aspect, with other sequences, e.g., transcription termination signals. additional factors necessary or helpful in effecting expression may also be used, e.g., enhancers. thus, expression cassettes also include plasmids, expression vectors, recombinant viruses, any form of recombinant "naked dna" vector, and the like. a "vector" comprises a nucleic acid that can infect, transfect, transiently or permanently transduce a cell. it will be recognized that a vector can be a naked nucleic acid, or a nucleic acid complexed with protein or lipid. the vector in one aspect comprises viral or bacterial nucleic acids and/or proteins, and/or membranes (e.g., a cell membrane, a viral lipid envelope, etc.). vectors include, but are not limited to replicons (e.g., rna replicons, bacteriophages) to which fragments of dna may be attached and become replicated. vectors thus include, but are not limited to rna, autonomous self-replicating circular or linear dna or rna (e.g., plasmids, viruses, and the like, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,217,879 ), and include both the expression and non-expression plasmids. where a recombinant microorganism or cell culture is described as hosting an "expression vector" this includes both extra-chromosomal circular and linear dna and dna that has been incorporated into the host chromosome(s). where a vector is being maintained by a host cell, the vector may either be stably replicated by the cells during mitosis as an autonomous structure, or is incorporated within the host's genome. as used herein, the term "promoter" includes all sequences capable of driving transcription of a coding sequence in a cell, e.g., a plant cell. thus, promoters used in the constructs of the invention include cis-acting transcriptional control elements and regulatory sequences that are involved in regulating or modulating the timing and/or rate of transcription of a gene. for example, a promoter can be a cis-acting transcriptional control element, including an enhancer, a promoter, a transcription terminator, an origin of replication, a chromosomal integration sequence, 5' and 3' untranslated regions, or an intronic sequence, which are involved in transcriptional regulation. these cis-acting sequences typically interact with proteins or other biomolecules to carry out (turn on/off, regulate, modulate, etc.) transcription. "constitutive" promoters are those that drive expression continuously under most environmental conditions and states of development or cell differentiation. "inducible" or "regulatable" promoters direct expression of the nucleic acid of the invention under the influence of environmental conditions or developmental conditions. examples of environmental conditions that may affect transcription by inducible promoters include anaerobic conditions, elevated temperature, drought, or the presence of light. "tissue-specific" promoters are transcriptional control elements that are only active in particular cells or tissues or organs, e.g., in plants or animals. tissue-specific regulation may be achieved by certain intrinsic factors that ensure that genes encoding proteins specific to a given tissue are expressed. such factors are known to exist in mammals and plants so as to allow for specific tissues to develop. as used herein, the term "isolated" means that the material (e.g., a nucleic acid, a polypeptide, a cell) is removed from its original environment (e.g., the natural environment if it is naturally occurring). for example, a naturally-occurring polynucleotide or polypeptide present in a living animal is not isolated, but the same polynucleotide or polypeptide, separated from some or all of the coexisting materials in the natural system, is isolated. such polynucleotides could be part of a vector and/or such polynucleotides or polypeptides could be part of a composition and still be isolated in that such vector or composition is not part of its natural environment. as used herein, the term "purified" does not require absolute purity; rather, it is intended as a relative definition. individual nucleic acids obtained from a library have been conventionally purified to electrophoretic homogeneity. the sequences obtained from these clones could not be obtained directly either from the library or from total human dna. the purified nucleic acids of the invention have been purified from the remainder of the genomic dna in the organism by at least 10 4 -10 6 fold. however, the term "purified" also includes nucleic acids that have been purified from the remainder of the genomic dna or from other sequences in a library or other environment by at least one order of magnitude, typically two or three orders and more typically four or five orders of magnitude. as used herein, the term "recombinant" means that the nucleic acid is adjacent to a "backbone" nucleic acid to which it is not adjacent in its natural environment. additionally, to be "enriched" the nucleic acids will represent 5% or more of the number of nucleic acid inserts in a population of nucleic acid backbone molecules. backbone molecules according to the invention include nucleic acids such as expression vectors, self-replicating nucleic acids, viruses, integrating nucleic acids and other vectors or nucleic acids used to maintain or manipulate a nucleic acid insert of interest. typically, the enriched nucleic acids represent 15% or more of the number of nucleic acid inserts in the population of recombinant backbone molecules. more typically, the enriched nucleic acids represent 50% or more of the number of nucleic acid inserts in the population of recombinant backbone molecules. in a one aspect, the enriched nucleic acids represent 90% or more of the number of nucleic acid inserts in the population of recombinant backbone molecules. "plasmids" are designated by a lower case "p" preceded and/or followed by capital letters and/or numbers. the starting plasmids herein are either commercially available, publicly available on an unrestricted basis, or can be constructed from available plasmids in accord with published procedures. in addition, equivalent plasmids to those described herein are known in the art and will be apparent to the ordinarily skilled artisan. "plasmids" can be commercially available, publicly available on an unrestricted basis, or can be constructed from available plasmids in accord with published procedures. equivalent plasmids to those described herein are known in the art and will be apparent to the ordinarily skilled artisan. "digestion" of dna refers to catalytic cleavage of the dna with a restriction enzyme that acts only at certain sequences in the dna. the various restriction enzymes used herein are commercially available and their reaction conditions, cofactors and other requirements were used as would be known to the ordinarily skilled artisan. for analytical purposes, typically 1 µg of plasmid or dna fragment is used with about 2 units of enzyme in about 20 µl of buffer solution. for the purpose of isolating dna fragments for plasmid construction, typically 5 to 50 µg of dna are digested with 20 to 250 units of enzyme in a larger volume. appropriate buffers and substrate amounts for particular restriction enzymes are specified by the manufacturer. incubation times of about 1 hour at 37°c are ordinarily used, but may vary in accordance with the supplier's instructions. after digestion, gel electrophoresis may be performed to isolate the desired fragment. "hybridization" refers to the process by which a nucleic acid strand joins with a complementary strand through base pairing. hybridization reactions can be sensitive and selective so that a particular sequence of interest can be identified even in samples in which it is present at low concentrations. suitably stringent conditions can be defined by, for example, the concentrations of salt or formamide in the prehybridization and hybridization solutions, or by the hybridization temperature and are well known in the art. in particular, stringency can be increased by reducing the concentration of salt, increasing the concentration of formamide, or raising the hybridization temperature. in alternative aspects, nucleic acids of the invention are defined by their ability to hybridize under various stringency conditions (e.g., high, medium, and low), as set forth herein. for example, hybridization under high stringency conditions could occur in about 50% formamide at about 37°c to 42°c. hybridization could occur under reduced stringency conditions in about 35% to 25% formamide at about 30°c to 35°c. in particular, hybridization could occur under high stringency conditions at 42°c in 50% formamide, 5x sspe, 0.3% sds and 200 ug/ml sheared and denatured salmon sperm dna. hybridization could occur under reduced stringency conditions as described above, but in 35% formamide at a reduced temperature of 35°c. the temperature range corresponding to a particular level of stringency can be further narrowed by calculating the purine to pyrimidine ratio of the nucleic acid of interest and adjusting the temperature accordingly. variations on the above ranges and conditions are well known in the art. transcriptional and translational control sequences the invention provides nucleic acid (e.g., dna) sequences of the invention operatively linked to expression (e.g., transcriptional or translational) control sequence(s), e.g., promoters or enhancers, to direct or modulate rna synthesis/ expression. the expression control sequence can be in an expression vector. exemplary bacterial promoters include laci, lacz, t3, t7, gpt, lambda pr, pl and trp. exemplary eukaryotic promoters include cmv immediate early, hsv thymidine kinase, early and late sv40, ltrs from retrovirus, and mouse metallothionein i. a promoter sequence is "operably linked to" a coding sequence when rna polymerase which initiates transcription at the promoter will transcribe the coding sequence into mrna.promoters suitable for expressing a polypeptide in bacteria include the e. coli lac or trp promoters, the laci promoter, the lacz promoter, the t3 promoter, the t7 promoter, the gpt promoter, the lambda pr promoter, the lambda pl promoter, promoters from operons encoding glycolytic enzymes such as 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (pgk), and the acid phosphatase promoter. eukaryotic promoters include the cmv immediate early promoter, the hsv thymidine kinase promoter, heat shock promoters, the early and late sv40 promoter, ltrs from retroviruses, and the mouse metallothionein-i promoter. other promoters known to control expression of genes in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells or their viruses may also be used. promoters suitable for expressing the polypeptide or fragment thereof in bacteria include the e. coli lac or trp promoters, the laci promoter, the lacz promoter, the t3 promoter, the t7 promoter, the gpt promoter, the lambda p r promoter, the lambda p l promoter, promoters from operons encoding glycolytic enzymes such as 3-phosphoglycerate kinase (pgk) and the acid phosphatase promoter. fungal promoters include the ∀ factor promoter. eukaryotic promoters include the cmv immediate early promoter, the hsv thymidine kinase promoter, heat shock promoters, the early and late sv40 promoter, ltrs from retroviruses and the mouse metallothionein-i promoter. other promoters known to control expression of genes in prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells or their viruses may also be used. tissue-specific plant promoters the invention provides expression cassettes that can be expressed in a tissue-specific manner, e.g., that can express a xylanase of the invention in a tissue-specific manner. the invention also provides plants or seeds that express a xylanase of the invention in a tissue-specific manner. the tissue-specificity can be seed specific, stem specific, leaf specific, root specific, fruit specific and the like. in one aspect, a constitutive promoter such as the camv 35s promoter can be used for expression in specific parts of the plant or seed or throughout the plant. for example, for overexpression, a plant promoter fragment can be employed which will direct expression of a nucleic acid in some or all tissues of a plant, e.g., a regenerated plant. such promoters are referred to herein as "constitutive" promoters and are active under most environmental conditions and states of development or cell differentiation. examples of constitutive promoters include the cauliflower mosaic virus (camv) 35s transcription initiation region, the 1'- or 2'- promoter derived from t-dna of agrobacterium tumefaciens, and other transcription initiation regions from various plant genes known to those of skill. such genes include, e.g., act11 from arabidopsis ( huang (1996) plant mol. biol. 33:125-139 ); cat3 from arabidopsis (genbank no. u43147, zhong (1996) mol. gen. genet. 251:196-203 ); the gene encoding stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase from brassica napus (genbank no. x74782, solocombe (1994) plant physiol. 104:1167-1176 ); gpc1 from maize (genbank no. x15596; martinez (1989) j. mol. biol 208:551-565 ); the gpc2 from maize (genbank no. u45855, manjunath (1997) plant mol. biol. 33:97-112 ); plant promoters described in u.s. patent nos. 4,962,028 ; 5,633,440 . the invention uses tissue-specific or constitutive promoters derived from viruses which can include, e . g ., the tobamovirus subgenomic promoter ( kumagai (1995) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 92:1679-1683 ; the rice tungro bacilliform virus (rtbv), which replicates only in phloem cells in infected rice plants, with its promoter which drives strong phloem-specific reporter gene expression; the cassava vein mosaic virus (cvmv) promoter, with highest activity in vascular elements, in leaf mesophyll cells, and in root tips ( verdaguer (1996) plant mol. biol. 31:1129-1139 ). alternatively, the plant promoter may direct expression of xylanase-expressing nucleic acid in a specific tissue, organ or cell type ( i.e. tissue-specific promoters) or may be otherwise under more precise environmental or developmental control or under the control of an inducible promoter. examples of environmental conditions that may affect transcription include anaerobic conditions, elevated temperature, the presence of light, or sprayed with chemicals/hormones. for example, the invention incorporates the drought-inducible promoter of maize (busk (1997) supra); the cold, drought, and high salt inducible promoter from potato ( kirch (1997) plant mol. biol. 33:897 909 ). tissue-specific promoters can promote transcription only within a certain time frame of developmental stage within that tissue. see, e.g., blazquez (1998) plant cell 10:791-800 , characterizing the arabidopsis leafy gene promoter. see also cardon (1997) plant j 12:367-77 , describing the transcription factor spl3, which recognizes a conserved sequence motif in the promoter region of the a. thaliana floral meristem identity gene ap1; and mandel (1995) plant molecular biology, vol. 29, pp 995-1004 , describing the meristem promoter eif4. tissue specific promoters which are active throughout the life cycle of a particular tissue can be used. in one aspect, the nucleic acids of the invention are operably linked to a promoter active primarily only in cotton fiber cells. in one aspect, the nucleic acids of the invention are operably linked to a promoter active primarily during the stages of cotton fiber cell elongation, e.g., as described by rinehart (1996) supra. the nucleic acids can be operably linked to the fbl2a gene promoter to be preferentially expressed in cotton fiber cells (ibid). see also, john (1997) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 89:5769-5773 ; john, et al., u.s. patent nos. 5,608,148 and 5,602,321 , describing cotton fiber-specific promoters and methods for the construction of transgenic cotton plants. root-specific promoters may also be used to express the nucleic acids of the invention. examples of root-specific promoters include the promoter from the alcohol dehydrogenase gene ( delisle (1990) int. rev. cytol. 123:39-60 ). other promoters that can be used to express the nucleic acids of the invention include, e.g., ovule-specific, embryo-specific, endosperm-specific, integument-specific, seed coat-specific promoters, or some combination thereof; a leaf-specific promoter (see, e.g., busk (1997) plant j. 11:1285 1295 , describing a leaf-specific promoter in maize); the orf13 promoter from agrobacterium rhizogenes (which exhibits high activity in roots, see, e.g., hansen (1997) supra); a maize pollen specific promoter (see, e.g., guerrero (1990) mol. gen. genet. 224:161 168 ); a tomato promoter active during fruit ripening, senescence and abscission of leaves and, to a lesser extent, of flowers can be used (see, e.g., blume (1997) plant j. 12:731 746 ); a pistil-specific promoter from the potato sk2 gene (see, e.g., ficker (1997) plant mol. biol. 35:425 431 ); the blec4 gene from pea, which is active in epidermal tissue of vegetative and floral shoot apices of transgenic alfalfa making it a useful tool to target the expression of foreign genes to the epidermal layer of actively growing shoots or fibers; the ovule-specific bel1 gene (see, e.g., reiser (1995) cell 83:735-742 , genbank no. u39944); and/or, the promoter in klee, u.s. patent no. 5,589,583 , describing a plant promoter region is capable of conferring high levels of transcription in meristematic tissue and/or rapidly dividing cells. alternatively, plant promoters which are inducible upon exposure to plant hormones, such as auxins, are used to express the nucleic acids of the invention. for example, the invention can use the auxin-response elements e1 promoter fragment (auxres) in the soybean ( glycine max l.) ( liu (1997) plant physiol. 115:397-407 ); the auxin-responsive arabidopsis gst6 promoter (also responsive to salicylic acid and hydrogen peroxide) ( chen (1996) plant j. 10: 955-966 ); the auxin-inducible parc promoter from tobacco (sakai (1996) 37:906-913); a plant biotin response element ( streit (1997) mol. plant microbe interact. 10:933-937 ); and, the promoter responsive to the stress hormone abscisic acid ( sheen (1996) science 274:1900-1902 ). the nucleic acids of the invention can also be operably linked to plant promoters which are inducible upon exposure to chemicals reagents which can be applied to the plant, such as herbicides or antibiotics. for example, the maize in2-2 promoter, activated by benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners, can be used ( de veylder (1997) plant cell physiol. 38:568-577 ); application of different herbicide safeners induces distinct gene expression patterns, including expression in the root, hydathodes, and the shoot apical meristem. coding sequence can be under the control of, e.g., a tetracycline-inducible promoter, e.g., as described with transgenic tobacco plants containing the avena sativa l. (oat) arginine decarboxylase gene ( masgrau (1997) plant j. 11:465-473 ); or, a salicylic acid-responsive element ( stange (1997) plant j. 11:1315-1324 ). using chemically- ( e.g., hormone- or pesticide-) induced promoters, i.e ., promoter responsive to a chemical which can be applied to the transgenic plant in the field, expression of a polypeptide of the invention can be induced at a particular stage of development of the plant. thus, the invention also provides for transgenic plants containing an inducible gene encoding for polypeptides of the invention whose host range is limited to target plant species, such as corn, rice, barley, wheat, potato or other crops, inducible at any stage of development of the crop. one of skill will recognize that a tissue-specific plant promoter may drive expression of operably linked sequences in tissues other than the target tissue. thus, a tissue-specific promoter is one that drives expression preferentially in the target tissue or cell type, but may also lead to some expression in other tissues as well. the nucleic acids of the invention can also be operably linked to plant promoters which are inducible upon exposure to chemicals reagents. these reagents include, e.g., herbicides, synthetic auxins, or antibiotics which can be applied, e.g., sprayed, onto transgenic plants. inducible expression of the xylanase- producing nucleic acids of the invention will allow the grower to select plants with the optimal xylanase expression and/or activity. the development of plant parts can thus controlled. in this way the invention provides the means to facilitate the harvesting of plants and plant parts. for example, in various embodiments, the maize in2-2 promoter, activated by benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners, is used ( de veylder (1997) plant cell physiol. 38:568-577 ); application of different herbicide safeners induces distinct gene expression patterns, including expression in the root, hydathodes, and the shoot apical meristem. coding sequences of the invention are also under the control of a tetracycline-inducible promoter, e.g., as described with transgenic tobacco plants containing the avena sativa l. (oat) arginine decarboxylase gene ( masgrau (1997) plant j. 11:465-473 ); or, a salicylic acid-responsive element ( stange (1997) plant j. 11:1315-1324 ). in some aspects, proper polypeptide expression may require polyadenylation region at the 3'-end of the coding region. the polyadenylation region can be derived from the natural gene, from a variety of other plant (or animal or other) genes, or from genes in the agrobacterial t-dna. the term "plant" (e.g., as in a transgenic plant or plant seed of this invention, or plant promoter used in a vector of the invention) includes whole plants, plant parts (e.g., leaves, stems, flowers, roots, etc.), plant protoplasts, seeds and plant cells and progeny of same; the classes of plants that can be used to practice this invention (including compositions and methods) can be as broad as the class of higher plants, including plants amenable to transformation techniques, including angiosperms (monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants), as well as gymnosperms; also including plants of a variety of ploidy levels, including polyploid, diploid, haploid and hemizygous states. as used herein, the term "transgenic plant" includes plants or plant cells into which a heterologous nucleic acid sequence has been inserted, e.g., the nucleic acids and various recombinant constructs (e.g., expression cassettes, such a vectors) of the invention. transgenic plants of the invention are also discussed, below. expression vectors and cloning vehicles the invention provides expression vectors and cloning vehicles comprising nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., sequences encoding the xylanases of the invention. expression vectors and cloning vehicles of the invention can comprise viral particles, baculovirus, phage, plasmids, phagemids, cosmids, fosmids, bacterial artificial chromosomes, viral dna (e.g., vaccinia, adenovirus, foul pox virus, pseudorabies and derivatives of sv40), p1-based artificial chromosomes, yeast plasmids, yeast artificial chromosomes, and any other vectors specific for specific hosts of interest (such as bacillus, aspergillus and yeast). vectors of the invention can include chromosomal, non-chromosomal and synthetic dna sequences. large numbers of suitable vectors are known to those of skill in the art, and are commercially available. exemplary vectors are include: bacterial: pqe vectors (qiagen), pbluescript plasmids, pnh vectors, (lambda-zap vectors (stratagene); ptrc99a, pkk223-3, pdr540, prit2t (pharmacia); eukaryotic: pxt1, psg5 (stratagene), psvk3, pbpv, pmsg, psvlsv40 (pharmacia). however, any other plasmid or other vector may be used so long as they are replicable and viable in the host. low copy number or high copy number vectors may be employed with the present invention. the expression vector can comprise a promoter, a ribosome binding site for translation initiation and a transcription terminator. the vector may also include appropriate sequences for amplifying expression. mammalian expression vectors can comprise an origin of replication, any necessary ribosome binding sites, a polyadenylation site, splice donor and acceptor sites, transcriptional termination sequences, and 5' flanking non-transcribed sequences. in some aspects, dna sequences derived from the sv40 splice and polyadenylation sites may be used to provide the required non-transcribed genetic elements. in one aspect, the expression vectors contain one or more selectable marker genes to permit selection of host cells containing the vector. such selectable markers include genes encoding dihydrofolate reductase or genes conferring neomycin resistance for eukaryotic cell culture, genes conferring tetracycline or ampicillin resistance in e. coli, and the s. cerevisiae trp1 gene. promoter regions can be selected from any desired gene using chloramphenicol transferase (cat) vectors or other vectors with selectable markers. vectors for expressing the polypeptide or fragment thereof in eukaryotic cells can also contain enhancers to increase expression levels. enhancers are cis-acting elements of dna, usually from about 10 to about 300 bp in length that act on a promoter to increase its transcription. examples include the sv40 enhancer on the late side of the replication origin bp 100 to 270, the cytomegalovirus early promoter enhancer, the polyoma enhancer on the late side of the replication origin, and the adenovirus enhancers. a nucleic acid sequence can be inserted into a vector by a variety of procedures. in general, the sequence is ligated to the desired position in the vector following digestion of the insert and the vector with appropriate restriction endonucleases. alternatively, blunt ends in both the insert and the vector may be ligated. a variety of cloning techniques are known in the art, e.g., as described in ausubel and sambrook. such procedures and others are deemed to be within the scope of those skilled in the art. the vector can be in the form of a plasmid, a viral particle, or a phage. other vectors include chromosomal, non-chromosomal and synthetic dna sequences, derivatives of sv40; bacterial plasmids, phage dna, baculovirus, yeast plasmids, vectors derived from combinations of plasmids and phage dna, viral dna such as vaccinia, adenovirus, fowl pox virus, and pseudorabies. a variety of cloning and expression vectors for use with prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts are described by, e.g., sambrook. particular bacterial vectors which can be used include the commercially available plasmids comprising genetic elements of the well known cloning vector pbr322 (atcc 37017), pkk223-3 (pharmacia fine chemicals, uppsala, sweden), gem1 (promega biotec, madison, wi, usa) pqe70, pqe60, pqe-9 (qiagen), pd10, psix174 pbluescript ii ks, pnh8a, pnh16a, pnh18a, pnh46a (stratagene), ptrc99a, pkk223-3, pkk233-3, dr540, prit5 (pharmacia), pkk232-8 and pcm7. particular eukaryotic vectors include psv2cat, pog44, pxt1, psg (stratagene) psvk3, pbpv, pmsg, and psvl (pharmacia). however, any other vector may be used as long as it is replicable and viable in the host cell. the nucleic acids of the invention can be expressed in expression cassettes, vectors or viruses and transiently or stably expressed in plant cells and seeds. one exemplary transient expression system uses episomal expression systems, e.g., cauliflower mosaic virus (camv) viral rna generated in the nucleus by transcription of an episomal mini-chromosome containing supercoiled dna, see, e.g., covey (1990) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 87:1633-1637 . alternatively, coding sequences, i.e., all or sub-fragments of sequences of the invention can be inserted into a plant host cell genome becoming an integral part of the host chromosomal dna. sense or antisense transcripts can be expressed in this manner. a vector comprising the sequences (e.g., promoters or coding regions) from nucleic acids of the invention can comprise a marker gene that confers a selectable phenotype on a plant cell or a seed. for example, the marker may encode biocide resistance, particularly antibiotic resistance, such as resistance to kanamycin, g418, bleomycin, hygromycin, or herbicide resistance, such as resistance to chlorosulfuron or basta. expression vectors capable of expressing nucleic acids and proteins in plants are well known in the art, and can include, e.g., vectors from agrobacterium spp., potato virus x (see, e.g., angell (1997) embo j. 16:3675-3684 ), tobacco mosaic virus (see, e.g., casper (1996) gene 173:69-73 ), tomato bushy stunt virus (see, e.g., hillman (1989) virology 169:42-50 ), tobacco etch virus (see, e.g., dolja (1997) virology 234:243-252 ), bean golden mosaic virus (see, e.g., morinaga (1993) microbiol immunol. 37:471-476 ), cauliflower mosaic virus (see, e.g., cecchini (1997) mol. plant microbe interact. 10:1094-1101 ), maize ac/ds transposable element (see, e.g., rubin (1997) mol. cell. biol. 17:6294-6302 ; kunze (1996) curr. top. microbiol. immunol. 204:161-194 ), and the maize suppressor-mutator (spm) transposable element (see, e.g., schlappi (1996) plant mol. biol. 32:717-725 ); and derivatives thereof. in one aspect, the expression vector can have two replication systems to allow it to be maintained in two organisms, for example in mammalian or insect cells for expression and in a prokaryotic host for cloning and amplification. furthermore, for integrating expression vectors, the expression vector can contain at least one sequence homologous to the host cell genome. it can contain two homologous sequences which flank the expression construct. the integrating vector can be directed to a specific locus in the host cell by selecting the appropriate homologous sequence for inclusion in the vector. constructs for integrating vectors are well known in the art. expression vectors of the invention may also include a selectable marker gene to allow for the selection of bacterial strains that have been transformed, e.g., genes which render the bacteria resistant to drugs such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, kanamycin, neomycin and tetracycline. selectable markers can also include biosynthetic genes, such as those in the histidine, tryptophan and leucine biosynthetic pathways. the dna sequence in the expression vector is operatively linked to an appropriate expression control sequence(s) (promoter) to direct rna synthesis. particular named bacterial promoters include laci, lacz, t3, t7, gpt, lambda p r , p l and trp. eukaryotic promoters include cmv immediate early, hsv thymidine kinase, early and late sv40, ltrs from retrovirus and mouse metallothionein-i. selection of the appropriate vector and promoter is well within the level of ordinary skill in the art. the expression vector also contains a ribosome binding site for translation initiation and a transcription terminator. the vector may also include appropriate sequences for amplifying expression. promoter regions can be selected from any desired gene using chloramphenicol transferase (cat) vectors or other vectors with selectable markers. in addition, the expression vectors preferably contain one or more selectable marker genes to provide a phenotypic trait for selection of transformed host cells such as dihydrofolate reductase or neomycin resistance for eukaryotic cell culture, or such as tetracycline or ampicillin resistance in e. coli. mammalian expression vectors may also comprise an origin of replication, any necessary ribosome binding sites, a polyadenylation site, splice donor and acceptor sites, transcriptional termination sequences and 5' flanking nontranscribed sequences. in some aspects, dna sequences derived from the sv40 splice and polyadenylation sites may be used to provide the required nontranscribed genetic elements. vectors for expressing the polypeptide or fragment thereof in eukaryotic cells may also contain enhancers to increase expression levels. enhancers are cis-acting elements of dna, usually from about 10 to about 300 bp in length that act on a promoter to increase its transcription. examples include the sv40 enhancer on the late side of the replication origin bp 100 to 270, the cytomegalovirus early promoter enhancer, the polyoma enhancer on the late side of the replication origin and the adenovirus enhancers. in addition, the expression vectors typically contain one or more selectable marker genes to permit selection of host cells containing the vector. such selectable markers include genes encoding dihydrofolate reductase or genes conferring neomycin resistance for eukaryotic cell culture, genes conferring tetracycline or ampicillin resistance in e. coli and the s. cerevisiae trp1 gene. in some aspects, the nucleic acid encoding one of the polypeptides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or fragments comprising at least about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof is assembled in appropriate phase with a leader sequence capable of directing secretion of the translated polypeptide or fragment thereof. the nucleic acid can encode a fusion polypeptide in which one of the polypeptides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof is fused to heterologous peptides or polypeptides, such as n-terminal identification peptides which impart desired characteristics, such as increased stability or simplified purification. the appropriate dna sequence may be inserted into the vector by a variety of procedures. in general, the dna sequence is ligated to the desired position in the vector following digestion of the insert and the vector with appropriate restriction endonucleases. alternatively, blunt ends in both the insert and the vector may be ligated. a variety of cloning techniques are disclosed in ausubel et al. current protocols in molecular biology, john wiley 503 sons, inc. 1997 and sambrook et al., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual 2nd ed., cold spring harbor laboratory press (1989 . such procedures and others are deemed to be within the scope of those skilled in the art. the vector may be, for example, in the form of a plasmid, a viral particle, or a phage. other vectors include chromosomal, nonchromosomal and synthetic dna sequences, derivatives of sv40; bacterial plasmids, phage dna, baculovirus, yeast plasmids, vectors derived from combinations of plasmids and phage dna, viral dna such as vaccinia, adenovirus, fowl pox virus and pseudorabies. a variety of cloning and expression vectors for use with prokaryotic and eukaryotic hosts are described by sambrook, et al., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 2nd ed., cold spring harbor, n.y., (1989 ). host cells and transformed cells the invention also provides transformed cells comprising a nucleic acid sequence of the invention or a vector of the invention. the host cell may be any of the host cells familiar to those skilled in the art, including prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, such as bacterial cells, fungal cells, yeast cells, mammalian cells, insect cells, or plant cells. exemplary bacterial cells include any species within the genera escherichia, bacillus, streptomyces, salmonella, pseudomonas and staphylococcus , including, e.g., escherichia coli , lactococcus lactis, bacillus subtilis, bacillus cereus, salmonella typhimurium, pseudomonas fluorescens. exemplary fungal cells include any species of aspergillus. exemplary yeast cells include any species of pichia , saccharomyces , schizosaccharomyces , or schwanniomyces , including pichia pastoris , saccharomyces cerevisiae , or schizosaccharomyces pombe. exemplary insect cells include any species of spodoptera or drosophila, including drosophila s2 and spodoptera sf9. exemplary animal cells include cho, cos or bowes melanoma or any mouse or human cell line. the selection of an appropriate host is within the abilities of those skilled in the art. techniques for transforming a wide variety of higher plant species are well known and described in the technical and scientific literature. see, e.g., weising (1988) ann. rev. genet. 22:421-477 ; u.s. patent no. 5,750,870 . the vector can be introduced into the host cells using any of a variety of techniques, including transformation, transfection, transduction, viral infection, gene guns, or timediated gene transfer. particular methods include calcium phosphate transfection, deae-dextran mediated transfection, lipofection, or electroporation ( davis, l., dibner, m., battey, i., basic methods in molecular biology, (1986 )). in one aspect, the nucleic acids or vectors of the invention are introduced into the cells for screening, thus, the nucleic acids enter the cells in a manner suitable for subsequent expression of the nucleic acid. the method of introduction is largely dictated by the targeted cell type. exemplary methods include capo 4 precipitation, liposome fusion, lipofection (e.g., lipofectin™), electroporation, viral infection, etc. the candidate nucleic acids may stably integrate into the genome of the host cell (for example, with retroviral introduction) or may exist either transiently or stably in the cytoplasm (i.e. through the use of traditional plasmids, utilizing standard regulatory sequences, selection markers, etc.). as many pharmaceutically important screens require human or model mammalian cell targets, retroviral vectors capable of transfecting such targets are can be used. where appropriate, the engineered host cells can be cultured in conventional nutrient media modified as appropriate for activating promoters, selecting transformants or amplifying the genes of the invention. following transformation of a suitable host strain and growth of the host strain to an appropriate cell density, the selected promoter may be induced by appropriate means (e.g., temperature shift or chemical induction) and the cells may be cultured for an additional period to allow them to produce the desired polypeptide or fragment thereof. cells can be harvested by centrifugation, disrupted by physical or chemical means, and the resulting crude extract is retained for further purification. microbial cells employed for expression of proteins can be disrupted by any convenient method, including freeze-thaw cycling, sonication, mechanical disruption, or use of cell lysing agents. such methods are well known to those skilled in the art. the expressed polypeptide or fragment thereof can be recovered and purified from recombinant cell cultures by methods including ammonium sulfate or ethanol precipitation, acid extraction, anion or cation exchange chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, affinity chromatography, hydroxylapatite chromatography and lectin chromatography. protein refolding steps can be used, as necessary, in completing configuration of the polypeptide. if desired, high performance liquid chromatography (hplc) can be employed for final purification steps. the constructs in host cells can be used in a conventional manner to produce the gene product encoded by the recombinant sequence. depending upon the host employed in a recombinant production procedure, the polypeptides produced by host cells containing the vector may be glycosylated or may be non-glycosylated. polypeptides of the invention may or may not also include an initial methionine amino acid residue. cell-free translation systems can also be employed to produce a polypeptide of the invention. cell-free translation systems can use mrnas transcribed from a dna construct comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide or fragment thereof. in some aspects, the dna construct may be linearized prior to conducting an in vitro transcription reaction. the transcribed mrna is then incubated with an appropriate cell-free translation extract, such as a rabbit reticulocyte extract, to produce the desired polypeptide or fragment thereof. the expression vectors can contain one or more selectable marker genes to provide a phenotypic trait for selection of transformed host cells such as dihydrofolate reductase or neomycin resistance for eukaryotic cell culture, or such as tetracycline or ampicillin resistance in e. coli. host cells containing the polynucleotides of interest, e.g., nucleic acids of the invention, can be cultured in conventional nutrient media modified as appropriate for activating promoters, selecting transformants or amplifying genes. the culture conditions, such as temperature, ph and the like, are those previously used with the host cell selected for expression and will be apparent to the ordinarily skilled artisan. the clones which are identified as having the specified enzyme activity may then be sequenced to identify the polynucleotide sequence encoding an enzyme having the enhanced activity. the invention provides a method for overexpressing a recombinant xylanase, in a cell comprising expressing a vector comprising a nucleic acid of the invention, or, a nucleic acid that hybridizes under stringent conditions to a nucleic acid sequence of the invention, or a subsequence thereof. the overexpression can be effected by any means, e.g., use of a high activity promoter, a dicistronic vector or by gene amplification of the vector. the nucleic acids of the invention can be expressed, or overexpressed, in any in vitro or in vivo expression system. any cell culture systems can be employed to express, or overexpress, recombinant protein, including bacterial, insect, yeast, fungal or mammalian cultures. over-expression can be effected by appropriate choice of promoters, enhancers, vectors (e.g., use of replicon vectors, dicistronic vectors (see, e.g., gurtu (1996) biochem. biophys. res. commun. 229:295-8 ), media, culture systems and the like. in one aspect, gene amplification using selection markers, e.g., glutamine synthetase (see, e.g., sanders (1987) dev. biol. stand. 66:55-63 ), in cell systems are used to overexpress the polypeptides of the invention. additional details regarding this approach are in the public literature and/or are known to the skilled artisan. in a particular non-limiting exemplification, such publicly available literature includes ep 0659215 ( wo 9403612 a1) (nevalainen et al. ); lapidot, a., mechaly, a., shoham, y., "overexpression and single-step purification of a thermostable xylanase from bacillus stearothermophilus t-6," j. biotechnol. nov 51:259-64 (1996 ); lüthi, e., jasmat, n.b., bergquist, p.l., "xylanase from the extremely thermophilic bacterium caldocellum saccharolyticum: overexpression of the gene in escherichia coli and characterization of the gene product," appl. environ. microbiol. sep 56:2677-83 (1990 ); and sung, w.l., luk, c.k., zahab, d.m., wakarchuk, w., "overexpression of the bacillus subtilis and circulans xylanases in escherichia coli," protein expr. purif. jun 4:200-6 (1993 ), although these references do not teach the inventive enzymes of the instant application. the host cell may be any of the host cells familiar to those skilled in the art, including prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells, mammalian cells, insect cells, or plant cells. as representative examples of appropriate hosts, there may be mentioned: bacterial cells, such as e. coli , streptomyces , bacillus subtilis , bacillus cereus , salmonella typhimurium and various species within the genera pseudomonas , streptomyces and staphylococcus , fungal cells, such as aspergillus , yeast such as any species of pichia , saccharomyces , schizosaccharomyces , schwanniomyces , including pichia pastoris , saccharomyces cerevisiae , or schizosaccharomyces pombe , insect cells such as drosophila s2 and spodoptera sf9 , animal cells such as cho, cos or bowes melanoma and adenoviruses. the selection of an appropriate host is within the abilities of those skilled in the art. the vector may be introduced into the host cells using any of a variety of techniques, including transformation, transfection, transduction, viral infection, gene guns, or timediated gene transfer. particular methods include calcium phosphate transfection, deae-dextran mediated transfection, lipofection, or electroporation ( davis, l., dibner, m., battey, i., basic methods in molecular biology, (1986 )). where appropriate, the engineered host cells can be cultured in conventional nutrient media modified as appropriate for activating promoters, selecting transformants or amplifying the genes of the invention. following transformation of a suitable host strain and growth of the host strain to an appropriate cell density, the selected promoter may be induced by appropriate means ( e.g., temperature shift or chemical induction) and the cells may be cultured for an additional period to allow them to produce the desired polypeptide or fragment thereof. cells are typically harvested by centrifugation, disrupted by physical or chemical means and the resulting crude extract is retained for further purification. microbial cells employed for expression of proteins can be disrupted by any convenient method, including freeze-thaw cycling, sonication, mechanical disruption, or use of cell lysing agents. such methods are well known to those skilled in the art. the expressed polypeptide or fragment thereof can be recovered and purified from recombinant cell cultures by methods including ammonium sulfate or ethanol precipitation, acid extraction, anion or cation exchange chromatography, phosphocellulose chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, affinity chromatography, hydroxylapatite chromatography and lectin chromatography. protein refolding steps can be used, as necessary, in completing configuration of the polypeptide. if desired, high performance liquid chromatography (hplc) can be employed for final purification steps. various mammalian cell culture systems can also be employed to express recombinant protein. examples of mammalian expression systems include the cos-7 lines of monkey kidney fibroblasts (described by gluzman, cell, 23:175, 1981 ) and other cell lines capable of expressing proteins from a compatible vector, such as the c127, 3t3, cho, hela and bhk cell lines. the constructs in host cells can be used in a conventional manner to produce the gene product encoded by the recombinant sequence. depending upon the host employed in a recombinant production procedure, the polypeptides produced by host cells containing the vector may be glycosylated or may be non-glycosylated. polypeptides of the invention may or may not also include an initial methionine amino acid residue. alternatively, the polypeptides of amino acid sequences of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof can be synthetically produced by conventional peptide synthesizers. in other aspects, fragments or portions of the polypeptides may be employed for producing the corresponding full-length polypeptide by peptide synthesis; therefore, the fragments may be employed as intermediates for producing the full-length polypeptides. cell-free translation systems can also be employed to produce one of the polypeptides of amino acid sequences of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof using mrnas transcribed from a dna construct comprising a promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide or fragment thereof. in some aspects, the dna construct may be linearized prior to conducting an in vitro transcription reaction. the transcribed mrna is then incubated with an appropriate cell-free translation extract, such as a rabbit reticulocyte extract, to produce the desired polypeptide or fragment thereof. amplification of nucleic acids in practicing the invention, nucleic acids of the invention and nucleic acids encoding the xylanases of the invention, or modified nucleic acids of the invention, can be reproduced by amplification. amplification can also be used to clone or modify the nucleic acids of the invention. one of skill in the art can design amplification primer sequence pairs for any part of or the full length of these sequences. a nucleic acid may be amplified by such a primer pair, e.g., a primer pair as set forth by about the first (the 5') 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 residues of a nucleic acid of the invention, and about the first (the 5') 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 residues of the complementary strand. an amplification primer sequence pair for amplifying a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide having a xylanase activity, may be capable of amplifying a nucleic acid comprising a sequence of the invention, or fragments or subsequences thereof. one or each member of the amplification primer sequence pair can comprise an oligonucleotide comprising at least about 10 to 50 consecutive bases of the sequence, or about 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 consecutive bases of the sequence. the primer pair may comprise a first member having a sequence as set forth by about the first (the 5') 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 residues of a nucleic acid of the invention, and a second member having a sequence as set forth by about the first (the 5') 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, or 25 residues of the complementary strand of the first member. xylanases may be generated by amplification, e.g., polymerase chain reaction (pcr), using such an amplification primer pair. methods of making a xylanase by amplification, e.g., polymerase chain reaction (pcr), use such an amplification primer pair of the disclosure. the amplification primer pair may amplify a nucleic acid from a library, e.g., a gene library, such as an environmental library. amplification reactions can also be used to quantify the amount of nucleic acid in a sample (such as the amount of message in a cell sample), label the nucleic acid (e.g., to apply it to an array or a blot), detect the nucleic acid, or quantify the amount of a specific nucleic acid in a sample. message isolated from a cell or a cdna library may be amplified. the skilled artisan can select and design suitable oligonucleotide amplification primers. amplification methods are also well known in the art, and include, e.g., polymerase chain reaction, pcr (see, e.g., pcr protocols, a guide to methods and applications, ed. innis, academic press, n.y. (1990 ) and pcr strategies (1995), ed. innis, academic press, inc., n.y ., ligase chain reaction (lcr) (see, e.g., wu (1989) genomics 4:560 ; landegren (1988) science 241:1077 ; barringer (1990) gene 89:117 ); transcription amplification (see, e.g., kwoh (1989) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 86:1173 ); and, self-sustained sequence replication (see, e.g., guatelli (1990) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 87:1874 ); q beta replicase amplification (see, e.g., smith (1997) j. clin. microbiol. 35:1477-1491 ), automated q-beta replicase amplification assay (see, e.g., burg (1996) mol. cell. probes 10:257-271 ) and other rna polymerase mediated techniques (e.g., nasba, cangene, mississauga, ontario); see also berger (1987) methods enzymol. 152:307-316 ; sambrook; ausubel; u.s. patent nos. 4,683,195 and 4,683,202 ; sooknanan (1995) biotechnology 13:563-564 . determining the degree of sequence identity the invention provides nucleic acids comprising sequences having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary nucleic acid of the invention as defined above. the invention provides polypeptides comprising sequences having at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more, or complete (100%) sequence identity to an exemplary polypeptide of the invention. the extent of sequence identity (homology) may be determined using any computer program and associated parameters, including those described herein, such as blast 2.2.2. or fasta version 3.0t78, with the default parameters. as used herein, the terms "computer," "computer program" and "processor" are used in their broadest general contexts and incorporate all such devices, as described in detail, below. a "coding sequence of' or a "sequence encodes" a particular polypeptide or protein, is a nucleic acid sequence which is transcribed and translated into a polypeptide or protein when placed under the control of appropriate regulatory sequences. the phrase "substantially identical" in the context of two nucleic acids or polypeptides, refers to two or more sequences that have at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more nucleotide or amino acid residue (sequence) identity, when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence, as measured using one of the known sequence comparison algorithms or by visual inspection. typically, the substantial identity exists over a region of at least about 100 residues and most commonly the sequences are substantially identical over at least about 150-200 residues. in some aspects, the sequences are substantially identical over the entire length of the coding regions. additionally a "substantially identical" amino acid sequence is a sequence that differs from a reference sequence by one or more conservative or non-conservative amino acid substitutions, deletions, or insertions, particularly when such a substitution occurs at a site that is not the active site of the molecule and provided that the polypeptide essentially retains its functional properties. a conservative amino acid substitution, for example, substitutes one amino acid for another of the same class ( e.g., substitution of one hydrophobic amino acid, such as isoleucine, valine, leucine, or methionine, for another, or substitution of one polar amino acid for another, such as substitution of arginine for lysine, glutamic acid for aspartic acid or glutamine for asparagine). one or more amino acids can be deleted, for example, from a xylanase polypeptide, resulting in modification of the structure of the polypeptide, without significantly altering its biological activity. for example, amino- or carboxyl-terminal amino acids that are not required for xylanase biological activity can be removed. modified polypeptide sequences of the invention can be assayed for xylanase biological activity by any number of methods, including contacting the modified polypeptide sequence with a xylanase substrate and determining whether the modified polypeptide decreases the amount of specific substrate in the assay or increases the bioproducts of the enzymatic reaction of a functional xylanase polypeptide with the substrate. nucleic acid sequences of the disclosure can comprise at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, or 500 consecutive nucleotides of an exemplary sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. nucleic acid sequences of the disclosure can comprise homologous sequences and fragments of nucleic acid sequences and sequences substantially identical thereto, refer to a sequence having at least 50%, 51%, 52%, 53%, 54%, 55%, 56%, 57%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 61%, 62%, 63%, 64%, 65%, 66%, 67%, 68%, 69%, 70%, 71%, 72%, 73%, 74%, 75%, 76%, 77%, 78%, 79%, 80%, 81%, 82%, 83%, 84%, 85%, 86%, 87%, 88%, 89%, 90%, 91%, 92%, 93%, 94%, 95%, 96%, 97%, 98%, 99%, or more sequence identity (homology) to these sequences. homology may be determined using any of the computer programs and parameters described herein, including fasta version 3.0t78 with the default parameters. homologous sequences also include rna sequences in which uridines replace the thymines in the nucleic acid sequences of the invention. the homologous sequences may be obtained using any of the procedures described herein or may result from the correction of a sequencing error. it will be appreciated that the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, can be represented in the traditional single character format (see the inside back cover of stryer, lubert. biochemistry, 3rd ed., w. h freeman & co., new york .) or in any other format which records the identity of the nucleotides in a sequence. various sequence comparison programs identified elsewhere in this patent specification are particularly contemplated for use in this aspect of the invention. protein and/or nucleic acid sequence homologies may be evaluated using any of the variety of sequence comparison algorithms and programs known in the art. such algorithms and programs include, but are by no means limited to, tblastn, blastp, fasta, tfasta and clustalw ( pearson and lipman, proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 85(8):2444-2448, 1988 ; altschul et al., j. mol. biol. 215(3):403-410, 1990 ; thompson et al., nucleic acids res. 22(2):4673-4680, 1994 ; higgins et al., methods enzymol. 266:383-402, 1996 ; altschul et al., j. mol. biol. 215(3):403-410, 1990 ; altschul et al., nature genetics 3:266-272, 1993 ). homology or identity is often measured using sequence analysis software ( e. g ., sequence analysis software package of the genetics computer group, university of wisconsin biotechnology center, 1710 university avenue, madison, wi 53705). such software matches similar sequences by assigning degrees of homology to various deletions, substitutions and other modifications. the terms "homology" and "identity" in the context of two or more nucleic acids or polypeptide sequences, refer to two or more sequences or subsequences that are the same or have a specified percentage of amino acid residues or nucleotides that are the same when compared and aligned for maximum correspondence over a comparison window or designated region as measured using any number of sequence comparison algorithms or by manual alignment and visual inspection. for sequence comparison, typically one sequence acts as a reference sequence, to which test sequences are compared. when using a sequence comparison algorithm, test and reference sequences are entered into a computer, subsequence coordinates are designated, if necessary and sequence algorithm program parameters are designated. default program parameters can be used, or alternative parameters can be designated. the sequence comparison algorithm then calculates the percent sequence identities for the test sequences relative to the reference sequence, based on the program parameters. a "comparison window", as used herein, includes reference to a segment of any one of the number of contiguous positions selected from the group consisting of from 20 to 600, usually about 50 to about 200, more usually about 100 to about 150 in which a sequence may be compared to a reference sequence of the same number of contiguous positions after the two sequences are optimally aligned. methods of alignment of sequence for comparison are well-known in the art. optimal alignment of sequences for comparison can be conducted, e.g., by the local homology algorithm of smith & waterman, adv. appl. math. 2:482, 1981 , by the homology alignment algorithm of needleman & wunsch, j. mol. biol 48:443, 1970 , by the search for similarity method of person & lipman, proc. nat'l. acad. sci. usa 85:2444, 1988 , by computerized implementations of these algorithms (gap, bestfit, fasta and tfasta in the wisconsin genetics software package, genetics computer group, 575 science dr., madison, wi), or by manual alignment and visual inspection. other algorithms for determining homology or identity include, for example, in addition to a blast program (basic local alignment search tool at the national center for biological information), align, amas (analysis of multiply aligned sequences), amps (protein multiple sequence alignment), asset (aligned segment statistical evaluation tool), bands, bestscor, bioscan (biological sequence comparative analysis node), blimps (blocks improved searcher), fasta, intervals & points, bmb, clustal v, clustal w, consensus, lconsensus, wconsensus, smith-waterman algorithm, darwin, las vegas algorithm, fnat (forced nucleotide alignment tool), framealign, framesearch, dynamic, filter, fsap (fristensky sequence analysis package), gap (global alignment program), genal, gibbs, genquest, issc (sensitive sequence comparison), lalign (local sequence alignment), lcp (local content program), macaw (multiple alignment construction & analysis workbench), map (multiple alignment program), mblkp, mblkn, pima (pattern-induced multi-sequence alignment), saga (sequence alignment by genetic algorithm) and what-if. such alignment programs can also be used to screen genome databases to identify polynucleotide sequences having substantially identical sequences. a number of genome databases are available, for example, a substantial portion of the human genome is available as part of the human genome sequencing project. at least twenty-one other genomes have already been sequenced, including, for example, m. genitalium (fraser et al., 1995), m. jannaschii (bult et al., 1996), h. influenzae (fleischmann et al., 1995), e. coli (blattner et al., 1997) and yeast ( s. cerevisiae ) (mewes et al., 1997) and d. melanogaster (adams et al., 2000). significant progress has also been made in sequencing the genomes of model organism, such as mouse, c. elegans and arabadopsis sp. several databases containing genomic information annotated with some functional information are maintained by different organization and are accessible via the internet one example of a useful algorithm is blast and blast 2.0 algorithms, which are described in altschul et al., nuc. acids res. 25:3389-3402, 1977 and altschul et al., j. mol. biol. 215:403-410, 1990 , respectively. software for performing blast analyses is publicly available through the national center for biotechnology information. this algorithm involves first identifying high scoring sequence pairs (hsps) by identifying short words of length w in the query sequence, which either match or satisfy some positive-valued threshold score t when aligned with a word of the same length in a database sequence. t is referred to as the neighborhood word score threshold (altschul et al., supra ) . these initial neighborhood word hits act as seeds for initiating searches to find longer hsps containing them. the word hits are extended in both directions along each sequence for as far as the cumulative alignment score can be increased. cumulative scores are calculated using, for nucleotide sequences, the parameters m (reward score for a pair of matching residues; always >0). for amino acid sequences, a scoring matrix is used to calculate the cumulative score. extension of the word hits in each direction are halted when: the cumulative alignment score falls off by the quantity x from its maximum achieved value; the cumulative score goes to zero or below, due to the accumulation of one or more negative-scoring residue alignments; or the end of either sequence is reached. the blast algorithm parameters w, t and x determine the sensitivity and speed of the alignment. the blastn program (for nucleotide sequences) uses as defaults a wordlength (w) of 11, an expectation (e) of 10, m=5, n=-4 and a comparison of both strands. for amino acid sequences, the blastp program uses as defaults a wordlength of 3 and expectations (e) of 10 and the blosum62 scoring matrix (see henikoff & henikoff, proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 89:10915, 1989 ) alignments (b) of 50, expectation (e) of 10, m=5, n= -4 and a comparison of both strands. the blast algorithm also performs a statistical analysis of the similarity between two sequences (see, e.g., karlin & altschul, proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 90:5873, 1993 ). one measure of similarity provided by blast algorithm is the smallest sum probability (p(n)), which provides an indication of the probability by which a match between two nucleotide or amino acid sequences would occur by chance. for example, a nucleic acid is considered similar to a references sequence if the smallest sum probability in a comparison of the test nucleic acid to the reference nucleic acid is less than about 0.2, more preferably less than about 0.01 and most preferably less than about 0.001. in one aspect, protein and nucleic acid sequence homologies are evaluated using the basic local alignment search tool ("blast") in particular, five specific blast programs are used to perform the following task: (1) blastp and blast3 compare an amino acid query sequence against a protein sequence database; (2) blastn compares a nucleotide query sequence against a nucleotide sequence database; (3) blastx compares the six-frame conceptual translation products of a query nucleotide sequence (both strands) against a protein sequence database; (4) tblastn compares a query protein sequence against a nucleotide sequence database translated in all six reading frames (both strands); and (5) tblastx compares the six-frame translations of a nucleotide query sequence against the six-frame translations of a nucleotide sequence database. the blast programs identify homologous sequences by identifying similar segments, which are referred to herein as "high-scoring segment pairs," between a query amino or nucleic acid sequence and a test sequence which is preferably obtained from a protein or nucleic acid sequence database. high-scoring segment pairs are preferably identified ( i.e ., aligned) by means of a scoring matrix, many of which are known in the art. preferably, the scoring matrix used is the blosum62 matrix ( gonnet et al., science 256:1443-1445, 1992 ; henikoff and henikoff, proteins 17:49-61, 1993 ). less preferably, the pam or pam250 matrices may also be used (see, e.g., schwartz and dayhoff, eds., 1978, matrices for detecting distance relationships: atlas of protein sequence and structure, washington: national biomedical research foundation ). blast programs are accessible through the u.s. national library of medicine. the parameters used with the above algorithms may be adapted depending on the sequence length and degree of homology studied. in some aspects, the parameters may be the default parameters used by the algorithms in the absence of instructions from the user. computer systems and computer program products to determine and identify sequence identities, structural homologies, motifs and the like in silico, a nucleic acid or polypeptide sequence of the invention can be stored, recorded, and manipulated on any medium which can be read and accessed by a computer. a nucleic acid or polypeptide sequence of the invention can be stored, recorded and manipulated on any medium which can be read and accessed by a computer. as used herein, the words "recorded" and "stored" refer to a process for storing information on a computer medium. a skilled artisan can readily adopt any of the presently known methods for recording information on a computer readable medium to generate manufactures comprising one or more of the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, one or more of the polypeptide sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. a computer readable medium may have recorded thereon one or more of the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. a computer readable medium may have recorded thereon one or more of the polypeptide sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. another aspect of the invention is a computer readable medium having recorded thereon at least 2, 5, 10, 15, or 20 or more of the sequences as set forth above. computer readable media include magnetically readable media, optically readable media, electronically readable media and magnetic/optical media. for example, the computer readable media may be a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, cd-rom, digital versatile disk (dvd), random access memory (ram), or read only memory (rom) as well as other types of other media known to those skilled in the art. one example of a computer system 100 is illustrated in block diagram form in figure 1 . as used herein, "a computer system" refers to the hardware components, software components and data storage components used to analyze a nucleotide sequence of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence as set forth in the amino acid sequences of the invention. the computer system 100 typically includes a processor for processing, accessing and manipulating the sequence data. the processor 105 can be any well-known type of central processing unit, such as, for example, the pentium iii from intel corporation, or similar processor from sun, motorola, compaq, amd or international business machines. the computer system 100 is a general purpose system that comprises the processor 105 and one or more internal data storage components 110 for storing data and one or more data retrieving devices for retrieving the data stored on the data storage components. a skilled artisan can readily appreciate that any one of the currently available computer systems are suitable. the computer system 100 includes a processor 105 connected to a bus which is connected to a main memory 115 (preferably implemented as ram) and one or more internal data storage devices 110, such as a hard drive and/or other computer readable media having data recorded thereon. the computer system 100 further includes one or more data retrieving device 118 for reading the data stored on the internal data storage devices 110. the data retrieving device 118 may represent, for example, a floppy disk drive, a compact disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, or a modem capable of connection to a remote data storage system ( e.g. , via the internet) etc. the internal data storage device 110 is a removable computer readable medium such as a floppy disk, a compact disk, a magnetic tape, etc. containing control logic and/or data recorded thereon. the computer system 100 may advantageously include or be programmed by appropriate software for reading the control logic and/or the data from the data storage component once inserted in the data retrieving device. the computer system 100 includes a display 120 which is used to display output to a computer user. it should also be noted that the computer system 100 can be linked to other computer systems 125a-c in a network or wide area network to provide centralized access to the computer system 100. software for accessing and processing the nucleotide sequences of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, (such as search tools, compare tools and modeling tools etc.) may reside in main memory 115 during execution. the computer system 100 may further comprise a sequence comparison algorithm for comparing a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, stored on a computer readable medium to a reference nucleotide or polypeptide sequence(s) stored on a computer readable medium. a "sequence comparison algorithm" refers to one or more programs which are implemented (locally or remotely) on the computer system 100 to compare a nucleotide sequence with other nucleotide sequences and/or compounds stored within a data storage means. for example, the sequence comparison algorithm may compare the nucleotide sequences of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, stored on a computer readable medium to reference sequences stored on a computer readable medium to identify homologies or structural motifs. figure 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process 200 for comparing a new nucleotide or protein sequence with a database of sequences in order to determine the homology levels between the new sequence and the sequences in the database. the database of sequences can be a private database stored within the computer system 100, or a public database such as genbank that is available through the internet. the process 200 begins at a start state 201 and then moves to a state 202 wherein the new sequence to be compared is stored to a memory in a computer system 100. as discussed above, the memory could be any type of memory, including ram or an internal storage device. the process 200 then moves to a state 204 wherein a database of sequences is opened for analysis and comparison. the process 200 then moves to a state 206 wherein the first sequence stored in the database is read into a memory on the computer. a comparison is then performed at a state 210 to determine if the first sequence is the same as the second sequence. it is important to note that this step is not limited to performing an exact comparison between the new sequence and the first sequence in the database. well-known methods are known to those of skill in the art for comparing two nucleotide or protein sequences, even if they are not identical. for example, gaps can be introduced into one sequence in order to raise the homology level between the two tested sequences. the parameters that control whether gaps or other features are introduced into a sequence during comparison are normally entered by the user of the computer system. once a comparison of the two sequences has been performed at the state 210, a determination is made at a decision state 210 whether the two sequences are the same. of course, the term "same" is not limited to sequences that are absolutely identical. sequences that are within the homology parameters entered by the user will be marked as "same" in the process 200. if a determination is made that the two sequences are the same, the process 200 moves to a state 214 wherein the name of the sequence from the database is displayed to the user. this state notifies the user that the sequence with the displayed name fulfills the homology constraints that were entered. once the name of the stored sequence is displayed to the user, the process 200 moves to a decision state 218 wherein a determination is made whether more sequences exist in the database. if no more sequences exist in the database, then the process 200 terminates at an end state 220. however, if more sequences do exist in the database, then the process 200 moves to a state 224 wherein a pointer is moved to the next sequence in the database so that it can be compared to the new sequence. in this manner, the new sequence is aligned and compared with every sequence in the database. it should be noted that if a determination had been made at the decision state 212 that the sequences were not homologous, then the process 200 would move immediately to the decision state 218 in order to determine if any other sequences were available in the database for comparison. a computer system comprises a processor, a data storage device having stored thereon a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, a data storage device having retrievably stored thereon reference nucleotide sequences or polypeptide sequences to be compared to a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto and a sequence comparer for conducting the comparison. the sequence comparer may indicate a homology level between the sequences compared or identify structural motifs in the above described nucleic acid code of nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or it may identify structural motifs in sequences which are compared to these nucleic acid codes and polypeptide codes. the data storage device may have stored thereon the sequences of at least 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 40 or more of the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or the polypeptide sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. a method for determining the level of homology between a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto and a reference nucleotide sequence, includes reading the nucleic acid code or the polypeptide code and the reference nucleotide or polypeptide sequence through the use of a computer program which determines homology levels and determining homology between the nucleic acid code or polypeptide code and the reference nucleotide or polypeptide sequence with the computer program. the computer program may be any of a number of computer programs for determining homology levels, including those specifically enumerated herein, ( e.g., blast2n with the default parameters or with any modified parameters). the method may be implemented using the computer systems described above. the method may also be performed by reading at least 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 or 40 or more of the above described nucleic acid sequences of the invention, or the polypeptide sequences of the invention through use of the computer program and determining homology between the nucleic acid codes or polypeptide codes and reference nucleotide sequences or polypeptide sequences. figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of a process 250 in a computer for determining whether two sequences are homologous. the process 250 begins at a start state 252 and then moves to a state 254 wherein a first sequence to be compared is stored to a memory. the second sequence to be compared is then stored to a memory at a state 256. the process 250 then moves to a state 260 wherein the first character in the first sequence is read and then to a state 262 wherein the first character of the second sequence is read. it should be understood that if the sequence is a nucleotide sequence, then the character would normally be either a, t, c, g or u. if the sequence is a protein sequence, then it is preferably in the single letter amino acid code so that the first and sequence sequences can be easily compared. a determination is then made at a decision state 264 whether the two characters are the same. if they are the same, then the process 250 moves to a state 268 wherein the next characters in the first and second sequences are read. a determination is then made whether the next characters are the same. if they are, then the process 250 continues this loop until two characters are not the same. if a determination is made that the next two characters are not the same, the process 250 moves to a decision state 274 to determine whether there are any more characters either sequence to read. if there are not any more characters to read, then the process 250 moves to a state 276 wherein the level of homology between the first and second sequences is displayed to the user. the level of homology is determined by calculating the proportion of characters between the sequences that were the same out of the total number of sequences in the first sequence. thus, if every character in a first 100 nucleotide sequence aligned with a every character in a second sequence, the homology level would be 100%. alternatively, the computer program may be a computer program which compares the nucleotide sequences of a nucleic acid sequence as set forth in the invention, to one or more reference nucleotide sequences in order to determine whether the nucleic acid code of a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, differs from a reference nucleic acid sequence at one or more positions. in one aspect such a program records the length and identity of inserted, deleted or substituted nucleotides with respect to the sequence of either the reference polynucleotide or a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. in one aspect, the computer program may be a program which determines whether a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, contains a single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) with respect to a reference nucleotide sequence. a method for determining whether a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, differs at one or more nucleotides from a reference nucleotide sequence comprises the steps of reading the nucleic acid code and the reference nucleotide sequence through use of a computer program which identifies differences between nucleic acid sequences and identifying differences between the nucleic acid code and the reference nucleotide sequence with the computer program. the computer program may be a program which identifies single nucleotide polymorphisms. the method may be implemented by the computer systems described above and the method illustrated in figure 3 . the method may also be performed by reading at least 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 40 or more of the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto and the reference nucleotide sequences through the use of the computer program and identifying differences between the nucleic acid codes and the reference nucleotide sequences with the computer program. the computer based system may further comprise an identifier for identifying features within a nucleic acid sequence of the invention or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. an "identifier" refers to one or more programs which identifies certain features within a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. the identifier may comprise a program which identifies an open reading frame in a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. figure 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one aspect of an identifier process 300 for detecting the presence of a feature in a sequence. the process 300 begins at a start state 302 and then moves to a state 304 wherein a first sequence that is to be checked for features is stored to a memory 115 in the computer system 100. the process 300 then moves to a state 306 wherein a database of sequence features is opened. such a database would include a list of each feature's attributes along with the name of the feature. for example, a feature name could be "initiation codon" and the attribute would be "atg". another example would be the feature name "taataa box" and the feature attribute would be "taataa". an example of such a database is produced by the university of wisconsin genetics computer group. alternatively, the features may be structural polypeptide motifs such as alpha helices, beta sheets, or functional polypeptide motifs such as enzymatic active sites, helix-turn-helix motifs or other motifs known to those skilled in the art. once the database of features is opened at the state 306, the process 300 moves to a state 308 wherein the first feature is read from the database. a comparison of the attribute of the first feature with the first sequence is then made at a state 310. a determination is then made at a decision state 316 whether the attribute of the feature was found in the first sequence. if the attribute was found, then the process 300 moves to a state 318 wherein the name of the found feature is displayed to the user. the process 300 then moves to a decision state 320 wherein a determination is made whether move features exist in the database. if no more features do exist, then the process 300 terminates at an end state 324. however, if more features do exist in the database, then the process 300 reads the next sequence feature at a state 326 and loops back to the state 310 wherein the attribute of the next feature is compared against the first sequence. it should be noted, that if the feature attribute is not found in the first sequence at the decision state 316, the process 300 moves directly to the decision state 320 in order to determine if any more features exist in the database. a method of identifying a feature within a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, comprises reading the nucleic acid code(s) or polypeptide code(s) through the use of a computer program which identifies features therein and identifying features within the nucleic acid code(s) with the computer program. the computer program may comprise a computer program which identifies open reading frames. the method may be performed by reading a single sequence or at least 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, or 40 of the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or the polypeptide sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, through the use of the computer program and identifying features within the nucleic acid codes or polypeptide codes with the computer program. a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, may be stored and manipulated in a variety of data processor programs in a variety of formats. for example, a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, may be stored as text in a word processing file, such as microsoft word™ or wordperfect™ or as an ascii file in a variety of database programs familiar to those of skill in the art, such as db2™, sybase™, or oracle™. in addition, many computer programs and databases may be used as sequence comparison algorithms, identifiers, or sources of reference nucleotide sequences or polypeptide sequences to be compared to a nucleic acid sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a polypeptide sequence of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. the following list provides guidance to programs and databases which are useful with the nucleic acid sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or the polypeptide sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. the programs and databases which may be used include, but are not limited to: macpattern (embl), discoverybase (molecular applications group), genemine (molecular applications group), look (molecular applications group), maclook (molecular applications group), blast and blast2 (ncbi), blastn and blastx ( altschul et al, j. mol. biol. 215: 403, 1990 ), fasta ( pearson and lipman, proc. natl. acad. sci. usa, 85: 2444, 1988 ), fastdb ( brutlag et al. comp. app. biosci. 6:237-245, 1990 ), catalyst (molecular simulations inc.), catalyst/shape (molecular simulations inc.), cerius 2 .dbaccess (molecular simulations inc.), hypogen (molecular simulations inc.), insight ii, (molecular simulations inc.), discover (molecular simulations inc.), charmm (molecular simulations inc.), felix (molecular simulations inc.), delphi, (molecular simulations inc.), quantemm, (molecular simulations inc.), homology (molecular simulations inc.), modeler (molecular simulations inc.), isis (molecular simulations inc.), quanta/protein design (molecular simulations inc.), weblab (molecular simulations inc.), weblab diversity explorer (molecular simulations inc.), gene explorer (molecular simulations inc.), seqfold (molecular simulations inc.), the mdl available chemicals directory database, the mdl drug data report data base, the comprehensive medicinal chemistry database, derwents's world drug index database, the biobytemasterfile database, the genbank database and the genseqn database. many other programs and data bases would be apparent to one of skill in the art given the present disclosure. motifs which may be detected using the above programs include sequences encoding leucine zippers, helix-turn-helix motifs, glycosylation sites, ubiquitination sites, alpha helices and beta sheets, signal sequences encoding signal peptides which direct the secretion of the encoded proteins, sequences implicated in transcription regulation such as homeoboxes, acidic stretches, enzymatic active sites, substrate binding sites and enzymatic cleavage sites. hybridization of nucleic acids the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids that hybridize under stringent conditions to an exemplary sequence of the invention. the stringent conditions can be highly stringent conditions, medium stringent conditions and/or low stringent conditions, including the high and reduced stringency conditions described herein. in one aspect, it is the stringency of the wash conditions that set forth the conditions which determine whether a nucleic acid is within the scope of the invention, as discussed below. nucleic acids defined by their ability to hybridize under stringent conditions can be between about five residues and the full length of nucleic acid of the invention; e.g., they can be at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, 750, 800, 850, 900, 950, 1000, or more, residues in length. nucleic acids shorter than full length are also included. these nucleic acids can be useful as, e.g., hybridization probes, labeling probes, pcr oligonucleotide probes, irna (single or double stranded), antisense or sequences encoding antibody binding peptides (epitopes), motifs, active sites and the like. nucleic acids may be defined by their ability to hybridize under high stringency comprises conditions of about 50% formamide at about 37°c to 42°c. alternatively, by their ability to hybridize under reduced stringency comprising conditions in about 35% to 25% formamide at about 30°c to 35°c. alternatively, nucleic acids are defined by their ability to hybridize under high stringency comprising conditions at 42°c in 50% formamide, 5x sspe, 0.3% sds, and a repetitive sequence blocking nucleic acid, such as cot-1 or salmon sperm dna (e.g., 200 ug/ml sheared and denatured salmon sperm dna). nucleic acids may also be defined by their ability to hybridize under reduced stringency conditions comprising 35% formamide at a reduced temperature of 35°c. in nucleic acid hybridization reactions, the conditions used to achieve a particular level of stringency will vary, depending on the nature of the nucleic acids being hybridized. for example, the length, degree of complementarity, nucleotide sequence composition ( e.g., gc v. at content) and nucleic acid type ( e.g., rna v. dna) of the hybridizing regions of the nucleic acids can be considered in selecting hybridization conditions. an additional consideration is whether one of the nucleic acids is immobilized, for example, on a filter. hybridization may be carried out under conditions of low stringency, moderate stringency or high stringency. as an example of nucleic acid hybridization, a polymer membrane containing immobilized denatured nucleic acids is first prehybridized for 30 minutes at 45°c in a solution consisting of 0.9 m nacl, 50 mm nah 2 po 4 , ph 7.0, 5.0 mm na 2 edta, 0.5% sds, 10x denhardt's and 0.5 mg/ml polyriboadenylic acid. approximately 2 x 10 7 cpm (specific activity 4-9 x 10 8 cpm/ug) of 32 p end-labeled oligonucleotide probe are then added to the solution. after 12-16 hours of incubation, the membrane is washed for 30 minutes at room temperature in 1x set (150 mm nacl, 20 mm tris hydrochloride, ph 7.8, 1 mm na 2 edta) containing 0.5% sds, followed by a 30 minute wash in fresh 1x set at t m -10°c for the oligonucleotide probe. the membrane is then exposed to auto-radiographic film for detection of hybridization signals. all of the foregoing hybridizations would be considered to be under conditions of high stringency. following hybridization, a filter can be washed to remove any non-specifically bound detectable probe. the stringency used to wash the filters can also be varied depending on the nature of the nucleic acids being hybridized, the length of the nucleic acids being hybridized, the degree of complementarity, the nucleotide sequence composition ( e.g., gc v. at content) and the nucleic acid type ( e.g., rna v. dna). examples of progressively higher stringency condition washes are as follows: 2x ssc, 0.1% sds at room temperature for 15 minutes (low stringency); 0.1x ssc, 0.5% sds at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour (moderate stringency); 0.1x ssc, 0.5% sds for 15 to 30 minutes at between the hybridization temperature and 68°c (high stringency); and 0.15m nacl for 15 minutes at 72°c (very high stringency). a final low stringency wash can be conducted in 0.1x ssc at room temperature. the examples above are merely illustrative of one set of conditions that can be used to wash filters. one of skill in the art would know that there are numerous recipes for different stringency washes. some other examples are given below. nucleic acids which have hybridized to the probe are identified by autoradiography or other conventional techniques. the above procedure may be modified to identify nucleic acids having decreasing levels of homology to the probe sequence. for example, to obtain nucleic acids of decreasing homology to the detectable probe, less stringent conditions may be used. for example, the hybridization temperature may be decreased in increments of 5°c from 68°c to 42°c in a hybridization buffer having a na+ concentration of approximately 1m. following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 2x ssc, 0.5% sds at the temperature of hybridization. these conditions are considered to be "moderate" conditions above 50°c and "low" conditions below 50°c. a specific example of "moderate" hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 55°c. a specific example of "low stringency" hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 45°c. alternatively, the hybridization may be carried out in buffers, such as 6x ssc, containing formamide at a temperature of 42°c. in this case, the concentration of formamide in the hybridization buffer may be reduced in 5% increments from 50% to 0% to identify clones having decreasing levels of homology to the probe. following hybridization, the filter may be washed with 6x ssc, 0.5% sds at 50°c. these conditions are considered to be "moderate" conditions above 25% formamide and "low" conditions below 25% formamide. a specific example of "moderate" hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 30% formamide. a specific example of "low stringency" hybridization conditions is when the above hybridization is conducted at 10% formamide. however, the selection of a hybridization format is not critical - it is the stringency of the wash conditions that set forth the conditions which determine whether a nucleic acid is relevant. wash conditions used to identify relevant nucleic acids include, e.g.: a salt concentration of about 0.02 molar at ph 7 and a temperature of at least about 50°c or about 55°c to about 60°c; or, a salt concentration of about 0.15 m nacl at 72°c for about 15 minutes; or, a salt concentration of about 0.2x ssc at a temperature of at least about 50°c or about 55°c to about 60°c for about 15 to about 20 minutes; or, the hybridization complex is washed twice with a solution with a salt concentration of about 2x ssc containing 0.1% sds at room temperature for 15 minutes and then washed twice by 0.1x ssc containing 0.1% sds at 68°c for 15 minutes; or, equivalent conditions. see sambrook, tijssen and ausubel for a description of ssc buffer and equivalent conditions. these methods may be used to isolate nucleic acids. for example, the preceding methods may be used to isolate nucleic acids having a sequence with at least about 97%, at least 95%, homology to a nucleic acid sequence selected from the group consisting of one of the sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or fragments comprising at least about 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, or 500 consecutive bases thereof and the sequences complementary thereto. homology may be measured using the alignment algorithm. for example, the homologous polynucleotides may have a coding sequence which is a naturally occurring allelic variant of one of the coding sequences described herein. such allelic variants may have a substitution, deletion or addition of one or more nucleotides when compared to the nucleic acids of the invention or the sequences complementary thereto. additionally, the above procedures may be used to isolate nucleic acids which encode polypeptides having at least about 99%, 95%, homology to a polypeptide having the sequence of one of amino acid sequences of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof as determined using a sequence alignment algorithm ( e.g., such as the fasta version 3.0t78 algorithm with the default parameters). oligonucleotides probes and methods for using them nucleic acid probes can be used, e.g., for identifying nucleic acids encoding a polypeptide with a xylanase activity or fragments thereof or for identifying xylanase genes. the probe may comprise at least 10 consecutive bases of a nucleic acid of the invention. alternatively, a probe can be at least about 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 110, 120, 130, 150 or about 10 to 50, about 20 to 60 about 30 to 70, consecutive bases of a sequence as set forth in a nucleic acid of the invention. the probes identify a nucleic acid by binding and/or hybridization. the probes can be used in arrays of the invention, see discussion below, including, e.g., capillary arrays. the probes can also be used to isolate other nucleic acids or polypeptides. the isolated nucleic acids of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, the sequences complementary thereto, or a fragment comprising at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, or 500 consecutive bases of one of the sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or the sequences complementary thereto may also be used as probes to determine whether a biological sample, such as a soil sample, contains an organism having a nucleic acid sequence of the invention or an organism from which the nucleic acid was obtained. in such procedures, a biological sample potentially harboring the organism from which the nucleic acid was isolated is obtained and nucleic acids are obtained from the sample. the nucleic acids are contacted with the probe under conditions which permit the probe to specifically hybridize to any complementary sequences from which are present therein. where necessary, conditions which permit the probe to specifically hybridize to complementary sequences may be determined by placing the probe in contact with complementary sequences from samples known to contain the complementary sequence as well as control sequences which do not contain the complementary sequence. hybridization conditions, such as the salt concentration of the hybridization buffer, the formamide concentration of the hybridization buffer, or the hybridization temperature, may be varied to identify conditions which allow the probe to hybridize specifically to complementary nucleic acids. if the sample contains the organism from which the nucleic acid was isolated, specific hybridization of the probe is then detected. hybridization may be detected by labeling the probe with a detectable agent such as a radioactive isotope, a fluorescent dye or an enzyme capable of catalyzing the formation of a detectable product. many methods for using the labeled probes to detect the presence of complementary nucleic acids in a sample are familiar to those skilled in the art. these include southern blots, northern blots, colony hybridization procedures and dot blots. protocols for each of these procedures are provided in ausubel et al. current protocols in molecular biology, john wiley 503 sons, inc. (1997 ) and sambrook et al., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual 2nd ed., cold spring harbor laboratory press (1989 . alternatively, more than one probe (at least one of which is capable of specifically hybridizing to any complementary sequences which are present in the nucleic acid sample), may be used in an amplification reaction to determine whether the sample contains an organism containing a nucleic acid sequence of the invention ( e.g., an organism from which the nucleic acid was isolated). typically, the probes comprise oligonucleotides. the amplification reaction may comprise a pcr reaction. pcr protocols are described in ausubel and sambrook, supra. alternatively, the amplification may comprise a ligase chain reaction, 3sr, or strand displacement reaction. (see barany, f., "the ligase chain reaction in a pcr world", pcr methods and applications 1:5-16, 1991 ; e. fahy et al., "self-sustained sequence replication (3sr): an isothermal transcription-based amplification system alternative to pcr", pcr methods and applications 1:25-33, 1991 ; and walker g.t. et al., "strand displacement amplification-an isothermal in vitro dna amplification technique", nucleic acid research 20:1691-1696, 1992 ). in such procedures, the nucleic acids in the sample are contacted with the probes, the amplification reaction is performed and any resulting amplification product is detected. the amplification product may be detected by performing gel electrophoresis on the reaction products and staining the gel with an intercalator such as ethidium bromide. alternatively, one or more of the probes may be labeled with a radioactive isotope and the presence of a radioactive amplification product may be detected by autoradiography after gel electrophoresis. probes derived from sequences near the ends of the sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, may also be used in chromosome walking procedures to identify clones containing genomic sequences located adjacent to the sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto. such methods allow the isolation of genes which encode additional proteins from the host organism. the isolated nucleic acids of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, the sequences complementary thereto, or a fragment comprising at least 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, or 500 consecutive bases of one of the sequences of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or the sequences complementary thereto may be used as probes to identify and isolate related nucleic acids. in some aspects, the related nucleic acids may be cdnas or genomic dnas from organisms other than the one from which the nucleic acid was isolated. for example, the other organisms may be related organisms. in such procedures, a nucleic acid sample is contacted with the probe under conditions which permit the probe to specifically hybridize to related sequences. hybridization of the probe to nucleic acids from the related organism is then detected using any of the methods described above. by varying the stringency of the hybridization conditions used to identify nucleic acids, such as cdnas or genomic dnas, which hybridize to the detectable probe, nucleic acids having different levels of homology to the probe can be identified and isolated. stringency may be varied by conducting the hybridization at varying temperatures below the melting temperatures of the probes. the melting temperature, t m , is the temperature (under defined ionic strength and ph) at which 50% of the target sequence hybridizes to a perfectly complementary probe. very stringent conditions are selected to be equal to or about 5°c lower than the t m for a particular probe. the melting temperature of the probe may be calculated using the following formulas: for probes between 14 and 70 nucleotides in length the melting temperature (t m ) is calculated using the formula: t m =81.5+16.6(log [na+])+0.41(fraction g+c)-(600/n) where n is the length of the probe. if the hybridization is carried out in a solution containing formamide, the melting temperature may be calculated using the equation: t m =81.5+16.6(log [na+])+0.41(fraction g+c)-(0.63% formamide)-(600/n) where n is the length of the probe. prehybridization may be carried out in 6x ssc, 5x denhardt's reagent, 0.5% sds, 100 µg/ml denatured fragmented salmon sperm dna or 6x ssc, 5x denhardt's reagent, 0.5% sds, 100 µg/ml denatured fragmented salmon sperm dna, 50% formamide. the formulas for ssc and denhardt's solutions are listed in sambrook et al., supra. hybridization is conducted by adding the detectable probe to the prehybridization solutions listed above. where the probe comprises double stranded dna, it is denatured before addition to the hybridization solution. the filter is contacted with the hybridization solution for a sufficient period of time to allow the probe to hybridize to cdnas or genomic dnas containing sequences complementary thereto or homologous thereto. for probes over 200 nucleotides in length, the hybridization may be carried out at 15-25°c below the t m . for shorter probes, such as oligonucleotide probes, the hybridization may be conducted at 5-10°c below the t m . typically, for hybridizations in 6x ssc, the hybridization is conducted at approximately 68°c. usually, for hybridizations in 50% formamide containing solutions, the hybridization is conducted at approximately 42°c. inhibiting expression of glycosyl hydrolases the invention provides nucleic acids complementary to (e.g., antisense sequences to) the nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., xylanase- encoding nucleic acids. antisense sequences are capable of inhibiting the transport, splicing or transcription of xylanase-encoding genes. the inhibition can be effected through the targeting of genomic dna or messenger rna. the transcription or function of targeted nucleic acid can be inhibited, for example, by hybridization and/or cleavage. one particularly useful set of inhibitors provided by the present invention includes oligonucleotides which are able to either bind xylanase gene or message, in either case preventing or inhibiting the production or function of xylanase. the association can be through sequence specific hybridization. another useful class of inhibitors includes oligonucleotides which cause inactivation or cleavage of xylanase message. the oligonucleotide can have enzyme activity which causes such cleavage, such as ribozymes. the oligonucleotide can be chemically modified or conjugated to an enzyme or composition capable of cleaving the complementary nucleic acid. a pool of many different such oligonucleotides can be screened for those with the desired activity. thus, the invention provides various compositions for the inhibition of xylanase expression on a nucleic acid and/or protein level, e.g., antisense, irna and ribozymes comprising xylanase sequences of the invention and the anti-xylanase antibodies of the invention. inhibition of xylanase expression can have a variety of industrial, medical, pharmaceutical, research, food and feed and food and feed supplement processing and other applications and processes. for example, inhibition of xylanase expression can slow or prevent spoilage. spoilage can occur when polysaccharides, e.g., structural polysaccharides, are enzymatically degraded. this can lead to the deterioration, or rot, of fruits and vegetables. compositions of the invention that inhibit the expression and/or activity of xylanases, e.g., antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and rnai, are used to slow or prevent spoilage. thus, methods comprise application onto a plant or plant product (e.g., a cereal, a grain, a fruit, seed, root, leaf, etc.) antibodies, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes and rnai of compositions of the invention to slow or prevent spoilage. these compositions also can be expressed by the plant (e.g., a transgenic plant) or another organism (e.g., a bacterium or other microorganism transformed with a xylanase gene of the invention). the compositions of the invention for the inhibition of xylanase expression (e.g., antisense, irna, ribozymes, antibodies) can be used as pharmaceutical compositions, e.g., as anti-pathogen agents or in other therapies, e.g., as anti-microbials for, e.g., salmonella. antisense oligonucleotides the invention provides antisense oligonucleotides capable of binding xylanase message which can inhibit xylan hydrolase activity (e.g., catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages) by targeting mrna. strategies for designing antisense oligonucleotides are well described in the scientific and patent literature, and the skilled artisan can design such xylanase oligonucleotides using the novel reagents of the invention. for example, gene walking/ rna mapping protocols to screen for effective antisense oligonucleotides are well known in the art, see, e.g., ho (2000) methods enzymol. 314:168-183 , describing an rna mapping assay, which is based on standard molecular techniques to provide an easy and reliable method for potent antisense sequence selection. see also smith (2000) eur. j. pharm. sci. 11:191-198 . naturally occurring nucleic acids are used as antisense oligonucleotides. the antisense oligonucleotides can be of any length; for example, in alternative aspects, the antisense oligonucleotides are between about 5 to 100, about 10 to 80, about 15 to 60, about 18 to 40. the optimal length can be determined by routine screening. the antisense oligonucleotides can be present at any concentration. the optimal concentration can be determined by routine screening. a wide variety of synthetic, non-naturally occurring nucleotide and nucleic acid analogues are known which can address this potential problem. for example, peptide nucleic acids (pnas) containing non-ionic backbones, such as n-(2-aminoethyl) glycine units can be used. antisense oligonucleotides having phosphorothioate linkages can also be used, as described in wo 97/03211 ; wo 96/39154 ; mata (1997) toxicol appl pharmacol 144:189-197 ; antisense therapeutics, ed. agrawal (humana press, totowa, n.j., 1996 ). antisense oligonucleotides having synthetic dna backbone analogues provided by the invention can also include phosphoro-dithioate, methylphosphonate, phosphoramidate, alkyl phosphotriester, sulfamate, 3'-thioacetal, methylene(methylimino), 3'-n-carbamate, and morpholino carbamate nucleic acids, as described above. combinatorial chemistry methodology can be used to create vast numbers of oligonucleotides that can be rapidly screened for specific oligonucleotides that have appropriate binding affinities and specificities toward any target, such as the sense and antisense xylanase sequences of the invention (see, e.g., gold (1995) j. of biol. chem. 270: 13581-13584 ). inhibitory ribozymes ribozymes may be capable of binding xylanase message. these ribozymes can inhibit xylanase activity by, e.g., targeting mrna. strategies for designing ribozymes and selecting the xylanase- specific antisense sequence for targeting are well described in the scientific and patent literature, and the skilled artisan can design such ribozymes using the novel reagents of the invention. ribozymes act by binding to a target rna through the target rna binding portion of a ribozyme which is held in close proximity to an enzymatic portion of the rna that cleaves the target rna. thus, the ribozyme recognizes and binds a target rna through complementary base-pairing, and once bound to the correct site, acts enzymatically to cleave and inactivate the target rna. cleavage of a target rna in such a manner will destroy its ability to direct synthesis of an encoded protein if the cleavage occurs in the coding sequence. after a ribozyme has bound and cleaved its rna target, it can be released from that rna to bind and cleave new targets repeatedly. in some circumstances, the enzymatic nature of a ribozyme can be advantageous over other technologies, such as antisense technology (where a nucleic acid molecule simply binds to a nucleic acid target to block its transcription, translation or association with another molecule) as the effective concentration of ribozyme necessary to effect a therapeutic treatment can be lower than that of an antisense oligonucleotide. this potential advantage reflects the ability of the ribozyme to act enzymatically. thus, a single ribozyme molecule is able to cleave many molecules of target rna. in addition, a ribozyme is typically a highly specific inhibitor, with the specificity of inhibition depending not only on the base pairing mechanism of binding, but also on the mechanism by which the molecule inhibits the expression of the rna to which it binds. that is, the inhibition is caused by cleavage of the rna target and so specificity is defined as the ratio of the rate of cleavage of the targeted rna over the rate of cleavage of non-targeted rna. this cleavage mechanism is dependent upon factors additional to those involved in base pairing. thus, the specificity of action of a ribozyme can be greater than that of antisense oligonucleotide binding the same rna site. the ribozyme, e.g., an enzymatic ribozyme rna molecule, can be formed in a hammerhead motif, a hairpin motif, as a hepatitis delta virus motif, a group i intron motif and/or an rnasep-like rna in association with an rna guide sequence. examples of hammerhead motifs are described by, e.g., rossi (1992) aids research and human retroviruses 8:183 ; hairpin motifs by hampel (1989) biochemistry 28:4929 , and hampel (1990) nuc. acids res. 18:299 ; the hepatitis delta virus motif by perrotta (1992) biochemistry 31:16 ; the rnasep motif by guerrier-takada (1983) cell 35:849 ; and the group i intron by cech u.s. pat. no. 4,987,071 . the recitation of these specific motifs is not intended to be limiting. those skilled in the art will recognize that a ribozyme, e.g., an enzymatic rna molecule, can have a specific substrate binding site complementary to one or more of the target gene rna regions. a ribozyme can have a nucleotide sequence within or surrounding that substrate binding site which imparts an rna cleaving activity to the molecule. rna interference (rnai) an rna inhibitory molecule, a so-called "rnai" molecule may comprise a xylanase enzyme sequence of the invention. the rnai molecule can comprise a double-stranded rna (dsrna) molecule, e.g., sirna, mirna and/or short hairpin rna (shrna) molecules. the rnai molecule, e.g., sirna (small inhibitory rna) can inhibit expression of a xylanase enzyme gene, and/or mirna (micro rna) to inhibit translation of a xylanase message. in one aspect, the rnai molecule, e.g., sirna and/or mirna, is about 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 or more duplex nucleotides in length. while not limited by any particular mechanism of action, the rnai can enter a cell and cause the degradation of a single-stranded rna (ssrna) of similar or identical sequences, including endogenous mrnas. when a cell is exposed to double-stranded rna (dsrna), mrna from the homologous gene is selectively degraded by a process called rna interference (rnai). a possible basic mechanism behind rnai is the breaking of a double-stranded rna (dsrna) matching a specific gene sequence into short pieces called short interfering rna, which trigger the degradation of mrna that matches its sequence. the rnai's may be used in gene-silencing therapeutics, see, e.g., shuey (2002) drug discov. today 7:1040-1046 . methods to selectively degrade rna may use the said rnai's molecules, e.g., sirna and/or mirna. the process may be practiced in vitro, ex vivo or in vivo. the rnai molecules can be used to generate a loss-of-function mutation in a cell, an organ or an animal. intracellular introduction of the rnai may be by internalization of a target cell specific ligand bonded to an rna binding protein comprising an rnai (e.g., microrna) is adsorbed. the ligand is specific to a unique target cell surface antigen. the ligand can be spontaneously internalized after binding to the cell surface antigen. if the unique cell surface antigen is not naturally internalized after binding to its ligand, internalization can be promoted by the incorporation of an arginine-rich peptide, or other membrane permeable peptide, into the structure of the ligand or rna binding protein or attachment of such a peptide to the ligand or rna binding protein. see, e.g., u.s. patent app. pub. nos. 20060030003 ; 20060025361 ; 20060019286 ; 20060019258 . lipid-based formulations may deliver, e.g., introducing nucleic acids of the invention as nucleic acid-lipid particles comprising an rnai molecule to a cell, see .g., u.s. patent app. pub. no. 20060008910 . methods for making and using rnai molecules, e.g., sirna and/or mirna, for selectively degrade rna are well known in the art, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,506,559 ; 6,511,824 ; 6,515,109 ; 6,489,127 . modification of nucleic acids methods of generating variants of the nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., those encoding a xylanase can be repeated or used in various combinations to generate xylanases having an altered or different activity or an altered or different stability from that of a xylanase encoded by the template nucleic acid. these methods also can be repeated or used in various combinations, e.g., to generate variations in gene/ message expression, message translation or message stability. in another aspect, the genetic composition of a cell is altered by, e.g., modification of a homologous gene ex vivo, followed by its reinsertion into the cell. a nucleic acid of the invention can be altered by any means. for example, random or stochastic methods, or, non-stochastic, or "directed evolution," methods, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,361,974 . methods for random mutation of genes are well known in the art, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,830,696 . for example, mutagens can be used to randomly mutate a gene. mutagens include, e.g., ultraviolet light or gamma irradiation, or a chemical mutagen, e.g., mitomycin, nitrous acid, photoactivated psoralens, alone or in combination, to induce dna breaks amenable to repair by recombination. other chemical mutagens include, for example, sodium bisulfite, nitrous acid, hydroxylamine, hydrazine or formic acid. other mutagens are analogues of nucleotide precursors, e.g., nitrosoguanidine, 5-bromouracil, 2-aminopurine, or acridine. these agents can be added to a pcr reaction in place of the nucleotide precursor thereby mutating the sequence. intercalating agents such as proflavine, acriflavine, quinacrine and the like can also be used. any technique in molecular biology can be used, e.g., random pcr mutagenesis, see, e.g., rice (1992) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 89:5467-5471 ; or, combinatorial multiple cassette mutagenesis, see, e.g., crameri (1995) biotechniques 18:194-196 . alternatively, nucleic acids, e.g., genes, can be reassembled after random, or "stochastic," fragmentation, see, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 6,291,242 ; 6,287,862 ; 6,287,861 ; 5,955,358 ; 5,830,721 ; 5,824,514 ; 5,811,238 ; 5,605,793 . in alternative aspects, modifications, additions or deletions are introduced by error-prone pcr, shuffling, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis, assembly pcr, sexual pcr mutagenesis, in vivo mutagenesis, cassette mutagenesis, recursive ensemble mutagenesis, exponential ensemble mutagenesis, site-specific mutagenesis, gene reassembly (e.g., genereassembly, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,537,776 ), gene site saturation mutagenesis (gssm), synthetic ligation reassembly (slr), recombination, recursive sequence recombination, phosphothioate-modified dna mutagenesis, uracil-containing template mutagenesis, gapped duplex mutagenesis, point mismatch repair mutagenesis, repair-deficient host strain mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, radiogenic mutagenesis, deletion mutagenesis, restriction-selection mutagenesis, restriction-purification mutagenesis, artificial gene synthesis, ensemble mutagenesis, chimeric nucleic acid multimer creation, and/or a combination of these and other methods. the following publications describe a variety of recursive recombination procedures and/or methods which can be used: stemmer (1999) "molecular breeding of viruses for targeting and other clinical properties" tumor targeting 4:1-4 ; ness (1999) nature biotechnology 17:893-896 ; chang (1999) "evolution of a cytokine using dna family shuffling" nature biotechnology 17:793-797 ; minshull (1999) "protein evolution by molecular breeding" current opinion in chemical biology 3:284-290 ; christians (1999) "directed evolution of thymidine kinase for azt phosphorylation using dna family shuffling" nature biotechnology 17:259-264 ; crameri (1998) "dna shuffling of a family of genes from diverse species accelerates directed evolution" nature 391:288-291 ; crameri (1997) "molecular evolution of an arsenate detoxification pathway by dna shuffling," nature biotechnology 15:436-438 ; zhang (1997) "directed evolution of an effective fucosidase from a galactosidase by dna shuffling and screening" proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 94:4504-4509 ; patten et al. (1997) "applications of dna shuffling to pharmaceuticals and vaccines" current opinion in biotechnology 8:724-733 ; crameri et al. (1996) "construction and evolution of antibody-phage libraries by dna shuffling" nature medicine 2:100-103 ; gates et al. (1996) "affinity selective isolation of ligands from peptide libraries through display on a lac repressor 'headpiece dimer'" journal of molecular biology 255:373-386 ; stemmer (1996) "sexual pcr and assembly pcr" in: the encyclopedia of molecular biology. vch publishers, new york. pp.447-457 ; crameri and stemmer (1995) "combinatorial multiple cassette mutagenesis creates all the permutations of mutant and wildtype cassettes" biotechniques 18:194-195 ; stemmer et al. (1995) "single-step assembly of a gene and entire plasmid form large numbers of oligodeoxyribonucleotides" gene, 164:49-53 ; stemmer (1995) "the evolution of molecular computation" science 270: 1510 ; stemmer (1995) "searching sequence space" bio/technology 13:549-553 ; stemmer (1994) "rapid evolution of a protein in vitro by dna shuffling" nature 370:389-391 ; and stemmer (1994) "dna shuffling by random fragmentation and reassembly: in vitro recombination for molecular evolution." proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 91:10747-10751 . mutational methods of generating diversity include, for example, site-directed mutagenesis ( ling et al. (1997) "approaches to dna mutagenesis: an overview" anal biochem. 254(2): 157-178 ; dale et al. (1996) "oligonucleotide-directed random mutagenesis using the phosphorothioate method" methods mol. biol. 57:369-374 ; smith (1985) "in vitro mutagenesis" ann. rev. genet. 19:423-462 ; botstein & shortle (1985) "strategies and applications of in vitro mutagenesis" science 229:1193-1201 ; carter (1986) "site-directed mutagenesis" biochem. j. 237:1-7 ; and kunkel (1987) "the efficiency of oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis" in nucleic acids & molecular biology (eckstein, f. and lilley, d. m. j. eds., springer verlag, berl in)); mutagenesis using uracil containing templates ( kunkel (1985) "rapid and efficient site-specific mutagenesis without phenotypic selection" proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 82:488-492 ; kunkel et al. (1987) "rapid and efficient site-specific mutagenesis without phenotypic selection" methods in enzymol. 154, 367-382 ; and bass et al. (1988) "mutant trp repressors with new dna-binding specificities" science 242:240-245 ); oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis ( methods in enzymol. 100: 468-500 (1983 ); methods in enzymol. 154: 329-350 (1987 ); zoller (1982) "oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis using m13-derived vectors: an efficient and general procedure for the production of point mutations in any dna fragment" nucleic acids res. 10:6487-6500 ; zoller & smith (1983) "oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis of dna fragments cloned into m13 vectors" methods in enzymol. 100:468-500 ; and zoller (1987) oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis: a simple method using two oligonucleotide primers and a single-stranded dna template" methods in enzymol. 154:329-350 ); phosphorothioate-modified dna mutagenesis ( taylor (1985) "the use of phosphorothioate-modified dna in restriction enzyme reactions to prepare nicked dna" nucl. acids res. 13: 8749-8764 ; taylor (1985) "the rapid generation of oligonucleotide-directed mutations at high frequency using phosphorothioate-modified dna" nucl. acids res. 13: 8765-8787 (1985 ); nakamaye (1986) "inhibition of restriction endonuclease nci i cleavage by phosphorothioate groups and its application to oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis" nucl. acids res. 14: 9679-9698 ; sayers (1988) "y-t exonucleases in phosphorothioate-based oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis" nucl. acids res. 16:791-802 ; and sayers et al. (1988) "strand specific cleavage of phosphorothioate-containing dna by reaction with restriction endonucleases in the presence of ethidium bromide" nucl. acids res. 16: 803-814 ); mutagenesis using gapped duplex dna ( kramer et al. (1984) "the gapped duplex dna approach to oligonucleotide-directed mutation construction" nucl. acids res. 12: 9441-9456 ; kramer & fritz (1987) methods in enzymol. "oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations via gapped duplex dna" 154:350-367 ; kramer (1988) "improved enzymatic in vitro reactions in the gapped duplex dna approach to oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations" nucl. acids res. 16: 7207 ; and fritz (1988) "oligonucleotide-directed construction of mutations: a gapped duplex dna procedure without enzymatic reactions in vitro" nucl. acids res. 16: 6987-6999 ). additional protocols that can be used include point mismatch repair ( kramer (1984) "point mismatch repair" cell 38:879-887 ), mutagenesis using repair-deficient host strains ( carter et al. (1985) "improved oligonucleotide site-directed mutagenesis using m13 vectors" nucl. acids res. 13: 4431-4443 ; and carter (1987) "improved oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis using m13 vectors" methods in enzymol. 154: 382-403 ), deletion mutagenesis ( eghtedarzadeh (1986) "use of oligonucleotides to generate large deletions" nucl. acids res. 14: 5115 ), restriction-selection and restriction-selection and restriction-purification ( wells et al. (1986) "importance of hydrogen-bond formation in stabilizing the transition state of subtilisin" phil. trans. r. soc. lond. a 317: 415-423 ), mutagenesis by total gene synthesis ( nambiar et al. (1984) "total synthesis and cloning of a gene coding for the ribonuclease s protein" science 223: 1299-1301 ; sakamar and khorana (1988) "total synthesis and expression of a gene for the a-subunit of bovine rod outer segment guanine nucleotide-binding protein (transducin)" nucl. acids res. 14: 6361-6372 ; wells et al. (1985) "cassette mutagenesis: an efficient method for generation of multiple mutations at defined sites" gene 34:315-323 ; and grundstrom et al. (1985) "oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis by microscale 'shot-gun' gene synthesis" nucl. acids res. 13: 3305-3316 ), double-strand break repair (mandecki (1986); arnold (1993) "protein engineering for unusual environments" current opinion in biotechnology 4:450-455 . " oligonucleotide-directed double-strand break repair in plasmids of escherichia coli: a method for site-specific mutagenesis" proc. natl. acad. sci. usa, 83:7177-7181 ). additional details on many of the above methods can be found in methods in enzymology volume 154 , which also describes useful controls for trouble-shooting problems with various mutagenesis methods. protocols that can be used are described, e.g., in u.s. patent nos. 5,605,793 to stemmer (feb. 25, 1997 ), "methods for in vitro recombination;" u.s. pat. no. 5,811,238 to stemmer et al. (sep. 22, 1998 ) "methods for generating polynucleotides having desired characteristics by iterative selection and recombination;" u.s. pat. no. 5,830,721 to stemmer et al. (nov. 3, 1998 ), "dna mutagenesis by random fragmentation and reassembly;" u.s. pat. no. 5,834,252 to stemmer, et al. (nov. 10, 1998 ) "end-complementary polymerase reaction;" u.s. pat. no. 5,837,458 to minshull, et al. (nov. 17, 1998 ), "methods and compositions for cellular and metabolic engineering;" wo 95/22625, stemmer and crameri , "mutagenesis by random fragmentation and reassembly;" wo 96/33207 by stemmer and lipschutz "end complementary polymerase chain reaction;" wo 97/20078 by stemmer and crameri "methods for generating polynucleotides having desired characteristics by iterative selection and recombination;" wo 97/35966 by minshull and stemmer , "methods and compositions for cellular and metabolic engineering;" wo 99/41402 by punnonen et al. "targeting of genetic vaccine vectors;" wo 99/41383 by punnonen et al. "antigen library immunization;" wo 99/41369 by punnonen et al. "genetic vaccine vector engineering;" wo 99/41368 by punnonen et al. "optimization of immunomodulatory properties of genetic vaccines;" ep 752008 by stemmer and crameri , "dna mutagenesis by random fragmentation and reassembly;" ep 0932670 by stemmer "evolving cellular dna uptake by recursive sequence recombination;" wo 99/23107 by stemmer et al. , "modification of virus tropism and host range by viral genome shuffling;" wo 99/21979 by apt et al. , "human papillomavirus vectors;" wo 98/31837 by del cardayre et al. "evolution of whole cells and organisms by recursive sequence recombination;" wo 98/27230 by patten and stemmer , "methods and compositions for polypeptide engineering;" wo 98/27230 by stemmer et al. , "methods for optimization of gene therapy by recursive sequence shuffling and selection," wo 00/00632 , "methods for generating highly diverse libraries," wo 00/09679 , "methods for obtaining in vitro recombined polynucleotide sequence banks and resulting sequences," wo 98/42832 by arnold et al. , "recombination of polynucleotide sequences using random or defined primers," wo 99/29902 by arnold et al. , "method for creating polynucleotide and polypeptide sequences," wo 98/41653 by vind , "an in vitro method for construction of a dna library," wo 98/41622 by borchert et al. , "method for constructing a library using dna shuffling," and wo 98/42727 by pati and zarling , "sequence alterations using homologous recombination." protocols that can be used (providing details regarding various diversity generating methods) are described, e.g., in u.s. patent application serial no. ( ussn) 09/407,800 , "shuffling of codon altered genes" by patten et al. filed sep. 28, 1999; "evolution of whole cells and organisms by recursive sequence recombination" by del cardayre et al., united states patent no. 6,379,964 ; "oligonucleotide mediated nucleic acid recombination" by crameri et al., united states patent nos. 6,319,714 ; 6,368,861 ; 6,376,246 ; 6,423,542 ; 6,426,224 and pct/us00/01203 ; "use of codon-varied oligonucleotide synthesis for synthetic shuffling" by welch et al., united states patent no. 6,436,675 ; "methods for making character strings, polynucleotides & polypeptides having desired characteristics" by selifonov et al., filed jan. 18, 2000, ( pct/us00/01202 ) and, e.g. "methods for making character strings, polynucleotides & polypeptides having desired characteristics" by selifonov et al., filed jul. 18, 2000 ( u.s. ser. no. 09/618,579 ); "methods of populating data structures for use in evolutionary simulations" by selifonov and stemmer, filed jan. 18, 2000 ( pct/us00/01138 ); and "single-stranded nucleic acid template-mediated recombination and nucleic acid fragment isolation" by affholter, filed sep. 6, 2000 ( u.s. ser. no. 09/656,549 ); and united states patent nos. 6,177,263 ; 6,153,410 . non-stochastic, or "directed evolution," methods include, e.g., saturation mutagenesis (gssm), synthetic ligation reassembly (slr), or a combination thereof are used to modify the nucleic acids of the invention to generate xylanases with new or altered properties (e.g., activity under highly acidic or alkaline conditions, high or low temperatures, and the like). polypeptides encoded by the modified nucleic acids can be screened for an activity before testing for xylan hydrolysis or other activity. any testing modality or protocol can be used, e.g., using a capillary array platform. see, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 6,361,974 ; 6,280,926 ; 5,939,250 . gene site saturation mutagenesis, or, gssm methods for making enzyme using gene site saturation mutagenesis, or, gssm, are described herein, and also in u.s. patent nos. 6,171,820 and 6,579,258 . codon primers containing a degenerate n,n,g/t sequence may be used to introduce point mutations into a polynucleotide, e.g., a xylanase or an antibody of the invention, so as to generate a set of progeny polypeptides in which a full range of single amino acid substitutions is represented at each amino acid position, e.g., an amino acid residue in an enzyme active site or ligand binding site targeted to be modified. these oligonucleotides can comprise a contiguous first homologous sequence, a degenerate n,n,g/t sequence, and, in one aspect, a second homologous sequence. the downstream progeny translational products from the use of such oligonucleotides include all possible amino acid changes at each amino acid site along the polypeptide, because the degeneracy of the n,n,g/t sequence includes codons for all 20 amino acids. one such degenerate oligonucleotide (comprised of, e.g., one degenerate n,n,g/t cassette) may be used for subjecting each original codon in a parental polynucleotide template to a full range of codon substitutions. at least two degenerate cassettes may be used - either in the same oligonucleotide or not, for subjecting at least two original codons in a parental polynucleotide template to a full range of codon substitutions. for example, more than one n,n,g/t sequence can be contained in one oligonucleotide to introduce amino acid mutations at more than one site. this plurality of n,n,g/t sequences can be directly contiguous, or separated by one or more additional nucleotide sequence(s). oligonucleotides serviceable for introducing additions and deletions can be used either alone or in combination with the codons containing an n,n,g/t sequence, to introduce any combination or permutation of amino acid additions, deletions, and/or substitutions. simultaneous mutagenesis of two or more contiguous amino acid positions may be done using an oligonucleotide that contains contiguous n,n,g/t triplets, i.e. a degenerate (n,n,g/t)n sequence. degenerate cassettes having less degeneracy than the n,n,g/t sequence may be used. for example, it may be desirable in some instances to use (e.g. in an oligonucleotide) a degenerate triplet sequence comprised of only one n, where said n can be in the first second or third position of the triplet. any other bases including any combinations and permutations thereof can be used in the remaining two positions of the triplet. alternatively, it may be desirable in some instances to use (e.g. in an oligo) a degenerate n,n,n triplet sequence. in one aspect, use of degenerate triplets (e.g., n,n,g/t triplets) allows for systematic and easy generation of a full range of possible natural amino acids (for a total of 20 amino acids) into each and every amino acid position in a polypeptide (in alternative aspects, the methods also include generation of less than all possible substitutions per amino acid residue, or codon, position). for example, for a 100 amino acid polypeptide, 2000 distinct species (i.e. 20 possible amino acids per position x 100 amino acid positions) can be generated. through the use of an oligonucleotide or set of oligonucleotides containing a degenerate n,n,g/t triplet, 32 individual sequences can code for all 20 possible natural amino acids. thus, in a reaction vessel in which a parental polynucleotide sequence is subjected to saturation mutagenesis using at least one such oligonucleotide, there are generated 32 distinct progeny polynucleotides encoding 20 distinct polypeptides. in contrast, the use of a non-degenerate oligonucleotide in site-directed mutagenesis leads to only one progeny polypeptide product per reaction vessel. nondegenerate oligonucleotides can be used in combination with degenerate primers disclosed; for example, nondegenerate oligonucleotides can be used to generate specific point mutations in a working polynucleotide. this provides one means to generate specific silent point mutations, point mutations leading to corresponding amino acid changes, and point mutations that cause the generation of stop codons and the corresponding expression of polypeptide fragments. each saturation mutagenesis reaction vessel may contain polynucleotides encoding at least 20 progeny polypeptide molecules such that all 20 natural amino acids are represented at the one specific amino acid position corresponding to the codon position mutagenized in the parental polynucleotide (other aspects use less than all 20 natural combinations). the 32-fold degenerate progeny polypeptides generated from each saturation mutagenesis reaction vessel can be subjected to clonal amplification (e.g. cloned into a suitable host, e.g., e. coli host, using, e.g., an expression vector) and subjected to expression screening. when an individual progeny polypeptide is identified by screening to display a favorable change in property (when compared to the parental polypeptide, such as increased xylan hydrolysis activity under alkaline or acidic conditions), it can be sequenced to identify the correspondingly favorable amino acid substitution contained therein. upon mutagenizing each and every amino acid position in a parental polypeptide using saturation mutagenesis as disclosed herein, favorable amino acid changes may be identified at more than one amino acid position. one or more new progeny molecules can be generated that contain a combination of all or part of these favorable amino acid substitutions. for example, if 2 specific favorable amino acid changes are identified in each of 3 amino acid positions in a polypeptide, the permutations include 3 possibilities at each position (no change from the original amino acid, and each of two favorable changes) and 3 positions. thus, there are 3 x 3 x 3 or 27 total possibilities, including 7 that were previously examined - 6 single point mutations (i.e. 2 at each of three positions) and no change at any position. site-saturation mutagenesis can be used together with shuffling, chimerization, recombination and other mutagenizing processes, along with screening. this provides for the use of any mutagenizing process(es), including saturation mutagenesis, in an iterative manner. the iterative use of any mutagenizing process(es) may be used in combination with screening. proprietary codon primers (containing a degenerate n,n,n sequence) may be used to introduce point mutations into a polynucleotide, so as to generate a set of progeny polypeptides in which a full range of single amino acid substitutions is represented at each amino acid position (gene site saturation mutagenesis (gssm)). the oligos used are comprised contiguously of a first homologous sequence, a degenerate n,n,n sequence and preferably but not necessarily a second homologous sequence. the downstream progeny translational products from the use of such oligos include all possible amino acid changes at each amino acid site along the polypeptide, because the degeneracy of the n,n,n sequence includes codons for all 20 amino acids. one such degenerate oligo (comprised of one degenerate n,n,n cassette) may be used for subjecting each original codon in a parental polynucleotide template to a full range of codon substitutions. or, at least two degenerate n,n,n cassettes are used - either in the same oligo or not, for subjecting at least two original codons in a parental polynucleotide template to a full range of codon substitutions. thus, more than one n,n,n sequence can be contained in one oligo to introduce amino acid mutations at more than one site. this plurality of n,n,n sequences can be directly contiguous, or separated by one or more additional nucleotide sequence(s). oligos serviceable for introducing additions and deletions can be used either alone or in combination with the codons containing an n,n,n sequence, to introduce any combination or permutation of amino acid additions, deletions and/or substitutions. it is possible to simultaneously mutagenize two or more contiguous amino acid positions using an oligo that contains contiguous n,n,n triplets, i.e. a degenerate (n,n,n) n sequence. degenerate cassettes having less degeneracy than the n,n,n sequence may be used. for example, it may be desirable in some instances to use ( e.g. in an oligo) a degenerate triplet sequence comprised of only one n, where the n can be in the first second or third position of the triplet. any other bases including any combinations and permutations thereof can be used in the remaining two positions of the triplet. alternatively, it may be desirable in some instances to use ( e.g., in an oligo) a degenerate n,n,n triplet sequence, n,n,g/t, or an n,n, g/c triplet sequence. it is appreciated, however, that the use of a degenerate triplet (such as n,n,g/t or an n,n, g/c triplet sequence) as disclosed is advantageous for several reasons. this may provide a means to systematically and fairly easily generate the substitution of the full range of possible amino acids (for a total of 20 amino acids) into each and every amino acid position in a polypeptide. thus, for a 100 amino acid polypeptide, this provides a way to systematically and fairly easily generate 2000 distinct species ( i.e., 20 possible amino acids per position times 100 amino acid positions). it is appreciated that there is provided, through the use of an oligo containing a degenerate n,n,g/t or an n,n, g/c triplet sequence, 32 individual sequences that code for 20 possible amino acids. thus, in a reaction vessel in which a parental polynucleotide sequence is subjected to saturation mutagenesis using one such oligo, there are generated 32 distinct progeny polynucleotides encoding 20 distinct polypeptides. in contrast, the use of a non-degenerate oligo in site-directed mutagenesis leads to only one progeny polypeptide product per reaction vessel. nondegenerate oligos can be used in combination with degenerate primers disclosed. it is appreciated that in some situations, it is advantageous to use nondegenerate oligos to generate specific point mutations in a working polynucleotide. this provides a means to generate specific silent point mutations, point mutations leading to corresponding amino acid changes and point mutations that cause the generation of stop codons and the corresponding expression of polypeptide fragments. thus, each saturation mutagenesis reaction vessel contains polynucleotides encoding at least 20 progeny polypeptide molecules such that all 20 amino acids are represented at the one specific amino acid position corresponding to the codon position mutagenized in the parental polynucleotide. the 32-fold degenerate progeny polypeptides generated from each saturation mutagenesis reaction vessel can be subjected to clonal amplification ( e.g., cloned into a suitable e. coli host using an expression vector) and subjected to expression screening. when an individual progeny polypeptide is identified by screening to display a favorable change in property (when compared to the parental polypeptide), it can be sequenced to identify the correspondingly favorable amino acid substitution contained therein. it is appreciated that upon mutagenizing each and every amino acid position in a parental polypeptide using saturation mutagenesis as disclosed herein, favorable amino acid changes may be identified at more than one amino acid position. one or more new progeny molecules can be generated that contain a combination of all or part of these favorable amino acid substitutions. for example, if 2 specific favorable amino acid changes are identified in each of 3 amino acid positions in a polypeptide, the permutations include 3 possibilities at each position (no change from the original amino acid and each of two favorable changes) and 3 positions. thus, there are 3 x 3 x 3 or 27 total possibilities, including 7 that were previously examined - 6 single point mutations ( i.e. , 2 at each of three positions) and no change at any position. thus, saturation mutagenesis may be used in combination with additional mutagenization processes, such as process where two or more related polynucleotides are introduced into a suitable host cell such that a hybrid polynucleotide is generated by recombination and reductive reassortment. in addition to performing mutagenesis along the entire sequence of a gene, the disclosure provides that mutagenesis can be use to replace each of any number of bases in a polynucleotide sequence, wherein the number of bases to be mutagenized is preferably every integer from 15 to 100,000. thus, instead of mutagenizing every position along a molecule, one can subject every or a discrete number of bases (preferably a subset totaling from 15 to 100,000) to mutagenesis. preferably, a separate nucleotide is used for mutagenizing each position or group of positions along a polynucleotide sequence. a group of 3 positions to be mutagenized may be a codon. the mutations are preferably introduced using a mutagenic primer, containing a heterologous cassette, also referred to as a mutagenic cassette. exemplary cassettes can have from 1 to 500 bases. each nucleotide position in such heterologous cassettes be n, a, c, g, t, a/c, a/g, a/t, c/g, c/t, g/t, c/g/t, a/g/t, a/c/t, a/c/g, or e, where e is any base that is not a, c, g, or t (e can be referred to as a designer oligo). in a general sense, saturation mutagenesis is comprised of mutagenizing a complete set of mutagenic cassettes (wherein each cassette is preferably about 1-500 bases in length) in defined polynucleotide sequence to be mutagenized (wherein the sequence to be mutagenized is preferably from about 15 to 100,000 bases in length). thus, a group of mutations (ranging from 1 to 100 mutations) is introduced into each cassette to be mutagenized. a grouping of mutations to be introduced into one cassette can be different or the same from a second grouping of mutations to be introduced into a second cassette during the application of one round of saturation mutagenesis. such groupings are exemplified by deletions, additions, groupings of particular codons and groupings of particular nucleotide cassettes. defined sequences to be mutagenized include a whole gene, pathway, cdna, an entire open reading frame (orf) and entire promoter, enhancer, repressor/transactivator, origin of replication, intron, operator, or any polynucleotide functional group. generally, a "defined sequences" for this purpose may be any polynucleotide that a 15 base-polynucleotide sequence and polynucleotide sequences of lengths between 15 bases and 15,000 bases. considerations in choosing groupings of codons include types of amino acids encoded by a degenerate mutagenic cassette. a grouping of mutations that can be introduced into a mutagenic cassette, includes degenerate codon substitutions (using degenerate oligos) that code for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20 amino acids at each position and a library of polypeptides encoded thereby. synthetic ligation reassembly (slr) a non-stochastic gene modification system termed "synthetic ligation reassembly," or simply "slr," a "directed evolution process," may be used to generate polypeptides, e.g., xylanases or antibodies of the invention, with new or altered properties. slr is a method of ligating oligonucleotide fragments together non-stochastically. this method differs from stochastic oligonucleotide shuffling in that the nucleic acid building blocks are not shuffled, concatenated or chimerized randomly, but rather are assembled non-stochastically. see, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 6,773,900 ; 6,740,506 ; 6,713,282 ; 6,635,449 ; 6,605,449 ; 6,537,776 . slr comprises: (a) providing a template polynucleotide, wherein the template polynucleotide comprises sequence encoding a homologous gene; (b) providing a plurality of building block polynucleotides, wherein the building block polynucleotides are designed to cross-over reassemble with the template polynucleotide at a predetermined sequence, and a building block polynucleotide comprises a sequence that is a variant of the homologous gene and a sequence homologous to the template polynucleotide flanking the variant sequence; (c) combining a building block polynucleotide with a template polynucleotide such that the building block polynucleotide cross-over reassembles with the template polynucleotide to generate polynucleotides comprising homologous gene sequence variations. slr does not depend on the presence of high levels of homology between polynucleotides to be rearranged. thus, this method can be used to non-stochastically generate libraries (or sets) of progeny molecules comprised of over 10 100 different chimeras. slr can be used to generate libraries comprised of over 10 1000 different progeny chimeras. non-stochastic methods may produce a set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules having an overall assembly order that is chosen by design. this method includes the steps of generating by design a plurality of specific nucleic acid building blocks having serviceable mutually compatible ligatable ends, and assembling these nucleic acid building blocks, such that a designed overall assembly order is achieved. the mutually compatible ligatable ends of the nucleic acid building blocks to be assembled are considered to be "serviceable" for this type of ordered assembly if they enable the building blocks to be coupled in predetermined orders. thus, the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is specified by the design of the ligatable ends. if more than one assembly step is to be used, then the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is also specified by the sequential order of the assembly step(s). the annealed building pieces may be treated with an enzyme, such as a ligase (e.g. t4 dna ligase), to achieve covalent bonding of the building pieces. the design of the oligonucleotide building blocks may be obtained by analyzing a set of progenitor nucleic acid sequence templates that serve as a basis for producing a progeny set of finalized chimeric polynucleotides. these parental oligonucleotide templates thus serve as a source of sequence information that aids in the design of the nucleic acid building blocks that are to be mutagenized, e.g., chimerized or shuffled. the sequences of a plurality of parental nucleic acid templates may be aligned in order to select one or more demarcation points. the demarcation points can be located at an area of homology, and are comprised of one or more nucleotides. these demarcation points are preferably shared by at least two of the progenitor templates. the demarcation points can thereby be used to delineate the boundaries of oligonucleotide building blocks to be generated in order to rearrange the parental polynucleotides. the demarcation points identified and selected in the progenitor molecules serve as potential chimerization points in the assembly of the final chimeric progeny molecules. a demarcation point can be an area of homology (comprised of at least one homologous nucleotide base) shared by at least two parental polynucleotide sequences. alternatively, a demarcation point can be an area of homology that is shared by at least half of the parental polynucleotide sequences, or, it can be an area of homology that is shared by at least two thirds of the parental polynucleotide sequences. even more preferably a serviceable demarcation points is an area of homology that is shared by at least three fourths of the parental polynucleotide sequences, or, it can be shared by at almost all of the parental polynucleotide sequences. a demarcation point may be an area of homology that is shared by all of the parental polynucleotide sequences. a ligation reassembly process may be performed exhaustively in order to generate an exhaustive library of progeny chimeric polynucleotides. in other words, all possible ordered combinations of the nucleic acid building blocks are represented in the set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules. at the same time, in another aspect, the assembly order (i.e. the order of assembly of each building block in the 5' to 3 sequence of each finalized chimeric nucleic acid) in each combination is by design (or non-stochastic) as described above. because of the non-stochastic nature, the possibility of unwanted side products is greatly reduced. the ligation reassembly method may be performed systematically. for example, the method is performed in order to generate a systematically compartmentalized library of progeny molecules, with compartments that can be screened systematically, e.g. one by one. through the selective and judicious use of specific nucleic acid building blocks, coupled with the selective and judicious use of sequentially stepped assembly reactions, a design can be achieved where specific sets of progeny products are made in each of several reaction vessels. this allows a systematic examination and screening procedure to be performed. thus, these methods allow a potentially very large number of progeny molecules to be examined systematically in smaller groups. because of its ability to perform chimerizations in a manner that is highly flexible yet exhaustive and systematic as well, particularly when there is a low level of homology among the progenitor molecules, these methods provide for the generation of a library (or set) comprised of a large number of progeny molecules. because of the non-stochastic nature, the progeny molecules generated comprise a library of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules having an overall assembly order that is chosen by design. the saturation mutagenesis and optimized directed evolution methods also can be used to generate different progeny molecular species. it is appreciated that the invention provides freedom of choice and control regarding the selection of demarcation points, the size and number of the nucleic acid building blocks, and the size and design of the couplings. it is appreciated, furthermore, that the requirement for intermolecular homology is highly relaxed for the operability of this invention. in fact, demarcation points can even be chosen in areas of little or no intermolecular homology. for example, because of codon wobble, i.e. the degeneracy of codons, nucleotide substitutions can be introduced into nucleic acid building blocks without altering the amino acid originally encoded in the corresponding progenitor template. alternatively, a codon can be altered such that the coding for an originally amino acid is altered. such substitutions can be introduced into the nucleic acid building block in order to increase the incidence of intermolecular homologous demarcation points and thus to allow an increased number of couplings to be achieved among the building blocks, which in turn allows a greater number of progeny chimeric molecules to be generated. synthetic gene reassembly a non-stochastic method termed synthetic gene reassembly (e.g., genereassembly, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,537,776 ), differs from stochastic shuffling in that the nucleic acid building blocks are not shuffled or concatenated or chimerized randomly, but rather are assembled non-stochastically. the synthetic gene reassembly method does not depend on the presence of a high level of homology between polynucleotides to be shuffled. this can be used to non-stochastically generate libraries (or sets) of progeny molecules comprised of over 10 100 different chimeras. conceivably, synthetic gene reassembly can even be used to generate libraries comprised of over 10 1000 different progeny chimeras. a non-stochastic method may produce a set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules having an overall assembly order that is chosen by design, which method is comprised of the steps of generating by design a plurality of specific nucleic acid building blocks having serviceable mutually compatible ligatable ends and assembling these nucleic acid building blocks, such that a designed overall assembly order is achieved. synthetic gene reassembly comprises a method of: 1) preparing a progeny generation of molecule(s) (including a molecule comprising a polynucleotide sequence, e.g., a molecule comprising a polypeptide coding sequence), that is mutagenized to achieve at least one point mutation, addition, deletion, &/or chimerization, from one or more ancestral or parental generation template(s); 2) screening the progeny generation molecule(s), e.g., using a high throughput method, for at least one property of interest (such as an improvement in an enzyme activity); 3) obtaining &/or cataloguing structural &/or and functional information regarding the parental &/or progeny generation molecules; and 4) repeating any of steps 1) to 3). there may be generated (e.g., from a parent polynucleotide template), in what is termed "codon site-saturation mutagenesis," a progeny generation of polynucleotides, each having at least one set of up to three contiguous point mutations (i.e. different bases comprising a new codon), such that every codon (or every family of degenerate codons encoding the same amino acid) is represented at each codon position. corresponding to, and encoded by, this progeny generation of polynucleotides, there is also generated a set of progeny polypeptides, each having at least one single amino acid point mutation. there is generated, in what is termed "amino acid site-saturation mutagenesis", one such mutant polypeptide for each of the 19 naturally encoded polypeptide-forming alpha-amino acid substitutions at each and every amino acid position along the polypeptide. this yields, for each and every amino acid position along the parental polypeptide, a total of 20 distinct progeny polypeptides including the original amino acid, or potentially more than 21 distinct progeny polypeptides if additional amino acids are used either instead of or in addition to the 20 naturally encoded amino acids. this approach is also serviceable for generating mutants containing, in addition to &/or in combination with the 20 naturally encoded polypeptide-forming alpha-amino acids, other rare &/or not naturally-encoded amino acids and amino acid derivatives. this approach is also serviceable for generating mutants by the use of, in addition to &/or in combination with natural or unaltered codon recognition systems of suitable hosts, altered, mutagenized, &/or designer codon recognition systems (such as in a host cell with one or more altered trna molecules. polynucleotides encoding a polypeptide may be prepared by a method of in vivo reassortment of polynucleotide sequences containing regions of partial homology, assembling the polynucleotides to form at least one polynucleotide and screening the polynucleotides for the production of polypeptide(s) having a useful property. this is serviceable for analyzing and cataloguing, with respect to any molecular property (e.g. an enzymatic activity) or combination of properties allowed by current technology, the effects of any mutational change achieved (including particularly saturation mutagenesis). thus, a comprehensive method is provided for determining the effect of changing each amino acid in a parental polypeptide into each of at least 19 possible substitutions. this allows each amino acid in a parental polypeptide to be characterized and catalogued according to its spectrum of potential effects on a measurable property of the polypeptide. an intron may be introduced into a chimeric progeny molecule by way of a nucleic acid building block. introns often have consensus sequences at both termini in order to render them operational. in addition to enabling gene splicing, introns may serve an additional purpose by providing sites of homology to other nucleic acids to enable homologous recombination. for this purpose, and potentially others, it may be sometimes desirable to generate a large nucleic acid building block for introducing an intron. if the size is overly large easily generating by direct chemical synthesis of two single stranded oligos, such a specialized nucleic acid building block may also be generated by direct chemical synthesis of more than two single stranded oligos or by using a polymerase-based amplification reaction. the mutually compatible ligatable ends of the nucleic acid building blocks to be assembled are considered to be "serviceable" for this type of ordered assembly if they enable the building blocks to be coupled in predetermined orders. thus, the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is specified by the design of the ligatable ends and, if more than one assembly step is to be used, then the overall assembly order in which the nucleic acid building blocks can be coupled is also specified by the sequential order of the assembly step(s). the annealed building pieces may be treated with an enzyme, such as a ligase ( e.g., t4 dna ligase) to achieve covalent bonding of the building pieces. coupling can occur in a manner that does not make use of every nucleotide in a participating overhang. the coupling is particularly lively to survive (e.g. in a transformed host) if the coupling reinforced by treatment with a ligase enzyme to form what may be referred to as a "gap ligation" or a "gapped ligation". this type of coupling can contribute to generation of unwanted background product(s), but it can also be used advantageously increase the diversity of the progeny library generated by the designed ligation reassembly. certain overhangs are able to undergo self-coupling to form a palindromic coupling. a coupling is strengthened substantially if it is reinforced by treatment with a ligase enzyme. lack of 5' phosphates on these overhangs can be used advantageously to prevent this type of palindromic self-ligation. accordingly, this provides that nucleic acid building blocks can be chemically made (or ordered) that lack a 5' phosphate group. alternatively, they can be removed, e.g. by treatment with a phosphatase enzyme, such as a calf intestinal alkaline phosphatase (ciap), in order to prevent palindromic self-ligations in ligation reassembly processes. the design of nucleic acid building blocks may be obtained upon analysis of the sequences of a set of progenitor nucleic acid templates that serve as a basis for producing a progeny set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules. these progenitor nucleic acid templates thus serve as a source of sequence information that aids in the design of the nucleic acid building blocks that are to be mutagenized, i.e. chimerized or shuffled. chimerization may be of a family of related genes may provide their encoded family of related products. the encoded products may be enzymes. the xylanases of the present invention can be mutagenized in accordance with the methods described herein. thus, the sequences of a plurality of progenitor nucleic acid templates ( e.g ., polynucleotides of the invention) are aligned in order to select one or more demarcation points, which demarcation points can be located at an area of homology. the demarcation points can be used to delineate the boundaries of nucleic acid building blocks to be generated. thus, the demarcation points identified and selected in the progenitor molecules serve as potential chimerization points in the assembly of the progeny molecules. typically a serviceable demarcation point is an area of homology (comprised of at least one homologous nucleotide base) shared by at least two progenitor templates, but the demarcation point can be an area of homology that is shared by at least half of the progenitor templates, at least two thirds of the progenitor templates, at least three fourths of the progenitor templates and preferably at almost all of the progenitor templates. even more preferably still a serviceable demarcation point is an area of homology that is shared by all of the progenitor templates. the gene reassembly process may be performed exhaustively in order to generate an exhaustive library. in other words, all possible ordered combinations of the nucleic acid building blocks are represented in the set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules. at the same time, the assembly order ( i.e. the order of assembly of each building block in the 5' to 3 sequence of each finalized chimeric nucleic acid) in each combination is by design (or non-stochastic). because of the non-stochastic nature of the method, the possibility of unwanted side products is greatly reduced. the gene reassembly process may be performed systematically, for example to generate a systematically compartmentalized library, with compartments that can be screened systematically, e.g ., one by one. through the selective and judicious use of specific nucleic acid building blocks, coupled with the selective and judicious use of sequentially stepped assembly reactions, an experimental design can be achieved where specific sets of progeny products are made in each of several reaction vessels. this allows a systematic examination and screening procedure to be performed. thus, it allows a potentially very large number of progeny molecules to be examined systematically in smaller groups. because of its ability to perform chimerizations in a manner that is highly flexible yet exhaustive and systematic as well, particularly when there is a low level of homology among the progenitor molecules, a library (or set) comprised of a large number of progeny molecules may be generated. because of the non-stochastic nature of the instant gene reassembly, the progeny molecules generated preferably comprise a library of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules having an overall assembly order that is chosen by design. in a particularly aspect, such a generated library is comprised of greater than 10 3 to greater than 10 1000 different progeny molecular species. a set of finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecules, produced as described may comprise a polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide. this polynucleotide may be a gene, which may be a man-made gene. or, this polynucleotide may be a gene pathway, which may be a man-made gene pathway. one or more man-made genes so generated may be incorporated into a man-made gene pathway, such as pathway operable in a eukaryotic organism (including a plant). the synthetic nature of the step in which the building blocks are generated allows the design and introduction of nucleotides ( e.g ., one or more nucleotides, which may be, for example, codons or introns or regulatory sequences) that can later be in one aspect removed in an in vitro process ( e.g., by mutagenesis) or in an in vivo process ( e.g., by utilizing the gene splicing ability of a host organism). it is appreciated that in many instances the introduction of these nucleotides may also be desirable for many other reasons in addition to the potential benefit of creating a serviceable demarcation point. thus, a nucleic acid building block can be used to introduce an intron. functional introns may be introduced into a man-made gene of the invention. functional introns may be introduced into a man-made gene pathway of the invention. a chimeric polynucleotide may be generated that is a man-made gene containing one (or more) artificially introduced intron(s). a chimeric polynucleotide may be a man-made gene pathway containing one (or more) artificially introduced intron(s). preferably, the artificially introduced intron(s) are functional in one or more host cells for gene splicing much in the way that naturally-occurring introns serve functionally in gene splicing. man-made intron-containing polynucleotides may be introduced into host organisms for recombination and/or splicing. a man-made gene so produced can also serve as a substrate for recombination with another nucleic acid. likewise, a man-made gene pathway can also serve as a substrate for recombination with another nucleic acid. the recombination may be facilitated by, or occurs at, areas of homology between the man-made, intron-containing gene and a nucleic acid, which serves as a recombination partner. the recombination partner may also be a nucleic acid generated by the methods described herein, including a man-made gene or a man-made gene pathway. recombination may be facilitated by or may occur at areas of homology that exist at the one (or more) artificially introduced intron(s) in the man-made gene. the synthetic gene reassembly method utilizes a plurality of nucleic acid building blocks, each of which preferably has two ligatable ends. the two ligatable ends on each nucleic acid building block may be two blunt ends ( i.e. each having an overhang of zero nucleotides), or preferably one blunt end and one overhang, or more preferably still two overhangs. a useful overhang for this purpose may be a 3' overhang or a 5' overhang. thus, a nucleic acid building block may have a 3' overhang or alternatively a 5' overhang or alternatively two 3' overhangs or alternatively two 5' overhangs. the overall order in which the nucleic acid building blocks are assembled to form a finalized chimeric nucleic acid molecule is determined by purposeful experimental design and is not random. in one aspect, a nucleic acid building block is generated by chemical synthesis of two single-stranded nucleic acids (also referred to as single-stranded oligos) and contacting them so as to allow them to anneal to form a double-stranded nucleic acid building block. a double-stranded nucleic acid building block can be of variable size. the sizes of these building blocks can be small or large. exemplary sizes for building block range from 1 base pair (not including any overhangs) to 100,000 base pairs (not including any overhangs). other exemplary size ranges are also provided, which have lower limits of from 1 bp to 10,000 bp (including every integer value in between) and upper limits of from 2 bp to 100,000 bp (including every integer value in between). many methods exist by which a double-stranded nucleic acid building block can be generated that is serviceable; and these are known in the art and can be readily performed by the skilled artisan. a double-stranded nucleic acid building block may be generated by first generating two single stranded nucleic acids and allowing them to anneal to form a double-stranded nucleic acid building block. the two strands of a double-stranded nucleic acid building block may be complementary at every nucleotide apart from any that form an overhang; thus containing no mismatches, apart from any overhang(s). or, the two strands of a double-stranded nucleic acid building block are complementary at fewer than every nucleotide apart from any that form an overhang. thus, a double-stranded nucleic acid building block can be used to introduce codon degeneracy. the codon degeneracy can be introduced using the site-saturation mutagenesis described herein, using one or more n,n,g/t cassettes or alternatively using one or more n,n,n cassettes. the in vivo recombination method can be performed blindly on a pool of unknown hybrids or alleles of a specific polynucleotide or sequence. however, it is not necessary to know the actual dna or rna sequence of the specific polynucleotide. the approach of using recombination within a mixed population of genes can be useful for the generation of any useful proteins, for example, interleukin i, antibodies, tpa and growth hormone. this approach may be used to generate proteins having altered specificity or activity. the approach may also be useful for the generation of hybrid nucleic acid sequences, for example, promoter regions, introns, exons, enhancer sequences, 31 untranslated regions or 51 untranslated regions of genes. thus this approach may be used to generate genes having increased rates of expression. this approach may also be useful in the study of repetitive dna sequences. finally, this approach may be useful to mutate ribozymes or aptamers. in one aspect the processes described herein are directed to the use of repeated cycles of reductive reassortment, recombination and selection which allow for the directed molecular evolution of highly complex linear sequences, such as dna, rna or proteins thorough recombination. optimized directed evolution system a non-stochastic gene modification system termed "optimized directed evolution system" may generate polypeptides, e.g., xylanases or antibodies of the invention, with new or altered properties. optimized directed evolution is directed to the use of repeated cycles of reductive reassortment, recombination and selection that allow for the directed molecular evolution of nucleic acids through recombination. optimized directed evolution allows generation of a large population of evolved chimeric sequences, wherein the generated population is significantly enriched for sequences that have a predetermined number of crossover events. a crossover event is a point in a chimeric sequence where a shift in sequence occurs from one parental variant to another parental variant. such a point is normally at the juncture of where oligonucleotides from two parents are ligated together to form a single sequence. this method allows calculation of the correct concentrations of oligonucleotide sequences so that the final chimeric population of sequences is enriched for the chosen number of crossover events. this provides more control over choosing chimeric variants having a predetermined number of crossover events. in addition, this method provides a convenient means for exploring a tremendous amount of the possible protein variant space in comparison to other systems. previously, if one generated, for example, 10 13 chimeric molecules during a reaction, it would be extremely difficult to test such a high number of chimeric variants for a particular activity. moreover, a significant portion of the progeny population would have a very high number of crossover events which resulted in proteins that were less likely to have increased levels of a particular activity. by using these methods, the population of chimerics molecules can be enriched for those variants that have a particular number of crossover events. thus, although one can still generate 10 13 chimeric molecules during a reaction, each of the molecules chosen for further analysis most likely has, for example, only three crossover events. because the resulting progeny population can be skewed to have a predetermined number of crossover events, the boundaries on the functional variety between the chimeric molecules is reduced. this provides a more manageable number of variables when calculating which oligonucleotide from the original parental polynucleotides might be responsible for affecting a particular trait. one method for creating a chimeric progeny polynucleotide sequence is to create oligonucleotides corresponding to fragments or portions of each parental sequence. each oligonucleotide preferably includes a unique region of overlap so that mixing the oligonucleotides together results in a new variant that has each oligonucleotide fragment assembled in the correct order. additional information can also be found, e.g., in ussn 09/332,835 ; u.s. patent no. 6,361,974 . the number of oligonucleotides generated for each parental variant bears a relationship to the total number of resulting crossovers in the chimeric molecule that is ultimately created. for example, three parental nucleotide sequence variants might be provided to undergo a ligation reaction in order to find a chimeric variant having, for example, greater activity at high temperature. as one example, a set of 50 oligonucleotide sequences can be generated corresponding to each portions of each parental variant. accordingly, during the ligation reassembly process there could be up to 50 crossover events within each of the chimeric sequences. the probability that each of the generated chimeric polynucleotides will contain oligonucleotides from each parental variant in alternating order is very low. if each oligonucleotide fragment is present in the ligation reaction in the same molar quantity it is likely that in some positions oligonucleotides from the same parental polynucleotide will ligate next to one another and thus not result in a crossover event. if the concentration of each oligonucleotide from each parent is kept constant during any ligation step in this example, there is a 1/3 chance (assuming 3 parents) that an oligonucleotide from the same parental variant will ligate within the chimeric sequence and produce no crossover. accordingly, a probability density function (pdf) can be determined to predict the population of crossover events that are likely to occur during each step in a ligation reaction given a set number of parental variants, a number of oligonucleotides corresponding to each variant, and the concentrations of each variant during each step in the ligation reaction. the statistics and mathematics behind determining the pdf is described below. by utilizing these methods, one can calculate such a probability density function, and thus enrich the chimeric progeny population for a predetermined number of crossover events resulting from a particular ligation reaction. moreover, a target number of crossover events can be predetermined, and the system then programmed to calculate the starting quantities of each parental oligonucleotide during each step in the ligation reaction to result in a probability density function that centers on the predetermined number of crossover events. these methods are directed to the use of repeated cycles of reductive reassortment, recombination and selection that allow for the directed molecular evolution of a nucleic acid encoding a polypeptide through recombination. this system allows generation of a large population of evolved chimeric sequences, wherein the generated population is significantly enriched for sequences that have a predetermined number of crossover events. a crossover event is a point in a chimeric sequence where a shift in sequence occurs from one parental variant to another parental variant. such a point is normally at the juncture of where oligonucleotides from two parents are ligated together to form a single sequence. the method allows calculation of the correct concentrations of oligonucleotide sequences so that the final chimeric population of sequences is enriched for the chosen number of crossover events. this provides more control over choosing chimeric variants having a predetermined number of crossover events. in addition, these methods provide a convenient means for exploring a tremendous amount of the possible protein variant space in comparison to other systems. by using the methods described herein, the population of chimerics molecules can be enriched for those variants that have a particular number of crossover events. thus, although one can still generate 10 13 chimeric molecules during a reaction, each of the molecules chosen for further analysis most likely has, for example, only three crossover events. because the resulting progeny population can be skewed to have a predetermined number of crossover events, the boundaries on the functional variety between the chimeric molecules is reduced. this provides a more manageable number of variables when calculating which oligonucleotide from the original parental polynucleotides might be responsible for affecting a particular trait. the method may create a chimeric progeny polynucleotide sequence by creating oligonucleotides corresponding to fragments or portions of each parental sequence. each oligonucleotide preferably includes a unique region of overlap so that mixing the oligonucleotides together results in a new variant that has each oligonucleotide fragment assembled in the correct order. see also ussn 09/332,835 . determining crossover events a system and software may receive a desired crossover probability density function (pdf), the number of parent genes to be reassembled, and the number of fragments in the reassembly as inputs. the output of this program is a "fragment pdf" that can be used to determine a recipe for producing reassembled genes, and the estimated crossover pdf of those genes. the processing described herein is preferably performed in matlab™ (the mathworks, natick, massachusetts) a programming language and development environment for technical computing. iterative processes the processes described herein can be iteratively repeated. for example, a nucleic acid (or, the nucleic acid) responsible for an altered or new xylanase phenotype is identified, re-isolated, again modified, re-tested for activity. this process can be iteratively repeated until a desired phenotype is engineered. for example, an entire biochemical anabolic or catabolic pathway can be engineered into a cell, including xylanase activity. similarly, if it is determined that a particular oligonucleotide has no affect at all on the desired trait (e.g., a new xylanase phenotype), it can be removed as a variable by synthesizing larger parental oligonucleotides that include the sequence to be removed. since incorporating the sequence within a larger sequence prevents any crossover events, there will no longer be any variation of this sequence in the progeny polynucleotides. this iterative practice of determining which oligonucleotides are most related to the desired trait, and which are unrelated, allows more efficient exploration all of the possible protein variants that might be provide a particular trait or activity. in vivo shuffling in vivo shuffling of molecules is used in the methods of the disclosure that provide variants of polypeptides of the invention, e.g., antibodies, xylanases, and the like. in vivo shuffling can be performed utilizing the natural property of cells to recombine multimers. while recombination in vivo has provided the major natural route to molecular diversity, genetic recombination remains a relatively complex process that involves 1) the recognition of homologies; 2) strand cleavage, strand invasion, and metabolic steps leading to the production of recombinant chiasma; and finally 3) the resolution of chiasma into discrete recombined molecules. the formation of the chiasma requires the recognition of homologous sequences. a hybrid polynucleotide may be produced from at least a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide, by introducing at least a first polynucleotide and a second polynucleotide which share at least one region of partial sequence homology into a suitable host cell. the regions of partial sequence homology promote processes which result in sequence reorganization producing a hybrid polynucleotide. the term "hybrid polynucleotide", as used herein, is any nucleotide sequence which results from the method of the present invention and contains sequence from at least two original polynucleotide sequences. such hybrid polynucleotides can result from intermolecular recombination events which promote sequence integration between dna molecules. in addition, such hybrid polynucleotides can result from intramolecular reductive reassortment processes which utilize repeated sequences to alter a nucleotide sequence within a dna molecule. in vivo reassortment is focused on "inter-molecular" processes collectively referred to as "recombination" which in bacteria, is generally viewed as a "reca-dependent" phenomenon. the process can rely on recombination processes of a host cell to recombine and re-assort sequences, or the cells' ability to mediate reductive processes to decrease the complexity of quasi-repeated sequences in the cell by deletion. this process of "reductive reassortment" occurs by an "intra-molecular", reca-independent process. therefore, novel polynucleotides can be generated by the process of reductive reassortment. the method involves the generation of constructs containing consecutive sequences (original encoding sequences), their insertion into an appropriate vector and their subsequent introduction into an appropriate host cell. the reassortment of the individual molecular identities occurs by combinatorial processes between the consecutive sequences in the construct possessing regions of homology, or between quasi-repeated units. the reassortment process recombines and/or reduces the complexity and extent of the repeated sequences and results in the production of novel molecular species. various treatments may be applied to enhance the rate of reassortment. these could include treatment with ultraviolet light, or dna damaging chemicals and/or the use of host cell lines displaying enhanced levels of "genetic instability". thus the reassortment process may involve homologous recombination or the natural property of quasi-repeated sequences to direct their own evolution. repeated or "quasi-repeated" sequences play a role in genetic instability. "quasi-repeats" are repeats that are not restricted to their original unit structure. quasi-repeated units can be presented as an array of sequences in a construct; consecutive units of similar sequences. once ligated, the junctions between the consecutive sequences become essentially invisible and the quasi-repetitive nature of the resulting construct is now continuous at the molecular level. the deletion process the cell performs to reduce the complexity of the resulting construct operates between the quasi-repeated sequences. the quasi-repeated units provide a practically limitless repertoire of templates upon which slippage events can occur. the constructs containing the quasi-repeats thus effectively provide sufficient molecular elasticity that deletion (and potentially insertion) events can occur virtually anywhere within the quasi-repetitive units. when the quasi-repeated sequences are all ligated in the same orientation, for instance head to tail or vice versa, the cell cannot distinguish individual units. consequently, the reductive process can occur throughout the sequences. in contrast, when for example, the units are presented head to head, rather than head to tail, the inversion delineates the endpoints of the adjacent unit so that deletion formation will favor the loss of discrete units. thus, it is preferable with the present method that the sequences are in the same orientation. random orientation of quasi-repeated sequences will result in the loss of reassortment efficiency, while consistent orientation of the sequences will offer the highest efficiency. however, while having fewer of the contiguous sequences in the same orientation decreases the efficiency, it may still provide sufficient elasticity for the effective recovery of novel molecules. constructs can be made with the quasi-repeated sequences in the same orientation to allow higher efficiency. sequences can be assembled in a head to tail orientation using any of a variety of methods, including the following: a) primers that include a poly-a head and poly-t tail which when made single-stranded would provide orientation can be utilized. this is accomplished by having the first few bases of the primers made from rna and hence easily removed rnaseh. b) primers that include unique restriction cleavage sites can be utilized. multiple sites, a battery of unique sequences and repeated synthesis and ligation steps would be required. c) the inner few bases of the primer could be thiolated and an exonuclease used to produce properly tailed molecules. the recovery of the re-assorted sequences relies on the identification of cloning vectors with a reduced repetitive index (ri). the re-assorted encoding sequences can then be recovered by amplification. the products are re-cloned and expressed. the recovery of cloning vectors with reduced ri can be affected by: 1) the use of vectors only stably maintained when the construct is reduced in complexity. 2) the physical recovery of shortened vectors by physical procedures. in this case, the cloning vector would be recovered using standard plasmid isolation procedures and size fractionated on either an agarose gel, or column with a low molecular weight cut off utilizing standard procedures. 3) the recovery of vectors containing interrupted genes which can be selected when insert size decreases. 4) the use of direct selection techniques with an expression vector and the appropriate selection. encoding sequences (for example, genes) from related organisms may demonstrate a high degree of homology and encode quite diverse protein products. these types of sequences are particularly useful as quasi-repeats. however, while the examples illustrated below demonstrate the reassortment of nearly identical original encoding sequences (quasi-repeats), this process is not limited to such nearly identical repeats. the following example demonstrates such a method. encoding nucleic acid sequences (quasi-repeats) derived from three (3) unique species are described. each sequence encodes a protein with a distinct set of properties. each of the sequences differs by a single or a few base pairs at a unique position in the sequence. the quasi-repeated sequences are separately or collectively amplified and ligated into random assemblies such that all possible permutations and combinations are available in the population of ligated molecules. the number of quasi-repeat units can be controlled by the assembly conditions. the average number of quasi-repeated units in a construct is defined as the repetitive index (ri). once formed, the constructs may, or may not be size fractionated on an agarose gel according to published protocols, inserted into a cloning vector and transfected into an appropriate host cell. the cells are then propagated and "reductive reassortment" is effected. the rate of the reductive reassortment process may be stimulated by the introduction of dna damage if desired. whether the reduction in ri is mediated by deletion formation between repeated sequences by an "intra-molecular" mechanism, or mediated by recombination-like events through "inter-molecular" mechanisms is immaterial. the end result is a reassortment of the molecules into all possible combinations. the method may comprise the additional step of screening the library members of the shuffled pool to identify individual shuffled library members having the ability to bind or otherwise interact, or catalyze a particular reaction (e.g., such as catalytic domain of an enzyme) with a predetermined macromolecule, such as for example a proteinaceous receptor, an oligosaccharide, virion, or other predetermined compound or structure. the polypeptides that are identified from such libraries can be used for therapeutic, diagnostic, research and related purposes ( e.g ., catalysts, solutes for increasing osmolarity of an aqueous solution and the like) and/or can be subjected to one or more additional cycles of shuffling and/or selection. prior to or during recombination or reassortment, polynucleotides generated by the method described herein can be subjected to agents or processes which promote the introduction of mutations into the original polynucleotides. the introduction of such mutations would increase the diversity of resulting hybrid polynucleotides and polypeptides encoded therefrom. the agents or processes which promote mutagenesis can include, but are not limited to: (+)-cc-1065, or a synthetic analog such as (+)-cc-1065-(n3-adenine ( see sun and hurley, (1992); an n-acetylated or deacetylated 4'-fluro-4-aminobiphenyl adduct capable of inhibiting dna synthesis ( see, for example, van de poll et al. (1992)); or a n-acetylated or deacetylated 4-aminobiphenyl adduct capable of inhibiting dna synthesis ( see also, van de poll et al. (1992), pp. 751-758); trivalent chromium, a trivalent chromium salt, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (pah) dna adduct capable of inhibiting dna replication, such as 7-bromomethyl-benz[ a ]anthracene ("bma"), tris(2,3-dibromopropyl)phosphate ("tris-bp"), 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane ("dbcp"), 2-bromoacrolein (2ba), benzo[ a ]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9-10-epoxide ("bpde"), a platinum(ii) halogen salt, n-hydroxy-2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5- f ]-quinoline ("n-hydroxy-iq") and n-hydroxy-2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5- f ]-pyridine ("n-hydroxy-phip"). exemplary means for slowing or halting pcr amplification consist of uv light (+)-cc-1065 and (+)-cc-1065-(n3-adenine). particularly encompassed means are dna adducts or polynucleotides comprising the dna adducts from the polynucleotides or polynucleotides pool, which can be released or removed by a process including heating the solution comprising the polynucleotides prior to further processing. recombinant proteins having biological activity may be produced by treating a sample comprising double-stranded template polynucleotides encoding a wild-type protein under conditions which provide for the production of hybrid or re-assorted polynucleotides. producing sequence variants additional methods may make sequence variants of the nucleic acid sequences of the invention. additional methods may isolate xylanases using the nucleic acids and polypeptides of the invention. variants of a xylanase coding sequence (e.g., a gene, cdna or message) of the invention, which can be altered by any means, including, e.g., random or stochastic methods, or, non-stochastic, or "directed evolution," methods, as described above. the isolated variants may be naturally occurring. variant can also be created in vitro. variants may be created using genetic engineering techniques such as site directed mutagenesis, random chemical mutagenesis, exonuclease iii deletion procedures, and standard cloning techniques. alternatively, such variants, fragments, analogs, or derivatives may be created using chemical synthesis or modification procedures. other methods of making variants are also familiar to those skilled in the art. these include procedures in which nucleic acid sequences obtained from natural isolates are modified to generate new nucleic acids which encode polypeptides having characteristics which enhance their value in industrial, medical, laboratory (research), pharmaceutical, food and feed and food and feed supplement processing and other applications and processes. in such procedures, a large number of variant sequences having one or more nucleotide differences with respect to the sequence obtained from the natural isolate are generated and characterized. these nucleotide differences can result in amino acid changes with respect to the polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acids from the natural isolates. for example, variants may be created using error prone pcr. in error prone pcr, pcr is performed under conditions where the copying fidelity of the dna polymerase is low, such that a high rate of point mutations is obtained along the entire length of the pcr product. error prone pcr is described, e.g., in leung, d.w., et al., technique, 1:11-15, 1989 ) and caldwell, r. c. & joyce g.f., pcr methods applic., 2:28-33, 1992 . briefly, in such procedures, nucleic acids to be mutagenized are mixed with pcr primers, reaction buffer, mgcl 2 , mncl 2 , taq polymerase and an appropriate concentration of dntps for achieving a high rate of point mutation along the entire length of the pcr product. for example, the reaction may be performed using 20 fmoles of nucleic acid to be mutagenized, 30 pmole of each pcr primer, a reaction buffer comprising 50mm kcl, 10mm tris hcl (ph 8.3) and 0.01% gelatin, 7mm mgcl 2 , 0.5mm mncl 2 , 5 units of taq polymerase, 0.2mm dgtp, 0.2mm datp, 1mm dctp, and 1mm dttp. pcr may be performed for 30 cycles of 94°c for 1 min, 45°c for 1 min, and 72°c for 1 min. however, it will be appreciated that these parameters may be varied as appropriate. the mutagenized nucleic acids are cloned into an appropriate vector and the activities of the polypeptides encoded by the mutagenized nucleic acids are evaluated. variants may also be created using oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis to generate site-specific mutations in any cloned dna of interest. oligonucleotide mutagenesis is described, e.g., in reidhaar-olson (1988) science 241:53-57 . briefly, in such procedures a plurality of double stranded oligonucleotides bearing one or more mutations to be introduced into the cloned dna are synthesized and inserted into the cloned dna to be mutagenized. clones containing the mutagenized dna are recovered and the activities of the polypeptides they encode are assessed. another method for generating variants is assembly pcr. assembly pcr involves the assembly of a pcr product from a mixture of small dna fragments. a large number of different pcr reactions occur in parallel in the same vial, with the products of one reaction priming the products of another reaction. assembly pcr is described in, e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,965,408 . still another method of generating variants is sexual pcr mutagenesis. in sexual pcr mutagenesis, forced homologous recombination occurs between dna molecules of different but highly related dna sequence in vitro, as a result of random fragmentation of the dna molecule based on sequence homology, followed by fixation of the crossover by primer extension in a pcr reaction. sexual pcr mutagenesis is described, e.g., in stemmer (1994) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 91:10747-10751 . briefly, in such procedures a plurality of nucleic acids to be recombined are digested with dnase to generate fragments having an average size of 50-200 nucleotides. fragments of the desired average size are purified and resuspended in a pcr mixture. pcr is conducted under conditions which facilitate recombination between the nucleic acid fragments. for example, pcr may be performed by resuspending the purified fragments at a concentration of 10-30ng/µl in a solution of 0.2mm of each dntp, 2.2mm mgcl 2 , 50mm kcl, 10mm tris hcl, ph 9.0, and 0.1% triton x-100. 2.5 units of taq polymerase per 100:1 of reaction mixture is added and pcr is performed using the following regime: 94°c for 60 seconds, 94°c for 30 seconds, 50-55°c for 30 seconds, 72°c for 30 seconds (30-45 times) and 72°c for 5 minutes. however, it will be appreciated that these parameters may be varied as appropriate. in some aspects, oligonucleotides may be included in the pcr reactions. in other aspects, the klenow fragment of dna polymerase i may be used in a first set of pcr reactions and taq polymerase may be used in a subsequent set of pcr reactions. recombinant sequences are isolated and the activities of the polypeptides they encode are assessed. variants may also be created by in vivo mutagenesis. in some aspects, random mutations in a sequence of interest are generated by propagating the sequence of interest in a bacterial strain, such as an e. coli strain, which carries mutations in one or more of the dna repair pathways. such "mutator" strains have a higher random mutation rate than that of a wild-type parent. propagating the dna in one of these strains will eventually generate random mutations within the dna. mutator strains suitable for use for in vivo mutagenesis are described in pct publication no. wo 91/16427, published october 31, 1991 , entitled "methods for phenotype creation from multiple gene populations". variants may also be generated using cassette mutagenesis. in cassette mutagenesis a small region of a double stranded dna molecule is replaced with a synthetic oligonucleotide "cassette" that differs from the native sequence. the oligonucleotide often contains completely and/or partially randomized native sequence. recursive ensemble mutagenesis may also be used to generate variants. recursive ensemble mutagenesis is an algorithm for protein engineering (protein mutagenesis) developed to produce diverse populations of phenotypically related mutants whose members differ in amino acid sequence. this method uses a feedback mechanism to control successive rounds of combinatorial cassette mutagenesis. recursive ensemble mutagenesis is described in arkin, a.p. and youvan, d.c., pnas, usa, 89:7811-7815, 1992 . variants may be created using exponential ensemble mutagenesis. exponential ensemble mutagenesis is a process for generating combinatorial libraries with a high percentage of unique and functional mutants, wherein small groups of residues are randomized in parallel to identify, at each altered position, amino acids which lead to functional proteins. exponential ensemble mutagenesis is described in delegrave, s. and youvan, d.c., biotechnology research, 11:1548-1552, 1993 . random and site-directed mutagenesis are described in arnold, f.h., current opinion in biotechnology, 4:450-455, 1993 . in some aspects, the variants are created using shuffling procedures wherein portions of a plurality of nucleic acids which encode distinct polypeptides are fused together to create chimeric nucleic acid sequences which encode chimeric polypeptides as described in u.s. patent no. 5,965,408, filed july 9, 1996 , entitled, "method of dna reassembly by interrupting synthesis" and u.s. patent no. 5,939,250, filed may 22, 1996 , entitled, "production of enzymes having desired activities by mutagenesis. the variants of the polypeptides of the invention may be variants in which one or more of the amino acid residues of the polypeptides of the invention are substituted with a conserved or non-conserved amino acid residue (preferably a conserved amino acid residue) and such substituted amino acid residue may or may not be one encoded by the genetic code. conservative substitutions are those that substitute a given amino acid in a polypeptide by another amino acid of like characteristics. typically seen as conservative substitutions are the following replacements: replacements of an aliphatic amino acid such as alanine, valine, leucine and isoleucine with another aliphatic amino acid; replacement of a serine with a threonine or vice versa; replacement of an acidic residue such as aspartic acid and glutamic acid with another acidic residue; replacement of a residue bearing an amide group, such as asparagine and glutamine, with another residue bearing an amide group; exchange of a basic residue such as lysine and arginine with another basic residue; and replacement of an aromatic residue such as phenylalanine, tyrosine with another aromatic residue. other variants are those in which one or more of the amino acid residues of the polypeptides of the invention includes a substituent group. still other variants are those in which the polypeptide is associated with another compound, such as a compound to increase the half-life of the polypeptide (for example, polyethylene glycol). additional variants are those in which additional amino acids are fused to the polypeptide, such as a leader sequence, a secretory sequence, a proprotein sequence or a sequence which facilitates purification, enrichment, or stabilization of the polypeptide. the fragments, derivatives and analogs may retain the same biological function or activity as the polypeptides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or the fragment, derivative, or analog may include a proprotein, such that the fragment, derivative, or analog can be activated by cleavage of the proprotein portion to produce an active polypeptide. optimizing codons to achieve high levels of protein expression in host cells methods for modifying xylanase-encoding nucleic acids may modify codon usage. methods for modifying codons in a nucleic acid encoding a xylanase may increase or decrease its expression in a host cell. the method comprises identifying a "non-preferred" or a "less preferred" codon in xylanase-encoding nucleic acid and replacing one or more of these non-preferred or less preferred codons with a "preferred codon" encoding the same amino acid as the replaced codon and at least one non-preferred or less preferred codon in the nucleic acid has been replaced by a preferred codon encoding the same amino acid. a preferred codon is a codon over-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell and a non-preferred or less preferred codon is a codon under-represented in coding sequences in genes in the host cell. host cells for expressing the nucleic acids, expression cassettes and vectors of the invention include bacteria, yeast, fungi, plant cells, insect cells and mammalian cells. exemplary host cells include gram negative bacteria, such as escherichia coli and pseudomonas fluorescens; gram positive bacteria, such as lactobacillus gasseri, lactococcus lactis, lactococcus cremoris, bacillus subtilis. exemplary host cells also include eukaryotic organisms, e.g., various yeast, such as saccharomyces sp., including saccharomyces cerevisiae, schizosaccharomyces pombe, pichia pastoris, and kluyveromyces lactis, hansenula polymorpha, aspergillus niger, and mammalian cells and cell lines and insect cells and cell lines. other exemplary host cells include bacterial cells, such as e. coli, streptomyces, bacillus subtilis, bacillus cereus, salmonella typhimurium and various species within the genera pseudomonas, streptomyces and staphylococcus, fungal cells, such as aspergillus, yeast such as any species of pichia, saccharomyces, schizosaccharomyces, schwanniomyces, including pichia pastoris, saccharomyces cerevisiae, or schizosaccharomyces pombe, insect cells such as drosophila s2 and spodoptera sf9 , animal cells such as cho, cos or bowes melanoma and adenoviruses. the selection of an appropriate host is within the abilities of those skilled in the art. thus, the disclosure also includes nucleic acids and polypeptides optimized for expression in these organisms and species. for example, the codons of a nucleic acid encoding a xylanase isolated from a bacterial cell are modified such that the nucleic acid is optimally expressed in a bacterial cell different from the bacteria from which the xylanase was derived, a yeast, a fungi, a plant cell, an insect cell or a mammalian cell. methods for optimizing codons are well known in the art, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,795,737 ; baca (2000) int. j. parasitol. 30:113-118 ; hale (1998) protein expr. purif. 12:185-188 ; narum (2001) infect. immun. 69:7250-7253 . see also narum (2001) infect. immun. 69:7250-7253 , describing optimizing codons in mouse systems; outchkourov (2002) protein expr. purif. 24:18-24 , describing optimizing codons in yeast; feng (2000) biochemistry 39:15399-15409 , describing optimizing codons in e . coli; humphreys (2000) protein expr. purif. 20:252-264 , describing optimizing codon usage that affects secretion in e. coli. transgenic non-human animals the invention provides transgenic non-human animals comprising a nucleic acid, a polypeptide (e.g., a xylanase), an expression cassette or vector or a transfected or transformed cell of the invention. the transgenic non-human animals can be, e.g., goats, rabbits, sheep, pigs, cows, rats, horses, dogs, fish and mice, comprising the nucleic acids of the invention. these animals can be used, e.g., as in vivo models to study xylanase activity, or, as models to screen for agents that change the xylanase activity in vivo. the coding sequences for the polypeptides to be expressed in the transgenic non-human animals can be designed to be constitutive, or, under the control of tissue-specific, developmental-specific or inducible transcriptional regulatory factors. transgenic non-human animals can be designed and generated using any method known in the art; see, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 6,211,428 ; 6,187,992 ; 6,156,952 ; 6,118,044 ; 6,111,166 ; 6,107,541 ; 5,959,171 ; 5,922,854 ; 5,892,070 ; 5,880,327 ; 5,891,698 ; 5,639,940 ; 5,573,933 ; 5,387,742 ; 5,087,571 , describing making and using transformed cells and eggs and transgenic mice, rats, rabbits, sheep, pigs, chickens, goats, fish and cows. see also, e.g., pollock (1999) j. immunol. methods 231:147-157 , describing the production of recombinant proteins in the milk of transgenic dairy animals; baguisi (1999) nat. biotechnol. 17:456-461 , demonstrating the production of transgenic goats. u.s. patent no. 6,211,428 , describes making and using transgenic non-human mammals which express in their brains a nucleic acid construct comprising a dna sequence. u.s. patent no. 5,387,742 , describes injecting cloned recombinant or synthetic dna sequences into fertilized mouse eggs, implanting the injected eggs in pseudo-pregnant females, and growing to term transgenic mice whose cells express proteins related to the pathology of alzheimer's disease. u.s. patent no. 6,187,992 , describes making and using a transgenic mouse whose genome comprises a disruption of the gene encoding amyloid precursor protein (app). "knockout animals" e.g., a "knockout mouse," may be engineered not to express an endogenous gene, which is replaced with a gene expressing a xylanase of the invention, or, a fusion protein comprising a xylanase of the invention. transgenic plants and seeds the invention provides transgenic plants and seeds comprising a nucleic acid, a polypeptide (a xylanase), an expression cassette or vector or a transfected or transformed cell of the invention. the invention also provides plant products or byproducts, e.g., fruits, oils, seeds, leaves, extracts and the like, including any plant part, comprising a nucleic acid and/or a polypeptide (a xylanase) of the invention, e.g., wherein the nucleic acid or polypeptide of the invention is heterologous to the plant, plant part, seed etc. the transgenic plant (which includes plant parts, fruits, seeds etc.) can be dicotyledonous (a dicot) or monocotyledonous (a monocot). the transgenic plant or plant cell expressing a polypeptide of the present invention may be constructed in accordance with any method known in the art. see, for example, u.s. patent no. 6,309,872 . nucleic acids and expression constructs of the invention can be introduced into a plant cell by any means. for example, nucleic acids or expression constructs can be introduced into the genome of a desired plant host, or, the nucleic acids or expression constructs can be episomes. introduction into the genome of a desired plant can be such that the host's xylanase production is regulated by endogenous transcriptional or translational control elements. the invention also provides "knockout plants" where insertion of gene sequence by, e.g., homologous recombination, has disrupted the expression of the endogenous gene. means to generate "knockout" plants are well-known in the art, see, e.g., strepp (1998) proc natl. acad. sci. usa 95:4368-4373 ; miao (1995) plant j 7:359-365 . see discussion on transgenic plants, below. the nucleic acids of the invention can be used to confer desired traits on essentially any plant, e.g., on starch-producing plants, such as potato, wheat, rice, barley, and the like. nucleic acids of the invention can be used to manipulate metabolic pathways of a plant in order to optimize or alter host's expression of xylanase. they can change xylanase activity in a plant. alternatively, a xylanase of the invention can be used in production of a transgenic plant to produce a compound not naturally produced by that plant. this can lower production costs or create a novel product. the first step in production of a transgenic plant involves making an expression construct for expression in a plant cell. these techniques are well known in the art. they can include selecting and cloning a promoter, a coding sequence for facilitating efficient binding of ribosomes to mrna and selecting the appropriate gene terminator sequences. one exemplary constitutive promoter is camv35s, from the cauliflower mosaic virus, which generally results in a high degree of expression in plants. other promoters are more specific and respond to cues in the plant's internal or external environment. an exemplary light-inducible promoter is the promoter from the cab gene, encoding the major chlorophyll a/b binding protein. the nucleic acid may be modified to achieve greater expression in a plant cell. for example, a sequence of the invention is likely to have a higher percentage of a-t nucleotide pairs compared to that seen in a plant, some of which prefer g-c nucleotide pairs. therefore, a-t nucleotides in the coding sequence can be substituted with g-c nucleotides without significantly changing the amino acid sequence to enhance production of the gene product in plant cells. selectable marker gene can be added to the gene construct in order to identify plant cells or tissues that have successfully integrated the transgene. this may be necessary because achieving incorporation and expression of genes in plant cells is a rare event, occurring in just a few percent of the targeted tissues or cells. selectable marker genes encode proteins that provide resistance to agents that are normally toxic to plants, such as antibiotics or herbicides. only plant cells that have integrated the selectable marker gene will survive when grown on a medium containing the appropriate antibiotic or herbicide. as for other inserted genes, marker genes also require promoter and termination sequences for proper function. making transgenic plants or seeds comprises incorporating sequences of the invention and, in one aspect (optionally), marker genes into a target expression construct (e.g., a plasmid), along with positioning of the promoter and the terminator sequences. this can involve transferring the modified gene into the plant through a suitable method. for example, a construct may be introduced directly into the genomic dna of the plant cell using techniques such as electroporation and microinjection of plant cell protoplasts, or the constructs can be introduced directly to plant tissue using ballistic methods, such as dna particle bombardment. for example, see, e.g., christou (1997) plant mol. biol. 35:197-203 ; pawlowski (1996) mol. biotechnol. 6:17-30 ; klein (1987) nature 327:70-73 ; takumi (1997) genes genet. syst. 72:63-69 , discussing use of particle bombardment to introduce transgenes into wheat; and adam (1997) supra, for use of particle bombardment to introduce yacs into plant cells. for example, rinehart (1997) supra, used particle bombardment to generate transgenic cotton plants. apparatus for accelerating particles is described u.s. pat. no. 5,015,580 ; and, the commercially available biorad (biolistics) pds-2000 particle acceleration instrument; see also, john, u.s. patent no. 5,608,148 ; and ellis, u.s. patent no. 5, 681,730 , describing particle-mediated transformation of gymnosperms. protoplasts can be immobilized and injected with a nucleic acids, e.g., an expression construct. although plant regeneration from protoplasts is not easy with cereals, plant regeneration is possible in legumes using somatic embryogenesis from protoplast derived callus. organized tissues can be transformed with naked dna using gene gun technique, where dna is coated on tungsten microprojectiles, shot 1/100th the size of cells, which carry the dna deep into cells and organelles. transformed tissue is then induced to regenerate, usually by somatic embryogenesis. this technique has been successful in several cereal species including maize and rice. nucleic acids, e.g., expression constructs, can also be introduced in to plant cells using recombinant viruses. plant cells can be transformed using viral vectors, such as, e.g., tobacco mosaic virus derived vectors ( rouwendal (1997) plant mol. biol. 33:989-999 ), see porta (1996) "use of viral replicons for the expression of genes in plants," mol. biotechnol. 5:209-221 . alternatively, nucleic acids, e.g., an expression construct, can be combined with suitable t-dna flanking regions and introduced into a conventional agrobacterium tumefaciens host vector. the virulence functions of the agrobacterium tumefaciens host will direct the insertion of the construct and adjacent marker into the plant cell dna when the cell is infected by the bacteria. agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation techniques, including disarming and use of binary vectors, are well described in the scientific literature. see, e.g., horsch (1984) science 233:496-498 ; fraley (1983) proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 80:4803 (1983 ); gene transfer to plants, potrykus, ed. (springer-verlag, berlin 1995 ). the dna in an a. tumefaciens cell is contained in the bacterial chromosome as well as in another structure known as a ti (tumor-inducing) plasmid. the ti plasmid contains a stretch of dna termed t-dna (∼20 kb long) that is transferred to the plant cell in the infection process and a series of vir (virulence) genes that direct the infection process. a . tumefaciens can only infect a plant through wounds: when a plant root or stem is wounded it gives off certain chemical signals, in response to which, the vir genes of a . tumefaciens become activated and direct a series of events necessary for the transfer of the t-dna from the ti plasmid to the plant's chromosome. the t-dna then enters the plant cell through the wound. one speculation is that the t-dna waits until the plant dna is being replicated or transcribed, then inserts itself into the exposed plant dna. in order to use a . tumefaciens as a transgene vector, the tumor-inducing section of t-dna have to be removed, while retaining the t-dna border regions and the vir genes. the transgene is then inserted between the t-dna border regions, where it is transferred to the plant cell and becomes integrated into the plant's chromosomes. the transformation of monocotyledonous plants may use the nucleic acids of the invention, including important cereals, see hiei (1997) plant mol. biol. 35:205-218 . see also, e.g ., horsch, science (1984) 233:496 ; fraley (1983) proc. natl. acad. sci usa 80:4803 ; thykjaer (1997) supra; park (1996) plant mol. biol. 32:1135-1148 , discussing t-dna integration into genomic dna. see also d'halluin, u.s. patent no. 5,712,135 , describing a process for the stable integration of a dna comprising a gene that is functional in a cell of a cereal, or other monocotyledonous plant. the third step can involve selection and regeneration of whole plants capable of transmitting the incorporated target gene to the next generation. such regeneration techniques rely on manipulation of certain phytohormones in a tissue culture growth medium, typically relying on a biocide and/or herbicide marker that has been introduced together with the desired nucleotide sequences. plant regeneration from cultured protoplasts is described in evans et al., protoplasts isolation and culture, handbook of plant cell culture, pp. 124-176, macmillilan publishing company, new york, 1983 ; and binding, regeneration of plants, plant protoplasts, pp. 21-73, crc press, boca raton, 1985 . regeneration can also be obtained from plant callus, explants, organs, or parts thereof. such regeneration techniques are described generally in klee (1987) ann. rev. of plant phys. 38:467-486 . to obtain whole plants from transgenic tissues such as immature embryos, they can be grown under controlled environmental conditions in a series of media containing nutrients and hormones, a process known as tissue culture. once whole plants are generated and produce seed, evaluation of the progeny begins. after the expression cassette is stably incorporated in transgenic plants, it can be introduced into other plants by sexual crossing. any of a number of standard breeding techniques can be used, depending upon the species to be crossed. since transgenic expression of the nucleic acids of the invention leads to phenotypic changes, plants comprising the recombinant nucleic acids of the invention can be sexually crossed with a second plant to obtain a final product. thus, the seed of the invention can be derived from a cross between two transgenic plants of the invention, or a cross between a plant of the invention and another plant. the desired effects (e.g., expression of the polypeptides of the invention to produce a plant in which flowering behavior is altered) can be enhanced when both parental plants express the polypeptides (xylanase) of the invention. the desired effects can be passed to future plant generations by standard propagation means. the nucleic acids and polypeptides of the invention are expressed in or inserted in any plant or seed. transgenic plants of the invention can be dicotyledonous or monocotyledonous. examples of monocot transgenic plants of the invention are grasses, such as meadow grass (blue grass, poa ), forage grass such as festuca, lolium, temperate grass, such as agrostis, and cereals, e.g., wheat, oats, rye, barley, rice, sorghum, and maize (corn). examples of dicot transgenic plants of the invention are tobacco, legumes, such as lupins, potato, sugar beet, pea, bean and soybean, and cruciferous plants (family brassicaceae ), such as cauliflower, rape seed, and the closely related model organism arabidopsis thaliana. thus, the transgenic plants and seeds of the invention include a broad range of plants, including, but not limited to, species from the genera anacardium, arachis, asparagus, atropa, avena, brassica, citrus, citrullus, capsicum, carthamus, cocos, coffea, cucumis, cucurbita, daucus, elaeis, fragaria, glycine, gossypium, helianthus, heterocallis, hordeum, hyoscyamus, lactuca, linum, lolium, lupinus, lycopersicon, malus, manihot, majorana, medicago, nicotiana, olea, oryza, panieum, pannisetum, persea, phaseolus, pistachia, pisum, pyrus, prunus, raphanus, ricinus, secale, senecio, sinapis, solanum, sorghum, theobromus, trigonella, triticum, vicia, vitis, vigna, and zea. transgenic plants and seeds of the invention can be any monocot or dicot, e.g., a monocot corn, sugarcane, rice, wheat, barley, switchgrass or miscanthus ; or a dicot oilseed crop, soy, canola, rapeseed, flax, cotton, palm oil, sugar beet, peanut, tree, poplar or lupine. in alternative embodiments, the nucleic acids of the invention are expressed in plants (and/or their seeds) which contain fiber cells, including, e.g ., cotton, silk cotton tree (kapok, ceiba pentandra), desert willow, creosote bush, winterfat, balsa, ramie, kenaf, hemp, roselle, jute, sisal abaca and flax. in alternative embodiments, the transgenic plants of the invention can be members of the genus gossypium, including members of any gossypium species, such as g. arboreum;. g. herbaceum , g. barbadense, and g . hirsutum. the invention also provides for transgenic plants (and/or their seeds) to be used for producing large amounts of the polypeptides (xylanase or antibody) of the invention. for example, see palmgren (1997) trends genet. 13:348 ; chong (1997) transgenic res. 6:289-296 (producing human milk protein beta-casein in transgenic potato plants using an auxin-inducible, bidirectional mannopine synthase (mas1',2') promoter with agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated leaf disc transformation methods). using known procedures, one of skill can screen for plants (and/or their seeds) of the invention by detecting the increase or decrease of transgene mrna or protein in transgenic plants. means for detecting and quantitation of mrnas or proteins are well known in the art. polypeptides and peptides in one aspect, the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptides and peptides having xylanase activity, or polypeptides and peptides capable of generating an antibody that specifically binds to a xylanase, including an enzyme of this invention as described herein. the disclosure includes a genus of polypeptides having various sequence identities based on the exemplary seq id no:2, seq id no:4, seq id no:6, seq id no:8, seq id no:10, seq id no:12, seq id no:14, seq id no:16, seq id no:18, seq id no:20, seq id no:22 or seq id no:24; and these exemplary polypeptides have the following enzymatic activity (e.g., the xylanase of seq id no:2, is encoded e.g., by seq id no:1; the arabinofuranosidase of seq id no:14, is encoded e.g., by seq id no:13, and the like): table-tabl0003 seq id no: name activity 1, 2 xyl 11 xylanase 11, 12 control xylanase xylanase 13, 14 arabinofuranosidase 15, 16 xylanase 17, 18 oligomerase 19, 20 b-glucosidase 21, 22 arabinofuranosidase 23, 24 beta-xylosidase 3, 4 endoglucanase 5, 6 oligomerase 7, 8 cellobiohydrolase 9, 10 cellobiohydrolase the disclosure also provides enzyme-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they encode a subset of xylanases, or a clade, comprising the "x14 module". the disclosure also provides enzyme-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they encode a clade comprising the "x14 module" (see, e.g., j. bacteriol. 2002 august; 184(15): 4124-4133 ). x14-comprising xylanase members include seq id no:2 having one or more amino acid residue changes (mutations) as set forth in table 1 and as described herein. chimeric enzymes, including xylanases, glucanases and/or glycosidases, have heterologous carbohydrate-binding modules (cbms), e.g., for use in various industrial, medical, pharmaceutical, research, food and feed and food and feed supplement processing and other applications. hydrolases, including glycosyl hydrolases (such as xylanases, glucanases) may comprise one or more cbms of an enzyme of the invention, including the cbm-like x14 module discussed above. cbms, e.g., x14 modules, between different enzymes can be swapped; or, alternatively, one or more cbms of one or more enzymes can be spliced into an enzyme, e.g., a hydrolase, e.g., any glycosyl hydrolase, such as a xylanase. glycosyl hydrolases that utilize insoluble substrates are modular, usually comprising catalytic modules appended to one or more non-catalytic carbohydrate-binding modules (cbms). in nature, cbms are thought to promote the interaction of the glycosyl hydrolase with its target substrate polysaccharide. for example, as discussed above, x14 is a xylan binding module. chimeric enzymes may have heterologous, non-natural substrates; including chimeric enzymes having multiple substrates by nature of their "spliced-in" heterologous cbms, e.g., a spliced-in x14 module - thus giving the chimeric enzyme new specificity for xylan and galactan, or enhanced binding to xylan and galactan. the heterologous cbms of the chimeric enzymes can be designed to be modular, i.e., to be appended to a catalytic module or catalytic domain (e.g., an active site), which also can be heterologous or can be homologous to the enzyme. utilization of just the catalytic module of a xylanase or a glucanase has been shown to be effective. thus, the disclosure provides peptides and polypeptides consisting of, or comprising, modular cbm/ active site modules (e.g., x14), which can be homologously paired or joined as chimeric (heterologous) active site-cbm pairs. thus, these chimeric polypeptides/ peptides can be used to improve or alter the performance of an individual enzyme, e.g., a xylanase enzyme. a chimeric catalytic module (comprising, e.g., at least one cbm of the disclosure, e.g., x14) can be designed to target the enzyme to particular regions of a substrate, e.g., to particular regions of a pulp. for example, this is achieved by making fusions of the xylanase and various cbms (either a xylanase of the invention with a heterologous cbm, or, a cbm of the xylanase of the invention with another enzyme, e.g., a hydrolase, such as a xylanase. for example, cbm4, cbm6, and cbm22 are known to bind xylan and may enhance the effectiveness of the xylanase in pulp biobleaching (see, e.g., czjzek (2001) j. biol. chem. 276(51):48580-7 , noting that cbm4, cbm6, and cbm22 are related and cbm interact primarily with xylan). fusion of xylanase and cbm3a or cbm3b, which bind crystalline cellulose, may help the xylanase penetrate the complex polysaccharide matrix of pulp and reach inaccessible xylans. any cbm can be used, e.g., as reviewed by boraston (2004) biochem. j. 382:769-781 : table-tabl0004 family protein pdb code cbm1 cellulase 7a ( trichoderma reesei ) 1cbh cbm2 xylanase 10a ( cellulomonas fimi ) 1exg xylanase 11a ( cellulomonas fimi ) 2xbd xylanase 11a ( cellulomonas fimi ) 1heh cbm3 scaffoldin ( clostridium cellulolyticum ) 1g43 scaffoldin ( clostridium thermocellum ) 1nbc cellulase 9a ( thermobafida fusca ) 1tf4 cbm4 laminarinase 16a ( thermotoga maritima ) 1gui cellulase 9b ( cellulomonas fimi ) i ulo; 1gu3 cellulase 9b ( cellulomonas fimi ) 1cx1 xylanase 10a ( rhodothermus marinus ) 1k45 cbm5 cellulase 5a ( erwinia chrysanthemi ) 1aiw chitinase b ( serratia marcescens ) 1e15 cbm6 xylanase 11a ( clostridium thermocellum ) 1uxx xylanase 11a ( clostridium stercorarium ) 1nae xylanase 11a ( clostridium stercorarium ) 1uy4 endoglucanase 5a ( cellvibrio mixtus ) 1uz0 cbm9 xylanase 10a ( thermotoga maritima ) 1i8a cbm10 xylanase 10a ( cellvibrio japonicus ) 1qld cbm12 chitinase chi1 ( bacillus circulans ) 1ed7 cbm13* xylanase 10a ( streptomyces olivaceoviridis ) 1xyf xylanase 10a ( streptomyces lividans ) 1mc9 ricin toxin b-chain ( ricinus communis ) 2aai abrin ( abrus precatorius ) 1abr cbm14 tachycitin ( tachypleus tridentatus ) 1dqc cbm15 xylanase 10c ( cellvibrio japonicus ) 1gny cbm17 cellulase 5a ( clostridium cellulovorans ) 1j83 cbm18* agglutinin ( triticum aestivum ) 1wgc antimicrobial peptide ( amaranthus caudatus ) 1mmc chitinase/agglutinin ( urtica dioica ) 1eis cbm20* glucoamylase ( aspergillus niger ) 1ac0 β-amylase ( bacillus cereus ) 1cqy cbm22 xylanase 10b ( clostridium thermocellum ) 1dy0 cbm27 mannanase 5a ( thermotoga maritima ) 1of4 cbm28 cellulase 5a ( bacillus sp. 1139) 1uww cbm29 non-catalytic protein 1 ( pyromyces equi ) 1gwk cbm32 sialidase 33a ( micromonospora viridifaciens ) 1euu galactose oxidase ( cladobotryum dendroides ) 1gof cbm34* α-amylase 13a ( thermoactinomyces vulgaris ) 1uh2 neopullulanase ( geobacillus stearothermophilus ) 1j0h cbm36 xylanase 43a ( paenibacillus polymyxa ) 1ux7 *these families contain too many structure entries to list them all so only representatives are given. chimeric hydrolases, e.g., a fusion of a glycosidase with different (e.g., heterologous) cbms may target the enzyme to particular insoluble polysaccharides to enhance performance in an application. the chimeric glycosidase may comprise an enzyme of the invention. the chimeric enzyme may comprise fusions of different cbms to enhance pulp biobleaching performance, e.g., to achieve greater percentage reduction of bleaching chemicals. methods comprise recombining different cbms with different xylanases and screening the resultant chimerics to find the best combination for a particular application or substrate. in other variations, one, two, three, four or five or more residues are removed from the carboxy- or amino- terminal ends of any polypeptide of the invention. another variation includes modifying any residue to increase or decrease pi of a polypeptide, e.g., removing or modifying (e.g., to another amino acid) a glutamate. this method was used as a general scheme for improving the enzyme's properties without creating regulatory issues since no amino acids are mutated; and this general scheme can be used with any polypeptide of the invention. in one aspect, the polypeptide has a xylanase activity; for example, wherein the xylanase activity can comprise hydrolyzing a glycosidic bond in a polysaccharide, e.g., a xylan. in one aspect, the polypeptide has a xylanase activity comprising catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises an endo-1,4-beta-xylanase activity. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises hydrolyzing a xylan to produce a smaller molecular weight xylose and xylo-oligomer. in one aspect, the xylan comprises an arabinoxylan, such as a water soluble arabinoxylan. in one aspect, the xylanase activity comprises hydrolyzing a polysaccharide to produce a smaller molecular weight polysaccharide or oligomer. any xylanase assay known in the art can be used to determine if a polypeptide has xylanase activity and is within scope of the invention. for example, reducing sugar assays such as the nelson-somogyi method or the dinitrosalicylic acid (dns) method can be used to assay for the product sugars (and thus, xylanase activity). in one aspect, reactions are carried out by mixing and incubating a dilution of the enzyme preparation with a known amount of substrate at a buffered ph and set temperature. xylanase assays are similar to cellulase assays except that a solution of xylan (e.g., oat spelts or birch) is substituted for cmc or filter paper. the dns assay is easier to use than the nelson-somogyi assay. the dns assay is satisfactory for cellulase activities, but tends to over estimate xylanase activity. the somogyi-nelson procedure is more accurate in the determination of reducing sugars, to measure specific activities and to quantify the total amount of xylanase produced in the optimized growth conditions, see, e.g., breuil (1985) comparison of the 3, 5-dinitrosalicylic acid and nelson-somogyi methods of assaying for reducing sugars and determining cellulase activity, enzyme microb. technol. 7:327-332 ; somogyi, m. 1952, notes on sugar determination, j. biol. chem. 195:19-23 . the disclosure incorporates use of any reducing sugar assay, e.g., by nelson-somogyi, e.g., based on references nelson, n. (1944) j. biol. chem. 153:375-380 , and somogyi, m. (1952) j. biol. chem. 195:19-23 . the polypeptides of the invention include xylanases in an active or inactive form. for example, the polypeptides of the invention include proproteins before "maturation" or processing of prepro sequences, e.g., by a proprotein-processing enzyme, such as a proprotein convertase to generate an "active" mature protein. the polypeptides of the invention include xylanases inactive for other reasons, e.g., before "activation" by a post-translational processing event, e.g., an endo- or exo-peptidase or proteinase action, a phosphorylation event, an amidation, a glycosylation or a sulfation, a dimerization event, and the like. the polypeptides of the invention include all active forms, including active subsequences, e.g., catalytic domains or active sites, of the xylanase. methods for identifying "prepro" domain sequences and signal sequences are well known in the art, see, e.g., van de ven (1993) crit. rev. oncog. 4(2):115-136 . for example, to identify a prepro sequence, the protein is purified from the extracellular space and the n-terminal protein sequence is determined and compared to the unprocessed form. the invention includes polypeptides with or without a signal sequence and/or a prepro sequence. the invention includes polypeptides with heterologous signal sequences and/or prepro sequences. the prepro sequence (including a sequence of the invention used as a heterologous prepro domain) can be located on the amino terminal or the carboxy terminal end of the protein. the invention also includes isolated, synthetic or recombinant signal sequences, prepro sequences and catalytic domains (e.g., "active sites") comprising sequences of the invention. the percent sequence identity can be over the full length of the polypeptide, or, the identity can be over a region of at least about 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700 or more residues. polypeptides of the invention can also be shorter than the full length of exemplary polypeptides. in alternative aspects, the invention provides polypeptides (peptides, fragments) ranging in size between about 5 and the full length of a polypeptide exemplary sizes being of about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 250, 300, 350, 400, 450, 500, 550, 600, 650, 700, or more residues, e.g., contiguous residues of an exemplary xylanase of the invention. peptides of the invention (e.g., a subsequence of an exemplary polypeptide of the invention) can be useful as, e.g., labeling probes, antigens, toleragens, motifs, xylanase active sites (e.g., "catalytic domains"), signal sequences and/or prepro domains. polypeptides and peptides of the invention can be isolated from natural sources, be synthetic, or be recombinantly generated polypeptides. peptides and proteins can be recombinantly expressed in vitro or in vivo. the peptides and polypeptides of the invention can be made and isolated using any method known in the art. polypeptide and peptides of the invention can also be synthesized, whole or in part, using chemical methods well known in the art. see e.g., caruthers (1980) nucleic acids res. symp. ser. 215-223 ; horn (1980) nucleic acids res. symp. ser. 225-232 ; banga, a.k., therapeutic peptides and proteins, formulation, processing and delivery systems (1995) technomic publishing co., lancaster, pa . for example, peptide synthesis can be performed using various solid-phase techniques (see e.g., roberge (1995) science 269:202 ; merrifield (1997) methods enzymol. 289:3-13 ) and automated synthesis may be achieved, e.g., using the abi 431a peptide synthesizer (perkin elmer) in accordance with the instructions provided by the manufacturer. the peptides and polypeptides of the invention can also be glycosylated. the glycosylation can be added post-translationally either chemically or by cellular biosynthetic mechanisms, wherein the later incorporates the use of known glycosylation motifs, which can be native to the sequence or can be added as a peptide or added in the nucleic acid coding sequence. the glycosylation can be o-linked or n-linked. "amino acid" or "amino acid sequence" as used herein refer to an oligopeptide, peptide, polypeptide, or protein sequence, or to a fragment, portion, or subunit of any of these and to naturally occurring or synthetic molecules. "amino acid" or "amino acid sequence" include an oligopeptide, peptide, polypeptide, or protein sequence, or to a fragment, portion, or subunit of any of these, and to naturally occurring or synthetic molecules. the term "polypeptide" as used herein, refers to amino acids joined to each other by peptide bonds or modified peptide bonds, i.e ., peptide isosteres and may contain modified amino acids other than the 20 gene-encoded amino acids. the polypeptides may be modified by either natural processes, such as post-translational processing, or by chemical modification techniques that are well known in the art. modifications can occur anywhere in the polypeptide, including the peptide backbone, the amino acid side-chains and the amino or carboxyl termini. it will be appreciated that the same type of modification may be present in the same or varying degrees at several sites in a given polypeptide. also a given polypeptide may have many types of modifications. modifications include acetylation, acylation, adp-ribosylation, amidation, covalent attachment of flavin, covalent attachment of a heme moiety, covalent attachment of a nucleotide or nucleotide derivative, covalent attachment of a lipid or lipid derivative, covalent attachment of a phosphytidylinositol, cross-linking cyclization, disulfide bond formation, demethylation, formation of covalent cross-links, formation of cysteine, formation of pyroglutamate, formylation, gamma-carboxylation, glycosylation, gpi anchor formation, hydroxylation, iodination, methylation, myristolyation, oxidation, pegylation, xylan hydrolase processing, phosphorylation, prenylation, racemization, selenoylation, sulfation and transfer-rna mediated addition of amino acids to protein such as arginylation. ( see creighton, t.e., proteins - structure and molecular properties 2nd ed., w.h. freeman and company, new york (1993 ); posttranslational covalent modification of proteins, b.c. johnson, ed., academic press, new york, pp. 1-12 (1983 )). the peptides and polypeptides of the invention also include all "mimetic" and "peptidomimetic" forms, as described in further detail, below. "recombinant" polypeptides or proteins refer to polypeptides or proteins produced by recombinant dna techniques; i.e., produced from cells transformed by an exogenous dna construct encoding the desired polypeptide or protein. "synthetic" nucleic acids (including oligonucleotides), polypeptides or proteins of the invention include those prepared by any chemical synthesis, e.g., as described, below. solid-phase chemical peptide synthesis methods can also be used to synthesize the polypeptide or fragments of the invention. such method have been known in the art since the early 1960's ( merrifield, r. b., j. am. chem. soc., 85:2149-2154, 1963 ) (see also stewart, j. m. and young, j. d., solid phase peptide synthesis, 2nd ed., pierce chemical co., rockford, ill., pp. 11-12 )) and have recently been employed in commercially available laboratory peptide design and synthesis kits (cambridge research biochemicals). such commercially available laboratory kits have generally utilized the teachings of h. m. geysen et al, proc. natl. acad. sci., usa, 81:3998 (1984 ) and provide for synthesizing peptides upon the tips of a multitude of "rods" or "pins" all of which are connected to a single plate. when such a system is utilized, a plate of rods or pins is inverted and inserted into a second plate of corresponding wells or reservoirs, which contain solutions for attaching or anchoring an appropriate amino acid to the pin's or rod's tips. by repeating such a process step, i.e., inverting and inserting the rod's and pin's tips into appropriate solutions, amino acids are built into desired peptides. in addition, a number of available fmoc peptide synthesis systems are available. for example, assembly of a polypeptide or fragment can be carried out on a solid support using an applied biosystems, inc. model 431a automated peptide synthesizer. such equipment provides ready access to the peptides of the invention, either by direct synthesis or by synthesis of a series of fragments that can be coupled using other known techniques. "fragments" or "enzymatically active fragments" as used herein are a portion of an amino acid sequence (encoding a protein) which retains at least one functional activity of the protein to which it is related. fragments can have the same or substantially the same amino acid sequence as the naturally occurring protein. "substantially the same" means that an amino acid sequence is largely, but not entirely, the same, but retains at least one functional activity of the sequence to which it is related. in general two amino acid sequences are "substantially the same" or "substantially homologous" if they are at least about 85% identical. fragments which have different three dimensional structures as the naturally occurring protein are also included. an example of this, is a "pro-form" molecule, such as a low activity proprotein that can be modified by cleavage to produce a mature enzyme with significantly higher activity. the peptides and polypeptides of the invention, as defined above, include all "mimetic" and "peptidomimetic" forms. the terms "mimetic" and "peptidomimetic" refer to a synthetic chemical compound which has substantially the same structural and/or functional characteristics of the polypeptides of the invention. the mimetic can be either entirely composed of synthetic, non-natural analogues of amino acids, or, is a chimeric molecule of partly natural peptide amino acids and partly non-natural analogs of amino acids. the mimetic can also incorporate any amount of natural amino acid conservative substitutions as long as such substitutions also do not substantially alter the mimetic's structure and/or activity. as with polypeptides of the invention which are conservative variants, routine experimentation will determine whether a mimetic is within the scope of the invention, i.e., that its structure and/or function is not substantially altered. thus, in one aspect, a mimetic composition is within the scope of the invention if it has a xylanase activity. polypeptide mimetic compositions of the invention can contain any combination of non-natural structural components. in alternative aspect, mimetic compositions of the invention include one or all of the following three structural groups: a) residue linkage groups other than the natural amide bond ("peptide bond") linkages; b) non-natural residues in place of naturally occurring amino acid residues; or c) residues which induce secondary structural mimicry, i.e., to induce or stabilize a secondary structure, e.g., a beta turn, gamma turn, beta sheet, alpha helix conformation, and the like. for example, a polypeptide of the invention can be characterized as a mimetic when all or some of its residues are joined by chemical means other than natural peptide bonds. individual peptidomimetic residues can be joined by peptide bonds, other chemical bonds or coupling means, such as, e.g., glutaraldehyde, n-hydroxysuccinimide esters, bifunctional maleimides, n,n'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (dcc) or n,n'-diisopropylcarbodiimide (dic). linking groups that can be an alternative to the traditional amide bond ("peptide bond") linkages include, e.g., ketomethylene (e.g., -c(=o)-ch 2 - for -c(=o)-nh-), aminomethylene (ch 2 -nh), ethylene, olefin (ch=ch), ether (ch 2 -o), thioether (ch 2 -s), tetrazole (cn 4 -), thiazole, retroamide, thioamide, or ester (see, e.g., spatola (1983) in chemistry and biochemistry of amino acids, peptides and proteins, vol. 7, pp 267-357, "peptide backbone modifications," marcell dekker, ny ). a polypeptide of the invention can also be characterized as a mimetic by containing all or some non-natural residues in place of naturally occurring amino acid residues. non-natural residues are well described in the scientific and patent literature; a few exemplary non-natural compositions useful as mimetics of natural amino acid residues and guidelines are described below. mimetics of aromatic amino acids can be generated by replacing by, e.g., d- or l- naphylalanine; d- or l- phenylglycine; d- or l-2 thieneylalanine; d- or l-1, - 2, 3-, or 4- pyreneylalanine; d- or l-3 thieneylalanine; d- or l-(2-pyridinyl)-alanine; d- or l-(3-pyridinyl)-alanine; d- or l-(2-pyrazinyl)-alanine; d- or l-(4-isopropyl)-phenylglycine; d-(trifluoromethyl)-phenylglycine; d-(trifluoromethyl)-phenylalanine; d-p-fluoro-phenylalanine; d- or l-p-biphenylphenylalanine; d- or l-p-methoxy-iphenylphenylalanine; d- or l-2-indole(alkyl)alanines; and, d- or l-alkylainines, where alkyl can be substituted or unsubstituted methyl, ethyl, propyl, hexyl, butyl, pentyl, isopropyl, iso-butyl, sec-isotyl, isopentyl, or a non-acidic amino acids. aromatic rings of a non-natural amino acid include, e.g., thiazolyl, thiophenyl, pyrazolyl, benzimidazolyl, naphthyl, furanyl, pyrrolyl, and pyridyl aromatic rings. mimetics of acidic amino acids can be generated by substitution by, e.g., non-carboxylate amino acids while maintaining a negative charge; (phosphono)alanine; sulfated threonine. carboxyl side groups (e.g., aspartyl or glutamyl) can also be selectively modified by reaction with carbodiimides (r'-n-c-n-r') such as, e.g., 1-cyclohexyl-3(2-morpholinyl-(4-ethyl) carbodiimide or 1-ethyl-3(4-azonia-4,4- dimetholpentyl) carbodiimide. aspartyl or glutamyl can also be converted to asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues by reaction with ammonium ions. mimetics of basic amino acids can be generated by substitution with, e.g., (in addition to lysine and arginine) the amino acids ornithine, citrulline, or (guanidino)-acetic acid, or (guanidino)alkyl-acetic acid, where alkyl is defined above. nitrile derivative (e.g., containing the cn-moiety in place of cooh) can be substituted for asparagine or glutamine. asparaginyl and glutaminyl residues can be deaminated to the corresponding aspartyl or glutamyl residues. arginine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting arginyl with, e.g., one or more conventional reagents, including, e.g., phenylglyoxal, 2,3-butanedione, 1,2-cyclo-hexanedione, or ninhydrin, preferably under alkaline conditions. tyrosine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting tyrosyl with, e.g., aromatic diazonium compounds or tetranitromethane. n-acetylimidizol and tetranitromethane can be used to form o-acetyl tyrosyl species and 3-nitro derivatives, respectively. cysteine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting cysteinyl residues with, e.g., alpha-haloacetates such as 2-chloroacetic acid or chloroacetamide and corresponding amines; to give carboxymethyl or carboxyamidomethyl derivatives. cysteine residue mimetics can also be generated by reacting cysteinyl residues with, e.g., bromo-trifluoroacetone, alpha-bromo-beta-(5-imidozoyl) propionic acid; chloroacetyl phosphate, n-alkylmaleimides, 3-nitro-2-pyridyl disulfide; methyl 2-pyridyl disulfide; p-chloromercuribenzoate; 2-chloromercuri-4 nitrophenol; or, chloro-7-nitrobenzo-oxa-1,3-diazole. lysine mimetics can be generated (and amino terminal residues can be altered) by reacting lysinyl with, e.g., succinic or other carboxylic acid anhydrides. lysine and other alpha-amino-containing residue mimetics can also be generated by reaction with imidoesters, such as methyl picolinimidate, pyridoxal phosphate, pyridoxal, chloroborohydride, trinitro-benzenesulfonic acid, o-methylisourea, 2,4, pentanedione, and transamidase-catalyzed reactions with glyoxylate. mimetics of methionine can be generated by reaction with, e.g., methionine sulfoxide. mimetics of proline include, e.g., pipecolic acid, thiazolidine carboxylic acid, 3- or 4- hydroxy proline, dehydroproline, 3- or 4-methylproline, or 3,3,-dimethylproline. histidine residue mimetics can be generated by reacting histidyl with, e.g., diethylprocarbonate or para-bromophenacyl bromide. other mimetics include, e.g., those generated by hydroxylation of proline and lysine; phosphorylation of the hydroxyl groups of seryl or threonyl residues; methylation of the alpha-amino groups of lysine, arginine and histidine; acetylation of the n-terminal amine; methylation of main chain amide residues or substitution with n-methyl amino acids; or amidation of c-terminal carboxyl groups. a residue, e.g., an amino acid, of a polypeptide of the invention can also be replaced by an amino acid (or peptidomimetic residue) of the opposite chirality. thus, any amino acid naturally occurring in the l-configuration (which can also be referred to as the r or s, depending upon the structure of the chemical entity) can be replaced with the amino acid of the same chemical structural type or a peptidomimetic, but of the opposite chirality, referred to as the d- amino acid, but also can be referred to as the r- or s- form. the polypeptides of the invention may be modified by either natural processes, such as post-translational processing (e.g., phosphorylation, acylation, etc), or by chemical modification techniques. modifications can occur anywhere in the polypeptide, including the peptide backbone, the amino acid side-chains and the amino or carboxyl termini. it will be appreciated that the same type of modification may be present in the same or varying degrees at several sites in a given polypeptide. also a given polypeptide may have many types of modifications. modifications include acetylation, acylation, adp-ribosylation, amidation, covalent attachment of flavin, covalent attachment of a heme moiety, covalent attachment of a nucleotide or nucleotide derivative, covalent attachment of a lipid or lipid derivative, covalent attachment of a phosphatidylinositol, cross-linking cyclization, disulfide bond formation, demethylation, formation of covalent cross-links, formation of cysteine, formation of pyroglutamate, formylation, gamma-carboxylation, glycosylation, gpi anchor formation, hydroxylation, iodination, methylation, myristolyation, oxidation, pegylation, proteolytic processing, phosphorylation, prenylation, racemization, selenoylation, sulfation, and transfer-rna mediated addition of amino acids to protein such as arginylation. see, e.g., creighton, t.e., proteins - structure and molecular properties 2nd ed., w.h. freeman and company, new york (1993 ); posttranslational covalent modification of proteins, b.c. johnson, ed., academic press, new york, pp. 1-12 (1983 ). solid-phase chemical peptide synthesis methods can also be used to synthesize the polypeptide or fragments of the invention. such method have been known in the art since the early 1960's ( merrifield, r. b., j. am. chem. soc., 85:2149-2154, 1963 ) (see also stewart, j. m. and young, j. d., solid phase peptide synthesis, 2nd ed., pierce chemical co., rockford, ill., pp. 11-12 )) and have recently been employed in commercially available laboratory peptide design and synthesis kits (cambridge research biochemicals). such commercially available laboratory kits have generally utilized the teachings of h. m. geysen et al, proc. natl. acad. sci., usa, 81:3998 (1984 ) and provide for synthesizing peptides upon the tips of a multitude of "rods" or "pins" all of which are connected to a single plate. when such a system is utilized, a plate of rods or pins is inverted and inserted into a second plate of corresponding wells or reservoirs, which contain solutions for attaching or anchoring an appropriate amino acid to the pin's or rod's tips. by repeating such a process step, i.e., inverting and inserting the rod's and pin's tips into appropriate solutions, amino acids are built into desired peptides. in addition, a number of available fmoc peptide synthesis systems are available. for example, assembly of a polypeptide or fragment can be carried out on a solid support using an applied biosystems, inc. model 431a™ automated peptide synthesizer. such equipment provides ready access to the peptides of the invention, either by direct synthesis or by synthesis of a series of fragments that can be coupled using other known techniques. the invention includes xylanases of the invention with and without signal. the polypeptide comprising a signal sequence of the invention can be a xylanase of the invention or another xylanase or another enzyme or other polypeptide. the invention includes immobilized xylanases, anti-xylanase antibodies and fragments thereof. methods for inhibiting xylanase activity may use dominant negative mutants or anti-xylanase antibodies of the invention. heterocomplexes, e.g., fusion proteins, heterodimers, etc., may comprise the xylanases of the invention. polypeptides of the invention can have a xylanase activity under various conditions, e.g., extremes in ph and/or temperature, oxidizing agents, and the like. the invention provides methods leading to alternative xylanase preparations with different catalytic efficiencies and stabilities, e.g., towards temperature, oxidizing agents and changing wash conditions. in one aspect, xylanase variants can be produced using techniques of site-directed mutagenesis and/or random mutagenesis. directed evolution can be used to produce a great variety of xylanase variants with alternative specificities and stability. the proteins of the invention are also useful as research reagents to identify xylanase modulators, e.g., activators or inhibitors of xylanase activity. briefly, test samples (compounds, broths, extracts, and the like) are added to xylanase assays to determine their ability to inhibit substrate cleavage. inhibitors identified in this way can be used in industry and research to reduce or prevent undesired proteolysis. as with xylanases, inhibitors can be combined to increase the spectrum of activity. the enzymes of the invention are also useful as research reagents to digest proteins or in protein sequencing. for example, the xylanases may be used to break polypeptides into smaller fragments for sequencing using, e.g. an automated sequencer. the invention also provides methods of discovering new xylanases using the nucleic acids, polypeptides and antibodies of the invention. in one aspect, phagemid libraries are screened for expression-based discovery of xylanases. in another aspect, lambda phage libraries are screened for expression-based discovery of xylanases. screening of the phage or phagemid libraries can allow the detection of toxic clones; improved access to substrate; reduced need for engineering a host, by-passing the potential for any bias resulting from mass excision of the library; and, faster growth at low clone densities. screening of phage or phagemid libraries can be in liquid phase or in solid phase. in one aspect, the invention provides screening in liquid phase. this gives a greater flexibility in assay conditions; additional substrate flexibility; higher sensitivity for weak clones; and ease of automation over solid phase screening. screening methods may use the proteins and nucleic acids of the invention and robotic automation to enable the execution of many thousands of biocatalytic reactions and screening assays in a short period of time, e.g., per day, as well as ensuring a high level of accuracy and reproducibility (see discussion of arrays, below). as a result, a library of derivative compounds can be produced in a matter of weeks. for further teachings on modification of molecules, including small molecules, see pct/us94/09174 . another aspect of the invention is an isolated or purified polypeptide comprising the sequence of one of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or fragments comprising at least about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof. as discussed above, such polypeptides may be obtained by inserting a nucleic acid encoding the polypeptide into a vector such that the coding sequence is operably linked to a sequence capable of driving the expression of the encoded polypeptide in a suitable host cell. for example, the expression vector may comprise a promoter, a ribosome binding site for translation initiation and a transcription terminator. the vector may also include appropriate sequences for amplifying expression. another aspect of the invention is polypeptides or fragments thereof which have at least about 95%, or more than about 95% homology to one of the polypeptides of the invention and sequences substantially identical thereto, or a fragment comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20,25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof. homology may be determined using any of the programs described above which aligns the polypeptides or fragments being compared and determines the extent of amino acid identity or similarity between them. it will be appreciated that amino acid "homology" includes conservative amino acid substitutions such as those described above. the polypeptides or fragments having homology to one of the polypeptides of the invention, or a fragment comprising at least about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof may be obtained by isolating the nucleic acids encoding them using the techniques described above. alternatively, the homologous polypeptides or fragments may be obtained through biochemical enrichment or purification procedures. the sequence of potentially homologous polypeptides or fragments may be determined by xylan hydrolase digestion, gel electrophoresis and/or microsequencing. the sequence of the prospective homologous polypeptide or fragment can be compared to one of the polypeptides of the invention, or a fragment comprising at least about 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof using any of the programs described above. the assay for determining if fragments of variants retain the enzymatic activity of the polypeptides of the invention includes the steps of: contacting the polypeptide fragment or variant with a substrate molecule under conditions which allow the polypeptide fragment or variant to function and detecting either a decrease in the level of substrate or an increase in the level of the specific reaction product of the reaction between the polypeptide and substrate. the polypeptides of the invention or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof may be used in a variety of applications, for example, for hydrolyzing glycosidic linkages. in such procedures, a substance containing a glycosidic linkage ( e.g., a starch) is contacted with one of the polypeptides of the invention, or sequences substantially identical thereto under conditions which facilitate the hydrolysis of the glycosidic linkage. this exploits the unique catalytic properties of enzymes. whereas the use of biocatalysts (i.e., purified or crude enzymes, non-living or living cells) in chemical transformations normally requires the identification of a particular biocatalyst that reacts with a specific starting compound, here biocatalysts and reaction conditions may be selected that are specific for functional groups that are present in many starting compounds, such as small molecules. each biocatalyst is specific for one functional group, or several related functional groups and can react with many starting compounds containing this functional group. the biocatalytic reactions produce a population of derivatives from a single starting compound. these derivatives can be subjected to another round of biocatalytic reactions to produce a second population of derivative compounds. thousands of variations of the original small molecule or compound can be produced with each iteration of biocatalytic derivatization. enzymes react at specific sites of a starting compound without affecting the rest of the molecule, a process which is very difficult to achieve using traditional chemical methods. this high degree of biocatalytic specificity provides the means to identify a single active compound within the library. the library is characterized by the series of biocatalytic reactions used to produce it, a so called "biosynthetic history". screening the library for biological activities and tracing the biosynthetic history identifies the specific reaction sequence producing the active compound. the reaction sequence is repeated and the structure of the synthesized compound determined. this mode of identification, unlike other synthesis and screening approaches, does not require immobilization technologies and compounds can be synthesized and tested free in solution using virtually any type of screening assay. it is important to note, that the high degree of specificity of enzyme reactions on functional groups allows for the "tracking" of specific enzymatic reactions that make up the biocatalytically produced library. many of the procedural steps are performed using robotic automation enabling the execution of many thousands of biocatalytic reactions and screening assays per day as well as ensuring a high level of accuracy and reproducibility. as a result, a library of derivative compounds can be produced in a matter of weeks which would take years to produce using current chemical methods. the disclosure provides a method for modifying small molecules, comprising contacting a polypeptide encoded by a polynucleotide described herein or enzymatically active fragments thereof with a small molecule to produce a modified small molecule. a library of modified small molecules is tested to determine if a modified small molecule is present within the library which exhibits a desired activity. a specific biocatalytic reaction which produces the modified small molecule of desired activity is identified by systematically eliminating each of the biocatalytic reactions used to produce a portion of the library and then testing the small molecules produced in the portion of the library for the presence or absence of the modified small molecule with the desired activity. the specific biocatalytic reactions which produce the modified small molecule of desired activity is in one aspect (optionally) repeated. the biocatalytic reactions are conducted with a group of biocatalysts that react with distinct structural moieties found within the structure of a small molecule, each biocatalyst is specific for one structural moiety or a group of related structural moieties; and each biocatalyst reacts with many different small molecules which contain the distinct structural moiety. xylanase signal sequences, prepro and catalytic domains xylanase signal sequences (e.g., signal peptides (sps)), prepro domains and catalytic domains (cds) can be isolated, synthetic or recombinant peptides or can be part of a fusion protein, e.g., as a heterologous domain in a chimeric protein. the disclosure provides nucleic acids encoding these catalytic domains (cds), prepro domains and signal sequences (sps, e.g., a peptide having a sequence comprising/ consisting of amino terminal residues of a polypeptide of the invention). the disclosure provides a signal sequence comprising a peptide comprising/ consisting of a sequence as set forth in residues 1 to 12, 1 to 13, 1 to 14, 1 to 15, 1 to 16, 1 to 17, 1 to 18, 1 to 19, 1 to 20, 1 to 21, 1 to 22, 1 to 23, 1 to 24, 1 to 25, 1 to 26, 1 to 27, 1 to 28, 1 to 28, 1 to 30, 1 to 31, 1 to 32, 1 to 33, 1 to 34, 1 to 35, 1 to 36, 1 to 37, 1 to 38, 1 to 39, 1 to 40, 1 to 41, 1 to 42, 1 to 43, 1 to 44, 1 to 45, 1 to 46, 1 to 47, 1 to 48, 1 to 49 or 1 to 50, of a polypeptide of the invention. the xylanase signal sequences (sps) and/or prepro sequences can be isolated peptides, or, sequences joined to another xylanase or a non-xylanase polypeptide, e.g., as a fusion (chimeric) protein. polypeptides comprise xylanase signal sequences of the invention. polypeptides comprise xylanase signal sequences sps and/or prepro comprise sequences heterologous to a xylanase of the invention (e.g., a fusion protein comprising an sp and/or prepro and sequences from another xylanase or a non-xylanase protein). xylanases of the invention may have heterologous sps and/or prepro sequences, e.g., sequences with a yeast signal sequence. a xylanase of the invention can comprise a heterologous sp and/or prepro in a vector, e.g., a ppic series vector (invitrogen, carlsbad, ca). in one aspect, sps and/or prepro sequences are identified following identification of novel xylanase polypeptides. the pathways by which proteins are sorted and transported to their proper cellular location are often referred to as protein targeting pathways. one of the most important elements in all of these targeting systems is a short amino acid sequence at the amino terminus of a newly synthesized polypeptide called the signal sequence. this signal sequence directs a protein to its appropriate location in the cell and is removed during transport or when the protein reaches its final destination. most lysosomal, membrane, or secreted proteins have an amino-terminal signal sequence that marks them for translocation into the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum. more than 100 signal sequences for proteins in this group have been determined. the signal sequences can vary in length from between about 11 to 41, or between about 13 to 36 amino acid residues. various methods of recognition of signal sequences are known to those of skill in the art. for example, in one aspect, novel xylanase signal peptides are identified by a method referred to as signalp. signalp uses a combined neural network which recognizes both signal peptides and their cleavage sites; see, e.g., nielsen (1997) "identification of prokaryotic and eukaryotic signal peptides and prediction of their cleavage sites." protein engineering 10:1-6 . it should be understood that in some aspects xylanases of the invention may not have sps and/or prepro sequences, or "domains." in one aspect, the invention provides the xylanases of the invention lacking all or part of an sp and/or a prepro domain. in one aspect, the invention provides a nucleic acid sequence encoding a signal sequence (sp) and/or prepro from one xylanase operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence of a different xylanase or, in one aspect (optionally), a signal sequence (sps) and/or prepro domain from a non-xylanase protein may be desired. the invention also provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptides comprising signal sequences (sps), prepro domain and/or catalytic domains (cds) of the invention and heterologous sequences. the heterologous sequences are sequences not naturally associated (e.g., to a xylanase) with an sp, prepro domain and/or cd. the sequence to which the sp, prepro domain and/or cd are not naturally associated can be on the sp's, prepro domain and/or cd's amino terminal end, carboxy terminal end, and/or on both ends of the sp and/or cd. in one aspect, the invention provides an isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide comprising (or consisting of) a polypeptide comprising a signal sequence (sp), prepro domain and/or catalytic domain (cd) of the invention with the proviso that it is not associated with any sequence to which it is naturally associated (e.g., a xylanase sequence). similarly in one aspect, the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acids encoding these polypeptides. thus, in one aspect, the isolated, synthetic or recombinant nucleic acid of the invention comprises coding sequence for a signal sequence (sp), prepro domain and/or catalytic domain (cd) of the invention and a heterologous sequence (i.e., a sequence not naturally associated with the a signal sequence (sp), prepro domain and/or catalytic domain (cd) of the invention). the heterologous sequence can be on the 3' terminal end, 5' terminal end, and/or on both ends of the sp, prepro domain and/or cd coding sequence. hybrid (chimeric) xylanases and peptide libraries hybrid xylanases and fusion proteins, including peptide libraries, may comprise sequences of the invention. the peptide libraries can be used to isolate peptide modulators (e.g., activators or inhibitors) of targets, such as xylanase substrates, receptors, enzymes. the peptide libraries can be used to identify formal binding partners of targets, such as ligands, e.g., cytokines, hormones and the like. chimeric proteins may comprise a signal sequence (sp), prepro domain and/or catalytic domain (cd) of the disclosure or a combination thereof and a heterologous sequence (see above). the fusion proteins (e.g., the peptide moiety) may be conformationally stabilized (relative to linear peptides) to allow a higher binding affinity for targets. fusions may be of xylanases of the invention and other peptides, including known and random peptides. they can be fused in such a manner that the structure of the xylanases is not significantly perturbed and the peptide is metabolically or structurally conformationally stabilized. this allows the creation of a peptide library that is easily monitored both for its presence within cells and its quantity. amino acid sequence variants of the invention can be characterized by a predetermined nature of the variation, a feature that sets them apart from a naturally occurring form, e.g., an allelic or interspecies variation of a xylanase sequence. in one aspect, the variants of the invention exhibit the same qualitative biological activity as the naturally occurring analogue. alternatively, the variants can be selected for having modified characteristics. in one aspect, while the site or region for introducing an amino acid sequence variation is predetermined, the mutation per se need not be predetermined. for example, in order to optimize the performance of a mutation at a given site, random mutagenesis may be conducted at the target codon or region and the expressed xylanase variants screened for the optimal combination of desired activity. techniques for making substitution mutations at predetermined sites in dna having a known sequence are well known, as discussed herein for example, m13 primer mutagenesis and pcr mutagenesis. screening of the mutants can be done using, e.g., assays of xylan hydrolysis. in alternative aspects, amino acid substitutions can be single residues; insertions can be on the order of from about 1 to 20 amino acids, although considerably larger insertions can be done. deletions can range from about 1 to about 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 residues or more. to obtain a final derivative with the optimal properties, substitutions, deletions, insertions or any combination thereof may be used. generally, these changes are done on a few amino acids to minimize the alteration of the molecule. however, larger changes may be tolerated in certain circumstances. the invention provides xylanases where the structure of the polypeptide backbone, the secondary or the tertiary structure, e.g., an alpha-helical or beta-sheet structure, has been modified. in one aspect, the charge or hydrophobicity has been modified. in one aspect, the bulk of a side chain has been modified. substantial changes in function or immunological identity are made by selecting substitutions that are less conservative. for example, substitutions can be made which more significantly affect: the structure of the polypeptide backbone in the area of the alteration, for example an alpha-helical or a beta-sheet structure; a charge or a hydrophobic site of the molecule, which can be at an active site; or a side chain. the invention provides substitutions in polypeptide of the invention where (a) a hydrophilic residues, e.g. seryl or threonyl, is substituted for (or by) a hydrophobic residue, e.g. leucyl, isoleucyl, phenylalanyl, valyl or alanyl; (b) a cysteine or proline is substituted for (or by) any other residue; (c) a residue having an electropositive side chain, e.g. lysyl, arginyl, or histidyl, is substituted for (or by) an electronegative residue, e.g. glutamyl or aspartyl; or (d) a residue having a bulky side chain, e.g. phenylalanine, is substituted for (or by) one not having a side chain, e.g. glycine. the variants can exhibit the same qualitative biological activity (i.e. xylanase activity) although variants can be selected to modify the characteristics of the xylanases as needed. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention comprise epitopes or purification tags, signal sequences or other fusion sequences, etc. in one aspect, the xylanases of the invention can be fused to a random peptide to form a fusion polypeptide. by "fused" or "operably linked" herein is meant that the random peptide and the xylanase are linked together, in such a manner as to minimize the disruption to the stability of the xylanase structure, e.g., it retains xylanase activity. the fusion polypeptide (or fusion polynucleotide encoding the fusion polypeptide) can comprise further components as well, including multiple peptides at multiple loops. in one aspect, the peptides and nucleic acids encoding them are randomized, either fully randomized or they are biased in their randomization, e.g. in nucleotide/residue frequency generally or per position. "randomized" means that each nucleic acid and peptide consists of essentially random nucleotides and amino acids, respectively. in one aspect, the nucleic acids which give rise to the peptides can be chemically synthesized, and thus may incorporate any nucleotide at any position. thus, when the nucleic acids are expressed to form peptides, any amino acid residue may be incorporated at any position. the synthetic process can be designed to generate randomized nucleic acids, to allow the formation of all or most of the possible combinations over the length of the nucleic acid, thus forming a library of randomized nucleic acids. the library can provide a sufficiently structurally diverse population of randomized expression products to affect a probabilistically sufficient range of cellular responses to provide one or more cells exhibiting a desired response. thus, the invention provides an interaction library large enough so that at least one of its members will have a structure that gives it affinity for some molecule, protein, or other factor. xylanases are multidomain enzymes that may consist of a signal peptide, a carbohydrate binding module, a xylanase catalytic domain, a linker and/or another catalytic domain. chimeric polypeptides may encode biologically active hybrid polypeptides ( e.g ., hybrid xylanases). the original polynucleotides may encode biologically active polypeptides. new hybrid polypeptides may be produced by utilizing cellular processes which integrate the sequence of the original polynucleotides such that the resulting hybrid polynucleotide encodes a polypeptide demonstrating activities derived from the original biologically active polypeptides. for example, the original polynucleotides may encode a particular enzyme from different microorganisms. an enzyme encoded by a first polynucleotide from one organism or variant may, for example, function effectively under a particular environmental condition, e.g. high salinity. an enzyme encoded by a second polynucleotide from a different organism or variant may function effectively under a different environmental condition, such as extremely high temperatures. a hybrid polynucleotide containing sequences from the first and second original polynucleotides may encode an enzyme which exhibits characteristics of both enzymes encoded by the original polynucleotides. thus, the enzyme encoded by the hybrid polynucleotide may function effectively under environmental conditions shared by each of the enzymes encoded by the first and second polynucleotides, e.g ., high salinity and extreme temperatures. glycosidase hydrolases were first classified into families in 1991, see, e.g., henrissat (1991) biochem. j. 280:309-316 . since then, the classifications have been continually updated, see, e.g., henrissat (1993) biochem. j. 293:781-788 ; henrissat (1996) biochem. j. 316:695-696 ; henrissat (2000) plant physiology 124:1515-1519 . there are 87 identified families of glycosidase hydrolases. the xylanases of the invention may be categorized in families 8, 10, 11, 26 and 30. in one aspect, the invention also provides xylanase-encoding nucleic acids with a common novelty in that they are derived from a common family, e.g., 11. a hybrid polypeptide may exhibit specialized enzyme activity not displayed in the original enzymes. for example, following recombination and/or reductive reassortment of polynucleotides encoding hydrolase activities, the resulting hybrid polypeptide encoded by a hybrid polynucleotide can be screened for specialized hydrolase activities obtained from each of the original enzymes, i.e. the type of bond on which the hydrolase acts and the temperature at which the hydrolase functions. thus, for example, the hydrolase may be screened to ascertain those chemical functionalities which distinguish the hybrid hydrolase from the original hydrolases, such as: (a) amide (peptide bonds), i.e., xylanases; (b) ester bonds, i.e., esterases and lipases; (c) acetals, i.e., glycosidases and, for example, the temperature, ph or salt concentration at which the hybrid polypeptide functions. sources of the original polynucleotides may be isolated from individual organisms ("isolates"), collections of organisms that have been grown in defined media ("enrichment cultures"), or, uncultivated organisms ("environmental samples"). the use of a culture-independent approach to derive polynucleotides encoding novel bioactivities from environmental samples is most preferable since it allows one to access untapped resources of biodiversity. "environmental libraries" are generated from environmental samples and represent the collective genomes of naturally occurring organisms archived in cloning vectors that can be propagated in suitable prokaryotic hosts. because the cloned dna is initially extracted directly from environmental samples, the libraries are not limited to the small fraction of prokaryotes that can be grown in pure culture. additionally, a normalization of the environmental dna present in these samples could allow more equal representation of the dna from all of the species present in the original sample. this can dramatically increase the efficiency of finding interesting genes from minor constituents of the sample which may be under-represented by several orders of magnitude compared to the dominant species. for example, gene libraries generated from one or more uncultivated microorganisms are screened for an activity of interest. potential pathways encoding bioactive molecules of interest are first captured in prokaryotic cells in the form of gene expression libraries. polynucleotides encoding activities of interest are isolated from such libraries and introduced into a host cell. the host cell is grown under conditions which promote recombination and/or reductive reassortment creating potentially active biomolecules with novel or enhanced activities. additionally, subcloning may be performed to further isolate sequences of interest. in subcloning, a portion of dna is amplified, digested, generally by restriction enzymes, to cut out the desired sequence, the desired sequence is ligated into a recipient vector and is amplified. at each step in subcloning, the portion is examined for the activity of interest, in order to ensure that dna that encodes the structural protein has not been excluded. the insert may be purified at any step of the subcloning, for example, by gel electrophoresis prior to ligation into a vector or where cells containing the recipient vector and cells not containing the recipient vector are placed on selective media containing, for example, an antibiotic, which will kill the cells not containing the recipient vector. specific methods of subcloning cdna inserts into vectors are well-known in the art ( sambrook et al., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 2nd ed., cold spring harbor laboratory press (1989 )). the enzymes of the invention may be subclones. such subclones may differ from the parent clone by, for example, length, a mutation, a tag or a label. it should be understood that some of the xylanases of the invention may or may not contain signal sequences. it may be desirable to include a nucleic acid sequence encoding a signal sequence from one xylanase operably linked to a nucleic acid sequence of a different xylanase or, in one aspect (optionally), a signal sequence from a non-xylanase protein may be desired. the microorganisms from which the polynucleotide may be prepared include prokaryotic microorganisms, such as eubacteria and archaebacteria and lower eukaryotic microorganisms such as fungi, some algae and protozoa. polynucleotides may be isolated from environmental samples in which case the nucleic acid may be recovered without culturing of an organism or recovered from one or more cultured organisms. in one aspect, such microorganisms may be extremophiles, such as hyperthermophiles, psychrophiles, psychrotrophs, halophiles, barophiles and acidophiles. polynucleotides encoding enzymes isolated from extremophilic microorganisms can be used. such enzymes may function at temperatures above 100°c in terrestrial hot springs and deep sea thermal vents, at temperatures below 0°c in arctic waters, in the saturated salt environment of the dead sea, at ph values around 0 in coal deposits and geothermal sulfur-rich springs, or at ph values greater than 11 in sewage sludge. for example, several esterases and lipases cloned and expressed from extremophilic organisms show high activity throughout a wide range of temperatures and phs. polynucleotides selected and isolated as hereinabove described are introduced into a suitable host cell. a suitable host cell is any cell which is capable of promoting recombination and/or reductive reassortment. the selected polynucleotides are preferably already in a vector which includes appropriate control sequences. the host cell can be a higher eukaryotic cell, such as a mammalian cell, or a lower eukaryotic cell, such as a yeast cell, or preferably, the host cell can be a prokaryotic cell, such as a bacterial cell. introduction of the construct into the host cell can be effected by calcium phosphate transfection, deae-dextran mediated transfection, or electroporation (davis et al., 1986). as representative examples of appropriate hosts, there may be mentioned: bacterial cells, such as e. coli, streptomyces, salmonella typhimurium; fungal cells, such as yeast; insect cells such as drosophila s2 and spodoptera sf9 ; animal cells such as cho, cos or bowes melanoma; adenoviruses; and plant cells. the selection of an appropriate host is deemed to be within the scope of those skilled in the art from the teachings herein. with particular references to various mammalian cell culture systems that can be employed to express recombinant protein, examples of mammalian expression systems include the cos-7 lines of monkey kidney fibroblasts, described in "sv40-transformed simian cells support the replication of early sv40 mutants" (gluzman, 1981) and other cell lines capable of expressing a compatible vector, for example, the c127, 3t3, cho, hela and bhk cell lines. mammalian expression vectors will comprise an origin of replication, a suitable promoter and enhancer and also any necessary ribosome binding sites, polyadenylation site, splice donor and acceptor sites, transcriptional termination sequences and 5' flanking nontranscribed sequences. dna sequences derived from the sv40 splice and polyadenylation sites may be used to provide the required nontranscribed genetic elements. methods can be used to generate novel polynucleotides encoding biochemical pathways from one or more operons or gene clusters or portions thereof. for example, bacteria and many eukaryotes have a coordinated mechanism for regulating genes whose products are involved in related processes. the genes are clustered, in structures referred to as "gene clusters," on a single chromosome and are transcribed together under the control of a single regulatory sequence, including a single promoter which initiates transcription of the entire cluster. thus, a gene cluster is a group of adjacent genes that are either identical or related, usually as to their function. an example of a biochemical pathway encoded by gene clusters are polyketides. gene cluster dna can be isolated from different organisms and ligated into vectors, particularly vectors containing expression regulatory sequences which can control and regulate the production of a detectable protein or protein-related array activity from the ligated gene clusters. use of vectors which have an exceptionally large capacity for exogenous dna introduction are particularly appropriate for use with such gene clusters and are described by way of example herein to include the f-factor (or fertility factor) of e. coli. this f-factor of e. coli is a plasmid which affects high-frequency transfer of itself during conjugation and is ideal to achieve and stably propagate large dna fragments, such as gene clusters from mixed microbial samples. cloning vectors, referred to as "fosmids" or bacterial artificial chromosome (bac) vectors may be used. these are derived from e. coli f-factor which is able to stably integrate large segments of genomic dna. when integrated with dna from a mixed uncultured environmental sample, this makes it possible to achieve large genomic fragments in the form of a stable "environmental dna library." another type of vector for use is a cosmid vector. cosmid vectors were originally designed to clone and propagate large segments of genomic dna. cloning into cosmid vectors is described in detail in sambrook et al., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 2nd ed., cold spring harbor laboratory press (1989 ). once ligated into an appropriate vector, two or more vectors containing different polyketide synthase gene clusters can be introduced into a suitable host cell. regions of partial sequence homology shared by the gene clusters will promote processes which result in sequence reorganization resulting in a hybrid gene cluster. the novel hybrid gene cluster can then be screened for enhanced activities not found in the original gene clusters. a method produces a biologically active hybrid polypeptide and screens such a polypeptide for enhanced activity by: 1) introducing at least a first polynucleotide in operable linkage and a second polynucleotide in operable linkage, the at least first polynucleotide and second polynucleotide sharing at least one region of partial sequence homology, into a suitable host cell; 2) growing the host cell under conditions which promote sequence reorganization resulting in a hybrid polynucleotide in operable linkage; 3) expressing a hybrid polypeptide encoded by the hybrid polynucleotide; 4) screening the hybrid polypeptide under conditions which promote identification of enhanced biological activity; and 5) isolating the a polynucleotide encoding the hybrid polypeptide. methods for screening for various enzyme activities are known to those of skill in the art and are discussed throughout the present specification. such methods may be employed when isolating the polypeptides and polynucleotides of the invention. screening methodologies and "on-line" monitoring devices in practicing the methods disclosed herein, a variety of apparatus and methodologies can be used to in conjunction with the polypeptides and nucleic acids of the invention, e.g., to screen polypeptides for xylanase activity (e.g., assays such as hydrolysis of casein in zymograms, the release of fluorescence from gelatin, or the release of p-nitroanalide from various small peptide substrates), to screen compounds as potential modulators, e.g., activators or inhibitors, of a xylanase activity, for antibodies that bind to a polypeptide of the invention, for nucleic acids that hybridize to a nucleic acid of the invention, to screen for cells expressing a polypeptide of the invention and the like. in addition to the array formats described in detail below for screening samples, alternative formats can also be used. such formats include, for example, mass spectrometers, chromatographs, e.g., high-throughput hplc and other forms of liquid chromatography, and smaller formats, such as 1536-well plates, 384-well plates and so on. high throughput screening apparatus can be adapted and used to practice the methods, see, e.g., u.s. patent application no. 20020001809 . capillary arrays nucleic acids or polypeptides of the invention can be immobilized to or applied to an array. arrays can be used to screen for or monitor libraries of compositions (e.g., small molecules, antibodies, nucleic acids, etc.) for their ability to bind to or modulate the activity of a nucleic acid or a polypeptide of the invention. capillary arrays, such as the gigamatrix™, diversa corporation, san diego, ca; and arrays described in, e.g., u.s. patent application no. 20020080350 a1 ; wo 0231203 a ; wo 0244336 a , provide an alternative apparatus for holding and screening samples. the capillary array may include a plurality of capillaries formed into an array of adjacent capillaries, wherein each capillary comprises at least one wall defining a lumen for retaining a sample. the lumen may be cylindrical, square, hexagonal or any other geometric shape so long as the walls form a lumen for retention of a liquid or sample. the capillaries of the capillary array can be held together in close proximity to form a planar structure. the capillaries can be bound together, by being fused (e.g., where the capillaries are made of glass), glued, bonded, or clamped side-by-side. additionally, the capillary array can include interstitial material disposed between adjacent capillaries in the array, thereby forming a solid planar device containing a plurality of through-holes. a capillary array can be formed of any number of individual capillaries, for example, a range from 100 to 4,000,000 capillaries. further, a capillary array having about 100,000 or more individual capillaries can be formed into the standard size and shape of a microtiter® plate for fitment into standard laboratory equipment. the lumens are filled manually or automatically using either capillary action or microinjection using a thin needle. samples of interest may subsequently be removed from individual capillaries for further analysis or characterization. for example, a thin, needle-like probe is positioned in fluid communication with a selected capillary to either add or withdraw material from the lumen. in a single-pot screening assay, the assay components are mixed yielding a solution of interest, prior to insertion into the capillary array. the lumen is filled by capillary action when at least a portion of the array is immersed into a solution of interest. chemical or biological reactions and/or activity in each capillary are monitored for detectable events. a detectable event is often referred to as a "hit", which can usually be distinguished from "non-hit" producing capillaries by optical detection. thus, capillary arrays allow for massively parallel detection of "hits". in a multi-pot screening assay, a polypeptide or nucleic acid, e.g., a ligand, can be introduced into a first component, which is introduced into at least a portion of a capillary of a capillary array. an air bubble can then be introduced into the capillary behind the first component. a second component can then be introduced into the capillary, wherein the second component is separated from the first component by the air bubble. the first and second components can then be mixed by applying hydrostatic pressure to both sides of the capillary array to collapse the bubble. the capillary array is then monitored for a detectable event resulting from reaction or non-reaction of the two components. in a binding screening assay, a sample of interest can be introduced as a first liquid labeled with a detectable particle into a capillary of a capillary array, wherein the lumen of the capillary is coated with a binding material for binding the detectable particle to the lumen. the first liquid may then be removed from the capillary tube, wherein the bound detectable particle is maintained within the capillary, and a second liquid may be introduced into the capillary tube. the capillary is then monitored for a detectable event resulting from reaction or non-reaction of the particle with the second liquid. arrays, or "biochips" nucleic acids and/or polypeptides of the invention can be immobilized to or applied to an array, e.g., a "biochip". arrays can be used to screen for or monitor libraries of compositions (e.g., small molecules, antibodies, nucleic acids, etc.) for their ability to bind to or modulate the activity of a nucleic acid or a polypeptide of the invention. for example, in one aspect of the invention, a monitored parameter is transcript expression of a xylanase gene. one or more, or, all the transcripts of a cell can be measured by hybridization of a sample comprising transcripts of the cell, or, nucleic acids representative of or complementary to transcripts of a cell, by hybridization to immobilized nucleic acids on an array, or "biochip." by using an "array" of nucleic acids on a microchip, some or all of the transcripts of a cell can be simultaneously quantified. alternatively, arrays comprising genomic nucleic acid can also be used to determine the genotype of a newly engineered strain. polypeptide arrays" can also be used to simultaneously quantify a plurality of proteins. any known "array," also referred to as a "microarray" or "nucleic acid array" or "polypeptide array" or "antibody array" or "biochip," or variation thereof may be used. arrays are generically a plurality of "spots" or "target elements," each target element comprising a defined amount of one or more biological molecules, e.g., oligonucleotides, immobilized onto a defined area of a substrate surface for specific binding to a sample molecule, e.g., mrna transcripts. the terms "array" or "microarray" or "biochip" or "chip" as used herein is a plurality of target elements, each target element comprising a defined amount of one or more polypeptides (including antibodies) or nucleic acids immobilized onto a defined area of a substrate surface, as discussed in further detail, below. any known array and/or method of making and using arrays can be used in whole or in part, or variations thereof, as described, for example, in u.s. patent nos. 6,277,628 ; 6,277,489 ; 6,261,776 ; 6,258,606 ; 6,054,270 ; 6,048,695 ; 6,045,996 ; 6,022,963 ; 6,013,440 ; 5,965,452 ; 5,959,098 ; 5,856,174 ; 5,830,645 ; 5,770,456 ; 5,632,957 ; 5,556,752 ; 5,143,854 ; 5,807,522 ; 5,800,992 ; 5,744,305 ; 5,700,637 ; 5,556,752 ; 5,434,049 ; see also, e.g., wo 99/51773 ; wo 99/09217 ; wo 97/46313 ; wo 96/17958 ; see also, e.g., johnston (1998) curr. biol. 8:r171-r174 ; schummer (1997) biotechniques 23:1087-1092 ; kern (1997) biotechniques 23:120-124 ; solinas-toldo (1997) genes, chromosomes & cancer 20:399-407 ; bowtell (1999) nature genetics supp. 21:25-32 . see also published u.s. patent applications nos. 20010018642 ; 20010019827 ; 20010016322 ; 20010014449 ; 20010014448 ; 20010012537 ; 20010008765 . antibodies and antibody-based screening methods the invention provides isolated, synthetic or recombinant antibodies that specifically bind to a xylanase of the invention. these antibodies can be used to isolate, identify or quantify the xylanases of the invention or related polypeptides. these antibodies can be used to isolate other polypeptides within the scope the invention or other related xylanases. the antibodies can be designed to bind to an active site of a xylanase. the invention provides fragments of the enzymes of the invention, including immunogenic fragments of a polypeptide of the invention. the invention provides compositions comprising a polypeptide or peptide of the invention and adjuvants or carriers and the like. the antibodies can be used in immunoprecipitation, staining, immunoaffinity columns, and the like. if desired, nucleic acid sequences encoding for specific antigens can be generated by immunization followed by isolation of polypeptide or nucleic acid, amplification or cloning and immobilization of polypeptide onto an array. alternatively, the structure of an antibody can be modified, e.g., an antibody's affinity can be increased or decreased. furthermore, the ability to make or modify antibodies can be a phenotype engineered into a cell as disclosed herein. the term "antibody" includes a peptide or polypeptide derived from, modeled after or substantially encoded by an immunoglobulin gene or immunoglobulin genes, or fragments thereof, capable of specifically binding an antigen or epitope, see, e.g. fundamental immunology, third edition, w.e. paul, ed., raven press, n.y. (1993 ); wilson (1994) j. immunol. methods 175:267-273 ; yarmush (1992) j. biochem. biophys. methods 25:85-97 . the term antibody includes antigen-binding portions, i.e., "antigen binding sites," (e.g., fragments, subsequences, complementarity determining regions (cdrs)) that retain capacity to bind antigen, including (i) a fab fragment, a monovalent fragment consisting of the vl, vh, cl and ch1 domains; (ii) a f(ab')2 fragment, a bivalent fragment comprising two fab fragments linked by a disulfide bridge at the hinge region; (iii) a fd fragment consisting of the vh and ch1 domains; (iv) a fv fragment consisting of the vl and vh domains of a single arm of an antibody, (v) a dab fragment ( ward et al., (1989) nature 341:544-546 ), which consists of a vh domain; and (vi) an isolated complementarity determining region (cdr). single chain antibodies are also included by reference in the term "antibody." methods of immunization, producing and isolating antibodies (polyclonal and monoclonal) are known to those of skill in the art and described in the scientific and patent literature, see, e.g., coligan, current protocols in immunology, wiley/greene, ny (1991 ); stites (eds.) basic and clinical immunology (7th ed.) lange medical publications, los altos, ca ("stites "); goding, monoclonal antibodies: principles and practice (2d ed.) academic press, new york, ny (1986 ); kohler (1975) nature 256:495 ; harlow (1988) antibodies, a laboratory manual, cold spring harbor publications, new york . antibodies also can be generated in vitro, e.g., using recombinant antibody binding site expressing phage display libraries, in addition to the traditional in vivo methods using animals. see, e.g., hoogenboom (1997) trends biotechnol. 15:62-70 ; katz (1997) annu. rev. biophys. biomol. struct. 26:27-45 . the polypeptides of the invention or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof, may also be used to generate antibodies which bind specifically to the polypeptides or fragments. the resulting antibodies may be used in immunoaffinity chromatography procedures to isolate or purify the polypeptide or to determine whether the polypeptide is present in a biological sample. in such procedures, a protein preparation, such as an extract, or a biological sample is contacted with an antibody capable of specifically binding to one of the polypeptides of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof. in immunoaffinity procedures, the antibody is attached to a solid support, such as a bead or other column matrix. the protein preparation is placed in contact with the antibody under conditions in which the antibody specifically binds to one of the polypeptides of the invention, or fragment thereof. after a wash to remove non-specifically bound proteins, the specifically bound polypeptides are eluted. the ability of proteins in a biological sample to bind to the antibody may be determined using any of a variety of procedures familiar to those skilled in the art. for example, binding may be determined by labeling the antibody with a detectable label such as a fluorescent agent, an enzymatic label, or a radioisotope. alternatively, binding of the antibody to the sample may be detected using a secondary antibody having such a detectable label thereon. particular assays include elisa assays, sandwich assays, radioimmunoassays and western blots. polyclonal antibodies generated against the polypeptides of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 or more consecutive amino acids thereof can be obtained by direct injection of the polypeptides into an animal or by administering the polypeptides to an animal, for example, a nonhuman. the antibody so obtained will then bind the polypeptide itself. in this manner, even a sequence encoding only a fragment of the polypeptide can be used to generate antibodies which may bind to the whole native polypeptide. such antibodies can then be used to isolate the polypeptide from cells expressing that polypeptide. for preparation of monoclonal antibodies, any technique which provides antibodies produced by continuous cell line cultures can be used. examples include the hybridoma technique ( kohler and milstein, nature, 256:495-497, 1975 ), the trioma technique, the human b-cell hybridoma technique ( kozbor et al., immunology today 4:72, 1983 ) and the ebv-hybridoma technique ( cole, et al., 1985, in monoclonal antibodies and cancer therapy, alan r. liss, inc., pp. 77-96 ). techniques described for the production of single chain antibodies ( u.s. patent no. 4,946,778 ) can be adapted to produce single chain antibodies to the polypeptides of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof. alternatively, transgenic mice may be used to express humanized antibodies to these polypeptides or fragments thereof. antibodies generated against the polypeptides of the invention, or fragments comprising at least 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 75, 100, or 150 consecutive amino acids thereof may be used in screening for similar polypeptides from other organisms and samples. in such techniques, polypeptides from the organism are contacted with the antibody and those polypeptides which specifically bind the antibody are detected. any of the procedures described above may be used to detect antibody binding. one such screening assay is described in " methods for measuring cellulase activities", methods in enzymology, vol 160, pp. 87-116 . kits kits may comprise the compositions, e.g., nucleic acids, expression cassettes, vectors, cells, transgenic seeds or plants or plant parts, polypeptides (e.g., xylanases) and/or antibodies of the invention. the kits also can contain instructional material teaching the methodologies and industrial, research, medical, pharmaceutical, food and feed and food and feed supplement processing and other applications and processes as described herein. whole cell engineering and measuring metabolic parameters the methods of the disclosure provide whole cell evolution, or whole cell engineering, of a cell to develop a new cell strain having a new phenotype, e.g., a new or modified xylanase activity, by modifying the genetic composition of the cell. the genetic composition can be modified by addition to the cell of a nucleic acid of the invention, e.g., a coding sequence for an enzyme of the invention. see, e.g., wo0229032 ; wo0196551 . to detect the new phenotype, at least one metabolic parameter of a modified cell is monitored in the cell in a "real time" or "on-line" time frame. a plurality of cells, such as a cell culture, may be monitored in "real time" or "on-line." a plurality of metabolic parameters may be monitored in "real time" or "on-line." metabolic parameters can be monitored using the xylanases of the invention. metabolic flux analysis (mfa) is based on a known biochemistry framework. a linearly independent metabolic matrix is constructed based on the law of mass conservation and on the pseudo-steady state hypothesis (pssh) on the intracellular metabolites. in practicing these methods, metabolic networks are established, including the: identity of all pathway substrates, products and intermediary metabolites identity of all the chemical reactions interconverting the pathway metabolites, the stoichiometry of the pathway reactions, identity of all the enzymes catalyzing the reactions, the enzyme reaction kinetics, the regulatory interactions between pathway components, e.g. allosteric interactions, enzyme-enzyme interactions etc, intracellular compartmentalization of enzymes or any other supramolecular organization of the enzymes, and, the presence of any concentration gradients of metabolites, enzymes or effector molecules or diffusion barriers to their movement. once the metabolic network for a given strain is built, mathematic presentation by matrix notion can be introduced to estimate the intracellular metabolic fluxes if the on-line metabolome data is available. metabolic phenotype relies on the changes of the whole metabolic network within a cell. metabolic phenotype relies on the change of pathway utilization with respect to environmental conditions, genetic regulation, developmental state and the genotype, etc. after the on-line mfa calculation, the dynamic behavior of the cells, their phenotype and other properties may be analyzed by investigating the pathway utilization. for example, if the glucose supply is increased and the oxygen decreased during the yeast fermentation, the utilization of respiratory pathways will be reduced and/or stopped, and the utilization of the fermentative pathways will dominate. control of physiological state of cell cultures will become possible after the pathway analysis. the methods can help determine how to manipulate the fermentation by determining how to change the substrate supply, temperature, use of inducers, etc. to control the physiological state of cells to move along desirable direction. in practicing the methods, the mfa results can also be compared with transcriptome and proteome data to design experiments and protocols for metabolic engineering or gene shuffling, etc. in practicing the methods, any modified or new phenotype can be conferred and detected, including new or improved characteristics in the cell. any aspect of metabolism or growth can be monitored. monitoring expression of an mrna transcript the engineered phenotype may comprise increasing or decreasing the expression of an mrna transcript (e.g., a xylanase message) or generating new (e.g., xylanase) transcripts in a cell. this increased or decreased expression can be traced by testing for the presence of a xylanase of the invention or by xylanase activity assays. mrna transcripts, or messages, also can be detected and quantified by any method known in the art, including, e.g., northern blots, quantitative amplification reactions, hybridization to arrays, and the like. quantitative amplification reactions include, e.g., quantitative pcr, including, e.g., quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, or rt-pcr; quantitative real time rt-pcr, or "real-time kinetic rt-pcr" (see, e.g., kreuzer (2001) br. j. haematol. 114:313-318 ; xia (2001) transplantation 72:907-914 ). the engineered phenotype may be generated by knocking out expression of a homologous gene. the gene's coding sequence or one or more transcriptional control elements can be knocked out, e.g., promoters or enhancers. thus, the expression of a transcript can be completely ablated or only decreased. the engineered phenotype may comprise increasing the expression of a homologous gene. this can be effected by knocking out of a negative control element, including a transcriptional regulatory element acting in cis- or trans- , or, mutagenizing a positive control element. one or more, or, all the transcripts of a cell can be measured by hybridization of a sample comprising transcripts of the cell, or, nucleic acids representative of or complementary to transcripts of a cell, by hybridization to immobilized nucleic acids on an array. monitoring expression of a polypeptides, peptides and amino acids the engineered phenotype may comprise increasing or decreasing the expression of a polypeptide (xylanase) or generating new polypeptides in a cell. this increased or decreased expression can be traced by determining the amount of xylanase present or by xylanase activity assays. polypeptides, peptides and amino acids also can be detected and quantified by any method known in the art, including, e.g., nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr), spectrophotometry, radiography (protein radiolabeling), electrophoresis, capillary electrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography (hplc), thin layer chromatography (tlc), hyperdiffusion chromatography, various immunological methods, e.g. immunoprecipitation, immunodiffusion, immuno-electrophoresis, radioimmunoassays (rias), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (elisas), immuno-fluorescent assays, gel electrophoresis (e.g., sds-page), staining with antibodies, fluorescent activated cell sorter (facs), pyrolysis mass spectrometry, fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, raman spectrometry, gc-ms, and lc-electrospray and cap-lc-tandem-electrospray mass spectrometries, and the like. novel bioactivities can also be screened using methods, or variations thereof, described in u.s. patent no. 6,057,103 . furthermore, as discussed below in detail, one or more, or, all the polypeptides of a cell can be measured using a protein array. industrial, energy, pharmaceutical, medical, food processing and other applications polypeptides of the invention can be used in any industrial, agricultural, food and feed and food and feed supplement processing, pharmaceutical, medical, research (laboratory) or other process. the invention provides industrial processes using enzymes of the invention, e.g., in the pharmaceutical or nutrient (diet) supplement industry, the energy industry (e.g., to make "clean" biofuels), in the food and feed industries, e.g., in methods for making food and feed products and food and feed additives. processes using enzymes of the invention in the medical industry are, e.g., to make pharmaceuticals or dietary aids or supplements, or food supplements and additives. in addition, the enzymes of the invention may be used in biofuel production, including, e.g., a bioalcohol such as bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol or biopropanol, thus comprising a "clean" fuel production. enzymes of the invention can be added to industrial processes continuously, in batches or by fed-batch methods. in another aspect, enzymes of the invention can be recycled in the industrial processes, thereby lowering enzyme requirements. for example, xylanases can be used in the biobleaching and treatment of chemical pulps, for example, as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,202,249 ; or for biobleaching and treatment of wood or paper pulps, for example, as described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,179,021 , 5,116,746 , 5,407,827 , 5,405,769 , 5,395,765 , 5,369,024 , 5,457,045 , 5,434,071 , 5,498,534 , 5,591,304 , 5,645,686 , 5,725,732 , 5,759,840 , 5,834,301 , 5,871,730 and 6,057,438 ; or for reducing lignin in wood and modifying wood, for example, as described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,486,468 and/or 5,770,012 ; or for use as flour, dough and bread improvers, for example, as described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,108,765 and/or 5,306,633 ; or for use as feed additives and/or supplements, for example, as described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,432,074 ; 5,429,828 ; 5,612,055 ; 5,720,971 ; 5,981,233 ; 5,948,667 ; 6,099,844 ; 6,132,727 and/or 6,132,716 ; or in manufacturing cellulose solutions, for example, as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,760,211 ; or in detergent compositions; or used for fruit, vegetables and/or mud and clay compounds, for example, as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,786,316 . xylanases of this invention also can be used in hydrolysis of hemicellulose, for example, as described in u.s. pat. no. 4,725,544 . the xylanase enzymes of the invention can be highly selective catalysts. they can catalyze reactions with exquisite stereo-, regio- and chemo- selectivities that are unparalleled in conventional synthetic chemistry. moreover, enzymes are remarkably versatile. the xylanase enzymes of the invention can be tailored to function in organic solvents, operate at extreme phs (for example, high phs and low phs) extreme temperatures (for example, high temperatures and low temperatures), extreme salinity levels (for example, high salinity and low salinity) and catalyze reactions with compounds that are structurally unrelated to their natural, physiological substrates. wood, paper and pulp treatments the xylanases of the invention can be used in any wood, wood product, wood waste or by-product, paper, paper product, paper or wood pulp, kraft pulp, or wood or paper recycling treatment or industrial process, e.g., any wood, wood pulp, paper waste, paper or pulp treatment or wood or paper deinking process. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention can be used to treat/ pretreat paper pulp, or recycled paper or paper pulp, and the like. in one aspect, enzyme(s) of the invention are used to increase the "brightness" of the paper via their use in treating/ pretreating paper pulp, or recycled paper or paper pulp, and the like. the higher the grade of paper, the greater the brightness; paper brightness can impact the scan capability of optical scanning equipment; thus, the enzymes and processes of the invention can be used to make high grade, "bright" paper for, e.g., use in optical scanning equipment, including inkjet, laser and photo printing quality paper. for example, the enzymes of the invention can be used in any industrial process using xylanases known in the art, e.g., treating waste paper, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,767,728 or 6,426,200; seasoning wood, e.g., for applications in the food industry, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,623,953; for the production of xylose from a paper-grade hardwood pulp, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,512,110; treating fibrous lignocellulosic raw material with a xylanase in an aqueous medium as described in, e.g., uspn 6,287,708; dissolving pulp from cellulosic fiber, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,254,722; deinking and decolorizing a printed paper or removing color from wood pulp, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,241,849, 5,834,301 or 5,582,681; bleaching a chemical paper pulp or lignocellulose pulp using a xylanase, as described in, e.g., uspn 5,645,686 or 5,618,386; for treating wood pulp that includes incompletely washed brownstock, as described in, e.g., uspn 5,591,304; purifying and delignifying a waste lignocellulosic material, as described in, e.g., in uspn 5,503,709; manufacturing paper or cardboard from recycled cellulose fibers, as described in, e.g., in uspn 5,110,412; debarking of logs, as described in, e.g., in uspn 5,103,883; producing fluff pulp with improved shredding properties, as described in, e.g., in uspn 5,068,009, and the like. the xylanases of the invention can be used to process or treat any cellulosic material, e.g., fibers from wood, cotton, hemp, flax or linen. wood, wood pulp, paper, paper pulp, paper waste or wood or paper recycling treatment processes may use a xylanase of the invention. in one aspect, the xylanase of the invention is applicable both in reduction of the need for a chemical decoloring (e.g., bleaching) agent, such as chlorine dioxide, and in high alkaline and high temperature environments. most lignin is solubilized in the cooking stage of pulping process. the residual lignin is removed from the pulp in the bleaching process. in one aspect, xylanase bleaching of pulp (e.g., using an enzyme of the invention) is based on the partial hydrolysis of xylan, which is the main component of the hemicellulose. the enzymatic action (e.g., of an enzyme of the invention) releases hemicellulose-bound lignin and increases the extractability of lignin from the pulp in the subsequent bleaching process, e.g. using chlorine and oxygen chemicals. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention can be used to increase the final brightness of the pulp at a fixed level of bleaching chemicals. in another aspect, xylanases of the invention can be used to decrease the kappa number of the pulp. wood, wood pulp, paper, paper pulp, paper waste or wood or paper recycling treatment processes (methods) may use a xylanase of the invention where the treatment time (the amount of time the xylanase is in contact with the pulp, paper, wood, etc.) and/or retention time can be anywhere from between about 1 minute to 12 hours, or between about 5 minutes to 1 hour, or between about 15 to 30 minutes; or the treatment and/or retention time can be any time up to about 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or more hours. in one aspect, the xylanase of the invention is a thermostable alkaline endoxylanase which in one aspect can effect a greater than 25% reduction in the chlorine dioxide requirement of kraft pulp with a less than 0.5% pulp yield loss. in one aspect, boundary parameters are ph 10, 65-85°c and treatment time of less than 60 minutes at an enzyme loading of less than 0.001 wt%; in alternative aspects the treatment and/or retention time is less than about 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12. a pool of xylanases may be tested for the ability to hydrolyze dye-labeled xylan at, for example, ph 10 and 60°c. the enzymes that test positive under these conditions may then be evaluated at, for example ph 10 and 70°c. alternatively, enzymes may be tested at ph 8 and ph 10 at 70°c. in discovery of xylanases desirable in the pulp and paper industry libraries from high temperature or highly alkaline environments were targeted. specifically, these libraries were screened for enzymes functioning at alkaline ph and a temperature of approximately 45°c. in another aspect, the xylanases of the invention are useful in the pulp and paper industry in degradation of a lignin-hemicellulose linkage, in order to release the lignin. enzymes of the invention can be used for deinking printed wastepaper, such as newspaper, or for deinking noncontact-printed wastepaper, e.g., xerographic and laser-printed paper, and mixtures of contact and noncontact-printed wastepaper, as described in uspn 6,767,728 or 6,426,200 ; neo (1986) j. wood chem. tech. 6(2):147 . enzymes of the invention can be used in processes for the production of xylose from a paper-grade hardwood pulp by extracting xylan contained in pulp into a liquid phase, subjecting the xylan contained in the obtained liquid phase to conditions sufficient to hydrolyze xylan to xylose, and recovering the xylose, where the extracting step includes at least one treatment of an aqueous suspension of pulp or an alkali-soluble material a xylanase enzyme, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,512,110. enzymes of the invention can be used in processes for dissolving pulp from cellulosic fibers such as recycled paper products made from hardwood fiber, a mixture of hardwood fiber and softwood fiber, waste paper, e.g., from unprinted envelopes, de-inked envelopes, unprinted ledger paper, de-inked ledger paper, and the like, as described in, e.g., uspn 6,254,722. the xylanases of the invention can also be used in any wood, wood product, paper, paper product, paper or wood pulp, kraft pulp, or wood or paper recycling treatment or industrial process, e.g., any wood, wood pulp, paper waste, paper or pulp treatment or wood or paper deinking process as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. alternatively, the xylanases of the invention can be part of a wood, wood product, paper, paper product, paper or wood pulp, kraft pulp, or recycled paper composition, and/or a composition comprising one or more wood, wood product, paper, paper product, paper or wood pulp, kraft pulp, or recycled paper compositions, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. treating fibers and textiles the xylanases of the invention can be used in any fiber- or fabric-treating method, which are well known in the art, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,261,828 ; 6,077,316 ; 6,024,766 ; 6,021,536 ; 6,017,751 ; 5,980,581 ; us patent publication no. 20020142438 a1 . for example, xylanases of the invention can be used in fiber and/or fabric desizing. in one aspect, the feel and appearance of a fabric is improved by a method comprising contacting the fabric with a xylanase of the invention in a solution. in one aspect, the fabric is treated with the solution under pressure. for example, xylanases of the invention can be used in the removal of stains. the xylanases of the invention can be used to treat any cellulosic material, including fibers (e.g., fibers from cotton, hemp, flax or linen), sewn and unsewn fabrics, e.g., knits, wovens, denims, yarns, and toweling, made from cotton, cotton blends or natural or manmade cellulosics (e.g. originating from xylan-containing cellulose fibers such as from wood pulp) or blends thereof. examples of blends are blends of cotton or rayon/viscose with one or more companion material such as wool, synthetic fibers (e.g. polyamide fibers, acrylic fibers, polyester fibers, polyvinyl alcohol fibers, polyvinyl chloride fibers, polyvinylidene chloride fibers, polyurethane fibers, polyurea fibers, aramid fibers), and cellulose-containing fibers (e.g. rayon/viscose, ramie, hemp, flax/linen, jute, cellulose acetate fibers, lyocell). the textile treating processes using xylanases of the invention can be used in conjunction with other textile treatments, e.g., scouring and bleaching. scouring is the removal of non-cellulosic material from the cotton fiber, e.g., the cuticle (mainly consisting of waxes) and primary cell wall (mainly consisting of pectin, protein and xyloglucan). a proper wax removal is necessary for obtaining a high wettability. this is needed for dyeing. removal of the primary cell walls by the processes of the invention improves wax removal and ensures a more even dyeing. treating textiles can improve whiteness in the bleaching process. the main chemical used in scouring is sodium, hydroxide in high concentrations and at high temperatures. bleaching comprises oxidizing the textile. bleaching typically involves use of hydrogen peroxide as the oxidizing agent in order to obtain either a fully bleached (white) fabric or to ensure a clean shade of the dye. the invention also provides alkaline xylanases (xylanases active under alkaline conditions). these have wide-ranging applications in textile processing, degumming of plant fibers (e.g., plant bast fibers), treatment of pectic wastewaters, paper-making, and coffee and tea fermentations. see, e.g., hoondal (2002) applied microbiology and biotechnology 59:409-418 . in another aspect of the invention, the xylanases of the invention can also be used in any fiber- and/or fabric-treating process as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. alternatively, the xylanases of the invention can be part of a fiber- and/or fabric-composition, where the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the fiber and/or fabric. detergent, disinfectant and cleaning compositions detergent, disinfectant or cleanser (cleaning or cleansing) compositions may comprise one or more xylanases of the invention. for methods of making and using detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions, see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,413,928 ; 6,399,561 ; 6,365,561 ; 6,380,147 . the detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions can be a one and two part aqueous composition, a non-aqueous liquid composition, a cast solid, a granular form, a particulate form, a compressed tablet, a gel and/or a paste and a slurry form. the xylanases of the invention can also be used as a detergent, disinfectant or cleanser additive product in a solid or a liquid form. such additive products are intended to supplement or boost the performance of conventional detergent compositions and can be added at any stage of the cleaning process. the actual active enzyme content depends upon the method of manufacture of a detergent, disinfectant or cleanser composition and is not critical, assuming the detergent solution has the desired enzymatic activity. in one aspect, the amount of xylanase present in the final solution ranges from about 0.001 mg to 0.5 mg per gram of the detergent composition. the particular enzyme chosen for use in the process and products of this invention depends upon the conditions of final utility, including the physical product form, use ph, use temperature, and soil types to be degraded or altered. the enzyme can be chosen to provide optimum activity and stability for any given set of utility conditions. in one aspect, the xylanases of the present invention are active in the ph ranges of from about 4 to about 12 and in the temperature range of from about 20°c to about 95°c. the detergents of the invention can comprise cationic, semi-polar nonionic or zwitterionic surfactants; or, mixtures thereof. xylanases of the invention can be formulated into powdered and liquid detergents, disinfectants or cleansers having ph between 4.0 and 12.0 at levels of about 0.01 to about 5% (preferably 0.1% to 0.5%) by weight. these detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions can also include other enzymes such as xylanases, cellulases, lipases, esterases, proteases, or endoglycosidases, endo-beta.-1,4-glucanases, beta-glucanases, endo-beta-1,3(4)-glucanases, cutinases, peroxidases, catalases, laccases, amylases, glucoamylases, pectinases, reductases, oxidases, phenoloxidases, ligninases, pullulanases, arabinanases, hemicellulases, mannanases, xyloglucanases, xylanases, pectin acetyl esterases, rhamnogalacturonan acetyl esterases, polygalacturonases, rhamnogalacturonases, galactanases, pectin lyases, pectin methylesterases, cellobiohydrolases and/or transglutaminases. these detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions can also include dyes, colorants, odorants, bleaches, buffers, builders, enzyme "enhancing agents" (see, e.g., u.s. patent application no. 20030096394 ) and stabilizers. the addition of xylanases of the invention to conventional cleaning compositions does not create any special use limitation. in other words, any temperature and ph suitable for the detergent is also suitable as long as the enzyme is active at or tolerant of the ph and/or temperature of the intended use. in addition, the xylanases of the invention can be used in a cleaning composition without detergents, again either alone or in combination with builders and stabilizers. relevant cleaning compositions include detergent compositions for cleaning hard surfaces, detergent compositions for cleaning fabrics, dishwashing compositions, oral cleaning compositions, denture cleaning compositions, and contact lens cleaning solutions. a method for washing an object comprises contacting the object with a polypeptide of the invention under conditions sufficient for washing. a xylanase of the invention may be included as a detergent, disinfectant or cleanser additive. the detergent, disinfectant or cleanser composition may, for example, be formulated as a hand or machine laundry detergent, disinfectant or cleanser composition comprising a polypeptide of the invention. a laundry additive suitable for pre-treatment of stained fabrics can comprise a polypeptide of the invention. a fabric softener composition can comprise a xylanase of the invention. alternatively, a xylanase of the invention can be formulated as a detergent, disinfectant or cleanser composition for use in general household hard surface cleaning operations. in alternative aspects, detergent, disinfectant or cleanser additives and detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions may comprise one or more other enzymes such as a xylanase, a lipase, a protease, a cutinase, an esterase, another xylanase, a carbohydrase, a cellulase, a pectinase, a mannanase, an arabinase, a galactanase, a xylanase, an oxidase, e.g., a lactase, and/or a peroxidase (see also, above). the properties of the enzyme(s) of the invention are chosen to be compatible with the selected detergent (i.e. ph-optimum, compatibility with other enzymatic and non-enzymatic ingredients, etc.) and the enzyme(s) is present in effective amounts. in one aspect, xylanase enzymes of the invention are used to remove malodorous materials from fabrics. various detergent compositions and methods for making them that can be used in practicing the invention are described in, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 6,333,301 ; 6,329,333 ; 6,326,341 ; 6,297,038 ; 6,309,871 ; 6,204,232 ; 6,197,070 ; 5,856,164 . when formulated as compositions suitable for use in a laundry machine washing method, the xylanases of the invention can comprise both a surfactant and a builder compound. they can additionally comprise one or more detergent components, e.g., organic polymeric compounds, bleaching agents, additional enzymes, suds suppressors, dispersants, lime-soap dispersants, soil suspension and anti-redeposition agents and corrosion inhibitors. laundry compositions can also contain softening agents, as additional detergent components. such compositions containing carbohydrase can provide fabric cleaning, stain removal, whiteness maintenance, softening, color appearance, dye transfer inhibition and sanitization when formulated as laundry detergent compositions. the density of the laundry detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions can range from about 200 to 1500 g/liter, or, about 400 to 1200 g/liter, or, about 500 to 950 g/liter, or, 600 to 800 g/liter, of composition; this can be measured at about 20°c. in one aspect, the "compact" form of laundry detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions is best reflected by density and, in terms of composition, by the amount of inorganic filler salt. inorganic filler salts are conventional ingredients of detergent compositions in powder form. in conventional detergent compositions, the filler salts are present in substantial amounts, typically 17% to 35% by weight of the total composition. in one aspect of the compact compositions, the filler salt is present in amounts not exceeding 15% of the total composition, or, not exceeding 10%, or, not exceeding 5% by weight of the composition. the inorganic filler salts can be selected from the alkali and alkaline-earth-metal salts of sulphates and chlorides, e.g., sodium sulphate. liquid detergent compositions can also be in a "concentrated form." the liquid detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions can contain a lower amount of water, compared to conventional liquid detergents, disinfectants or cleansers. the water content of the concentrated liquid detergent may be less than 40%, or, less than 30%, or, less than 20% by weight of the detergent, disinfectant or cleanser composition. detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compounds can comprise formulations as described in wo 97/01629 . xylanases of the invention can be useful in formulating various detergent, cleaning, disinfectant or cleanser compositions. a number of known compounds are suitable surfactants including nonionic, anionic, cationic, or zwitterionic detergents, can be used, e.g., as disclosed in u.s. patent nos. 4,404,128 ; 4,261,868 ; 5,204,015 . in addition, xylanases can be used, for example, in bar or liquid soap applications, dish care formulations, contact lens cleaning solutions or products, peptide hydrolysis, waste treatment, textile applications, as fusion-cleavage enzymes in protein production, and the like. xylanases may provide enhanced performance in a detergent composition as compared to another detergent xylanase, that is, the enzyme group may increase cleaning of certain enzyme sensitive stains such as grass or blood, as determined by usual evaluation after a standard wash cycle. xylanases can be formulated into known powdered and liquid detergents having ph between 6.5 and 12.0 at levels of about 0.01 to about 5% (for example, about 0.1% to 0.5%) by weight. these detergent cleaning compositions can also include other enzymes such as known xylanases, xylanases, proteases, amylases, cellulases, mannanases, lipases or endoglycosidases, redox enzymes such as catalases and laccases, as well as builders, stabilizers, fragrances and pigments. detergent, disinfectant or cleanser compositions having xylanase activity, comprising a xylanase of the invention may be for use with fruit, vegetables and/or mud and clay compounds (see, for example, u.s. pat. no. 5,786,316 ). in another aspect of the invention, the xylanases of the invention can also be used in any detergent, disinfectant or cleanser (cleaning solution) manufacturing process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. alternatively, the xylanases of the invention can be used in any cleasing or washing process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. in another aspect of the invention, the xylanase of the invention can be included in any detergent or cleanser composition, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. treating foods and food processing the xylanases of the invention have numerous applications in food processing industry. for example, in one aspect, the xylanases of the invention are used to improve the extraction of oil from oil-rich plant material, e.g., oil-rich seeds, for example, soybean oil from soybeans, olive oil from olives, rapeseed oil from rapeseed and/or sunflower oil from sunflower seeds. the xylanases of the invention can be used for separation of components of plant cell materials. for example, xylanases of the invention can be used in the separation of xylan-rich material (e.g., plant cells) into components. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention can be used to separate xylan-rich or oil-rich crops into valuable protein and oil and hull fractions. the separation process may be performed by use of methods known in the art. the xylanases of the invention can be used in the preparation of fruit or vegetable juices, syrups, extracts and the like to increase yield. the xylanases of the invention can be used in the enzymatic treatment (e.g., hydrolysis of xylan-comprising plant materials) of various plant cell wall-derived materials or waste materials, e.g. from cereals, grains, wine or juice production, or agricultural residues such as vegetable hulls, bean hulls, sugar beet pulp, olive pulp, potato pulp, and the like. the xylanases of the invention can be used to modify the consistency and appearance of processed fruit or vegetables. the xylanases of the invention can be used to treat plant material to facilitate processing of plant material, including foods, facilitate purification or extraction of plant components. the xylanases of the invention can be used to improve feed value, decrease the water binding capacity, improve the degradability in waste water plants and/or improve the conversion of plant material to ensilage, and the like. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used in baking applications, e.g., cookies and crackers, to hydrolyze xylans such as arabinoxylans. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used to create non-sticky doughs that are not difficult to machine and to reduce biscuit size. xylanases of the invention can be used to hydrolyze arabinoxylans to prevent rapid rehydration of the baked product resulting in loss of crispiness and reduced shelf-life. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used as additives in dough processing. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used in dough conditioning, wherein in one aspect the xylanases possess high activity over a temperature range of about 25-35°c and at near neutral ph (7.0 - 7.5). in one aspect, dough conditioning enzymes can be inactivated at the extreme temperatures of baking (>500°f). the enzymes of the invention can be used in conjunction with any dough processing protocol, e.g., as in u.s. patent app. no. 20050281916 . in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used as additives in dough processing to perform optimally under dough ph and temperature conditions. in one aspect, an enzyme of the invention is used for dough conditioning. in one aspect, a xylanase of the invention possesses high activity over a temperature range of 25-35°c and at near neutral ph (7.0 - 7.5). in one aspect, the enzyme is inactivated at the extreme temperatures of baking, for example, >500°f. in another aspect of the invention, the xylanases of the invention can also be used in any food or beverage treatment or food or beverage processing process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. in another aspect of the invention, the xylanase of the invention can be included in any food or bevereage composition, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. animal feeds and food or feed or food additives (supplements) methods for treating animal feeds and foods and food or feed additives (supplements) using xylanases of the invention, animals including mammals (e.g., humans), birds, fish and the like are disclosed. treating animal feeds, foods and additives using xylanases of the invention can help in the availability of nutrients, e.g., starch, protein, and the like, in the animal feed or additive (supplements). by breaking down difficult to digest proteins or indirectly or directly unmasking starch (or other nutrients), the xylanase makes nutrients more accessible to other endogenous or exogenous enzymes. the xylanase can also simply cause the release of readily digestible and easily absorbed nutrients and sugars. when added to animal feed, xylanases of the invention improve the in vivo break-down of plant cell wall material partly due to a reduction of the intestinal viscosity (see, e.g., bedford et al., proceedings of the 1st symposium on enzymes in animal nutrition, 1993, pp. 73-77 ), whereby a better utilization of the plant nutrients by the animal is achieved. thus, by using xylanases of the invention in feeds the growth rate and/or feed conversion ratio (i.e. the weight of ingested feed relative to weight gain) of the animal is improved. the animal feed additive may be a granulated enzyme product which may readily be-mixed with feed components. alternatively, feed additives can form a component of a pre-mix. the granulated enzyme product may be coated or uncoated. the particle size of the enzyme granulates can be compatible with that of feed and pre-mix components. this provides a safe and convenient mean of incorporating enzymes into feeds. alternatively, the animal feed additive of the invention may be a stabilized liquid composition. this may be an aqueous or oil-based slurry. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,245,546 . xylanases of the present invention, in the modification of animal feed or a food, can process the food or feed either in vitro (by modifying components of the feed or food) or in vivo. xylanases can be added to animal feed or food compositions containing high amounts of xylans, e.g. feed or food containing plant material from cereals, grains and the like. when added to the feed or food the xylanase significantly improves the in vivo break-down of xylan-containing material, e.g., plant cell walls, whereby a better utilization of the plant nutrients by the animal (e.g., human) is achieved. in one aspect, the growth rate and/or feed conversion ratio (i.e. the weight of ingested feed relative to weight gain) of the animal is improved. for example a partially or indigestible xylan-comprising protein is fully or partially degraded by a xylanase of the invention, e.g. in combination with another enzyme, e.g., beta-galactosidase, to peptides and galactose and/or galactooligomers. these enzyme digestion products are more digestible by the animal. thus, xylanases of the invention can contribute to the available energy of the feed or food. also, by contributing to the degradation of xylan-comprising proteins, a xylanase of the invention can improve the digestibility and uptake of carbohydrate and non-carbohydrate feed or food constituents such as protein, fat and minerals. in another aspect, xylanase of the invention can be supplied by expressing the enzymes directly in transgenic feed crops (as, e.g., transgenic plants, seeds and the like), such as grains, cereals, corn, soy bean, rape seed, lupin and the like. as discussed above, the invention provides transgenic plants, plant parts and plant cells comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding a polypeptide of the invention. in one aspect, the nucleic acid is expressed such that the xylanase of the invention is produced in recoverable quantities. the xylanase can be recovered from any plant or plant part. alternatively, the plant or plant part containing the recombinant polypeptide can be used as such for improving the quality of a food or feed, e.g., improving nutritional value, palatability, and rheological properties, or to destroy an antinutritive factor. oligosaccharides may be removed from feed prior to consumption by an animal subject using a xylanase of the invention. in this process a feed is formed having an increased metabolizable energy value. in addition to xylanases of the invention, galactosidases, cellulases and combinations thereof can be used. in one aspect, the enzyme is added in an amount equal to between about 0.1% and 1 % by weight of the feed material. in one aspect, the feed is a cereal, a wheat, a grain, a soybean (e.g., a ground soybean) material. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,399,123 . xylanase of the invention may be used as a nutritional supplement in the diets of animals by preparing a nutritional supplement containing a recombinant xylanase enzyme comprising at least thirty contiguous amino acids of a sequence of the invention, and administering the nutritional supplement to an animal to increase the utilization of xylan contained in food ingested by the animal. an enzyme delivery matrix readily releases a xylanase enzyme, such as one having an amino acid sequence of the invention, or at least 30 contiguous amino acids thereof, in aqueous media, such as, for example, the digestive fluid of an animal. the enzyme delivery matrix is prepared from a granulate edible carrier selected from such components as grain germ that is spent of oil, hay, alfalfa, timothy, soy hull, sunflower seed meal, corn meal, soy meal, wheat midd, and the like, that readily disperse the recombinant enzyme contained therein into aqueous media. in use, the edible pelletized enzyme delivery matrix is administered to an animal to deliver xylanase to the animal. suitable grain-based substrates may comprise or be derived from any suitable edible grain, such as wheat, corn, soy, sorghum, alfalfa, barley, and the like. an exemplary grain-based substrate is a corn-based substrate. the substrate may be derived from any suitable part of the grain, but is preferably a grain germ approved for animal feed use, such as corn germ that is obtained in a wet or dry milling process. the grain germ preferably comprises spent germ, which is grain germ from which oil has been expelled, such as by pressing or hexane or other solvent extraction. alternatively, the grain germ is expeller extracted, that is, the oil has been removed by pressing. the enzyme delivery matrix is in the form of discrete plural particles, pellets or granules. by "granules" is meant particles that are compressed or compacted, such as by a pelletizing, extrusion, or similar compacting to remove water from the matrix. such compression or compacting of the particles also promotes intraparticle cohesion of the particles. for example, the granules can be prepared by pelletizing the grain-based substrate in a pellet mill. the pellets prepared thereby are ground or crumbled to a granule size suitable for use as an adjuvant in animal feed. since the matrix is itself approved for use in animal feed, it can be used as a diluent for delivery of enzymes in animal feed. the enzyme delivery matrix can be in the form of granules having a granule size ranging from about 4 to about 400 mesh (uss); more preferably, about 8 to about 80 mesh; and most preferably about 14 to about 20 mesh. if the grain germ is spent via solvent extraction, use of a lubricity agent such as corn oil may be necessary in the pelletizer, but such a lubricity agent ordinarily is not necessary if the germ is expeller extracted. the matrix may alternatively be prepared by other compacting or compressing processes such as, for example, by extrusion of the grain-based substrate through a die and grinding of the extrudate to a suitable granule size. the enzyme delivery matrix may further include a polysaccharide component as a cohesiveness agent to enhance the cohesiveness of the matrix granules. the cohesiveness agent is believed to provide additional hydroxyl groups, which enhance the bonding between grain proteins within the matrix granule. it is further believed that the additional hydroxyl groups so function by enhancing the hydrogen bonding of proteins to starch and to other proteins. the cohesiveness agent may be present in any amount suitable to enhance the cohesiveness of the granules of the enzyme delivery matrix. suitable cohesiveness agents include one or more of dextrins, maltodextrins, starches, such as corn starch, flours, cellulosics, hemicellulosics, and the like. for example, the percentage of grain germ and cohesiveness agent in the matrix (not including the enzyme) is 78% corn germ meal and 20% by weight of corn starch. because the enzyme-releasing matrix is made from biodegradable materials and contains moisture, the matrix may be subject to spoilage, such as by molding. to prevent or inhibit such molding, the matrix may include a mold inhibitor, such as a propionate salt, which may be present in any amount sufficient to inhibit the molding of the enzyme-releasing matrix, thus providing a delivery matrix in a stable formulation that does not require refrigeration. the xylanase enzyme contained in the enzyme delivery matrix is preferably a thermostable xylanase, as described herein, so as to resist inactivation of the xylanase during manufacture where elevated temperatures and/or steam may be employed to prepare the pelletized enzyme delivery matrix. during digestion of feed containing the invention enzyme delivery matrix, aqueous digestive fluids will cause release of the active enzyme. other types of thermostable enzymes and nutritional supplements that are thermostable can also be incorporated in the delivery matrix for release under any type of aqueous conditions. a coating can be applied to the invention enzyme matrix particles for many different purposes, such as to add a flavor or nutrition supplement to animal feed, to delay release of animal feed supplements and enzymes in gastric conditions, and the like. or, the coating may be applied to achieve a functional goal, for example, whenever it is desirable to slow release of the enzyme from the matrix particles or to control the conditions under which the enzyme will be released. the composition of the coating material can be such that it is selectively broken down by an agent to which it is susceptible (such as heat, acid or base, enzymes or other chemicals). alternatively, two or more coatings susceptible to different such breakdown agents may be consecutively applied to the matrix particles. a process for preparing an enzyme-releasing matrix may comprise providing discrete plural particles of a grain-based substrate in a particle size suitable for use as an enzyme-releasing matrix, wherein the particles comprise a xylanase enzyme encoded by an amino acid sequence of the invention or at least 30 consecutive amino acids thereof. preferably, the process includes compacting or compressing the particles of enzyme-releasing matrix into granules, which can be accomplished by pelletizing. the mold inhibitor and cohesiveness agent, when used, can be added at any suitable time, and can be mixed with the grain-based substrate in the desired proportions prior to pelletizing of the grain-based substrate. moisture content in the pellet mill feed can be in the ranges set forth above with respect to the moisture content in the finished product, and can be about 14-15%. in one aspect, moisture is added to the feedstock in the form of an aqueous preparation of the enzyme to bring the feedstock to this moisture content. the temperature in the pellet mill can be brought to about 82°c with steam. the pellet mill may be operated under any conditions that impart sufficient work to the feedstock to provide pellets. the pelleting process itself is a cost-effective process for removing water from the enzyme-containing composition. in one aspect, the pellet mill is operated with a 1/8 in. by 2 inch die at 100 lb./min. pressure at 82°c to provide pellets, which then are crumbled in a pellet mill crumbler to provide discrete plural particles having a particle size capable of passing through an 8 mesh screen but being retained on a 20 mesh screen. the thermostable xylanases of the invention can be used in the pellets. they can have high optimum temperatures and high heat resistance such that an enzyme reaction at a temperature not hitherto carried out can be achieved. the gene encoding the xylanase according to the present invention (e.g. as set forth in any of the sequences in the invention) can be used in preparation of xylanases (e.g. using gssm as described herein) having characteristics different from those of the xylanases of the invention (in terms of optimum ph, optimum temperature, heat resistance, stability to solvents, specific activity, affinity to substrate, secretion ability, translation rate, transcription control and the like). furthermore, a polynucleotide of the invention may be employed for screening of variant xylanases prepared by the methods described herein to determine those having a desired activity, such as improved or modified thermostability or thermotolerance. for example, u.s. patent no. 5,830,732 , describes a screening assay for determining thermotolerance of a xylanase. the xylanases of the invention can also be used in any animal feed, animal food or feed additive production process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. the xylanase of the invention can be included in any animal feed, animal food or feed additive composition, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. waste treatment the xylanases of the invention can be used in a variety of other industrial applications, e.g., in waste treatment. for example, a solid waste digestion process may use xylanases of the invention. the methods can comprise reducing the mass and volume of substantially untreated solid waste. solid waste can be treated with an enzymatic digestive process in the presence of an enzymatic solution including xylanases of the invention at a controlled temperature. this results in a reaction without appreciable bacterial fermentation from added microorganisms. the solid waste is converted into a liquefied waste and any residual solid waste. the resulting liquefied waste can be separated from said any residual solidified waste. see e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,709,796 . the xylanases of the invention can also be used in any waste treatment process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. the xylanase of the invention can be included in any waste treatment composition, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. oral care products oral care product may comprise xylanases of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention. oral care products include toothpastes, dental creams, gels or tooth powders, odontics, mouth washes, pre- or post brushing rinse formulations, chewing gums, lozenges, or candy. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,264,925 . the xylanases of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention, can also be used in any oral care manufacturing process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. the xylanase of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention, can be included in any oral care composition, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. brewing and fermenting methods of brewing (e.g., fermenting) beer may comprise xylanases of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention. starch-containing raw materials may be disintegrated and processed to form a malt. a xylanase of the invention is used at any point in the fermentation process. for example, xylanases of the invention can be used in the processing of barley malt. the major raw material of beer brewing is barley malt. this can be a three stage process. first, the barley grain can be steeped to increase water content, e.g., to around about 40%. second, the grain can be germinated by incubation at 15 to 25°c for 3 to 6 days when enzyme synthesis is stimulated under the control of gibberellins. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are added at this (or any other) stage of the process. xylanases of the invention can be used in any beer or alcoholic beverage producing process, as described, e.g., in u.s. patent no. 5,762,991 ; 5,536,650 ; 5,405,624 ; 5,021,246 ; 4,788,066 . in one aspect, an enzyme of the invention is used to improve filterability and wort viscosity and to obtain a more complete hydrolysis of endosperm components. use of an enzyme of the invention would also increase extract yield. the process of brewing involves germination of the barley grain (malting) followed by the extraction and the breakdown of the stored carbohydrates to yield simple sugars that are used by yeast for alcoholic fermentation. efficient breakdown of the carbohydrate reserves present in the barley endosperm and brewing adjuncts requires the activity of several different enzymes. in one aspect, an enzyme of the invention has activity in slightly acidic ph (e.g., 5.5-6.0) in, e.g., the 40°c to 70°c temperature range; and, in one aspect, with inactivation at 95°c. activity under such conditions would be optimal, but are not an essential requirement for efficacy. in one aspect, an enzyme of the invention has activity between 40-75° c, and ph 5.5-6.0; stable at 70° for at least 50 minutes, and, in one aspect, is inactivated at 96-100 °c. enzymes of the invention can be used with other enzymes, e.g., beta-1,4-endoglucanases and amylases. the xylanases of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention, can also be used in any brewing or fermentation process, wherein the xylanase is used as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent. the xylanase of the invention can be included in any brewed or fermented composition, wherein the xylanases of the invention act as an antimicrobial or microbial repellent in the composition. biomass conversion and biofuel production methods and processes for biomass conversion, e.g., to a biofuel, such as bioethanol, biomethanol, biopropanol and/or biobutanol and the like, may use enzymes of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention. fuels, e.g., biofuels, such as bioethanols, may comprise a polypeptide of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. the fuel may be derived from a plant material, which optionally comprises potatoes, soybean (rapeseed), barley, rye, corn, oats, wheat, beets or sugar cane, and optionally the fuel comprises a bioethanol or a gasoline-ethanol mix. methods for making a fuel may comprise contacting a composition comprising a xylan, hemicellulose, cellulose or a fermentable sugar with a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or any one of the mixtures or "cocktails" or products of manufacture of the invention. in alternative embodiments, the composition comprising a xylan, hemicellulose, a cellulose or a fermentable sugar comprises a plant, plant product or plant derivative, and the plant or plant product can comprise cane sugar plants or plant products, beets or sugarbeets, wheat, corn, soybeans, potato, rice or barley. in alternative embodiments, the polypeptide has activity comprising catalyzing hydrolysis of internal p-1,4-xylosidic linkages or endo- β-1,4-glucanase linkages; and/or degrading a linear polysaccharide beta-1,4-xylan into xylose. in one aspect, the fuel comprises a bioethanol or a gasoline-ethanol mix, or a biopropanol or a gasoline-propanol mix, or a biobutanol or a gasoline-butanol mix, or or a biomethanol or a gasoline-methanol mix, or any combination thereof. methods for making bioethanol, biobutanol, biomethanol and/or a biopropanol may comprise contacting a composition comprising a xylan, hemi-cellulose, cellulose or a fermentable sugar with a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, or any one of the mixtures or "cocktails" or products of manufacture of the invention. the composition comprising a cellulose or a fermentable sugar may comprise a plant, plant product or plant derivative, and the plant or plant product can comprise cane sugar plants or plant products, beets or sugarbeets, wheat, corn, soybeans, potato, rice or barley. the invention provides enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails", for depolymerization of cellulosic and hemicellulosic polymers, xylans, and polysaccharides to metabolizeable carbon moieties comprising a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention. in alternative embodiments, the polypeptide has activity comprising catalyzing hydrolysis of internal β-1,4-xylosidic linkages or endo- β-1,4-glucanase linkages; and/or degrading a linear polysaccharide beta-1,4-xylan into xylose. the enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails", of the invention can be in the form of a composition (e.g., a formulation, liquid or solid), e.g., as a product of manufacture. the invention further enzymes, enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails" for depolymerization of cellulosic and hemicellulosic polymers, xylans and polysaccharides, to simpler moieties, such as sugars, which are then microbially fermented to generate products such as succinic acid, lactic acid, or acetic acid. the invention provides compositions (including products of manufacture, enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails") comprising a mixture (or "cocktail") of hemicellulose- and cellulose-hydrolyzing enzymes, wherein the xylan-hydrolyzing enzymes comprise at least one of each of a xylanase of the invention and at least one, several or all of a cellulase, glucanase, a cellobiohydrolase and/or a β-glucosidase. in alternative embodiments, the xylan-hydrolyzing and/or hemicellulose-hydrolyzing mixtures of the invention comprise at least one of each of a xylanase of the invention and at least one or both of a β-xylosidase and/or an arabinofuranosidase. the invention provides compositions (including products of manufacture, enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails") comprising a mixture (or "cocktail") of xylan-hydrolyzing, hemicellulose- and/or cellulose-hydrolyzing enzymes comprising at least one, several or all of a cellulase, a glucanase, a cellobiohydrolase and/or an arabinofuranosidase, and a xylanase of this invention. the invention provides compositions (including products of manufacture, enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails") comprising mixture (or "cocktail") of xylan-hydrolyzing, hemicellulose- and/or cellulose-hydrolyzing enzymes comprising at least one, several or all of a cellulase, a glucanase; a cellobiohydrolase; an arabinofuranosidase; a xylanase; a β-glucosidase; a β-xylosidase; and at least one enzyme of the invention. the invention provides compositions (including products of manufacture, enzyme ensembles, or "cocktails") comprising mixture (or "cocktail") of enzymes comprising, in addition to at least one enzyme of the invention: (1) a glucanase which cleaves internal β-14 linkages resulting in shorter glucooligosaccharides, (2) a cellobiohydrolase which acts in an "exo" manner processively releasing cellobiose units (β-1,4 glucose - glucose disaccharide), and/or (3) a β-glucosidase for releasing glucose monomer from short cellooligosaccharides (e.g. cellobiose). biomass conversion and production of clean bio fuels enzymes of this invention, including mixtures, or "cocktails" of enzymes of the invention, may be used in compositions and processes for the conversion of a biomass, or any organic material, e.g., any xylan-comprising or lignocellulosic material (e.g., any composition comprising a xylan, cellulose, hemicellulose and/or lignin), to a fuel, such as a biofuel (e.g., bioethanol, biobutanol, biomethanol and/or a biopropanol), including biodiesels, in addition to feeds, foods, food or feed supplements (additives), pharmaceuticals and chemicals. these compositions and methods of the invention provide effective and sustainable alternatives or adjuncts to use of petroleum-based products, e.g., as a mixture of a biofuel (e.g., bioethanol, biobutanol, biomethanol and/or a biopropanol) and gasoline and/or diesel fuel. cells and/or organisms expressing enzymes of the invention (e.g., wherein the cells or organisms comprise as heterologous nucleic acids a sequence of this invention) are suitable for participation in chemical cycles involving natural biomass (e.g., plant) conversion. enzymes and methods for the conversion may be used in enzyme ensembles (or "cocktails") for the efficient depolymerization of xylan-comprising compositions, or xylan, cellulosic and hemicellulosic polymers, to metabolizeable carbon moieties. methods for discovering and implementing the most effective of enzymes enable these important new "biomass conversion" and alternative energy industrial processes. enzymes and mixtures of enzymes or "cocktails" of the invention may be used in methods, for processing a material, e.g. a biomass material, comprising a cellooligsaccharide, an arabinoxylan oligomer, a lignin, a lignocellulose, a xylan, a glucan, a cellulose and/or a fermentable sugar comprising contacting the composition with a polypeptide of the invention, or a polypeptide encoded by a nucleic acid of the invention, wherein optionally the material is derived from an agricultural crop (e.g., wheat, barley, potatoes, switchgrass, poplar wood), is a byproduct of a food or a feed production, is a lignocellulosic waste product, or is a plant residue or a waste paper or waste paper product, and optionally the plant residue comprise stems, leaves, hulls, husks, corn or corn cobs, corn stover, corn fiber, hay, straw (e.g. rice straw or wheat straw), sugarcane bagasse, sugar beet pulp, citrus pulp, and citrus peels, wood, wood thinnings, wood chips, wood pulp, pulp waste, wood waste, wood shavings and sawdust, construction and/or demolition wastes and debris (e.g. wood, wood shavings and sawdust), and optionally the paper waste comprises discarded or used photocopy paper, computer printer paper, notebook paper, notepad paper, typewriter paper, newspapers, magazines, cardboard and paper-based packaging materials, and recycled paper materials. in addition, urban wastes, e.g. the paper fraction of municipal solid waste, municipal wood waste, and municipal green waste, along with other materials containing sugar, starch, and/or cellulose can be used. optionally the processing of the material, e.g. the biomass material, generates a bioalcohol, e.g., a bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol or biopropanol. alternatively, the polypeptide of the invention may be expressed in the biomass plant material or feedstock itself. these methods also include taking the converted biomass (e.g., lignocellulosic) material (processed by enzymes of the invention) and making it into a fuel (e.g. a biofuel such as a bioethanol, biobutanol, biomethanol, a biopropanol, or a biodiesel) by fermentation and/or by chemical synthesis. the produced sugars may be fermented and/or the non-fermentable products gasified. methods of converting algae, virgin vegetable oils, waste vegetable oils, animal fats and greases (e.g. tallow, lard, and yellow grease), or sewage, may use enzymes of the invention, and making it into a fuel (e.g. a bioalcohol, e.g., a bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol or biopropanol, or biodiesel) by fermentation and/or by chemical synthesis or conversion. the enzymes of the invention (including, for example, organisms, such as microorganisms, e.g., fungi, yeast or bacteria, and plants and plant cells and plant parts, e.g., seeds, making and in some aspects secreting recombinant enzymes of the invention) can be used in or included/ integrated at any stage of any organic matter/ biomass conversion process, e.g., at any one step, several steps, or included in all of the steps, or all of the following methods of biomass conversion processes, or all of these biofuel alternatives: direct combustion : the burning of material by direct heat and is the simplest biomass technology; can be very economical if a biomass source is nearby. 1 pyrolysis : is the thermal degradation of biomass by heat in the absence of oxygen. in one aspect, biomass is heated to a temperature between about 800 and 1400 degrees fahrenheit, but no oxygen is introduced to support combustion resulting in the creation of gas, fuel oil and charcoal. 2 gasification : biomass can be used to produce methane through heating or anaerobic digestion. syngas, a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, can be derived from biomass. landfill gas : is generated by the decay (anaerobic digestion) of buried garbage in landfills. when the organic waste decomposes, it generates gas consisting of approximately 50% methane, the major component of natural gas. anaerobic digestion : converts organic matter to a mixture of methane, the major component of natural gas, and carbon dioxide. in one aspect, biomass such as waterwaste (sewage), manure, or food processing waste, is mixed with water and fed into a digester tank without air. fermentation ▪ alcohol fermentation : fuel alcohol is produced by converting cellulosic mass and/or starch to sugar, fermenting the sugar to alcohol, then separating the alcohol water mixture by distillation. feedstocks such as dedicated crops (e.g., wheat, barley, potatoes, switchgrass, poplar wood), agricultural residues and wastes (e.g. rice straw, corn stover, wheat straw, sugarcane bagasse, rice hulls, corn fiber, sugar beet pulp, citrus pulp, and citrus peels), forestry wastes (e.g. hardwood and softwood thinnings, hardwood and softwood residues from timber operations, wood shavings, and sawdust), urban wastes (e.g. paper fraction of municipal solid waste, municipal wood waste, municipal green waste), wood wastes (e.g. saw mill waste, pulp mill waste, construction waste, demolition waste, wood shavings, and sawdust), and waste paper or other materials containing sugar, starch, and/or cellulose can be converted to sugars and then to alcohol by fermentation with yeast. alternatively, materials containing sugars can be converted directly to alcohol by fermentation. transesterification : an exemplary reaction for converting oil to biodiesel is called transesterification. the transesterification process reacts an alcohol (like methanol) with the triglyceride oils contained in vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled greases, forming fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerin. the reaction requires heat and a strong base catalyst, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. biodiesel : biodiesel is a mixture of fatty acid alkyl esters made from vegetable oils, animal fats or recycled greases. biodiesel can be used as a fuel for vehicles in its pure form, but it is usually used as a petroleum diesel additive to reduce levels of particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and air toxics from diesel-powered vehicles. hydrolysis : includes hydrolysis of a compound, e.g., a biomass, such as a lignocellulosic material, catalyzed using an enzyme of the instant invention. cogeneration : is the simultaneous production of more than one form of energy using a single fuel and facility. in one aspect, biomass cogeneration has more potential growth than biomass generation alone because cogeneration produces both heat and electricity. in one aspect, the polypeptides of the invention have sufficient xylanase activity, for, or can be used with other enzymes in a process for, generating a biodiesel or a fuel, (e.g. a bioalcohol, e.g., a bioethanol, biomethanol, biobutanol or biopropanol, or biodiesel) from an organic material, e.g., a biomass, such as compositions derived from plants and animals, including any agricultural crop or other renewable feedstock, an agricultural residue or an animal waste, the organic components of municipal and industrial wastes, or construction or demolition wastes or debris, or microorganisms such as algae or yeast. polypeptides of the invention may be used in processes for converting an organic material, e.g., a biomass, such as a lignocellulosic biomass, to a biofuel, such as a bioethanol, biobutanol, biomethanol, a biopropanol, or otherwise are used in processes for hydrolyzing or digesting biomaterials such that they can be used as a biofuel (including biodiesel or bioethanol, biobutanol, biomethanol or biopropanol), or for making it easier for the biomass to be processed into a fuel. polypeptides of the invention may be used in processes for a transesterification process reacting an alcohol (like methanol, butanol, propanol, ethanol) with a triglyceride oil contained in a vegetable oil, animal fat or recycled greases, forming fatty acid alkyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerin. biodiesel may be made from soybean oil or recycled cooking oils. animal's fats, other vegetable oils, and other recycled oils can also be used to produce biodiesel, depending on their costs and availability. blends of all kinds of fats and oils may be used to produce a biodiesel fuel of the invention. enzymes of the invention can also be used in glycerin refining. the glycerin by-product contains unreacted catalyst and soaps that are neutralized with an acid. water and alcohol are removed to produce 50% to 80% crude glycerin. the remaining contaminants include unreacted fats and oils, which can be processes using the polypeptides of the invention. in a large biodiesel plants, the glycerin can be further purified, e.g., to 99% or higher purity, for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. fuels (including bioalcohols such as bioethanols, biomethanols, biobutanols or biopropanols, or biodiesels) made using the polypeptides of the invention, including the mixture of enzymes or "cocktails" of the invention, can be used with fuel oxygenates to improve combustion characteristics. adding oxygen results in more complete combustion, which reduces carbon monoxide emissions. this is another environmental benefit of replacing petroleum fuels with biofuels (e.g., a fuel of the invention). a biofuel made using these compositions and/or methods can be blended with gasoline to form an e10 blend (about 5% to 10% ethanol and about 90% to 95% gasoline), but it can be used in higher concentrations such as e85 or in its pure form. a biofuel so made can be blended with petroleum diesel to form a b20 blend (20% biodiesel and 80% petroleum diesel), although other blend levels can be used up to b100 (pure biodiesel). the polypeptides of this invention may be used in processes for converting organic material, e.g., a biomass, such as a lignocellulosic biomass, to methanol, butanol, propanol and/or ethanol, including processes for making ethanol ("bioethanol") methanol, butanol and/or propanol from compositions comprising organic material, e.g., a biomass, such as a lignocellulosic biomass. the organic material, e.g., a biomass, such as a lignocellulose biomass material, can be obtained from agricultural crops, as a byproduct of food or feed production, or as biomass waste products, such as plant residues and waste paper or construction and/or demolition wastes or debris. examples of suitable plant residues for treatment with polypeptides of the invention include grains, seeds, stems, leaves, hulls, husks, corn cobs, corn stover, straw, grasses (e.g., indian grass, such as sorghastrum nutans ; or, switch grass, e.g., panicum species, such as panicum virgatum ), and the like, as well as wood, wood chips, wood pulp, and sawdust. examples of paper waste suitable for treatment with polypeptides of the invention include discard photocopy paper, computer printer paper, notebook paper, notepad paper, typewriter paper, and the like, as well as newspapers, magazines, cardboard, and paper-based packaging materials. examples of construction and demolition wastes and debris include wood, wood scraps, wood shavings and sawdust. the enzymes of the invention can be used in conjunction with more "traditional" means of making methanol, butanol, propanol and/or ethanol from biomass, e.g., as methods comprising hydrolyzing biomass (e.g., lignocellulosic materials) by subjecting dried biomass material in a reactor to a catalyst comprised of a dilute solution of a strong acid and a metal salt; this can lower the activation energy, or the temperature, of cellulose hydrolysis to obtain higher sugar yields; see, e.g., u.s. patent nos. 6,660,506 ; 6,423,145 . another method that incorporates use of enzymes of the invention comprises hydrolyzing biomass (e.g., lignocellulosic materials) containing xylan, hemicellulose, cellulose and/or lignin by subjecting the material to a first stage hydrolysis step in an aqueous medium at a temperature and a pressure chosen to effect primarily depolymerization of hemicellulose without major depolymerization of cellulose to glucose. this step results in a slurry in which the liquid aqueous phase contains dissolved monosaccharides resulting from depolymerization of hemicellulose and a solid phase containing cellulose and lignin. a second stage hydrolysis step can comprise conditions such that at least a major portion of the cellulose is depolymerized, such step resulting in a liquid aqueous phase containing dissolved/ soluble depolymerization products of cellulose. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,536,325 . enzymes of the invention can be added at any stage of this process. another method that incorporates use of enzymes of the invention comprises processing a biomass material by one or more stages of dilute acid hydrolysis with about 0.4% to 2% strong acid; and treating an unreacted solid lignocellulosic component of the acid hydrolyzed biomass material by alkaline delignification to produce precursors for biodegradable thermoplastics and derivatives. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,409,841 . enzymes of the invention can be added at any stage of this process. another method that incorporated use of enzymes of the invention comprises prehydrolyzing biomass (e.g., lignocellulosic materials) in a prehydrolysis reactor; adding an acidic liquid to the solid lignocellulosic material to make a mixture; heating the mixture to reaction temperature; maintaining reaction temperature for time sufficient to fractionate the lignocellulosic material into a solubilized portion containing at least about 20% of the lignin from the lignocellulosic material and a solid fraction containing cellulose; removing a solubilized portion from the solid fraction while at or near reaction temperature wherein the cellulose in the solid fraction is rendered more amenable to enzymatic digestion; and recovering a solubilized portion. see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 5,705,369 . enzymes of the invention can be added at any stage of this process. motor fuel compositions (e.g., for spark ignition motors) based on liquid hydrocarbons blended with a fuel grade alcohol may be made by using an enzyme of the invention. the fuels made by use of an enzyme of the invention comprise, e.g., coal gas liquid- or natural gas liquid-ethanol blends. a co-solvent may be biomass-derived 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (mthf). see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,712,866 . enzymatic degradation of biomass (e.g., lignocellulosic materials), e.g., for production of a biofuel, e.g., an ethanol, from a biomass or any organic material, can also comprise use of ultrasonic treatment of a biomass material; see, e.g., u.s. patent no. 6,333,181 . a biofuel, e.g., an ethanol (a bioethanol) produced from a biomass (e.g., a cellulosic) substrate by providing a reaction mixture in the form of a slurry comprising biomass (e.g., a cellulosic) substrate, an enzyme of this invention and a fermentation agent (e.g., within a reaction vessel, such as a semi-continuously solids-fed bioreactor), and the reaction mixture is reacted under conditions sufficient to initiate and maintain a fermentation reaction (as described, e.g., in u.s. pat. app. no. 20060014260 ). experiment or theoretical calculations can determine an optimum feeding frequency. additional quantities of the biomass (e.g., a cellulosic) substrate and the enzyme are provided into the reaction vessel at an interval(s) according to the optimized feeding frequency. one process for making a biofuels and biodiesels is described in u.s. pat. app. pub. nos. 20050069998 ; 20020164730 ; and comprises stages of grinding the biomass (e.g., lignocellulosic material) (e.g., to a size of 15-30 mm), subjecting the product obtained to steam explosion pre-treatment (e.g., at a temperature of 190-230°c) for between 1 and 10 minutes in a reactor; collecting the pre-treated material in a cyclone or related product of manufacture; and separating the liquid and solid fractions by filtration in a filter press, introducing the solid fraction in a fermentation deposit and adding one or more enzymes of the invention, and optionally, another enzyme is also added, e.g., a cellulase and/or beta-glucosidase enzyme (e.g., dissolved in citrate buffer ph 4.8). another process for making a biofuels and biodiesels comprising methanol, butanol, propanol and/or ethanol using enzymes of the invention comprises pretreating a starting material comprising a biomass (e.g., a lignocellulosic) feedstock comprising at least a xylan, a hemicellulose and/or a cellulose. the starting material may comprise potatoes, soybean (rapeseed), barley, rye, corn, oats, wheat, beets or sugar cane or a component or waste or food or feed production byproduct. the starting material ("feedstock") is reacted at conditions which disrupt the plant's fiber structure to effect at least a partial hydrolysis of the biomass (e.g., hemicellulose and/or cellulose). disruptive conditions can comprise, e.g., subjecting the starting material to an average temperature of 180°c to 270°c at ph 0.5 to 2.5 for a period of about 5 seconds to 60 minutes; or, temperature of 220°c to 270°c, at ph 0.5 to 2.5 for a period of 5 seconds to 120 seconds, or equivalent. this generates a feedstock with increased accessibility to being digested by an enzyme of the invention. u.s. patent no. 6,090,595 . exemplary conditions for hydrolysis of biomass (e.g., a lignocellulosic material) by an enzyme of this invention include reactions at temperatures between about 30°c and 48°c, and/or a ph between about 4.0 and 6.0. other exemplary conditions include a temperature between about 30°c and 60°c and a ph between about 4.0 and 8.0. biofuels and biologically produced alcohols biofuels and synthetic fuels, including liquids and gases (e.g., syngas) and biologically produced alcohols, may be made, using the enzyme and nucleic acids, and transgenic plants, animal, seeds and microorganisms of the invention. biofuels and biologically produced alcohols may comprise enzymes, nucleic acids, transgenic plants, animals (e.g., microorganisms, such as bacteria or yeast) and/or seeds of the invention. these biofuels and biologically produced alcohols may be produced from a biomass. biologically produced alcohols, such as ethanol, methanol, propanol and butanol produced by methods of the disclosure include by the action of microbes and enzymes of the invention through fermentation (hydrolysis) to result in an alcohol fuel. biofuels as a liquid or a gas gasoline enzymes of the invention may be used for chemical cycles for natural biomass conversion, e.g., for the hydrolysis of a biomass to make a biofuel, e.g., a bioethanol, biopropanol, bio-butanol or a biomethanol, or a synthetic fuel, in the form of a liquid or as a gas, such as a "syngas". this biofuel gas of the invention may be mixed with a natural gas (can also be produced from biomass), e.g., a hydrogen or a hydrocarbon-based gas fuel. methods for processing biomass may produce a synthetic fuel, e.g., a syngas, such as a syngas produced from a biomass by gasification. an ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol gas may be made from a sugar cane, e.g., a bagasse. this fuel, or gas, may be used as motor fuel, e.g., an automotive, truck, airplane, boat, small engine, etc. fuel. ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol may be made from a plant, e.g., corn, or a plant product, e.g., hay or straw (e.g., a rice straw or a wheat straw, or any the dry stalk of any cereal plant), or an agricultural waste product. cellulosic ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol can be manufactured from a plant, e.g., corn, or plant product, e.g., hay or straw, or an agricultural waste product (e.g., as processed by iogen corporation of ontario, canada). the ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol so made can be used as a fuel (e.g., a gasoline) additive (e.g., an oxygenator) or in a direct use as a fuel. an ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol, including a fuel, so made can be mixed with ethyl tertiary butyl ether (etbe), or an etbe mixture such as etbe containing 47% ethanol as a biofuel, or with mtbe (methyl tertiary-butyl ether). an ethanol, propanol, butanol and/or methanol, including a fuel, so made can be mixed with: a butanol and/or ethanol made using an enzyme of the invention can be further processed using "a.b.e." (acetone, butanol, ethanol) fermentation; butanol being the only liquid product. this butanol and/or ethanol may be burned "straight" in existing gasoline engines (without modification to the engine or car), produces more energy and is less corrosive and less water soluble than ethanol, and can be distributed via existing infrastructures. mixed alcohols may include one, several or all of the alcohols made by processes using an enzyme of the invention e.g., comprising a mixture of ethanol, propanol, butanol, pentanol, hexanol, and heptanol, such as ecalene™ (power energy fuels, inc., lakewood, co), e.g.: table-tabl0006 exemplary fuel component weight % methanol 0% ethanol 75% propanol 9% butanol 7% pentanol 5% hexanol & higher 4% one, several or all of these alcohols may be made by a process using an enzyme of the invention, and the process can further comprise a biomass-to-liquid technology, e.g., a gasification process to produce syngas followed by catalytic synthesis, or by a bioconversion of biomass to a mixed alcohol fuel. processes using an enzyme of the invention may incorporate (or, be incorporated into) "gas to liquid", or gtl; or "coal to liquid", or ctl; or "biomass to liquid" or btl; or "oilsands to liquid", or otl, processes; and these processes of the invention may be used to make synthetic fuels. one of these processes comprises making a biofuel (e.g., a synfuel) out of a biomass using, e.g., the so-called "fischer tropsch" process (a catalyzed chemical reaction in which carbon monoxide and hydrogen are converted into liquid hydrocarbons of various forms; typical catalysts used are based on iron and cobalt; the principal purpose of this process is to produce a synthetic petroleum substitute for use as synthetic lubrication oil or as synthetic fuel). this synthetic biofuel can contain oxygen and can be used as additive in high quality diesel and petrol. various pretreatments, which can be grouped into three categories: physical, chemical, and multiple (physical + chemical) can be used. any chemicals can be used as a pretreatment agent, e.g., acids, alkalis, gases, cellulose solvents, alcohols, oxidizing agents and reducing agents. among these chemicals, alkali is the most popular pretreatment agent because it is relatively inexpensive and results in less cellulose degradation. the common alkalis sodium hydroxide and lime also can be used as pretreatment agents. although sodium hydroxide increases biomass digestibility significantly, it is difficult to recycle, is relatively expensive, and is dangerous to handle. in contrast, lime has many advantages: it is safe and very inexpensive, and can be recovered by carbonating wash water with carbon dioxide. a multi-enzyme system (including at least one enzyme of this invention) can hydrolyze polysaccharides in a biomass, e.g. sugarcane, e.g., bagasse, a component of sugarcane processed in sugar mills. the biomass may be processed by an enzyme of the invention made by an organism (e.g., transgenic animal, plants, transformed microorganism) and/or byproduct (e.g., harvested plant, fruit, seed) expressing an enzyme of the invention. the enzyme may be a recombinant enzyme made by the plant or biomass which is to be processed to a fuel, e.g., a transgenic sugarcane bagasse comprising an enzyme of the invention. these compositions and products may comprise chemical cycles for natural biomass conversion, e.g., for the hydrolysis of a biomass to make a biofuel, e.g., bioethanol, biopropanol, bio-butanol, biomethanol, a synthetic fuel in the form of a liquid or a gas, such as a "syngas". a biofuel, e.g., a biogas, may be produced by the process of anaerobic digestion of organic material by anaerobes, wherein the process comprises use of an enzyme of the invention. this biofuel, e.g., a biogas, can be produced either from biodegradable waste materials or by the use of energy crops fed into anaerobic digesters to supplement gas yields. the solid output, digestate, can also be used as a biofuel. a biofuel, e.g., a biogas, comprising a methane, may be produced in a process comprising use of an enzyme of the invention. this biofuel, e.g., a biogas, can be recovered in industrial anaerobic digesters and mechanical biological treatment systems. landfill gas can be further processed using an enzyme of this invention; before processing landfill gas can be a less clean form of biogas produced in landfills through naturally occurring anaerobic digestion. paradoxically if landfill gas is allowed to escape into the atmosphere it is a potent greenhouse gas. methods for making biologically produced oils and gases from various wastes, comprises use of an enzyme of the invention. these methods can comprise thermal depolymerization of waste to extract methane and other oils similar to petroleum; or, e.g., a bioreactor system that utilizes nontoxic photosynthetic algae to take in smokestacks flue gases and produce biofuels such as biodiesel, biogas and a dry fuel comparable to coal, e.g., as designed by greenfuel technologies corporation, of cambridge, ma. methods for making biologically produced oils, including crude oils, and gases that can be used in diesel engines, comprise use of an enzyme of the invention. these methods can refine petroleum, e.g., crude oils, into kerosene, pertroleum, diesel and other fractions. enzymes of the invention are used in methods for making biologically produced oils from: straight vegetable oil (svo). waste vegetable oil (wvo) - waste cooking oils and greases produced in quantity mostly by commercial kitchens. biodiesel obtained from transesterification of animal fats and vegetable oil, directly usable in petroleum diesel engines. biologically derived crude oil, together with biogas and carbon solids via the thermal depolymerization of complex organic materials including non oil based materials; for example, waste products such as old tires, offal, wood and plastic. pyrolysis oil; which may be produced out of biomass, wood waste etc. using heat only in the flash pyrolysis process (the oil may have to be treated before using in conventional fuel systems or internal combustion engines). wood, charcoal, and dried dung. medical and research applications xylanases of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention, can be used as antimicrobial agents due to their bacteriolytic properties. xylanases of the invention can be used to eliminating or protecting animals from salmonellae, as described in e.g., pct application nos. wo0049890 and wo9903497 . the xylanases of the invention can also be used an antimicrobial surface cleanser or microbial repellent. other industrial and medical applications as discussed above, xylanases of the invention, including the enzyme mixtures or "cocktails" of the invention, can be used can be used, e.g., in a wide variety of industrial processes, medical and research (laboratory) applications, and food, animal feed and beverage applications. new xylanases are discovered by screening existing libraries and dna libraries constructed from diverse mesophilic and moderately thermophilic locations as well as from targeted sources including digestive flora, microorganisms in animal waste, soil bacteria and highly alkaline habitats. biotrap and primary enrichment strategies using arabinoxylan substrates and/or non-soluble polysaccharide fractions of animal feed material are also useful. two screening formats (activity-based and sequence-based) are used in the discovery of novel xylanases. the activity-based approach is direct screening for xylanase activity in agar plates using a substrate such as azo-xylan (megazyme). alternatively a sequence-based approach may be used, which relies on bioinformatics and molecular biology to design probes for hybridization and biopanning. see, for example, u.s. patents no. 6,054,267 , 6,030,779 , 6,368,798 , 6,344,328 . hits from the screening are purified, sequenced, characterized (for example, determination of specificity, temperature and ph optima), analyzed using bioinformatics, subcloned and expressed for basic biochemical characterization. these methods may be used in screening for xylanases useful in a myriad of applications, including dough conditioning and as animal feed additive enzymes. in characterizing enzymes obtained from screening, the exemplary utility in dough processing and baking applications may be assessed. characterization may include, for example, measurement of substrate specificity (xylan, arabinoxylan, cmc, bbg), temperature and ph stability and specific activity. a commercial enzyme may be used as a benchmark. the enzymes of the invention may have significant activity at ph ≥ 7 and 25-35° c, are inactive on insoluble xylan, are stable and active in 50-67% sucrose. in another aspect, utility as feed additives may be assessed from characterization of candidate enzymes. characterization may include, for example, measurement of substrate specificity (xylan, arabinoxylan, cmc, bβg), temperature and ph stability, specific activity and gastric stability. the feed may be designed for a monogastric animal or designed for a ruminant animal. the enzymes of the invention may have significant activity at ph 2-4 and 35-40°c, a half-life greater than 30 minutes in gastric fluid, formulation (in buffer or cells) half-life greater than 5 minutes at 85°c and are used as a monogastric animal feed additive. the enzymes of the invention may have one or more of the following characteristics: significant activity at ph 6.5-7.0 and 35-40°c, a half-life greater than 30 minutes in rumen fluid, formulation stability as stable as dry powder and are used as a ruminant animal feed additive. enzymes are reactive toward a wide range of natural and unnatural substrates, thus enabling the modification of virtually any organic lead compound. moreover, unlike traditional chemical catalysts, enzymes are highly enantio- and regio-selective. the high degree of functional group specificity exhibited by enzymes enables one to keep track of each reaction in a synthetic sequence leading to a new active compound. enzymes are also capable of catalyzing many diverse reactions unrelated to their physiological function in nature. for example, peroxidases catalyze the oxidation of phenols by hydrogen peroxide. peroxidases can also catalyze hydroxylation reactions that are not related to the native function of the enzyme. other examples are xylanases which catalyze the breakdown of polypeptides. in organic solution some xylanases can also acylate sugars, a function unrelated to the native function of these enzymes. the present invention exploits the unique catalytic properties of enzymes. whereas the use of biocatalysts (i.e., purified or crude enzymes, non-living or living cells) in chemical transformations normally requires the identification of a particular biocatalyst that reacts with a specific starting compound, the present invention uses selected biocatalysts and reaction conditions that are specific for functional groups that are present in many starting compounds. each biocatalyst is specific for one functional group, or several related functional groups and can react with many starting compounds containing this functional group. the biocatalytic reactions produce a population of derivatives from a single starting compound. these derivatives can be subjected to another round of biocatalytic reactions to produce a second population of derivative compounds. thousands of variations of the original compound can be produced with each iteration of biocatalytic derivatization. enzymes react at specific sites of a starting compound without affecting the rest of the molecule, a process which is very difficult to achieve using traditional chemical methods. this high degree of biocatalytic specificity provides the means to identify a single active compound within the library. the library is characterized by the series of biocatalytic reactions used to produce it, a so-called "biosynthetic history". screening the library for biological activities and tracing the biosynthetic history identifies the specific reaction sequence producing the active compound. the reaction sequence is repeated and the structure of the synthesized compound determined. this mode of identification, unlike other synthesis and screening approaches, does not require immobilization technologies and compounds can be synthesized and tested free in solution using virtually any type of screening assay. it is important to note, that the high degree of specificity of enzyme reactions on functional groups allows for the "tracking" of specific enzymatic reactions that make up the biocatalytically produced library. many of the procedural steps are performed using robotic automation enabling the execution of many thousands of biocatalytic reactions and screening assays per day as well as ensuring a high level of accuracy and reproducibility. as a result, a library of derivative compounds can be produced in a matter of weeks which would take years to produce using current chemical methods. (for further teachings on modification of molecules, including small molecules, see pct/us94/09174 ). a composition may comprise at least one mucoadhesive polymer that is capable of forming a hydrogel and at one least water soluble polymer, and one or more enzymes of the invention. this formulation can be used in any industrial, food or feed processing or medical or research application of the invention, i.e., any application using an enzyme or nucleic acid of the invention. the formulation forms a hydrogel in aqueous solution that has mucoadhesive properties; this can be capable of releasing enzymes, microorganisms capable of generating enzymes of the invention, or antibodies of the invention, over an extended period of time. alternatively, the hydrogel can entrap enzymes, microorganisms capable of generating enzymes of the invention, or antibodies of the invention and release them over a defined (e.g., an extended) period of time. the invention will be further described with reference to the following examples; however, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to such examples. examples example 1: xylanase assay with wheat arabinoxylan as substrate the following example describes an exemplary xylanase assay that can be used, for example, to determine if an enzyme is within the scope of the invention. enzymes of the invention, e.g., seq id no:2 having one or more amino acid residue changes (mutations) as described herein, can be subjected to an assay at ph 8 (na-phosphate buffer) and 70°c using wheat arabinoxylan as a substrate. example 2: determination of melting temperature and xylanase activity differential scanning calorimetry (dsc) the melting temperature transition midpoint (tm) for each enzyme of the invention, can be determined by differential scanning calorimetry (dsc). baseline subtracted dsc data can be normalized for protein concentration. in one assay, calorimetry can be performed using a model 6100 nano ii dsc™ apparatus (calorimetry sciences corporation, american fork, ut) using the dscrun™ (dscrun) software package for data acquisition, cpcalc™ (cpcalc) for analysis, cpconvert™ (cpconvert) for conversion into molar heat capacity from microwatts and cpdeconvolute™ (cpdeconvolute) for deconvolution. analysis can be carried out with 1 mg/ml recombinant protein in 20 mm potassium phosphate (ph 7.0) and 100 mm kcl at a scan rate of 1°c/min. a constant pressure of 5 atm can be maintained during all dsc experiments to prevent possible degassing of the solution on heating. the instrumental baseline can be recorded routinely before the experiments with both cells filled with buffer. reversibility of the thermally induced transitions can be tested by reheating the solution in the calorimeter cell immediately after cooling the first run. alternatively, dsc measurements can be made using a vp-dsc microcalorimeter (micro-cal) in duplicate. in one aspect, a required sample volume is 540 µ l. the concentrations of the protein can be between 0.1 to 0.5 mg/ml in 50mm hepes, ph 7.2; a sample of the dialysis buffer can be retained for base line controls. each sample can be heated from 40°c to 110°c. samples and/or buffer can be heated and cooled at a scan rate of 90°c/h. buffer baselines were recorded multiple times until the system reached a stable state. the t m value was the temperature where maximum heat was released. xylanase activity assays enzymatic activities can be determined using 400 µl of 2% azo-xylan as substrate in 550 µl of cp (citrate-phosphate) buffer, ph 6.0 at the indicated temperatures. activity measurements as a function of ph can be determined using 50 mm britton and robinson buffer solutions (ph 3.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0) prepared by mixing solutions of 0.1 m phosphoric acid solution, 0.1 m boric acid and 0.1 m acetic acid followed by ph adjustment with 1 m sodium hydroxide. reactions can be initiated by adding 50 µl of 0.1 mg/ml of purified enzyme. time points can be taken from 0 to 15 minutes where 50 µl of reaction mixture are added to 200 µl of precipitation solution (100% ethanol). when all time points have been taken, samples are mixed, incubated for 10 minutes and centrifuged at 3000 g for 10 minutes at 4°c. supernatant (150 µl) can be aliquoted into a fresh 96 well plate and absorbance is measured at 590 nm. a590 values can be plotted against time and the initial rate is determined from the slope of the line. polysaccharide fingerprinting. polysaccharide fingerprints can be determined by polysaccharide analysis using carbohydrate gel electrophoresis (pace). beechwood xylan (0.1 mg/ml, 100 µl, sigma, poole, dorset, uk) or xylooligosaccharides (1 mm, 20 µl, megazyme, wicklow, ireland) can be treated with enzyme (1 - 3 µg) in a total volume of 250 µl for 16 hours. the reaction is buffered in 0.1 m ammonium acetate ph 5.5. controls without substrates or enzymes are performed under the same conditions to identify any unspecific compounds in the enzymes, polysaccharides/oligosaccharides or labeling reagents. the reactions are stopped by boiling for 20 min. assays can be independently performed at least 2 times for each condition. derivatization using ants (8-aminonaphthalene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid, molecular probes, leiden, the netherlands), electrophoresis and imaging are carried out as described ( goubet, f., jackson, p., deery, m. and dupree, p. (2002) anal. biochem. 300, 53-68 ). fitness calculation. the fitness (fn), for a given enzyme variant, n, can be calculated by equally weighting increase in denaturation temperature transition midpoint (tm) and increase (or decrease) in enzymatic activity relative to the largest difference in each parameter across all variants: fn = ftn + fvn , where ftn = tm fitness factor of the variant and fvn = activity fitness factor of the variant. the fitness factors for each (tm and activity) are relative to the largest difference in tm or rate across all of the variants. ftn = (tm - tml) / (tmh - tml) where tmn is the tm for the given variant, n, and tml is the lowest tm across all variants and tmh the highest tm across all variants and fvn = (vn - vl) / (vh - vl) where vn is the relative rate for the given variant, n, and vl is the lowest rate across all variants and vh the highest rate across all variants. example 3: pre-treating paper pulp with xylanases of the invention xylanases of the invention are used to treat/ pretreat paper pulp, or recycled paper or paper pulp, waste wood or wood chips, and the like. enzyme(s) of the invention are used to increase the "brightness" of the paper via their use in treating/ pretreating paper pulp, or recycled paper or paper pulp, and the like. xylanases of the invention are used to treat/ pretreat paper pulp, or recycled paper or paper pulp, and the like to reduce the kappa number. kappa number is defined as a numerical value indicating a paper's relative lignin content - the higher the kappa number, the higher the lignin content. reduction in kappa # has benefits when treating unbleached pulp (kappa # 70 - 90), when then is used for, e.g., processing, such as in board manufacture. a reduction in kappa across the x stage allows lower alkali use in cooking or cooking to a higher target kappa #. this results in higher pulp strength, less machine refining and higher machine speeds. such results are seen using digester additives (surfactants) in linerboard mills; this can allow for better liquor penetration, and allow lower effective alkali charge leading to higher pulp strength, lower refining and a 200 fpm (feet per minute) increase in machine speed. this example describes an exemplary routine screening protocol to determine whether a xylanase is useful in pretreating paper pulp; e.g., in reducing the use of bleaching chemicals (e.g., chlorine dioxide, clo 2 ) when used to pretreat kraft paper pulp. the screening protocol has two alternative test parameters: impact of xylanase treatment after an oxygen delignification step (post-o 2 pulp); and, impact of xylanase in a process that does not include oxygen delignification (pre-o 2 brownstock). pulp or paper treatment conditions that simulate process conditions in industrial situations, e.g., factories: for example, at about ph 8.0; 70°c; 60 min duration. for example, an exemplary process of the invention is schematically depicted in the flow diagram of figure 5 ; see also figure 6 . however, the conditions of a process of method of the invention can be adjusted to any temperature, time duration and/or ph, depending on the exemplary enzyme(s) of the invention used and the objective of the process; for example, there are a variety of ways to adjust ph in the various pulp and paper processes of the invention: ▪ adding acid and/or base: ▪ hydrochloric acid (hcl) ▪ sodium hydroxide (naoh) ▪ h 2 so 4 (sulfuric acid) ▪ nahso 4 (sodium hydrogen sulfate) ▪ h 2 so 3 (sulfurous acid) ▪ h3po 4 (phosphoric acid) ▪ hf (hydrofluoric acid) ▪ ch3co 2 h (acetic acid) ▪ h 2 co 3 (carbonic acid) ▪ h 2 s (hydrogen sulfide) ▪ nah 2 po 4 (sodium dihydrogen phosphate) ▪ nh 4 cl (ammonium chloride) ▪ hcn (hydrocyanic acid) ▪ na 2 so 4 (sodium sulfate) ▪ nacl (sodium chloride) ▪ nach 3 co 2 (sodium acetate) ▪ nahco 3 (sodium bicarbonate) ▪ na 2 hpo 4 (sodium hydrogen phosphate) ▪ na 2 so 3 (sodium sulfite) ▪ nacn (sodium cyanide) ▪ nh 3 (aqueous ammonia) ▪ na 2 co 3 (sodium carbonate) ▪ na3po 4 (sodium phosphate) ▪ bubbling in gas, e.g. co 2 (which forms an acid with water when dissolved) dose response determination for xylanases on pre-o2 brownstock conditions for xylanase stage (x-stage) as follows: ph 8 temperature 70°c time 60 min kappa factor 0.24 for no-enzyme control, kappa factor was 0.30 pretreatment of intercontinental pre-o 2 brownstock xylanase determination of clo 2 dose response in d o experimental outline pre-o 2 brownstock initial kappa 31.5 x stage conditions xylanase charge 0.7 u/gm temperature 70°c ph 8 treatment time 1 hr pulp consistency 10% bleach sequence xde p kappa factor 0.22, 0.26 and 0.30 (%d on pulp: 2.63, 3.12 and 3.60) determination of clo 2 dose response in d o : xylanase 0.7 u/g, ph 8.0, 70 °c, 1 hr pulp: pre-o 2 brownstock, initial kappa 31.5 percentage saving of clo 2 is of little significance to the industry. their primary concern is lbs of clo 2 required per ton od pulp. this makes sense when one considers that a lower percentage saving seen with a high initial kappa brownstock can be more valuable in terms of lbs of clo 2 saved than a higher percentage reduction for a low initial kappa pulp which will require a lower total charge of clo 2 to reach target brightness. relationship between brightness, yield and kappa factor for bleached control pulp: bleaching with increasing doses of clo 2 to achieve higher target brightness results in increased loss of pulp yield. this is an issue because pulp at this stage of the process has a value of almost $400 per ton and loss of cellulose costs money. a benefit of xylanase (e.g., a xylanase of the invention) is that use of a lower clo 2 dose can reduce yield losses as long as the action of the xylanase itself doesn't cancel out the gain. dose response data for pretreatment of pre-o 2 brownstock with xylanase experimental outline northwood pre-o 2 brownstock initial kappa 28.0 initial consistency 32.46% initial brightness 28.37 x stage conditions xylanase charge 0 to 2.70 u/gm temperature 58°c to 61°c ph 8.2 to 8.5 treatment time 1hr bleach sequence xdep kappa factor 0.24 clo 2 saving calculated for kappa factors between 0.24 and 0.30 the purpose of this experiment is to evaluate xylanases on unwashed spf brownstock. results can show dose-dependent increases in final brightness for pulp treated with xylb (e.c), with brightness achieved in presence of xylanase at lower kf of 0.24, approaching brightness achieved at higher kf of 0.30 asymptotically. example 4: novel biobleaching assay for assessing xylanase performance in enhancing the brightness of pulp this example describes an exemplary protocol, a "biobleaching assay," that can be used to determine if a polypeptide has xylanase activity and is within the scope of the invention. this assay can be used to assess the performance of an exemplary enzyme of the invention in enhancing the brightness of a pulp, e.g., a kraft pulp. the invention provides biobleaching procedures, e.g., a three-stage biobleaching procedure that closely simulates the conditions of an actual pulp mill bleach plant, as illustrated in figure 5 ; including a process as illustrated in figure 6 . this bleach sequence is designated by (x)doep, in which x represents the x ylanase treatment stage (using, e.g., an enzyme of the invention), d for chlorine d ioxide bleaching stage, and ep for alkaline p eroxide extraction stage. many different feedstocks may be used, for example, southern softwood kraft brownstock (without oxygen delignification) and hardwood kraft pulp (e.g., maple and aspen). upon completion of each biobleaching round, ensuing pulp can be used to produce tappi (technical association of pulp and paper industries, the technical association for the worldwide pulp, paper and converting industry) - standard handsheets. the ge% brightness of each handsheet can be measured, and the brightness values can be used as the indication of how well each enzyme performs on the pulp during the enzymatic pretreatment stage (x). pulp biobleaching : pulp was bleached in 10-g batches in sealed plastic bags using a 3-stage (x)doep sequence, as illustrated in figure 5 . the treatment conditions at the three stages can be summarized as follows: ❖ x stage: 10% (w/v) consistency at 65°c and ph=8 for 60 min ❖ do stage: 4% (w/v) consistency at 60°c for 30 min; kappa factor=0.18 for enzyme treated samples, and 0.18 and 0.21 for no-enzyme controls. ❖ ep stage: 10% (w/v) consistency at 75°c for 90 min; caustic charge: 1.7% (w naoh/w od pulp) and h 2 o 2 charge: 0.5% (w/w) as noted in figure 5 , in one aspect, raw pulp is washed to reduce ph to ph 8.5; pulp is filter pressed and divided into bags. at each stage, bags can be incubated in a water bath at the desired temperature and each bag is taken out and kneaded thoroughly every 10 min to ensure uniform mass and heat transfer within the pulp mass. after each treatment, pulp can be filtered, washed with 2 l of di water and filtered again before receiving the next treatment. the moisture content of the pulp can be measured using a mettler-toledo moisture analyzer (fisher scientific, usa). as noted in figure 5 , in one aspect, after the pulp is filter pressed and divided into bags, in the x stage, the pulp can be resuspended, filter pressed, the ph adjusted; and then, incubated with enzyme at 10% solids, 65°c, 1 hour; then kneaded for 10 minutes. at the do stage the pulp can be resuspended, washed, ph set to 4.0, and filter pressed; then, impregnated with clo 2 at 4% solids (i.e., 4% (w/v) consistency) at 60°c for 30 min; then kneaded for 10 minutes. at the do stage the kappa factor=0.18 for enzyme treated samples, and 0.18 and 0.21 for no-enzyme controls. at the ep stage the pulp can be resuspended, washed, and filter pressed; then, incubated with naoh and h 2 o 2 at 10% solids (i.e., 10% (w/v) consistency) at 75°c for 90 min; then kneaded for 10 minutes. the caustic charge: 1.7% (w naoh/w od pulp) and h 2 o 2 charge: 0.5% (w/w). after kneading, handsheets were formed. handsheets: as noted in figure 5 , in one aspect, handsheets can be formed (4 m pulp, ph about 6.5); handsheets can be made from unbleached and bleached pulp using tappi standard equipment (kalamazoo paper chemicals, richland, mi) according to tappi method t-272 sp-97. the ge% brightness of each handsheet can be measured using a brightmeter micro s-5/bc™ (technidyne corp., new albany, in) according to tappi method t-452 om-98 (reference at 457 nm). example 5: novel biobleaching process this example describes a novel biobleaching process of the invention, as illustrated in figure 6 . this process can be practiced using any xylanase enzyme, including a polypeptide of the invention. this exemplary process of the invention can have a starting material comprising "brownstock," which can be described as: 1) feedstock preparation - logs coming into the paper mill are debarked, chipped and screened to remove overthick chips, fines, knots and foreign matter, 2) pulping - wood chips are cooked at 160°c to 190°c under pressure for several hours in a concentrated liquor of sodium hydroxide and sodium sulfide to separate cellulose fibers and increase cellulose content by extracting the majority of unwanted lignin. the output of this step is referred to as "brownstock". this process of the invention comprises a "bleaching step" - a multistage process by which residual lignin and other chromophores are removed to whiten the pulp to target brightness in preparation for making paper or other products. pulp is treated with oxidizing chemicals, for example chlorine and chlorine dioxide, that attack lignin preferentially. in one aspect the process comprises a bleaching sequence where pulp is reacted with chlorine dioxide, the "do" stage (see also figure 5 ); extracted with alkali in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, the "ep" stage (see also figure 5 , the "ep" stage); reacted with chlorine dioxide a second time, a "d1" stage; extracted with alkali and hydrogen peroxide, an ep stage; and, reacted with chlorine dioxide a third time, a d2 stage. in practicing this process, bleaching can be subject to many variations with respect to type and quantity of oxidizing chemicals used and the number of process steps (however, chlorine dioxide is currently the most widely used chemical oxidant). in one aspect, this process comprises pretreatment of cooked pulp with oxygen under pressure; the oxygen reactor can be at high pressure - at about 200 to 230°f and ph 12 to 14 (this is a common first step in bleaching, known as "oxygen delignification"). in one aspect, this process comprises refining. for example, prior to papermaking bleached pulp is mechanically fined to collapse the cellulose fibers into flat ribbons, fibrilate their surfaces and improve their physical characteristics for papermaking. at any stage of the process following pulping, the pulp may be dewatered, washed and adjusted to a predetermined consistency by the addition of clean water or recyled streams. xylanase (e.g., an enzyme of the invention) can be just added after pulping, in the oxygen reactor or in the storage container just before the oxygen reactor. xylanase (e.g., an enzyme of the invention) can be added at multiple points (one or more or all points) in the bleaching process. in one aspect, a laccase is added to catalyze break-down of lignin. the laccase may be added at any stage of the process, including in the oxygen reactor. pulp may release various components that self-mediate the laccase. alternatively, in one aspect, organic or inorganic mediators can be added (see, e.g., de 19723890 describing an oxidation system comprising an organic mediator and a laccase; alternative exemplary mediators include 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzth- iazoline-5-sulphonate) (abts) as an exemplary organic mediator and potassium octacyanomolybdate [k 4 mo(cn) 8 ] as an exemplary inorganic mediator). mediators as described in u.s. patent application no. 20030096394 , can also be used in the processes of the invention, including any compound capable of enhancing the activities of laccase and laccase-related enzymes. in one aspect, an esterase, e.g. lipase, or oxidoreductase, e.g. peroxidase is added. in addition, ph and/or temperature can be modified in the reactor. in monitoring reactions of the invention, any lignin content-measuring technique can be used, e.g., see u.s. patent application no. 20020144795 , describing a method to measure kappa number or lignin content of kraft pulps based on the voltammetric measurement of catalytic reactions involving lignin and redox mediators. enzymes of the invention can also be used in with alkali-oxygen bleaching (oxygen delignification) processes as described, e.g., in u.s. patent no. 6,824,646 , the process comprising bleaching lignocellulose pulp in aqueous alkali solution with oxygen and treating the pulp with a hemicellulase, while a liquid fraction delivered from the enzyme treatment step is separated from the hemicellulase treated reaction mixture, and subjected to a penetration treatment through a separation membrane, for example, reverse osmosis membrane, to separate a permeated fraction from a non-permeated fraction; and then the permeated fraction is fed to the alkali-oxygen bleaching (oxygen delignification) step comprising use of an enzyme of the invention. in alternative aspects of this or any other process (method) of the invention xylanases (e.g., enzymes of the invention) are used to reduce bleaching chemicals, e.g., chlorine, chlorine dioxide, caustic, peroxide, or any combination thereof; and in alternative aspects, a reduction of up to about 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95% or more, or 100%, of chemicals can be seen in practicing the methods and using the enzymes of the invention. in one aspect, a 100% reduction in chemicals can be achieved when the xylanase is used in combination with a laccase or other enzyme, e.g., by use of enzyme cocktails; noting the the invention provides enzyme mixtures, or "cocktails" comprising at least one enzyme of the invention and one or more other enzyme(s), which can be another xylanase, or any other enzyme. in one aspect xylanases of the invention are used to reduce chlorine dioxide to allow recycling of water in the process; thus, there is less water used and less water dumped into the sewer. in one aspect xylanases of the invention are used to allow more lignin-rich pulp to enter the bleaching plant, allowing for better pulp yield and better quality pulp (i.e., less destruction during the cooking process). in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used to increase the overall brightness of the paper. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are used to lower the kappa number of the pulp. xylanases of the invention can be used, and the processes of the invention can be practiced, on all wood types, including, for example, on hard wood with, e.g., oxygen delignification, hard wood without oxygen delignification, soft wood with oxygen delignification and soft wood without oxygen delignification, and the like. xylanases of the invention can be used, and the processes of the invention can be practiced for processing of recycled paper and/or pulp. oxygen delignification typically requires the addition of a reaction tower between a brownstock washer and a bleach plant. typically, oxygen and sodium hydroxide are added to brownstock. reduction of bleaching chemistry by 50% can be achieved in the bleaching process if preceded by oxygen delignification. washing follows oxygen delignification; effluent can be recovered or discharged. ozone delignification can be used in place of oxygen delignification. example 6: novel biobleaching assay this example describes assays that can demonstrate xylanase activity in polypeptides of the invention. these xylanase activity studies can be based on those described by nelson (1944) j. biol. chem. 153:375-380 , "reducing sugar assay for xylanase"; and, somogyi (1952) j. biol. chem. 195:19-23 . this "nelson- somogyi" assay can be used to determine units of activity; data from "nelson- somogyi" assays demonstrating xylanase activity in polypeptides of the invention by determining units of activity is set forth, below. enzyme unit determinations also can be determined using the nelson-somogyi assay. biobleaching assays can be based on methods from tappi ((technical association of pulp and paper industries, see above). below a description along with references to the tappi protocols. pulp: in one aspect, two batches of southern softwood kraft brownstock are obtained, e.g., from the department of wood and fiber science at north carolina state university (raleigh, nc). the pulp kappa numbers can be determined, e.g., typically are or are between 21.4 or 29.7, as analyzied using tappi method t-236 om-99; see e.g., tappi test methods (2000-2001, 2003 173 ). pulp biobleaching: pulp can be pretreated with xylanase and bleached in 10g batches in sealed plastic bags using a 3-stage xylanase/chlorine dioxide/alkaline peroxide sequence: (x)doep (see explanation above). the treatment conditions at the three stages can be: x stage : 10% (w/v) consistency at 65°c and ph 8 for 60 min. do stage : 4% (w/v) consistency at 60 °c for 30 min; a kappa factor of 0.18 was used for enzyme treated samples, and 0.18 and 0.21 for no-enzyme control samples. the concentration of chlorine dioxide used during the do stage was calculated using equation (1): where clo 2 % is equal to g pure chlorine dioxide per 100 g oven-dried (od) pulp kf is the kappa factor and k# is the kappa number of the pulp as determined by tappi method t-236 om-99, tappi test methods (2000-2001, 2003 173 ), ep stage: 10% (w/v) consistency at 75 °c for 90 min; caustic charge is 1.7% on pulp (w/w) and h 2 o 2 charge is 0.5% on pulp (w/w). at each stage, replicate bags can be incubated in a water bath at the desired temperature and then removed and kneaded thoroughly every 10 min to ensure uniform mass and heat transfer within the pulp mass. after each stage, pulp can be filtered, e.g., through a buchner funnel lined with a hard polypropylene filter (297-micron mesh, spectrum labs, ft. lauderdale, fl). the filtrate can be recycled once to catch the fines, and the pulp cake can be washed, e.g., with 2 l of di water. the pulp cake can then be resuspended, e.g., in 1.5 l of di water and ph can be adjusted, e.g., to ph 8 and ph 4 prior to x and do stages, respectively. the moisture content of the pulp can be measured using a mettler-toledo moisture analyzer (fisher scientific, usa). handsheets can be made from the bleached pulp using tappi standard equipment (kalamazoo paper chemicals, richland, mi) according to tappi method t-272 sp-97, tappi test methods (2000-2001, 2003 173 ). the ge% brightness of each handsheet tappi test methods (2000-2001, 2003 173 ) can be measured, e.g., using a technidyne brightmeter micro s-5/bc™ (technidyne corp., new albany, in) according to tappi method t-452 om-98. table-tabl0007 components used in assay (1) • 1m naoh • solution 1 : 12g k + /na + tartrate; 24g na 2 co 3 ; 16g nahco 3 ; 144g na 2 so 4 in 800 ml h 2 o • 0.5 m sodium phosphate buffer ph 8 • 1% arabinoxylan - (megazyme #p-waxym) prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions • solution 2 : 4g cuso 4 *5h 2 o; 36 g na 2 so 4 in 200 ml h 2 o • xylose - prepare standards 0.15 mm-2mm using d-xylose dissolved in h 2 o • reagent a : mix 4 volumes of solution 1 with 1 volume of solution 2. note-make fresh daily • 96 well pcr plate (fisher 05 500-48) • pcr plate seals • reagent b : 25g (nh4) 2 moo 4 in 450 ml h 2 o; add 21 ml conc. h 2 so 4 , mix. dissolve 3g na 2 haso 4 *7h 2 o in 25 ml dh 2 o; mix with ammonium molybdate solution and incubate reagent at 37°c for 24-48 h. store solution in a dark bottle i.e. away from light at room temperature. • standard 96 well clear plates • 1 ml tubes (e&k 671511-rc) for the 96 well block procedure 1. prepare reagent a 2. pipet 5 ul of 1 m naoh into each well of a 96 well pcr plate. keep plate on ice. 3. prepare reaction mixture. alternatively, you can make a master mix for multiple samples. here is the ix mix. add to the 1 ml tubes and place into the 96 well block. a. 50 ul ph8 na-phosphate buffer b. 250 ul of 1% substrate (to make a final concentration of 0.5%) c. 150 ul h 2 o 4. preheat reaction mixture to desired temperature for 3 minutes. 5. dilute the 0.5 m phosphate buffer to 5 mm ph 8 and make enzyme dilutions using this buffer. 6. pipet 75 ul of diluted enzyme into a well of a 96 well microtiter plate 7. pipet 50 ul of diluted enzyme into the 1 ml tube containing the reaction mix. 8. at the desired timepoint, pipet 50 ul from each reaction mixture into tubes containing the naoh (the naoh will raise the ph to 12, quenching the reaction). 9. add 50 ul of each standard to separate tubes also containing naoh. standards are linear within the range of 0.25 mm xylose to 2.0 mm. use at least 4 standards to generate the standard curve. 10. add 50 ul of reagent a to each well. seal plate using the microseal™ 'a' film. 11. heat the plate for 20 min. at 100°c in a pcr machine. set the machine to cool down to 4°c after heating the samples. 12. add 50 ul of reagent b to each tube, mix. 13. -note a significant amount of co 2 is formed after addition of reagent b. care should be taken so sample does not contaminate adjacent wells. 14. pipet 100 ul of each sample or standard into separate wells of a 96 well microtiter plate. 15. read plate at 560 nm. 16. plot standard curve data and express standards as umoles of xylose i.e. 50 ul of 2.5 mm xylose is .125 µmoles of xylose. 17. subtract buffer control from sample data for each timepoint and plot the data 18. divide timepoint curve slope value by the xylose standard curve slope value 19. multiply by 10 (accounts for the 50 ul samples (1/10 of the total assay volume) 20. divide by the volume used in the assay (0.05) to get µmoles of xylose released per min per ml of enzyme or u/ml of enzyme. 21. divide this number by the protein concentration to get u/mg. "units of activity" data from the "nelson- somogyi" assays can be used to determine dosing in biobleaching assays (based on tappi methods). as noted above, the enzymes and processes of the invention can also be used in conjunction with a second approach to enzymatic bleaching using oxidative enzymes such as laccase and/or manganese peroxidase (mnp) to delignify pulp. in one aspect of this second approach, of these enzymes, laccase is preferred, because mnp requires hydrogen peroxide, manganese (ii) ions and a chelator. laccase can cause delignification of pulp under slight oxygen pressure, but is considerably more effective when mediators are added, as discussed above. catalyst improved delignification methods can also be used in conjunction with the methods of the invention, for example, polysulfide or anthraquinone. anthraquinone is a pulping reaction catalyst which can increase the speed of pulping, increase yield, and reduce pulping chemical usage by up to 10%. it is possible to use both anthraquinone and polysulfide together. in one aspect, laccase is used in conjunction with the methods of the invention, as discussed above. for example, laccase is used in an oxygen reactor in a process of the invention, where the laccase breaks down the lignin in the oxygen reactor. while pulp may release various components that self-mediate the laccase, in one aspect organic or inorganic mediators are added (see discussion above, e.g., alternative exemplary mediators include 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzth- iazoline-5-sulphonate) (abts) as an exemplary organic mediator and potassium octacyanomolybdate [k 4 mo(cn) 8 ] as an exemplary inorganic mediator, or mediators as described in u.s. patent application no. 20030096394 ). in one aspect, another hydrolase, such as an esterase (e.g., a lipase) and/or an oxidoreductase (e.g., a peroxidase) is also added. in alternative aspects, ph and/or temperature are modified in the reactor. example 7: studies demonstrating the enzymatic activity of enzymes of the invention this example describes studies demonstrating the enzymatic activity of the exemplary xylanase enzymes of the invention, which demonstrates that polypeptides of this invention have xylanase activity. an exemplary assay for evaluating these xylanases: 1. initial screen - using an azo-xylan (solution-based) substrate a. enzymatic activity of enzymes can be determined by an azo-xylan assay using megazyme® substrate birchwood azo-xylan in 100 mm sodium phosphate, ph 8, according to manufacturer's recommended assay protocol. the concentrations of enzyme samples can be adjusted such that they had equal amounts of xylanase activity at ph8. b. the azo-xylan assay are then repeated with normalized samples in 100 mm sodium borate buffer at ph 10.4. 2. initial screen - enz-chek ultra xylanase assay kit™ (invitrogen) a. xylanase enzyme samples can be prepared in the same manner as for the azo-xylan assay (section 1, above). b. the level of enzymatic activity of enzymes can be measured by employing commercially available assay kit, e.g., sold by invitrogen under the name enz-chek ultra xylanase assay kit™ (product number e33650). the enz-chek™ kit substrate produces fluorescent signal in the presence of xylanases, which can be used to quantify xylanase activities using kit-supplied standards. the protocol used for testing xylanase enzymes can be slightly modified from any manufacturer-recommended protocol. the modifications can primarily involve, e.g., testing xylanases at different ph and temperature that what is recommended by the manufacturer. 3. secondary screen - exemplary pulp assays a. the enzymes from azo-xylan assay can be tested for activity on wheat arabinoxylan using, e.g., a nelson-somogyi assay as already described herein. they can be then tested in a laboratory scale bleaching assays to determine the amount of chemical savings each can achieved for a given pulp type and chlorine dioxide loading. the ones that meet desired performance characteristics can be tested in tappi bag biobleaching assay (e.g., in triplicate) at a range of loadings and ph levels. 4. exemplary enzyme characterization screen - temperature profile a. thermotolerance of xylanases can be assayed using azo-xylan assay at ph 8 and ph 10.4 at progressively more elevated temperatures; and enzymes of the invention were tested using this assay. the initial rates of reaction at each temperature can be recorded and plotted to determine optimal performance temperature of xylanases. b. residual activity - another exemplary assay that can be employed for testing thermostability of enzymes is the residual activity method, whereby a sample of enzyme is treated at an elevated temperature at a particular ph for a specific period of time, and then assayed under standard conditions under permissive temperature (typically 37°c). a half-life at a particular temperature is then determined and provides a measure of a given enzyme fitness under those temperature conditions. example 8: studies demonstrating the enzymatic activity of enzymes of the invention this example describes studies demonstrating the enzymatic activity of the exemplary xylanase enzymes of the invention, including the enzymatic activity of any polypeptide of this invention have xylanase activity. the evolution of endoxylanase seq id no:2 (xyl 11) utilizing gssm technology and xylanase screening identified point mutations (xyl 11 mutants) having increased xylanase activity, as well increased sugar release from alkaline pretreated corn stover, when used in combination with 7 other cellulosic enzymes (table 2, below) after 36 hrs in saccharification cocktail assays at 50°c. these assays contain alkaline pretreated dry corn cobs at 5% (w/v) with a total enzyme loading of 10.2 mg / g cellulose in the solids. table-tabl0008 table 2: composition of enzyme cocktail enzyme seq id nos: conc. mg/g cellulose endoglucanase^ seq id no:4 (encoded by seq id no:3) 1.7 oligomerase i (beta-glucosidase)^ seq id no:6 (encoded by seq id no:5) 0.5 cbh1 (gh family 7)^ seq id no:8 (encoded by seq id no:7) 5 cbh2 (gh family 6)^ seq id no: 10 (encoded by seq id no:9) 1 xylanase (gh family 11) varies (control*, xyl 11 or xyl 11 mutants) 0.6 arabinofuranosidase^ seq id no:14 (encoded by seq id no:13) 0.25 xylanase (gh family 10)^ seq id no:16 (encoded by seq id no:15) 0.15 oligomerase ii (beta-xylosidase)^ seq id no:18 (encoded by seq id no:17) 1 *control xylanase is seq id no:12 (encoded by seq id no:11) ^previously described in pct publication no. wo 07/094852 the new xylanase mutants improved xylose release over the wild type at 0.6 mg / g cellulose as well as 0.2 mg / g cellulose loading ( figure 2 ). at the standard loading of 0.6 mg /g cellulose these new variants achieved conversion rates of up to 90% monomeric xylose released vs. 63% with the wild type. some of the polypeptides of the invention (the mutants of seq id no:2), in particular, xyl 11 mutant 11 and xyl 11 mutant 14, also achieved greater than 90% xylose release even at the reduced loading of 0.2 mg cellulose. these novel polypeptides of the invention (the mutants of seq id no:2) therefore not only improve the rate of xylose release but also can do so at a reduced enzyme loading. similar positive effects on xylose release and enzyme loading could be envisioned for comparable saccharification reactions using different feed stocks (switch grass, hard and soft woods, energy cane, bagasse etc.) applied to alkaline or acidic pretreatments and with different initial enzyme loadings (1mg - 100 mg / g cellulose) and different ratios of cocktail components. the enzymes of this invention can be used to process/ treat cellulosic material for, e.g., biological alcohol (e.g., etoh, or ethanol) fermentation; cellulosic material that is processed using compositions and methods of the invention can be mainly composed of cellulose (containing glucose), and hemicellulose - which is mostly containing xylose. in one aspect, glucose as well as xylose can be used as a sugar source for etoh fermentation. in one aspect, xylanases of the invention are active in the enzymatic breakdown of the hemicellulose portion of cellulosic material, releasing a monomeric xylose. in one aspect, the improved xylanase activity of polypeptides of the invention increases the amount of xylose available for fermentation. in one aspect, by removing the hemicellulose the cellulose becomes more accessible to cellulases, which can also increase the conversion of cellulose to glucose. using xylanases of the invention, e.g., the sequence variations of the exemplary endoxylanase xyl 11 (seq id no:2), including the exemplary 18 amino acid substitutions described herein, an increased specific activity can be achieved over the "wild type" xylanase, as described in table 1, above. note: in table 1 tertiary assay activity is indicated as the absorbance at 560 nm measured in the bca assay reached after 9.5 h of hydrolysis. referencing table 1, when each of these clones (xylanases of the invention) was evaluated in cocktail saccharification assays with the xylanase as the variable, fourteen of these clones (xylanases of the invention) improved xylose conversion rates when compared to assays with the wild type at the same loading, as noted in table 3 (see table 1 for the sequence referenced in table 3, e.g., table 1 sets for the sequence of xyl 11 mutant 5, xyl 11 mutant 5, etc., based on the exemplary seq id no:2; note also, "xyl 11 (wt)" refers to the "wild type" exemplary seq id no:2): table-tabl0009 table 3: xylose conversion by the cocktail shown in table 2 (above). note the xylanase component (xyl 11 wt or xyl 11 mutant) varies in each cocktail. xylose conversion @ 0.2mg xylose conversion @ 0.6mg xyl 11 or xyl 11 mutant used in cocktail 36hr stdev xyl 11 or xyl 11 mutant used in cocktail 36hr stdev xyl 11 (wt) 51.57% 0.01 xyl 11 wt) 62.84% 0.02 xyl 11 mutant 5 55.98% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 16 68.10% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 16 57.43% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 5 69.69% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 12 59.03% 0.02 xyl 11 mutant 12 71.75% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 4 59.46% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 7 74.25% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 9 60.34% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 9 74.45% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 17 60.45% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 17 74.76% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 7 61.23% 0.02 xyl 11 mutant 4 74.94% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 2 61.73% 0.02 xyl 11 mutant 13 75.30% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 6 62.31% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 2 78.24% 0.05 xyl 11 mutant 13 63.58% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 15 80.03% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 15 65.95% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 6 80.36% 0.09 xyl 11 mutant 10 66.34% 0.00 xyl 11 mutant 10 80.61% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 11 71.76% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 14 84.74% 0.01 xyl 11 mutant 14 73.69% 0.03 xyl 11 mutant 11 90.36% 0.06 accordingly, the invention provides an enzyme cocktail comprising, or consisting of, the enzymes: endoglucanase, oligomerase i (beta-glucosidase), cbh1 (gh family 7), cbh2 (gh family 6), xylanase (gh family 11), arabinofuranosidase, xylanase (gh family10) and an oligomerase ii (beta-xylosidase); wherein one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and/or all eight of these enzyme are a polypeptide of this invention, and methods for treating polysaccharide compositions using these cocktails, or any cocktail of this invention, for, e.g., treating/ processing wood, pulp, paper, waste(s) and the like, or making biofuels or foods or feeds, or any other industrial process or method, e.g., as described herein. screens and assays for identifying enzymes of the invention the following screens and assays were used in identifying exemplary enzymes of the invention, and in one aspect, these screens and assays can be applied to determine if any polypeptide has sufficient xylanase activity to fall with the scope of this invention - assuming of course it also has the requisite sequence identity, as described herein: xylanase evolution screen : utilizing the gssm technology (verenium corporation, us patent no. 6,171,820 ) an evolution library for endoxylanase xyl 11 (seq id no:2) representing all possible amino acid exchanges for each of the 194 residues of this enzyme was created. point mutations were introduced using degenerate oligonucleotides, one amino acid position at a time, so that each original codon could be substituted with each of the 20 naturally encoded amino acids. the mutated variants were transformed into xl1-blue (reca- strain, stratagene) and then into pseudomonas fluorescens mb214 (dow global technologies inc., us patent publication no. 20050130160 ), using vector pwz82t (seq id no:25). all variants were grown and expressed (from pseudomonas fluorescens mb214) and lysed in 96 well plates. hydrolysis reactions with the lysates were carried out in 96 well plates (200 ul of 200mm citrate buffer, ph 5.5, 0.5% dried and milled alkaline pretreated corn stover - cp-15, 50c). aliquots were removed from the reaction at 1, 3, 5 and 10brs and added to 800mm carbonate buffer ph 10 to stop the reaction. the extent of hydrolysis at each time point was evaluated via a reducing ends assay (bca), as described by johnston et al. 1998 (see below), recording absorption at 560nm (a560). in addition a quantitative elisa utilizing xyl 11 (seq id no:2) specific antibodies was used to normalize activity to protein expression. both functional and quantitative assays were automated for high through put. in the primary screen, clones exhibiting normalized activity exceeding xyl 11 (seq id no:2) controls on the plate by at least 2 standard deviations (> 1.0 + 2 stdv wt) were moved on to a secondary screen. in the secondary screen, all primary hits were re-screened in duplicate applying the same assay and hit criteria as in the primary screen. clones that confirmed for both duplicates were then moved on to a tertiary screen. in tertiary screens, these clones again were assayed in duplicate using the bca assay, but this time with different defined concentrations of protein (0.1, 0.05 and 0.025 mg/ml). total protein of lysates was determined via bradford assays (e.g., as described in bradford 1976, see below) the relative content of xylanase then was determined via densitometry of sds page gels after running defined amounts of total protein. all clones exceeding wt activity, recorded as absorption at 560 nm (a560), for at least one enzyme concentration in the tertiary screen were then assayed in saccharification assays. saccharification / cocktail assay : cocktail reactions were set up in capped 10 ml glass vials containing two metal ball bearings. the reaction volume was 5 ml (200 mm sodium citrate- 1 mm sodium azide ph 5.5) with 5% solids (size 40 grit milled alkaline pretreated corn stover). enzyme composition and loadings were according to table 2, above, only varying the family 11 endoxylanase. reaction vials were incubated for 36h at 50c under shaking at 300 rpm. the concentration of xylose monomers released was determined by hplc (ri detector, shodex sp-0810 column, flow rate of 0.5 ml/min) using a set of standards and calibration curves. johnston, d.b.; shoemaker, s.p.; smith, g.m. and whitaker, j.r.: kinetic measurement of cellulase activity on insoluble substrates using disodium 2,2' bicinchoninate. journal of food biochemistry (22) issue 4 pp. 301-319, 1998 bradford, m. m. (1976) a rapid and sensitive method for the quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. anal. biochem. 72:248-25 sequence listing <110> bp corporation north america inc. <120> xylanases, nucleic acids encoding them and methods for making and using them <130> p/65089.ep02 <140> 13181497.2 <141> 2013-08-23 <150> 60/977,348 <151> 2007-10-03 <150> pct/us2008/072030 <151> 2008-08-01 <150> 08797071.1 <151> 2008-08-01 <160> 25 <170> fastseq for windows version 4.0 <210> 1 <211> 585 <212> dna <213> artificial sequence <220> <223> synthetically engineered <400> 1 <210> 2 <211> 194 <212> prt <213> artificial sequence <220> <223> synthetically engineered <400> 2 <210> 3 <211> 1365 <212> dna <213> clostridium thermocellum <400> 3 <210> 4 <211> 455 <212> prt <213> clostridium thermocellum <220> <221> signal <222> (1) ... (25) <220> <221> domain <222> (71) ... (359) <223> cellulase (glycosyl hydrolase family 5) <220> <221> domain <222> (415) ... (435) <223> dockerin type i repeat <220> <221> site <222> (186) ... (195) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 5 signature. prosite id = ps00659 <220> <221> site <222> (280) ... (283) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (415) ... (434) <223> clostridium cellulosome enzymes repeated domain signature. prosite id = ps00448 <220> <221> site <222> (423) ... (426) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 4 <210> 5 <211> 2610 <212> dna <213> cochliobolus heterostrophus atcc 48331 <400> 5 <210> 6 <211> 869 <212> prt <213> cochliobolus heterostrophus atcc 48331 <220> <221> domain <222> (89) ... (310) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 3 n terminal domain <220> <221> domain <222> (408) ... (642) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 3 c terminal domain <220> <221> site <222> (24) ... (27) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (73) ... (76) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (262) ... (265) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (276) ... (293) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 3 active site. prosite id = ps00775 <220> <221> site <222> (325) ... (328) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (531) ... (534) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (544) ... (547) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (550) ... (553) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (572) ... (575) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (695) ... (698) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (721) ... (724) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (737) ... (740) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (823) ... (826) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 6 <210> 7 <211> 1527 <212> dna <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from environmental sample <400> 7 <210> 8 <211> 508 <212> prt <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from environmental sample <220> <221> signal <222> (1) ... (20) <220> <221> domain <222> (19) ... (453) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 7 <220> <221> domain <222> (476) ... (504) <223> fungal cellulose binding domain <400> 8 <210> 9 <211> 1413 <212> dna <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from an environmental sample <400> 9 <210> 10 <211> 470 <212> prt <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from an environmental sample <220> <221> signal <222> (1) ... (18) <220> <221> domain <222> (22) ... (50) <223> fungal cellulose binding domain <220> <221> domain <222> (120) ... (437) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 6 <220> <221> site <222> (26) ... (53) <223> cbm1 (carbohydrate binding type-1) domain signature. prosite id = ps00562 <220> <221> site <222> (240) ... (249) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 6 signature 2. prosite id = ps00656 <220> <221> site <222> (314) ... (317) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 10 <210> 11 <211> 594 <212> dna <213> artificial sequence <220> <223> synthetically generated <400> 11 <210> 12 <211> 197 <212> prt <213> artificial sequence <220> <223> synthetically generated <400> 12 <210> 13 <211> 2637 <212> dna <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from environmental sample <400> 13 <210> 14 <211> 878 <212> prt <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from environmental sample <220> <221> signal <222> (1) ... (28) <220> <221> domain <222> (328) ... (515) <223> alpha-l-arabinofuranosidase c-terminus <220> <221> domain <222> (528) ... (870) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 10 <220> <221> site <222> (127) ... (130) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (205) ... (208) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (232) ... (235) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (251) ... (254) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (734) ... (737) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (757) ... (767) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 10 active site. prosite id = ps00591 <220> <221> site <222> (871) ... (874) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 14 <210> 15 <211> 1725 <212> dna <213> clostridium thermocellum <400> 15 <210> 16 <211> 574 <212> prt <213> clostridium thermocellum <220> <221> domain <222> (39) ... (158) <223> carbohydrate binding module (family 6) <220> <221> domain <222> (167) ... (187) <223> dockerin type i repeat <220> <221> domain <222> (201) ... (221) <223> dockerin type i repeat <220> <221> domain <222> (254) ... (571) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 10 <220> <221> site <222> (47) ... (50) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (95) ... (98) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (107) ... (110) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (167) ... (179) <223> ef-hand calcium-binding domain. prosite id = ps00018 <220> <221> site <222> (167) ... (186) <223> clostridium cellulosome enzymes repeated domain signature. prosite id = ps00448 <220> <221> site <222> (175) ... (178) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (201) ... (213) <223> ef-hand calcium-binding domain. prosite id = ps00018 <220> <221> site <222> (201) ... (220) <223> clostridium cellulosome enzymes repeated domain signature. prosite id = ps00448 <220> <221> site <222> (203) ... (206) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (276) ... (279) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (484) ... (494) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 10 active site. prosite id = ps00591 <400> 16 lys pro ala tyr asn ala ile lys glu ala leu met gly tyr 565 570 <210> 17 <211> 2232 <212> dna <213> cochliobolus heterostrophus atcc 48331 <400> 17 <210> 18 <211> 743 <212> prt <213> cochliobolus heterostrophus atcc 48331 <220> <221> domain <222> (47) ... (297) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 3 n terminal domain <220> <221> domain <222> (367) ... (594) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 3 c terminal domain <220> <221> site <222> (82) ... (85) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (252) ... (255) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (314) ... (317) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (344) ... (347) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (394) ... (397) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (434) ... (437) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (440) ... (443) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (580) ... (583) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (638) ... (641) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (739) ... (742) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 18 <210> 19 <211> 1362 <212> dna <213> bacteria <400> 19 <210> 20 <211> 453 <212> prt <213> bacteria <220> <221> domain <222> (1) ... (447) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 1 <220> <221> site <222> (8) ... (22) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 1 n-terminal signature. prosite id = ps00653 <220> <221> site <222> (184) ... (187) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (350) ... (358) <223> glycosyl hydrolases family 1 active site. prosite id = ps00572 <400> 20 <210> 21 <211> 930 <212> dna <213> cochliobolus heterostrophus atcc 48331 <400> 21 <210> 22 <211> 309 <212> prt <213> cochliobolus heterostrophus atcc 48331 <220> <221> domain <222> (3) ... (276) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 62 <220> <221> site <222> (43) ... (46) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (192) ... (195) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (287) ... (290) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 22 <210> 23 <211> 2163 <212> dna <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from environmental sample <400> 23 <210> 24 <211> 720 <212> prt <213> unknown <220> <223> obtained from environmental sample <220> <221> domain <222> (19) ... (456) <223> glycosyl hydrolase family 52 <220> <221> site <222> (165) ... (168) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (229) ... (232) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (314) ... (317) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (522) ... (525) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (571) ... (574) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <220> <221> site <222> (582) ... (585) <223> n-glycosylation site. prosite id = ps00001 <400> 24 <210> 25 <211> 6564 <212> dna <213> artificial sequence <220> <223> synthetically generated vector <400> 25
|
143-680-361-664-337
|
DE
|
[
"DE",
"CN",
"US",
"JP",
"ES",
"KR",
"EP",
"WO"
] |
F02B75/26,F01B3/00,F02G3/02,F01B3/04,F02G1/02,F02B33/06,F02B29/04
| 2015-10-26T00:00:00 |
2015
|
[
"F02",
"F01"
] |
axial piston motor and method for operating an axial piston motor
|
the invention relates to an axial piston motor with inner continuous combustion, in which a compressed combustion medium is burned with fuel in a continuously operating combustion chamber to form a working medium, the working medium is supplied to cyclical working cylinders in order to extract mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy extracted in the working cylinders is also used for the compression of the combustion medium. the compression is carried out in two steps or at a compression end temperature of less than 300 deg c with a compression ratio of more than 10 and/or a rotating distributor comprises at least two distributor openings which cyclically open and close the firing connections and/or are cyclically guided past or through firing channels.
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1 . an axial piston motor ( 10 ) with internal continuous combustion, having a continuously operating combustion chamber ( 20 ), having at least two working cylinders ( 30 ), and having at least two compressor cylinders ( 41 , 42 ) driven by the working cylinders ( 30 ), wherein firing connections ( 25 ) between the continuously working combustion chamber ( 20 ) and the working cylinders ( 30 ) can be cyclically closed and opened, and wherein a combustion medium feed line ( 21 ) for supplying compressed combustion medium to the continuously working combustion chamber ( 20 ) is provided between the compressor cylinders ( 41 , 42 ) and the combustion chamber ( 20 ), wherein an outlet ( 72 ) of a first compressor cylinder ( 41 ) of the two compressor cylinders ( 41 , 42 ) is connected with an inlet ( 73 ) of a second compressor cylinder ( 42 ) of the two compressor cylinders ( 41 , 42 ). 2 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein an inlet ( 71 ) of the first compressor cylinder ( 41 ) is connected with a combustion medium inlet ( 75 ), and an outlet ( 74 ) of the second compressor cylinder ( 42 ) is connected with the combustion medium feed line ( 21 ). 3 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the second compressor cylinder ( 42 ) has a cylinder surface area or the second compressor cylinders ( 42 ) in total have a cylinder surface area that corresponds to the root of the compression ratio multiplied by a surface area of the first compressor cylinder ( 41 ) or of the first compressor cylinders ( 41 ). 4 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the diameter of the first compressor cylinder ( 41 ) is less than 90%, preferably less than 85%, in particular less than 83% of the diameter of one of the working cylinders ( 30 ). 5 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the first compressor cylinder ( 41 ) is dimensioned or the first compressor cylinders ( 41 ) are dimensioned in such a manner that sufficiently compressed combustion medium for idling of the axial piston motor ( 10 ) is made available by the first compressor cylinder(s) ( 41 ). 6 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the rotating distributor ( 27 ) is a combustion chamber bottom ( 28 ). 7 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein a rotating distributor ( 27 ) has at least two distributor openings ( 29 ), which cyclically open and close the firing connections ( 25 ) and/or are cyclically moved past firing channels ( 26 ) or passed through firing channels ( 26 ). 8 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein working pistons ( 35 ) run in the working cylinders ( 30 ), which pistons act on a cam disk ( 62 ) of a power take-off ( 60 ), which disk forces two strokes to occur per revolution. 9 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein multiple first compressor cylinders ( 41 ), each having an outlet ( 72 ), and/or multiple second compressor cylinders ( 42 ), each having an inlet ( 73 ), are provided, wherein each of the outlets ( 72 ) is connected with precisely one of the inlets ( 73 ) or wherein an outlet ( 72 ) is connected with multiple inlets ( 73 ) and/or one inlet ( 73 ) is connected with multiple outlets ( 72 ). 10 . the axial piston motor ( 10 ) according to claim 1 , wherein an intermediate storage unit ( 48 ) and/or an intermediate cooler ( 49 ) is provided between the outlet ( 72 ) of the first compressor cylinder ( 41 ) and the inlet ( 73 ) of the second compressor cylinder ( 42 ). 11 . a method for operation of an axial piston motor ( 10 ) with internal continuous combustion, in which compressed combustion medium is combusted in a continuously working combustion chamber ( 20 ) together with fuel to produce working medium, the working medium is cyclically supplied to working cylinders ( 30 ) so as to obtain mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy obtained in the working cylinders ( 30 ) is also used for a compression of the combustion medium, wherein compression takes place in two stages and/or wherein compression takes place at final compression temperatures below 300° c. 12 . the operating method according to claim 11 , wherein the combustion chamber ( 20 ) simultaneously has at least two open firing connections ( 25 ) to a working cylinder ( 30 ), in each instance. 13 . the operating method according to claim 11 , wherein intermediate cooling takes place between the two stages. 14 . the operating method according to claim 11 , wherein compression takes place at final compression temperatures below 280° c., preferably below 270°c. 15 . the operating method according to claim 11 , wherein sufficiently compressed combustion medium for idling of the axial piston motor ( 10 ) is made available in the first stage.
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the invention relates to an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, having a continuously operating combustion chamber, having at least two working cylinders, and having at least two compressor cylinders driven by the working cylinders, wherein firing connections between the continuously working combustion chamber and the working cylinders can be cyclically closed and opened, and wherein a combustion medium feed line for supplying compressed combustion medium to the continuously working combustion chamber is provided between the compressor cylinders and the combustion chamber. likewise, the invention relates to a method for operation of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, in which compressed combustion medium is combusted in a continuously working combustion chamber together with fuel, the working medium is cyclically supplied to working cylinders so as to obtain mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy obtained in the working cylinders is also used for a compressing combustion medium. motors of an entirely different nature have been disclosed in de 691 12 142 t2, in u.s. pat. no. 4,783,966 or u.s. pat. no. 5,964,087, in which discontinuous combustion is present, wherein air or an air/fuel mixture is compressed, in each instance, the compressed air or the air/fuel mixture is then supplied to a combustion chamber or a working cylinder in surges, wherein in the case of compressed air, fuel is then also added to the compressed air, and subsequently, the compressed air/fuel mixture is ignited and supplied, in its entirety, to a working cylinder. the combustion procedure then ends and is only initialized again when compressed air is once again made available. this means that the entire combustion process is significantly determined by the beginning and the end of the respective combustion procedure. the compression/expansion ratio is also decisively determined by the ratios of the cylinder diameters or the stroke volumes during compression and expansion. motors with internal continuous combustion are already sufficiently known from u.s. pat. no. 972,404, for example, as piston motors. also, axial piston motors are described in u.s. pat. no. 5,228,415 or in de 31 35 619 a1, wherein internal continuous combustion as such is not disclosed for this motor type. ep 1 035 310 a2 and wo 2011/009454 a2 also disclose axial piston motors with internal continuous combustion, wherein the axial piston motors of the latter two documents have a continuously working combustion chamber, at least two working cylinders, and at least two compressor cylinders driven by the working cylinders, in each instance, wherein firing connections between the continuously working combustion chamber and the working cylinders can be cyclically closed and opened, and wherein a combustion medium feed line for supplying compressed combustion medium to the continuously working combustion chamber is provided between the compressor cylinders and the combustion chamber. likewise, the latter two documents disclose a method for operation of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion in which compressed combustion medium is combusted, together with fuel, in a continuously working combustion chamber, to produce working medium, the working medium is cyclically supplied to working cylinders to obtain mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy obtained in the working cylinders is also used for compression of the combustion medium. here, ep 1 035 310 a2 uses sleeves for cyclical opening and closing of the firing connections, which sleeves are disposed around the working cylinders, in each instance, and rotate around them, wherein openings in these sleeves are then used for opening and closing the firing connections. according to wo 2011/009454 a2, control pistons can also be used instead of these sleeves, which pistons cyclically open and close the firing connections accordingly. furthermore, the latter document discloses that the working medium is supposed to be expanded with a greater pressure ratio during expansion in the working cylinder than a pressure ratio that is present during compression in the compression cylinder. furthermore, the two axial piston motors of these two documents have in common that the compressed combustion medium coming from the compressor cylinder is first collected in a type of manifold, and then the compressed combustion medium is supplied from there to the continuously working combustion chamber, by way of a combustion medium feed line that runs through one or more heat exchangers. it is the task of the present invention to improve the degree of effectiveness of axial piston motors of the stated type or the method for operation of axial piston motors. the task of the invention is accomplished by means of axial piston motors or methods for operation of axial piston motors, having the characteristics of the independent claims. further advantageous embodiments, possibly also independent thereof, are found in the dependent claims and in the following description. in the case of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, having a continuously working combustion chamber, having at least two working cylinders, and having at least two compressor cylinders driven by the working cylinders, wherein firing connections between the continuously working combustion chamber and the working cylinders can be cyclically closed and opened, and wherein a combustion medium feed line for feed of compressed combustion medium is provided between the compressor cylinders and the combustion chamber, the degree of effectiveness can be improved if an outlet of a first compressor cylinder of the two compressor cylinders is connected with an inlet of a second compressor cylinder of the two compressor cylinders. also, the degree of effectiveness can be improved, in the case of a method for operation of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, in which compressed combustion medium is combusted in a continuously working combustion chamber together with fuel to produce working medium, the working medium is cyclically supplied to working cylinders so as to obtain mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy obtained the working cylinders is also used for compression of the combustion medium, if the compression takes place in two stages. by means of the two stages, i.e. in that an outlet of the first compressor cylinder is connected with an inlet of a second compressor cylinder, overly great compressions do not need to be carried out in one step, contrary to the solution according to the state of the art; this in itself puts great demands on valve control and the configuration of the compressor cylinders, as well as on the stroke of the compressor piston. in the two-step solution, i.e. in the case of a connection of the outlet of the first compressor cylinder and the inlet of the second compressor cylinder, the degree of effectiveness surprisingly proves to be higher, although ultimately, control of the compressor cylinders and their outlets and inlets is significantly more complex. in the case of a method for operation of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, in which compressed combustion medium is combusted in a continuously working combustion chamber together with fuel, to produce working medium, the working medium is cyclically supplied to working cylinders, so as to obtain mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy obtained in the working cylinders is also used for compression of the combustion medium, the degree of effectiveness can also be improved in that compression takes place at final compression temperatures below 300° c. the low final compression temperature allows the compression procedure to approach isothermal compression, and this brings about a corresponding increase in the degree of effectiveness. a corresponding low temperature during compression actually appears counterproductive in view of possible heat exchangers with which the compressed combustion medium is heated before entry into the continuously working combustion chamber. however, it has proven to be advantageous with regard to the degree of effectiveness to perform compression as isothermally as possible and at low temperatures, and only then to supply heat by way of heat exchangers. in this regard, it is understood that due to the two-stage nature of the compression, as it was explained above, i.e. due to the connection of the outlet of the first compression cylinder with the inlet of the second compressor cylinder, monitoring of the temperature can take place in significantly simpler manner. this particularly holds true for the reason that because of the two-stage nature, smaller strokes and possibly also smaller compressor cylinders can be used. also, cumulatively or alternatively, intermediate cooling can take place between the two stages, so that likewise, a correspondingly low final compression temperature can be guaranteed. an intermediate cooler can be provided between the outlet of the first compressor cylinder and the inlet of the second compressor cylinder, for example, for intermediate cooling, which cooler is characterized by corresponding cooling devices such as cooling ribs, cooling coils, water cooling or targeted air cooling. if necessary, such an intermediate cooler can also be used as an intermediate storage unit, wherein then, the intermediate storage unit must be correspondingly provided with cooling devices. in particular in deviation from wo 2011/009454 a2, in which the point of departure is that a combustion medium is supposed to be expanded, during expansion in an expander stage or in the working cylinders, at a greater pressure ratio than during compression in the compressor stage, in other words in the compressor cylinders, i.e. that the compressor stage is supposed to have a smaller stroke volume than the expander stage, it has been shown that the degree of effectiveness of the axial piston motor and, in particular, also the compression ratio can be optimized, in particular, by means of control of the firing connections, wherein surprisingly, the degree of effectiveness in the case of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, having a continuously working combustion chamber, having at least two working cylinders, and having at least two compression cylinders driven by the working cylinders wherein firing connections between the continuously working combustion chambers and the working cylinders can be cyclically closed and opened, and wherein a combustion medium feed line for supplying compressed combustion medium to the continuously working combustion chamber is provided between the compressor cylinders and the combustion chamber, can be improved in that a rotating distributor has at least two distributor openings, which cyclically open and close the firing connections. in this way, precisely metered control times can be implemented at a relatively small stroke of the working pistons in the respective working cylinder, which times in turn lead to correspondingly small strokes of the compressor pistons in the compressor cylinder and thereby correspondingly improve the degree of effectiveness during compression. in this regard, it has been shown that even if an improvement in the degree of effectiveness on the compressor side is not planned, the degree of effectiveness of the axial piston motor can be improved by such an embodiment, since the rotating distributor, which has at least two distributor openings that cyclically open and close the firing connections, can guarantee extremely fast and precisely definable closing and opening times within the scope of cyclical closing and opening. the same also holds true for axial piston motors with internal continuous combustion, having a continuously working combustion chamber, having at least two working cylinders, and having at least two compressor cylinders driven by the working cylinders, wherein firing connections between the continuously working combustion chamber and the working cylinders can be cyclically closed and opened, and wherein a combustion medium feed line is provided between the compressor cylinders and the combustion chamber, for supply of compressed combustion medium to the continuously working combustion chamber, if the axial piston motor is characterized in that a rotating distributor has at least two distributor openings, which are cyclically moved past firing channels or moved through firing channels. accordingly, a method for operation of an axial piston motor with internal continuous combustion, in which compressed combustion medium is combusted in a continuously working combustion chamber together with fuel to produce working medium, the working medium is cyclically supplied to working cylinders so as to obtain mechanical energy, and the mechanical energy obtained in the working cylinders is also used for compression of the combustion medium, is advantageous if the combustion chamber simultaneously has at least two open firing connections to a working cylinder, in each instance. this holds true, in particular, if the latter takes place by way of a rotating distributor, since corresponding control times can be guaranteed in this way. it is understood that the rotating distributor is preferably disposed coaxial to the combustion chamber. this allows a particularly simple configuration and targeted distribution. the latter holds true, in particular if the distributor is also disposed, cumulatively or alternatively, coaxial to a power take-off shaft or actually provided on it. if necessary, the control time can be varied within small limits, by means of a targeted relative displacement between the distributor and the power take-off shaft, so as to adapt this time to different speeds of rotation or different other operating conditions. a particularly compact embodiment, which is furthermore advantageous in terms of energy and also construction, can be implemented if the rotating distributor is a combustion chamber bottom. this guarantees particularly targeted and direct distribution of the working medium at a minimum of the components involved. preferably, working pistons run in the working cylinders, which pistons act on a cam disk of a power take-off, which forces two strokes to occur per revolution. in particular in interplay with the two distributor openings, which are preferably coordinated, in terms of their cycle, with the working pistons that run synchronously, in each instance, a higher degree of effectiveness of the axial piston motor can be guaranteed accordingly. preferably, the drive of the compressor pistons that runs in the respective compressor cylinders takes place by the working cylinders, by means of a common connecting rod, in each instance. accordingly, it is advantageous if the mechanical energy that is obtained in the working cylinders and used compression of the combustion medium is used for compression without any further conversion of energy. this also allows a particularly high degree of effectiveness, in particular in connection with compression. if necessary, even more than two stages can be provided in connection with compression, wherein this does not appear necessary at the present point in time, since a corresponding increase in the degree of effectiveness can already be achieved with two stages, i.e. that the outlet of the first compressor cylinder is connected with the inlet of the second compressor cylinder. accordingly, it is advantageous if an inlet of the first compressor cylinder is connected with a combustion medium inlet, for example with an intake opening. cumulatively or alternatively, an outlet of the second compressor cylinder can be connected with the combustion medium feed line, accordingly, so that the combustion medium compressed in the second compressor cylinder is supplied to the continuously working combustion chamber, and this can be done, in particular, by means of one or more heat exchangers. the degree of effectiveness in the case of compression can be selected to relatively high, in particular, if the first compressor cylinder has a clearly greater diameter than the second compressor. thus, accordingly, the first compressor cylinder can compress a significantly greater volume of air and then make it available to the second compressor cylinder, in compressed manner, so that the latter can then further compress at least approximately the same amount of air. it is understood that here, slight deviations can be provided, which are ultimately tolerated by the overall system. preferably, the second compressor cylinder has a cylinder surface area that corresponds to the root of the compression ratio multiplied by a surface area of the first compressor cylinder. this brings about the result that—depending on the operating point of the axial piston motor—combustion agents are optimally made available and thus the axial piston motor can be operated at a high degree of effectiveness. the same holds true analogously if multiple first and second compressor cylinders are present, the cylinder surface areas of which are compared with one another. in this connection, it should be pointed out that the compression ratio the ratio between the compression in the first stage or in the first compressor cylinder and the compression in the second stage or in the second compressor cylinder. the compression is determined by the stroke by which the respective piston moves and the diameter of the respective cylinder. however, the available input pressure and the respective output pressure also play a significant role, wherein these, however, are dependent on the operating state of the respective axial piston motor, while stroke and diameter represent geometrically fixed variables of the respective axial piston motor. likewise, the diameters of the feed lines and discharge lines as well as the valve opening times determine the compression. in the present connection, the statement regarding the compression ratio relates to the desired compression ratios of the two stages, taking into consideration all of these factors. in particular, it has been found that—in contrast to discontinuous compression—a compression/expansion ratio in the case of axial piston motors with internal continuous combustion is essentially influenced by the control times of the valves, while only a subordinate role can be conceded to the diameters of the cylinders or the stroke volumes, in this regard. furthermore, it is advantageous if the first compressor cylinder has approximately the diameter of the working cylinder. it is true that wo 2011/009454 a2 already discloses that the combustion medium is supposed to be expanded, during expansion in the working cylinders, at a greater pressure ratio than a pressure ratio that is present during compression in the compressor cylinders, i.e. the compressor stage is supposed to have a smaller stroke volume than the stroke volume of the expander stage. however, no precise information with regard to the diameters is available. however, it has been shown that even clearly smaller diameters than the diameter of the working cylinder can deliver very good results. thus, the diameter of the first compressor cylinder can be less than 90% of the diameter of one of the working cylinders. in particular, this can be less than 85%, preferably even less than 83%. here, a diameter of the first compressor cylinder seems to be the lower limit if no gain in degree of effectiveness is present any longer in the case of further reduction, since then, increased friction and the like occurs. accordingly, in the case of multiple first compressor cylinders, diameter sums of the first compressor cylinders can be compared with diameter sums of the corresponding number of working cylinders. in particular, the first compressor cylinder or the first compressor cylinders can be dimensioned in such a manner that sufficiently compressed combustion medium for idling of the axial piston motor is made available by the first compressor cylinder(s). also, cumulatively or alternatively, sufficiently compressed combustion medium for idling of the axial piston motor can be made available in the first stage. in a concrete implementation, for example, one or more combustion agent lines can be provided directly from the first compressor cylinder(s) or the first stage to the combustion chamber. also, the compressed combustion agent can simply be conveyed through the second stage or through the second compressor cylinder(s), without noteworthy compression taking place in the second stage or in the second compressor cylinder(s). in the case of such dimensioning of the first compressor cylinder(s) or in the case of such a configuration of the first stage, further compression in the second stage or in one or more second compressor cylinder(s) can be eliminated during idling, and this is correspondingly advantageous in terms of energy. the latter actually takes place automatically if only a low pressure is demanded of the combustion chamber during idling and a high pressure is demanded at full load. it is understood that multiple first compressor cylinders, in particular, each having an outlet, or multiple second compressor cylinders, each having an inlet, can be provided, which cylinders are particularly disposed in accordance with the cycles of the axial piston motor or of the operating method. in this regard, in a concrete embodiment, each of the outlets of the respective first compressor cylinder can be connected with precisely one of the inlets of one of the second compressor cylinders, so that the compressor stages take place exactly and precisely between these compressor cylinders, in each instance. on the other hand, it is conceivable that one outlet of one of the multiple first compressor cylinders is connected with multiple inlets of the second compressor cylinders. likewise, one inlet of the second compressor cylinders can be connected with multiple outlets of the first compressor cylinders, so that the combustion medium compressed by the first compressor cylinders, in each instance, is then available to at least two second compressor cylinders, as needed. this results in a certain buffer, which can be used for intermediate cooling, for one thing and, for another thing, can even out possible imprecisions in the control of the inlets and outlets, i.e. in the compression in the individual compressor cylinders. it is understood that accordingly, each of the first compressor cylinders should also have an inlet, and each of the second compressor cylinders should also have an outlet, in each instance, wherein—depending on the concrete implementation—the inlets of the first compressor cylinders can be connected with their own combustion medium inlet or, alternatively, with common combustion medium inlets, or even only with a common combustion medium inlet, or, in a deviating embodiment, with a prior compressor stage. likewise, the outlets of the second compressor cylinders can be connected with their own combustion medium feed lines to the combustion chamber, in each instance, which lines run through heat exchangers, in each instance, jointly or separately, or run through specially designed heat exchangers, in each instance. likewise, it is conceivable that the outlets of the second compressor cylinders are first collected and are then connected with the combustion chamber with only one combustion medium feed line or, proceeding from a collector, by way of multiple combustion medium feed lines, which can also run through heat exchangers, if necessary. also, the second compressor cylinders can be followed by a third compressor stage, if necessary, in that the outlets are connected with one or more inlets of third compressor cylinders, in each instance. as has already been explained above, intermediate cooling can be provided between the compressor stages. accordingly, the compression can approach isothermal compression if intermediate cooling takes place between the two stages or if an intermediate cooler is provided between the outlet of the first compressor cylinder and the inlet of the second compressor cylinder. such an intermediate cooler has technical measures that go beyond simple line guidance or simple walls in order to ensure cooling. in particular, such an intermediate cooler can comprise cooling ribs, cooling plates or even cooling walls. also, separate inflow of coolant, for example cooling air or cooling fluid, can take place. likewise, it is conceivable to conduct cooling coils past corresponding walls, in which the combustion medium is supposed to be cooled, in order to make a corresponding intermediate cooler available. preferably, it is ensured that the compression takes place at final compression temperatures below 280° c., in particular below 270° c. in this way, isothermal compression can be approached. an intermediate storage unit can be provided between the outlet of the first compressor cylinder and the inlet of the second compressor cylinder, so that a certain excess of combustion medium compressed in the first compressor cylinder can be temporarily stored in the intermediate storage unit, which excess can then be used for short-term power increases or for startup processes. it is true that such an intermediate storage unit can have a separate inlet and a separate outlet, so that—since the combustion medium is gaseous—it passes the combustion medium through, in a certain manner, but this is relatively complicated in terms of construction. preferably, the intermediate storage unit merely comprises a connector with the outlet of the first compressor cylinder and with the inlet of the second compressor cylinder, so that the combustion medium can get into the intermediate storage unit and out of the intermediate storage unit by means of this single connector. in order to guarantee precise control of the intermediate storage unit, the respective connectors are preferably provided with corresponding valves. if necessary, the intermediate storage unit can also be used as an intermediate cooler, if corresponding cooling measures are provided, as has already been explained above. it is understood that the characteristics of the solutions described above and in the claims can also be combined, if applicable, in order to be able to implement the advantages cumulatively, accordingly. further advantages, goals, and properties of the present invention will be explained using the following description of exemplary embodiments, which are particularly also shown in the attached drawing. the drawing shows: fig. 1 a schematic sectional view of a first axial piston motor; fig. 2 a schematic cross-section through the combustion chamber bottom of the axial piston motor according to fig. 2 ; fig. 3 a schematic cross-section through the compressor cylinders of the axial piston motor according to figs. 1 and 2 ; fig. 4 a schematic cross-section through the compressor cylinders of a second axial piston motor; fig. 5 a schematic sectional view of a third axial piston motor in a representation similar to fig. 1 ; and fig. 6 a diagram of the principle of the axial piston motors according to figs. 1 to 5 . the axial piston motors 10 shown in the drawing each have a combustion chamber 20 , to which combustion medium is supplied by way of combustion medium feed lines 21 , which medium is continuously combusted together with fuel, which is applied to the combustion chamber 20 by way of one or more fuel feed lines 22 of the combustion chamber 20 , to produce working medium. the working medium is passed to working cylinders 30 by way of firing connections 25 , which are configured as firing channels 26 in these exemplary embodiments, in which cylinders working pistons 35 run back and forth, which pistons obtain mechanical energy from the working medium and pass this energy, in turn, to a power take-off 60 , which in turn comprises a cam disk 62 and a power take-off shaft 61 . in this regard, the working pistons 35 are provided with connecting rods 50 , which run back and forth on the cam disk 62 . furthermore, the mechanical energy obtained by means of the working pistons 35 or in the working cylinders 30 is passed to compressor pistons 46 , 47 , which run back and forth in compressor cylinders 41 , 42 , so that compression of the combustion medium is carried out there. the compressed combustion medium then gets back to the combustion chamber 20 by way of the combustion medium feed line 21 , wherein it also runs through heat exchangers 55 for this purpose, in which the thermal residual energy of the working medium can then be passed to the combustion medium supplied to the continuously working combustion chamber 20 . the working medium leaves the heat exchangers 55 as exhaust gas 56 . it is understood that in deviating embodiments, only one heat exchanger 55 and only one combustion medium feed line 21 can be provided. likewise—under some circumstances—a combustion medium feed line 21 that does not run through a heat exchanger can be provided in special embodiments. also, there are embodiments in which multiple heat exchangers 55 are provided, through which multiple combustion agent feed lines 21 or combustion agent feed lines 21 from multiple compressor cylinders 41 , 42 and/or multiple working medium lines or working medium lines from multiple working cylinders pass. the combustion chamber 20 can be configured in one stage, two stages or multiple stages, but ultimately, this is unimportant for an explanation of the present invention. as is evident from fig. 6 , as much energy as possible can be recovered from the working medium after it leaves the working cylinders 30 , the lower the temperature of the compressed combustion agent upon entry into the heat exchanger. in all the exemplary embodiments, the axial piston motor 10 has a rotating distributor 27 , in each instance, which distributes working medium to the working cylinders 30 successively, in each instance. in this regard, the rotating distributor 27 is configured as a combustion chamber bottom 28 in these exemplary embodiments, wherein purely theoretically, other embodiments, such as a separate rotating distributor ring that rotates in the firing channels 26 and separates them, for example, or also a different rotating device that is able to distribute working medium successively to the working cylinders 30 can be provided. the rotating distributor 27 has distributor openings 29 that run past the firing channels 26 during rotation, in each instance, so that in this manner, the firing connections 25 can be speedily opened and closed. in the present exemplary embodiment, the rotating distributor 27 is connected with the drive shaft 61 or the cam disk 62 , so that it rotates along with the latter. if necessary, the synchronization between the rotation of the distributor 27 and the rotation of the cam disk 62 or of the power take-off shaft 61 can be adapted to the given operating conditions, such as short-term power demand or different speeds of rotation, by means of a displacement of the angle of rotation of the rotating distributor 27 with regard to the cam disk 62 or with regard to the power take-off shaft 61 . in the case of the present exemplary embodiments, compression takes place in two stages, in each instance, so that structurally separable first compressor cylinders 41 and second compressor cylinders 42 are defined. it is understood that if necessary, it is possible to eliminate two-stage compression and therefore a differentiation between first compressor cylinders 41 and second compressor cylinders 42 if the advantages of the rotating distributor and the related characteristics are to be utilized individually. likewise, it is possible to eliminate the rotating distributor 27 if the firing connections 25 are utilized in conventional manner and two-stage compression is to be provided. each of the compressor cylinders 41 , 42 has an inlet 71 , 73 and an outlet 72 , 74 , in each instance. in this regard, the inlets 71 of the first compressor cylinders 41 are connected with a combustion medium inlet 75 , in each instance, wherein in deviating embodiments, multiple inlets 71 of the first compressor cylinders 41 can also be connected with a common combustion medium inlet 75 . also, the outlets 72 of the first compressor cylinders 41 are connected with the inlets of the second compressor cylinders 42 , in each instance; this is done, in the present exemplary embodiments, by way of a manifold 78 , in each instance, which is also utilized as an intermediate cooler 49 . it is understood that in place of the manifold 78 , a direct connection between an outlet 72 of the first compressor cylinder 41 and an inlet 73 of the second compressor cylinder 42 can be provided, in each instance, so that a first compressor cylinder 51 communicates with precisely one second compressor cylinder 42 , in each instance. in order for the manifold to be able to be active as an intermediate cooler 49 , it is provided, in the exemplary embodiment according to figs. 1 to 4 , with cooling plates 49 a , while it has cooling coils 49 b in the exemplary embodiment according to fig. 5 , in which cooling medium flows. in this manner, the final compression temperature can be restricted to 250° c. at a compression ratio of 16 over both stages, due to the two-stage nature and the intermediate cooling. this makes it possible for the compression to approach isothermal compression with its correspondingly good degree of effectiveness. in the exemplary embodiment according to fig. 5 , an intermediate storage unit 48 is furthermore provided, which is connected with the manifold 78 by way of a line, not numbered in any detail, in which a valve, not shown in any detail, is provided, so that here, compressed combustion medium can be temporarily stored in the first stage. in this exemplary embodiment, the intermediate storage unit 48 also serves as an intermediate cooler 49 , and is also provided with cooling plates 49 a for this purpose. since the combustion medium is frequently supposed to be temporarily stored in the intermediate storage unit 48 over an extended period of time, it is easily possible to eliminate an embodiment of the intermediate storage unit 48 as an intermediate cooler 49 if, for example, short-term intermediate storage remains the exception in a corresponding operating method. furthermore, the outlets 74 of the second compressor cylinder 42 are provided with a manifold 79 , in each instance, from which the combustion medium feed lines 21 proceed. as is directly evident, the combustion medium therefore reaches the heat exchangers 55 at a temperature that is as low as possible; this actually appears counterproductive in terms of thermodynamics, since the important thing ultimately appears to be bringing the combustion medium to the combustion chamber 20 at a temperature that is as high as possible. on the other hand, isothermal compression proves to be so effective, in terms of energy, that the effort for intermediate cooling or two-stage compression appears to be justified. in the present exemplary embodiments, the first compressor cylinders 41 have a clearly greater diameter than the second compressor cylinders 42 . the diameter of the first compressor cylinders 41 is 1 . 8 times the diameter of the second compressor cylinders 42 . furthermore, in these exemplary embodiments the diameters of the first compressor cylinders 41 are approximately as great as the diameters of the working cylinders 30 . in concrete terms, the diameter of the first compressor cylinders 41 is smaller than the diameter of the working cylinders 30 , but not less than 96% of the diameter of the working cylinders 30 . in the exemplary embodiment according to figs. 1 to 4 , precisely one compressor cylinder 41 , 42 or compressor piston 46 , 47 is provided for each working piston 35 or working cylinder 30 , wherein in the exemplary embodiment according to figs. 1 to 3 , three first compressor cylinders 41 and three second compressor cylinders 42 are provided, in each instance, which are disposed with rotation symmetry with regard to the power take-off shaft 61 or the cam disk 62 and the combustion chamber 20 , so that the axial piston motor 10 runs as balanced as possible, wherein possible imbalances can be further minimized by means of configurations of the connecting rods and of the pistons. fundamentally, the arrangement in the case of the axial piston motor 10 according to fig. 4 is similar, so that precisely one working cylinder 30 is also provided for each compressor cylinder 41 , 42 , which cylinders are arranged coaxially, in each instance. however, only two second compressor cylinders 42 and three first compressor cylinders 41 are provided, which are accordingly arranged around the power take-off shaft 41 , the cam disk 62 or the combustion chamber 20 as symmetrically as possible. here, too, the cam disk 62 can be configured in such a manner that it forces two strokes to occur per revolution, wherein then the distributor openings 29 should be structured in suitable manner and have the firing channels 26 on different levels, if applicable, and interact with different distributor openings 29 . likewise, of course, here a conventional opening of the firing connections 25 can be provided. also, it is conceivable to provide merely one distributor opening 29 , and to configure the cam disk 62 in such a manner that it only forces one stroke to occur per revolution. in the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 5 , two compressor cylinders 41 interact with one working piston 35 . for this purpose, the related compressor pistons 46 , 47 sit on top of one another, wherein it is advantageous to set the compressor piston 47 of the second compressor cylinder 42 , which preferably should have a smaller diameter, onto the compressor piston 46 of the first compressor cylinder 41 . reference symbol list 10 axial piston motor20 combustion chamber21 combustion medium feed line22 fuel feed line25 firing connections26 firing channel27 rotating distributor28 combustion chamber bottom29 distributor opening30 working cylinder35 working piston41 first compressor cylinder42 second compressor cylinder46 compressor piston47 compressor piston48 intermediate storage unit49 intermediate cooler49 a cooling plate49 b cooling coil50 connecting rod55 heat exchanger56 exhaust gas60 power take-off61 power take-off shaft62 cam disk71 inlet of the first compressor cylinder 4172 outlet of the first compressor cylinder 4173 inlet of the second compressor cylinder 4274 outlet of the second compressor cylinder 4275 combustion medium inlet78 manifold79 manifold
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143-961-934-949-657
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[
"US"
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G02B5/30,G02B1/11
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[
"G02"
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polarizer and manufacturing method thereof, display panel and display apparatus
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the present application provides a polarizer, a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel and a display apparatus. the polarizer includes an antireflection layer, a first support layer and a grating layer stacked in sequence along a light incidence direction. the grating layer includes a plurality of first grating strips spaced apart. the first support layer includes a plurality of first support strips spaced apart and a plurality of second support strips disposed between any two adjacent first support strips, and the first support strips are disposed corresponding to the first grating strips. the antireflection layer includes a plurality of second grating strips spaced apart, and the second grating strips are disposed corresponding to the first grating strips. the antireflection layer, the first support layer and the grating layer form an optical resonant cavity structure, or, the antireflection layer is configured to absorb light reflected by the grating layer. a display panel includes the polarizer. a display apparatus includes the display panel.
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1 . a polarizer, comprising an antireflection layer, a first support layer and a grating layer stacked in sequence along a light incidence direction, wherein, the grating layer comprises a plurality of first grating strips disposed along a first direction and the plurality of first grating strips are spaced apart; the first support layer comprises a plurality of first support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of second support strips disposed between any two adjacent first support strips along a second direction, wherein the second direction and the first direction form an included angle which is greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 180 degrees, and the first support strips are disposed corresponding to the first grating strips; the antireflection layer comprises a plurality of second grating strips disposed along the first direction, the plurality of second grating strips are spaced apart, and positions of the second grating strip are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips; and the antireflection layer, the first support layer and the grating layer form an optical resonant cavity structure, or, the antireflection layer is configured to absorb light reflected by the grating layer. 2 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. 3 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein a duty cycle of the grating layer is 0.3-0.6. 4 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein along the light incidence direction, an orthographic projection of a first support strip is at least partially overlapped with an orthographic projection of a first grating strip corresponding to the first support strip, along the light incidence direction, an orthographic projection of a second grating strip is at least partially overlapped with an orthographic projection of a first grating strip corresponding to the second grating strip. 5 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein the grating layer is made of a metal material; and the first support layer is made of a transparent material. 6 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein the polarizer comprises a second support layer located at a side of the antireflection layer away from the first support layer, the second support layer comprises a plurality of third support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips disposed between any two adjacent third support strips along the second direction, and positions of the third support strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips. 7 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein the polarizer further comprises a substrate, and the substrate is located at a side of the grating layer away from the first support layer or at a side of the antireflection layer away from the first support layer. 8 . a polarizer manufacturing method, used to prepare the polarizer according to claim 1 and the polarizer manufacturing method comprising: forming the grating layer on a substrate; forming the first support layer on the grating layer; and forming the antireflection layer on the first support layer. 9 . the polarizer manufacturing method according to claim 8 , wherein after the antireflection layer is formed on the first support layer, the method further comprises: forming a second support layer on the antireflection layer, wherein the second support layer comprises a plurality of third support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips disposed between any two adjacent third support strips along the second direction, and positions of the third support strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips. 10 . a polarizer manufacturing method, used to prepare the polarizer according to claim 1 and the polarizer manufacturing method comprising: forming the antireflection layer on a substrate; forming the first support layer on the antireflection layer; and forming the grating layer on the first support layer. 11 . the polarizer manufacturing method according to claim 10 , wherein before the antireflection layer is formed on the substrate, the method further comprises: forming a second support layer on the substrate, wherein the second support layer comprises a plurality of third support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips disposed between any two adjacent third support strips along the second direction, and positions of the third support strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips. 12 . a display panel, comprising the polarizer according to claim 1 . 13 . a display apparatus, comprising a display panel according to claim 12 . 14 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein at least part of the second support strips located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips are located along a same straight line; or the second support strips located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips are not located along a same straight line. 15 . the polarizer according to claim 1 , wherein a height of the grating layer is greater than a height of the first support layer, and the height of the first support layer is greater than a height of the antireflection layer; and/or the height of the grating layer is 100 nm-250 nm, the height of the first support layer is 70 nm-200 nm, and the height of the antireflection layer is 5 nm-100 nm. 16 . the polarizer according to claim 4 , wherein along the light incidence direction, a distance of an orthographic projection of a side of the first support strip and an orthographic projection of a side of the first grating strip corresponding to the first support strip is smaller than or equal to 40 nm, and a distance of an orthographic projection of a side of the second grating strip and an orthographic projection of a side of the first grating strip corresponding to the second grating strip is smaller than or equal to 20 nm. 17 . the polarizer according to claim 6 , wherein the fourth support strips are disposed corresponding to the second support strips. 18 . the polarizer according to claim 6 , wherein the second support layer is made of a transparent material. 19 . the polarizer manufacturing method according to claim 9 , wherein the fourth support strips are disposed corresponding to the second support strips. 20 . the polarizer manufacturing method according to claim 11 , wherein the fourth support strips are disposed corresponding to the second support strips.
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technical field the present disclosure relates to the field of display technologies, and in particular to a polarizer, and a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel and a display apparatus. background in the prior art, a traditional iodine polarizer is one of core devices of a display component. however, due to its non-resistance to high temperature, the iodine polarizer is not compatible with many processes, which limits the development of display devices. in order to reduce device costs and increase polarizer durability, the traditional iodine polarizer is replaced with a more durable wire grid polarizer (wgp). the wire grid polarizer is formed by a group of regularly-arranged sub-wavelength metal wire grids, which destroys metallicity in a direction perpendicular to wire grid to some extent. the wire grid polarizer has the following optical characteristics: linearly polarized light parallel to metal wire grid can be reflected and linearly polarized light perpendicular to metal wire grid can be transmitted. such nano-level wire grid polarizer is usually made of aluminum. compared with other materials, aluminum has higher reflective index and lower cost. however, the linearly polarized light parallel to metal wire grid will be reflected on a surface of the metal wire grid polarizer, and the light reflected from the wire grid polarizer will reduce a display quality of an image. summary the present application provides a polarizer, and a manufacturing method thereof, a display panel and a display apparatus. with provision of a specific structure of the polarizer, reflective index will be greatly reduced, display quality will be improved, and a structure of the polarizer will be made more stable at the same time. according to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, provided is a polarizer. the polarizer includes an antireflection layer, a first support layer, and a grating layer stacked in sequence along a light incidence direction; the grating layer includes a plurality of first grating strips disposed along a first direction and the plurality of first grating strips are spaced apart;the first support layer includes a plurality of first support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of second support strips disposed between any two adjacent first support strips along a second direction, where the second direction and the first direction form an included angle which is greater than 0 degrees and smaller than 180 degrees, and the first support strips are disposed corresponding to the first grating strips;the antireflection layer includes a plurality of second grating strips disposed along the first direction, the plurality of second grating strips are spaced apart, positions of the second grating strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips, and third gaps are formed between any two adjacent second grating strips;the antireflection layer, the first support layer and the grating layer form an optical resonant cavity structure, or, the antireflection layer is configured to absorb light reflected by the grating layer. optionally, the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction; and/or, at least part of the second support strips located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips are located along a same straight line; and/or,the second support strips located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips are not located along a same straight line. optionally, a duty cycle of the grating layer is 0.3-0.6; and/or, a height of the grating layer is greater than a height of the first support layer, and the height of the first support layer is greater than a height of the antireflection layer; and/or,the height of the grating layer is 100 nm-250 nm, the height of the first support layer is 70 nm-200 nm, and the height of the antireflection layer is 5 nm-100 nm. optionally, along the light incidence direction, an orthographic projection of a first support strip is at least partially overlapped with an orthographic projection of a first grating strip corresponding to the first support strip; along the light incidence direction, an orthographic projection of the first support strip is at least partially overlapped with an orthographic projection of the first grating strip corresponding to the first support strip; along the light incidence direction, a distance of an orthographic projection of a side of the first support strip and an orthographic projection of a side of the first grating strip corresponding to the first support strip is smaller than or equal to 40 nm, and a distance of an orthographic projection of a side of the second grating strip and an orthographic projection of a side of the first grating strip corresponding to the second grating strip is smaller than or equal to 20 nm. optionally, the grating layer is made of a metal material; and the first support layer is made of a transparent material. optionally, the polarizer includes a second support layer located at a side of the antireflection layer away from the first support layer, the second support layer includes a plurality of third support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips disposed between any two adjacent third support strips along the second direction, and positions of the third support strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips; and/or, the fourth support strips are disposed corresponding to the second support strips; and/or,the second support layer is made of a transparent material. optionally, the polarizer further includes a substrate, and the substrate is located at a side of the grating layer away from the first support layer or at a side of the antireflection layer away from the first support layer. according to a second aspect of embodiments of the present application, provided is a polarizer manufacturing method used to prepare the above polarizer. the polarizer manufacturing method includes: forming the grating layer on a substrate;forming the first support layer on the grating layer; andforming the antireflection layer on the first support layer. optionally, after the antireflection layer is formed on the first support layer, the method further includes: forming a second support layer on the antireflection layer, where the second support layer includes a plurality of third support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips disposed between any two adjacent third support strips along the second direction, and position of the third support strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips; and/or, the fourth support strips are disposed corresponding to the second support strips; and/or,the second support layer is made of a transparent material. according to a third aspect of embodiments of the present application, provided is a polarizer manufacturing method used to prepare the above polarizer. the polarizer manufacturing method includes: forming the antireflection layer on a substrate;forming the first support layer on the antireflection layer; andforming the grating layer on the first support layer. optionally, before the antireflection layer is formed on the transparent substrate, the method further includes: forming a second support layer on the substrate, where the second support layer includes a plurality of third support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips disposed between any two adjacent third support strips along the second direction, and positions of the third support strips are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips; and/or, the fourth support strips are disposed corresponding to the second support strips; and/or,the second support layer is made of a transparent material. according to a third aspect of embodiments of the present application, provided is a display panel including the above polarizer. according to a fourth aspect of embodiments of the present application, provided is a display apparatus including the above display panel. in the polarizer, and the manufacturing method thereof, the display panel and the display apparatus in the present application, with provision of a specific structure of the polarizer, reflective index will be greatly reduced, display quality will be improved, and a structure of the polarizer will be made more stable at the same time. in the present application, the polarizer may achieve the effect of reducing reflective index in two manners. the reflective index of the polarizer to ambient light is reduced to prevent the reflected ambient light from affecting display quality of an image. in the present application, the polarizer includes the antireflection layer, the first support layer and the grating layer stacked in sequence along the light incidence direction, where the light herein refers to ambient light. in a first manner, the antireflection layer, the first support layer and the grating layer form an optical resonant cavity structure. specifically, white light enters the polarizer from an incidence direction, is transmitted through the antireflection layer and the first support layer, then reflected on a surface of the grating layer and then emitted from a side of the antireflection layer away from the first support layer, thus achieving reflection of light of a particular color and reducing entire reflective index of the polarizer. the first support layer between the antireflection layer and the grating layer is a dielectric layer and serves as a matching layer to induce the reflective index of a film system near a particular wavelength to maximum. because optical property of this structure is sensitive to a thickness of the first support layer, reflection of light of different colors can be induced simply by changing the thickness of the first support layer. it should be noted that in this structure, the first support layer may not only serve as a part of the optical resonant cavity structure but also serve a good supporting effect by arranging specific structure of the first support layer 20 , that is, a plurality of first support strips disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of second support strips disposed between any two adjacent first support strips along the second direction, thereby making the entire structure of the polarizer more stable. in a second manner, light reflected by the grating layer is directly absorbed by the antireflection layer to achieve lowering of reflective index. it is to be noted that in this structure, the first support layer can not only achieve a good supporting effect to make the entire structure of the polarizer more stable; but also at the same time, separate the absorption layer and the grating layer since the first support layer is located between the antireflection layer and the grating layer so as to avoid mutual influence between absorption effect of the antireflection layer and polarization effect of the grating layer. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a top view of a polarizer according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a sectional structure taken along a-a in fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a sectional structure taken along b-b in fig. 1 . fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a sectional structure taken along c-c in fig. 1 . fig. 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a top view of a grating layer of a polarizer according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a top view of a first support layer of a polarizer according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. fig. 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a top view of another implementation of a first support layer of a polarizer according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. figs. 8-11 are structural schematic diagrams of sequentially-stacked layers of a polarizer according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. fig. 12 is a sectional structural diagram of another implementation of a polarizer according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. figs. 13-22 are process flows of a polarizer manufacturing method according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. fig. 23 is a sectional structural diagram of a polarizer according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. fig. 24 is a sectional structural diagram of another implementation of a polarizer according to embodiment 2 of the present disclosure. detailed description of the embodiments exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein with the examples thereof expressed in the drawings. when the following descriptions involve the drawings, like numerals in different drawings represent like or similar elements unless stated otherwise. the implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. on the contrary, they are merely examples of an apparatus and a method consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure described in detail in the appended claims. terms used herein are used to only describe a particular embodiment rather than limit the present disclosure. unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure should have general meanings that can be understood by ordinary persons of skill in the art. “one” or “a” and the like in the specification and the claims do not represent quantity limitation but represent at least one. unless otherwise stated, “include” or “contain” or the like is intended to refer to that an element or object appearing before “include” or “contain” covers an element or object or its equivalents listed after “include” or “contain” and does not preclude other elements or objects. “connect” or “connect with” or the like is not limited to physical or mechanical connection but includes direct or indirect electrical connection. “multiple” includes two and is equivalent to at least two. the words, “a”, ‘said”, and “the” in the singular form used in the specification and the appended claims are also intended to include multiple, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. it is also to be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to any or all possible combinations that include one or more associated listed items. embodiment 1 please comprehend in combination with figs. 1-7 , the embodiment provides a polarizer 1 . the polarizer 1 includes an antireflection layer 10 , a first support layer 20 , a grating layer 30 and a substrate 40 stacked in sequence along a light incidence direction f. the substrate 40 is located at a side of the grating layer 30 away from the first support layer 20 . the substrate 40 is a transparent substrate. the substrate 40 may be made of glass, quartz, pi, or pet or the like, which is not limited herein. the grating layer 30 includes a plurality of first grating strips 31 disposed along a first direction l and the plurality of first grating strips 31 are spaced apart. that is, each of the plurality of first grating strips 31 is disposed along the first direction l and the plurality of first grating strips 31 are spaced apart. the first support layer 20 includes a plurality of first support strips 21 disposed along the first direction l and spaced apart (that is, each of the plurality of first support strips 21 is disposed along the first direction l and the plurality of first support strips 21 are spaced apart) and a plurality of second support strips 22 disposed between two adjacent first support strips 21 along a second direction w. the second direction w and the first direction l form an included angle (i.e. the second direction w is not parallel to the first direction l). that is, the first support strip 21 and the second support strip 22 form an included angle α which is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 180 degrees. positions of the first support strips 21 are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips 31 . the first support layer 20 is integrally formed, that is, the first support strips 21 and the second support strips 22 are integrally formed. the antireflection layer 10 includes a plurality of second grating strips 11 disposed along the first direction l and spaced apart, and positions of the second grating strips 11 are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips 31 . that is, each of the plurality of second grating strips 11 is disposed along the first direction l and the plurality of second grating strips 11 are spaced apart. in this embodiment, the included angle α formed by the second direction w and the first direction l is equal to 90 degrees, that is, the second direction w (a direction in which the second support strips 22 are disposed) is perpendicular to the first direction l (a direction in which the first support strips 21 are disposed). the second support strips 22 are perpendicular to the first support strips 21 to facilitate manufacturing process. a width w 2 of the second support strip 22 is 20 nm-200 nm. as shown in fig. 6 , the second support strips 22 located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips 21 may be located along a same straight line. as shown in fig. 7 , in another implementation, a part of the second support strips 22 located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips 21 may be located along a same straight line and another part of the second support strips 22 are located along another straight line. in another embodiment, alternatively, any two of the second support strips 22 located between different sets of two adjacent first support strips 21 are not located along a same straight line. the number of the second support strips 22 located between two adjacent first support strips 21 may be multiple to realize better supporting effect. the plurality of second support strips 22 between two adjacent first support strips 21 may be disposed at intervals to achieve better supporting effect. in an embodiment, a period/pitch p of the grating layer 30 is 100 nm-140 nm, and in another embodiment, the period p may be 100 nm, 120 nm or 140 nm. a duty cycle of the grating layer 30 is 0.3-0.6, where the duty cycle is a ratio of the first grating strip 31 in the period p of the grating layer 30 , i.e., a ratio of a width w of the first grating strip 31 to a length of one period p of the grating layer 30 . the ratio of the width w of the first grating strip 31 to the period p of the grating layer 30 is w/p. a height h 1 of the grating layer is greater than a height h 2 of the first support layer, and the height h 2 of the first support layer is greater than a height h 3 of the antireflection layer. the height h 1 of the grating layer is 100 nm-250 nm, the height h 2 of the first support layer is 10 nm-200 nm, and the height h 3 of the antireflection layer is 5 nm-100 nm. in this embodiment, along the light incidence direction f, an orthographic projection of the first support strip 21 is fully overlapped with an orthographic projection of the first grating strip 31 corresponding to the first support strip 21 . along the light incidence direction f, an orthographic projection of the second grating strip 11 is fully overlapped with an orthographic projection of the first grating strip 31 corresponding to the second grating strip 11 . in this case, influence on the polarization effect of the polarizer 1 can be avoided as possible. however, the embodiment is not limited thereto. optionally, along the light incidence direction f, the orthographic projection of the first support strip 21 is at least partially overlapped with the orthographic projection of the first grating strip 31 corresponding to the first support strip 21 ; along the light incidence direction f, the orthographic projection of the second grating strip 11 is at least partially overlapped with the orthographic projection of the first grating strip 31 corresponding to the second grating strip 11 . in an embodiment, along the light incidence direction f, a distance of an orthographic projection of a side of the first support strip 21 and an orthographic projection of a side of the first grating strip 31 corresponding to the first support strip 21 is smaller than or equal to 40 nm, and a distance of an orthographic projection of a side of the second grating strip 11 and an orthographic projection of a side of the first grating strip 31 corresponding to the second grating strip 11 is smaller than or equal to 20 nm. that is, the first support strip 21 is slightly shifted relative to the first grating strip 31 , and the second grating strip 11 is slightly shifted relative to the first grating strip 31 . in this embodiment, the antireflection layer 10 , the first support layer 20 and the grating layer 30 form an optical resonant cavity structure, or the antireflection layer 10 is used to absorb light reflected by the grating layer 30 . in other words, the polarizer 1 in the present disclosure may achieve the effect of reducing reflective index in two manners. the reflective index of the polarizer 1 to ambient light is reduced to prevent the reflected ambient light from affecting display quality of an image. in the present disclosure, the polarizer 1 includes the antireflection layer 10 , the first support layer 20 and the grating layer 30 stacked in sequence along the light incidence direction f, where the light herein refers to ambient light. in a first manner, the antireflection layer 10 , the first support layer 20 and the grating layer 30 form an optical resonant cavity structure d. specifically, as shown in fig. 4 , the direction e indicated by an arrow is a light path direction. white light enters the polarizer 1 along the direction e indicated by an arrow (light incidence direction), is transmitted through the antireflection layer 10 and the first support layer 20 and then reflected on a surface of the grating layer 30 and then emitted from a side of the antireflection layer 10 away from the first support layer 20 along the direction e′ indicated by an arrow, thus achieving light reflection of a particular color and reducing overall reflective index of the polarizer 1 . the first support layer 20 between the antireflection layer 10 and the grating layer 30 is a dielectric layer which serves as a matching layer to induce the reflective index of a film system near a particular wavelength to maximum. because optical property of this structure is sensitive to a thickness of the first support layer 20 , reflection of light of different colors can be induced simply by changing the thickness of the first support layer 20 . it should be noted that in this structure, the first support layer 20 may not only serve as a part of the optical resonant cavity structure but also serve a good supporting effect by arranging specific structure of the first support layer 20 , that is, a plurality of first support strips 21 disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of second support strips 22 disposed between two adjacent first support strips 21 along the second direction, making the entire structure of the polarizer 1 more stable. the grating layer 30 may be made of a metal material, such as aluminum, silver, platinum, gold or metallic compound. the first support layer 20 may be made of a transparent material such as silicon oxide. a reflective index of the grating layer 30 is greater than that of the antireflection layer 10 , and a transmittance of the grating layer 30 is smaller than that of the antireflection layer 10 . the antireflection layer 10 may be made of a metal material such as chromium, titanium or molybdenum, or may be made of a non-metal material such as ceramic material, i.e. a composite material prepared by mixing nano-level metal particles in silicon oxide and the like. in a second manner, light reflected by the grating layer 30 can be directly absorbed by the antireflection layer 10 to achieve an effect of lowering reflective index. it is to be noted that in this structure, the first support layer 20 can not only serve a good supporting effect to make the entire structure of the polarizer 1 more stable; but also at the same time, separate the absorption layer and the grating layer 30 since the first support layer 20 is located between the antireflection layer 10 and the grating layer 30 so as to avoid mutual influence between absorption effect of the antireflection layer 10 and polarization effect of the grating layer 30 . the grating layer 30 and the first support layer respectively are made of the same material as described in the first manner, but the antireflection layer 10 for absorbing light reflected by the grating layer 30 is made of a metal oxide such as copper oxide or chromium oxide. furthermore, it is to be noted that the first support layer 20 has a prominent supporting effect when the polarizer 1 according to the embodiment is a wire grid polarizer (wgp) because the metal grating (the first grating strips 31 of the grating layer in the wire grid polarizer is a nano-level wire grid structure and providing a structure on the metal grating will easily generate a problem of toppling, thus leading to unstable entire structure. in this embodiment, the polarizer 1 further includes a second support layer 50 located at a side of the antireflection layer 10 away from the first support layer 20 . the second support layer 50 includes a plurality of third support strips 51 disposed along the first direction and spaced apart and a plurality of fourth support strips 52 disposed between two adjacent third support strips 51 along the second direction w. positions of the third support strips 51 are set corresponding to positions of the first grating strips 31 . the fourth support strips 52 are disposed corresponding to the second support strips 22 . the second support layer 50 is integrally formed, that is, the third support strips 51 and the fourth support strips 52 are integrally formed. thus, with provision of the second support layer 50 , the supporting effect can be further increased and the stability of the entire structure can be enhanced. furthermore, the second support layer 50 is located on a side of the antireflection layer 10 away from the first support layer 20 , that is, light is incident to the antireflection layer 10 via the second support layer 50 . therefore, blocking matching can be realized and more light is allowed to enter the antireflection layer 10 . the second support layer 50 , the antireflection layer 10 , the first support layer 20 and the grating layer 30 form an optical resonant cavity structure d which can reduce reflection of the incident light, thus greatly reducing the reflective index and improving the display quality of an image. along the light incidence direction, an orthographic projection of the fourth support strip 52 is fully overlapped with an orthographic projection of the second support strip 22 corresponding to the fourth support strip 52 so as to avoid affecting the polarization effect of the polarizer 1 . however, the embodiment is not limited thereto. alternatively, the orthographic projection of the fourth support strip 52 may be partially overlapped with the orthographic projection of the second support strip 22 corresponding to the fourth support strip 52 . a width of the fourth support strip 52 is 20 nm-200 nm. the second support layer 50 may be made of a transparent material. the second support layer 50 and the first support layer 20 may be made of a same material or different materials. in this embodiment, the second support layer 50 and the first support layer 20 are made of silicon oxide. in order to better show structures of different layers of the polarizer 1 according to this embodiment, figs. 8-11 show structural schematic diagrams of different layers stacked in sequence. as shown in fig. 12 , in another implementation of the embodiment, the polarizer may not include the second support layer 50 . in this embodiment, with provision of a specific structure of the polarizer 1 , the structure of the polarizer will be made more stable while reflective index is greatly reduced and display quality of image is improved. experiment proves that a degree of polarization of the polarizer 1 in this embodiment is in the range of 99.9%-99.999%, a transmittance decreases by 5%-10%, and the reflective index decreases from greater than 40% to smaller than 10%. this embodiment further provides a polarizer manufacturing method used to prepare the above polarizer 1 . the polarizer manufacturing method includes the following steps. at step 100 , a grating layer is formed on a substrate. at step 200 , a first support layer is formed on the grating layer. at step 300 , an antireflection layer is formed on the first support layer. at step 400 , a second support layer is formed on the antireflection layer. specifically, as shown in figs. 13-22 , the polarizer 1 manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes the followings. at step 100 , forming the grating layer 30 on the substrate 40 includes: as shown in fig. 13 , depositing a grating material layer 30 ′ on a surface of a side of the transparent substrate 40 ; next, as shown in fig. 14 , forming a photoresist layer 71 on the grating material layer 30 ′; next, as shown in fig. 15 , forming a photoresist grating 72 by patterning the photoresist layer 71 ; next, as shown in fig. 16 , forming the first grating strips 31 of the grating layer 30 by etching the grating material layer 30 ′ not covered by the photoresist grating 72 , and first gaps 33 are formed between any two adjacent first grating strips 31 ; finally, washing off the photoresist grating 72 using a stripping solution. in an embodiment, the photoresist layer 71 may be patterned by using lithography equipment, and further, the photoresist layer 71 may be patterned by using a dry etching technology (for example, inductively coupled plasma (icp) etch technology). however, the embodiment is not limited thereto. alternatively, the photoresist may be replaced with a nanoimprint resist to achieve the patterning. in the embodiment, the photoresist and the nanoimprint resist are both commercially available. at step 200 , forming the first support layer 20 on the grating layer 30 includes: as shown in fig. 17 , filling a photoresist material 73 between any two adjacent first grating strips 31 of the grating layer 30 (that is, filling the photoresist material 73 in the first gaps 33 formed between any two adjacent first grating strips 31 ), and curing the photoresist material 73 in such a way that an upper surface of the photoresist material 73 and an upper surface of the first grating strips 31 are located in a same horizontal plane; then, as shown in fig. 18 , forming a first support material layer on the upper surfaces of the first grating strips 31 and the photoresist material 73 and then patterning the first support material layer to form the first support layer 20 . it is to be noted that the photoresist material 73 may be filled between any two adjacent first grating strips 31 of the grating layer 30 by coating or printing. at step 300 , forming the antireflection layer 10 on the first support layer 20 includes: filling the photoresist material 73 between any two adjacent first support strips 21 of the first support layer 20 (that is, filling the photoresist material 73 in second gaps (not shown) formed between any two adjacent first support strips 21 ) and curing the photoresist material 73 in such a way that an upper surface of the photoresist material 73 and an upper surface of the first support strips 21 are located in a same horizontal plane; next, as shown in fig. 19 , forming an absorption material layer 10 ′ on the upper surfaces of the first support strips 21 and the photoresist material 73 ; next, as shown in fig. 20 , forming the second grating strips 11 of the antireflection layer 10 by patterning the absorption material layer 10 ′, where third gaps are formed between any two adjacent second grating strips 11 respectively. at step 400 , forming the second support layer 50 on the antireflection layer 10 includes: as shown in fig. 21 , filling the photoresist material 73 between any two adjacent second grating strips 11 of the antireflection layer 10 (that is, filling the photoresist material 73 in the third gaps formed between any two adjacent second grating strips 11 ) and curing the photoresist material 73 in such a way that an upper surface of the photoresist material 73 and an upper surface of the second grating strips 11 are located in a same horizontal plane; next, as shown in fig. 22 , forming a second support material layer on the upper surfaces of the second grating strips 11 and the photoresist material 73 and patterning the second support material layer to form the second support layer 50 . after all of the above steps are completed, the photoresist material 73 filled in different gaps (the first gaps 33 , the second gaps and the third gaps 13 ) is washed off using a stripping solution to form the structure shown in fig. 2 . it is to be noted that when the structure of the polarizer 1 not including the second support layer 50 is prepared, the structure of the polarizer 1 can be finally formed by washing off the photoresist material 73 filled in different gaps (the first gaps, the second gaps and the third gaps) using a stripping solution subsequent to completion of the step 300 . this embodiment further provides a display panel including the above polarizer. this embodiment further provides a display apparatus including the above display panel. embodiment 2 as shown in fig. 23 , the entire structure of the polarizer 1 of this embodiment is basically same as that of the embodiment 1 except that the polarizer 1 includes the substrate 40 , the antireflection layer 10 , the first support layer 20 and the grating layer 30 stacked in sequence along the light incidence direction. that is, the substrate 40 is located at a side of the antireflection layer 10 away from the first support layer 20 . same as in the embodiment 1, in the first manner of achieving lowering of reflective index, the antireflection layer 10 , the first support layer 20 and the grating layer 30 also form an optical resonant cavity structure. in the second manner, light reflected by the grating layer 30 can be directly absorbed by the antireflection layer 10 to achieve an effect of lowering reflective index. in this embodiment, the specific position of the second support layer 50 is slightly different from the embodiment 1, that is, the second support layer 50 is located at a side of the antireflection layer 10 away from the first support layer 20 and between the substrate 40 and the antireflection layer 10 . the second support layer 50 in this embodiment achieves the same effect as in the embodiment 1 and thus no redundant descriptions are made herein. as shown in fig. 24 , in another implementation of the embodiment, the polarizer may not include the second support layer 50 . this embodiment further provides a polarizer manufacturing method used to prepare the above polarizer 1 . the polarizer manufacturing method includes the following steps. at step 100 ′, the second support layer is formed on the substrate. at step 200 ′, the antireflection layer is formed on the substrate. at step 300 ′, the first support layer is formed on the antireflection layer. at step 400 ′, the grating layer is formed on the first support layer. the specific processes of the above steps are same as in the embodiment 1 and will not be repeated herein. when the polarizer 1 of this embodiment does not include the second support layer 50 , the antireflection layer 10 may be directly formed on the substrate 40 without performing the step 100 ′ and then the subsequent steps are carried out. the foregoing descriptions are merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of the present disclosure but not intended to limit the present disclosure, and any modifications, equivalent substitutions, adaptations thereof made within the spirit and principles of the disclosure shall be encompassed in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.
|
145-336-562-433-535
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"JP",
"WO",
"TW"
] |
H01L21/36,H01L21/00,H01L29/66,H01L21/02,H01L21/477,H01L29/786,G02F1/1368,H01L21/336,H01L21/8234,H01L27/06,H01L27/08,H01L27/146,H01L51/50,H05B33/14,H01L21/465,H01L21/363,H01L21/324,G09F9/30,H01L21/425,H01L27/088,H01L29/41,H01L29/417,H01L29/47,H01L29/872,H01L29/49
| 2010-04-28T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"H01",
"G02",
"H05",
"G09"
] |
method for manufacturing semiconductor device
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a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor with stable electric characteristics and high reliability is provided. an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer is formed by using a resist mask, the resist mask is removed, oxygen is introduced (added) to the oxide semiconductor layer, and heat treatment is performed. the removal of the resist mask, introduction of the oxygen, and heat treatment are performed successively without exposure to the air. through the oxygen introduction and heat treatment, impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride are intentionally removed from the oxide semiconductor layer, whereby the oxide semiconductor layer is highly purified. chlorine may be introduced to an insulating layer over which the oxide semiconductor layer is formed before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer. by introducing chlorine, hydrogen in the insulating layer can be fixed, thereby preventing diffusion of hydrogen from the insulating layer into the oxide semiconductor layer.
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1 . a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a resist mask over an oxide semiconductor layer; forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer by using the resist mask; removing the resist mask; introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer; and performing a heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are successively performed without exposure to air. 2 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises in and ga. 3 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the oxygen introduced to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer comprises an oxygen radical or an oxygen ion. 4 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are performed in a reduce pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. 5 . a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: introducing chlorine to an insulating layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the insulating layer; forming a resist mask over the oxide semiconductor layer; forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer by using the resist mask; removing the resist mask; introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer; and performing a heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are successively performed without exposure to air. 6 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises in and ga. 7 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein the oxygen introduced to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer comprises an oxygen radical or an oxygen ion. 8 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 5 , wherein the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are performed in a reduce pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. 9 . a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising the steps of: forming a cap layer over an oxide semiconductor layer; forming a resist mask over the cap layer; forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer and an island-shaped cap layer by using the resist mask; removing the resist mask; introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer through the island-shaped cap layer; and performing a heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are successively performed without exposure to air. 10 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9 , wherein the cap layer comprises gallium oxide. 11 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9 , wherein the oxide semiconductor layer comprises in and ga. 12 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9 , wherein the oxygen introduced to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer comprises an oxygen radical or an oxygen ion. 13 . the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 9 , wherein the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are performed in a reduce pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere.
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technical field an embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. note that in this specification, a semiconductor device refers to any device that can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics, and an image pick-up device, a display device, an electro-optical device, a power supply device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device are all semiconductor devices. background art attention has been focused on a technique for forming a transistor (also referred to as a thin film transistor (tft)) using a semiconductor thin film formed over a substrate having an insulating surface. the transistor is applied to a wide range of electronic devices such as an integrated circuit (ic) or an image display device (display device). a silicon-based semiconductor material is widely known as a material for a semiconductor thin film applicable to the transistor. as another material, an oxide semiconductor has been attracting attention. for example, a transistor whose active layer includes an amorphous oxide containing indium (in), gallium (ga), and zinc (zn) and having an electron carrier concentration of less than 10 18 /cm 3 is disclosed (see patent document 1). reference patent document [patent document 1] japanese published patent application no. 2006-165528 however, the electric conductivity of an oxide semiconductor changes when deviation from the stoichiometric composition due to excess or deficiency of oxygen or the like occurs, or hydrogen or moisture forming an electron donor enters the oxide semiconductor, during a manufacturing process of a device. such a phenomenon becomes a factor of variation in the electric characteristics of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor. in view of the above problems, it is an object to provide a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics and high reliability. in order to suppress variation in the electric characteristics of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) which cause the variation are intentionally removed from the oxide semiconductor. in addition, oxygen which is a main component of the oxide semiconductor and is reduced in the step of removing the impurities is supplied. the oxide semiconductor is thus highly purified and becomes electrically i-type (intrinsic). an i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor is an oxide semiconductor which is made to be i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type (intrinsic) by being highly purified by removing hydrogen, which is an n-type impurity, from the oxide semiconductor so that impurities that are not a main component of the oxide semiconductor are contained as little as possible. in other words, a feature is that a highly purified i-type (intrinsic) semiconductor or a semiconductor close thereto is obtained not by adding an impurity but by removing an impurity such as hydrogen or water as much as possible. this enables the fermi level (e f ) to be at the same level as the intrinsic fermi level (e i ). oxygen is introduced (added) to a bulk of an oxide semiconductor and then heat treatment is performed. through these steps of oxygen introduction and heat treatment, impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) are intentionally removed from the oxide semiconductor, whereby the oxide semiconductor is highly purified. by the introduction of oxygen, a bond between a metal included in the oxide semiconductor and hydrogen or a bond between the metal and a hydroxyl group is cut, and the hydrogen or the hydroxyl group is reacted with oxygen to produce water; this leads to easy elimination of the hydrogen or the hydroxyl group that is an impurity as water by the heat treatment performed later. in addition, through the heat treatment, the structure of the oxide semiconductor can be ordered, and the number of defect levels in the energy gap can be reduced. further, the number of defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor and an insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor can be reduced. note that the term “bulk” is used in order to clarify that oxygen is added not only to a surface of a thin film but also to the inside of the thin film. the introduction of oxygen can also be referred to as “oxygen doping”. note that “oxygen doping” in this specification means that oxygen (which includes at least one of an oxygen radical, an oxygen atom, and an oxygen ion) is added to a bulk. the oxygen doping (also referred to as oxygen doping treatment) can be performed by oxygen plasma doping in which oxygen that is made into plasma is added to a bulk. specifically, oxygen is made into plasma with the use of radio-frequency (rf) power, and oxygen radicals and/or oxygen ions are introduced to an oxide semiconductor over a substrate. at this time, it is preferable to apply a bias to the substrate over which the oxide semiconductor is formed. by increasing the bias applied to the substrate, oxygen can be introduced more deeply. the oxygen doping may be performed by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method. in the manufacturing process of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, in the oxide semiconductor (bulk), an oxygen excess region where the amount of oxygen is greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion can be provided through oxygen doping treatment. in the oxygen excess region, the amount of oxygen is preferably greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion and less than four times of that in the stoichiometric proportion, more preferably greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion and less than double of that in the stoichiometric proportion. here, an oxide containing excessive oxygen whose amount is greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion refers to, for example, an oxide which satisfies 2 g>3a+3b+2c+4d+3e+2f when the oxide is represented by in a ga b zn c si d al e mg/o g (a, b, c, d, e, f, g≧0). note that oxygen which is added by the oxygen doping treatment may exist between lattices of the oxide semiconductor. note that in the case where an oxide semiconductor has no defects (oxygen deficiency), the amount of oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor may be equal to that in the stoichiometric proportion. however, in order to ensure reliability, for example, to suppress variation in the threshold voltage of a transistor, an oxide semiconductor preferably contains oxygen whose amount is greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion. with dehydration or dehydrogenation by heat treatment subjected to an oxide semiconductor, a hydrogen atom or an impurity containing a hydrogen atom such as water in the oxide semiconductor is removed, so that the oxide semiconductor is highly purified. the amount of oxygen added by oxygen doping treatment is set to greater than that of hydrogen in the highly purified oxide semiconductor which has been subjected to the dehydration or dehydrogenation. in addition, a cap layer may be formed on and in contact with an oxide semiconductor, and oxygen may be introduced to the oxide semiconductor through the cap layer. by the introduction of oxygen through the cap layer, excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor in oxygen doping treatment can be alleviated. when oxygen is introduced by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method, the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) can be easily controlled, whereby oxygen can be efficiently introduced to the oxide semiconductor. by using gallium oxide for the cap layer, charge buildup at the introduction of oxygen can be relieved, and excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor can be further alleviated. further, by using a metal oxide including the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor for the cap layer, accumulation of hydrogen ions at the interface between the metal oxide and the oxide semiconductor and the vicinity thereof can be suppressed or prevented. specifically, as the metal oxide, it is preferable to use a material containing an oxide of one or more of metal elements selected from constituent elements of the oxide semiconductor. when the metal oxide is used for the cap layer and heat treatment is performed while the oxide semiconductor and the cap layer are in contact with each other, oxygen which is one of the main components of the oxide semiconductor and is reduced in the step of removing impurities, can be supplied from the metal oxide to the oxide semiconductor. thus, the oxide semiconductor is more highly purified to become electrically i-type (intrinsic). the electric characteristics of a transistor including a highly purified oxide semiconductor, such as the threshold voltage and the on-state current, have almost no temperature dependence. further, transistor characteristics hardly change owing to light deterioration. as described above, variation in the electric characteristics of a transistor including a highly purified and electrically i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor is suppressed and the transistor is electrically stable. consequently, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has high reliability and stable electric characteristics, can be provided. in addition, chlorine doping (also referred to as chlorine doping treatment) may be performed on an insulating layer over which an oxide semiconductor is formed before formation of the oxide semiconductor. specifically, chlorine is made into plasma with the use of radio-frequency (rf) power, and chlorine radicals and/or chlorine ions are introduced to the insulating layer over a substrate. at this time, it is preferable to apply a bias to the substrate over which the insulating layer is formed. by increasing the bias applied to the substrate, chlorine can be introduced more deeply. the chlorine doping may be performed by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method. by introducing chlorine to the insulating layer over which the oxide semiconductor is formed, hydrogen in the insulating layer can be fixed, so that diffusion of hydrogen from the insulating layer into the oxide semiconductor can be prevented. oxygen may be introduced at the same time as chlorine. according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a resist mask over an oxide semiconductor layer, forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer by using the resist mask, removing the resist mask, introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and performing heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer. the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are successively performed without exposure to the air. according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: performing chlorine doping treatment on an insulating layer over which an oxide semiconductor layer is formed before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer, forming a resist mask over the oxide semiconductor layer, forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer by using the resist mask, removing the resist mask, introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and performing heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer. the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are successively performed without exposure to the air. according to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming a cap layer over an oxide semiconductor layer, forming a resist mask over the cap layer, forming an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer and an island-shaped cap layer by using the resist mask, removing the resist mask, introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer through the island-shaped cap layer, and performing heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer. the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are successively performed without exposure to the air. oxygen introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer includes an oxygen radical or an oxygen ion. in addition, the step of removing the resist mask, the step of introducing oxygen to the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer, and the step of performing the heat treatment on the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer are performed in a reduce pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air. the effect of the invention disclosed in this specification can be easily understood in consideration of the following, but the following description is just one consideration. when a positive voltage is applied to a gate electrode of a transistor, an electric field is generated from a gate electrode side of an oxide semiconductor layer to a back channel side (the side opposite to a gate insulating film). therefore, hydrogen ions having positive charge which exist in the oxide semiconductor layer are transferred to the back channel side, and accumulated at the oxide semiconductor layer side of the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and an insulating layer. the positive charge is transferred from the accumulated hydrogen ions to charge trapping centers (such as a hydrogen atom, water, or contamination) in the insulating layer, whereby negative charge is accumulated at the back channel side of the oxide semiconductor layer. in other words, a parasitic channel is generated at the back channel side of the transistor, and the threshold voltage is shifted to the negative side, so that the transistor tends to be normally-on. in this manner, the charge trapping center such as hydrogen or water in the insulating layer traps the positive charge and the positive charge is transferred into the insulating layer, whereby the electrical characteristics of the transistor change. accordingly, in order to suppress variation in the electrical characteristics of the transistor, it is important that there is no charge trapping centers or the number of the charge trapping centers is small in the insulating layer. therefore, when the insulating layer is formed, a sputtering method which causes less hydrogen contained in the formed insulating layer is preferably used. in an insulating layer formed by a sputtering method, there is no charge trapping centers or a small number of charge trapping centers, and the transfer of positive charge does not easily occur as compared to the case of using a cvd method or the like. therefore, the shift of the threshold voltage of the transistor can be suppressed, and the transistor can be normally-off. note that in a top-gate transistor, when an oxide semiconductor layer is formed over an insulating layer serving as a base and then heat treatment is performed thereon, not only water or hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor layer but also water or hydrogen contained in the insulating layer can be removed. accordingly, in the insulating layer, there are a small number of charge trapping centers for trapping positive charge transferred through the oxide semiconductor layer. in this manner, since the heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation is also performed on the insulating layer located below the oxide semiconductor layer in addition to the oxide semiconductor layer, in the top-gate transistor, the insulating layer serving as a base may be formed by a cvd method such as a plasma cvd method. note that in a bottom-gate transistor, when an oxide semiconductor layer is formed over a gate insulating layer and then heat treatment is performed thereon, not only water or hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor layer but also water or hydrogen contained in the gate insulating layer can be removed. accordingly, in the gate insulating layer, there are a small number of charge trapping centers for trapping positive charge transferred through the oxide semiconductor layer. in this manner, since the heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation is also performed on the gate insulating layer located below the oxide semiconductor layer in addition to the oxide semiconductor layer, in the bottom-gate transistor, the gate insulating layer may be formed by a cvd method such as a plasma cvd method. in addition, when a negative voltage is applied to the gate electrode, an electric field is generated from the back channel side to the gate electrode side in the oxide semiconductor layer. thus, hydrogen ions which exist in the oxide semiconductor layer are transferred to the gate insulating layer side and accumulated at the oxide semiconductor layer side of the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate insulating layer. as a result, the threshold voltage of the transistor is shifted to the negative side. when the negative voltage is applied to the gate electrode and then the electric field is stopped and this state is kept, the positive charge is released from the charge trapping centers, so that the threshold voltage of the transistor is shifted to the positive side, thereby returning to the initial state, or the threshold voltage is shifted to the positive side beyond that in the initial state in some cases. from these phenomena, it can be considered that easy-to-transfer ions exist in the oxide semiconductor layer and hydrogen that is the smallest atom is transferred most easily. in addition, when an oxide semiconductor layer absorbs light, a bond between a metal element (m) and a hydrogen atom (h) (also referred to as an m-h bond) in the oxide semiconductor layer is cut by optical energy. note that the optical energy of light having a wavelength of approximately 400 nm equals or substantially equals to the bond energy of a metal element and a hydrogen atom. when a negative gate bias is applied to a transistor in which a bond of a metal element and a hydrogen atom in an oxide semiconductor layer is cut, a hydrogen ion detached from a metal element is attracted to a gate electrode side, so that distribution of charge is changed, the threshold voltage of the transistor is shifted to the negative side, and the transistor tends to be normally-on. note that hydrogen ions which are transferred to the interface with a gate insulating layer by light irradiation and application of the negative gate bias to the transistor are returned to the initial state by stopping application of the voltage. this can be regarded as a typical example of the ion transfer in the oxide semiconductor layer. in order to prevent such a variation in the electric characteristics by voltage application (bt deterioration) or a variation in the electric characteristics by light irradiation (light deterioration), it is most important to remove a hydrogen atom or an impurity containing a hydrogen atom such as water thoroughly from an oxide semiconductor layer to highly purify the oxide semiconductor layer. a charge density of 10 15 cm −3 , or a charge per unit area of 10 10 cm −2 does not affect the transistor characteristics or affects them very slightly. therefore, it is preferable that the charge density be less than or equal to 10 15 cm −3 . when 10% of hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor layer is transferred within the oxide semiconductor layer, the hydrogen concentration is preferably less than or equal to 10 16 cm −3 . further, in order to prevent entry of hydrogen from the outside after a device is completed, it is preferable that a silicon nitride layer formed by a sputtering method be used as a passivation layer to cover the transistor. hydrogen or water can also be removed from the oxide semiconductor layer by doping with excessive oxygen as compared to hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor layer (such that (the number of hydrogen atoms)<<(the number of oxygen radicals) or (the number of oxygen ions)). specifically, oxygen is made into plasma by radio-frequency (rf) power, a bias of a substrate is increased, and doping with or addition of an oxygen radical and/or an oxygen ion is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer over the substrate such that the amount of oxygen is larger than that of hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor layer. the electronegativity of oxygen is 3.0 which is larger than about 2.0, the electronegativity of a metal (zn, ga, in) in the oxide semiconductor layer. thus, excessive oxygen contained as compared to hydrogen, deprives an m-h bond of a hydrogen atom, so that an oh group is formed. this oh group may form an m-o—h group by being bonded to m. oxygen doping is preferably performed so that the amount of oxygen contained in the oxide semiconductor layer is greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion of the oxide semiconductor. for example, in the case where an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor layer is used as the oxide semiconductor layer, since an ideal ratio in the case of single crystal is 1:1:1:4 (ingazno 4 ), it is preferable that the number of o atoms be greater than 4 and less than 8 (the amount of oxygen be greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion and less than double of that in the stoichiometric proportion) by oxygen doping. optical energy or bt stress detaches a hydrogen ion from an m-h bond, which causes deterioration; however, in the case where oxygen is implanted by the above-described doping, implanted oxygen is bonded to a hydrogen ion, so that an oh group is formed. the oh group does not discharge a hydrogen ion even by light irradiation or application of bt stress on the transistor because of its high bond energy, and is not easily transferred in the oxide semiconductor layer because of its larger mass than the mass of a hydrogen ion. accordingly, an oh group formed by oxygen doping does not cause deterioration of the transistor or can reduce factors of the deterioration. in addition, it has been confirmed that as the thickness of an oxide semiconductor layer is increased, variation in the threshold voltage of a transistor tends to increase. it can be assumed that this is because an oxygen defect in the oxide semiconductor layer is one cause of the variation in the threshold voltage and the number of oxygen defects increases as the thickness of the oxide semiconductor layer is increased. a step of doping an oxide semiconductor layer with oxygen in a transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention is effective not only for removal of hydrogen or water from the oxide semiconductor layer but also for compensation of an oxygen defect in the layer. accordingly, the variation in the threshold voltage can be controlled in the transistor according to an embodiment of the present invention. metal oxide layers each containing the same kind of component as an oxide semiconductor layer may be provided with the oxide semiconductor layer provided therebetween, which is also effective for prevention of variation in the electrical characteristics. as the metal oxide layer containing the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor layer, specifically, a material containing an oxide of one or more metal elements selected from constituent elements of the oxide semiconductor layer is preferably used. such a material is compatible with the oxide semiconductor layer, and therefore, provision of the metal oxide layers with the oxide semiconductor layer provided therebetween enables the interface between the metal oxide layer and the oxide semiconductor layer to be kept well. that is, by providing the metal oxide layer using the above-described material as an insulating layer which is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, since hydrogen ions are mainly diffused in the metal oxide layer, accumulation of hydrogen ions at the interface between the metal oxide layer and the oxide semiconductor layer and in the vicinity thereof can be suppressed or prevented. accordingly, as compared to the case where insulating layers each containing a different component from that of the oxide semiconductor layer, such as silicon oxide layers, are provided with the oxide semiconductor layer provided therebetween, the hydrogen concentration at the interface of the oxide semiconductor layer, which affects the threshold voltage of the transistor, can be sufficiently decreased. gallium oxide is preferably used for the metal oxide layer. since gallium oxide has a wide band gap (eg), by providing gallium oxide layers with the oxide semiconductor layer provided therebetween, an energy barrier is formed at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the metal oxide layer to prevent carrier transfer at the interface. consequently, carriers are not transferred from the oxide semiconductor to the metal oxide, but are transferred within the oxide semiconductor layer. on the other hand, hydrogen ions pass through the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the metal oxide layer and are accumulated in the vicinity of a surface of the metal oxide layer which is opposite to a surface in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, for example. the above region is apart from a region where carriers flow, which results in no affect or a very slight affect on the threshold voltage of the transistor. when gallium oxide is in contact with an in—ga—zn—o-based material, the energy barrier is about 0.8 ev on the conduction band side and about 0.9 ev on the valence band side. a transistor including an oxide semiconductor subjected to dehydration or dehydrogenation by heat treatment and oxygen doping treatment is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in the threshold voltage by the bias-temperature stress (bt) test can be reduced. consequently, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a transistor having stable electric characteristics can be manufactured. in addition, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor device including a transistor, which has favorable electric characteristics and high reliability, can be manufactured. brief description of drawings figs. 1a to 1e illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. figs. 2a to 2e illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. figs. 3a to 3e illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. figs. 4a to 4e illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. figs. 5a to 5d illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. fig. 6a is a top view and fig. 6b is a cross-sectional view each illustrating an embodiment of a plasma apparatus. figs. 7a to 7c each illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device. fig. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a semiconductor device. fig. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a semiconductor device. fig. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a semiconductor device. figs. 11a and 11b illustrate an embodiment of a semiconductor device. figs. 12a and 12b illustrate an electronic device. figs. 13a to 13f each illustrate an electronic device. best mode for carrying out the invention hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. however, the present invention is not limited to the description below, and it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that modes and details disclosed herein can be modified in various ways. therefore, the present invention is not construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments below. a transistor is a kind of semiconductor element and can achieve amplification of a current or a voltage, switching operation for controlling conduction or non-conduction, or the like. a transistor in this specification includes an insulated-gate field effect transistor (igfet) and a thin film transistor (tft). there is no particular limitation on the structure of a transistor disclosed in this specification or the like. for example, a staggered type and a planar type of a top-gate structure or a bottom-gate structure can be used. further, the transistor may have a single gate structure including one channel formation region, a double gate structure including two channel formation regions, or a triple gate structure including three channel formation regions. in addition, a function of “source” and a function of “drain” are sometimes interchanged with each other depending on the operating conditions of a transistor or the like. therefore, the terms “source” and “drain” can be interchanged with each other in this specification. note that the ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” in this specification are used for convenience and do not denote the order of steps and the stacking order of layers. in addition, the ordinal numbers in this specification do not denote particular names which specify the invention. embodiment 1 in this embodiment, an embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device will be described with reference to figs. 1a to 1e and fig. 5a . in this embodiment, as an example of the semiconductor device, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor for a semiconductor layer in which a channel is formed will be described in detail. a transistor 410 illustrated in fig. 1e includes, over a substrate 400 , a gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a source electrode layer 405 a , and a drain electrode layer 405 b . an insulating layer 407 (also referred to as a first insulating layer) and a protective insulating layer 409 (also referred to as a second insulating layer) are stacked over the transistor 410 in this order. the transistor 410 is one of bottom-gate transistors, and is also one of inverted staggered transistors. figs. 1a to 1e illustrate an example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 410 . first, a conductive layer is formed over the substrate 400 , and then, the gate electrode layer 401 is formed through a first photolithography step. note that a resist mask may be formed by an inkjet method. formation of the resist mask by an inkjet method needs no photomask; thus, manufacturing cost can be reduced. there is no particular limitation on a substrate which can be used as the substrate 400 , and a glass substrate, a ceramic substrate, a quartz substrate, a sapphire substrate, a crystallized glass substrate, or the like can be used. further, a flexible substrate may be used as the substrate 400 . in the case where a flexible substrate is used, a transistor may be directly formed over a flexible substrate. alternatively, a transistor may be formed over a manufacturing substrate, and then, the transistor may be separated from the manufacturing substrate and transferred to a flexible substrate. note that in order to separate the transistor from the manufacturing substrate and transfer it to the flexible substrate, a separation layer may be provided between the manufacturing substrate and the transistor. a base layer may be provided between the substrate 400 and the gate electrode layer 401 . the base layer can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using one or more of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon nitride oxide, and silicon oxynitride and has a function of preventing diffusion of impurity elements from the substrate 400 . when a halogen element such as chlorine or fluorine is contained in the base layer, a function of preventing diffusion of impurity elements from the substrate 400 can be further improved. the concentration of a halogen element to be contained in the base layer is measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (sims) and its peak is preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 15 /cm 3 and less than or equal to 1×10 20 /cm 3 . gallium oxide may be used for the base layer. alternatively, a stacked-layer structure of a gallium oxide layer and the above insulating layer may be used for the base layer. gallium oxide is a material which is hardly charged; therefore, variation in the threshold voltage due to charge buildup of the insulating layer can be suppressed. the gate electrode layer 401 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a metal material such as molybdenum (mo), titanium (ti), tantalum (ta), tungsten (w), aluminum (al), copper (cu), chromium (cr), neodymium (nd), scandium (sc), or magnesium (mg), or an alloy material containing any of these as a main component. then, the gate insulating layer 402 is formed over the gate electrode layer 401 (see fig. 1a ). the gate insulating layer 402 can be formed using silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxynitride, aluminum nitride oxide, tantalum oxide, gallium oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate (hfsi x o y (x>0, y>0)), hafnium aluminate (hfal x o y (x>0, y>0)), hafnium silicate to which nitrogen is added, hafnium aluminate to which nitrogen is added, or the like by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. the gate insulating layer 402 is not limited to a single layer, and a stacked layer of different layers may be used. for example, by a plasma cvd method, a silicon nitride (sin y (y>0)) layer may be formed as a first gate insulating layer, and a silicon oxide (sio x (x>0)) layer may be formed as a second gate insulating layer over the first gate insulating layer, so that a gate insulating layer can be formed. an oxide semiconductor described in this embodiment is an i-type or substantially i-type oxide semiconductor from which impurities are removed and which is highly purified so as to contain an impurity that serves as a carrier donor and is a substance other than the main component of the oxide semiconductor as little as possible. such a highly purified oxide semiconductor is highly sensitive to an interface state and interface charge; thus, an interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate insulating layer is important. for that reason, the gate insulating layer that is to be in contact with a highly purified oxide semiconductor needs to have high quality. for example, a high-density plasma cvd method using microwaves (e.g., a frequency of 2.45 ghz) is preferably adopted because an insulating layer formed can be dense and can have high withstand voltage and high quality. the highly purified oxide semiconductor and the high-quality gate insulating layer are in close contact with each other, whereby the interface state can be reduced to obtain favorable interface characteristics. needless to say, another film formation method such as a sputtering method or a plasma cvd method can be employed as long as the method enables formation of a good-quality insulating layer as a gate insulating layer. further, an insulating layer whose film quality and characteristics of the interface with the oxide semiconductor are improved by heat treatment which is performed after formation of the insulating layer may be used. in any case, any insulating layer may be used as long as the insulating layer has characteristics of enabling reduction in interface state density of the interface with the oxide semiconductor and formation of a favorable interface as well as having favorable film quality as a gate insulating layer. in addition, an insulating material containing the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor is preferably used for the gate insulating layer 402 . this is because such a material is compatible with the oxide semiconductor, and therefore, the use of such a material for the gate insulating layer 402 enables a state of the interface between the gate insulating layer 402 and the oxide semiconductor to be kept well. here, containing “the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor” means containing one or more of elements selected from constituent elements of the oxide semiconductor. for example, in the case where the oxide semiconductor is formed using an in—ga—zn-based oxide semiconductor material, gallium oxide or the like is given as such an insulating material containing the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor. as a far preferable example of a stacked-layer structure for the gate insulating layer 402 , a stacked-layer structure of a layer (hereinafter referred to as a layer a) formed using the insulating material containing the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor and a layer (hereinafter referred to as a layer b) formed using a material different from the component material of the layer a can be given. this is because with a structure in which the layer a and the layer b are stacked from the oxide semiconductor layer side in order, charge is preferentially trapped by a charge trapping center at the interface between the layers a and b (as compared to the interface between the oxide semiconductor and the layer a), so that charge trapping at the interface of the oxide semiconductor can be sufficiently suppressed, leading to improvement in the reliability of the semiconductor device. further, in order that hydrogen, a hydroxyl group, and moisture might be contained in the gate insulating layer 402 and the oxide semiconductor layer as little as possible, it is preferable that, as pretreatment before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer, the substrate 400 over which layers up to and including the gate electrode layer 401 are formed or the substrate 400 over which layers up to and including the gate insulating layer 402 are formed be preheated in a preheating chamber of a sputtering apparatus so that impurities such as hydrogen and moisture adsorbed to the substrate 400 are eliminated and removed. as an evacuation unit provided in the preheating chamber, a cryopump is preferable. note that this preheating treatment can be omitted. further, this preheating may be similarly performed on the substrate 400 over which layers up to and including the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b are formed, before formation of the insulating layer 407 . next, over the gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer with a thickness of greater than or equal to 2 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 30 nm is formed. note that before the oxide semiconductor layer is formed by a sputtering method, powder substances (also referred to as particles or dusts) which are attached on a surface of the gate insulating layer 402 are preferably removed by reverse sputtering in which an argon gas is introduced and plasma is generated. the reverse sputtering refers to a method in which an rf power source is used for application of voltage to a substrate side in an atmosphere of a rare gas such as argon and plasma is generated around the substrate to modify a surface. note that a nitrogen gas, a helium gas, an oxygen gas, or the like may be used in place of an argon gas. before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer, chlorine may be introduced to an insulating layer (the gate insulating layer 402 in this embodiment) over which the oxide semiconductor layer is formed, by a method similar to oxygen plasma doping described later, by using a chlorine gas (a gas containing chlorine such as cl 2 , sicl 4 , or the like) instead of an oxygen gas. alternatively, chlorine may be introduced by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method which will be described in embodiment 2. by introducing chlorine to the insulating layer over which the oxide semiconductor layer is formed, hydrogen in the insulating layer can be fixed, so that diffusion of hydrogen from the insulating layer into the oxide semiconductor layer can be prevented. oxygen may be introduced to the insulating layer at the same time as chlorine. note that chlorine or the like is preferably introduced under the condition where damage to the interface between the insulating layer and the oxide semiconductor layer can be minimized. a metal oxide containing in, a metal oxide containing in and ga, or the like can be used as the oxide semiconductor used for the oxide semiconductor layer. in addition, the following metal oxides can also be used: a four-component metal oxide such as an in—sn—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; a three-component metal oxide such as an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an in—sn—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an in—al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an al—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, or a sn—al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; a two-component metal oxide such as an in—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, a zn—mg—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—mg—o-based oxide semiconductor, an in—mg—o-based oxide semiconductor, or an in—ga—o-based oxide semiconductor; an in—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—o-based oxide semiconductor, or a zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; and the like. further, sio 2 may be contained in the above oxide semiconductor. here, for example, an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor means an oxide containing indium (in), gallium (ga), and zinc (zn), and there is no particular limitation on the composition ratio thereof. for the oxide semiconductor layer, a thin film of a material expressed by a chemical formula, inmo 3 (zno) m , (m>0), can be used. here, m represents one or more metal elements selected from ga, al, mn, and co. for example, m can be ga, ga and al, ga and mn, ga and co, or the like. in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor layer is formed using an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide target by a sputtering method. in addition, the oxide semiconductor layer can be formed by a sputtering method in a rare gas (typically, argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere containing a rare gas and oxygen. as a target for forming the oxide semiconductor layer by a sputtering method, for example, an oxide target having a composition ratio of in 2 o 3 :ga 2 o 3 :zno=1:1:1 [molar ratio] is used to form an in—ga—zn—o layer. without limitation to the material and the component of the target, for example, an oxide target having a composition ratio of in 2 o 3 :ga 2 o 3 :zno=1:1:2 [molar ratio] may be used. in the case where an in—zn—o-based material is used as the oxide semiconductor, a target used has a composition ratio of in:zn=50:1 to 1:2 in an atomic ratio (in 2 o 3 :zno=25:1 to 1:4 in a molar ratio), preferably in:zn=20:1 to 1:1 in an atomic ratio (in 2 o 3 :zno=1:2 to 10:1 in a molar ratio), more preferably in:zn=1.5:1 to 15:1 in an atomic ratio (in 2 o 3 :zno=3:4 to 15:2 in a molar ratio). for example, when a target used for forming the in—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor has a composition ratio of in:zn:o═x:y:z in an atomic ratio, z>(1.5x+y). furthermore, the filling rate of an oxide target is greater than or equal to 90% and less than or equal to 100%, preferably greater than or equal to 95% and less than or equal to 99.9%. with the use of a metal oxide target having a high filling rate, a dense oxide semiconductor can be formed. it is preferable to use a high-purity gas from which impurities such as hydrogen, water, a hydroxyl group, or hydride are removed as a sputtering gas used when the oxide semiconductor layer is formed. when the oxide semiconductor layer is formed, the substrate is held in a film formation chamber kept under reduced pressure, and the substrate temperature is set to a temperature of higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., preferably higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c. by heating the substrate during film formation, the impurity concentration in the oxide semiconductor layer formed can be reduced. in addition, damage by sputtering can be reduced. then, a sputtering gas from which hydrogen and moisture have been removed is introduced to the film formation chamber while moisture remaining therein is removed, and the oxide semiconductor layer is formed over the substrate 400 with the use of the above target. in order to remove moisture remaining in the film formation chamber, an entrapment vacuum pump such as a cryopump, an ion pump, or a titanium sublimation pump is preferably used. as an evacuation unit, a turbo molecular pump provided with a cold trap may be used. in a film formation chamber which is evacuated with a cryopump, for example, a hydrogen atom, a compound containing a hydrogen atom, such as water (h 2 o), (more preferably, also a compound containing a carbon atom), and the like are removed, whereby the concentration of impurities in an oxide semiconductor layer formed in the film formation chamber can be reduced. as one example of the film formation condition, the distance between the substrate and the target is 100 mm, the pressure is 0.6 pa, the power of the direct-current (dc) power source is 0.5 kw, and the atmosphere is an oxygen atmosphere (the proportion of the oxygen flow is 100%). note that a pulsed direct-current power source is preferably used, in which case powder substances (also referred to as particles or dusts) that are generated in film formation can be reduced and the film thickness can be uniform. next, first heat treatment is performed. by the first heat treatment, excessive hydrogen (including water and a hydroxyl group) in the oxide semiconductor layer is removed (dehydration or dehydrogenation) and the structure of the oxide semiconductor layer is ordered, so that defect levels in the energy gap can be reduced. in addition, defects at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the first heat treatment is preferably performed at higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 750° c., or higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than the strain point of the substrate in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere such as a nitrogen atmosphere or a rare gas atmosphere, an oxygen gas atmosphere, or an ultra dry air atmosphere (in air whose moisture content is less than or equal to 20 ppm (the dew point: −55° c.), preferably less than or equal to 1 ppm, more preferably less than or equal to ppb in the case where measurement is performed using a dew-point meter of a cavity ring-down laser spectroscopy (crds) system). for example, the substrate is put in an electric furnace which is a kind of heat treatment apparatus, and the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to heat treatment at 450° c. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere. note that the heat treatment apparatus is not limited to an electrical furnace, and may include a device for heating an object to be processed by heat conduction or heat radiation from a heating element such as a resistance heating element. for example, an rta (rapid thermal anneal) apparatus such as a grta (gas rapid thermal anneal) apparatus or an lrta (lamp rapid thermal anneal) apparatus can be used. an lrta apparatus is an apparatus for heating an object to be processed by radiation of light (an electromagnetic wave) emitted from a lamp such as a halogen lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon arc lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a high pressure sodium lamp, or a high pressure mercury lamp. a grta apparatus is an apparatus for heat treatment using a high-temperature gas. as the high-temperature gas, an inert gas which does not react with an object to be processed by heat treatment, such as nitrogen or a rare gas like argon, is used. for example, as the first heat treatment, grta may be performed as follows. the substrate is transferred and put in an inert gas heated to a high temperature of higher than or equal to 650° c. and lower than or equal to 700° c., is heated for several minutes, and is transferred and taken out of the inert gas heated to the high temperature. when the heat treatment is performed in an atmosphere of an inert gas such as nitrogen or a rare gas, oxygen, or ultra-dry air, it is preferable that the atmosphere do not contain water, hydrogen, or the like. it is also preferable that the purity of nitrogen, oxygen, or a rare gas which is introduced to the heat treatment apparatus be set to be greater than or equal to 6 n (99.9999%), preferably greater than or equal to 7 n (99.99999%) (that is, the impurity concentration is less than or equal to 1 ppm, preferably less than or equal to 0.1 ppm). next, through a second photolithography step, the oxide semiconductor layer is processed into an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer 441 (see fig. 1b ). a resist mask 420 for forming the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer 441 may be formed by an inkjet method. a photomask is not used when the resist mask 420 is formed by an inkjet method, which results in reducing manufacturing costs. in the case where a contact hole is formed in the gate insulating layer 402 , a step of forming the contact hole can be performed at the same time as processing of the oxide semiconductor layer. note that the etching of the oxide semiconductor layer may be dry etching, wet etching, or both dry etching and wet etching. as an etchant used for wet etching for the oxide semiconductor layer, for example, a mixed solution of phosphoric acid, acetic acid, and nitric acid, or the like can be used. alternatively, ito-07n (produced by kanto chemical co., inc.) may be used. then, by performing ashing treatment in an oxygen atmosphere, the resist mask 420 formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is decomposed and removed. as the ashing treatment, photoexcited ashing in which the resist mask is removed by promoting chemical reaction with oxygen by irradiation with light such as ultraviolet light in an atmosphere of oxygen such as ozone, or plasma ashing in which the resist mask is decomposed and removed by oxygen that is made into plasma by using radio-frequency power or the like can be used. by removing the resist mask by the ashing treatment, it is possible that the oxide semiconductor layer 441 contains water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon as little as possible. then, oxygen 430 is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by oxygen plasma doping. specifically, the oxygen 430 is made into plasma with the use of radio-frequency (rf) power, and oxygen radicals and/or oxygen ions are introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer over the substrate. at this time, it is preferable to apply a bias to the substrate over which the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is formed. by increasing the bias applied to the substrate, the oxygen 430 can be introduced more deeply. through the oxygen plasma doping, the oxygen 430 is supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , so that the amount of oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is greater than that in the stoichiometric proportion of the oxide semiconductor (preferably less than double of that in the stoichiometric proportion). this is because, when the amount of oxygen is too large, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 might absorb hydrogen like a hydrogen absorbing alloy (hydrogen storing alloy). when the amount of oxygen in the case of single crystal is y, the amount of oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is greater than y, preferably greater than y and less than 2y. alternatively, by setting the amount of oxygen z in the oxide semiconductor in the case where the oxygen doping treatment is not performed as a reference, the amount of oxygen in the case where the oxygen doping treatment is performed can be expressed as follows: “the amount of oxygen is greater than z, preferably, greater than z and less than 2z”. the oxygen 430 introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 by doping includes an oxygen radical, an oxygen atom, and/or an oxygen ion. accordingly, the amount of oxygen is greater than that of hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor. for example, when the composition of the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is expressed by ingaznox, the chemical formula derived from the single crystal structure of an oxide in which in:ga:zn=1:1:1 is ingazno 4 ; therefore, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 having an oxygen excess region in which x is greater than 4 and less than 8 is formed. in a similar manner, when the composition of the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is expressed by ingazn 2 ox, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 having an oxygen excess region in which x is greater than 5 and less than 10 is formed. note that the oxygen excess region has only to exist in part (including the interface) of the oxide semiconductor layer. in the oxide semiconductor layer, oxygen is one of the main components. thus, it is difficult to accurately estimate the oxygen concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer by a method such as secondary ion mass spectrometry (sims). in other words, it is hard to determine whether oxygen is intentionally added to the oxide semiconductor layer. isotopes such as o 17 or o 18 exist in oxygen, and it is known that the existence proportions of them in nature are about 0.037% and about 0.204% of the whole oxygen atoms. that is to say, it is possible to measure the concentrations of these isotopes in the oxide semiconductor layer by a method such as sims; therefore, the oxygen concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer may be able to be estimated more accurately by measuring the concentrations of these isotopes. thus, the concentrations of these isotopes may be measured to determine whether oxygen is intentionally added to the oxide semiconductor layer. for example, with respect to the concentration of o 18 , the concentration of the isotope of oxygen in an oxygen-added region d1 (o 18 ) and the concentration of the isotope of oxygen in a non-oxygen-added region d2 (o 18 ) have a relationship represented by d1 (o 18 )>d2 (o 18 ). the oxygen 430 added to (contained in) the oxide semiconductor layer 441 preferably has at least partly a dangling bond of oxygen in the oxide semiconductor. this is because, with the dangling bond, the oxygen 430 can be bonded to hydrogen which can remain in the layer, so that the hydrogen can be fixed (made to be an immovable ion). oxygen for the doping (an oxygen radical, an oxygen atom, and/or an oxygen ion) may be supplied from a plasma generating apparatus with the use of a gas containing oxygen or from an ozone generating apparatus. more specifically, for example, the oxygen 430 can be generated with an apparatus for etching treatment on a semiconductor device, an apparatus for ashing on a resist mask, or the like to process the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . an example of a plasma apparatus (also referred to as an ashing apparatus) for performing the oxygen plasma doping will be described with reference to figs. 6a and 6b . note that the apparatus is industrially suitable as compared to an ion implantation apparatus or the like because the apparatus can be applicable to a large-sized glass substrate of the fifth generation or later, for example. fig. 6a is a top view of a single wafer multi-chamber equipment. fig. 6b is a cross-sectional view of a plasma apparatus (also referred to as an ashing apparatus) used for oxygen plasma doping. the single wafer multi-chamber equipment illustrated in fig. 6a includes three plasma apparatuses 10 each of which is illustrated in fig. 6b , a substrate supply chamber 11 including three cassette ports 14 for holding a substrate to be treated, a load lock chamber 12 , a transfer chamber 13 , and the like. a substrate supplied to the substrate supply chamber is transferred through the load lock chamber 12 and the transfer chamber 13 to a vacuum chamber 15 in the plasma apparatus 10 and is subjected to oxygen plasma doping. the substrate which has been subjected to oxygen plasma doping is transferred from the plasma apparatus, through the load lock chamber and the transfer chamber, to the substrate supply chamber. note that a transfer robot for transferring a substrate to be treated is provided in each of the substrate supply chamber 11 and the transfer chamber 13 . referring to fig. 6b , the plasma apparatus 10 includes the vacuum chamber 15 . a plurality of gas outlets and an icp coil (an inductively coupled plasma coil) 16 which is a generation source of plasma are provided on a top portion of the vacuum chamber 15 . the twelve gas outlets are arranged in a center portion, seen from the top of the plasma apparatus 10 . each of the gas outlets is connected to a gas supply source for supplying an oxygen gas, through a gas flow path 17 . the gas supply source includes a mass flow controller and the like and can supply an oxygen gas to the gas flow path 17 at a desired flow (which is greater than 0 sccm and less than or equal to 1000 sccm). the oxygen gas supplied from the gas supply source is supplied from the gas flow path 17 , through the twelve gas outlets, into the vacuum chamber 15 . the icp coil 16 includes a plurality of strip-like conductors, each of which has a spiral form. one end of each of the conductors is electrically connected to a first radio-frequency power source 18 (13.56 mhz) through a matching circuit for adjusting impedance, and the other end thereof is grounded. a substrate stage 19 functioning as a lower electrode is provided in a lower portion of the vacuum chamber. by an electrostatic chuck or the like provided for the substrate stage 19 , a substrate 20 to be treated is held on the substrate stage so as to be detachable. the substrate stage 19 is provided with a heater as a heating system and a he gas flow pass as a cooling system. the substrate stage is connected to a second radio-frequency power source 21 (3.2 mhz) for applying a substrate bias voltage. in addition, the vacuum chamber 15 is provided with an exhaust port and an automatic pressure control valve (also referred to as an apc) 22 . the apc is connected to a turbo molecular pump 23 and further, connected to a dry pump 24 through the turbo molecular pump 23 . the apc controls the inside pressure of the vacuum chamber. the turbo molecular pump 23 and the dry pump 24 reduce the inside pressure of the vacuum chamber 15 . next, described is an example in which plasma is generated in the vacuum chamber 15 illustrated in fig. 6b , and oxygen plasma doping is performed on an oxide semiconductor layer provided for the substrate 20 to be treated. first, the inside pressure of the vacuum chamber 15 is held at a desired pressure by operating the turbo molecular pump 23 , the dry pump 24 , and the like, and then, the substrate 20 to be treated is installed on the substrate stage in the vacuum chamber 15 . note that the substrate 20 to be treated held on the substrate stage has at least an oxide semiconductor layer. in this embodiment, the inside pressure of the vacuum chamber 15 is held at 1.33 pa. note that the flow of the oxygen gas supplied from the gas outlets into the vacuum chamber 15 is set to 250 sccm. next, radio-frequency power is applied from the first radio-frequency power source 18 to the icp coil 16 , thereby generating plasma. then, a state in which plasma is being generated is kept for a certain period (longer than or equal to 30 seconds and shorter than or equal to 600 seconds). note that the radio-frequency power applied to the icp coil 16 is greater than or equal to 1 kw and less than or equal to 10 kw. in this embodiment, the radio-frequency power is set to 6000 w. at this time, a substrate bias voltage may be applied from the second radio-frequency power source 21 to the substrate stage. in this embodiment, the power of the substrate bias voltage is set to 1000 w. in this embodiment, the state in which plasma is being generated is kept for 60 seconds and then, the substrate 20 to be treated is transferred from the vacuum chamber 15 . in this manner, oxygen plasma doping can be performed on the oxide semiconductor layer provided for the substrate 20 to be treated. in addition, the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method described in embodiment 2. when the oxygen is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer by the oxygen plasma doping, the removal of the resist mask and the oxygen plasma doping can be performed successively without interruption in the same vacuum chamber. that is, the removal of the resist mask and the oxygen plasma doping can be performed successively without exposure to the air. in addition, there is a possibility that components of the resist mask which has been decomposed and removed remain in the atmosphere inside the vacuum chamber. in order to remove the residual components from the atmosphere, after the removal of the resist mask and before the oxygen plasma doping, generation of oxygen plasma is stopped temporarily, and filling with and removal of an inert gas or an oxygen gas are preferably performed at least once, on the vacuum chamber in which the substrate to be treated is placed. when the removal of the resist mask 420 formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 441 and the introduction of the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 are performed in different vacuum chambers or different apparatuses, the substrate to be treated is transferred while setting the atmosphere around the substrate to be treated to a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere so that the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is not exposed to the air while the substrate to be treated is transferred. in the above manner, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , so that the impurities can be prevented from entering the oxide semiconductor during the introduction of the oxygen 430 (see fig. 1c ). the oxygen 430 is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , so that the oxide semiconductor layer 441 which contains excessive oxygen is formed. the electronegativity of oxygen is 3.0 which is larger than about 2.0, the electronegativity of a metal (zn, ga, in) in the oxide semiconductor layer, and thus, excessive oxygen contained as compared to hydrogen deprives the m-h bond of a hydrogen atom, so that an oh group is formed. this oh group may form an m-o—h group by being bonded to m. that is, by the introduction of oxygen, a bond between a metal included in the oxide semiconductor and hydrogen or a bond between the metal and a hydroxyl group is cut. at the same time, the hydrogen or the hydroxyl group reacts with oxygen to produce water. in particular, oxygen having a dangling bond easily reacts with hydrogen remaining in the oxide semiconductor to produce water. consequently, hydrogen or a hydroxyl group which is an impurity can be easily eliminated as water in second heat treatment performed later. after the introduction of the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , the second heat treatment is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air (preferably at higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., for example, at higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 550° c.). for example, the second heat treatment is performed at 450° c. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere. it is preferable that the above atmosphere do not contain water, hydrogen, or the like. through the above steps of the introduction of the oxygen 430 and the heat treatment, dehydration or dehydrogenation of the oxide semiconductor layer can be performed, and impurities containing hydrogen molecules such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) which cannot be removed thoroughly in the first heat treatment can be removed from the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. as a result, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be changed into the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and made electrically i-type. next, a conductive layer for forming the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b (including a wiring formed in the same layer as the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b ) is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 and the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . as the conductive layer for forming the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b , for example, a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure can be formed using a metal material including an element selected from al, cr, cu, ta, ti, mo, w, and mg, an alloy material containing any of the above elements as its main component, or a metal nitride containing any of the above elements as its component (e.g., titanium nitride, molybdenum nitride, or tungsten nitride). alternatively, a refractory metal film of ti, mo, w, or the like or a metal nitride film of any of these elements (a titanium nitride film, a molybdenum nitride film, or a tungsten nitride film) may be stacked on one of or both a lower side and an upper side of a metal layer of al, cu, or the like. further alternatively, the conductive layer for forming the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b may be formed using a conductive metal oxide. as the conductive metal oxide, indium oxide (in 2 o 3 ), tin oxide (sno 2 ), zinc oxide (zno), indium oxide-tin oxide alloy (in 2 o 3 —sno 2 ; abbreviated to ito), indium oxide-zinc oxide alloy (in 2 o 3 —zno), or any of these metal oxide materials in which silicon oxide is contained can be used. a resist mask is formed over the conductive layer through a third photolithography step. the conductive layer is etched selectively, so that the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b are formed. then, the resist mask is removed. the channel length l of the transistor 410 is determined by the distance between the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b which are in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (see fig. 1e ). in order to reduce the number of photomasks used in a photolithography step and reduce the number of photolithography steps, an etching step may be performed with the use of a resist mask formed using a multi-tone mask which is a light-exposure mask through which light is transmitted to have a plurality of intensities. a resist mask formed using a multi-tone mask has a plurality of thicknesses and further can be changed in shape by etching; therefore, the resist mask can be used in a plurality of etching steps for processing into different patterns. therefore, a resist mask corresponding to at least two kinds of different patterns can be formed by using one multi-tone mask. thus, the number of light-exposure masks can be reduced and the number of corresponding photolithography steps can be reduced, whereby simplification of a process can be realized. note that it is preferable that etching conditions be optimized so as not to etch and divide the oxide semiconductor layer 403 when the conductive layer is etched. however, it is difficult to obtain etching conditions in which only the conductive layer is etched and the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is not etched at all. in some cases, only part of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is etched to obtain an oxide semiconductor layer having a groove portion (a recessed portion) when the conductive layer is etched. in this embodiment, since a titanium (ti) film is used as the conductive layer and an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor is used as the oxide semiconductor layer, ammonium hydrogen peroxide (a solution in which 31 wt. % hydrogen peroxide, 28 wt. % ammonia water, and water are mixed at a volume ratio of 2:1:1) may be used as an etchant of the conductive layer. next, the insulating layer 407 is formed over the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b to be in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (see fig. 1d ). the insulating layer 407 can be formed to a thickness of at least 1 nm using a method by which impurities such as water and hydrogen do not enter the insulating layer 407 , such as a sputtering method, as appropriate. a formation method of the insulating layer 407 is not particularly limited; for example, a film formation method such as plasma cvd method or sputtering method can be used. a sputtering method is appropriate in terms of low possibility of entry of hydrogen, water, and the like. when hydrogen is contained in the insulating layer 407 , entry of the hydrogen into the oxide semiconductor layer or extraction of oxygen from the oxide semiconductor layer by the hydrogen is caused, thereby making the resistance of the backchannel (a region of a semiconductor layer which is not on the gate electrode layer side; in the transistor 410 , a region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is around the interface with the insulating layer 407 ) of the oxide semiconductor layer low (to have an n-type conductivity), so that a parasitic channel might be formed. therefore, it is important to form the insulating layer 407 by a method by which hydrogen and an impurity containing hydrogen are not contained therein. as the insulating layer 407 , an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, hafnium oxide, aluminum oxide, or gallium oxide can be typically used. gallium oxide is a material which is hardly charged; therefore, variation in the threshold voltage due to charge buildup of the insulating layer can be suppressed. as the insulating layer 407 or an insulating layer stacked over or under the insulating layer 407 , a metal oxide layer including the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor may be formed. in this embodiment, a 200-nm-thick silicon oxide film is formed as the insulating layer 407 by a sputtering method. the substrate temperature in film formation may be higher than or equal to room temperature and lower than or equal to 300° c. and is 100° c. in this embodiment. the silicon oxide layer can be formed by a sputtering method in a rare gas (typically, argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere containing a rare gas and oxygen. as a target, silicon oxide or silicon can be used. for example, the silicon oxide layer can be formed using silicon as a target in an atmosphere containing oxygen by a sputtering method. in order to remove remaining moisture from the film formation chamber at the time of formation of the oxide semiconductor or the insulating layer 407 , an entrapment vacuum pump (such as a cryopump) is preferably used. when the insulating layer 407 is formed in the film formation chamber evacuated using a cryopump, the impurity concentration in the insulating layer 407 can be reduced. in addition, as an evacuation unit for removing moisture remaining in the film formation chamber of the insulating layer 407 , a turbo molecular pump provided with a cold trap may be used. it is preferable that a high-purity gas from which impurities such as hydrogen, water, a hydroxyl group, or hydride are removed be used as a sputtering gas when the insulating layer 407 is formed. then, third heat treatment may be performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, an oxygen gas atmosphere, or an ultra-dry air atmosphere (preferably at higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., for example, higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 550° c.). for example, the third heat treatment may be performed at 450° c. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere. in the third heat treatment, part of the oxide semiconductor layer (channel formation region) is heated in the state where it is in contact with the insulating layer 407 . it is preferable that the above atmosphere do not contain water, hydrogen, or the like. in the case where the heat treatment is performed in the state where the oxide semiconductor layer is in contact with the insulating layer 407 containing oxygen, oxygen can be further supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer from the insulating film 407 containing oxygen. through the above steps, the transistor 410 is formed. the transistor 410 is a transistor including the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and from which impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) are intentionally removed. therefore, variation in the electric characteristics of the transistor 410 is suppressed and the transistor 410 is electrically stable. a protective insulating layer 409 may be formed over the insulating layer 407 . for example, a silicon nitride layer is formed as the protective insulating layer 409 by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. an inorganic insulating material which hardly contains an impurity such as moisture and can prevent entry of the impurity from the outside, such as silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, or aluminum oxide is preferably used for the protective insulating layer 409 . in this embodiment, the protective insulating layer 409 is formed using a silicon nitride layer (see fig. 1e ). a silicon nitride layer used for the protective insulating layer 409 is formed in such a manner that the substrate 400 over which layers up to and including the insulating layer 407 are formed is heated to higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., a sputtering gas containing high-purity nitrogen from which hydrogen and moisture are removed is introduced, and a target of silicon is used. in this case, the protective insulating layer 409 is preferably formed while removing moisture remaining in the treatment chamber, in a manner similar to that of the insulating layer 407 . after the transistor 410 is formed, heat treatment may be further performed in the air at higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 200° c. for longer than or equal to 1 hour and shorter than or equal to 30 hours. this heat treatment may be performed at a fixed temperature. alternatively, the following change in temperature is set as one cycle and may be repeated plural times: the temperature is increased from room temperature to a heating temperature and then decreased to room temperature. alternatively, without performing the first heat treatment, the second heat treatment may be performed under the condition of the first heat treatment. in that case, the second heat treatment is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. an example in which a back gate electrode layer 411 is formed in the transistor 410 is illustrated in fig. 5a . the back gate electrode layer 411 is positioned so that the channel formation region of the semiconductor layer is interposed between the gate electrode layer and the back gate electrode layer 411 . the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed using a conductive layer and can function in a manner similar to that of the gate electrode layer. by changing a potential of the back gate electrode layer, the threshold voltage of the transistor can be changed. the back gate electrode layer 411 can be formed using a material and a method similar to those of the gate electrode layer 401 , the source electrode layer 405 a , the drain electrode layer 405 b , and the like. in fig. 5a , the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 with the insulating layer 407 and the protective insulating layer 409 provided therebetween. although fig. 5a illustrates the example in which the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the protective insulating layer 409 , the back gate electrode layer 411 may be formed between the insulating layer 407 and the protective insulating layer 409 . the oxide semiconductor used for the semiconductor layer in this embodiment is an i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor or a substantially i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor. the i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor or the substantially i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor is obtained in such a manner that hydrogen, which serves as a donor, is removed from an oxide semiconductor as much as possible, and the oxide semiconductor is highly purified so as to contain as few impurities that are not a main component of the oxide semiconductor as possible. in other words, the oxide semiconductor has a feature in that it is made to be an i-type or made to be close thereto not by introduction of an impurity but by being highly purified by removal of an impurity such as hydrogen or water as much as possible. accordingly, the oxide semiconductor layer used for the transistor is an oxide semiconductor layer which is highly purified and made to be electrically i-type. in addition, it is possible that the highly purified oxide semiconductor includes extremely few carriers (close to zero), and the carrier concentration thereof is less than 1×10 14 /cm 3 , preferably less than 1×10 12 /cm 3 , more preferably less than 1×10 11 /cm 3 . since the oxide semiconductor includes extremely few carriers, the off-state current of the transistor can be reduced. the off-state current is preferably as small as possible. specifically, in a transistor including the above-described oxide semiconductor for a channel formation region, the off-state current per channel width of 1 μm at room temperature can be less than or equal to 10 aa (1×10 −17 a/μm), further less than or equal to 1 aa (1×10 −18 a/μm), still further less than or equal to 1 za (1×10 −21 a/μm), still further less than or equal to 1 ya (1×10 −24 a/μm). in addition, in the transistor including the above oxide semiconductor for the channel formation region, the temperature dependence of the on-state current is hardly observed, and the variation in the off-state current is extremely small. a transistor including the above-described oxide semiconductor for a channel formation region is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor by the bias-temperature stress (bt) test can be reduced. in the transistor including the above oxide semiconductor, relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained, whereby high-speed operation is possible. consequently, when the above transistor is used in a pixel portion of a semiconductor device having a display function, high-quality images can be obtained. since a driver circuit portion and the pixel portion can be formed over one substrate with the use of the above transistor, the number of components of the semiconductor device can be reduced. as described above, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics, can be provided. therefore, a semiconductor device with high reliability can be provided. this embodiment can be implemented by being combined with other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 2 in this embodiment, another embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device will be described with reference to figs. 2a to 2e and fig. 5b . note that the same portions or portions having similar functions as in embodiment 1 can be formed as in embodiment 1, and the same steps or similar steps as in embodiment 1 can be performed as in embodiment 1; therefore, the description is not repeated in this embodiment. in addition, detailed description of the same portions is not repeated, either. a transistor 450 illustrated in fig. 2e includes, over a substrate 400 , a gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a channel protective layer 406 , a source electrode layer 405 a , and a drain electrode layer 405 b . a protective insulating layer 409 is formed over the transistor 450 . in addition, an insulating layer 407 may be provided as in the transistor 410 . the transistor 450 has a kind of bottom-gate structure referred to as a channel-protective type (channel-stop type) and is also referred to as an inverted staggered transistor. figs. 2a to 2e illustrate an example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 450 . first, the gate electrode layer 401 is formed over the substrate 400 through a first photolithography step. then, the gate insulating layer 402 is formed over the gate electrode layer 401 (see fig. 2a ). a base layer may be provided between the substrate 400 and the gate electrode layer 401 as in embodiment 1. next, over the gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer with a thickness of greater than or equal to 2 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 30 nm is formed. then, a cap layer is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer. as in embodiment 1, before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer, chlorine or chlorine and oxygen may be introduced to the insulating layer over which the oxide semiconductor layer is formed. the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer are preferably formed successively without exposing the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer to the air. by forming the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer successively without exposure to the air, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer. in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor layer is formed using an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide target by a sputtering method. the cap layer formed over the oxide semiconductor layer can be formed using a material and a method similar to those of the gate insulating layer 402 . the cap layer formed over the oxide semiconductor layer preferably has a thickness of greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm note that a metal oxide including the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor may be used for the cap layer. by using the metal oxide including the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor for the cap layer, accumulation of hydrogen ions at the interface between the metal oxide and the oxide semiconductor and the vicinity thereof can be suppressed or prevented. specifically, as the metal oxide, it is preferable to use a material including an oxide of one or more of metal elements that are constituent elements of the oxide semiconductor. gallium oxide is preferably used as the metal oxide. since gallium oxide has a wide band gap (eg), by providing gallium oxide layers with the oxide semiconductor layer provided therebetween, an energy barrier is formed at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the metal oxide layer to prevent carrier transfer at the interface. consequently, carriers are not transferred from the oxide semiconductor to the metal oxide, but are transferred mainly within the oxide semiconductor layer. on the other hand, hydrogen ions pass through the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the metal oxide layer and are accumulated in the vicinity of a surface of the metal oxide layer which is opposite to a surface in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, for example. the above region is apart from a region where carriers flow, which results in no affect or a very slight affect on the threshold voltage of the transistor. when the gallium oxide is in contact with the in—ga—zn—o-based material, the energy barrier is about 0.8 ev on the conduction band side and about 0.9 ev on the valence band side. next, the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to first heat treatment. the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by this first heat treatment. in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the first heat treatment can be performed by using a condition and a method similar to those in embodiment 1. then, through a second photolithography step, the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer are processed into an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer 441 and an island-shaped cap layer 404 (see fig. 2b ). note that the etching of the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer may be performed using either dry etching or wet etching, or using both dry etching and wet etching. for example, the cap layer 404 may be formed by dry etching, and then, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 may be formed by wet etching. then, by performing ashing treatment in an oxygen atmosphere, a resist mask 420 formed over the cap layer 404 is decomposed and removed. after the removal of the resist mask, oxygen 430 is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the cap layer 404 . the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method. alternatively, the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by the oxygen plasma doping described in embodiment 1. by introducing the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the cap layer 404 stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be reduced. further, the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) can be easily controlled, whereby oxygen can be efficiently introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . by using gallium oxide for the cap layer 404 , charge buildup at the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be relieved, and excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be further reduced. when the step of removing the resist mask and the step of introducing the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 are successively performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the surface of the cap layer 404 and from entering the oxide semiconductor due to ion impact at the introduction of the oxygen 430 (see fig. 2c ). it is preferable that the above atmosphere do not contain water, hydrogen, or the like. in an ion implantation method, a source gas is made into plasma, ion species included in this plasma are extracted and mass-separated, and ion species with predetermined mass are accelerated and implanted into an object to be processed as an ion beam. in an ion doping method, a source gas is made into plasma, ion species are extracted from this plasma by an operation of a predetermined electric field, the extracted ion species are accelerated without mass separation and implanted into an object to be processed as an ion beam. when the introduction of oxygen is performed using an ion implantation method involving mass-separation, an impurity such as a metal element can be prevented from being introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer, together with oxygen. on the other hand, an ion doping method enables ion-beam irradiation to a larger area than an ion implantation method, and therefore, when the introduction of oxygen is performed using an ion doping method, the takt time can be shortened. the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) or the oxygen concentration can be controlled by appropriately setting introduction conditions such as the acceleration voltage and the dose or the thickness of the cap layer. for example, in the case where an oxygen gas is used and oxygen is introduced by an ion implantation method, the dose may be set to greater than or equal to 1×10 13 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 5×10 15 ions/cm 2 . it is preferable that the peak of the concentration of the introduced oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer 441 be greater than or equal to 1×10 18 /cm 3 and less than or equal to 3×10 20 /cm 3 (more preferably, greater than or equal to 1×10 18 /cm 3 and less than or equal to 1×10 20 /cm 3 ). in particular, it is important to remove impurities such as hydrogen, water, a hydroxyl group, or hydride from the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer. therefore, the peak of the concentration of the oxygen which has been introduced is preferably positioned in the oxide semiconductor layer 441 around the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer 441 and the gate insulating layer 402 . next, second heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . the step of introducing oxygen to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 and the second heat treatment are preferably performed successively in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air. the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by the second heat treatment. in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the second heat treatment can be performed by using a condition and a method similar to those in embodiment 1. by the introduction of oxygen and the heat treatment, the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated, whereby impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride can be removed from the oxide semiconductor layer. as a result, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and made electrically i-type. instead of the second heat treatment, heat treatment may be performed on the substrate provided with the oxide semiconductor layer 441 at a temperature of higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 700° c. (or a temperature of lower than or equal to the strain point of a glass substrate) while the introduction of the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is performed. then, the cap layer 404 is processed through a third photolithography step, so that the channel protective layer 406 covering the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is formed. note that during the step of processing the cap layer 404 , part of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is removed in some cases depending on the processing conditions. in this case, the thickness of a region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is not covered with the channel protective layer 406 becomes small. note that the channel length l of the transistor 450 is determined by the width of the channel protective layer 406 in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 in a direction parallel with a carrier flow direction (see fig. 2e ). next, after a conductive layer is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the channel protective layer 406 , the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b are formed through a fourth photolithography step. the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b can be formed by using a material and a method similar to those of the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b described in embodiment 1. through the above process, the transistor 450 is formed. the transistor 450 is a transistor including the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and from which impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) are intentionally removed. therefore, variation in the electric characteristics of the transistor 450 is suppressed and the transistor 450 is electrically stable. the protective insulating layer 409 which prevents entry of impurities such as moisture or hydrogen from the outside is preferably formed over the channel protective layer 406 , the source electrode layer 405 a , and the drain electrode layer 405 b so that these impurities do not enter the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (see fig. 2e ). the protective insulating layer 409 can be formed in a manner similar to that in embodiment 1. in addition, a gallium oxide film may be formed as the protective insulating layer 409 or an insulating layer stacked over or under the protective insulating layer 409 . gallium oxide is a material which is hardly charged; therefore, variation in the threshold voltage due to charge buildup of the insulating layer can be suppressed. after the transistor 450 is formed, heat treatment may be further performed in the air at a temperature of higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 200° c. for longer than or equal to 1 hour and shorter than or equal to 30 hours. this heat treatment may be performed at a fixed temperature. alternatively, the following change in temperature is set as one cycle and may be repeated plural times: the temperature is increased from room temperature to a heating temperature and then decreased to room temperature. alternatively, without performing the first heat treatment, the second heat treatment may be performed under the condition of the first heat treatment. in that case, the second heat treatment is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. an example in which a back gate electrode layer 411 is formed in the transistor 450 is illustrated in fig. 5b . the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 with the protective insulating layer 409 provided therebetween. although fig. 5b illustrates the example in which the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the protective insulating layer 409 , the back gate electrode layer 411 may be formed over the channel protective layer 406 by using the same layer as the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b . by changing a potential of the back gate electrode layer 411 , the threshold voltage of the transistor can be changed. in addition, in the transistor including the oxide semiconductor for the channel formation region, the temperature dependence of the on-state current is hardly observed, and the variations in the off-state current are extremely small. a transistor including the above-described oxide semiconductor for a channel formation region is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor by the bias-temperature stress (bt) test can be reduced. in the transistor including the oxide semiconductor, relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained, whereby high-speed operation is possible. consequently, when the above transistor is used in a pixel portion of a semiconductor device having a display function, high-quality images can be obtained. in addition, since a driver circuit portion and the pixel portion can be formed over one substrate, the number of components of the semiconductor device can be reduced. as described above, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics, can be provided. therefore, a semiconductor device with high reliability can be provided. this embodiment can be implemented by being combined with other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 3 in this embodiment, another embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device will be described with reference to figs. 3a to 3e and fig. 5c . note that the same portions or portions having similar functions as in the above embodiment can be formed as in the above embodiment, and the same steps or similar steps as in the above embodiment can be performed as in the above embodiment; therefore, the description is not repeated in this embodiment. in addition, detailed description of the same portions is not repeated, either. a transistor 460 illustrated in fig. 3e includes, over a substrate 400 , a source electrode layer 405 a , a drain electrode layer 405 b , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a gate insulating layer 402 , and a gate electrode layer 401 . a base layer 436 is formed between the substrate 400 and the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . a protective insulating layer 409 is provided over the transistor 460 . a cap layer 404 is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . the cap layer 404 also functions as a gate insulating layer. the transistor 460 is referred to as a staggered transistor which is one of top-gate structures. figs. 3a to 3e illustrate an example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 460 . first, the base layer 436 is formed over the substrate 400 . the base layer 436 can be formed in a manner similar to that of the base layer described in embodiment 1. by using a metal oxide including the same kind of component as the oxide semiconductor for the base layer 436 , accumulation of hydrogen ions at the interface between the metal oxide and the oxide semiconductor and the vicinity thereof can be suppressed or prevented. specifically, as the metal oxide, it is preferable to use a material including an oxide of one or more of metal elements that are constituent elements of the oxide semiconductor. next, after a conductive layer is formed over the base layer 436 , the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b are formed through a first photolithography step. the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b can be formed by using a material and a method similar to those of the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b described in embodiment 1 (see fig. 3a ). light exposure at the time of the formation of the resist mask in the first photolithography step may be performed using ultraviolet light, krf laser light, or arf laser light. the channel length l of the transistor 460 is determined by the distance between the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b which are in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (see fig. 3e ). in the case where light exposure is performed for a channel length l of less than 25 nm, the light exposure at the time of the formation of the resist mask in the third photolithography step may be performed using extreme ultraviolet light having an extremely short wavelength of greater than or equal to several nanometers and less than or equal to several tens of nanometers. in the light exposure by using extreme ultraviolet light, the resolution is high and the focus depth is large. therefore, the channel length l of the transistor to be formed later can be greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 1000 nm, whereby operation speed of a circuit can be increased. next, over the base layer 436 , the source electrode layer 405 a , and the drain electrode layer 405 b , an oxide semiconductor layer with a thickness of greater than or equal to 2 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 30 nm is formed. then, a cap layer is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer. the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer are preferably formed successively without exposing the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer to the air. by forming the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer successively without exposure to the air, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer. as in embodiment 1, before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer, chlorine or chlorine and oxygen may be introduced to the insulating layer (corresponding to the base layer 436 in this embodiment) over which the oxide semiconductor layer is formed. the introduction of chlorine or chlorine and oxygen may be performed before formation of the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b as long as it is before the formation of the oxide semiconductor layer. in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor layer is formed using an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide target by a sputtering method. the cap layer formed over the oxide semiconductor layer can be formed using a material and a method similar to those in embodiment 2. next, the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to first heat treatment. the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by the first heat treatment. in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the first heat treatment can be performed by using a condition and a method similar to those in embodiment 1. then, through a second photolithography step, the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer are processed in to an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer 441 and an island-shaped cap layer 404 (see fig. 3b ). note that the etching of the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer may be performed using either dry etching or wet etching, or using both dry etching and wet etching. for example, the cap layer 404 may be formed by dry etching, and then, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 may be formed by wet etching. then, by performing ashing treatment in an oxygen atmosphere, a resist mask 420 formed over the cap layer 404 is decomposed and removed. after the removal of the resist mask, oxygen 430 is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the cap layer 404 . the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method. alternatively, the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by the oxygen plasma doping described in embodiment 1. by introducing the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the cap layer 404 stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be reduced. further, the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) can be easily controlled, whereby oxygen can be efficiently introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . by using gallium oxide for the cap layer 404 , charge buildup at the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be relieved, and excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be further reduced. when the step of removing the resist mask and the step of introducing the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 are successively performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , whereby entry of the impurities into the oxide semiconductor due to ion impact at the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be prevented (see fig. 3c ). in order to simplify the process, as described in embodiment 1, the oxygen 430 may be introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 without providing the cap layer 404 , but it is preferable to provide the cap layer 404 for the above reason. when the oxygen 430 is introduced by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method, the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) or the oxygen concentration can be controlled by appropriately setting introduction conditions such as the acceleration voltage and the dose. for example, in the case where an oxygen gas is used and oxygen is introduced by an ion implantation method, the dose may be set to greater than or equal to 1×10 13 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 5×10 15 ions/cm 2 . it is preferable that the peak of the concentration of the introduced oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer 441 be greater than or equal to 1×10 18 /cm 3 and less than or equal to 3×10 2 °/cm 3 (more preferably, greater than or equal to 1×10 18 /cm 3 and less than or equal to 1×10 20 /cm 3 ). in particular, it is important to remove impurities such as hydrogen, water, a hydroxyl group, or hydride from a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer, so that in the transistor 460 having a top-gate structure, a large amount of oxygen is preferably introduced to the vicinity of the interface between the cap layer 404 and the oxide semiconductor layer 441 in the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . next, second heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . the step of introducing oxygen to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 and the second heat treatment are preferably performed successively in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air. the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by the second heat treatment. in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the second heat treatment can be performed in a condition similar to that of embodiment 1. by the introduction of oxygen and the heat treatment, the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated, whereby impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride can be removed from the oxide semiconductor layer. as a result, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and made electrically i-type can be obtained. instead of the second heat treatment, heat treatment may be performed on the substrate provided with the oxide semiconductor layer 441 at a temperature of higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 700° c. (or a temperature of lower than or equal to the strain point of a glass substrate) while the introduction of the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is performed. then, the gate insulating layer 402 is formed. the cap layer 404 may be removed before formation of the gate insulating layer 402 . the gate insulating layer 402 can be formed using a material and a method which are similar to those of the gate insulating layer 402 in embodiment 1. then, a conductive layer is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 , and then, the gate electrode layer 401 is formed through a third photolithography step. the gate electrode layer 401 can be formed in a manner similar to that of the gate electrode layer 401 described in embodiment 1. through the above-described steps, the transistor 460 is manufactured. the transistor 460 is a transistor including the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and from which impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) are intentionally removed. therefore, variation in the electric characteristics of the transistor 460 is suppressed and the transistor 460 is electrically stable. the protective insulating layer 409 which prevents entry of impurities such as moisture or hydrogen from the outside is preferably formed over the gate electrode layer 401 and the gate insulating layer 402 so that these impurities do not enter the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (see fig. 3e ). the protective insulating layer 409 can be formed in a manner similar to that in embodiment 1. in addition, a gallium oxide layer may be formed as the protective insulating layer 409 or an insulating layer stacked over or under the protective insulating layer 409 . gallium oxide is a material which is hardly charged; therefore, variation in the threshold voltage due to charge buildup of the insulating layer can be suppressed. after the transistor 460 is formed, heat treatment may be further performed in the air at a temperature of higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 200° c. for longer than or equal to 1 hour and shorter than or equal to 30 hours. this heat treatment may be performed at a fixed temperature. alternatively, the following change in temperature is set as one cycle and may be repeated plural times: the temperature is increased from room temperature to a heating temperature and then decreased to room temperature. alternatively, without performing the first heat treatment, the second heat treatment may be performed under the condition of the first heat treatment. in that case, the second heat treatment is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. an example in which a back gate electrode layer 411 is formed in the transistor 460 is illustrated in fig. 5c . the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed in a region overlapping with the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 with the base layer 436 provided therebetween. by changing a potential of the back gate electrode layer 411 , the threshold voltage of the transistor can be changed. in addition, in the transistor including the oxide semiconductor for the channel formation region, the temperature dependence of the on-state current is hardly observed, and the variations in the off-state current are extremely small. a transistor including the above-described oxide semiconductor for a channel formation region is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor by the bias-temperature stress (bt) test can be reduced. in the transistor including the oxide semiconductor, relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained, whereby high-speed operation is possible. consequently, when the above transistor is used in a pixel portion of a semiconductor device having a display function, high-quality images can be obtained. in addition, since a driver circuit portion and the pixel portion can be formed over one substrate, the number of components of the semiconductor device can be reduced. as described above, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics, can be provided. therefore, a semiconductor device with high reliability can be provided. this embodiment can be implemented by being combined with other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 4 in this embodiment, another embodiment of a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device will be described with reference to figs. 4a to 4e and fig. 5d . note that the same portions or portions having similar functions as in the above embodiment can be formed as in the above embodiment, and the same steps or similar steps as in the above embodiment can be performed as in the above embodiment; therefore, the description is not repeated in this embodiment. in addition, detailed description of the same portions is not repeated, either. a transistor 470 illustrated in fig. 4e includes, over a substrate 400 having an insulating surface, a gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a source electrode layer 405 a , and a drain electrode layer 405 b . an insulating layer 407 and a protective insulating layer 409 are stacked over the transistor 470 in this order. a cap layer 404 is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . the transistor 470 is one of bottom-gate transistors. figs. 4a to 4e illustrate an example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 470 . first, the gate electrode layer 401 is formed over the substrate 400 through a first photolithography step. then, the gate insulating layer 402 is formed over the gate electrode layer 401 (see fig. 4a ). a base layer may be provided between the substrate 400 and the gate electrode layer 401 as in embodiment 1. next, a conductive layer is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 , and then, a second photolithography step is performed to form the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b . the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b can be formed by using a material and a method similar to those of the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b described in embodiment 1 (see fig. 4b ). the channel length l of the transistor 470 is determined by the distance between the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b which are in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 formed later (see fig. 4e ). next, over the gate insulating layer 402 , the source electrode layer 405 a , and the drain electrode layer 405 b , an oxide semiconductor layer with a thickness of greater than or equal to 2 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 5 nm and less than or equal to 30 nm is formed. then, a cap layer is formed over the oxide semiconductor layer. the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer are preferably formed successively without exposing the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer to the air. by forming the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer successively without exposure to the air, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer. as in embodiment 1, before formation of the oxide semiconductor layer, chlorine or chlorine and oxygen may be introduced to the insulating layer over which the oxide semiconductor layer is formed. the introduction of chlorine or chlorine and oxygen may be performed before formation of the source electrode layer 405 a and the drain electrode layer 405 b as long as it is before the formation of the oxide semiconductor layer. in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor layer is formed using an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide target by a sputtering method. the cap layer formed over the oxide semiconductor layer can be formed using a material and a method similar to those in embodiment 2. next, the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to first heat treatment. the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by this first heat treatment. in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the first heat treatment can be performed by using a condition and a method similar to those in embodiment 1. then, through a third photolithography step, the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer are processed in to an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer 441 and an island-shaped cap layer 404 (see fig. 4c ). note that the etching of the oxide semiconductor layer and the cap layer may be performed using either dry etching or wet etching, or using both dry etching and wet etching. for example, the cap layer 404 may be formed by dry etching, and then, the oxide semiconductor layer 441 may be formed by wet etching. then, by performing ashing treatment in an oxygen atmosphere, a resist mask 420 formed over the cap layer 404 is decomposed and removed. after the removal of the resist mask 420 , oxygen 430 is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the cap layer 404 . the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by an ion implantation method or an ion doping method described in embodiment 2. alternatively, the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be performed by the oxygen plasma doping described in embodiment 1. by introducing the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the cap layer 404 stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 through the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be reduced. further, the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) can be easily controlled, whereby oxygen can be efficiently introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . by using gallium oxide for the cap layer 404 , charge buildup at the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be relieved, and excessive damage to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be further reduced. when the step of removing the resist mask and the step of introducing the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 are successively performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air, impurities such as water, hydrogen, or hydrocarbon can be prevented from being attached to the surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 441 , whereby entry of the impurities into the oxide semiconductor due to ion impact at the introduction of the oxygen 430 can be prevented (see fig. 4d ). in order to simplify the process, as described in embodiment 1, the oxygen 430 may be introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 without providing the cap layer 404 , but it is preferable to provide the cap layer 404 for the above reason. next, second heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer 441 . the step of introducing oxygen to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 and the second heat treatment are preferably performed successively in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere without exposure to the air. the oxide semiconductor layer 441 can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by the second heat treatment. in addition, defects generated at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the second heat treatment can be performed by using a condition similar to that in embodiment 1. by the introduction of oxygen and the heat treatment, the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated, whereby impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride can be removed from the oxide semiconductor layer. as a result, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and made electrically i-type can be obtained. instead of the second heat treatment, heat treatment may be performed on the substrate provided with the oxide semiconductor layer 441 at a temperature of higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 700° c. (or a temperature of lower than or equal to the strain point of a glass substrate) while the introduction of the oxygen 430 to the oxide semiconductor layer 441 is performed. then, the insulating layer 407 is formed over the cap layer 404 , the source electrode layer 405 a , and the drain electrode layer 405 b . before formation of the insulating layer 407 , plasma treatment with the use of a gas such as n 2 o, n 2 , or ar may be performed to remove water or the like adsorbed on the surfaces of the cap layer 404 , the source electrode layer 405 a , and the drain electrode layer 405 b . when the plasma treatment is performed, the insulating layer 407 is formed successively without exposure to the air (see fig. 4e ). the insulating layer 407 can be formed by using a condition and a method similar to those in embodiment 1. then, third heat treatment may be performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, an oxygen gas atmosphere, or an ultra-dry air atmosphere (preferably at a temperature of higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., for example, a temperature of higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 550° c.). for example, the third heat treatment may be performed at 450° c. for one hour in a nitrogen atmosphere. in the third heat treatment, part of the oxide semiconductor layer (channel formation region) is heated in the state where it is in contact with the insulating layer 407 . through the above steps, oxygen which is one of main components of the oxide semiconductor and which is reduced together with impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) through the second heat treatment performed on the oxide semiconductor layer can be supplied. through the above process, the transistor 470 is formed. the transistor 470 is a transistor including the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which is highly purified and from which impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) are intentionally removed. therefore, variation in the electric characteristics of the transistor 470 is suppressed and the transistor 470 is electrically stable. the protective insulating layer 409 may be formed over the insulating layer 407 . for example, a silicon nitride layer is formed as the protective insulating layer 409 by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. the protective insulating layer 409 can be formed by using a condition and a method similar to those in embodiment 1 (see fig. 4e ). after the transistor 410 is formed, heat treatment may be further performed in the air at a temperature of higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than or equal to 200° c. for longer than or equal to 1 hour and shorter than or equal to 30 hours. this heat treatment may be performed at a fixed temperature. alternatively, the following change in temperature is set as one cycle and may be repeated plural times: the temperature is increased from room temperature to a heating temperature and then decreased to room temperature. alternatively, without performing the first heat treatment, the second heat treatment may be performed under the condition of the first heat treatment. in that case, the second heat treatment is performed in a reduced pressure atmosphere, an inert gas atmosphere, or an oxygen gas atmosphere. an example in which a back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the transistor 470 is illustrated in fig. 5d . the back gate electrode layer 411 is positioned so that the channel formation region of the semiconductor layer is interposed between the gate electrode layer and the back gate electrode layer 411 . the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed using a conductive layer and is made to function in a manner similar to that of the gate electrode layer. by changing a potential of the back gate electrode layer 411 , the threshold voltage of the transistor can be changed. the back gate electrode layer 411 can be formed using a material and a method similar to those of the gate electrode layer 401 , the source electrode layer 405 a , and the drain electrode layer 405 b. in fig. 5d , the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 with the insulating layer 407 and the protective insulating layer 409 provided therebetween. although fig. 5d illustrates the example in which the back gate electrode layer 411 is formed over the protective insulating layer 409 , the back gate electrode layer 411 may be formed between the insulating layer 407 and the protective insulating layer 409 . in addition, in the transistor including the oxide semiconductor for the channel formation region, the temperature dependence of the on-state current is hardly observed, and the variations in the off-state current are extremely small. a transistor including the above-described oxide semiconductor for a channel formation region is a transistor having high reliability in which the amount of change in threshold voltage of the transistor by the bias-temperature stress (bt) test can be reduced. in the transistor including the oxide semiconductor, relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained, whereby high-speed operation is possible. consequently, when the above transistor is used in a pixel portion of a semiconductor device having a display function, high-quality images can be obtained. in addition, since a driver circuit portion and the pixel portion can be formed over one substrate, the number of components of the semiconductor device can be reduced. as described above, a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor, which has stable electric characteristics, can be provided. therefore, a semiconductor device with high reliability can be provided. this embodiment can be implemented by being combined with other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 5 a semiconductor device with a display function (also referred to as a display device) can be manufactured by using the transistor whose example is described in any of the above embodiments. in addition, part of or entire driver circuit which includes the transistor can be formed over a substrate where a pixel portion is formed, whereby a system-on-panel can be obtained. in this embodiment, an example of a display device including the transistor whose example is described in any of the above embodiments will be described with reference to figs. 7a to 7c , fig. 8 , fig. 9 , and fig. 10 . fig. 8 , fig. 9 , and fig. 10 correspond to cross-sectional views along line m-n in fig. 7b . in fig. 7a , a sealant 4005 is provided so as to surround a pixel portion 4002 provided over a first substrate 4001 , and the pixel portion 4002 is sealed by using a second substrate 4006 . in fig. 7a , a scan line driver circuit 4004 and a signal line driver circuit 4003 are each formed using a single crystal semiconductor or a polycrystalline semiconductor over a substrate prepared separately, and mounted in a region different from the region surrounded by the sealant 4005 over the first substrate 4001 . further, a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to the signal line driver circuit 4003 , the scan line driver circuit 4004 , and the pixel portion 4002 from flexible printed circuits (fpcs) 4018 a and 4018 b. in figs. 7b and 7c , the sealant 4005 is provided so as to surround the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 which are provided over the first substrate 4001 . the second substrate 4006 is provided over the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 . consequently, the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 are sealed together with a display element, by the first substrate 4001 , the sealant 4005 , and the second substrate 4006 . in figs. 7b and 7c , the signal line driver circuit 4003 which is formed using a single crystal semiconductor or a polycrystalline semiconductor over a substrate separately prepared is mounted in a region that is different from the region surrounded by the sealant 4005 over the first substrate 4001 . in figs. 7b and 7c , a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to the signal line driver circuit 4003 , the scan line driver circuit 4004 , and the pixel portion 4002 from an fpc 4018 . although figs. 7b and 7c each illustrate the example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is formed separately and mounted on the first substrate 4001 , the present invention is not limited to this structure. the scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted, or only part of the signal line driver circuit or part of the scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted. note that a connection method of a separately formed driver circuit is not particularly limited, and a chip on glass (cog) method, a wire bonding method, a tape automated bonding (tab) method, or the like can be used. fig. 7a illustrates the example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 are mounted by a cog method. fig. 7b illustrates the example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is mounted by a cog method. fig. 7c illustrates the example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is mounted by a tab method. the display device includes in its category a panel in which a display element is sealed, and a module in which an ic including a controller or the like is mounted on the panel. note that a display device in this specification means an image display device, a display device, or a light source (including a lighting device). furthermore, the display device also includes the following modules in its category: a module to which a connector such as an fpc, a tab tape, or a tcp is attached; a module having a tab tape or a tcp at the tip of which a printed wiring board is provided; and a module in which an integrated circuit (ic) is directly mounted on a display element by a cog method. further, the pixel portion and the scan line driver circuit which are provided over the first substrate each include a plurality of transistors, to which the transistor whose example is described in any of the above embodiments can be applied. as the display element provided in the display device, a liquid crystal element (also referred to as a liquid crystal display element) or a light-emitting element (also referred to as a light-emitting display element) can be used. the light-emitting element includes, in its category, an element whose luminance is controlled by a current or a voltage, and specifically includes, in its category, an inorganic electroluminescent (el) element, an organic el element, and the like. furthermore, a display medium whose contrast is changed by an electric effect, such as electronic ink, can be used. as illustrated in fig. 8 , fig. 9 , and fig. 10 , the semiconductor device includes a connection terminal electrode 4015 and a terminal electrode 4016 . the connection terminal electrode 4015 and the terminal electrode 4016 are electrically connected to a terminal included in the fpc 4018 through an anisotropic conductive layer 4019 . the connection terminal electrode 4015 is formed from the same conductive layer as a first electrode layer 4030 , and the terminal electrode 4016 is formed from the same conductive layer as a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer of transistors 4010 and 4011 . each of the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 which are provided over the first substrate 4001 includes a plurality of transistors. in fig. 8 , fig. 9 , and fig. 10 , the transistor 4010 included in the pixel portion 4002 and the transistor 4011 included in the scan line driver circuit 4004 are illustrated as an example. in fig. 8 , an insulating layer 4020 and an insulating layer 4024 are provided over the transistors 4010 and 4011 , and in fig. 9 and fig. 10 , an insulating layer 4021 is further provided. note that an insulating layer 4023 is an insulating layer serving as a base layer. in this embodiment, the transistor described in any of the above embodiments can be applied to the transistors 4010 and 4011 . in the transistors 4010 and 4011 , the oxide semiconductor layer is an oxide semiconductor layer which is highly purified and from which impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) are intentionally removed by introducing oxygen through the insulating layer 4020 stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer and performing heat treatment. by introduction of oxygen, a bond between a metal included in the oxide semiconductor and hydrogen or a bond between the metal and a hydroxyl group is cut, and the hydrogen or the hydroxyl group is reacted with oxygen to produce water; this leads to easy elimination of the hydrogen or the hydroxyl group that is an impurity as water by heat treatment performed later. oxygen is introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer through the insulating layer 4020 stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer, so that the oxygen introduction depth (introduction region) can be controlled and thus oxygen can be efficiently introduced to the oxide semiconductor layer. the oxide semiconductor layer and the insulating layer 4020 containing oxygen are in contact with each other when being subjected to the heat treatment; thus, oxygen, which is one of the main components of the oxide semiconductor and is reduced in the step of removing impurities, can be supplied from the insulating layer 4020 containing oxygen to the oxide semiconductor layer. thus, the oxide semiconductor layer is more highly purified to become electrically i-type (intrinsic). consequently, variation in the electric characteristics of the transistors 4010 and 4011 each including the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer is suppressed and the transistors 4010 and 4011 are electrically stable. as described above, a semiconductor device with high reliability can be provided as the semiconductor devices illustrated in fig. 8 , fig. 9 , and fig. 10 . in this embodiment, examples are shown in which a conductive layer is provided over the insulating layer so as to overlap with a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor 4011 for the driver circuit. the conductive layer is provided so as to overlap with the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer, whereby the amount of change in the threshold voltage of the transistor 4011 before and after a bt test can be further reduced. the conductive layer may have the same potential as or a potential different from that of a gate electrode layer of the transistor 4011 , and can function as a second gate electrode layer. the potential of the conductive layer may be gnd, 0v, or in a floating state. in addition, the conductive layer functions to block an external electric field, that is, to prevent an external electric field (particularly, to prevent static electricity) from effecting the inside (a circuit portion including a thin film transistor). a blocking function of the conductive layer can prevent variation in the electrical characteristics of the transistor due to the effect of an external electric field such as static electricity. the transistor 4010 included in the pixel portion 4002 is electrically connected to a display element to form a display panel. there is no particular limitation on the kind of the display element as long as display can be performed, and various kinds of display elements can be employed. an example of a liquid crystal display device using a liquid crystal element as a display element is illustrated in fig. 8 . in fig. 8 , a liquid crystal element 4013 which is a display element includes the first electrode layer 4030 , a second electrode layer 4031 , and a liquid crystal layer 4008 . note that insulating layers 4032 and 4033 serving as alignment films are provided so that the liquid crystal layer 4008 is interposed therebetween. the second electrode layer 4031 is provided on the second substrate 4006 side, and the first electrode layer 4030 and the second electrode layer 4031 are stacked, with the liquid crystal layer 4008 interposed therebetween. a columnar spacer denoted by reference numeral 4035 is obtained by selective etching of an insulating layer and is provided in order to control the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 4008 (a cell gap). alternatively, a spherical spacer may be used. in the case where a liquid crystal element is used as the display element, a thermotropic liquid crystal, a low-molecular liquid crystal, a high-molecular liquid crystal, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal, a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal, or the like can be used. such a liquid crystal material exhibits a cholesteric phase, a smectic phase, a cubic phase, a chiral nematic phase, an isotropic phase, or the like depending on conditions. alternatively, liquid crystal exhibiting a blue phase for which an alignment film is unnecessary may be used. a blue phase is one of liquid crystal phases, which is generated just before a cholesteric phase changes into an isotropic phase while the temperature of cholesteric liquid crystal is increased. since the blue phase appears only in a narrow temperature range, a liquid crystal composition in which 5 wt. % or more of a chiral material is mixed is used for the liquid crystal layer in order to improve the temperature range. the liquid crystal composition which includes a liquid crystal showing a blue phase and a chiral agent has a short response time of less than or equal to 1 msec, has optical isotropy, which makes the alignment process unneeded, and has a small viewing angle dependence. in addition, since an alignment film does not need to be provided and rubbing treatment is unnecessary, electrostatic discharge damage caused by the rubbing treatment can be prevented and defects and damage of the liquid crystal display device can be reduced in the manufacturing process. thus, productivity of the liquid crystal display device can be increased. a transistor that includes an oxide semiconductor layer has a possibility that the electric characteristics may fluctuate significantly by the influence of static electricity and deviate from the designed range. therefore, it is more effective to use a liquid crystal material exhibiting a blue phase for a liquid crystal display device including a transistor which includes an oxide semiconductor layer. the specific resistivity of the liquid crystal material is greater than or equal to 1×10 9 ω·cm, preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 11 ω·cm, more preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 12 ω·cm. note that the specific resistivity in this specification is measured at 20° c. the size of a storage capacitor formed in the liquid crystal display device is set considering the leakage current of the transistor provided in the pixel portion or the like so that charge can be held for a predetermined period. the size of the storage capacitor may be set considering the off-state current of a transistor or the like. by using a transistor including a high-purity oxide semiconductor layer, it is enough to provide a storage capacitor having a capacitance that is less than or equal to ⅓, preferably less than or equal to ⅕ of a liquid crystal capacitance of each pixel. in the transistor used in this embodiment, which includes a highly purified oxide semiconductor layer, the current in an off state (the off-state current) can be made small. accordingly, an electrical signal such as an image signal can be held for a longer period, and a writing interval can be set longer in an on state. accordingly, frequency of refresh operation can be reduced, which leads to an effect of suppressing power consumption. in a transistor including the oxide semiconductor, relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained, whereby high-speed operation is possible. consequently, when the above transistor is used in a pixel portion of a semiconductor device having a display function, high-quality images can be obtained. in addition, since a driver circuit portion and the pixel portion can be formed over one substrate, the number of components of the semiconductor device can be reduced. for the liquid crystal display device, a twisted nematic (tn) mode, an in-plane-switching (ips) mode, a fringe field switching (ffs) mode, an axially symmetric aligned micro-cell (asm) mode, an optical compensated birefringence (ocb) mode, a ferroelectric liquid crystal (flc) mode, an antiferroelectric liquid crystal (aflc) mode, or the like can be used. a normally-black liquid crystal display device such as a transmissive liquid crystal display device utilizing a vertical alignment (va) mode is preferable. the vertical alignment mode is a method of controlling alignment of liquid crystal molecules of a liquid crystal display panel, in which liquid crystal molecules are aligned vertically to a panel surface when no voltage is applied. some examples are given as the vertical alignment mode. for example, a multi-domain vertical alignment (mva) mode, a patterned vertical alignment (pva) mode, an advanced super view (asv) mode, and the like can be given. moreover, it is possible to use a method called domain multiplication or multi-domain design, in which a pixel is divided into some regions (subpixels) and molecules are aligned in different directions in their respective regions. in the display device, a black matrix (a light-blocking layer), an optical member (an optical substrate) such as a polarizing member, a retardation member, or an anti-reflection member, and the like are provided as appropriate. for example, circular polarization may be obtained by using a polarizing substrate and a retardation substrate. in addition, a backlight, a side light, or the like may be used as a light source. as a display method in the pixel portion, a progressive method, an interlace method, or the like can be employed. further, color elements controlled in a pixel at the time of color display are not limited to three colors: r, g, and b (r, g, and b correspond to red, green, and blue, respectively). for example, r, g, b, and w (w corresponds to white); r, g, b, and one or more of yellow, cyan, magenta, and the like; or the like can be used. further, the sizes of display regions may be different between respective dots of color elements. the present invention is not limited to the application to a display device for color display but can also be applied to a display device for monochrome display. alternatively, as the display element included in the display device, a light-emitting element utilizing electroluminescence can be used. light-emitting elements utilizing electroluminescence are classified according to whether a light-emitting material is an organic compound or an inorganic compound. in general, the former is referred to as an organic el element, and the latter is referred to as an inorganic el element. in an organic el element, by application of voltage to a light-emitting element, electrons and holes are separately injected from a pair of electrodes into a layer containing a light-emitting organic compound, and current flows. the carriers (electrons and holes) are recombined, and thus, the light-emitting organic compound is excited. the light-emitting organic compound returns to a ground state from the excited state, thereby emitting light. owing to such a mechanism, this light-emitting element is referred to as a current-excitation light-emitting element. the inorganic el elements are classified according to their element structures into a dispersion-type inorganic el element and a thin-film inorganic el element. a dispersion-type inorganic el element has a light-emitting layer where particles of a light-emitting material are dispersed in a binder, and its light emission mechanism is donor-acceptor recombination type light emission that utilizes a donor level and an acceptor level. a thin-film inorganic el element has a structure in which a light-emitting layer is sandwiched between dielectric layers, which are further sandwiched between electrodes, and its light emission mechanism is localized type light emission that utilizes inner-shell electron transition of metal ions. note that an example of an organic el element is described as a light-emitting element. in order to extract light emitted from the light-emitting element, at least one of a pair of electrodes may be transparent. a transistor and a light-emitting element are formed over a substrate. the light-emitting element can have any of the following structures: a top emission structure in which light is extracted through the surface opposite to the substrate; a bottom emission structure in which light is extracted through the surface on the substrate side; or a dual emission structure in which light is extracted through the surface opposite to the substrate and the surface on the substrate side. an example of a light-emitting device including a light-emitting element as a display element is illustrated in fig. 9 . a light-emitting element 4513 which is a display element is electrically connected to the transistor 4010 provided in the pixel portion 4002 . the structure of the light-emitting element 4513 is not limited to the stacked-layer structure including the first electrode layer 4030 , an electroluminescent layer 4511 , and the second electrode layer 4031 , which is illustrated in fig. 9 . the structure of the light-emitting element 4513 can be changed as appropriate depending on a direction in which light is extracted from the light-emitting element 4513 , or the like. a partition wall 4510 can be formed using an organic insulating material or an inorganic insulating material. it is particularly preferable that the partition wall 4510 be formed using a photosensitive resin material to have an opening over the first electrode layer 4030 so that a sidewall of the opening is formed as a tilted surface with continuous curvature. the electroluminescent layer 4511 may be formed using a single layer or a plurality of layers stacked. a protective layer may be formed over the second electrode layer 4031 and the partition wall 4510 in order to prevent entry of oxygen, hydrogen, moisture, carbon dioxide, or the like into the light-emitting element 4513 . as the protective layer, a silicon nitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, a dlc film, or the like can be formed. in addition, in a space which is formed with the first substrate 4001 , the second substrate 4006 , and the sealant 4005 , a filler 4514 is provided for sealing. it is preferable that the light-emitting device be packaged (sealed) with a protective film (such as a laminate film or an ultraviolet curable resin film) or a cover material with high air-tightness and little degasification so that the device is not exposed to the outside air, in this manner. as the filler 4514 , as well as an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin can be used, and polyvinyl chloride (pvc), an acrylic resin, polyimide, an epoxy resin, a silicone resin, polyvinyl butyral (pvb), ethylene vinyl acetate (eva), or the like can be used. for example, nitrogen may be used for the filler. in addition, if needed, an optical film, such as a polarizing plate, a circularly polarizing plate (including an elliptically polarizing plate), a retardation plate (a quarter-wave plate or a half-wave plate), or a color filter, may be provided as appropriate on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element. further, a polarizing plate or a circularly polarizing plate may be provided with an anti-reflection layer. for example, anti-glare treatment by which reflected light can be diffused by projections and depressions on the surface so as to reduce the glare can be performed. further, an electronic paper in which electronic ink is driven can be provided as the display device. the electronic paper is also called an electrophoretic display device (electrophoretic display) and has advantages in that it has the same level of readability as regular paper, it has less power consumption than other display devices, and it can be set to have a thin and light form. an electrophoretic display device can have various modes. an electrophoretic display device includes a plurality of microcapsules dispersed in a solvent or a solute, each microcapsule containing first particles which are positively charged and second particles which are negatively charged. by applying an electric field to the microcapsules, the particles in the microcapsules move in opposite directions to each other and only the color of the particles gathering on one side is displayed. note that the first particles and the second particles each contain pigment and do not move without an electric field. moreover, the first particles and the second particles have different colors (which may be colorless). thus, an electrophoretic display device is a display that utilizes a so-called dielectrophoretic effect by which a substance having a high dielectric constant moves to a high-electric field region. a solution in which the above microcapsules are dispersed in a solvent is referred to as electronic ink. this electronic ink can be printed on a surface of glass, plastic, cloth, paper, or the like. furthermore, by using a color filter or particles that have a pigment, color display can also be achieved. note that the first particles and the second particles in the microcapsules may each be formed of a single material selected from a conductive material, an insulating material, a semiconductor material, a magnetic material, a liquid crystal material, a ferroelectric material, an electroluminescent material, an electrochromic material, and a magnetophoretic material, or formed of a composite material of any of these. as the electronic paper, a display device using a twisting ball display system can be used. the twisting ball display system refers to a method in which spherical particles each colored in black and white are arranged between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer which are electrode layers used for a display element, and a potential difference is generated between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to control orientation of the spherical particles, so that display is performed. fig. 10 illustrates an active matrix electronic paper as an embodiment of a semiconductor device. the electronic paper in fig. 10 is an example of a display device in which a twisting ball display system is employed. between the first electrode layer 4030 connected to the transistor 4010 and the second electrode layer 4031 provided on the second substrate 4006 , spherical particles 4613 each of which includes a black region 4615 a , a white region 4615 b , and a cavity 4612 which is filled with liquid around the black region 4615 a and the white region 4615 b , are provided. a space around the spherical particles 4613 is filled with a filler 4614 such as a resin. the second electrode layer 4031 corresponds to a common electrode (counter electrode). the second electrode layer 4031 is electrically connected to a common potential line. in fig. 8 , fig. 9 , and fig. 10 , as the first substrate 4001 and the second substrate 4006 , flexible substrates, for example, plastic substrates having a light-transmitting property or the like can be used, in addition to glass substrates. as plastic, a fiberglass-reinforced plastic (frp) plate, a polyvinyl fluoride (pvf) film, a polyester film, or an acrylic resin film can be used. in addition, a sheet with a structure in which an aluminum foil is sandwiched between pvf films or polyester films can be used. the insulating layer 4020 can be formed using a material including an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, hafnium oxide, aluminum oxide, or gallium oxide. there is no particular limitation on the method for forming the insulating layer 4020 , and for example, the insulating layer 4020 can be formed by a deposition method such as a plasma cvd method or a sputtering method. a sputtering method is appropriate in terms of low possibility of entry of hydrogen, water, and the like. note that the insulating layer 4024 prevents contaminant impurities such as an organic substance, a metal, or water vapor included in the air from entering; thus, a dense film is preferably used for the insulating layer 4024 . the insulating layer 4024 can be formed with a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using one or more of a silicon nitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, an aluminum oxide film, an aluminum nitride film, an aluminum oxynitride film, and an aluminum nitride oxide film by a sputtering method. the insulating layer 4024 functions as a protective film of the transistor. the insulating layer 4021 which functions as a planarizing insulating layer can be formed using an organic material having heat resistance, such as an acrylic resin, polyimide, a benzocyclobutene-based resin, polyamide, or an epoxy resin. other than such organic materials, it is also possible to use a low-dielectric constant material (a low-k material), a siloxane-based resin, psg (phosphosilicate glass), bpsg (borophosphosilicate glass), or the like. note that the insulating layer may be formed by stacking a plurality of insulating layers formed of any of these materials. there is no particular limitation on the method for forming the insulating layer 4020 , the insulating layer 4024 , and the insulating layer 4021 , and the insulating layers can be formed, depending on the material, by a sputtering method, a spin coating method, a dipping method, spray coating, a droplet discharge method (e.g., an inkjet method, screen printing, or offset printing), roll coating, curtain coating, knife coating, or the like. the display device displays an image by transmitting light from a light source or a display element. therefore, the substrate and the thin films such as the insulating layer and the conductive layer provided for the pixel portion where light is transmitted have light-transmitting properties with respect to light in the visible-light wavelength range. the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer (each of which may be called a pixel electrode layer, a common electrode layer, a counter electrode layer, or the like) for applying voltage to the display element may have light-transmitting properties or light-reflecting properties, which depends on the direction in which light is extracted, the position where the electrode layer is provided, the pattern structure of the electrode layer, and the like. the first electrode layer 4030 and the second electrode layer 4031 can be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium zinc oxide, ito, or ito to which silicon oxide is added. the first electrode layer 4030 and the second electrode layer 4031 can be formed of one or more kinds of materials selected from metals such as tungsten (w), molybdenum (mo), zirconium (zr), hafnium (hf), vanadium (v), niobium (nb), tantalum (ta), chromium (cr), cobalt (co), nickel (ni), titanium (ti), platinum (pt), aluminum (al), copper (cu), silver (ag), and magnesium (mg); alloys of these metals; and nitrides of these metals. a conductive composition containing a conductive high molecule (also referred to as a conductive polymer) can be used for the first electrode layer 4030 and the second electrode layer 4031 . as the conductive high molecule, a so-called t-electron conjugated conductive polymer can be used. for example, polyaniline or a derivative thereof, polypyrrole or a derivative thereof, polythiophene or a derivative thereof, a copolymer of two or more of aniline, pyrrole, and thiophene or a derivative thereof, or the like can be given. since the transistor is easily broken owing to static electricity or the like, a protective circuit for protecting the driver circuit is preferably provided. the protective circuit is preferably formed using a nonlinear element. as described above, by using any of the transistors described in the above embodiments, a semiconductor device having a variety of functions can be provided. embodiment 6 by using the transistor whose example is described in any of the above embodiments, a semiconductor device having an image sensor function for reading data of an object can be manufactured. figs. 11a and 11b illustrate an example of a semiconductor device having an image sensor function. fig. 11a is an equivalent circuit diagram of a photosensor, and fig. 11b is a cross-sectional view of part of the photosensor. in fig. 11a , one electrode of a photodiode 602 is electrically connected to a photodiode reset signal line 658 , and the other electrode of the photodiode 602 is electrically connected to a gate of a transistor 640 . one of a source and a drain of the transistor 640 is electrically connected to a photosensor reference signal line 672 , and the other of the source and the drain thereof is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of a transistor 656 . a gate of the transistor 656 is electrically connected to a gate signal line 659 , and the other of the source and the drain thereof is electrically connected to a photosensor output signal line 671 . note that in circuit diagrams in this specification, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer is denoted by a symbol “os” so that it can be identified as a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer. in fig. 11a , the transistor 640 and the transistor 656 are transistors including an oxide semiconductor layer. fig. 11b is a cross-sectional view of the photodiode 602 and the transistor 640 in the photosensor. the photodiode 602 functioning as a sensor and the transistor 640 are provided over a substrate 601 . a substrate 613 is provided over the photodiode 602 and the transistor 640 with an adhesive layer 608 interposed therebetween. an insulating layer 631 , a protective insulating layer 632 , an interlayer insulating layer 633 , and an interlayer insulating layer 634 are provided over the transistor 640 . the photodiode 602 is provided over the interlayer insulating layer 633 . in the photodiode 602 , a first semiconductor layer 606 a , a second semiconductor layer 606 b , and a third semiconductor layer 606 c are stacked in that order over the interlayer insulating layer 633 . the first semiconductor layer 606 a is electrically connected to an electrode layer 641 which is provided over the interlayer insulating layer 633 , and the third semiconductor layer 606 c is electrically connected to an electrode layer 642 which is provided over the interlayer insulating layer 634 . the electrode layer 641 is electrically connected to a conductive layer 643 which is formed in the interlayer insulating layer 634 , and the electrode layer 642 is electrically connected to a gate electrode layer 645 through an electrode layer 644 . the gate electrode layer 645 is electrically connected to a gate electrode layer of the transistor 640 , that is, the photodiode 602 is electrically connected to the transistor 640 . here, a pin photodiode in which a semiconductor layer having a p-type conductivity as the first semiconductor layer 606 a , a high-resistance semiconductor layer (i-type semiconductor layer) as the second semiconductor layer 606 b , and a semiconductor layer having an n-type conductivity as the third semiconductor layer 606 c are stacked is illustrated as an example. the first semiconductor layer 606 a is a p-type semiconductor layer and can be formed using an amorphous silicon film containing an impurity element imparting p-type conductivity. the first semiconductor layer 606 a is formed by a plasma cvd method with the use of a semiconductor source gas containing an impurity element belonging to group 13 (such as boron (b)). as the semiconductor source gas, silane (sih 4 ) may be used. alternatively, si 2 h 6 , sih 2 cl 2 , sihcl 3 , sicl 4 , sif 4 , or the like may be used. further alternatively, an amorphous silicon film which does not contain an impurity element may be formed, and then, an impurity element may be introduced to the amorphous silicon film with the use of a diffusion method or an ion implantation method. heating or the like may be conducted after introducing the impurity element by an ion implantation method or the like in order to diffuse the impurity element. in this case, as a method of forming the amorphous silicon film, an lpcvd method, a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like may be employed. the first semiconductor layer 606 a is preferably formed to have a thickness of greater than or equal to 10 nm and less than or equal to 50 nm. the second semiconductor layer 606 b is an i-type semiconductor layer (intrinsic semiconductor layer) and is formed using an amorphous silicon film. as for formation of the second semiconductor layer 606 b , an amorphous silicon film is formed with the use of a semiconductor source gas by a plasma cvd method. as the semiconductor source gas, silane (sih 4 ) may be used. alternatively, si 2 h 6 , sih 2 cl 2 , sihcl 3 , sicl 4 , sif 4 , or the like may be used. the second semiconductor layer 606 b may be alternatively formed by an lpcvd method, a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like. the second semiconductor layer 606 b is preferably formed to have a thickness of greater than or equal to 200 nm and less than or equal to 1000 nm. ideally, an intrinsic semiconductor layer refers to a semiconductor layer which does not contain an impurity and whose fermi level is positioned substantially in the center of a forbidden band; however, the second semiconductor layer 606 b may be formed using a semiconductor into which an impurity serving as a donor (e.g., phosphorus (p) or the like) or an impurity serving as an acceptor (e.g., boron (b) or the like) is added in order that the fermi level is positioned substantially in the center of the forbidden band. the third semiconductor layer 606 c is an n-type semiconductor layer and is formed using an amorphous silicon film containing an impurity element imparting n-type conductivity. the third semiconductor layer 606 c is formed by a plasma cvd method with the use of a semiconductor source gas containing an impurity element belonging to group 15 (e.g., phosphorus (p)). as the semiconductor source gas, silane (sih 4 ) may be used. alternatively, si 2 h 6 , sih 2 cl 2 , sihcl 3 , sicl 4 , sif 4 , or the like may be used. further alternatively, an amorphous silicon film which does not contain an impurity element may be formed, and then, an impurity element may be introduced to the amorphous silicon film with use of a diffusion method or an ion implantation method. heating or the like may be conducted after introducing the impurity element by an ion implantation method or the like in order to diffuse the impurity element. in this case, as a method of forming the amorphous silicon film, an lpcvd method, a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like may be employed. the third semiconductor layer 606 c is preferably formed to have a thickness of greater than or equal to 20 nm and less than or equal to 200 nm. the first semiconductor layer 606 a , the second semiconductor layer 606 b , and the third semiconductor layer 606 c are not necessarily formed using an amorphous semiconductor, and they may be formed using a polycrystalline semiconductor, a microcrystalline semiconductor, or a semiamorphous semiconductor (sas). considering gibbs free energy, the microcrystalline semiconductor is in a metastable state that is intermediate between an amorphous state and a single crystal state. that is, the microcrystalline semiconductor is a semiconductor having a third state which is stable in terms of free energy and has a short range order and lattice distortion. columnar-like or needle-like crystals grow in a normal direction with respect to a substrate surface. the raman spectrum of microcrystalline silicon, which is a typical example of a microcrystalline semiconductor, is located in lower wave numbers than 520 cm −1 , which represents a peak of the raman spectrum of single crystal silicon. that is, the peak of the raman spectrum of the microcrystalline silicon exists between 520 cm −1 which represents single crystal silicon and 480 cm −1 which represents amorphous silicon. in addition, microcrystalline silicon contains hydrogen or halogen of at least 1 at. % in order to terminate a dangling bond. moreover, microcrystalline silicon contains a rare gas element such as helium, argon, krypton, or neon to further promote lattice distortion, so that stability is increased and a favorable microcrystalline semiconductor can be obtained. this microcrystalline semiconductor can be formed by a radio-frequency plasma cvd method with a frequency of greater than or equal to several tens of megahertz and less than or equal to several hundreds of megahertz, or a microwave plasma cvd apparatus with a frequency of greater than or equal to 1 ghz. typically, the microcrystalline semiconductor can be formed using silicon hydride such as sih 4 , si 2 h 6 , sih 2 cl 2 , sihcl 3 , sicl 4 , or sif 4 , which is diluted with hydrogen. with a dilution with one or plural kinds of rare gas elements selected from helium, argon, krypton, and neon in addition to silicon hydride and hydrogen, the microcrystalline semiconductor can be formed. in the dilution of silicon hydride, the flow ratio of hydrogen to silicon hydride is set to 5:1 to 200:1, preferably, 50:1 to 150:1, more preferably, 100:1. further, a carbide gas such as ch 4 or c 2 h 6 , a germanium gas such as geh 4 or gef 4 , f 2 , or the like may be mixed into a gas containing silicon. in addition, since the mobility of holes generated by the photoelectric effect is lower than that of electrons, a pin photodiode has better characteristics when a surface on the p-type semiconductor layer side is used as a light-receiving surface. here, an example in which light 622 received by the photodiode 602 from a surface of the substrate 601 , over which the pin photodiode is formed, is converted into electric signals will be described. light from the semiconductor layer side having a conductivity type opposite to that of the semiconductor layer side on the light-receiving surface is disturbance light; therefore, the electrode layer is preferably formed from a light-blocking conductive layer. note that a surface of the n-type semiconductor layer side can alternatively be used as the light-receiving surface. the insulating layer 631 , the protective insulating layer 632 , the interlayer insulating layer 633 , and the interlayer insulating layer 634 can be formed using an insulating material by a sputtering method, a spin coating method, a dipping method, spray coating, a droplet discharge method (e.g., an ink-jet method, screen printing, or offset printing), roll coating, curtain coating, knife coating, or the like depending on the material. as the insulating layer 631 , a single layer or a stacked-layer of an oxide insulating layer such as a silicon oxide layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, an aluminum oxide layer, an aluminum oxynitride layer, or the like can be used. as an inorganic insulating material of the protective insulating layer 632 , a single layer or a stacked-layer of a nitride insulating layer such as a silicon nitride layer, a silicon nitride oxide layer, an aluminum nitride layer, an aluminum nitride oxide layer, or the like can be used. high-density plasma cvd with the use of microwaves (2.45 ghz) is preferably employed since formation of a dense and high-quality insulating layer having high withstand voltage is possible. for reduction of the surface roughness, an insulating layer functioning as a planarizing insulating layer is preferably used as the interlayer insulating layers 633 and 634 . the interlayer insulating layers 633 and 634 can be formed using an organic material having heat resistance such as an acrylic resin, polyimide, a benzocyclobutene-based resin, polyamide, or an epoxy resin. in addition to such organic materials, it is possible to use a single layer or a stacked layer of a low-dielectric constant material (a low-k material), a siloxane-based resin, phosphosilicate glass (psg), borophosphosilicate glass (bpsg), and the like. when the light 622 that enters the photodiode 602 is detected, data on an object to be detected can be read. note that a light source such as a backlight can be used at the time of reading data on an object to be detected. a transistor described as an example in the above embodiment can be used as the transistor 640 . a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer that is highly purified by intentionally eliminating impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, a hydroxyl group, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) has a suppressed variation in the electric characteristics and is electrically stable. therefore, a semiconductor device with high reliability can be provided. this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with the structure described in any of other embodiments. embodiment 7 in this embodiment, examples of electronic devices each including the display device described in the above embodiment will be described. fig. 12a illustrates an electronic book reader (also referred to as an e-book reader) which can include housings 9630 , a display portion 9631 , operation keys 9632 , a solar battery 9633 , and a charge and discharge control circuit 9634 . the electronic book reader is provided with the solar battery 9633 and a display panel so that the solar battery 9633 and the display panel can be opened and closed freely. in the electronic book reader, power from the solar battery is supplied to the display panel or a video signal processing portion. the electronic book reader illustrated in fig. 12a can have a function of displaying various kinds of data (e.g., a still image, a moving image, and a text image) on the display portion, a function of displaying a calendar, a date, the time, or the like on the display portion, a touch-input function of operating or editing the data displayed on the display portion by touch input, a function of controlling processing by various kinds of software (programs), and the like. note that in fig. 12a , a structure including a battery 9635 and a dcdc converter (hereinafter abbreviated as a converter 9636 ) is illustrated as an example of the charge and discharge control circuit 9634 . the display portion 9631 is a reflective liquid crystal display device having a touch-input function with the use of photo sensors and is used in a comparatively bright environment. therefore, the structure illustrated in fig. 12a is preferable because power generation by the solar battery 9633 and charge in the battery 9635 can be performed efficiently. note that a structure in which the solar battery 9633 is provided on each of a surface and a rear surface of the housing 9630 is preferable in order to charge the battery 9635 efficiently. when a lithium ion battery is used as the battery 9635 , there is an advantage of downsizing or the like. the structure and the operation of the charge and discharge control circuit 9634 illustrated in fig. 12a are described with reference to a block diagram in fig. 12b . the solar battery 9633 , the battery 9635 , the converter 9636 , a converter 9637 , switches sw 1 to sw 3 , and the display portion 9631 are illustrated in fig. 12b , and the battery 9635 , the converter 9636 , the converter 9637 , and the switches sw 1 to sw 3 correspond to the charge and discharge control circuit 9634 . first, an example of the operation in the case where power is generated by the solar battery 9633 using external light is described. the voltage of power generated by the solar battery is raised or lowered by the converter 9636 so that the power has a voltage for charging the battery 9635 . then, when the power from the solar battery 9633 is used for the operation of the display portion 9631 , the switch sw 1 is turned on and the voltage of the power is raised or lowered by the converter 9637 so as to be a voltage needed for the display portion 9631 . in addition, when display on the display portion 9631 is not performed, the switch sw 1 is turned off and the switch sw 2 is turned on so that charge of the battery 9635 may be performed. note that although the solar battery 9633 is described as an example of a means for charge, charge of the battery 9635 may be performed with another means. in addition, a combination of the solar battery 9633 and another means for charge may be used. fig. 13a illustrates a laptop personal computer, which includes a main body 3001 , a housing 3002 , a display portion 3003 , a keyboard 3004 , and the like. by using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments, a highly reliable laptop personal computer can be obtained. fig. 13b is a personal digital assistant (pda) including a display portion 3023 , an external interface 3025 , an operation button 3024 , and the like in a main body 3021 . a stylus 3022 is included as an accessory for operation. by using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments, a highly reliable personal digital assistant (pda) can be obtained. fig. 13c illustrates an example of an electronic book reader. for example, the electronic book reader includes two housings, a housing 2701 and a housing 2703 . the housing 2701 and the housing 2703 are combined with a hinge 2711 so that the electronic book reader 2700 can be opened and closed with the hinge 2711 as an axis. with such a structure, the electronic book reader 2700 can operate like a paper book. a display portion 2705 and a display portion 2707 are incorporated in the housing 2701 and the housing 2703 , respectively. the display portion 2705 and the display portion 2707 may display one image or different images. in the case where the display portion 2705 and the display portion 2707 display different images, for example, a display portion on the right side (the display portion 2705 in fig. 13c ) can display text and a display portion on the left side (the display portion 2707 in fig. 13c ) can display images. by using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments, a highly reliable electronic book reader can be obtained. fig. 13c illustrates an example in which the housing 2701 includes an operation portion and the like. for example, the housing 2701 is provided with a power supply terminal 2721 , operation keys 2723 , a speaker 2725 , and the like. with the operation key 2723 , pages can be turned. note that a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like may also be provided on the surface of the housing, where the display portion is provided. furthermore, an external connection terminal (an earphone terminal, a usb terminal, or the like), a recording medium insertion portion, and the like may be provided on the rear surface or the side surface of the housing. further, the electronic book reader may have a function of an electronic dictionary. the electronic book reader may transmit and receive data wirelessly. through wireless communication, desired book data or the like can be purchased and downloaded from an electronic book server. fig. 13d is a mobile phone, which includes two housings, a housing 2800 and a housing 2801 . the housing 2801 includes a display panel 2802 , a speaker 2803 , a microphone 2804 , a pointing device 2806 , a camera lens 2807 , an external connection terminal 2808 , and the like. in addition, the housing 2800 includes a solar battery 2810 having a function of charge of the mobile phone, an external memory slot 2811 , and the like. further, an antenna is incorporated in the housing 2801 . further, the display panel 2802 includes a touch panel. a plurality of operation keys 2805 which are displayed as images are indicated by dashed lines in fig. 13d . note that a boosting circuit by which a voltage output from the solar battery 2810 is increased to be sufficiently high for each circuit is also included. in the display panel 2802 , the display direction can be appropriately changed depending on a usage pattern. further, the display device is provided with the camera lens 2807 on the same surface as the display panel 2802 , and thus it can be used as a video phone. the speaker 2803 and the microphone 2804 can be used for videophone calls, recording and playing sound, and the like as well as voice calls. furthermore, the housings 2800 and 2801 which are developed as illustrated in fig. 13d can overlap with each other by sliding; thus, the size of the mobile phone can be decreased, which makes the mobile phone suitable for being carried. the external connection terminal 2808 can be connected to an ac adapter and various types of cables such as a usb cable, and charge and data communication with a personal computer or the like are possible. moreover, a large amount of data can be stored by inserting a storage medium into the external memory slot 2811 and can be moved. further, in addition to the above functions, an infrared communication function, a television reception function, or the like may be provided. by using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments, a highly reliable mobile phone can be provided. fig. 13e illustrates a digital video camera which includes a main body 3051 , a display portion a 3057 , an eyepiece 3053 , an operation switch 3054 , a display portion b 3055 , a battery 3056 , and the like. by using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments, a highly reliable digital video camera can be provided. fig. 13f illustrates an example of a television set. in the television set, a display portion 9603 is incorporated in a housing 9601 . the display portion 9603 can display images. here, the housing 9601 is supported by a stand 9605 . by using the semiconductor device described in any of the above embodiments, a highly reliable television set can be provided. the television set can be operated by an operation switch of the housing 9601 or a separate remote controller. further, the remote controller may be provided with a display portion for displaying data output from the remote controller. note that the television set is provided with a receiver, a modem, and the like. with the use of the receiver, general television broadcasting can be received. moreover, when the display device is connected to a communication network with or without wires via the modem, one-way (from a sender to a receiver) or two-way (between a sender and a receiver or between receivers) data communication can be performed. this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with the structure described in any of other embodiments. this application is based on japanese patent application serial no. 2010-103472 filed with japan patent office on apr. 28, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. explanation of references 10 : plasma apparatus, 11 : substrate supply chamber, 12 : load lock chamber, 13 : transfer chamber, 14 : cassette port, 15 : vacuum chamber, 16 : icp coil, 17 : gas flow path, 18 : radio-frequency power source, 19 : substrate stage, 20 : substrate to be treated, 21 : radio-frequency power source, 22 : automatic pressure control valve, 23 : turbo molecular pump, 24 : dry pump, 400 : substrate, 401 : gate electrode layer, 402 : gate insulating layer, 403 : oxide semiconductor layer, 404 : cap layer, 406 : channel protective layer, 407 : insulating layer, 409 : protective insulating layer, 410 : transistor, 411 : back gate electrode layer, 420 : resist mask, 430 : oxygen, 436 : base layer, 441 : oxide semiconductor layer, 450 : transistor, 460 : transistor, 470 : transistor, 601 : substrate, 602 : photodiode, 608 : adhesive layer, 613 : substrate, 622 : light, 631 : insulating layer, 632 : protective insulating layer, 633 : interlayer insulating layer, 634 : interlayer insulating layer, 640 : transistor, 641 : electrode layer, 642 : electrode layer, 643 : conductive layer, 644 : electrode layer, 645 : gate electrode layer, 656 : transistor, 658 : photodiode reset signal line, 659 : gate signal line, 671 : photosensor output signal line, 672 : photosensor reference signal line, 2701 : housing, 2703 : housing, 2705 : display portion, 2707 : display portion, 2711 : hinge, 2721 : power supply terminal, 2723 : operation key, 2725 : speaker, 2800 : housing, 2801 : housing, 2802 : display panel, 2803 : speaker, 2804 : microphone, 2805 : operation key, 2806 : pointing device, 2807 : camera lens, 2808 : external connection terminal, 2810 : solar battery, 2811 : external memory slot, 3001 : main body, 3002 : housing, 3003 : display portion, 3004 : keyboard, 3021 : main body, 3022 : stylus, 3023 : display portion, 3024 : operation button, 3025 : external interface, 3051 : main body, 3053 : eyepiece, 3054 : operation switch, 3055 : display portion b, 3056 : battery, 3057 : display portion a, 4001 : substrate, 4002 : pixel portion, 4003 : signal line driver circuit, 4004 : scan line driver circuit, 4005 : sealant, 4006 : substrate, 4008 : liquid crystal layer, 4010 : transistor, 4011 : transistor, 4013 : liquid crystal element, 4015 : connection terminal electrode, 4016 : terminal electrode, 4018 : fpc, 4018 a : fpc, 4018 b : fpc, 4019 : anisotropic conductive layer, 4020 : insulating layer, 4021 : insulating layer, 4023 : insulating layer, 4024 : insulating layer, 4030 : electrode layer, 4031 : electrode layer, 4032 : insulating layer, 4035 : spacer, 4510 : partition wall, 4511 : electroluminescent layer, 4513 : light-emitting element, 4514 : filler, 4612 : cavity, 4613 : spherical particle, 4614 : filler, 9601 : housing, 9603 : display portion, 9605 : stand, 9630 : housing, 9631 : display portion, 9632 : operation key, 9633 : solar battery, 9634 : charge and discharge control circuit, 9635 : battery, 9636 : converter, 9637 : converter, 405 a : source electrode layer, 405 b : drain electrode layer, 4615 : black region, 4615 b : white region, 606 : semiconductor layer, 606 b : semiconductor layer, 606 c : semiconductor layer
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147-983-571-573-883
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"US"
] |
A61B6/00,G01T1/00,G01T7/00,G03B42/02,G01J1/42
| 2007-03-16T00:00:00 |
2007
|
[
"A61",
"G01",
"G03"
] |
radiation image photographing apparatus, and method of detecting abnormality in radiation image photographing apparatus
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<p>problem to be solved: to detect an abnormality in any of a radiation image generating means, a radiation dose information detector or a radiation source without mounting other measuring devices such as a radiometer. <p>solution: a mammography apparatus 12 as the radiation image photographing apparatus includes the radiation source 33 for emitting radiation; a solid detector 46 for detecting the radiation emitted from the radiation source 33 and generating a radiation image; a radiation source control part 76 for controlling the dose of radiation emitted from the radiation source 33 based on the output of an aec (automatic exposure control) sensor 49 for detecting the dose of radiation emitted from the radiation source 33; a reference output storage part 90 for storing the range of reference output which defines the range of reference output for the solid detector 46 and the aec sensor 49; and an abnormality detecting part 88 capable of detecting an abnormality in any of the solid detector 46 or the aec sensor 49 or the radiation source 33 by comparing the output and the reference output range of the solid detector 46 and the aec sensor 49. <p>copyright: (c)2009,jpo&inpit
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1. an apparatus for capturing a radiation image, comprising: a radiation source for emitting radiation; radiation image generating means for detecting radiation emitted from said radiation source, and generating a radiation image based on the radiation; a radiation dose information detector for detecting a radiation dose of the radiation emitted from said radiation source; radiation source control means for controlling the radiation dose emitted from said radiation source, based on an output signal from said radiation dose information detector; reference output storage means for storing reference output ranges defining respective ranges of reference output signals for said radiation image generating means and said radiation dose information detector; and malfunction detecting means for comparing output signals generated by said radiation image generating means and said radiation dose information detector based on the radiation emitted from said radiation source, with the respective reference output ranges stored by said reference output storage means, in order to detect a malfunction of any of said radiation image generating means, said radiation dose information detector, or said radiation source; and said malfunction detecting means also judging that neither said radiation image generating means, said radiation dose information detector, nor said radiation source is malfunctioning if the output signal generated by said radiation image generating means falls within the corresponding reference output range, and the output signal generated by said radiation dose information detector falls within the corresponding reference output range; judging that said radiation image generating means is malfunctioning if the output signal generated by said radiation image generating means falls outside of the corresponding reference output range, and the output signal generated by said radiation dose information detector falls within the corresponding reference output range; judging that said radiation dose information detector is malfunctioning if the output signal generated by said radiation image generating means falls within the corresponding reference output range, and the output signal generated by said radiation dose information detector falls outside of the corresponding reference output range; and judging that said radiation source is malfunctioning if the output signal generated by said radiation image generating means falls outside of the corresponding reference output range, and the output signal generated by said radiation dose information detector falls outside of the corresponding reference output range. 2. an apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: malfunction indicating means for indicating the malfunction detected by said malfunction detecting means. 3. an apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said radiation dose information detector is disposed behind said radiation image generating means along a direction in which the radiation emitted from said radiation source is propagated. 4. an apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein said malfunction detecting means compares the output signals generated by said radiation image generating means and said radiation dose information detector based on the radiation dose in the same radiation region, with the respective reference output ranges. 5. an apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said malfunction detecting means compares the output signals generated by said radiation image generating means and said radiation dose information detector based on the radiation dose in the same radiation region, with the respective reference output ranges.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a radiation image capturing apparatus including a malfunction detecting means for detecting a malfunction of a radiation image generating means, a radiation dose information detector, or a radiation source. the present invention also relates to a method of detecting a malfunction of such a radiation image capturing apparatus. 2. description of the related art in the medical field, there have widely been used radiation image capturing apparatuses, which apply radiation emitted from a radiation source to a subject. such apparatus then detect the radiation that has passed through the subject with a radiation detector, and record radiation image information based on the detected radiation. the radiation image capturing apparatuses of the type described above are required to achieve a good level of radiation image quality, while minimizing the radiation dose applied to the subject (patient). in order to acquire appropriate radiation image information of a region of interest (roi), it is necessary to establish an exposure control condition, for the purpose of applying a desired dose of radiation to the region of interest. japanese laid-open patent publication no. 10-284289 discloses an x-ray system including an aec (automatic exposure control) sensor (radiation dose information detector) serving as a detector for automatic exposure control, which is disposed behind a solid-state detector (radiation image generating means) for detecting radiation emitted from a radiation source and generating a radiation image based on the detected radiation. the dose of radiation emitted from the radiation source is controlled based on the radiation dose detected by the aec sensor. radiation detectors, including the solid-state detector and the aec sensor used in the radiation image capturing apparatus, may possibly suffer from sensitivity malfunctions characterized by fluctuations of an output value thereof (an output signal level or an output current value) with respect to an expected value. alternatively, the radiation detectors may have normal sensitivity, but the radiation source may possibly suffer from output malfunctions. these malfunctions may reliably be detected and specified by a separate instrument such as a radiation dosimeter or the like, for example, for measuring the radiation output level. however, if an existing radiation image capturing apparatus does not incorporate such a radiation dosimeter therein, then the radiation image capturing apparatus will require extra expenditures of expense and time in order to connect and adjust the added radiation dosimeter. a radiation image capturing apparatus with a built-in radiation dosimeter, however, is costly due to the presence of the built-in radiation dosimeter. summary of the invention a general object of the present invention is to provide a radiation image capturing apparatus, which is capable of detecting a malfunction of a radiation image generating means, a radiation dose information detector, or a radiation source, without the need for a separate instrument such as a radiation dosimeter or the like, together with a method of detecting a malfunction in such a radiation image capturing apparatus. according to an aspect of the present invention, a radiation image capturing apparatus includes a malfunction detector for comparing output signals generated by a radiation image generating means and a radiation dose information detector based on a radiation emitted from a radiation source, with stored respective reference output ranges, in order to detect a malfunction of any of the radiation image generating means, the radiation dose information detector, or the radiation source. it is possible to detect a malfunction of any of the radiation image generating means, the radiation dose information detector, or the radiation source, easily and inexpensively without the need for a separate instrument such as a radiation dosimeter or the like. the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown by way of illustrative example. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a mammographic system, as an example of a radiation image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical elevational view, partially in cross section, showing internal structural details of an image capturing base of the mammographic system shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a perspective view, partially omitted from illustration, of the internal structural details of the image capturing base shown in fig. 2 ; fig. 4 is a plan view, partially omitted from illustration, of the internal structural details of the image capturing base shown in fig. 2 ; fig. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the mammographic system shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 6 is a flowchart of a control sequence of a method of detecting a malfunction in the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, which has a plurality of aec sensors; fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view schematically showing a relationship between a radiation source, a solid-state detector, and aec sensors, in the mammographic system shown in fig. 1 ; and fig. 8 is a flowchart of a control sequence of a method for detecting a malfunction of the radiation image capturing apparatus, according to the embodiment of the present invention, which has a single aec sensor. description of the preferred embodiments a radiation image capturing apparatus, and a method of detecting a malfunction in a radiation image capturing apparatus, according to preferred embodiments of the present invention shall be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. fig. 1 shows in perspective a mammographic system 12 as an example of a radiation image capturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. although a mammographic system 12 will be described below as exemplifying the radiation image capturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to a mammographic system 12 . as shown in fig. 1 , the mammographic system 12 includes an upstanding base 26 , a vertical arm 30 fixed to a horizontal swing shaft 28 disposed substantially centrally on the base 26 , a radiation source housing unit 34 storing a radiation source 33 for applying radiation to a breast of a subject 32 to be imaged, and which is fixed to an upper end of the arm 30 , an image capturing base 36 disposed in vertically confronting relation to the radiation source housing unit 34 and fixed to a lower end of the arm 30 , and a compression plate 38 for compressing and holding the breast against the image capturing base 36 . the image capturing base 36 houses therein a solid-state detector (a radiation image generating means or an image sensor) 46 (see fig. 2 ) for detecting radiation that has passed through the breast and for generating a radiation image based on the detected radiation. when the arm 30 , to which the radiation source housing unit 34 and the image capturing base 36 are secured, is angularly moved about the swing shaft 28 in the directions indicated by the arrow a, an image capturing direction with respect to the breast of the subject 32 is adjusted. the compression plate 38 that is coupled to the arm 30 is disposed between the radiation source housing unit 34 and the image capturing base 36 . the compression plate 38 is vertically displaceable along the arm 30 in the directions indicated by the arrow b. to the base 26 , there is connected a display control panel 40 for displaying image capturing information including an image capturing region, an image capturing direction, etc., of the subject 32 that is detected by the mammographic apparatus 20 , id information of the subject 32 , etc., and settings for these items of information, if necessary. fig. 2 shows internal structural details of the image capturing base 36 of the mammographic apparatus 20 . in fig. 2 , the breast, denoted by 44 , of the subject 32 is shown as being placed between the image capturing base 36 and the compression plate 38 . reference numeral 45 represents the chest wall of the subject 32 . the image capturing base 36 houses therein a solid-state detector 46 for storing radiation image information, which has been captured based on radiation x that has been emitted from the radiation source 33 housed in the radiation source housing unit 34 , and for outputting the stored radiation image information as an electric signal to generate a radiation image, and a reading light source 48 for applying reading light to the solid-state detector 46 in order to read the radiation image information stored in the solid-state detector 46 . the image capturing base 36 also houses therein a plurality of radiation dose information detectors (hereinafter referred to as aec sensors 49 ) for detecting the radiation dose of radiation x that has passed through the breast 44 and the solid-state detector 46 , in order to determine exposure (irradiation) control conditions for the radiation x. further, the image capturing base 36 houses therein an erasing light source 50 for applying erasing light to the solid-state detector 46 , so as to remove unwanted electric charges stored in the solid-state detector 46 . the solid-state detector 46 , which serves as a radiation image generating means, comprises a direct-conversion, light-reading radiation solid-state detector, for example. the solid-state detector 46 stores radiation image information therein as an electrostatic latent image, based on the radiation x that has passed through the breast 44 , and generates an electric current depending on the electrostatic latent image when the solid-state detector 46 is scanned by reading light applied from the reading light source 48 . the solid-state detector 46 may be a detector such as that disclosed in japanese laid-open patent publication no. 2004-154409, for example. more specifically, the solid-state detector 46 comprises a laminated assembly made up of a first electrically conductive layer disposed on a glass substrate for passing the radiation x therethrough, a recording photoconductive layer for generating electric charges upon exposure to the radiation x, a charge transport layer, which acts substantially as an electric insulator with respect to latent image polarity electric charges developed in the first electrically conductive layer, and which acts substantially as an electric conductor with respect to transport polarity charges that are of a polarity opposite to the latent image polarity electric charges, a reading photoconductive layer for generating electric charges and becoming electrically conductive upon exposure to the reading light, and a second electrically conductive layer permeable to the radiation x. an electric energy storage region is provided at the interface between the recording photoconductive layer and the charge transport layer. each of the first electrically conductive layer and the second electrically conductive layer provides an electrode. the electrode provided by the first electrically conductive layer comprises a two-dimensional flat electrode. the electrode provided by the second electrically conductive layer comprises a plurality of linear electrodes, spaced at a predetermined pixel pitch, for detecting radiation image information of the radiation image to be recorded as an image signal. the linear electrodes are arranged in an array along a main scanning direction, and extend in an auxiliary scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. the reading light source 48 includes, for example, a line light source comprising a linear array of led chips, and an optical system for applying a line of reading light emitted from the line light source to the solid-state detector 46 . the linear array of led chips extends perpendicularly to a direction in which the linear electrodes of the second electrically conductive layer of the solid-state detector 46 extend. the line light source moves along directions (i.e., the directions indicated by the arrow c in fig. 3 ) in which the linear electrodes extend, so as to expose and scan the entire surface of the solid-state detector 46 . as shown in figs. 3 and 4 , the erasing light source 50 comprises a plurality of led chips 52 , which can emit and quench light within a short period of time, and which have very short persistence. the led chips 52 are arrayed in a matrix and mounted on a panel 54 . the panel 54 is mounted in the image capturing base 36 parallel to the solid-state detector 46 . as shown in figs. 2 through 4 , the plurality of aec sensors 49 ( 16 in the present embodiment) are mounted on a sensor board 56 , and are oriented toward the solid-state detector 46 from respective holes 57 defined in the panel 54 . the aec sensors 49 are surrounded by respective rectangular tubular members (not shown), which extend from the holes 57 toward the aec sensors 49 along the direction of the radiation x emitted from the radiation source 33 . the aec sensors 49 are arrayed on the sensor board 56 so as to correspond positionally to the breast 44 , which is positioned on the image capturing base 36 (see figs. 3 and 4 ). as shown in fig. 5 , a control circuit of the mammographic system 12 includes a radiation source controller (radiation source control means) 76 housed in the radiation source housing unit 34 for controlling the radiation source 33 , so as to emit radiation x when an exposure switch 72 is triggered, and an exposure time calculator 82 for calculating an appropriate exposure time at which the radiation x is emitted from the radiation source 33 based on the radiation dose per unit time of the radiation x detected by the aec sensors 49 , and for supplying the calculated exposure time as an exposure control condition to the radiation source controller 76 . the control circuit of the mammographic system 12 also includes a radiation image forming unit 84 for forming a radiation image based on the radiation image information detected by the solid-state detector 46 , and a display unit 86 for displaying the generated radiation image. the solid-state detector 46 thus functions as a radiation image generating means both for detecting radiation emitted from the radiation source 33 , and for generating a radiation image. the control circuit of the mammographic system 12 further includes a malfunction detector (malfunction detecting means) 88 , which is supplied with output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 based on the radiation x emitted from the radiation source 33 , and which is also supplied with reference output ranges of the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 . the reference output ranges are output ranges representing reference ranges at times when the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 are normal. the reference output ranges are stored in a reference output storage unit (reference output storage means) 90 . the malfunction detector 88 compares output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 with the reference output ranges of the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 , which are stored in the reference output storage unit 90 . also, the malfunction detector 88 detects malfunctioning of the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , or the radiation source 33 (determines whether there is a malfunction or not), and sends information concerning the detected malfunction to a malfunction indicator (malfunction indicating means) 92 . the mammographic system 12 according to the present embodiment is basically constructed as described above. next, operations of the mammographic system 12 shall be described below. using a console, an id card, etc., (not shown), an operator, typically a radiological technician, sets id information, an image capturing process, etc., for the subject 32 . the id information includes information concerning the name, age, sex, etc., of the subject 32 . the id information can be acquired from an id card possessed by the subject 32 . if the mammographic system 12 is connected to a network, the id information can be acquired from a higher-level apparatus through the network. the image capturing process represents information including a region to be imaged, which is specified by the doctor, an image capturing directive specified by the doctor, etc., which can be acquired from a higher-level apparatus through the network, or entered by an operator through the console. these items of information can be displayed on the display control panel 40 of the mammographic system 12 . then, the operator places the mammographic system 12 into a certain state according to the specified image capturing process. for example, the breast 44 may be imaged as a cranio-caudal view (cc) taken from above, a medio-lateral view (ml) taken outwardly from the center of the chest, or a medio-lateral oblique view (mlo) taken from an oblique view. depending on the information of the selected one of these image capturing directions, the operator turns the arm 30 about the swing shaft 28 . in fig. 1 , the mammographic apparatus 20 is shown as being set to take a cranio-caudal view (cc) of the breast 44 . then, the operator positions the breast 44 of the subject 32 with respect to the mammographic system 12 . specifically, the operator places the breast 44 on the image capturing base 36 , and thereafter lowers the compression plate 38 toward the image capturing base 36 to hold the breast 44 between the image capturing base 36 and the compression plate 38 , as shown in fig. 2 . after the above preparatory operation has been completed, the operator operates the mammographic system 12 to start to take a radiation image of the breast 44 . first, the mammographic system 12 operates in a mode (hereinafter referred to as a “pre-exposure mode”) for determining an exposure control condition for a region of interest (mammary gland region) by setting the radiation dose of the radiation x applied to the breast 44 to a low level. thereafter, the mammographic system 12 operates in a mode (hereinafter referred to as a “main exposure mode”) for applying the radiation x at a radiation dose according to the determined exposure control condition, in order to capture a radiation image of the breast 44 . the radiation source controller 76 controls the tube current supplied to the radiation source 33 so as to set the radiation dose per unit time to a low level. the radiation source 33 applies the radiation x at the low radiation dose to the breast 44 . the aec sensors 49 detect the radiation dose of the radiation x, which has passed through the compression plate 38 , the breast 44 , and the solid-state detector 46 . the exposure time calculator 82 calculates, as an exposure control condition, an exposure time at which to apply the radiation dose, which is required to obtain appropriate radiation image information of the breast 44 , based on the radiation dose per unit time detected by the aec sensors 49 . since the radiation x applied to the aec sensors 49 is partially absorbed by the solid-state detector 46 , the radiation dose per unit time detected by the aec sensors 49 needs to be corrected, so as to represent the radiation dose per unit time that actually reaches the detecting surface of the solid-state detector 46 , in view of the attenuation of the radiation x caused by the solid-state detector 46 . in the pre-exposure mode, the radiation dose per unit time emitted from the radiation source 33 is set to a low level, as described above. therefore, the radiation dose per unit time that reaches the detecting surface of the solid-state detector 46 in the pre-exposure mode needs to be corrected, in view of the ratio between the radiation dose per unit time emitted from the radiation source 33 in the pre-exposure mode and the radiation dose per unit time emitted from the radiation source 33 in the main exposure mode. the exposure time calculator 82 calculates an exposure time for the radiation x, such that an integrated value of the radiation dose per unit time that reaches the detecting surface of the solid-state detector 46 , as corrected in view of the above factors, will provide, together with the exposure time, the radiation dose required to obtain appropriate radiation image information. the calculated exposure time is set as an exposure control condition in the radiation source controller 76 . then, the mammographic system 12 initiates operation in the main exposure mode. the radiation source controller 76 sets the tube current supplied to the radiation source 33 at a given current, for obtaining a radiation dose per unit time required in the main exposure mode. then, when the operator operates the exposure switch 72 , the radiation source 33 , which is controlled by the tube current set by the radiation source controller 76 , applies the radiation x to the breast 44 . after the exposure time set as an exposure control condition has elapsed, the radiation source 33 stops applying the radiation x to the breast 44 . the radiation dose applied during the main exposure mode may be detected by the aec sensors 49 , and an integrated value thereof may be calculated. if the radiation dose exceeds an allowable level before the set exposure time elapses, then the radiation source controller 76 may control the radiation source 33 to stop applying the radiation x to the breast 44 . therefore, the subject 32 can be prevented in advance from being exposed to an excessive amount of the radiation x, due to a failure in the mammographic system 12 . radiation x that has passed through the breast 44 held between the compression plate 38 and the image capturing base 36 is applied to the solid-state detector 46 housed in the image capturing base 36 . at this time, a radiation image represented by the radiation x that has passed through the breast 44 is recorded in the solid-state detector 46 . after the radiation image of the breast 44 has been captured, the reading light source 48 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow c ( fig. 3 ) along the solid-state detector 46 , while applying reading light to the solid-state detector 46 . in response to such applied reading light, the radiation image information recorded in the solid-state detector 46 is read into the radiation image forming unit 84 , which forms a radiation image based on the radiation image information. the formed radiation image is then displayed on the display unit 86 . in order to prepare the solid-state detector 46 to capture a subsequent radiation image, the solid-state detector 46 , from which radiation image information has been read, is irradiated with erasing light emitted from the erasing light source 50 in order to remove unwanted electrical charges stored in the solid-state detector 46 . the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 may potentially suffer sensitivity malfunctions, characterized by fluctuations of an output value thereof (an output signal level or an output current value) with respect to an expected value. such sensitivity malfunctions may cause an output malfunction of the radiation source 33 . in the mammographic system 12 according to the present embodiment, the malfunction detector 88 detects malfunctioning of the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , or the radiation source 33 , whereas the malfunction indicator 92 notifies the operator of the detected malfunction. a method of detecting a malfunction in a radiation image capturing apparatus according to the present invention shall be described below. specifically, a method of detecting a malfunction of the mammographic system 12 according to the present embodiment shall be described, as an example of the malfunction detecting method according to the present invention. the malfunction detecting method may be performed either when the breast 44 is placed on the image capturing base 36 (during the pre-exposure mode or the main exposure mode) or when the breast 44 is not placed on the image capturing base 36 . when the breast 44 is not placed on the image capturing base 36 , malfunctioning of the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , or the radiation source 33 , can accurately be detected because the emitted radiation is not absorbed by the breast 44 . conversely, when the breast 44 is placed on the image capturing base 36 , it is less time-consuming and troublesome to detect a malfunction of the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , or the radiation source 33 , because the malfunction can be detected at the same time that a radiation image of the breast 44 is captured. the malfunction detecting method, during a time when the breast 44 is not placed on the image capturing base 36 , shall be described below. the malfunction detecting method can similarly be carried out at a time when the breast 44 is placed on the image capturing base 36 . in step s 1 shown in fig. 6 , the operator operates a mode selector switch (not shown) on the display control panel 40 in order to change the mammographic system 12 from an image capturing mode to a malfunction detecting mode, and then operates the exposure switch 72 . radiation x emitted from the radiation source 33 is applied to the solid-state detector 46 , whereupon radiation image information is recorded in the solid-state detector 46 . also, the radiation dose of the radiation x is detected by each of the aec sensors 49 . then, the reading light source 48 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow c ( fig. 4 ) along the solid-state detector 46 , whereby reading light is applied to the solid-state detector 46 . in response to the applied reading light, the radiation image information recorded in the solid-state detector 46 is read into the malfunction detector 88 . output signals from the aec sensors 49 also are applied to the malfunction detector 88 . in step s 2 , the malfunction detector 88 determines whether or not the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 falls within a reference output range, which is stored in the reference output storage unit 90 . the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 represents an output signal (sum value or average value) from the entire surface (all pixels) of the solid-state detector 46 , or an output signal (sum value or average value) from a particular region d 1 or d 2 (see fig. 7 ), including a plurality of pixels, of the solid-state detector 46 . as shown in fig. 7 , a particular region of the solid-state detector 46 refers to one of a plurality of regions, each including a plurality of pixels therein, into which the entire surface of the solid-state detector 46 is divided. in step s 2 , the malfunction detector 88 compares the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 , which has detected the radiation x applied to the entire surface thereof, with a stored reference output range corresponding to the entire surface. alternatively, the malfunction detector 88 compares the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 , which has detected radiation x 1 and x 2 having passed through respective particular regions d 1 and d 2 , with a stored reference output range corresponding to the particular regions d 1 , d 2 . the reference output range is set to a certain allowable range, which is established for a normal output signal in view of fluctuations due to noise or the like, of the output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 . if the output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 do not suffer from fluctuations, then the reference output range may be set to a single output value. after step s 2 , if the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 falls within the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 , then the malfunction detector 88 executes step s 3 . if the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 falls outside of the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 , then the malfunction detector 88 executes step s 4 . in step s 3 , the malfunction detector 88 determines whether or not the output signals from the aec sensors 49 fall within a reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 . specifically, the malfunction detector 88 determines whether or not the output signal (sum value or average value) from each of the aec sensors 49 falls within a reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 . if the sum value or average value of the output signals from the aec sensors 49 falls within the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 in step s 3 , then the malfunction detector 88 judges that neither the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , nor the radiation source 33 , is malfunctioning in step s 5 . if the output signal from at least one of the aec sensors 49 falls outside of the reference output range, then in step s 6 , the malfunction detector 88 judges that the aec sensor 49 is malfunctioning, however, that the solid-state detector 46 and the radiation source 33 are not malfunctioning. in step s 4 , the malfunction detector 88 determines whether or not the output signals from all of the aec sensors 49 fall within a reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 . if the output signals from all of the aec sensors 49 fall outside of the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 in step s 4 , then in step s 7 , the malfunction detector 88 judges that the radiation source 33 is malfunctioning, however, that the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 are not malfunctioning. normally, it is extremely unlikely for all of the aec sensors 49 to malfunction at the same time. therefore, if the output signals from all of the aec sensors 49 fall outside of the reference output range, then it is more reasonable to judge that the radiation source 33 is malfunctioning, than to judge that the aec sensors 49 are malfunctioning. if the output signals from all of the aec sensors 49 fall inside the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 in step s 4 , then in step s 8 , the malfunction detector 88 judges that the solid-state detector 46 is malfunctioning, however, that the aec sensors 49 and the radiation source 33 are not malfunctioning. the malfunction detector 88 sends the judgment results in steps s 5 , s 6 , s 7 , s 8 to the malfunction indicator 92 . the malfunction indicator 92 displays the judgment results on an external display, e.g., a display control panel 40 , so as to notify the operator of the detected malfunction. since the operator can easily identify the part that has been detected as malfunctioning, the operator can quickly replace or repair the malfunctioning part. according to the present embodiment, therefore, malfunctions of the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , and/or the radiation source 33 , can easily and inexpensively be detected without the need for a separate instrument, such as a radiation dosimeter or the like. in step s 2 , and in steps s 3 and s 4 , the malfunction detector 88 preferably should compare the output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensor 49 within the same particular region with the reference output range. specifically, the malfunction detector 88 compares the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 within the particular range d 1 , for example, which is irradiated with the radiation x 1 , as well as the output signal from the aec sensor 49 , which is irradiated with the radiation x 1 through the same particular range d 1 , with the reference output range. even if the radiation dose from the radiation source 33 varies, the solid-state detector 46 in the particular range d 1 , and the aec sensor 49 aligned with the particular range d 1 , are irradiated with the same radiation x 1 through the same particular range d 1 . accordingly, when the radiation dose from the radiation source 33 varies, the output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensor 49 vary in synchronism with the radiation dose from the radiation source 33 . if the output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensor 49 simultaneously fall outside of the reference output range, then it can be judged that the output signals are varied in synchronism with the radiation dose from the radiation source 33 . as a result, it can reliably be judged that the radiation source 33 is malfunctioning. with a radiation image capturing apparatus such as the mammographic system 12 , radiation doses applied respectively to the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 normally become more different from each other, at positions that are progressively spaced from the radiation source 33 as viewed in plan. furthermore, as described above, the radiation dose applied to the solid-state detector 46 within the particular region d 1 , as well as the radiation dose applied to the aec sensor 49 through the particular region d 1 , are both based on the radiation x 1 through the same particular region d 1 (see fig. 7 ). the reference output storage unit 90 stores reference output ranges for the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 , which correspond to respective radiation doses expected within the particular regions d 1 as well as other particular regions. since the output signals from the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensors 49 , which have detected the radiation passing through the particular regions, can be compared with the corresponding reference output ranges, the actual output signals can be compared with corresponding reference output ranges highly accurately. accordingly, malfunctions in the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensors 49 , and the radiation source 33 , can be detected highly accurately. the mammographic system 12 according to the above embodiment includes a plurality of aec sensors 49 . however, the malfunction detecting method according to the present invention also is applicable to a radiation image capturing apparatus having only a single aec sensor 49 . a malfunction detecting method, applied to a radiation image capturing apparatus having a single aec sensor 49 , shall be described below with reference to fig. 8 . steps s 11 , s 12 , s 19 shown in fig. 18 are identical to steps s 1 , s 2 , s 9 shown in fig. 9 and will not be described in detail below. if the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 falls within the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 in step s 12 , then the malfunction detector 88 executes step s 13 . if the output signal from the solid-state detector 46 falls outside of the reference output range stored in the reference output storage unit 90 , then the malfunction detector 88 executes step s 14 . in step s 13 , the malfunction detector 88 determines whether or not the output signal from the aec sensor 49 falls within a reference output range, which is stored in the reference output storage unit 90 . if the output signal from the aec sensor 49 falls within the reference output range in step s 13 , then the malfunction detector 88 judges that the solid-state detector 46 , the aec sensor 49 , or the radiation source 33 , is not malfunctioning in step s 15 . if the output signal from the aec sensor 49 falls outside of the reference output range, then the malfunction detector 88 judges that the aec sensor 49 is malfunctioning, however, that the solid-state detector 46 and the radiation source 33 are not malfunctioning, in step s 16 . if the output signal from the aec sensor 49 falls outside of the reference output range in step s 14 , then the malfunction detector 88 judges that the radiation source 33 is malfunctioning, however, that the solid-state detector 46 and the aec sensor 49 are not malfunctioning, in step s 17 . if the output signal from the aec sensor 49 falls within the reference output range in step s 14 , then the malfunction detector 88 judges that the solid-state detector 46 is malfunctioning, however, that the aec sensor 49 and the radiation source 33 are not malfunctioning, in step s 18 . in the above embodiments, the radiation image capturing apparatus incorporates the solid-state detector 46 therein. however, instead of the solid-state detector 46 , the radiation image capturing apparatus may incorporate a stimulable phosphor panel, which is detachably mounted to the image capturing base 36 , or a solid-state radiation detector that directly converts an applied radiation into an image, without the need for the reading light source 48 . the radiation image capturing apparatus and the malfunction detecting method according to the present invention are not limited to the mammographic system described in the illustrated embodiment, but also are applicable to a radiation image capturing apparatus for capturing an image of another region, for example the chest, of the subject. although certain preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it should be understood that various changes and modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
|
148-409-094-007-343
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US
|
[
"US",
"BR",
"EP",
"WO",
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C08H8/00,D21C1/02,D21C3/02,D21C3/18,D21C3/26,D21B1/12,C08B16/00,D21C1/06,D21C1/08
| 2000-08-16T00:00:00 |
2000
|
[
"C08",
"D21"
] |
cellulose production from lignocellulosic biomass
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a multi-function process is described for the separation of cellulose fibers from the other constituents of lignocellulosic biomass such as found in trees, grasses, agricultural waste, and waste paper with application in the preparation of feedstocks for use in the manufacture of paper, plastics, ethanol, and other chemicals. this process minimizes waste disposal problems since it uses only steam, water, and oxygen at elevated temperature in the range of 180 c. to 240 c. for 1 to 10 minutes plus a small amount of chemical reagents to maintain ph in the range 8 to 13. an energy recuperation function is important to the economic viability of the process.
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1 . a method of treating lignocellulosic biomass containing lignin to produce purified cellulose, said method comprising: providing a lignocellulosic feedstock; introducing said feedstock into a pressure vessel having at least two reaction zones; heating said feedstock in a first reaction zone to a temperature of from about 180 c. to about 240 c.; removing hydrolized hemicellulose from the heated feedstock; transferring said heated feedstock from said first reaction zone to a second reaction zone; subjecting said feedstock in said second zone to a counterflow of hot wash water containing dissolved oxygen and having a ph of at least 11 to produce residual solids containing cellulose and a wash water containing lignin and other extractives; and separating the residual solids containing purified cellulose from the filtered wash water, wherein the separated cellulose contains less than 10% lignin. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the separated cellulose contains less than 5% lignin. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the separated cellulose contains less than 2% lignin. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the separated cellulose contains less than 1% lignin.
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1. related application the present application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/640,815 filed aug. 16, 2000, entitled cellulose production from lignocellulosic biomass, which is assigned to the assignee of the present case. 2. field of the invention this invention relates to the production of cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass, and in particular to process whereby cellulose is separated from other constituents of lignocellulosic biomass so as to make the cellulose available as a chemical feedstock and/or accessible to enzymatic hydrolysis for conversion to sugar. 3. background of the invention the possibility of producing sugar and other products from cellulose has received much attention. this attention is due to the availability of large amounts of cellulosic feedstock, the need to minimize burning or landfilling of waste cellulosic materials, and the usefulness of sugar and cellulose as raw materials substituting for oil-based products. natural cellulosic feedstocks typically are referred to as biomass. many types of biomass, including wood, paper, agricultural residues, herbaceous crops, and municipal and industrial solid wastes, have been considered as feedstocks. these biomass materials primarily consist of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin bound together in a complex gel structure along with small quantities of extractives, pectins, proteins, and ash. due to the complex chemical structure of the biomass material, microorganisms and enzymes cannot effectively attack the cellulose without prior treatment because the cellulose is highly inaccessible to enzymes or bacteria. this inaccessibility is illustrated by the inability of cattle to digest wood with its high lignin content even though they can digest cellulose from such material as grass. successful commercial use of biomass as a chemical feedstock depends on the separation of cellulose from other constituents. the separation of cellulose from other biomass constituents remains problematic, in part because the chemical structure of lignocellulosic biomass is not yet well understood. see, e.g., acs symposium series 397, lignin, properties and materials, edited by w. g. glasser and s sarkanen, published by the american chemical society, 1989, which includes the statement that lignin in the true middle lamella of wood is a random three-dimensional network polymer comprised of phenylpropane monomers linked together in different ways. lignin in the secondary wall is a nonrandom two-dimensional network polymer. the chemical structure of the monomers and linkages which constitute these networks differ in different morphological regions (middle lamella vs. secondary wall), different types of cell (vessels vs. fibers), and different types of wood (softwoods vs. hardwoods). when wood is delignified, the properties of the macromolecules made soluble reflect the properties of the network from which they are derived. the separation of cellulose from other biomass constituents is further complicated by the fact that lignin is intertwined and linked in various ways with cellulose and hemicellulose. in this complex system, it is not surprising that the severity index commonly used in data correlation and briefly described below, can be misleading. this index has a theoretical basis for chemical reactions (such as hydrolysis) involving covalent linkages. in lignocellulose, however, there are believed to be four different mechanisms of non-covalent molecular association contributing to the structure: hydrogen bonding, stereoregular association, lyophobic bonding, and charge transfer bonding. bonding occurs both within and between components. as temperature is increased, bonds of different types and at different locations in the polymeric structure will progressively melt, thereby disrupting the structure and mobilizing the monomers and macro-molecules. many of these reactions are reversible, and on cooling, re-polymerization can occur with deposits in different forms and in different locations from their origins. this deposition is a common feature of various conventional high temperature cellulosic biomass separation techniques. furthermore, at higher temperatures in acid environments, mobilization of lignin is in competition with polymer degradation through hydrolysis and decomposition impacting all lignocellulosic components. as a result, much effort has been expended to devise optimum conditions of time and temperature that maximize the yield of particular desired products. these efforts have met with only limited success. known techniques for the conversion of biomass directly to sugar or other chemicals include concentrated acid hydrolysis, weak acid hydrolysis and pyrolysis processes. these processes are not known to have been demonstrated as feasible at commercial scale under current economic conditions or produce cellulose as either a final or intermediate product. conventional processes for separation of cellulose from other biomass components include processes used in papermaking such as the alkaline kraft process most commonly used in the united states and the sulphite pulping process most commonly used in central europe. there are additional processes to remove the last traces of lignin from the cellulose pulp. this is referred to as bleaching and a common treatment uses a mixture of hot lye and hydrogen peroxide. these technologies are well established and economic for paper making purposes, but have come under criticism recently because of environmental concerns over noxious and toxic wastes. these technologies are also believed to be too expensive for use in production of cellulose for use as chemical raw material for low value products. the use of organic solvents in cellulose production has recently been commercialized. these processes also are expensive and intended for production of paper pulp. many treatments have been investigated which involve preparating crude cellulose at elevated temperature for enzymatic hydrolysis to sugar. investigators have distinguished particular process variations by such names as steam explosion, steam cooking, pressure cooking in water, weak acid hydrolysis, liquid hot water pretreatment, and hydrothermal treatment. the common feature of these processes is wet cooking at elevated temperature and pressure in order to render the cellulosic component of the biomass more accessible to enzymatic attack. in recent research, the importance of lignin and hemicellulose to accessibility has been recognized. steam cooking procedures typically involve the use of pressure of saturated steam in a reactor vessel in a well-defined relationship with temperature. because an inverse relationship generally exists between cooking time and temperature, when a pressure range is stated in conjunction with a range of cooking times, the shorter times are associated with the higher pressures (and temperatures), and the longer times with the lower pressures. as an aid in interpreting and presenting data from steam cooking, a severity index has been widely adopted and is defined as the product of treatment time and an exponential function of temperature that doubles for every 10 c. rise in temperature. this function has a value of 1 at 100 c. it is known that steam cooking changes the properties of lignocellulosic materials. work on steam cooking of hardwoods by mason is described in u.s. pat. nos. 1,824,221; 2,645,633; 2,294,545; 2,379,899; 2,379,890; and 2,759,856. these patents disclose an initial slow cooking at low temperatures to glassify the lignin, followed by a very rapid pressure rise and quick release. pressurized material is blown from a reactor through a die (hence steam explosion), causing defibration of the wood. this results in the fluffy, fibrous material commonly used in the manufacture of masonite boards and cellotex insulation. more recent research in steam cooking under various conditions has centered on breaking down the fiber structure so as to increase the cellulose accessibility. one such pretreatment involves an acidified steam explosion followed by chemical washing. this treatment may be characterized as a variant of the weak acid hydrolysis process in which partial hydrolysis occurs during pretreatment and the hydrolysis is completed enzymatically downstream. one criticism of this technique is that the separation of cellulose from lignin is incomplete. this makes the process only partially effective in improving the accessibility of the cellulose to enzymatic attack. incomplete separation of cellulose from lignin is believed to characterize all steam cooking processes disclosed in prior art. advanced work with steam cooking in the united states has been carried out at the national renewable energy laboratory in golden, colorado. u.s. pat. nos. 5,125,977; 5,424,417; 5,503,996; 5,705,369; and 6,022,419 to torget, et al. incorporated herein by reference, involve the minimization of acid required in the production of sugar from cellulose by acid hydrolysis in processes that may also include the use of cellulase enzymes. these patents teach the use of an acid wash of solids in the reaction chamber at the elevated temperature and pressure conditions where hemicellulose and lignin are better decomposed and mobilized. the use of acid is tied to the goal of sugar production by hydrolysis. the focus of torget's work appears to be acid treatments and hydrolysis and does not claim to produce high purity cellulose that is a principal objective of the present invention. a common feature of acid hydrolysis, acid pretreatment, and chemical paper pulping is the generation of large quantities of waste chemicals that require environmentally acceptable disposal. one proposed means of waste disposal is as a marketable byproduct. thus wallboard has been suggested as a potential use for the large quantities of gypsum produced in acid hydrolysis and acid pretreatment. this potential market is believed illusory since the market for cheap sugar is so vast that any significant byproduct will quickly saturate its more limited market. there remains a pressing need for a process to provide low cost cellulose for subsequent conversion to glucose sugar by enzymatic hydrolysis. however, the presence of lignin in cellulosic biomass increases dramatically the amount of enzyme needed, thereby imposing unacceptably high conversion costs. economics demand a process by which substantially pure cellulose can be produced for only a few cents per pound. mainstream scientific and engineering efforts to utilize lignocellulosic biomass have been unable to achieve this goal over several decades. the challenge is to find a process that solves or avoids the problems of cost, chemical wastes, the clean separation of lignocellulosic components, and the unwanted degradation of said components. ignored by the mainstream effort is a process referred to as wet oxidation. this is a mature technology used for the disposal of liquid and toxic organic wastes. the process involves exposing a slurry of organic material to oxygen at elevated temperature and pressure even higher than that used in steam cooking. the result is destruction of the organic material and its conversion to carbon dioxide and water. while the effectiveness of wet oxidation in the chemical modification of organic matter has been demonstrated at commercial scale, the severity of chemical breakdown in waste disposal applications leaves few useful products. the use of wet oxidation in the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is known. in one described process, wet oxidation occurs at relatively low temperatures (40 c.) and extends over 2 days. in other uses of wet oxidation in the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass, there is no control of ph, so acids formed in the process essentially create a variant of the mild acid pretreatment process. in other wet oxidation work with wheat straw to recover hydrolyzed hemicellulose, process temperatures were maintained from 150 to 200 c. and ph was maintained at above 5 with sodium carbonate. lower phs were avoided to minimize decomposition and the formation of chemicals toxic in downstream processes. the separation of cellulose from lignin was not a stated goal in this work, and it is believed that the chemical conditions were not appropriate for such a separation. perhaps the greatest deficiency of this work is that the entire biomass was subjected to the same treatment for the entire processing time. thus a compromise was needed with consideration given to both the most reactive and the least reactive components. the resulting optimized procedure fails to satisfy the requirements for commercialization because of component degradation and low yields. thus it can be seen that neither technologies for paper making, for acidified steam cooking, nor for wet oxidation as presently practiced can fill the need for commercially economical techniques for preparation of high purity cellulose from cellulosic biomass which do not produce objectionable waste streams. 3. objects of the present invention accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a lower cost and environmentally benign process for the separation of cellulose from other constituents of cellulosic biomass. another object of this invention is to produce at high yield and in a chemically active state cellulose that is substantially free of lignin, hemicellulose, and extractives that are other constituents of biomass. summary of the invention according to the present invention, it has been found that relatively pure cellulose can be produced if lignocellulosic materials first are treated with steam to partially hydrolyze the hemicellulose to soluble oligomers and then are washed with alkaline hot water containing dissolved oxygen to remove these hydrolysis products and to decompose, mobilize and remove lignin, extractives, and residual hemicellulose. a preferred method of the present invention involves the production of purified cellulose containing less than 20% lignin by chemical alteration and washing of lignocellulosic biomass material under elevated pressure and temperature. the method includes the steps of providing a lignocellulosic feedstock having an average constituent thickness of at most 1, (most preferably up to thick), introducing the feedstock into a pressure vessel having at least two reaction zones, heating the feedstock in a first reaction zone to a temperature of from about 180 c. to about 240 c., transferring said heated feedstock from said first reaction zone to said second reaction zone while subjecting said feedstock to an oxidizing counterflow of hot wash water of ph from about 8 ph to about 13 ph to create a residual solid containing cellulose and a filtered wash water containing dissolved materials. optimum operating conditions depend somewhat on the type of biomass being treated, with process times being about 1 to 10 minutes and the weight of wash water used being about 2 to 20 times the dry weight of feedstock. in addition to an oxidizer, chemicals must be introduced as necessary to maintain a ph between about 8 and 13 in various reaction zones. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic illustrating a continuous system incorporating the techniques of the present invention in the production of cellulose from lignocellulosic biomass. fig. 2 is a section view illustrating details of the operation of the hydrothermal wash chamber of fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a section view illustrating portions of a heat recuperation subsystem of fig. 1 . fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a system for practicing the process of the invention on a semi-continuous batch basis. description of the preferred embodiment the present invention relates to a technique in which relatively pure cellulose is produced from lignocellulosic materials which are treated with steam to partially hydrolyze the hemicellulose to soluble oligomers and then washed with a counter current flow of alkaline hot water containing dissolved oxygen to remove these hydrolysis products and to decompose, mobilize and remove lignin, extractives, and residual hemicellulose. in a preferred embodiment, a method of the present invention involves the production of purified cellulose containing less than 20% lignin by chemical alteration and washing of lignocellulosic biomass material under elevated pressure and temperature. the method includes the steps of providing a lignocellulosic feedstock having an average constituent thickness of at most 1, (most preferably up to thick), introducing said feedstock into a pressure vessel having at least two reaction zones, heating said feedstock in said first reaction zone to a temperature of from about 180 c. to about 240 c., transferring said heated feedstock from said first reaction zone to said second reaction zone while subjecting said feedstock to a counterflow of hot, alkaline wash water from about 8 ph to about 13 ph to create a residual solid containing cellulose and a filtered wash water containing dissolved materials. more particularly, the preferred feedstock is sawmill waste in the pacific northwest consisting of sawdust, bark, chips, hog material, and the like. it should be understood, however, that the techniques of the present invention are effective on a broad range of lignocellulosic materials including but not limited to wood, grass, herbacious crops, agricultural waste, waste paper, high cellulosic industrial solid waste and municipal solid waste. the operation of a system in which the present invention may be practiced is shown in fig. 1 . lignocellulosic biomass feedstock ( 1 ) is subjected to a preliminary preparation ( 2 ) as required by the particular nature of the feedstock. in the case of moist sawdust, for example, no preparation of any kind might be needed. in the case of municipal solid waste, a materials recycling facility may be the source of a feedstock stream substantially free of extraneous materials. the preferred average constituent thickness of the feedstock material is at most 1 in thickness. constituent size is controlled by mechanical treatment of the feedstock material by chipping, grinding, milling, shredding or other means. the most preferred average constituent size is not greater than about thick by 1 in other dimensions. for sawmill waste, a conventional chipper provides adequate size reduction. the prepared feedstock is next preheated ( 3 ) by steam and forced mechanically ( 4 ) into the hydrothermal wash chamber ( 5 ) where it is further heated by steam injection ( 6 ) to a temperature of about 220 c. and a pressure of about 340 psia. as solids pass through the wash chamber, lignin and hemicellulose are mobilized and separated from the cellulose. the cellulose is discharged from the wash chamber at ( 7 ) into the flash tank ( 8 ) and delivered as product ( 9 ). steam generated in the flash cooling ( 10 ) is recycled to preheat the solids feed. wash water from a reservoir ( 11 ) is pumped ( 12 ) into the heat recovery system ( 14 ) where it is preheated before entering the heater ( 16 ) where alkali ( 22 ) and steam ( 17 ) are injected to raise the temperature to about 220 c. for injection into the hydrothermal wash chamber ( 5 ) at ( 18 ). this hot, pressurized wash water flows counter to the movement of solids, collecting lignin and hemicellulose and leaving the wash chamber at ( 19 ) where it passes through the heat recovery system to provide preheat for the wash water. the weight of wash water used typically will be about 5 times the dry weight of feedstock. the process of this invention requires that the wash water be alkaline. this is accomplished by adding lime at ( 22 ) in sufficient quantity to provide near saturation. this will require about 0.3 kgm of lime per metric ton of wash water. in addition, lime will be consumed in neutralizing acids that may be formed by oxidation. an additional kgm or more of lime per dry metric ton of feed may need to be introduced as a slurry at ( 23 ). the auger action mixes the lime with the feed to be consumed as needed in the process. the precise amount to be added will depend, in part, on the nature of the feedstock. the cellulose product must be monitored to insure that little or no lime carries through the process, and the wash liquor must be monitored to insure that a ph of at least 11 is maintained. the flow of lime slurry is then adjusted to meet these two requirements. fig. 2 illustrates operation of the hydrothermal wash chamber in more detail. this apparatus consists of a cylindrical pressure vessel ( 24 ) containing a rotal auger ( 25 ) driven by a motor ( 26 ). provision is made for forced insertion of solid material ( 4 ) at ( 27 ) and for intermittent discharge of solids (7) through a ball valve ( 28 ). the insertion and release of solids is accomplished without significant loss of chamber pressure. this entire apparatus, known as stake ii, is commercially available from stake technology, ltd., a canadian corporation, and can be sized for any application. functionally equivalent apparatus is available elsewhere and is in common use in the paper industry. some such apparatus may employ twin screws either co-rotating or counter-rotating. for the present application, the standard stake ii design is modified by the manufacturer to include a screw having interruptions and/or different pitch on the two ends (to accommodate the dissolving of a portion of the feed) and having ports for the injection and discharge of pressurized liquid. auger action compacts solids at the discharge end to minimize loss of wash water during solids release. the auger action also subjects solids to shearing forces. as material dissolves, the remaining solid is weakened, and the shear forces break up the larger pieces, expose more surface area, and so facilitate further dissolution. in the preferred implementation, pressurized wash water is injected at ( 17 ) and exits at ( 29 ) to a gas trap ( 30 ) where air trapped in the feed and gasses introduced or released in the processing can be vented ( 31 ). the wash liquor containing dissolved lignin and hemicellulose then continues its flow under pressure at ( 19 ). it is necessary that the drain ( 29 ) be equipped with a filter in the wall of the wash chamber to prevent solids from escaping. the fresh solids are driven by the auger at close spacing to scour the filter and prevent the buildup of fines that could cause clogging. an important feature of the process of the present invention is the control of ph. either acid or base can catalyze hydrolysis and other irreversible chemical reactions. as steam ( 6 ) heats the fresh solids, acetic acid is released from degradation of the hemicellulose and can reduce the ph to as low as 3. in the preferred implementation, this acidity auto-catalyzes the hydrolysis of some hemicellulose to soluble oligomers. the goal is to hydrolyze the hemicellulose and then quickly to raise the ph and wash the resulting oligomers out of the chamber at ( 29 ) in order to prevent further degradation. the hemicellulose spends not more than about 30 to 60 seconds in the wash chamber, and during this brief time, the steam has little effect on the lignin and cellulose. as a variation on this procedure, steam injected at ( 6 ) might raise the temperature to as little as 180 c. for a more extended time to hydrolyze hemicellulose after which additional steam injected at ( 35 ) could further increase the temperature to dissolve lignin. in the wash zone between ( 17 ) and ( 29 ), the goals are first to maintain alkaline conditions in order to prevent hydrolysis of cellulose, prevent condensation of lignin, and promote dissolution of the lignin and wash it away. to maintain a proper ph, lime or other base is injected with the wash water ( 18 ) and in a slurry at ( 29 ). at ( 29 ) the lime is injected both before and after the liquid discharge at ( 29 ) in order to avoid waste. the flow just before ( 29 ) is adjusted to the minimum required to neutralize acids formed in zone one and to raise the ph to about 11 or 12. the flow ( 23 ) just after ( 29 ) should be sufficient to neutralize all acids formed in the following zone(s). in other implementations, more complex wash patterns may be employed such as feeding wash water at ( 17 ) with an exit at ( 36 ) to remove lignin while providing a second feed of wash water at ( 35 ) with exit at ( 29 ) to remove hemicellulose. interruption of the screw between ( 36 ) and ( 29 ) and perhaps modifying the cross section of the wash chamber wall could then provide a moving barrier of compacted solids to minimize mixing of liquids. the common innovation in all implementations of the present invention is the washing of cellulose solids at high temperature and pressure under alkaline conditions that minimize undesirable chemical degradation. oxygen is injected in controlled amounts and at controlled pressure at positions ( 32 ) and ( 34 ) and at intervening position (not shown) as required, depending on apparatus size and other factors. in the preferred implementation, at least 3 kgm of oxygen may be required for each dry metric ton of feed. the total reaction time depends on the speed of the auger drive motor ( 26 ) and will be between 2 and 4 minutes in the preferred implementation. motor speed, temperature, water wash, and oxygen flow rate can be adjusted to optimize cellulose production. heating large volumes of wash water to high temperatures is energy intensive. fig. 3 illustrates an energy conservation feature. wash liquor carrying dissolved solids from the wash chamber is discharged ( 19 ) to a chain of flash tanks ( 57 ), ( 53 ), ( 45 ) for stepwise reduction of pressure to atmospheric. each flash tank is paired with a condensing heat exchanger ( 55 ), ( 49 ), ( 42 ) that is part of a chain to preheat the wash water to the wash chamber. flash cooling of liquid ( 19 ), ( 54 ), ( 48 ) entering each flash tank generates steam ( 56 ), ( 52 ), ( 44 ) that flows to the heat exchangers where it condenses. this condensed liquid ( 51 ), ( 47 ) is then flashed to the next heat exchanger in the chain. thus the total wash liquor plus flash liquor being flash cooled at each stage remains constant. flash tanks are of a standard design, and heat exchangers are of standard designall apparatus sized for the particular application and rated for the required pressure. the heat of the final condensed flash liquor ( 41 ) at about 100 c. is used entirely or in part to preheat wash water in the liquid-liquid heat exchanger ( 39 ). this flash condensate may contain some volatile chemicals but is not particularly corrosive. to insure proper operation, pressure in the flash tanks is controlled with a control system in which the measured pressure and/or temperatures in the various flash tanks and heat exchangers are used to regulate variable nozzles that admit liquid continuously to the tanks. wash water ( 13 ) from the feed pump ( 12 ) flows through heat exchangers ( 39 ) and ( 42 ) that operate near atmospheric pressure at temperatures below 100 degrees c. pressure pump ( 46 ) then increases pressure to that required for the hydrothermal washabout 450 psia in the preferred embodiment. the wash water continues its flow through heat exchangers ( 49 ) and ( 55 ) to the final heater ( 16 ) where it is brought to final temperature by steam injection ( 17 ). when three stages of flash cooling are used as shown, the wash water heating requirement is reduced by over 75%. if an additional stage of flash cooling with heat exchanger is added between ( 53 ) and ( 57 ) the wash water heating requirement is reduced by over 80%. the choice of the number of flash cooling stages to be used in any application involves the balancing of capital and operating costs. more particularly, optimal energy recycle depends on a number of factors that translate ultimately to a sequence of operating pressures for the flash tanks. factors that must be considered include: composition of the solid feed material to the cellulose recovery process including moisture content, temperature of this feed, processing temperature, dilution of dissolved solids, moisture content of discharged cellulose, and temperature drop across the heat exchangers. in the course of computation it is generally found that the flow of effluent wash water is not the same as the input of fresh wash water since moisture from the solids feed and from steam condensate has been added and moisture in the cellulose output has been subtracted. in addition, there are the dissolved solids to consider. because of all these dependencies, an automated system is needed for minute by minute heat exchanger control, but set points need first to be calculated in setting up the system. calculation begins with mass balances for the hydrothermal wash chamber. with reference to fig. 3 , let the flow of fresh wash water into the reaction chamber at ( 18 ) be wr and the flow of wash liquor with dissolved solids out of the reaction chamber at ( 19 ) be lr. the ratio of these two flows is an important determinant of the flash tank pressures, so define rwr/lr. values for wr, lr, and r must be calculated from the operational requirements of the process application. thus start with the feed rate of solid material, its temperature, and its composition, consider the steam flow required to heat to operating temperature, consider the portion of the feed that will be dissolved, consider the moisture content of the solids to be discharged, and consider the allowable concentration of dissolved solids in the effluent wash liquor. with knowledge of the heat capacities of the various materials and by use of a set of steam tables the necessary calculations can be performed. for fresh sawmill waste in the pacific northwest the result will be r0.8 more or less. for initial process design purposes, an approximate calculation can be done to determine stage temperatures and mass flows. consider the liquid flow, lr, at temperature, tr, with enthalpy hr at ( 19 ) in fig. 3 . this liquid is to be cooled to temperature, t3, and enthalpy h3 in flash tank ft3 ( 57 ). the enthalpy change will be lr*(hrh3). this excess heat will flash part of the liquid to steam with an enthalpy change from liquid to vapor given by f3*hiv3lr*(hrh3) where f3 is the rate of steam flow at ( 56 ). this flash steam will pass to the heat exchanger he3 ( 55 ) where it will be condensed and give up its heat to the fresh wash water wo ( 13 ): wo*(h3h2)f3*hiv3. similar relationships can be written for all stages. for ease of calculation, liquid enthalpies in btu/pound can be expressed approximately as h1.8*t degrees c. it is also convenient to normalize mass flows with respect to the fresh wash water feed, wo, so that llr/wo, ssr/wo, wwr/wo, fsfs/wo where s is stage number. thus a set of equations can be written to describe the heat exchange process: steam input: w 1 s (50) s*hivr 18*(tr t3 d) (51) where d is the temperature drop across any heat exchanger. stage 1: t2 t1 (t1 to)/l (52) f1*hiv1 l*1.8*(t2 t1) (53) stage 2: t3 t2 (t2 t1)/l (54) f2*hiv2 l*1.8*(t3 t2) (55) stage 3: tr t3 (t3 t2)/l (56) f3*hiv3 l*1.8*(tr t3) (57) the pattern can be extended to any number of stages, from which: sw 1 l*r 1( 58 ) d ( hivr*s )/1.8( trt 1)*( l 1)/( l ⁿ 1)( 59 ) t 1 to ( trt 1)*( l 1)/(1 l ⁿ )( 60 ) where: n3 is the number of stages in the preferred implementation. computation is facilitated if a certain sequence is followed: first, set the reactor temperature, tr, and the temperature of the first stage, t1100. with tr, t1, and r specified pick a trial value for l>1 from which get s ( 58 ) and d ( 59 ). adjust l until the value for d is acceptableusually about 10. then calculate (t1to) ( 60 ), (t2t1) ( 52 ), (t3t2) ( 54 ), etc. through all stages. obtain values for the liquid-to-vapor enthalpy changes, hiv, from steam tables and calculate f1, f2, f3, etc. through all stages and sum for the total flash liquor fo. from the mass balance on the wash chamber, lr will be known, so use wolr/l to remove the normalization from mass flows for steam and liquids. with t1 known, calculate to, t2, t3, etc. and determine corresponding flash tank pressures (ps in pounds per square inch) from the steam tables. for example, with tr220 c: t3192, p3188, t2153, p274, more or less. although optimization of the operating parameters in the practice of the present invention provides additional economic and other benefits, the techniques of the present invention provide more fundamental benefits which can be readily appreciated. because little use is made of chemical additives in the processes of the present invention, waste disposal problems are minimized. furthermore, the effluent wash water liquor includes lignin, oligomers and monomers from hemicellulose and extractives that are relatively free of toxic degradation products and may be further processed for their economic values. in addition, energy recuperation is achieved through use of heat transfer between output and input streams to minimize the cost of heating wash water. batch type experiments utilizing corn stover (stems, leaves, cobs, shucks, etc.) were conducted in the laboratory to simulate a continuous process for commercial production of purified cellulase from common waste biomass. in the continuous process, a single elongated reaction vessel may be used in which liquid and solids move in opposite directions in some zones and in the same direction in others with the solids passing through as sequence of reactive conditions. for the laboratory experiments, two reaction vessels were used. in the first reaction vessel, granular solid feedstock prepared in a hammer mill were loaded as a fixed bed adapted for soaking and/or washing at elevated temperature and pressure using one or more liquid preparations. conducted in the first reaction vessel are the steps of the process in which hemicellulose and extractives are mobilized and eluted and in which, under changed conditions, most of the lignin is eluted. in the second reaction vessel, residual lignin was eliminated with a polishing step. this second reaction vessel used in the laboratory experiments was a simple bomb into which solids from the first reaction vessel were loaded along with water, alkali, and pressurized oxygen. the bomb was then heated to initiate oxygenation and quenched to end the run. example i pvt-12 13.2 grams (dry weight) feedstock of feedstock were placed in the first reaction vessel. water was added, the slurry heated and the heated slurry maintained at a peak temperature of 170 c. for 5 minutes. the slurry was then washed with 900 grams of heated water previously treated with naoh to ph 12.8. maximum temperature of the wash water was measured at 224 c. log severity4.5 product results were measured without transfer to and treatment in the second reaction vessel. recovery results are summarized as follows: solid product: recovery44.2% by wt. of feed material recovery of original cellulose with composition>98% 92.4% 6-carbon components (mostly cellulose) 0.3% 5-carbon components 3.3% klason lignin 0.2% acid soluble lignin 3.8% ash. example ii pvt-combo first vessel: 53.1 grams (dry weight) feedstock distributed in 4 runs in the first vessel. as much as possible, conditions of the pvt-12 run were duplicated for each run, and the products were combined to provide material for studies of oxidation in the second vessel. combined product recovery37.9% by wt of feed material 1.9% klason lignin 3.2% ash. second vessel: two samples of combo product of about 1 gram each were treated with oxygen as described above at a peak temperature of 217 c. and a log severity of 4. oxygen pressure in one sample was 50 psig and in the other was 60 psig. results from these two runs were indistinguishable, so only averages follow. solid product: recovery31.9% by wt. of feed material recovery of original cellulose with composition82% 96.4% 6-carbon components (mostly cellulose) 5-carbon components not detectable 0.7% klason lignin acid soluble lignin not detectable 2.9% ash. example ii pvt-19 first vessel: 12.0 grams (dry weight) feedstock. initial water soak: 5 minutes at peak temperature of 200 c. washed with 370 grams of distilled water at 200 c. followed by 865 grams of water at ph 12.8 with naoh. maximum temperature218 c. log severity4.1. second vessel: all solid material from first vessel transferred to second vessel and soaked in a ph 12.8 solution with 150 cc of oxygen at stp and oxygen pressure of 45 psig. maximum temperature215 c. log severity3.8. solid product: recovery31.4% by wt. of feed material recovery of original cellulose with composition82% 97.5% 6-carbon components (mostly cellulose) 5-carbon components not detectable klason lignin not detectable acid soluble lignin not detectable 2.5% ash. as can be seen, using the process of the present invention, the recovered cellulose consistently contains less then 20% lignin, as predicted, with the two reaction zone technique of the present invention consistently yielding recovered cellulose containing less than 10% to 5% lignin. indeed, the two reaction zone technique of the present invention is shown above to yield recovered cellulose containing less than 2% lignin and less than 1%, which is most preferred. while the processes herein described and the forms of apparatus for carrying these processes into effect constitute preferred embodiments of this invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise processes and forms of apparatus and that changes may be made in either without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.
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149-332-271-350-796
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO"
] |
A61B17/00,A61B17/072
| 2021-08-03T00:00:00 |
2021
|
[
"A61"
] |
hand-held surgical instruments
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a surgical instrument includes a motor-driven drive shaft, a distal firing rod coupled to a driven element of a surgical end effector, and a clutch mechanism coupled between the drive shaft and the distal firing rod. the clutch mechanism is configured to electrically connect the drive shaft and the distal firing rod upon the distal firing rod experiencing a threshold force. the electrical connection signals a processor that the threshold force has been exceeded.
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1. a surgical instrument, comprising: a handle assembly including: a handle housing; a drive motor supported in the handle housing; and a drive shaft coupled to the drive motor and configured to translate in response to an activation of the drive motor; an outer shaft coupled to the handle housing; a distal firing rod slidably supported in the outer shaft and having a distal end portion configured to operably couple to a driven member of a surgical end effector; and a firing force clutch mechanism coupled between a distal end portion of the drive shaft and a proximal end portion of the distal firing rod, wherein the firing force clutch mechanism is configured to electrically connect the distal firing rod and the drive shaft to one another in response to a threshold axial force exerted on the firing force clutch mechanism, wherein the firing force clutch mechanism includes: a spring configured to collapse in response to experiencing the threshold axial force such that the distal firing rod translates proximally and relative to the drive shaft; a proximal firing rod fixed to the distal end portion of the drive shaft and being in electrical communication with the drive shaft; and a coupling bracket fixed to the distal firing rod and attached to the proximal firing rod, the spring being disposed between the proximal firing rod and the coupling bracket to maintain the proximal firing rod out of electrical connection with the distal firing rod. 2. the surgical instrument according to claim 1 , further comprising a processor disposed in the handle housing and in communication with the firing force clutch mechanism, wherein the processor is configured to at least one of disable the drive motor or issue an audible warning in response to the distal firing rod and the drive shaft electrically connecting to one another. 3. the surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the proximal firing rod has a conductive element, and the distal firing rod has a conductive element, the firing force clutch mechanism being configured to transition, in response to the threshold axial force, from a first state, in which the conductive elements are disconnected from one another, to a second state, in which the conductive elements are in electrical communication with one another. 4. the surgical instrument according to claim 3 , further comprising a battery supported in the handle housing and having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, wherein the drive shaft has a conductive element having a proximal end portion electrically connected to the positive terminal of the battery and a distal end portion electrically connected to the conductive element of the proximal firing rod. 5. the surgical instrument according to claim 4 , wherein the positive terminal of the battery is fixed to the handle housing, and the proximal end portion of the conductive element of the drive shaft is in sliding electrical contact with the positive terminal of the battery. 6. the surgical instrument according to claim 5 , wherein the conductive element of the distal firing rod is in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery such that when the firing force clutch mechanism transitions to the second state, a closed circuit loop is formed between the positive and negative terminals of the battery. 7. the surgical instrument according to claim 6 , wherein the outer shaft has a metal coupler fixed thereto and in sliding electrical contact with the conductive element of the distal firing rod, the metal coupler in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery via the outer shaft. 8. the surgical instrument according to claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft is a rack, and the handle assembly further includes an output gear rotatably driven by the drive motor and operably coupled to the rack such that rotation of the output gear results in the translation of the rack. 9. a hand-held surgical instrument, comprising: a handle assembly including: a handle housing; a drive motor supported in the handle housing; a battery supported in the handle housing and having a positive terminal and a negative terminal; and a drive shaft coupled to the drive motor and configured to translate in response to an activation of the drive motor, the drive shaft having a conductive element in electrical communication with the positive terminal of the battery; an outer shaft coupled to the handle housing and extending distally relative to the handle housing; a distal firing rod slidably supported in the outer shaft and having a distal end portion configured to operably couple to a driven member of a surgical end effector, the distal firing rod having a conductive element in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery; and a firing force clutch mechanism coupled between a distal end portion of the drive shaft and a proximal end portion of the distal firing rod such that the distal firing rod translates in response to the translation of the drive shaft, wherein the firing force clutch mechanism is configured to electrically connect the conductive element of the distal firing rod and the conductive element of the drive shaft to one another in response to a threshold force exerted on the distal firing rod. 10. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 9 , wherein the conductive element of the drive shaft is an elongated metal strip in sliding electrical contact with the positive terminal of the battery, and the conductive element of the distal firing rod is an elongated metal strip. 11. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 10 , further comprising a metal coupler fixed to the outer shaft, the metal strip of the distal firing rod being in sliding contact with the metal coupler, wherein the outer tube is metallic or has a metallic element in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery. 12. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 9 , further comprising a processor disposed in the handle housing and in communication with the battery, wherein the processor is configured to at least one of disable the drive motor or issue an audible warning in response to the conductive element of the distal firing rod and the conductive element of the drive shaft electrically connecting to one another. 13. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 9 , wherein the firing force clutch mechanism includes a spring configured to collapse in response to the distal firing rod experiencing the threshold force such that the distal firing rod translates proximally and toward the drive shaft. 14. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 13 , wherein the firing force clutch mechanism further includes: a proximal firing rod fixed to the distal end portion of the drive shaft and being in electrical communication with the conductive element of the drive shaft; and a coupling bracket coupling the distal firing rod and the proximal firing rod to one another, the spring being configured to maintain the proximal firing rod out of electrical connection with the conductive element of the distal firing rod. 15. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 14 , wherein the proximal firing rod has a conductive element in electrical communication with the conductive element of the drive shaft, the firing force clutch mechanism being configured to transition, in response to the threshold force, from a first state, in which the conductive element of the proximal firing rod is electrically isolated from the conductive element of the distal firing rod, to a second state, in which the conductive element of the proximal firing rod is in electrical communication with the conductive element of the distal firing rod. 16. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 9 , wherein the drive shaft is a rack, and the handle assembly further includes an output gear rotatably driven by the drive motor and operably coupled to the rack such that rotation of the output gear results in the translation of the rack. 17. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 9 , further comprising the surgical end effector, wherein the surgical end effector is coupled to a distal end portion of the outer shaft. 18. the hand-held surgical instrument according to claim 9 , wherein the firing force clutch mechanism is configured to form a closed circuit loop between the positive and negative terminals of the battery upon electrically connecting the conductive element of the distal firing rod and the conductive element of the drive shaft to one another.
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background a number of handle assembly manufacturers have developed product lines with proprietary drive systems for operating and/or manipulating electromechanical surgical instruments. in many instances, the electromechanical surgical instruments include a handle assembly, which is reusable, and disposable loading units and/or single use loading units, such as, for example, surgical end effectors that are selectively connected to the handle assembly prior to use and then disconnected from the handle assembly following use in order to be disposed of or in some instances sterilized for re-use. summary in one aspect of the present disclosure, a surgical instrument is provided and includes a handle assembly, an outer shaft, a distal firing rod, and a firing force clutch mechanism. the handle assembly includes a handle housing, a drive motor supported in the handle housing, and a drive shaft coupled to the drive motor and configured to translate in response to an activation of the drive motor. the outer shaft is coupled to the handle housing and the distal firing rod is slidably supported in the outer shaft. the distal firing rod has a distal end portion configured to operably couple to a driven member of a surgical end effector. the firing force clutch mechanism is coupled between a distal end portion of the drive shaft and a proximal end portion of the distal firing rod. the firing force clutch mechanism is configured to electrically connect the distal firing rod and the drive shaft to one another in response to a threshold axial force exerted on the firing force clutch mechanism. in aspects, the surgical instrument may further include a processor disposed in the handle housing and in communication with the firing force clutch mechanism. the processor is configured disable the drive motor and/or issue an audible warning in response to the distal firing rod and the drive shaft electrically connecting to one another. in aspects, the firing force clutch mechanism may include a spring configured to collapse in response to experiencing the threshold axial force such that the distal firing rod translates proximally and relative to the drive shaft. in aspects, the firing force clutch mechanism may further include a proximal firing rod and a coupling bracket. the proximal firing rod may be fixed to the distal end portion of the drive shaft and in electrical communication with the drive shaft. the coupling bracket may be fixed to the distal firing rod and attached to the proximal firing rod. the spring may be disposed between the proximal firing rod and the coupling bracket to maintain the proximal firing rod out of electrical connection with the distal firing rod. in aspects, the proximal firing rod may have a conductive element, and the distal firing rod may have a conductive element. the firing force clutch mechanism may be configured to transition, in response to the threshold axial force, from a first state to a second state. in the first state, the conductive elements are disconnected from one another. in the second state, the conductive elements are in electrical communication with one another. in aspects, the surgical instrument may further include a battery supported in the handle housing and having a positive terminal and a negative terminal. the drive shaft may have a conductive element having a proximal end portion electrically connected to the positive terminal of the battery, and a distal end portion electrically connected to the conductive element of the proximal firing rod. in aspects, the positive terminal of the battery may be fixed to the handle housing, and the proximal end portion of the conductive element of the drive shaft may be in sliding electrical contact with the positive terminal of the battery. in aspects, the conductive element of the distal firing rod may be in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery such that when the firing force clutch mechanism transitions to the second state, a closed circuit loop is formed between the positive and negative terminals of the battery. in aspects, the outer shaft may have a metal coupler fixed thereto and in sliding electrical contact with the conductive element of the distal firing rod. the metal coupler may be in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery via the outer shaft. in aspects, the drive shaft may be a rack, and the handle assembly may further include an output gear rotatably driven by the drive motor and operably coupled to the rack such that rotation of the output gear results in the translation of the rack. in accordance with further aspects of the disclosure, a hand-held surgical instrument is provided and includes a handle assembly an outer shaft, a distal firing rod, and a firing force clutch mechanism. the handle assembly includes a handle housing, a drive motor supported in the handle housing, a battery supported in the handle housing and having a positive terminal and a negative terminal, and a drive shaft coupled to the drive motor. the drive shaft is configured to translate in response to an activation of the drive motor and has a conductive element in electrical communication with the positive terminal of the battery. the outer shaft is coupled to the handle housing and extends distally relative to the handle housing. the distal firing rod is slidably supported in the outer shaft and has a distal end portion configured to operably couple to a driven member of a surgical end effector. the distal firing rod has a conductive element in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery. the firing force clutch mechanism is coupled between a distal end portion of the drive shaft and a proximal end portion of the distal firing rod such that the distal firing rod translates in response to the translation of the drive shaft. the firing force clutch mechanism is configured to electrically connect the conductive element of the distal firing rod and the conductive element of the drive shaft to one another in response to a threshold force exerted on the distal firing rod. in aspects, the conductive element of the drive shaft may be an elongated metal strip in sliding electrical contact with the positive terminal of the battery, and the conductive element of the distal firing rod may be an elongated metal strip. in aspects, the hand-held surgical instrument may further include a metal coupler fixed to the outer shaft. the metal strip of the distal firing rod may be in sliding contact with the metal coupler. the outer tube may be metallic or may have a metallic element in electrical communication with the negative terminal of the battery. in aspects, the hand-held surgical instrument may further include a processor disposed in the handle housing and in communication with the battery. the processor may be configured to disable the drive motor and/or issue an audible warning in response to the conductive element of the distal firing rod and the conductive element of the drive shaft electrically connecting to one another. in aspects, the firing force clutch mechanism may include a spring configured to collapse in response to the distal firing rod experiencing the threshold force such that the distal firing rod translates proximally and toward the drive shaft. in aspects, the firing force clutch mechanism may further include a proximal firing rod and a coupling bracket coupling the distal firing rod and the proximal firing rod to one another. the proximal firing rod may be fixed to the distal end portion of the drive shaft and may be in electrical communication with the conductive element of the drive shaft. the spring may be configured to maintain the proximal firing rod out of electrical connection with the conductive element of the distal firing rod. in aspects, the proximal firing rod may have a conductive element in electrical communication with the conductive element of the drive shaft. the firing force clutch mechanism may be configured to transition, in response to the threshold force, from a first state to a second state. in the first state, the conductive element of the proximal firing rod is electrically isolated from the conductive element of the distal firing rod. in the second state, the conductive element of the proximal firing rod is in electrical communication with the conductive element of the distal firing rod. in aspects, the hand-held surgical instrument may further include the surgical end effector, which may be coupled to a distal end portion of the outer shaft. in aspects, the firing force clutch mechanism may be configured to form a closed circuit loop between the positive and negative terminals of the battery upon electrically connecting the conductive element of the distal firing rod and the conductive element of the drive shaft to one another. as used herein, the terms parallel and perpendicular are understood to include relative configurations that are substantially parallel and substantially perpendicular up to about + or −10 degrees from true parallel and true perpendicular. brief description of the drawings aspects of the present disclosure are described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is a side view illustrating a hand-held electromechanical surgical instrument including a handle assembly, with a power assembly shown separated, a shaft portion coupled to the handle assembly, and a surgical end effector coupled to the shaft portion; fig. 2 is a partial perspective view illustrating the handle assembly of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a side view, with a housing half of the handle housing removed, illustrating internal components of the handle assembly and the power assembly of fig. 2 disassembled from the handle housing; fig. 4 is a side, perspective view, shown in cross-section, of the handle assembly and shaft assembly of fig. 1 illustrating a firing force clutch mechanism; fig. 5 is a side, perspective view illustrating a rack of the handle assembly; fig. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating components of the firing force clutch mechanism of fig. 4 ; fig. 7 is a side, perspective view illustrating the fire force clutch mechanism including the rack, a proximal firing rod, and a distal firing rod; fig. 8 is a side view illustrating a gap distance defined between two electrical contacts of the firing force clutch mechanism; fig. 9 is a side, perspective view illustrating the shaft assembly including components of the firing force clutch mechanism of fig. 4 ; and fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a circuit formed by the fire force clutch mechanism of the surgical instrument of fig. 1 . detailed description aspects of the presently disclosed surgical instrument are described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views. as used herein the term “distal” refers to that portion of the surgical instrument, or component thereof, farther from the user, while the term “proximal” refers to that portion of the surgical instrument, or component thereof, closer to the user. as will be described in detail below, provided is a surgical stapler including a mechanism that electromechanically disconnects a motor from a driven element upon receiving a threshold force that could potentially damage the surgical stapler if usage were to continue. the mechanism includes a spring that collapses under the threshold force thereby allowing for an electrical connection to form. upon forming the electrical connection, a processor of the surgical stapler may be configured to cease operation of the motor and/or provide a warning to a user intended to discourage further activation of the motor. other features and benefits of the disclosed surgical instruments are further detailed below. with reference to figs. 1 and 2 , a surgical instrument, in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, is generally designated as 10 , and is in the form of a powered hand-held electromechanical surgical instrument configured for selective coupling thereto of a plurality of different surgical end effectors, for example, the surgical end effector 300 of fig. 1 . the end effector 300 is configured for actuation and manipulation by the powered hand-held electromechanical surgical instrument 10 . the hand-held electromechanical surgical instrument 10 includes a handle assembly 100 , a knob housing 102 coupled to the handle assembly 100 , and a shaft portion or outer shaft 104 extending distally from the knob housing 102 and configured for selective connection with a surgical attachment, such as, for example, the end effector 300 . the knob housing 102 is rotatably coupled to the handle housing 110 and has the outer shaft 104 non-rotationally coupled thereto. as such, a manual rotation of the knob housing 102 results in a corresponding rotation of the end effector 300 (e.g., the end effector 300 rotates about a central longitudinal axis “x” defined by the outer shaft 104 ). the handle assembly 100 includes a disposable and sterile handle housing 110 having a body, such as, for example, a barrel portion 118 , a handle portion 108 extending perpendicularly downward from the barrel portion 118 or transversely and proximally from the barrel portion 118 , and a hinged door 120 pivotably coupled to the handle portion 108 . the door 120 is selectively opened and closed to allow for the insertion or removal of a non-sterile power assembly 122 . the handle portion 108 and the door 120 each have an inner periphery collectively defining a sterile barrier 117 ( fig. 3 ) for the power assembly 122 upon closing the door 120 . in aspects, a proximal end portion or any suitable location of the barrel portion 118 may have a clear window (not shown) to allow for viewing of a display (e.g., an lcd, not shown). the handle assembly 100 has a fire switch 106 configured and adapted to actuate the various functions of the end effector 300 . the fire switch 106 may be constructed as a toggle bar pivotably coupled to the handle portion 108 of the handle housing 110 . an activation of the fire switch 106 activates a motor 112 ( fig. 3 ) to advance or retract a distal firing rod 180 ( fig. 4 ) in the outer shaft 104 depending on whether a top button 106 a or a bottom button 106 b of the fire switch 106 is actuated. the distal firing rod 180 ( fig. 4 ) is coupled to a drive assembly (not explicitly shown) of the end effector 300 (which includes a knife rod and an actuation sled), such that advancement of the distal firing rod 180 advances the drive assembly of the end effector 300 , which closes jaw members 306 , 308 of the end effector 300 and fires the end effector 300 when a safety switch 116 is in an actuated state. with reference to figs. 1 and 3 , the reusable power assembly 122 of the handle assembly 100 includes the motor 112 , such as, for example, an electrical drive motor, which is electrically connected or wirelessly connected to a motor controller or processor 136 and a battery 138 . in aspects, the battery 138 has positive and negative terminals +, − ( fig. 10 ) and may include a boost circuit and may be rechargeable (e.g., wirelessly). the battery 138 has a card edge connector 140 configured for detachable receipt of a card edge header 142 of a printed circuit board 126 to allow for communication from the fire switch 106 to the battery 138 . the processor 136 may include a usb charging connector 144 to allow for the battery 138 to be recharged with a usb charger or wirelessly (e.g., via induction). the power assembly 122 further includes a gearbox 146 , such as, for example, a planetary gearbox, operably coupled to the drive motor 112 , and an output gear 148 , such as, for example, a crown gear, drivingly coupled to the gearbox 146 and configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis defined by the gearbox 146 . the planetary gearbox 146 multiplies torque while reducing speed. rotation of the output gear 148 by the motor 112 functions to drive shafts and/or gear components of the handle assembly 100 to perform the various operations of the end effector 300 . for example, the motor 112 is configured to move the jaw members 306 , 308 of the end effector 300 relative to one another and to fire staples from the end effector 300 . with reference to figs. 3-5 , the handle assembly 100 includes a drive shaft, such as, for example, a rack 162 slidably supported in the barrel portion 118 of the handle housing 110 and extends parallel with the barrel portion 118 . the rack 162 has a plurality of gear teeth 164 at its underside in meshing engagement with an idler gear 166 , which operably couples the output gear 148 of the power assembly 122 to the rack 162 . in aspects, the rack 162 may be directly engaged to the output gear 148 . the rack 162 has an elongated conductive element, such as, for example, an elongated metal strip 168 (e.g., copper) extending along a lateral side of the rack 162 . in aspects, the rack 162 may be fabricated from a conductive material (e.g., any suitable metal). the metal strip 168 of the rack 162 is in electrical communication with the positive terminal + ( fig. 10 ) of the battery 138 via a metal coupler 170 ( fig. 5 ). the metal coupler 170 may be a metal disc fixed within the barrel portion 118 of the handle housing 110 and in electrical connection with the positive terminal + of the battery 138 . the metal strip 168 of the rack 162 is in sliding electrical contact with the metal coupler 170 such that the electrical connection between the rack 162 and the positive terminal + of the battery 138 is maintained as the rack 162 is translated during use. with reference to figs. 4-10 , the surgical instrument 10 further includes a firing force clutch mechanism 200 interconnecting the rack 162 and the distal firing rod 180 such that a translation of the rack 162 results in a corresponding translation of the distal firing rod 180 . the force firing clutch mechanism 200 is further configured to electrically isolate the metal strip 168 of the rack 162 from a corresponding metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 until a threshold axial force is experienced by the distal firing rod 180 , as will be described in further detail herein. the threshold axial force may be set to correspond to a force below that which is known to cause damage to any internal drive components of the surgical instrument 10 (e.g., the drive motor 112 , the rack 162 , or the distal firing rod 180 ). the threshold axial force may be caused by unsuitably thick tissue being clamped by the end effector 300 , a hard object blocking travel of the knife blade or the staples of the end effector 300 , etc. with reference to figs. 4 and 6-9 , the firing force clutch mechanism 200 includes a proximal firing rod or shaft 204 , a coupling bracket 206 , and a spacer or spring 208 . the proximal firing rod 204 has a proximal end portion 204 a fixed within a distal end portion 163 of the rack 162 , and a distal end portion 204 b received within a cavity 210 defined in the coupling bracket 206 such that the firing force clutch mechanism 200 translates with the rack 162 . in aspects, the proximal firing rod 204 may be monolithically formed with the rack 162 . the proximal firing rod 204 may have a retaining ring 212 fixed about the distal end portion 204 b thereof. the retaining ring 212 is received within the cavity 210 of the coupling bracket 206 to prevent proximal movement of the proximal firing rod 204 relative to the coupling bracket 206 . the proximal firing rod 204 may have a cone-shaped stop member 214 extending radially outward from an intermediate portion of the proximal firing rod 204 . other shapes for the stop member 214 are also contemplated. the stop member 214 of the proximal firing rod 204 has a distally-oriented planar face 216 in abutment with the spring 208 . the spring 208 of the firing force clutch mechanism 200 may be a cone disc ( fig. 6 ) or a plurality of stacked cone discs ( figs. 7-8 ) disposed between the stop member 214 of the proximal firing rod 204 and a proximal end of the coupling bracket 206 . the stiffness of the spring 208 is selected to correspond to the threshold force such that the spring 208 is configured to collapse or deform upon experiencing the threshold axial force. other suitable components may be used instead of a cone disc, such as a crushable material, a coil spring, or the like. the proximal firing rod 204 has a conductive element, such as, for example, an elongated metal (e.g., copper) core 218 ( fig. 6 ) extending therethrough. in other aspects, the proximal firing rod 204 may be fabricated from a conductive material. the metal core 218 has a proximal end portion 218 a in permanent, direct electrical connection with the distal end portion of the metal strip 168 ( fig. 5 ) of the rack 162 . a distal end portion 218 b of the metal core 218 is received within the coupling bracket 206 and maintained, via the spring 208 , in spaced relation from a proximal end portion 182 of the distal firing rod 180 . a gap distance “d” ( fig. 8 ) defined between the distal end portion 204 b of the proximal firing rod 204 and the proximal end portion 182 of the distal firing rod 180 is equal to or substantially equal to the axial distance the spring 208 is configured to collapse upon experiencing the threshold axial force. with reference to figs. 8 and 9 , the proximal end portion 182 of the distal firing rod 180 is fixed within the coupling bracket 208 (e.g., via welding) and is maintained in spaced relation from the distal end portion 204 b of the proximal firing rod 204 . in this way, during normal usage of the surgical instrument 10 , the firing force clutch mechanism 200 allows for the distal firing rod 180 to translate with the proximal firing rod 204 . the distal firing rod 180 extends through the outer shaft 104 ( fig. 1 ) and is slidably supported therein. the distal firing rod 180 has an elongated conductive element, such as, for example, a metal (e.g., copper) strip 202 extending along its length. the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 has a proximal end portion 203 that faces the distal end portion 218 b of the metal core 218 of the proximal firing rod 204 . the proximal end portion 203 of the distal firing rod 180 and the distal end portion 218 b of the metal core 218 of the proximal firing rod 204 are electrically isolated from one another due to the gap distance defined therebetween. in aspects, the proximal end portion 203 of the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 may be in the form of a metal core formed with the remainder of the metal strip 202 . with reference to figs. 8-10 , the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 204 is in electrical communication with the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 via a metal coupler 220 . more specifically, the metal coupler 220 may be a metal disc fixed within the outer shaft 104 and in electrical connection with the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 . for example, the outer shaft 104 may be fabricated from a conductive material that allows for the transfer of electricity therethrough and to the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 . in other aspects, the outer shaft 104 may have a metal strip (not shown) that extends proximally from the metal coupler 220 and terminates proximally at the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 . it is contemplated that a wire or other suitable conductive traces 222 may be provided to electrically connect the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 to the metal coupler 220 . the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 is in sliding electrical contact with the metal coupler 220 such that the electrical connection between the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 and the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 is maintained as the distal firing rod 180 is translated during use. however, since the proximal and distal firing rods 204 , 180 are electrically isolated from one another, the circuit ( fig. 10 ) defined between the negative and positive terminals (−), (+) of the battery 138 is maintained in an opened state whereby no electrical signal can be sent from the positive terminal (+) to the negative terminal − until the proximal and distal firing rods 204 , 180 are approximated. in operation, to effectuate an operational function of the surgical end effector 300 ( fig. 1 ), a clinician may actuate the fire button 106 of the handle assembly 100 to activate the drive motor 112 , whereby the drive motor 112 rotates the output gear 148 . the rack 162 translates distally in response to the rotation of the output gear 148 . since the distal firing rod 180 is coupled to the rack 162 via the firing force clutch mechanism 200 , the distal firing rod 180 translates distally with the rack 162 to effectuate the operational function of the surgical end effector 300 , such as closing of the surgical end effector 300 about tissue and to ultimately staple and cut tissue. under some circumstances, the surgical instrument 10 may experience an abnormal condition that provides an excess of resistance to actuation of the surgical end effector 300 . for example, the thickness of the tissue may be too great for the end effector 300 to clamp, staple, and/or cut through, or there is a hard material impeding actuation. under this abnormal condition, continued actuation of the drive motor 112 may result in an excessive firing reaction force that could damage the drive motor 112 and/or other internal components driven by the drive motor 112 (e.g., the output gear 148 , the rack 162 , the firing rods 180 , 204 , etc.). the firing force clutch mechanism 200 of the present disclosure prevents any damage from occurring, as will be described below. under the abnormal condition, the higher reaction force exerted by the distal firing rod 180 may eventually rise to the threshold axial force (set to a level below that which is known to result in damage to internal components) at which the spring 208 of the firing force clutch mechanism 200 is configured to collapse. as the spring 208 collapses between the proximal and distal firing rods 204 , 180 under the threshold force, the proximal and distal firing rods 204 , 180 slide relative and towards one another to overcome the gap distance “d” ( fig. 8 ) therebetween until the metal core 218 of the proximal firing rod 204 engages the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 to form an electrical connection therebetween. with the proximal and distal firing rods 204 , 180 forming an electrical connection therebetween, the circuit ( fig. 10 ) is closed, whereby the battery 138 , in turn, sends an electrical signal from the positive terminal (+), through the metal strip 168 of the rack 162 , the metal core 218 of the proximal firing rod 204 , the metal strip 202 of the distal firing rod 180 , and to the metal coupler 220 in the outer shaft 104 . the electrical signal then passes from the metal coupler 220 , through the outer shaft 104 , and to the negative terminal (−) of the battery 138 . the processor 136 receives the electrical signal, upon which the processor 136 may be configured to disable the drive motor 112 to prevent further actuation of the drive motor 112 . in aspects, the processor 136 may be configured to send an audible or visual warning to the clinician that further actuation of the surgical instrument 10 is not recommended. in aspects, the battery 138 for actuating the drive motor 112 may be the same battery for sending the electrical signal, and in other aspects, there may be two distinct batteries. any of the components described herein may be fabricated from either metals, plastics, resins, composites or the like taking into consideration strength, durability, wearability, weight, resistance to corrosion, ease of manufacturing, cost of manufacturing, and the like. any of the gears disclosed herein may be configured as any suitable gear, such as bevel gears, spur gears, spiral gears, worm gears, or the like. it will be understood that various modifications may be made to the aspects of the presently disclosed surgical instruments including switch assemblies. therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplifications of aspects. those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.
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150-610-501-251-789
|
US
|
[
"KR",
"DE",
"HK",
"JP",
"US"
] |
C12P7/54,C12N1/00,C12N1/20,C12P1/04,C12P7/08,C12P7/52,C12P7/56,C12P21/00,C12P1/00,C12P7/02,C12P7/06,C12P7/40,C12P7/62,C12P21/04,C12N/,C12P/,C12R1/145
| 1996-07-01T00:00:00 |
1996
|
[
"C12"
] |
biological production of products from waste gases
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a method and apparatus are designed for converting waste gases from industrial processes such as oil refining, and carbon black, coke, ammonia, and methanol production, into useful products. the method includes introducing the waste gases into a bioreactor where they are fermented to various products, such as organic acids, alcohols, hydrogen, single cell protein, and salts of organic acids by anaerobic bacteria within the bioreactor. these valuable end products are then recovered, separated and purified.
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1. a process for producing acetic acid comprising the steps of: 2. the process according to claim 1 wherein said gas is generated by an industrial process selected from the group consisting of the manufacture of carbon black, ammonia, the production of methanol, the production of coke, and the refining of petroleum. 3. the process according to claim 1 wherein said fermentation reactor is selected from the group consisting of continuously stirred tank reactor, an immobilized microbial cell bioreactor, a trickle bed bioreactor, a bubble column bioreactor, and a gas lift bioreactor. 4. the process according to claim 1 wherein said fermentation reactor is maintained at a pressure of greater than one atmosphere. 5. the process according to claim 1 wherein said recovery step comprises separating said acetic acid and said bacterium by passing said removed broth containing acetic acid through a cell separation unit, returning said bacterium to the fermentation reactor to maintain a high bacterial concentration and producing a bacterium-free, acetic acid-containing stream. 6. the process according to claim 5 wherein said separating is accomplished by a step selected from the group consisting of centrifugation, hollow fiber membrane filtration, settling and ultrafiltration. 7. the process according to claim 1 wherein the process is conducted in the absence of cell separation from said broth. 8. the process according to claim 1 wherein said recovery of acetic acid is accomplished by (a) contacting said broth containing the acetic acid with a water-immiscible solvent having a high affinity for the acetic acid in a counterflow mixing vessel and then (b) optionally distillating the acetic acid of (a) to recover said water-immiscible solvent and acetic acid. 9. the process according to claim 1 wherein said recovery of acetic acid is accomplished by distillation. 10. the process according to claim 1 wherein said anaerobic acetogenic clostridium ljungdahlii bacterium is petc. 11. the process according to claim 1 wherein said anaerobic acetogenic c. ljungdahlii bacterium is c. ljungdahlii eri-2. 12. the process according to claim 1 wherein said fermentation reactor further contains another anaerobic acetogenic bacterium selected from the group consisting of acetobacterium kivui, a. woodii, butyribacterium methylotrophicum, clostridium aceticum, c. acetobutylicium, c. formoacetium, c. kluyveri, c. thermoaceticum, c. thermocellum, c. thermohydrosulfuricum, c. thermosaccharolyticum, eubacterium limosum, peptostreptococcus productus, rhodospiorillum rubrum and rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa. 13. the process according to claim 1 wherein said gas substrate (i) or (ii) further contains carbon dioxide. 14. the process according to claim 13 , wherein said gas substrate further contains a component selected from the group consisting of nitrogen and methane. 15. the process according to claim 1 , wherein the ph in the fermentation reactor is about 4.9. 16. the process according to claim 1 wherein said process was performed at greater than 15 atmospheres of pressure. 17. the process according to claim 1 wherein said fermentation reactor further contains a surfactant which increases the consumption of carbon monoxide by said bacterium. 18. the process according to claim 1 wherein said gas substrate further comprises one or more of nitrogen and methane. 19. the process according to claim 1 , wherein after said recovery step, the acetic acid is contacted with dolomitic lime and magnesium oxide and dried, thereby producing calcium magnesium acetate. 20. the process according to claim 1 , wherein after said recovery step, the acetic acid is contacted with caustic potash and dried, thereby producing potassium acetate.
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field of the invention the present invention is directed to biologic methods, processes, microorganisms, and apparatus for producing products, materials, intermediates, and the like such as organic acids, single cell protein (scp), hydrogen, alcohols, and organic acid salts from the waste gas streams of certain industrial processes and more particularly concerns a process utilizing continuous gaseous substrate fermentation under anaerobic conditions to accomplish this conversion. background of the invention the conventional procedure for producing organic acids, alcohols, hydrogen and organic acid salts is chemical synthesis of petroleum-derived feedstocks. the rapidly escalating cost of petroleum has generated considerable interest in producing these valuable commodities by fermentative processes that utilize renewable or waste materials as the feedstock. single cell protein is produced as a by-product of the fermentations, and is generally used as an animal feed supplement. there is also growing concern over the massive amounts of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases produced by conventional industrial processes. the environmental protection agency recently estimated that over six million metric tons of carbon monoxide and nearly four million metric tons of hydrogen were discharged annually by the industrial complex. a substantial portion of this waste carbon monoxide and hydrogen is the result of carbon black manufacture and coke production, roughly 2.6 million metric tons of carbon monoxide and 0.5 million metric tons of hydrogen. large amounts of carbon monoxide or hydrogen are also produced by the ammonia industry (125,144 metric tons of carbon monoxide in 1991), petroleum refining (8 metric tons per thousand barrels), steel mills (152 pounds per metric ton of steel produced), and sulfate pulping of wood (286 pounds per ton of pulp). in 1991, the adipic acid industry generated 40,773 metric tons of carbon monoxide that was burned for fuel value or flared. in many cases, these gases are discharged directly to the atmosphere, placing a heavy pollution burden on the environment. typically, the waste gases from the manufacture of industrial products are released at low pressures and temperatures. current technology cannot utilize these dilute gases under such conditions. adapting existing technology to separate and recover hydrogen or carbon monoxide from these waste streams would be expensive and impractical. in light of the foregoing, there exist needs in the art for cost effective and practical methods, microorganisms, and apparatus for utilizing the above-described waste gases and for producing products, materials, intermediates and the like such as organic acids, alcohols, hydrogen and organic acid salts by other than chemical synthesis of petroleum derived feedstocks. summary of the invention in accordance with the present invention, products, materials, intermediates, and the like such as organic acids, alcohols, hydrogen, single cell protein and/or organic acid salts are produced from the waste carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and/or carbon dioxide of industrial processes, thereby reducing environmental pollution while at the same time saving energy and chemical feedstocks. in accordance with an exemplary process of the present invention, the desired components of the dilute gas mixtures are introduced into a bioreactor containing one or more cultured strains of anaerobic bacteria that utilize the waste gas components by a direct pathway to produce a desired compound. the compound is recovered from the aqueous phase in a separate vessel or vessels, utilizing a suitable recovery process for the compound produced. examples of recovery processes include extraction, distillation or combinations thereof, or other efficient recovery processes. the bacteria are removed from the aqueous phase and recycled to avoid toxicity and maintain high cell concentrations, thus maximizing reaction rates. cell separation, if desired, is accomplished by centrifugation, membranous ultrafiltration, or other techniques. the principal object of the present invention is the provision of a process and/or microorganism for the production of products, intermediates, materials, and the like such as organic acids, hydrogen, single cell protein, alcohols, and/or organic acid salts from carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and/or carbon dioxide. another object of the present invention is the provision of methods, microorganisms and apparatus for the production of items such as organic acids, alcohols, hydrogen, single cell protein and/or salts from the waste gas streams of industrial processes such as oil refining, and production methods for generating carbon black, coke, ammonia, and methanol. a still further object of the present invention is the provision of a process for producing acetic acid and/or ethanol from a waste gas stream of identical composition to that found in the manufacture of carbon black. yet another and more particular object of the present invention is the provision of a method, microorganism and apparatus involving continuous gaseous substrate fermentation under anaerobic conditions to accomplish the conversion of waste gas streams of certain industrial processes into useful products such as organic acids including acetic acid, alcohols, hydrogen, single cell protein and organic acid salts. other objects and further scope of the applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description to follow, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a process of this invention for the production of acetic acid from waste gas. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a process of this invention for the production of calcium magnesium acetate salt (cma) from waste gas. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a process of this invention for the production of ethanol from waste gas. fig. 4 is a schematic representation of a continuous fermentation system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a graphical illustration of the increase in cell concentration measured in optical density at 580 nm (od580) over time according to a method of this invention. fig. 6 is a graphical representation of an increase in acetic acid (iac) produced by a method of this invention over time. detailed description of the invention the term waste gas or waste gas streams as used herein means carbon monoxide and hydrogen mixed with other elements or compounds, including carbon dioxide, nitrogen and methane, in a gaseous state, which gases or streams are typically released or exhausted to the atmosphere either directly or through combustion. normally, release takes place under standard smokestack temperatures and pressures. accordingly, the processes of the present invention are suitable for converting these atmospheric pollutants into useful products such as organic acids, alcohols and organic acid salts. these products include, but are not limited to acetic, propionic, and butyric acids; methanol, ethanol, propanol, and n-butanol; plus salts, such as calcium magnesium acetate (cma) and potassium acetate (ka). anaerobic bacteria which are know to convert carbon monoxide and water or hydrogen and carbon dioxide into alcohols and acids and acid salts include acetobacterium kivui, a. woodii, clostridium aceticum, butyribacterium, methylotrophicum, c. acetobutylicum, c. formoaceticum, c. kluyveri, c. thermoaceticum, c. thermocellum, c. thermohydrosulfuricum, c. thermosaccharolyticum, eubacterium limosum, c. ljungdahlii petc and peptostreptococcus productus. anaerobic bacteria known to produce hydrogen from carbon monoxide and water include rhodospirillum rubrum and rhodopseudomonas gelatinosa. more specifically, bacterial species such as acetogenium kivui, peptostreptococcus productus, acetobacterium woodii, clostridium thermoaceticum and eubacterium limosum, produce acetate by the reaction: 4co2h _{ 2 } och _{ 3 } cooh2co _{ 2 } dg39 kcal/reac.(1) many anaerobic bacteria are also known to produce acetic acid from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. these bacterial isolates include a. kivui, p. productus, and acetobacterium sp., which utilize homoacetic fermentation by anaerobically oxidizing hydrogen and carbon dioxide according to the equation: 4h _{ 2 } 2co _{ 2 } ch _{ 3 } cooh2h _{ 2 } dg25 kj/reac.(2) acetobacterium woodii and acetoanaerobium noterae produce acetate from hydrogen and carbon dioxide according to the above reaction, but in addition to acetate, a. noterae produces some propionate and butyrate. another chemolithotrophic bacterium, clostridium aceticum, produces acetate from carbon dioxide using a glycine decarboxylase pathway. some bacteria, like a. kivui, p. productus, and a. woodii, produce acetate from either carbon monoxide and water, or hydrogen and carbon dioxide. p. productus gives particularly fast rates of conversion and demonstrates high tolerance to carbon monoxide; however, this organism shows a preference to follow equation (1) over equation (2). in addition to these listed bacteria, two strains of an additional clostridia which produce acetic acid or ethanol from carbon monoxide and water, or hydrogen and carbon dioxide have been isolated. one is clostridium ljungdahlii eri2, a rod-shaped, gram positive, non-thermophilic anaerobe which gives superior acetic acid yields and operates at a low ph, a characteristic which greatly enhances the recovery of the product. c. ljungdahlii eri2 carries out a vigorous acetogenic fermentation of glucose. it also infrequently forms spores and carries out a primarily acetogenic fermentation of hexose or h _{ 2 } :co _{ 2 } . it is motile with peritrichous flagellation. this new strain of c. ljungdahlii, referred to as eri2, was isolated from a natural water source and was deposited with the american type culture collection, 10801 university boulevard, manassas, va. on dec. 8, 1992, under accession no. 55380. the deposit was made freely available to the public on nov. 6, 1997. in preparing the products of the present invention, mixed strains of the bacteria enumerated hereinabove may be utilized. by mixed strains, it is meant a mixed culture of two or more anaerobic bacteria. this mixed strain, when utilized in the process described herein, produces organic acids (such as acetic acid and the like) or salts thereof, alcohols, hydrogen, single cell protein, etc. in the development of the present invention, new strains of anaerobic bacteria have been isolated which enact this conversion with high efficiency. in addition, modifications to the fermentation conditions can result in the production of ethanol instead of acetic acid in some strains. depending on the specific microorganism(s) utilized, variables which must be considered in forming products from waste gases include nutrient constituents and concentrations, medium, pressure, temperature, gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, reaction ph, agitation rate (if utilizing a continuously stirred tank reactor), inoculum level, maximum substrate (introduced gas) concentrations to avoid inhibition, and maximum product concentrations to avoid inhibition. in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and as shown in fig. 1 , a first step in the conversion process is the preparation of nutrient media ( 10 ) for the anaerobic bacteria. the content of the nutrient media will vary based on the type of anaerobe utilized and the desired product. the nutrients are constantly fed to a bioreactor or fermenter ( 12 ), consisting of one or more vessels and/or towers of a type which includes the continuously stirred reactor (cstr), immobilized cell reactor (icr), trickle bed reactor (tbr), bubble column, gas lift fermenters, or other suitable fermentation reactor. within the bioreactor ( 12 ) resides the culture, either single or mixed species, of anaerobic bacteria utilized in the gas conversion process. for the cstrs, tbrs, bubble columns and gas lift fermenters, these bacteria live dispersed throughout the liquid phase of the reactor, but for icrs, the bacteria adhere to an internal packing medium. this packing medium must provide maximal surface area, high mass transfer rate, low pressure drop, even gas and liquid distribution, and must minimize plugging, fouling, nesting and wall channeling. examples of such medium materials are ceramic berl saddles, raschig rings or other high performance packings. the waste gases ( 14 ) are continuously introduced into the bioreactor ( 12 ). the gas is retained in the bioreactor ( 12 ) for the period of time which maximizes efficiency of the process. exhaust gases ( 16 ), containing inert substances and unreacted substrate gases, are then released. the liquid effluent ( 18 ) is passed to a centrifuge, hollow fiber membrane, or other filtration device ( 20 ) to separate out microorganisms that are entrained. these microorganisms ( 22 ) are returned to the bioreactor ( 12 ) to maintain a high cell concentration which yields a faster reaction rate (cell recycle). a next step in the process is separation of the desired biologically produced product(s) from the permeate or centrifugate ( 24 ). in the embodiment depicted in fig. 1 , the permeate or centrifugate ( 24 ) is passed to an extraction chamber ( 26 ) where it is contacted with a solvent ( 28 ). the solvent ( 28 ) should have a high distribution coefficient for the desired end product, a high recovery factor, low toxicity to humans, low toxicity to the bacteria, immiscibility with water, an appropriately high boiling point, and should form no emulsion with the bioreactor constituents. the distribution of solute between solvent and aqueous phases will determine the thermodynamic feasibility and the amount of solvent required to remove the end product. typical solvents include secondary and tertiary amines in a suitable solvent, tributyl phosphate, ethyl acetate, tri-octyl phosphine oxide and related compounds in a suitable co-solvent, long chain alcohols, hexane, cyclohexane, chloroform, and tetrachloroethylene. the nutrients and materials in the aqueous phase ( 30 ) pass back to the bioreactor ( 12 ) and the solvent/acid/water solution ( 32 ) passes to a distillation column ( 34 ), where it is heated to a sufficient temperature to separate the solvent ( 28 ) from the acid and water ( 36 ). the solvent ( 28 ) passes from the distillation column ( 34 ) through a cooling chamber ( 38 ) to lower the temperature to the optimum temperature for extraction, then back to the extraction chamber ( 26 ) for reuse. the acid and water solution ( 36 ) passes to a final distillation column ( 40 ) where the desired end product ( 42 ) is separated from the water and removed. the water ( 44 ) is recirculated for nutrient preparation. fig. 2 shows a process for the production of the road deicer, calcium magnesium acetate (cma) ( 46 ), from waste gas ( 48 ). the process is identical to the acetic acid process of fig. 1 through solvent extraction. identical organisms, nutrients and process conditions are used in continuous fermentation, including the reaction vessels. similarly, cell recycle by hollow fiber membrane, centrifugation or other filtration devices are identically employed in this process. finally, the extraction of acetic acid in an extraction chamber, followed by recycle of the acid-free medium, is employed. after extraction, the process for producing cma differs greatly from the acetic acid production process of fig. 1 . in the cma process the solvent ( 50 ) containing acetic acid and a small amount of water is sent to a reaction vessel ( 52 ) for cma production. the water content of the solvent stream is dependent upon the solvent used for acetic acid extraction. again, solvents such as secondary and tertiary amines in a suitable co-solvent, tributyl phosphate, ethyl acetate, tri-octyl phosphine oxide and related compounds in a suitable co-solvent, long chain alcohols, hexane, cyclohexane, chloroform and tetrachloroethylene may be employed with varying success. the reaction vessel ( 52 ) for cma is most suitably a continuous stirred tank reactor (cstr), although other reactor systems may be employed. a mixture ( 54 ) of dolomitic lime and magnesium oxide in water is added to the solvent containing acetic acid and water. reaction occurs to produce cma in aqueous solution at or below the saturation level. the cma, water and solvent ( 56 ) are then sent to a settling device ( 58 ) to separate the aqueous and solvent phases. the solvent phase ( 60 ) is returned to the extraction chamber for recycle. the cma/water ( 62 ) is sent to drying/pelletizing means ( 64 ) to produce a pelletized cma product. potassium acetate (ka) can be produced as an alternative product by substituting caustic potash (or potassium oxide) for the dolomitic lime. since ka is produced as a 50 percent aqueous solution, drying and pelletizing are not required. fig. 3 shows a process of this invention for the production of ethanol from waste gas. as in fig. 1 , water gas ( 66 ) and nutrients ( 68 ) are fed into a reactor ( 70 ) containing a culture of microorganisms. the reactor may be any of the types described above in the narrative of fig. 1 . the organism used in the ethanol production process must be capable of producing ethanol in place of acetic acid/acetate. in general, a low fermentation ph of 4.0-5.5 is required, coupled with a nutrient limitation. the bacteria listed hereinabove which are capable of operating at these reduced ph levels can be used in this process of ethanol production. waste gas is fed into the reactor containing the culture of organisms capable of ethanol production along with the required nutrients. ethanol is produced as the product in a similar fashion as in fig. 1 . cell recycle ( 72 ) may be used to enhance the cell concentration in the reactor, but this operation is not required to make the process work. the permeate ( 74 ) from the cell recycle apparatus containing dilute ethanol in medium is sent to distillation ( 76 ), where the water ( 78 ) and ethanol ( 80 ) are separated. ninety-five percent ethanol exits the top of the distillation column and water (spent medium) exits the bottom of the column. the spent medium is sent back to the reactor as water recycle. the 95 percent ethanol is sent to a molecular sieve system ( 82 ) to produce anhydrous ethanol ( 84 ). thus in accordance with the present invention, it is now possible to produce valuable organic acids, alcohols, or organic acid salts by a gaseous substrate fermentation, not only reducing consumption of valuable chemical feedstocks, but also removing hazardous atmospheric pollutants from the waste gas streams of many industries. previous processes to derive these chemicals biologically were based on fermentation of sugars. in the processes described hereinabove, it is preferred that the process is conducted at higher than 1 atmosphere. preferably, it is preferred that it be conducted at pressures up to 320 atmospheres, and more preferably up to 20 atmospheres, and most preferably up to 15 atmospheres. the following specific examples are submitted to illustrate but not to limit the present invention. unless otherwise indicated, all parts and percentages in the specification and claims are based upon volume. example 1 production of acetic acid from carbon black waste gases this example is directed to a process utilized to convert waste gas of a composition which matches that of the furnace exhaust of carbon black manufacture to acetic acid. the waste gas has a composition of about 13 percent carbon monoxide, 14 percent hydrogen, and 5 percent carbon dioxide, with the remaining 68 percent largely nitrogen, with traces of oxygen and sulfur compounds. the waste gases are produced as the result of partial oxidation of gas or oil with insufficient air to form amorphous carbon, with about 1.2 pounds of carbon monoxide produced per pound of elemental carbon. these waste gases form a serious atmospheric contamination problem and also represent a valuable chemical feedstock resource not presently being recovered. in the development of the present process, two distinct routes to produce acetic acid from carbon black waste gases were studied. the direct route converts carbon monoxide and water, or hydrogen and carbon dioxide, directly into acetic acid according to equations (1) and (2), respectively. an indirect route involves the conversion of carbon monoxide and water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide by the water gas shift reaction, followed by production of acetic acid from hydrogen and carbon dioxide. this indirect route was found to be a less efficient utilization of the technology. the acetogens tested are summarized in table 1. table 1 acetogenic bacteria tested for co, h _{ 2 } , and co _{ 2 } conversion simultaneous bacterial route consumption of co and h _{ 2 } direct route p. productus no e. limosum no a. noterae no c. aceticum no c. thermoaceticum no s. sphaeroides no a. woodii yes a. kivui yes c. ljungdahlii eri2 yes indirect route r. gelatinosa no r. rubrum no among these bacteria that produce acetic acid directly from carbon monoxide, a. kivui and the newly isolated strain, c. ljungdahlii eri2, show far superior rates for both carbon monoxide and hydrogen utilization. further experimentation proceeded using these two anaerobic bacteria. there are obvious advantages to the use of bacteria that can utilize carbon monoxide and hydrogen simultaneously. such use would afford the most efficient use of the waste gases and remove the greatest amount of atmospheric pollutants. a. bench scale operation of the described process to produce acetic acid as shown in fig. 4 and in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a bench scale continuous conversion system is shown to include a bioflo iic fermentor ( 150 ) new brunswick scientific co., inc., edison, n.j.. the fermentor ( 150 ) is equipped with an agitation motor, ph controller, foam controller, thermostat, dissolved oxygen probe, nutrient pump, and 2.5 l culture vessel. the working volume is variable (1.5-2.0 l). other variable operational parameters include medium feeding rate (dilution rate), gas flow rate (gas retention time), and agitation (rpm). the vented or exhaust gases exit the fermentor ( 150 ) through a condenser fixed to a vented hood via a water trap and a sampling port. the culture broth ( 152 ) is recycled through a cross-flow hollow fiber module ( 154 ) by a peristaltic pump cole parmer. the recycling rate is about 80-100 ml/minute. the hollow fiber module ( 154 ) has the following characteristics: the surface area is 0.35 ft ^{ 2 } , the pore size is 0.2 m and the lumen diameter is 1 mm. the permeate ( 156 ) is pumped to a storage tank ( 158 ) (feed storage). the culture cells are returned to the fermenter along line ( 155 ). a countercurrent acetic acid extraction system, including two stage mixer and settler components includes first and second mixers ( 160 ) and ( 162 ) and first and second settling tanks ( 164 ) and ( 166 ). the permeate ( 168 ) from storage ( 158 ) is pumped to mixer ( 160 ) through a flow controller ( 170 ). the solvent ( 172 ) is pumped to mixer ( 162 ) from solvent storage ( 174 ) through a flow controller ( 176 ). both mixer ( 160 ) and mixer ( 162 ) are equipped with stirring mechanisms to achieve good mixing of aqueous phase and solvent phase. the mixture of both phases from the mixers ( 160 ) and ( 162 ) is led to settlers ( 164 ) and ( 166 ), respectively. the phase separation is accomplished in the settlers. the aqueous phase ( 178 ) from settler ( 164 ) is pumped to mixer ( 162 ); the solvent phase ( 180 ) from settler ( 164 ) is pumped to a separator ( 182 ); the aqueous phase ( 184 ) from settler ( 166 ) is pumped to raffinate storage ( 186 ); and the solvent phase ( 188 ) from settler ( 166 ) is pumped to mixer ( 160 ). the raffinate is recycled to the cstr 50 along a line ( 190 ). this recycle line ( 190 ) is partially bled at ( 192 ) to remove inhibiting factors. the solvent ( 180 ) loaded with acetic acid is pumped to a distillation flask ( 194 ) through a preheater ( 196 ). the distillation flask ( 194 ) is equipped with two thermocouples ( 196 ) and ( 198 ) to monitor and control temperature in the liquid phase and gas phase. the heating temperature for distillation is set to achieve maximum vaporization of the acetic acid. the acetic acid vapors are condensed in a condenser ( 100 ) and collected in a flask ( 102 ). the stripped solvent ( 104 ) is pumped through a cooling soil ( 106 ) to solvent storage ( 174 ). a bench scale operation of the described process as diagramed in fig. 4 was fabricated in the laboratory to determine quantitative yields under optimized conditions. the nutrient mixture fed to the culture was as follows: 1. 80.0 ml of a salt, composed of: kh _{ 2 } po _{ 4 } 3.00 g/l k _{ 2 } hpo _{ 4 } 3.00 g/l (nh _{ 4 } ) _{ 2 } so _{ 4 } , 6.00 g/l nacl 6.00 g/l mgso _{ 4 } .2h _{ 2 } o 1.25 g/l 2. 1.0 g of yeast extract 3. 1.0 g of trypticase 4. 3.0 ml of pfn trace metal solution (pfenning containing: fecl _{ 2 } * 4h _{ 2 } o 1500 mg znso _{ 4 } * 7h _{ 2 } o 100 mg mncl _{ 2 } * 4h _{ 2 } o 30 mg h _{ 3 } bo _{ 3 } 300 mg cocl _{ 2 } * 6h _{ 2 } o 200 mg cucl _{ 2 } * h _{ 2 } o 10 mg nicl _{ 2 } * 6h _{ 2 } o 20 mg namoo _{ 4 } * 2h _{ 2 } o 30 mg na _{ 2 } seo _{ 3 } 10 mg distilled water 1000 ml 5. 10.0 ml of b vitamins: pyridoxal hcl 10 mg riboflavin 50 mg thiamine hcl 50 mg nicotinic acid 50 mg ca-d-pantotheinate 50 mg lipoic acid 60 mg p-aminobenzoic acid 50 mg folic acid 20 mg biotin 20 mg cyanocobalamin 50 mg distilled water 1000 ml 6. 0.5 g of cysteine hcl 7. 0.6 g of cacl _{ 2 } .2h _{ 2 } o 8. 2.0 g of nahco _{ 3 } 9. 1.0 ml of resazurin (0.01%) 10. 920.0 ml of distilled water for use with a. kivui, the nutrient solution was ph adjusted to 6.6, whereas for the new strain, c. ljungdahlii eri2, the ph was adjusted to 4.9. the ability to operate at a lower ph is a great advantage in acetic acid recovery. the solution was then sparged for 20 minutes with a 20% co _{ 2 } and 80% n _{ 2 } atmosphere, then transferred anaerobically and autoclaved for 15 minutes. b. cstr experiments utilizing the bacterial strains a. kivui and c. ljungdahlii eri2 numerous experiments were carried out with continuous stirred reactors (cstr). the results obtained are exemplified in the following data. the bench scale system operating with the cstr and the anaerobic bacteria, c. ljungdahlii eri2 and a. kivui, consisted of a new brunswick scientific bioflo iic fermenter, a hollow fiber membrane unit for cell recycle, and extraction and distillation columns. nutrient mixture was fed into the bioreactor at a rate of 3.2 cubic centimeters per minute. capacity of the reactor was 2.5 liters, within which a constant fluid level of 1.5 liters was maintained. the fluid was agitated at variable rates of up to 1000 revolutions per minute with gas introduced at a rate of approximately 500 cubic centimeters per minute. optimal gas retention times were in the range of three minutes. the gas feed varied with its uptake by the bacteria, which was in turn a function of the cell density. the liquid from the bioreactor was passed to the hollow fiber membrane at a rate of 55 to 70 milliliters per minute. from the hollow fiber membrane, permeate was gathered at a rate of 1.5 milliliters per minute. analysis of this permeate indicates the acetic acid/acetate concentration at this stage to range in excess of 20 grams per liter. operating at a ph of 4.9, 42 percent of this product was in the acid form using c. ljungdahlii eri2. for a. kivui, the acid yield was only 1.4 percent. results of various runs for the two bacteria, including conversion rates and product yields are summarized in tables 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b as follows: table 2a summary of eri2 experiments in the cstr with cell recycle gas retention liquid agitation percent gas exp time dilution rate conversion no. (min) rate (hr ^{ 1 } ) (rpm) co h _{ 2 } 1 9.30 0.056 750 80.75 74.5 2 9.28 0.055 750 82.1 72.0 3 6.14 0.061 750 73.6 46.5 4 6.4 0.08 750 74.8 49.6 5 4.74 0.087 750 68.5 37.2 6 4.91 0.10 750 68.8 50.2 7 4.05 0.102 750 65.5 58.1 8 3.98 0.103 900 74.3 67.9 9 2.89 0.117 900 66.1 33.9 10 3.28 0.105 1000 74.6 51.3 11 3.22 0.125 1000 73.1 54.0 12 2.63 0.13 1000 68.9 44.0 13 2.3 0.134 1000 66.0 38.7 14 2.7 0.11 1000 72.7 67.7 15 2.4 0.11 1000 68.6 63.3 16 2.53 0.122 1000 72.1 67.4 17 3.0 0.13 1000 76.6 73.3 table 2b summary of eri2 experiments in the cstr with cell recycle dry cell product weight concentration specific exp. concentration hac etoh productivities no. (g/l) (g/l) (g/l) (g/l hr) (g/g hr) 1 2.3 9.7 0.07 0.43 0.18 2 3.32 9.56 0.094 0.52 0.16 3 4.11 12.78 0.125 0.78 0.19 4 5.02 12.98 0.125 1.05 0.19 5 4.79 12.38 0.125 1.08 0.23 6 4.53 10.73 0.05 1.08 0.24 7 5.27 11.49 0.076 1.17 0.22 8 6.17 12.73 0.1 1.31 0.21 9 5.91 11.69 0.04 1.38 0.23 10 7.30 12.83 0.13 1.35 0.18 11 10.25 13.57 0.08 1.71 0.17 12 11.0 14.63 0.12 1.90 0.17 13 11.1 20.59 0.113 2.77 0.25 14 8.37 25.62 0.27 2.88 0.34 15 9.83 25.62 0.36 2.95 0.30 16 9.82 25.62 0.72 3.12 0.32 17 12.4 22.33 0.52 2.90 0.23 table 3a summary of a. kivui experiments in the cstr with cell recycle gas retention liquid agitation percent gas exp time dilution rate conversion no. (min) rate (hr ^{ 1 } ) (rpm) co h _{ 2 } 1 5.0 0.058 750 67.8 44.2 2 4.4 0.958 750 65.7 38.5 3 4.3 0.058 900 71.3 40.7 4 3.72 0.058 900 69.0 37.3 5 3.72 0.076 900 70.3 41.1 6 3.2 0.076 900 66.4 41.4 7 2.8 0.076 900 61.5 29.1 8 2.8 0.076 1000 69.5 36.3 9 2.8 0.11 1000 70.2 41.6 10 2.2 0.11 1000 64.0 25.0 table 3b summary of a. kivui experiments in the cstr with cell recycle dry cell weight product specific exp. concentration concentration productivities no. (g/l) (g/l) (g/l hr) (g/g hr) 1 4.00 16.15 0.96 0.24 2 4.8 16.63 0.94 0.19 3 4.5 17.03 0.99 0.21 4 5.14 19.16 1.13 0.22 5 5.28 16.17 1.21 0.23 6 5.71 16.85 1.23 0.23 7 5.00 16.16 1.22 0.23 8 5.8 18.58 1.62 0.29 9 5.9 18.4 1.84 0.36 10 7.2 16.5 2.1 0.3 c. icr experiments utilizing the bacterial strain c. ljungdahlii eri2 numerous experiments were carried out with immobilized cell reactors (icr). the results obtained are exemplified in the following data. an icr, consisting of a 2 inch outside diameter by 24 inch tall glass tube packed with fabric to support the cells and enkamat 7020 immobilizing medium, was also tested in the acetic acid production process. with c. ljungdahlii eri2 as the acetogenic anaerobe, 100 percent of the carbon monoxide and 79 percent of the hydrogen were converted at a gas retention time of 20 minutes. acetic acid concentrations in the removed liquid were approximately 6.0 grams per liter. results of the icr studies are summarized in table 4. table 4 fabric icr performance with eri2 liquid gas re- product dilution tention h _{ 2 } co cell concentration rate time conversion conversion concen. hac etoh (hr) (min) (%) (%) (g/l) (g/l) (g/l) 0.23 4.83 38.62 54.66 .125 3.221 .778 7.41 49.15 70.87 .120 2.690 .620 11.66 51.31 80.61 .067 13.61 56.87 83.93 .064 2.099 .201 0.17 6.39 48.15 73.27 .161 3.382 1.365 11.21 68.96 92.82 .143 3.189 .495 55.44 83.13 96.27 .112 .813 .058 0.12 6.26 43.89 70.76 .094 3.864 1.689 0.09 7.87 42.40 79.72 .095 4.423 2.733 19.82 59.63 92.92 .102 0.03 22.14 55.01 94.21 .071 4.878 2.631 29.00 78.60 100 .018 5.604 2.743 60.48 83.33 100 the icr has a certain attractiveness on an industrial scale in that the energy costs to operate the reactor are reduced significantly. the proper selection of packing materials, solution phases, and pressures may yield production approaching that of the cstr. d. acetic acid recovery various solvents were tested for recovering acetic acid from the permeate, and the results are summarized in table 5. tributyl phosphate was identified as having both a high distribution coefficient and a high boiling point. the solvent and permeate from the cell separator were commingled in a two stage extraction process. alternatively, an extraction column could be used. permeate was introduced into a 3 liter flask where it was mixed with incoming solvent. a ratio of 1 part solvent to 1 part permeate worked well and gave high recovery rates. the combined fluids were passed from the mixer to a 4 liter settling chamber where the solvent/acetic acid mixture separate as a lower density phase from the water and nutrients. retention times of approximately 15 minutes were used in the settling tanks. the lower density phase was extracted and fed to a distillation flask. the raffinate was passed from the first settler to a second mixer where it was contacted again with solvent, then removed to a second settling chamber. this allowed for more complete extraction of the acetic acid; acid recovery increased from 82 percent to greater than 96 percent using tributyl phosphate. the solvent/acetic acid mixture from this settler was returned to the first mixer, while the raffinate of water and organics was passed back to the bioreactor. the distillation unit was a 5 liter flask with a boiling mantle. a common distillation column, with reflux, could be used for complete acid recovery. because of the high boiling point of tributyl phosphate, nearly complete recovery is accomplished in one step. the solvent/acetic acid mixture was heated to 120 c., with the acetic acid collected overhead in a condensing coil. in this single stage system, distillation efficiencies of 70 percent were achieved. table 5 acetic acid distribution coefficient study equilibrium aqueous acetic acetic acid acid concentration distribution solvent (g/l) coefficients hexane 6.559 0.0 decane 5.968 0.08 chloroform 5.128 0.09 kerosene 4.648 0.11 hexadecane 5.866 1.13 dodecane 4.654 0.13 dodecyl acetate 5.787 0.15 dibutyl phosphate 4.615 0.18 oleyl alcohol 5.114 0.28 trioctylamine 3.785 0.31 undecyl alcohol 4.528 0.40 ethyl acetate 4.550 0.41 ethyl butyrate 4.665 0.42 dexyl alcohol 3.890 0.42 octanol 4.358 0.45 nonyl alcohol 3.470 0.55 2-ethyl-1-hexanol 3.308 0.77 3-methylcyclohexanol 2.110 1.26 cyclohexanone 2.702 1.66 tributyl phosphate 1.657 2.38 solvent mixtures were also tried and distribution coefficients of mixed solvents are summarized in table 6. table 6 distribution coefficients of mixed solvents distribution percent solvent mix coefficients increase oleyl alcohol (10 cc) 0.17 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) cyc (1 cc) 0.31 72 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) tbp (1 cc) 0.29 61 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) cyc (2 cc) 0.45 150 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) tbp (2 cc) 0.42 133 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) cyc (3 cc) 0.36 100 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) tbp (3 cc) 0.42 133 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) cyc (4 cc) 0.35 94 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) tbp (4 cc) 0.40 122 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) cyc (6 cc) 0.52 188 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) tbp (6 cc) 0.65 261 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) cyc (7 cc) 0.69 283 oleyl alcohol (10 cc) tbp (7 cc) 0.74 311 example 2 production of acetic acid from carbon black waste gases at higher pressures mass transport in the cellular reactions can be further enhanced by operating the system at increased pressures. simple batch experiments were carried out to test the dynamics of this system. it was found that reaction rates increased in linear proportion to the pressure, with a corresponding reduction in effective retention time. another advantage to operating at increased pressure is that reactor volume can also be reduced in linear fashion, i.e. operation at 10 atmospheres pressure requires a reactor with one tenth the volume of a reactor operating at 1 atmosphere. figs. 5 and 6 show the increase in cell density and acetic acid concentration, respectively, with the increased pressure. this acetic acid concentration far exceeds typical batch concentrations for a batch reactor at atmospheric pressure. example 3 production of acetic acid from carbon black waste gases with surfactants mass transport is also increased by the use of surfactants. table 7 presents the results of carbon monoxide uptake tests performed on c. ljungdahlii eri2 in the presence of various commercial surfactants. in each case, the control value of 100 (percent) represents carbon dioxide uptake in batch fermentation, and the sample value, the percentage of the control in batch fermentation in the presence of the surfactant. table 7 co consumption by eri2 in the presence of surfactants control* with surfactant dnap (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 nondiet p-40 (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 tergitol np-10 (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 tergitol min foam 1x (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 tergitol tmn-10 (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 triton x-15 (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 triton x-100 (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 triton x-114 (0.1%, v/v) 100 0 triton n-101 (0.1%, v/v) 100 5.83 triton x-405 (0.1%, v/v) 100 7.82 tergitol 8 (0.1%, v/v) 100 12.15 triton n-42 (0.1%, v/v) 100 42.90 witconol ns-500k (0.1%, v/v) 100 79.08 tween 85 (0.1%, v/v) 100 82.16 witconol h-33 (0.1%, v/v) 100 90.12 witconol 6903 (0.1%, v/v) 100 92.39 tween 80 (0.1%, v/v) 100 97.15 arlacel 83 (0.1%, v/v) 100 97.43 span 80 (0.1%, v/v) 100 99.12 tyloxapol (0.1%, v/v) 100 104.86 witconol 5906 (0.1%, v/v) 100 108.42 span 85 (0.1%, v/v) 100 124.85 w-1 (0.001%, w/v) first time 100 105.89 second time regas 100 0 brij 96 (0.004%, w/v) first time 100 107.98 second time regas 100 0 example 4 production of cma from carbon black waste gas carbon black waste gas containing about 14 percent co, 17 percent h _{ 2 } , and 4 percent co _{ 2 } , as the major components in n _{ 2 } is spared into a 160 l cstr, maintained at 6 atm 37 c., and containing clostridium ljungdahlii er12 atcc deposit 55380. the waste gases are produced as the result of partial oxidation of hydrocarbons with insufficient air to form amorphous carbon, with about 1.2 pounds of carbon monoxide produced per pound of elemental carbon. these waste gases form a serious atmospheric contamination problem and also represent a valuable chemical feedstock resource not presently being recovered. the gas retention time (defined as the ratio of the reactor volume to the gas flow rate at standard conditions) is maintained at 0.52 minute. an aqueous liquid medium containing water, base salts, b-vitamins, a nitrogen source and a sulfide source is fed to the reactor at a liquid dilution rate (defined as the ratio of the liquid flow rate to the reactor volume) of 1.05 hour ^{ 1 } . the agitation rate in this reactor is 322 rpm, the temperature is 37 c. and the operating ph is 5.03. under these conditions, the conversion of co was 83 percent and the conversion of h _{ 2 } was 54 percent. a hollow fiber membrane cell recycle unit is used to maintain a cell concentration of 10.5 g/l inside the reactor. the dilute acetic acid/acetate product stream from the reactor containing 13.2 g/l acetic acid/acetate is sent to a three stage countercurrent extraction device, where it is extracted with solvent. the solvent to feed ratio is 1 to 4. the acetic acid in the acetic acid/acetate product stream is 3.7 g/l. the acetic acid concentration in the solvent leaving the extractor is 16.7 g/l. water (medium) from extraction is sent back to the fermenter as recycle. dolomitic lime/mgo is added to the acetic acid directly in the solvent phase to form cma. after reaction the saturated cma solution is sent to drying and pelletizing. cma (1.15 lb) containing a ca ^{ 2 } /mg ^{ 2 } in a molar ratio of 3/7 is formed per pound of acetic acid. example 5 production of acetic acid from carbon black waste gas carbon black waste gas containing about 14 percent co, 17 percent h _{ 2 } , and 4 percent co _{ 2 } in n _{ 2 } is spared into a 144 l trickle bed reactor operating at 1.58 atm, 37 c. and containing clostridium ljungdahlii er12 atcc deposit 55380. a trickle bed reactor is a column packed with a commercial packing such as raschig rings or berl saddles in which liquid and gas are contacted with each other due to flow through the column. in the present example, the liquid and gas both enter the column from the top in a concurrent fashion, although countercurrent flow (gas entering the bottom, liquid entering the top) is possible. the gas retention time is maintained at 0.46 minute and the liquid medium dilution rate is 0.57 hour ^{ 1 } . the liquid medium contains the same constituents as in example 1. agitation in the reactor is provided by liquid recirculation, using a recirculation rate of 60 gpm. the operating ph in the reactor is 5.05. under these conditions, the co conversion is 57 percent and the h _{ 2 } conversion is 58 percent. a hollow fiber unit is used to maintain a cell concentration of 13.6 g/l inside the reactor. the dilute acetic acid/acetate product stream containing 6.4 g/l combined acetic acid/acetate and 2 g/l acetic acid is sent to a three stage countercurrent extraction column. the solvent to feed ratio is 1:4. the acetic acid in the solvent leaving the extractor is 10 g/l. water (medium) from the extraction unit is sent back as recycle to the reactor. the solvent containing the acetic acid is sent to distillation to recover the acid and solvent. a vacuum solvent distillation column and an acetic acid distillation column are used in the separation. glacial acetic acid is produced as the final product. example 6 production of potassium acetate from carbon black waste gas the carbon black waste gas of example 4 is used to make potassium acetate instead of cma. all fermentation and solvent extraction conditions remain the same. caustic potash (potassium oxide) is used to react with the acetic acid to form a 50 percent solution of potassium acetate directly in the solvent phase. example 7 production scp from coke oven waste gas a coke oven waste gas containing about 6 percent co, 2 percent co _{ 2 } , 57 percent h _{ 2 } , 5 percent n _{ 2 } , and 27 percent gaseous hydrocarbon is fed to a cstr with cell recycle as described previously in example 4. the reactor is used to produce a product such as dilute acetic acid or ethanol. in addition, the cell concentration inside the reactor is 13.6 g/l. these cells (microorganisms) can be harvested to produce bacterial single cell protein as an animal feed. a purge stream from the reactor containing cells is sent to a dryer to process dry single cell protein. example 8 production of h _{ 2 } from refinery waste gas refinery waste gas containing about 45 percent co, 50 percent h _{ 2 } and 5 percent ch _{ 4 } is spared into a 1 l cstr operating at 50 c. and a few inches of water pressure containing bacillus smithii erih2 which was deposited on mar. 18, 1993 with the american type culture collection, and given deposit accession no. 55404. this deposit was released to the public on oct. 13, 1998. the medium to the reactor is 1.0 g/l corn steep liquor. carbon monoxide in the waste gas is converted along with water to co _{ 2 } and h _{ 2 } . with a 90 percent conversion, the exit gas stream contains 3.2 percent co, 64.4 percent h _{ 2 } , 28.8 percent co _{ 2 } and 3.6 percent ch _{ 4 } . the co, co _{ 2 } and ch _{ 4 } are removed from the gas stream by solvent extraction. example 9 production of other chemicals from carbon black waste gas carbon black waste gas containing about 14 percent co, 17 percent h _{ 2 } and 4 percent ch _{ 4 } in n _{ 2 } is spared into a 1 l cstr operating at 37 c. and a few inches of water pressure. the medium in the reactor is a basal salts mixture containing water, b-vitamins, salts and minerals. the single or mixed culture in the reactor produces a liquid phase product of methanol, propanol, buytanol, propionic acid, butyric acid or other desirable products. the system is set up essentially the same as in example 8. following dilute product formation, the product is recovered in a suitable product recovery system consisting of extraction, distillation or other well-known product recovery techniques. if multiple products are produced, a stagewise product recovery system is employed. example 10 production of products from waste gas using a mixed culture the oil refinery waste gases of example 8 are spared into a 1.0 l cstr without cell recycle containing a mixed culture of bacteria capable of producing ethanol as the final product. the mixed culture contains one or more anaerobic bacteria that are capable of producing ethanol at low ph and under nutrient limitation. other strains can also be present. the conditions inside the reactor are essentially identical to the conditions of example 8. the product from the reactor is 15-20 g/l ethanol and 3-6 g/l acetic acid. the product stream from the reactor is treated identically to the method described in example 8. example 11 production of ethanol from waste gas using c. ljungdahlii petc the oil refinery waste gases of example 8 are spared into a 1.0 l cstr without cell recycle containing a culture of c. ljungdahlii petc capable of producing ethanol as the final product. the conditions inside the reactor are essentially identical to the conditions of example 8. the product from the reactor is 15 g/l ethanol and 6 g/l acetic acid. the product stream from the reactor is treated identically to the method described in example 8. thus, it will be appreciated that as a result of the present invention, a highly effective improved process for converting waste gases to acids, including organic acids, e.g., acetic acid, alcohols, hydrogen, scp or organic acid salts is provided by which the principle objective, among others, is completely fulfilled. it is contemplated and will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the preceding description and accompanying drawings that modifications and/or changes may be made in the illustrated embodiments without departure from the present invention. accordingly, it is expressly intended that the foregoing description and accompanying drawings are illustrative of preferred embodiments only, and are not limiting, and that the true spirit and scope of the present invention be determined by reference to the appended claims.
|
150-839-686-944-13X
|
AU
|
[
"US"
] |
B41J2/045,B41J2/14,B41J2/16,B41J2/165,B41J2/175,B41J3/42,B41J3/44,B41J11/00,B41J11/70,B41J15/04,B42D15/10,G06F1/16,G06K1/12,G06K7/14,G06K19/06,G06K19/073,G07F7/08,G07F7/12,G11C11/56,H04N1/00,H04N1/21,H04N1/32,H04N5/225,H04N5/262
| 1997-07-15T00:00:00 |
1997
|
[
"B41",
"B42",
"G06",
"G07",
"G11",
"H04"
] |
method of manufacture of a pulsed magnetic field ink jet printer
|
this patent describes a method of manufacturing a pulsed magnetic field ink jet print head wherein an array of nozzles are formed on a substrate utilising planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes. multiple ink jet heads are formed simultaneously on a single planar substrate such as a silicon wafer. the print heads can be formed utilising standard vlsi/ulsi processing and can include integrated drive electronics formed on the same substrate. the drive electronics preferably being of a cmos type. in the final construction, ink can be ejected from the substrate substantially normal to the substrate plane.
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1. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead which includes; providing a substrate; depositing a doped layer on the substrate and etching said layer to create an array of nozzles on the substrate with a nozzle chamber in communication with each nozzle; and utilising planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes to create a locking mechanism and a magnetically responsive paddle which can be latched by the locking mechanism, a paddle and a locking mechanism being associated with each nozzle chamber, the paddle being influenced by a pulsed magnetic field which is common to all the nozzles of the array and which is arranged so as to cause the paddle to eject a drop of ink from the nozzle when the locking mechanism is in a first state of actuation, and the locking mechanism being arranged so as to prevent the paddle from ejecting a drop of ink from the nozzle when the latch is in a second state of actuation, the latch mechanisms of the nozzles being individually addressable. 2. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein multiple ink jet printheads are formed simultaneously on the substrate. 3. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein said substrate is a silicon wafer. 4. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein integrated drive electronics are formed on the same substrate. 5. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 4 wherein said integrated drive electronics are formed using a cmos fabrication process. 6. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead as claimed in claim 1 wherein ink is ejected from said substrate normal to said substrate. 7. a method of manufacturing an ink jet printhead including the steps of: a) epitaxially depositing a boron doped silicon layer on a silicon wafer; b) epitaxially depositing a lightly doped silicon layer on the boron doped silicon layer; c) depositing and etching circuitry defining layers on the lightly doped silicon layer to form drive and data distribution circuitry; d) crystallographically etching the lightly doped silicon layer and a part of the circuitry layer to form a nozzle chamber; e) depositing a sacrificial layer on the circuitry defining layers, the sacrificial layer extending into the nozzle chamber; f) applying paddle-defining layers to the sacrificial layer; g) back-etching the wafer to the boron doped silicon layer; h) back-etching the boron doped silicon layer to create a nozzle; and i) removing the sacrificial layer so that a paddle defined by the paddle-defining layers is suspended above the nozzle chamber. 8. the method as claimed in claim 7 which includes back-etching the boron doped silicon layer to create a nozzle rim. 9. the method as claimed in claim 7 in which the steps of applying the paddle-defining layers include: depositing a seed layer for electroplating; depositing, exposing and developing resist; electroplating ferromagnetic material; stripping said resist; and etching said seed layer. 10. the method as claimed in claim 9 which includes, prior to deposition of the seed layer, the following steps: depositing a first layer of non-conductive material on the layer of sacrificial material; depositing and etching a layer of conductive material on said first layer of non-conductive material; and depositing a second layer of non-conductive material on the layer of conductive material to form a locking mechanism for the paddle. 11. the method as claimed in claim 9 which includes, after etching said seed layer, depositing and etching a layer of silicon nitride over the ferromagnetic material and that part of the sacrificial layer along one edge of the ferromagnetic material to form a spring for the paddle.
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field of the invention the present invention relates to the manufacture of ink jet print heads and, in particular, discloses a method of manufacture of a pulsed magnetic field ink jet printer. background of the invention many ink jet printing mechanisms are known. unfortunately, in mass production techniques, the production of ink jet heads is quite difficult. for example, often, the orifice or nozzle plate is constructed separately from the ink supply and ink ejection mechanism and bonded to the mechanism at a later stage (hewlett-packard journal, vol. 36 no 5, pp33-37 (1985)). these separate material processing steps required in handling such precision devices often adds a substantially expense in manufacturing. additionally, side shooting ink jet technologies (u.s. pat. no. 4,899,181) are often used but again, this limits the amount of mass production throughput given any particular capital investment. additionally, more esoteric techniques are also often utilised. these can include electroforming of nickel stage (hewlett-packard journal, vol. 36 no 5, pp33-37 (1985)), electro-discharge machining, laser ablation (u.s. pat. no. 5,208,604), micro-punching, etc. the utilisation of the above techniques is likely to add substantial expense to the mass production of ink jet print heads and therefore add substantially to their final cost. it would therefore be desirable if an efficient system for the mass production of ink jet print heads could be developed. summary of the invention it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative form of ink jet printing which relies upon a pulsed magnetic field to activate an ink jet actuator. in accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a pulsed magnetic field ink jet print head wherein an array of nozzles are formed on a substrate utilising planar monolithic deposition, lithographic and etching processes. preferably, multiple ink jet heads are formed simultaneously on a single planar substrate such as a silicon wafer. the print heads can be formed utilising standard vlsi/ulsi processing and can include integrated drive electronics formed on the same substrate, the drive electronics preferably being of a cmos type. in the final construction, ink can be ejected from the substrate substantially normal to the substrate plane. brief description of the drawings notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective, partly sectional view of a single ink jet nozzle in its quiescent position constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment; fig. 2 is a perspective, partly sectional view of a single ink jet nozzle in its firing position constructed in accordance with the preferred embodiment; fig. 3 is an exploded perspective illustrating the construction of a single ink jet nozzle in accordance with the preferred embodiment; fig. 4 provides a legend of the materials indicated in figs. 5 to 19; and fig. 5 to fig. 19 illustrate sectional views of the manufacturing steps in one form of construction of an ink jet printhead nozzle. description of the preferred and other embodiments in the preferred embodiment, an array of ink jet nozzles is provided with each of the nozzles being under the influence of an outside pulsed magnetic field. the outside pulsed magnetic field causes selected nozzles to eject ink from their ink nozzle chambers. turning initially to fig. 1 and fig. 2, there is illustrated a side perspective view, partly in section, of a single ink jet nozzle 10. fig. 1 illustrates a nozzle in a quiescent position and fig. 2 illustrates a nozzle in an ink ejection position. the ink jet nozzle 10 has an ink ejection port 11 for the ejection of ink on demand. the ink jet ejection port 11 is connected to an ink nozzle chamber 12 which is usually filled with ink and supplied from an ink reservoir 13 via holes eg. 15. a magnetic actuation device 25 is included and comprises a magnetic soft core 17 which is surrounded by a nitride coating eg. 18. the nitride coating includes an end protuberance 27. the magnetic core 17, operates under the influence of an external pulsed magnetic field. hence, when the external magnetic field is very high, the actuator 25 is caused to move rapidly downwards and to thereby cause the ejection of ink from the ink ejection port 11. adjacent the actuator 25 is provided a locking mechanism 20 which comprises a thermal actuator which includes a copper resistive circuit having two arms 22, 24. a current is passed through the connected arms 22, 24 thereby causing them to be heated. the arm 22, being of a thinner construction undergoes more resistive heating than the arm 24 which has a much thicker structure. the arm 22 is also of a serpentine nature and is encased in polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) which has a high coefficient of thermal expansion, thereby increasing the degree of expansion upon heating. the copper portions expand with the ptfe portions by means of concertinaing. the arm 24 has a thinned portion 29 (fig. 3) which becomes the concentrated bending region in the resolution of the various forces activated upon heating. hence, any bending of arm 24 is accentuated in the region 29 and upon heating, the region 29 bends so that end portion 26 (fig. 3) moves out 21 to block any downward movement of the edge 27 of the actuator 25. hence, when it is desired to eject an ink drop from a current nozzle chamber, the locking mechanism 20 is not activated and as a result ink is ejected from the ink ejection port during the next external magnetic pulse phase. when a current nozzle is not to eject ink, the locking mechanism 20 is activated to block any movement of the actuator 25 and therefore stop the ejection of ink from the chamber. importantly, the actuator 20 is located within a cavity 28 such that the volume of ink flowing past arm 22 is extremely low whereas the arm 24 receives a much larger volume of ink flow during operation. turning now to fig. 3, there is illustrated an exploded perspective view of a single ink jet nozzle 10 illustrating the various layers which make up the nozzle. the nozzle 10 can be constructed on a semiconductor wafer utilising standard semiconductor processing techniques in addition to those techniques commonly used for the construction of micro-electromechanical systems (mems). for a general introduction to a micro-electro mechanical system (mems) reference is made to standard proceedings in this field including the proceedings of the spie (international society for optical engineering), volumes 2642 and 2882 which contain the proceedings for recent advances and conferences in this field. at the bottom level 30 is constructed the nozzle plate including the ink ejection port 11. the nozzle plate 30 can be constructed from a buried boron doped epitaxial layer of a silicon wafer which has been back etched to the point of the epitaxial layer. the epitaxial layer itself is then etched utilising a mask so as to form the nozzle rim (see figs. 1, 2 ) and the nozzle hole 11. next, is the silicon wafer layer 32 which is etched so as to include the nozzle chamber 12. the silicon layer 32 can be etched to contain substantially vertical side walls through the utilisation of high density, low pressure plasma etching such as that available from surface technology systems and subsequently filled with sacrificial material which will be later etched away. on top of the silicon layer is deposited a two level cmos circuitry layer 33 which comprises substantially glass in addition to the usual metal and poly layers. the layer 33 includes the formation of the heater element contacts which can be constructed from copper. the ptfe layer 35 can be provided as a departure from normal construction with a bottom ptfe layer being first deposited followed by the copper layer 34 and a second ptfe layer to cover the copper layer 34. next, a nitride passivation layer 36 is provided which acts to provide a passivation surface for the lower layers in addition to providing a base for a soft magnetic nickel ferrous layer 17 which forms the magnetic actuator portion of the actuator 25. the nitride layer 36 includes bending portions 40 utilised in the bending of the actuator. next a nitride passivation layer 39 is provided so as to passivate the top and side surfaces of the nickel iron (nife) layer 17. one form of detailed manufacturing process which can be used to fabricate monolithic ink jet print heads operating in accordance with the principles taught by the present embodiment can proceed utilizing the following steps: 1. using a double sided polished wafer 50 deposit 3 microns of epitaxial silicon heavily doped with boron 30. 2. deposit 10 microns of epitaxial silicon 32, either p-type or n-type, depending upon the cmos process used. 3. complete drive transistors, data distribution, and timing circuits using a 0.5 micron, one poly, 2 metal cmos process 33. relevant features of the wafer at this step are shown in fig. 5. for clarity, these diagrams may not be to scale, and may not represent a cross section though any single plane of the nozzle. fig. 4 is a key to representations of various materials in these manufacturing diagrams, and those of other cross referenced ink jet configurations. 4. etch the cmos oxide layers down to silicon or aluminum using mask 1. this mask defines the nozzle chamber, and the edges of the print head chips. this step is shown in fig. 6. 5. crystallographically etch the exposed silicon using, for example, koh or edp (ethylenediamine pyrocatechol). this etch stops on <111> crystallographic planes 51, and on the boron doped silicon buried layer. this step is shown in fig. 7. 6. deposit 0.5 microns of silicon nitride (si3n4) 52. 7. deposit 10 microns of sacrificial material 53. planarize down to one micron over nitride using cmp. the sacrificial material temporarily fills the nozzle cavity. this step is shown in fig. 8. 8. deposit 0.5 microns of polytetrafluoroethylene (ptfe) 54. 9. etch contact vias in the ptfe, the sacrificial material, nitride, and cmos oxide layers down to second level metal using mask 2. this step is shown in fig. 9. 10. deposit 1 micron of titanium nitride (tin) 55. 11. etch the tin using mask 3. this mask defines the heater pattern for the hot arm of the catch actuator, the cold arm of the catch actuator, and the catch. this step is shown in fig. 10. 12. deposit 1 micron of ptfe 56. 13. etch both layers of ptfe using mask 4. this mask defines the sleeve of the hot arm of the catch actuator. this step is shown in fig. 11. 14. deposit a seed layer for electroplating. 15. spin on 11 microns of resist 57, and expose and develop the resist using mask 5. this mask defines the magnetic paddle. this step is shown in fig. 12. 16. electroplate 10 microns of ferromagnetic material 58 such as nickel iron (nife). this step is shown in fig. 13. 17. strip the resist and etch the seed layer. 18. deposit 0.5 microns of low stress pecvd silicon nitride 59. 19. etch the nitride using mask 6, which defines the spring. this step is shown in fig. 14. 20. mount the wafer on a glass blank 60 and back-etch the wafer using koh with no mask. this etch thins the wafer and stops at the buried boron doped silicon layer. this step is shown in fig. 15. 21. plasma back-etch the boron doped silicon layer to a depth of 1 micron using mask 7. this mask defines the nozzle rim 31. this step is shown in fig. 16. 22. plasma back-etch through the boron doped layer using mask 8. this mask defines the nozzle 11, and the edge of the chips. 23. plasma back-etch nitride up to the glass sacrificial layer through the holes in the boron doped silicon layer. at this stage, the chips are separate, but are still mounted on the glass blank. this step is shown in fig. 17. 24. strip the adhesive layer to detach the chips from the glass blank. 25. etch the sacrificial layer. this step is shown in fig. 18. 26. mount the print heads in their packaging, which may be a molded plastic former incorporating ink channels which supply different colors of ink to the appropriate regions of the front surface of the wafer. 27. connect the print heads to their interconnect systems. 28. hydrophobize the front surface of the print heads. 29. fill the completed print heads with ink 61, apply an oscillating magnetic field, and test the print heads. this step is shown in fig. 19. it would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the present invention as shown in the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. the present embodiment is, therefore, to be considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive. the presently disclosed ink jet printing technology is potentially suited to a wide range of printing systems including: color and monochrome office printers, short run digital printers, high speed digital printers, offset press supplemental printers, low cost scanning printers, high speed pagewidth printers, notebook computers with in-built pagewidth printers, portable color and monochrome printers, color and monochrome copiers, color and monochrome facsimile machines, combined printer, facsimile and copying machines, label printers, large format plotters, photograph copiers, printers for digital photographic `minilabs`, video printers, photo cd (photo cd is a registered trade mark of the eastman kodak company) printers, portable printers for pdas, wallpaper printers, indoor sign printers, billboard printers, fabric printers, camera printers and fault tolerant commercial printer arrays. ink jet technologies the embodiments of the invention use an ink jet printer type device. of course many different devices could be used. however presently popular ink jet printing technologies are unlikely to be suitable. the most significant problem with thermal inkjet is power consumption. this is approximately 100 times that required for high speed, and stems from the energy-inefficient means of drop ejection. this involves the rapid boiling of water to produce a vapor bubble which expels the ink. water has a very high heat capacity, and must be superheated in thermal inkjet applications. this leads to an efficiency of around 0.02%, from electricity input to drop momentum (and increased surface area) out. the most significant problem with piezoelectric inkjet is size and cost. piezoelectric crystals have a very small deflection at reasonable drive voltages, and therefore require a large area for each nozzle. also, each piezoelectric actuator must be connected to its drive circuit on a separate substrate. this is not a significant problem at the current limit of around 300 nozzles per print head, but is a major impediment to the fabrication of pagewidth print heads with 19,200 nozzles. ideally, the inkjet technologies used meet the stringent requirements of in-camera digital color printing and other high quality, high speed, low cost printing applications. to meet the requirements of digital photography, new inkjet technologies have been created. the target features include: low power (less than 10 watts) high resolution capability (1,600 dpi or more) photographic quality output low manufacturing cost small size (pagewidth times minimum cross section) high speed (<2 seconds per page). all of these features can be met or exceeded by the inkjet systems described below with differing levels of difficulty. forty five different inkjet technologies have been developed by the assignee to give a wide range of choices for high volume manufacture. these technologies form part of separate applications assigned to the present assignee as set out in the table under the heading cross references to related applications. the inkjet designs shown here are suitable for a wide range of digital printing systems, from battery powered one-time use digital cameras, through to desktop and network printers, and through to commercial printing systems for ease of manufacture using standard process equipment, the print head is designed to be a monolithic 0.5 micron cmos chip with mems post processing. for color photographic applications, the print head is 100 mm long, with a width which depends upon the inkjet type. the smallest print head designed is ij38, which is 0.35 mm wide, giving a chip area of 35 square mm. the print heads each contain 19,200 nozzles plus data and control circuitry. ink is supplied to the back of the print head by injection molded plastic ink channels. the molding requires 50 micron features, which can be created using a lithographically micromachined insert in a standard injection molding tool. ink flows through holes etched through the wafer to the nozzle chambers fabricated on the front surface of the wafer. the print head is connected to the camera circuitry by tape automated bonding. tables of drop-on-demand ink jets eleven important characteristics of the fundamental operation of individual ink jet nozzles have been identified. these characteristics are largely orthogonal, and so can be elucidated as an eleven dimensional matrix. most of the eleven axes of this matrix include entries developed by the present assignee. the following tables form the axes of an eleven dimensional table of ink jet types. actuator mechanism (18 types) basic operation mode (7 types) auxiliary mechanism (8 types) actuator amplification or modification method (17 types) actuator motion (19 types) nozzle refill method (4 types) method of restricting back-flow through inlet (10 types) nozzle clearing method (9 types) nozzle plate construction (9 types) drop ejection direction (5 types) ink type (7 types) the complete eleven dimensional table represented by these axes contains 36.9 billion possible configurations of ink jet nozzle. while not all of the possible combinations result in a viable ink jet technology, many million configurations are viable. it is clearly impractical to elucidate all of the possible configurations. instead, certain ink jet types have been investigated in detail. these are designated ij01 to ij45 which matches the docket numbers in the table under the heading cross references to related applications. other ink jet configurations can readily be derived from these forty-five examples by substituting alternative configurations along one or more of the 11 axes. most of the ij01 to ij45 examples can be made into ink jet print heads with characteristics superior to any currently available ink jet technology. where there are prior art examples known to the inventor, one or more of these examples are listed in the examples column of the tables below. the ij01 to ij45 series are also listed in the examples column. in some cases, a print technology may be listed more than once in a table, where it shares characteristics with more than one entry. suitable applications for the ink jet technologies include: home printers, office network printers, short run digital printers, commercial print systems, fabric printers, pocket printers, internet www printers, video printers, medical imaging, wide format printers, notebook pc printers, fax machines, industrial printing systems, photocopiers, photographic minilabs etc. the information associated with the aforementioned 11 dimensional matrix are set out in the following tables. actuator mechanism (applied only to selected ink drops) description advantages disadvantages examples thermal an electrothermal large force high power canon bubblejet bubble heater heats the ink to generated ink carrier limited to 1979 endo et al gb above boiling point, simple construction water patent 2,007,162 transferring significant no moving parts low efficiency xerox heater-in-pit heat to the aqueous fast operation high temperatures 1990 hawkins et al ink. a bubble small chip area required usp 4,899,181 nucleates and quickly required for actuator high mechanical hewlett-packard tij forms, expelling the stress 1982 vaught et al ink. unusual materials usp 4,490,728 the efficiency of the required process is low, with large drive typically less than transistors 0.05% of the electrical cavitation causes energy being actuator failure transformed into kogation reduces kinetic energy of the bubble formation drop. large print heads are difficult to fabricate piezo- a piezoelectric crystal low power very large area kyser et al usp electric such as lead consumption required for actuator 3,946,398 lanthanum zirconate many ink types can difficult to integrate zoltan usp (pzt) is electrically be used with electronics 3,683,212 activated, and either fast operation high voltage drive 1973 stemme usp expands, shears, or high efficiency transistors required 3,747,120 bends to apply full pagewidth print epson stylus pressure to the ink, heads impractical tektronix ejecting drops. due to actuator size ij04 requires electrical poling in high field strengths during manufacture electro- an electric field is low power low maximum seiko epson, usui strictive used to activate consumption strain (approx. et all jp 253401/96 electrostriction in many ink types can 0.01%) ij04 relaxor materials such be used large area required as lead lanthanum low thermal for actuator due to zirconate titanate expansion low strain (plzt) or lead electric field response speed is magnesium niobate strength required marginal (.about.10 .mu.s) (pmn). (approx. 3.5 v/.mu.m) high voltage drive can be generated transistors required without difficulty full pagewidth print does not require heads impractical electrical poling due to actuator size ferro- an electric field is low power difficult to integrate ij04 electric used to induce a phase consumption with electronics transition between the many ink types can unusual materials antiferroelectric (afe) be used such as plzsnt are and ferroelectric (fe) fast operation required phase. perovskite (<1 .mu.s) actuators require a materials such as tin relatively high large area modified lead longitudinal strain lanthanum zirconate high efficiency titanate (plzsnt) electric field exhibit large strains of strength of around 3 up to 1% associated v/.mu.m can be readily with the afe to fe provided phase transition. electro- conductive plates are low power difficult to operate ij02, ij04 static separated by a consumption electrostatic devices plates compressible or fluid many ink types can in an aqueous dielectric (usually air). be used environment upon application of a fast operation the electrostatic voltage, the plates actuator will attract each other and normally need to be displace ink, causing separated from the drop ejection. the ink conductive plates may very large area be in a comb or required to achieve honeycomb structure, high forces or stacked to increase high voltage drive the surface area and transistors may be therefore the force. required full pagewidth print heads are not competitive due to actuator size electro- a strong electric field low current high voltage 1989 saito et al, static pull is applied to the ink, consumption required usp 4,799,068 on ink whereupon low temperature may be damaged by 1989 miura et al, electrostatic attraction sparks due to air usp 4,810,954 accelerates the ink breakdown tone-jet towards the print required field medium. strength increases as the drop size decreases high voltage drive transistors required electrostatic field attracts dust permanent an electromagnet low power complex fabrication ij07, ij10 magnet directly attracts a consumption permanent magnetic electro- permanent magnet, many ink types can material such as magnetic displacing ink and be used neodymium iron causing drop ejection. fast operation boron (ndfeb) rare earth magnets high efficiency required. with a field strength easy extension from high local currents around 1 tesla can be single nozzles to required used. examples are: pagewidth print copper metalization samarium cobalt heads should be used for (saco) and magnetic long materials in the electromigration neodymium iron boron lifetime and low family (ndfeb, resistivity nddyfebnb, pigmented inks are nddyfeb, etc) usually infeasible operating temperature limited to the curie temperature (around 540 k.) soft a solenoid induced a low power complex fabrication ij01, ij05, ij08, magnetic magnetic field in a soft consumption materials not ij10, ij12, ij14, core magnetic core or yoke many ink types can usually present in a ij15, ij17 electro- fabricated from a be used cmos fab such as magnetic ferrous material such fast operation nife, conife, or as electroplated iron high efficiency cofe are required alloys such as conife easy extension from high local currents [1], cofe, or nife single nozzles to required alloys. typically, the pagewidth print copper metalization soft magnetic material heads should be used for is in two parts, which long are normally held electromigration apart by a spring. lifetime and low when the solenoid is resistivity actuated, the two parts electroplating is attract, displacing the required ink. high saturation flux density is required (2.0-2.1 t is achievable with conife [1]) lorenz the lorenz force low power force acts as a ij06, ij11, ij13, force acting on a current consumption twisting motion ij16 carrying wire in a many ink types can typically, only a magnetic field is be used quarter of the utilized. fast operation solenoid length this allows the high efficiency provides force in a magnetic field to be easy extension from useful direction supplied externally to single nozzles to high local currents the print head, for pagewidth print required example with rare heads copper metalization earth permanent should be used for magnets. long only the current electromigration carrying wire need be lifetime and low fabricated on the print- resistivity head, simplifying pigmented inks are materials usually infeasible requirements. magneto- the actuator uses the many ink types can force acts as a fischenbeck, usp striction giant magnetostrictive be used twisting motion 4,032,929 effect of materials fast operation unusual materials ij25 such as terfenol-d (an easy extension from such as terfenol-d alloy of terbium, single nozzles to are required dysprosium and iron pagewidth print high local currents developed at the naval heads required ordnance laboratory, high force is copper metalization hence ter-fe-nol). available should be used for for best efficiency, the long actuator shoud be pre- electromigration stressed to approx. 8 lifetime and low mpa. resistivity pre-stressing may be required surface ink under positive low power requires silverbrook, ep tension pressure is held in a consumption supplementary force 0771 658 a2 and reduction nozzle by surface simple construction to effect drop related patent tension. the surface no unusual separation applications tension of the ink is materials required in requires special ink reduced below the fabrication surfactants bubble threshold, high efficiency speed may be causing the ink to easy extension from limited by surfactant egress from the single nozzles to properties nozzle. pagewidth print heads viscosity the ink viscosity is simple construction requires silverbrook, ep reduction locally reduced to no unusual supplementary force 0771 658 a2 and select which drops are materials required in to effect drop related patent to be ejected. a fabrication separation applications viscosity reduction can easy extension from requires special ink be achieved single nozzles to viscosity properties electrothermally with pagewidth print high speed is most inks, but special heads difficult to achieve inks can be engineered requires oscillating for a 100:1 viscosity ink pressure reduction. a high temperature difference (typically 80 degrees) is required acoustic an acoustic wave is can operate without complex drive 1993 hadimioglu et generated and a nozzle plate circuitry al, eup 550,192 focussed upon the complex fabrication 1993 elrod et al, drop ejection region. low efficiency eup 572,220 poor control of drop position poor control of drop volume thermo- an actuator which low power efficient aqueous ij03, ij09, ij17, elastic relies upon differential consumption operation requires a ij18, ij19, ij20, bend thermal expansion many ink types can thermal insulator on ij21, ij22, ij23, actuator upon joule heating is be used the hot side ij24, ij27, ij28, used. simple planar corrosion ij29, ij30, ij31, fabrication prevention can be ij32, ij33, ij34, small chip area difficult ij35, ij36, ij37, required for each pigmented inks may ij38, ij39, ij40, actuator be infeasible, as ij41 fast operation pigment particles high efficiency may jam the bend cmos compatible actuator voltages and currents standard mems processes can be used easy extension from single nozzles to pagewidth print heads high cte a material with a very high force can be requires special ij09, ij17, ij18, thermo- high coefficient of generated material (e.g. ptfe) ij20, ij21, ij22, elastic thermal expansion three methods of requires a ptfe ij23, ij24, ij27, actuator (cte) such as ptfe deposition are deposition process, ij28, ij29, ij30, polytetrafluoroethylene under development: which is not yet ij31, ij42, ij43, (ptfe) is used. as chemical vapor standard in ulsi ij44 high cte materials deposition (cvd), fabs are usually non- spin coating, and ptfe deposition conductive, a heater evaporation cannot be followed fabricated from a ptfe is a candidate with high conductive material is for low dielectric temperature (above incorporated. a 50 .mu.m constant insulation 350.degree.0 c.) processing long ptfe bend in ulsi pigmented inks may actuator with very low power be infeasible, as polysilicon heater and consumption pigment particles 15 mw power input many ink types can may jam the bend can provide 180 .mu.n be used actuator force and 10 .mu.m simple planar deflection. actuator fabrication motions include: small chip area bend required for each push actuator buckle fast operation rotate high efficiency cmos compatible voltages and currents easy extension from single nozzles to pagewidth print heads conduct- a polymer with a high high force can be requires special ij24 ive coefficient of thermal generated materials polymer expansion (such as very low power development (high thermo- ptfe) is doped with consumption cte conduction elastic conducting substances many ink types can polymer) actuator to increase its be used requires a ptfe conductivity to about 3 simple planar deposition process, orders of magnitude fabrication which is not yet below that of copper. small chip area standard in ulsi the conducting required for each fabs polymer expands actuator ptfe deposition when resistively fast operation cannot be followed heated. high efficiency with high examples of cmos compatible temperature (above conducting dopants voltages and 350.degree. c.) processing include: currents evaporation and carbon nanotubes easy extension from cvd deposition metal fibers single nozzles to techniques cannot conductive polymers pagewidth print be used such as doped heads pigmented inks may polythiophene be infeasible, as carbon granules pigment particles may jam the bend actuator shape a shape memory alloy high force is fatigue limits ij26 memory such as tini (also available (stresses maximum number alloy known as nitinol - of hundreds of mpa) of cycles nickel titanium alloy large strain is low strain (1%) is developed at the naval available (more than required to extent ordnance laboratory) 3%) fatigue resistance is thermally switched high corrosion cycle rate limited between its weak resistance by heat removal martensitic state and simple construction requires unusual its high stiffness easy extension from materials (tini) austenic state. the single nozzles to the latent heat of shape of the actuator pagewidth print transformation must in its martensitic state heads be provided is deformed relative to low voltage high current the austenic shape. operation operation the shape change requires pre- causes ejection of a stressing to distort drop. the martensitic state linear linear magnetic linear magnetic requires unusual ij12 magnetic actuators include the actuators can be semiconductor actuator linear induction constructed with materials such as actuator (lia), linear high thrust, long soft magnetic alloys permanent magnet travel, and high (e.g. conife) synchronous actuator efficiency using some varieties also (lpmsa), linear planar require permanent reluctance semiconductor magnetic materials synchronous actuator fabrication such as neodymium (lrsa), linear techniques iron boron (ndfeb) switched reluctance long actuator travel requires complex actuator (lsra), and is available multi-phase drive the linear stepper medium force is circuitry actuator (lsa). available high current low voltage operation operation basic operation mode description advantages disadvantages examples actuator this is the simplest simple operation drop repetition rate thermal ink jet directly mode of operation: the no external fields is usually limited to piezoelectric ink jet pushes ink actuator directly required around 10 khz. ij01, ij02, ij03, supplies sufficient satellite drops can however, this is not ij04, ij05, ij06, kinetic energy to expel be avoided if drop fundamental to the ij07, ij09, ij11, the drop. the drop velocity is less than method, but is ij12, ij14, ij16, must have a sufficient 4 m/s related to the refill ij20, ij22, ij23, velocity to overcome can be efficient, method normally ij24, ij25, ij26, the surface tension. depending upon the used ij27, ij28, ij29, actuator used all of the drop ij30, ij31, ij32, kinetic energy must ij33, ij34, ij35, be provided by the ij36, ij37, ij38, actuator ij39, ij40, ij41, satellite drops ij42, ij43, ij44 usually form if drop velocity is greater than 4.5 m/s proximity the drops to be very simple print requires close silverbrook, ep printed are selected by head fabrication can proximity between 0771 658 a2 and some manner (e.g. be used the print head and related patent thermally induced the drop selection the print media or applications surface tension means does not need transfer roller reduction of to provide the may require two pressurized ink). energy required to print heads printing selected drops are separate the drop alternate rows of the separated from the ink from the nozzle image in the nozzle by monolithic color contact with the print print heads are medium or a transfer difficult roller. electro- the drops to be very simple print requires very high silverbrook, ep static pull printed are selected by head fabrication can electrostatic field 0771 658 a2 and on ink some manner (e.g. be used electrostatic field related patent thermally induced the drop selection for small nozzle applications surface tension means does not need sizes is above air tone-jet reduction of to provide the breakdown pressurized ink). energy required to electrostatic field selected drops are separate the drop may attract dust separated from the ink from the nozzle in the nozzle by a strong electric field. magnetic the drops to be very simple print requires magnetic silverbrook, ep pull on ink printed are selected by head fabrication can ink 0771 658 a2 and some manner (e.g. be used ink colors other than related patent thermally induced the drop selection black are difficult applications surface tension means does not need requires very high reduction of to provide the magnetic fields pressurized ink). energy required to selected drops are separate the drop separated from the ink from the nozzle in the nozzle by a strong magnetic field acting on the magnetic ink. shutter the actuator moves a high speed (>50 moving parts are ij13, ij17, ij21 shutter to block ink khz) operation can required flow to the nozzle. the be achieved due to requires ink ink pressure is pulsed reduced refill time pressure modulator at a multiple of the drop timing can be friction and wear drop ejection very accurate must be considered frequency. the actuator energy stiction is possible can be very low shuttered the actuator moves a actuators with moving parts are ij08, ij15, ij18, grill shutter to block ink small travel can be required ij19 flow through a grill to used requires ink the nozzle. the shutter actuators with pressure modulator movement need only small force can be friction and wear be equal to the width used must be considered of the grill holes. high speed (>50 stiction is possible khz) operation can be achieved pulsed a pulsed magnetic extremely low requires an external ij10 magnetic field attracts an `ink energy operation is pulsed magnetic pull on ink pusher` at the drop possible field pusher ejection frequency. an no heat dissipation requires special actuator controls a problems materials for both catch, which prevents the actuator and the the ink pusher from ink pusher moving when a drop is complex not to be ejected. construction auxiliary mechanism (applied to all nozzles) description advantages disadvantages examples none the actuator directly simplicity of drop ejection most ink jets, fires the ink drop, and construction energy must be including there is no external simplicity of supplied by piezoelectric and field or other operation individual nozzle thermal bubble. mechanism required. small physical size actuator ij01, ij02, ij03, ij04, ij05, ij07, ij09, ij11, ij12, ij14, ij20, ij22, ij23, ij24, ij25, ij26, ij27, ij28, ij29, ij30, ij31, ij32, ij33, ij34, ij35, ij36, ij37, ij38, ij39, ij40, ij41, ij42, ij43, ij44 oscillating the ink pressure oscillating ink requires external silverbrook, ep ink oscillates, providing pressure can provide ink pressure 0771 658 a2 and pressure much of the drop a refill pulse, oscillator related patent (including ejection energy. the allowing higher ink pressure phase applications acoustic actuator selects which operating speed and amplitude must ij08, ij13, ij15, stimula- drops are to be fired the actuators may be carefully ij17, ij18, ij19, tion) by selectively operate with much controlled ij21 blocking or enabling lower energy acoustic reflections nozzles. the ink acoustic lenses can in the ink chamber pressure oscillation be used to focus the must be designed may be achieved by sound on the for vibrating the print nozzles head, or preferably by an actuator in the ink supply. media the print head is low power precision assembly silverbrook, ep proximity placed in close high accuracy required 0771 658 a2 and proximity to the print simple print head paper fibers may related patent medium. selected construction cause problems applications drops protrude from cannot print on the print head further rough substrates than unselected drops, and contact the print medium. the drop soaks into the medium fast enough to cause drop separation. transfer drops are printed to a high accuracy bulky silverbrook, ep roller transfer roller instead wide range of print expensive 0771 658 a2 and of straight to the print substrates can be complex related patent medium. a transfer used construction applications roller can also be used ink can be dried on tektronix hot melt for proximity drop the transfer roller piezoelectric ink jet separation. any of the ij series electro- an electric field is low power field strength silverbrook, ep static used to accelerate simple print head required for 0771 658 a2 and selected drops towards construction separation of small related patent the print medium. drops is near or applications above air tone-jet breakdown direct a magnetic field is low power requires magnetic silverbrook, ep magnetic used to accelerate simple print head, ink 0771 658 a2 and field selected drops of construction requires strong related patent magnetic ink towards magnetic field applications the print medium. cross the print head is does not require requires external ij06, ij16 magnetic placed in a constant magnetic materials magnet field magnetic field. the to be integrated in current densities lorenz force in a the print head may be high, current carrying wire manufacturing resulting in is used to move the process electromigration actuator. problems pulsed a pulsed magnetic very low power complex print head ij10 magnetic field is used to operation is possible construction field cyclically attract a small print head magnetic materials paddle, which pushes size required in print on the ink. a small head actuator moves a catch, which selectively prevents the paddle from moving. actuator amplification or modification method description advantages disadvantages examples none no actuator operational many actuator thermal bubble ink mechanical simplicity mechanisms have jet amplification is used. insufficient travel, ij01, ij02, ij06, the actuator directly or insufficient force, ij07, ij16, ij25, drives the drop to efficiently drive ij26 ejection process. the drop ejection process differential an actuator material provides greater high stresses are piezoelectric expansion expands more on one travel in a reduced involved ij03, ij09, ij17, bend side than on the other. print head area care must be taken ij18, ij19, ij20, actuator the expansion may be that the materials do ij21, ij22, ij23, thermal, piezoelectric, not delaminate ij24, ij27, ij29, magnetostrictive, or residual bend ij30, ij31, ij32, other mechanism. the resulting from high ij33, ij34, ij35, bend actuator converts temperature or high ij36, ij37, ij38, a high force low travel stress during ij39, 1342, ij43, actuator mechanism to formation ij44 high travel, lower force mechanism. transient a trilayer bend very good high stresses are ij40, ij41 bend actuator where the two temperature stability involved actuator outside layers are high speed, as a care must be taken identical. this cancels new drop can be that the materials do bend due to ambient fired before heat not delaminate temperature and dissipates residual stress. the cancels residual actuator only responds stress of formation to transient heating of one side or the other. reverse the actuator loads a better coupling to fabrication ij05, ij11 spring spring. when the the ink complexity actuator is turned off, high stress in the the spring releases. spring this can reverse the force/distance curve of the actuator to make it compatible with the force/time requirements of the drop ejection. actuator a series of thin increased travel increased some piezoelectric stack actuators are stacked. reduced drive fabrication ink jets this can be voltage complexity ij04 appropriate where increased possibility actuators require high of short circuits due electric field strength, to pinholes such as electrostatic and piezoelectric actuators. multiple multiple smaller increases the force actuator forces may ij12, ij13, ij18, actuators actuators are used available from an not add linearly, ij20, ij22, ij28, simultaneously to actuator reducing efficiency ij42, ij43 move the ink. each multiple actuators actuator need provide can be positioned to only a portion of the control ink flow force required. accurately linear a linear spring is used matches low travel requires print head ij15 spring to transform a motion actuator with higher area for the spring with small travel and travel requirements high force into a non-contact method longer travel, lower of motion force motion. transformation coiled a bend actuator is increases travel generally restricted ij17, ij21, ij34, actuator coiled to provide reduces chip area to planar ij35 greater travel in a planar implementations reduced chip area. implementations are due to extreme relatively easy to fabrication difficulty fabricate. in other orientations. flexure a bend actuator has a simple means of care must be taken ij10, ij19, ij33 bend small region near the increasing travel of not to exceed the actuator fixture point, which a bend actuator elastic limit in the flexes much more flexure area readily than the stress distribution is remainder of the very uneven actuator. the actuator difficult to flexing is effectively accurately model converted from an with finite element even coiling to an analysis angular bend, resulting in greater travel of the actuator tip. catch the actuator controls a very low actuator complex ij10 small catch. the catch energy construction either enables or very small actuator requires external disables movement of size force an ink pusher that is unsuitable for controlled in a bulk pigmented inks manner. gears gears can be used to low force, low moving parts are ij13 increase travel at the travel actuators can required expense of duration. be used several actuator circular gears, rack can be fabricated cycles are required and pinion, ratchets, using standard more complex drive and other gearing surface mems electronics methods can be used. processes complex construction friction, friction, and wear are possible buckle a buckle plate can be very fast movement must stay within s. hirata et al, "an plate used to change a slow achievable elastic limits of the ink-jet head using actuator into a fast materials for long diaphragm motion. it can also device life microactuator", convert a high force, high stresses proc. ieee mems, low travel actuator involved feb. 1996, pp 418- into a high travel, generally high 423. medium force motion. power requirement ij18, ij27 tapered a tapered magnetic linearizes the complex ij14 magnetic pole can increase magnetic construction pole travel at the expense force/distance curve of force. lever a lever and fulcrum is matches low travel high stress around ij32, ij36, ij37 used to transform a actuator with higher the fulcrum motion with small travel requirements travel and high force fulcrum area has no into a motion with linear movement, longer travel and and can be used for lower force. the lever a fluid seal can also reverse the direction of travel. rotary the actuator is high mechanical complex ij28 impeller connected to a rotary advantage construction impeller. a small the ratio of force to unsuitable for angular deflection of travel of the actuator pigmented inks the actuator results in can be matched to a rotation of the the nozzle impeller vanes, which requirements by push the ink against varying the number stationary vanes and of impeller vanes out of the nozzle. acoustic a refractive or no moving parts large area required 1993 hadimioglu et lens diffractive (e.g. zone only relevant for al, eup 550,192 plate) acoustic lens is acoustic inkjets 1993 elrod et al, used to concentrate eup 572,220 sound waves. sharp a sharp point is used simple construction difficult to fabricate tone-jet conductive to concentrate an using standard vlsi point electrostatic field. processes for a surface ejecting ink- jet only relevant for electrostatic ink jets actuator motion description advantages disadvantages examples volume the volume of the simple construction high energy is hewlett-packard expansion actuator changes, in the case of typically required to thermal inkjet pushing the ink in all thermal ink jet achieve volume canon bubblejet directions. expansion. this leads to thermal stress, cavitation, and kogation in thermal ink jet implementations linear, the actuator moves in efficient coupling to high fabrication ij01, ij02, ij04, normal to a direction normal to ink drops ejected complexity may be ij07, ij11, ij14 chip the print head surface. normal to the required to achieve surface the nozzle is typically surface perpendicular in the line of motion movement. parallel to the actuator moves suitable for planar fabrication ij12, ij13, ij15, chip parallel to the print fabrication complexity ij33, ij34, ij35, surface head surface. drop friction ij36 ejection may still be stiction normal to the surface. membrane an actuator with a the effective area of fabrication 1982 howkins usp push high force but small the actuator complexity 4,459,601 area is used to push a becomes the actuator size stiff membrane that is membrane area difficulty of in contact with the ink. integration in a vlsi process rotary the actuator causes rotary levers may device complexity ij05, ij08, ij13, the rotation of some be used to increase may have friction at ij28 element, such a grill or travel a pivot point impeller small chip area requirements bend the actuator bends a very small change requires the 1970 kyser et al when energized. this in dimensions can actuator to be made usp 3,946,398 may be due to be converted to a from at least two 1973 stemme usp differential thermal large motion. distinct layers, or to 3,747,120 expansion, have a thermal ij03, ij09, ij10, piezoelectric difference across the ij19, ij23, ij24, expansion, actuator ij25, ij29, ij30, magnetostriction, or ij31, ij33, ij34, other form of relative ij35 dimensional change. swivel the actuator swivels allows operation inefficient coupling ij06 around a central pivot. where the net linear to the ink motion this motion is suitable force on the paddle where there are is zero opposite forces small chip area applied to opposite requirements sides of the paddle, e.g. lorenz force. straighten the actuator is can be used with requires careful ij26, ij32 normally bent, and shape memory balance of stresses straightens when alloys where the to ensure that the energized. austenic phase is quiescent bend is planar accurate double the actuator bends in one actuator can be difficult to make ij36, ij37, ij38 bend one direction when used to power two the drops ejected by one element is nozzles. both bend directions energized, and bends reduced chip size. identical. the other way when not sensitive to a small efficiency another element is ambient temperature loss compared to energized. equivalent single bend actuators. shear energizing the can increase the not readily 1985 fishbeck usp actuator causes a shear effective travel of applicable to other 4,584,590 motion in the actuator piezoelectric actuator material. actuators mechanisms radial the actuator squeezes relatively easy to high force required 1970 zoltan usp con- an ink reservoir, fabricate single inefficient 3,683,212 striction forcing ink from a nozzles from glass difficult to integrate constricted nozzle. tubing as with vlsi macroscopic processes structures coil/ a coiled actuator easy to fabricate as difficult to fabricate ij17, ij21, ij34, uncoil uncoils or coils more a planar vlsi for non-planar ij35 tightly. the motion of process devices the free end of the small area required, poor out-of-plane actuator ejects the ink. therefore low cost stiffness bow the actuator bows (or can increase the maximum travel is ij16, ij18, ij27 buckles) in the middle speed of travel constrained when energized. mechanically rigid high force required push-pull two actuators control the structure is not readily suitable ij18 a shutter. one actuator pinned at both ends, for ink jets which pulls the shutter, and so has a high out-of- directly push the ink the other pushes it. plane rigidity curl a set of actuators curl good fluid flow to design complexity ij20, ij42 inwards inwards to reduce the the region behind volume of ink that the actuator they enclose. increases efficiency curl a set of actuators curl relatively simple relatively large ij43 outwards outwards, pressurizing construction chip area ink in a chamber surrounding the actuators, and expelling ink from a nozzle in the chamber. iris multiple vanes enclose high efficiency high fabrication ij22 a volume of ink. these small chip area complexity simultaneously rotate, not suitable for reducing the volume pigmented inks between the vanes. acoustic the actuator vibrates the actuator can be large area required 1993 hadimioglu et vibration at a high frequency. physically distant for efficient al, eup 550,192 from the ink operation at useful 1993 elrod et al, frequencies eup 572,220 acoustic coupling and crosstalk complex drive circuitry poor control of drop volume and position none in various ink jet no moving parts various other silverbrook, ep designs the actuator tradeoffs are 0771 658 a2 and does not move. required to related patent eliminate moving applications parts tone-jet nozzle refill method description advantages disadvantages examples surface this is the normal way fabrication low speed thermal ink jet tension that ink jets are simplicity surface tension piezoelectric ink jet refilled. after the operational force relatively ij01-ij07, ij10-ij14, actuator is energized, simplicity small compared to ij16, ij20, ij22-1145 it typically returns actuator force rapidly to its normal long refill time position. this rapid usually dominates return sucks in air the total repetition through the nozzle rate opening. the ink surface tension at the nozzle then exerts a small force restoring the meniscus to a minimum area. this force refills the nozzle. shuttered ink to the nozzle high speed requires common ij08, ij13, ij15, oscillating chamber is provided at low actuator ink pressure ij17, ij18, ij19, ink a pressure that energy, as the oscillator ij21 pressure oscillates at twice the actuator need only may not be suitable drop ejection open or close the for pigmented inks frequency. when a shutter, instead of drop is to be ejected, ejecting the ink drop the shutter is opened for 3 half cycles: drop ejection, actuator return, and refill. the shutter is then closed to prevent the nozzle chamber emptying during the next negative pressure cycle. refill after the main high speed, as the requires two ij09 actuator actuator has ejected a nozzle is actively independent drop a second (refill) refilled actuators per nozzle actuator is energized. the refill actuator pushes ink into the nozzle chamber. the refill actuator returns slowly, to prevent its return from emptying the chamber again. positive the ink is held a slight high refill rate, surface spill must silverbrook, ep ink positive pressure. therefore a high be prevented 0771 658 a2 and pressure after the ink drop is drop repetition rate highly hydrophobic related patent ejected, the nozzle is possible print head surfaces applications chamber fills quickly are required alternative for:, as surface tension and ij01-ij07, ij10-ij14, ink pressure both ij16, ij20, ij22-ij45 operate to refill the nozzle. method of restricting back-flow through inlet description advantages disadvantages examples long inlet the ink inlet channel design simplicity restricts refill rate thermal inkjet channel to the nozzle chamber operational may result in a piezoelectric ink jet is made long and simplicity relatively large chip ij42, ij43 relatively narrow, reduces crosstalk area relying on viscous only partially drag to reduce inlet effective back-flow. positive the ink is under a drop selection and requires a method silverbrook, ep ink positive pressure, so separation forces (such as a nozzle 0771 658 a2 and pressure that in the quiescent can be reduced rim or effective related patent state some of the ink fast refill time hydrophobizing, or applications drop already protrudes both) to prevent possible operation from the nozzle. flooding of the of the following: this reduces the ejection surface of ij01-ij07, ij09- pressure in the nozzle the print head. ij12, ij14, ij16, chamber which is ij20, ij22, ij23- required to eject a ij34, ij36-ij41, certain volume of ink. ij44 the reduction in chamber pressure results in a reduction in ink pushed out through the inlet. baffle one or more baffles the refill rate is not design complexity hp thermal ink jet are placed in the inlet as restricted as the may increase tektronix ink flow. when the long inlet method. fabrication piezoelectric ink jet actuator is energized, reduces crosstalk complexity (e.g. the rapid ink tektronix hot melt movement creates piezoelectric print eddies which restrict heads). the flow through the inlet. the slower refill process is unrestricted, and does not result in eddies. flexible in this method recently significantly not applicable to canon flap disclosed by canon, reduces back-flow most ink jet restricts the expanding actuator for edge-shooter configurations inlet (bubble) pushes on a thermal ink jet increased flexible flap that devices fabrication restricts the inlet. complexity inelastic deformation of polymer flap results in creep over extended use inlet filter a filter is located additional restricts refill rate ij04, ij12, ij24, between the ink inlet advantage of ink may result in ij27, ij29, ij30 and the nozzle filtration complex chamber. the filter ink filter may be construction has a multitude of fabricated with no small holes or slots, additional process restricting ink flow. steps the filter also removes particles which may block the nozzle. small inlet the ink inlet channel design simplicity restricts refill rate ij02, ij37, ij44 compared to the nozzle chamber may result in a to nozzle has a substantially relatively large chip smaller cross section area than that of the nozzle, only partially resulting in easier ink effective egress out of the nozzle than out of the inlet. inlet a secondary actuator increases speed of requires separate ij09 shutter controls the position of the ink-jet print refill actuator and a shutter, closing off head operation drive circuit the ink inlet when the main actuator is energized. the inlet is the method avoids the back-flow problem requires careful ij01, ij03, ij05, located problem of inlet back- is eliminated design to minimize ij06, ij07, ij10, behind the flow by arranging the the negative ij11, ij14, ij16, ink- ink-pushing surface of pressure behind the ij22, ij23, ij25, pushing the actuator between paddle ij28, ij31, ij32, surface the inlet and the ij33, ij34, ij35, nozzle. ij36, ij39, ij40, ij41 part of the the actuator and a significant small increase in ij07, ij20, ij26, actuator wall of the ink reductions in back- fabrication ij38 moves to chamber are arranged flow can be complexity shut off so that the motion of achieved the inlet the actuator closes off compact designs the inlet. possible nozzle in some configurations ink back-flow none related to ink silverbrook, ep actuator of ink jet, there is no problem is back-flow on 0771 658 a2 and does not expansion or eliminated actuation related patent result in movement of an applications ink back- actuator which may valve-jet flow cause ink back-flow tone-jet through the inlet. nozzle clearing method description advantages disadvantages examples normal all of the nozzles are .diamond-solid. no added .diamond-solid. may not be .diamond-solid. most ink jet nozzle fired periodically, complexity on the sufficient to systems firing before the ink has a print head displace dried ink .diamond-solid. ij01, ij02, ij03, chance to dry. when ij04, ij05, ij06, not in use the nozzles ij07, ij09, ij10, are sealed (capped) ij11, ij12, ij14, against air. ij16, ij20, ij22, the nozzle firing is ij23, ij24, ij25, usually performed ij26, ij27, ij28, during a special ij29, ij30, ij31, clearing cycle, after ij32, ij33, ij34, first moving the print ij36, ij37, ij38, head to a cleaning ij39, ij40,, ij41, station. ij42, ij43, ij44,, ij45 extra in systems which heat .diamond-solid. can be highly .diamond-solid. requires higher .diamond-solid. silverbrook, ep power to the ink, but do not boil effective if the drive voltage for 0771 658 a2 and ink heater it under normal heater is adjacent to clearing related patent situations, nozzle the nozzle .diamond-solid. may require larger applications clearing can be drive transistors achieved by over- powering the heater and boiling ink at the nozzle. rapid the actuator is fired in .diamond-solid. does not require .diamond-solid. effectiveness .diamond-solid. may be used with: success- rapid succession. in extra drive circuits depends ij01, ij02, ij03, ion of some configurations, on the print head substantially upon ij04, ij05, ij06, actuator this may cause heat .diamond-solid. can be readily the configuration of ij07, ij09, ij10, pulses build-up at the nozzle controlled and the ink jet nozzle ij11, ij14, ij16, which boils the ink, initiated by digital ij20, ij22, ij23, clearing the nozzle. in logic ij24, ij25, ij27, other situations, it may ij28, ij29, ij30, cause sufficient ij31, ij32, ij33, vibrations to dislodge ij34, ij36, ij37, clogged nozzles. ij38, ij39, ij40, ij41, ij42, ij43, ij44, ij45 extra where an actuator is .diamond-solid. a simple solution .diamond-solid. not suitable where .diamond-solid. may be used with: power to not normally driven to where applicable there is a hard limit ij03, ij09, ij16, ink the limit of its motion, to actuator ij20, ij23, ij24, pushing nozzle clearing may be movement ij25, ij27, ij29, actuator assisted by providing ij30, ij31, ij32, an enhanced drive ij39, ij40, ij41, signal to the actuator. ij42, ij43, ij44, ij45 acoustic an ultrasonic wave is .diamond-solid. a high nozzle .diamond-solid. high .diamond-solid. ij08, ij13, ij15, resonance applied to the ink clearing capability implementation cost ij17, ij18, ij19, chamber. this wave is can be achieved if system does not ij21 of an appropriate .diamond-solid. may be already include an amplitude and implemented at very acoustic actuator frequency to cause low cost in systems sufficient force at the which already nozzle to clear include acoustic blockages. this is actuators easiest to achieve if the ultrasonic wave is at a resonant frequency of the ink cavity. nozzle a microfabricated .diamond-solid. can clear severely .diamond-solid. accurate .diamond-solid. silverbrook, ep clearing plate is pushed against clogged nozzles mechanical 0771 658 a2 and plate the nozzles. the plate alignment is related patent has a post for every required applications nozzle. a post moves .diamond-solid. moving parts are through each nozzle, required displacing dried ink. .diamond-solid. there is risk of damage to the nozzles .diamond-solid. accurate fabrication is required ink the pressure of the ink .diamond-solid. may be effective .diamond-solid. requires pressure .diamond-solid. may be used with pressure is temporarily where other pump or other all ij series ink jets pulse increased so that ink methods cannot be pressure actuator streams from all of the used .diamond-solid. expensive nozzles. this may be .diamond-solid. wasteful of ink used in conjunction with actuator energizing. print head a flexible `blade` is .diamond-solid. effective for planar .diamond-solid. difficult to use if .diamond-solid. many ink jet wiper wiped across the print print head surfaces print head surface is systems head surface. the .diamond-solid. low cost non-planar or very blade is usually fragile fabricated from a .diamond-solid. requires flexible polymer, e.g. mechanical parts rubber or synthetic .diamond-solid. blade can wear out elastomer. in high volume print systems separate a separate heater is .diamond-solid. can be effective .diamond-solid. fabrication .diamond-solid. can be used with ink boiling provided at the nozzle where other nozzle complexity many ij series ink heater although the normal clearing methods jets drop e-ection cannot be used mechanism does not .diamond-solid. can be implemented require it. the heaters at no additional cost do not require in some ink jet individual drive configurations circuits, as many nozzles can be cleared simultaneously, and no imaging is required. nozzle plate construction description advantages disadvantages examples electro- a nozzle plate is .diamond-solid. fabrication .diamond-solid. high temperatures .diamond-solid. hewlett packard formed separately fabricated simplicity and pressures are thermal ink jet nickel from electroformed required to bond nickel, and bonded to nozzle plate the print head chip. .diamond-solid. minimum thickness constraints .diamond-solid. differential thermal expansion laser individual nozzle .diamond-solid. no masks required .diamond-solid. each hole must be .diamond-solid. canon bubblejet ablated or holes are ablated by an .diamond-solid. can be quite fast individually formed .diamond-solid. 1988 sercel et al., drilled intense uv laser in a .diamond-solid. some control over .diamond-solid. special equipment spie, vol. 998 polymer nozzle plate, which is nozzle profile is required excimer beam typically a polymer possible .diamond-solid. slow where there applications, pp. such as polyimide or .diamond-solid. equipment required are many thousands 76-83 polysulphone is relatively low cost of nozzles per print .diamond-solid. 1993 watanabe et head al., u.s. pat. no. .diamond-solid. may produce thin 5,208,604 burrs at exit holes silicon a separate nozzle .diamond-solid. high accuracy is .diamond-solid. two part .diamond-solid. k. bean, ieee micro- plate is attainable construction transactions on machined micromachined from .diamond-solid. high cost electron devices, single crystal silicon, .diamond-solid. requires precision vol. ed-25, no. 10, and bonded to the alignment 1978, pp 1185-1195 print head wafer. .diamond-solid. nozzles may be .diamond-solid. xerox 1990 clogged by adhesive hawkins et al., u.s. pat. no. 4,899,181 glass fine glass capillaries .diamond-solid. no expensive .diamond-solid. very small nozzle .diamond-solid. 1970 zoltan u.s. capillaries are drawn from glass equipment required sizes are difficult to pat. no. 3,683,212 tubing. this method .diamond-solid. simple to make form has been used for single nozzles .diamond-solid. not suited for mass making individual production nozzles, but is difficult to use for bulk manufacturing of print heads with thousands of nozzles. monolith- the nozzle plate is .diamond-solid. high accuracy (<1 .diamond-solid. requires sacrificial .diamond-solid. silverbrook, ep ic, surface deposited as a layer .mu.m) layer under the 0771 658 a2 and micro- using standard vlsi .diamond-solid. monolithic nozzle plate to form related patent machined deposition techniques. .diamond-solid. low cost the nozzle chamber applications using nozzles are etched in .diamond-solid. existing processes .diamond-solid. surface may be .diamond-solid. ij01, ij02, ij04, vlsi the nozzle plate using can be used fragile to the touch ij11, ij12, ij17, litho- vlsi lithography and ij18, ij20, ij22, graphic etching. ij24, ij27, ij28, processes ij29, ij30, ij31, ij32, ij33, ij34, ij36, ij37, ij38, ij39, ij40, ij41, ij42, ij43, ij44 monolith- the nozzle plate is a .diamond-solid. high accuracy (<1 .diamond-solid. requires long etch .diamond-solid. ij03, ij05, ij06, ic, etched buried etch stop in the .mu.m) times ij07, ij08, ij09, through wafer. nozzle .diamond-solid. monolithic .diamond-solid. requires a support ij10, ij13, ij14, substrate chambers are etched in .diamond-solid. low cost wafer ij15, ij16, ij19, the front of the wafer, .diamond-solid. no differential ij21, ij23, ij25, and the wafer is expansion ij26 thinned from the back side. nozzles are then etched in the etch stop layer. no nozzle various methods have .diamond-solid. no nozzles to .diamond-solid. difficult to control .diamond-solid. ricoh 1995 sekiya plate been tried to eliminate become clogged drop position et al u.s. pat. no. the nozzles entirely, to accurately 5,412,413 prevent nozzle .diamond-solid. crosstalk problems .diamond-solid. 1993 hadimioglu et clogging. these al eup 550,192 include thermal bubble .diamond-solid. 1993 elrod et al mechanisms and eup 572,220 acoustic lens mechanisms trough each drop ejector has .diamond-solid. reduced .diamond-solid. drop firing .diamond-solid. ij35 a trough through manufacturing direction is sensitive which a paddle moves. complexity to wicking. there is no nozzle .diamond-solid. monolithic plate. nozzle slit the elimination of .diamond-solid. no nozzles to .diamond-solid. difficult to control .diamond-solid. 1989 saito et al instead of nozzle holes and become clogged drop position u.s. pat. no. individual replacement by a slit accurately 4,799,068 nozzles encompassing many .diamond-solid. crosstalk problems actuator positions reduces nozzle clogging, but increases crosstalk due to ink surface waves drop ejection direction description advantages disadvantages examples edge ink flow is along the .diamond-solid. simple construction .diamond-solid. nozzles limited to .diamond-solid. canon bubblejet (`edge surface of the chip, .diamond-solid. no silicon etching edge 1979 endo et al gb shooter`) and ink drops are required .diamond-solid. high resolution is patent 2,007,162 ejected from the chip .diamond-solid. good heat sinking difficult .diamond-solid. xerox heater-in-pit edge. via substrate .diamond-solid. fast color printing 1990 hawkins et al .diamond-solid. mechanically strong requires one print u.s. pat. no. .diamond-solid. ease of chip head per color 4,899,181 handing .diamond-solid. tone-jet surface ink flow is along the .diamond-solid. no bulk silicon .diamond-solid. maximum ink flow .diamond-solid. hewlett-packard (`roof surface of the chip, etching required is severely restricted tij 1982 vaught et al shooter`) and ink drops are .diamond-solid. silicon can make an u.s. pat. no. ejected from the chip effective heat sink 4,490,728 surface, normal to the .diamond-solid. mechanical strength .diamond-solid. ij02, ij11, ij12, plane of the chip. ij20, ij22 through ink flow is through the .diamond-solid. high ink flow .diamond-solid. requires bulk .diamond-solid. silverbrook, ep chip, chip, and ink drops are .diamond-solid. suitable for silicon etching 0771 658 a2 and forward ejected from the front pagewidth print related patent (`up surface of the chip. heads applications shooter`) .diamond-solid. high nozzle packing .diamond-solid. ij04, ij17, ij18, density therefore ij24, ij27-ij45 low manufacturing cost through ink flow is through the .diamond-solid. high ink flow .diamond-solid. requires wafer .diamond-solid. ij01, ij03, ij05, chip, chip, and ink drops are .diamond-solid. suitable for thinning ij06, ij07, ij08, reverse ejected from the rear pagewidth print .diamond-solid. requires special ij09, ij10, ij13, (`down surface of the chip. heads handling during ij14, ij15, ij16, shooter`) .diamond-solid. high nozzle packing manufacture ij19, ij21, ij23, density therefore ij25, ij26 low manufacturing cost through ink flow is through the .diamond-solid. suitable for .diamond-solid. pagewidth print .diamond-solid. epson stylus actuator actuator, which is not piezoelectric print heads require .diamond-solid. tektronix hot melt fabricated as part of heads several thousand piezoelectric ink jets the same substrate as connections to drive the drive transistors. circuits .diamond-solid. cannot be manufactured in standard cmos fabs .diamond-solid. complex assembly required ink type description advantages disadvantages examples aqueous, water based ink which environmentally slow drying most existing ink dye typically contains: friendly corrosive jets water, dye, surfactant, no odor bleeds on paper all ij series ink jets humectant, and may strikethrough silverbrook, ep biocide. cockles paper 0771 658 a2 and modern ink dyes have related patent high water-fastness, applications light fastness aqueous, water based ink which environmentally slow drying ij02, ij04, ij21, pigment typically contains: friendly corrosive ij26, ij27, ij30 water, pigment, no odor pigment may clog silverbrook, ep surfactant, humectant, reduced bleed nozzles 0771 658 a2 and and biocide. reduced wicking pigment may clog related patent pigments have an reduced actuator applications advantage in reduced strikethrough mechanisms piezoelectric ink- bleed, wicking and cockles paper jets strikethrough. thermal ink jets (with significant restrictions) methyl mek is a highly very fast drying odorous all ij series ink jets ethyl volatile solvent used prints on various flammable ketone for industrial printing substrates such as (mek) on difficult surfaces metals and plastics such as aluminum cans. alcohol alcohol based inks fast drying slight odor all ij series ink jets (ethanol, can be used where the operates at sub- flammable 2-butanol, printer must operate at freezing and temperatures below temperatures others) the freezing point of reduced paper water. an example of cockle this is in-camera low cost consumer photographic printing. phase the ink is solid at no drying time- ink high viscosity tektronix hot melt change room temperature, and instantly freezes on printed ink typically piezoelectric ink jets (hot melt) is melted in the print the print medium has a `waxy` feel 1989 nowak usp head before jetting. almost any print printed pages may 4,820,346 hot melt inks are medium can be used `block` all ij series ink jets usually wax based, no paper cockle ink temperature with a melting point occurs may be above the around 80.degree. c. after no wicking occurs curie point of jetting the ink freezes no bleed occurs permanent magnets almost instantly upon no strikethrough ink heaters consume contacting the print occurs power medium or a transfer long warm-up time roller. oil oil based inks are high solubility high viscosity: this all ij series inkjets extensively used in medium for some is a significant offset printing. they dyes limitation for use in have advantages in does not cockle ink jets, which improved paper usually require a characteristics on does not wick low viscosity. some paper (especially no through paper short chain and wicking or cockle). multi-branched oils oil soluble dies and have a sufficiently pigments are required. low viscosity. slow drying micro- a microemulsion is a stops ink bleed viscosity higher all ij series ink jets emulsion stable, self forming high dye solubility than water emulsion of oil, water, water, oil, and cost is slightly and surfactant. the amphiphilic soluble higher than water characteristic drop size dies can be used based ink is less than 100 nm, can stabilize high surfactant and is determined by pigment concentration the preferred curvature suspensions required (around of the surfactant. 5%)
|
151-944-858-014-416
|
US
|
[
"US",
"CA",
"EP",
"JP",
"KR",
"MY",
"RU",
"CN",
"TW",
"IL",
"AU",
"WO",
"BR",
"MX"
] |
A61F2/16,G02C7/02,G02B27/44,G02B5/18,G02C7/06
| 2002-10-24T00:00:00 |
2002
|
[
"A61",
"G02"
] |
ophthalmic lenses with reduced chromatic blur
|
the present invention provides single vision and multifocal lenses, as well as methods for their production, having a transverse chromatic aberration enabling provision of a lens the performance of which is equivalent to a refractive lens with a higher abbe number.
|
1 . an ophthalmic lens, comprising a spherical power , a diffractive element comprising a first spherical power _{d } and a refractive element comprising a second spherical power _{r} , wherein _{d} _{r} . 2 . the lens of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive element comprises a material having an abbe number of about 30 to about 60, wherein: 9 r v r + d v d = 0 and wherein v _{r } is the abbe number of the lens material and v _{d } is an effective abbe number of the diffractive element of the lens. 3 . the lens of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive element comprises a diffractive power of: 10 2 1 - v r v d > d > 0 4 . the lens of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive element comprises a diffractive power of: 11 1.5 1 - v r v d > d > .5 d 5 . the lens of claim 1 , wherein the diffractive power of the diffractive element comprises: 12 [ v d ( - tca 0.1 y v r - ) v r - v d ] > d > v d ( tca 0.1 y v r - ) v r - v d 6 . the lens of claim 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , wherein the diffractive element comprises substantially the entire back surface of the lens. 7 . the lens of claim 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , wherein the diffractive element comprises substantially the entire front surface of the lens. 8 . the lens of claim 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , wherein the diffractive element comprises a surface intermediate a front and a back surface of the lens. 9 . the lens of claim 6 , wherein the lens comprises a single vision lens. 10 . the lens of claim 7 , wherein the lens comprises a single vision lens. 11 . the lens of claim 8 , wherein the lens comprises a single vision lens. 12 . the lens of claim 6 , wherein the lens comprises a multifocal lens. 13 . the lens of claim 7 , wherein the lens comprises a multifocal lens. 14 . the lens of claim 8 , wherein the lens comprises a multifocal lens. 15 . a method for producing a customized lens comprising the step of providing a lens comprising a spherical power , a diffractive element comprising a first spherical power _{d } and a refractive element comprising a second spherical power _{r} , wherein _{d} _{r} . 16 . the method of claim 15 , wherein the lens is a single vision lens. 17 . the method of claim 15 , wherein the lens is a multifocal lens.
|
field of the invention the present invention relates to ophthalmic lenses. in particular, the invention is directed to spectacle lenses in which chromatic aberration is reduced. background of the invention the use of ophthalmic lenses for the correction of ametropia is well known. in the manufacture of spectacle lenses, it is desirable to use high refractive index materials, or materials with a refractive index greater than 1.50, in order to provide acceptable edge and center thicknesses, especially in higher power lenses. however, increasing the refractive index using conventional materials such as polycarbonate or inorganic glass results in an increase in chromatic aberration or color dispersion. longitudinal and transverse chromatic aberration is caused by the displacement of images formed by light of different wavelengths. the magnitude of the aberration depends on the power of the lens and the physical properties of the lens material. persons wearing spectacle lenses made of conventional materials will experience chromatic aberration to varying degrees, especially in the periphery of their visual fields. for a refractive single element lens, typical for a spectacle lens, the lens' transverse chromatic aberration (tca) in diopters depends upon the abbe number (v), the lens power() in diopters, and the gaze height on the lens from the lens center (y) in millimeters as shown in equation i. tca = 0.1 y v ( i ) the following table shows the tca for various lens powers and abbe values at a gaze height of 15 mm. table 1 transverse chromatic aberration in diopters lens power in diopters abbe value - v 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 25 0.06 0.12 0.18 0.24 0.30 0.36 0.42 0.48 0.54 0.60 30 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.30 0.35 0.40 0.45 0.50 35 0.04 0.09 0.13 0.17 0.21 0.26 0.30 0.34 0.39 0.43 40 0.04 0.08 0.11 0.15 0.19 0.23 0.26 0.30 0.34 0.38 45 0.03 0.07 0.10 0.13 0.17 0.20 0.23 0.27 0.30 0.33 50 0.03 0.06 0.09 0.12 0.15 0.18 0.21 0.24 0.27 0.30 55 0.03 0.05 0.08 0.11 0.14 0.16 0.19 0.22 0.25 0.27 60 0.03 0.05 0.08 0.10 0.13 0.15 0.18 0.20 0.23 0.25 the tca becomes problematic to many wearers if it is greater than 0.25 diopters. typical conventional high refractive index materials have abbe numbers from 30 to 45, which will cause problems for some wearers. some low refractive index materials that are considered low dispersion will have abbe numbers greater than 55, which gives acceptable chromatic performance to the vast majority of wearers. however, high refractive index materials are desirable for spectacle lenses because they permit production of thinner and lighter weight lenses. therefore, a need exists for a high refractive index material for spectacle lens use that can provide chromatic performance equivalent to low refractive index lenses with large abbe numbers. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a graphical representation of the ideal refractive and diffractive powers for minimum chromatic aberration. fig. 2 is a graphical representation of the range of diffractive powers that will give at least a 50% reduction in chromatic aberration for spherical lens powers from 9 to 9 diopters. fig. 3 depicts a cross-section through the lens of the rms spot size produced by a conventional refractive single vision lens analyzed from the perspective of the eye. fig. 4 depicts a cross-section through the lens of the rms spot size produced by a lens of the invention analyzed from the perspective of the eye. fig. 5 is a cross-section through a conventional lens at various vertical positions of the rms spot size. fig. 6 is a cross-section through a lens of the invention at various vertical positions of the rms spot size. fig. 7 is a cross-section through a conventional lens at various vertical positions showing unwanted cylinder. fig. 8 is a cross-section through a lens of the invention at various horizontal positions showing unwanted cylinder. description of the invention and its preferred embodiments the present invention provides single vision and multifocal lenses, as well as methods for their production, in which both diffractive and refractive elements are used. this composite lens reduces, by about 10 to 100%, transverse chromatic aberration enabling provision of a high refractive index lens that has an effective abbe number of about 50 to 120. by combining refractive and diffractive powers in a specified balance, a lens may be provided with performance equivalent to a refractive lens with a higher abbe number. in one embodiment, the invention provides an ophthalmic lens comprising, consisting essentially of, and consisting of spherical power , a diffractive element comprising a first spherical power _{d } and a refractive element comprising a second spherical power _{r } wherein _{d} _{r} . by ophthalmic lens is meant a lens suitable to correct visual acuity including, without limitation spectacle, contact, intraocular, onlay lenses and the like. for a single vision lens, may be the average spherical power throughout the lens, the local spherical power at the optical center, or the local spherocylindrical power at the optical center. one ordinarily skilled in the art will recognize that the value of _{d } will depend upon the spherical power selected and the desired level of correction of tca. for a multifocal lens, may be the spherical or spherocylindrical power at the optical center or fitting, the power at the center of the near vision region of the lens, or the local power varying throughout the optic in which case _{d } will vary throughout the lens. the diffractive element may be any suitable element including, without limitation, a diffractive grating, a hologram, a kinoform, and the like. the power provided by the diffractive element may be positive or negative power. the ideal tca correction may be achieved by requiring that: r v r + d v d = 0 ( ii ) wherein v _{r } is the abbe number of the lens material and v _{d } is the effective abbe number of the diffractive element of the lens. typically, the lens material abbe number will be about 30 to about 60. the abbe number of the diffractive element may be defined as: v d = mid short - long ( iii ) where _{mid } is the wavelength of the midpoint of the range of interest. for visible systems a value of 587 nm is typically used. the short wavelength of the range of interest is _{short } and for visible systems a value of 486 nm is typically used. the long wavelength of the range of interest is _{long} . for visible systems 656 nm is typically used. using these wavelength values, v _{d } is 3.45. the diffractive power required for the lens may be obtained by solving equation iv resulting in: d = 1 - v r v d ( iv ) preferably, the diffractive element adds about 0.10 to about 1.50 diopters of spherical power. the diffractive element may cover substantially the entire, or a portion of, the back, or concave surface, front, or convex surface, or a surface intermediate the front or back surface of the lens. the diffractive element may be of any shape including, without limitation, annular, circular, elliptical, and the like. preferably, the diffractive element covers the back surface for purposes of ease of manufacture and for cosmetic durability. in the embodiment in which the diffractive element is intermediate to the front and back surfaces, the change in refractive index across the intermediate layer must be such that it enables the diffractive element to function. typically, the change in refractive index must be between 0 and 0.25 units per micron. fig. 1 is a graph depicting the preferred combination of refractive and diffractive spherical power for total lens powers of polycarbonate lenses of from 9.00 to 9.00 diopters assuming that v _{r } is 30. one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that for materials with a larger v _{r} , less diffractive power will be required. a reduction in chromatic aberration may be realized with diffractive powers meeting the following criteria: 2 1 - v r v d > d > 0 ( v ) in this equation, _{d } is defined as the optimum value of the diffractive power for a refractive power _{r } and its value may be from about 0 to about 2 _{d} . if the value is 0, there is no correction of chromatic aberration. if the value is 2 _{d} , then the chromatic aberration if equal to that of the lens but in the opposite direction. preferably however, the diffractive power is limited to 1.9 1 - v r v d > d > 0.1 d ( vi ) more preferably, the diffractive power is limited to: 1.5 1 - v r v d > d > .5 d ( vii ) fig. 2 depicts the _{d } using equation ii and plotted along the positive and negative tolerance limits as given by the equation vii. if the diffractive power is within the limits provided by equation vii, then the transverse chromatic aberration is reduced by at least 50%. although it may be desirable for optimum tca correction to require the diffractive power to satisfy equation ii, the relaxed constraint provided by equation vii allows the chromatic performance to be improved to be equivalent to or better than that provided for with low index, high abbe number glasses without requiring a unique diffractive element for every spherical power. equation v may be cast in an alternate form so that the diffractive power is defined in terms of the maximum allowable tca. in this form, for low lens spherical powers that inherently have small amounts of transverse chromatic aberration, the solution allows for only refractive power. in this form, the constraint on the diffractive power is: [ v d ( - tca 0.1 y v r - ) v r - v d ] > d > v d ( tca 0.1 y v r - ) v r - v d ( viii ) the lenses of the invention may be fabricated by any convenient means and constructed of any known material suitable for production of ophthalmic lenses. suitable materials include, without limitation, polycarbonate, allyl diglycol, polymethacrylate, and the like. such materials are either commercially available or methods for their production are known. further, the lenses may be produced by any conventional lens fabrication technique including, without limitation grinding, whole lens casting, molding, thermoforming, laminating, surface casting, or combinations thereof. casting may be carried out by any means, but preferably is performed by surface casting including, without limitation, as disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 5,147,585, 5,178,800, 5,219,497, 5,316,702, 5,358,672, 5,480,600, 5,512,371, 5,531,940, 5,702,819, and 5,793,465 incorporated herein in their entireties by reference. the diffractive element may be provided through a molding process using optical tools incorporating the required diffractive elements. such tools include, without limitation, metal inserts suitable for injection or compression molding of plastic optical parts, glass or metal molds for casting of optical parts, and metal or ceramic stamping tools. alternatively, the diffractive element may be provided by diamond turning. the finished element may be coated with a suitable coating that conforms to the element and preserves the function of the diffractive element. alternatively, a non-conforming coating may be used to effectively bury the diffractive element under the coating. in this embodiment, the width and depth of the individual grating elements will have to take into account the difference on refractive index between the coating and the substrate. suitable coatings are commercially available or methods for their making are known. because the magnitude of the diffractive power is dependent on the total spherical power of the lens, computation of the diffractive power for each lens is dependent on the prescription for the individual who use the lens. thus, the diffractive element is provided on a made-to-order basis. in one method for providing such made-to-order elements, an individual's corrective prescription is determined and a semi-finished blank with the suitable front surface geometry is selected. the front surface of the semi-finished blank may be provided with any suitable coating as, for example, a hard coating, antireflective coating, tinted coating, or the like. subsequently, the blank is attached to a rotationally symmetrical holding fixture on the front surface so that the fixture is aligned with an optical reference point, such as the optical center. the blocked blank may then be machined on a multi-axis, computer numerically controlled diamond turning machine to form the desired surface, for example sphere, toric, progressive addition, on the back surface that includes the diffractive element. preferably, machining is carried out by a single point diamond tool mounted on a computer controlled, two axis, linear drive. the surface to be machined may be described by any convenient method including, without limitation, by describing the surface in terms of x, y, and z coordinates or by a set of polynomials each with a set of coefficients and boundary conditions. the machined surface may subsequently be coated with any desired coating. although the invention may find particular utility in the design of spectacle lenses, the refractive and diffractive elements may be applied to any type of lens for correction of visual acuity such as a spectacle lens, a contact lens, or an intraocular lens, and the like. the invention will be clarified further by a consideration of the following, non-limiting examples. examples example 1 a single vision lens with 4.00 diopters of spherical power is made from polycarbonate with an abbe number of 29. as a baseline for comparison purposes, a conventional refractive lens is first analyzed, which lens has a front radius of 200 mm and back radius of 79 mm. the lens is analyzed by computing the rms spot size at the focal plane of an 18 mm focal length lens placed at the eye rotation point 27 mm from the lens. the rms spot size is computed for input angles from 40 to 40 degrees and is shown in fig. 3 . a diffractive element with a power of 0.37 diopters is placed on the back, concave, surface of the lens. to maintain the spherical power, the radius of the back surface is changed to 89 mm. the rms spot size for this diffractive/refractive lens is shown in graphical form in fig. 4 . the image quality at x0, y0 improved as measured by the decrease in spot size from approximately 0.004 mm to 0.001 mm. this is due primarily to an improvement in the axial, or longitudinal, aberration. the improvement in image quality is more pronounced for off-axis angles of incidence. for example, at x0, y20 degrees the rms spot size is 0.017 mm for the conventional refractive lens, but 0.003 mm for the lens with the diffractive element. example 2 a polycarbonate, non-toric, progressive addition lens is provided with a distance power of 4.00 diopters and an add power of 1.30 diopters. in fig. 5 is depicted the rms spot size for the lens. in fig. 4 is depicted the unwanted astigmatism in the lens. in both of these figures is shown cross-sectional analysis through horizontal cuts through the lens at various angles. the 10-degree cross-section is a horizontal cut through the far vision region of the lens. in this particular lens, the near vision region is at 40 degrees. a series of cuts is made from the far vision region through the intermediate vision region and to the near vision region. a diffractive grating with a 0.35 diopters of power is added on the concave surface of the lens. the overall sphere power remains 4.00 diopters, but the refractive portion of the sphere power was reduced to 3.65 diopters. the abbe number of the diffractive portion of the lens was approximately 3.5 and that of the refractive portion 29. as shown in fig. 6 , the image quality improved most dramatically along the central meridian, or center of the channel, of the lens. the improvement is obtained without any increase in unwanted astigmatism in the lens as illustrated in fig. 8 . example 3 the diffractive power for a family of designs can be chosen so that a unique diffractive is not required for each sphere power. the total spherical power for a lens is the sum of the refractive power of the front surface plus the refractive power of the back surface plus the diffractive power of the diffractive element, whether it is applied to the front, back, or to an intermediate surface. table 2 shows the front refractive, back refractive, and diffractive powers for a family of designs for single vision lenses made from polycarbonate that will provide improved chromatic performance because of the diffractive power provided on five of six unique front curves (9, 8, 6, 4, 2, and 1 diopters). for each sphere power there is a unique back curve. the transverse chromatic aberration at a height of 15 mm on the lens is also shown. the diffractive power was chosen for each of the six unique front curves to give the minimum tca over the range of sphere powers covered by that case. for the case with a 4 diopter front surface refractive power, the diffractive power chosen was 0 diopters because this still satisfied the constraint given by equation vii. table 2 front back total refractive diffractive refractive sphere power power power power tca 8 9 0.80 1.80 0.026 7 9 0.80 2.80 0.026 6 8 0.58 2.58 0.026 5 8 0.58 3.58 0.026 4 6 0.32 2.32 0.052 3 6 0.32 3.32 0.000 2 6 0.32 4.32 0.052 1 4 0.00 2.95 0.054 0 4 0.00 3.95 0.003 1 4 0.00 4.95 0.049 2 4 0.00 5.95 0.101 3 2 0.43 4.57 0.052 4 2 0.43 5.57 0.000 5 2 0.43 6.57 0.052 6 1 0.74 6.26 0.052 7 1 0.74 7.26 0.000 8 1 0.74 8.26 0.052
|
152-119-162-926-288
|
US
|
[
"JP",
"US"
] |
G01J3/26,G01J3/45,G01B9/02,G01B11/02
| 2004-12-20T00:00:00 |
2004
|
[
"G01"
] |
mechanically adjustable full-width array type spectrophotometer
|
<p>problem to be solved: to conduct color measurements at a high speed and with high accuracy. <p>solution: light from an irradiation unit 14 is irradiated on a material component 12, and reflected light is provided to a spectrum photometry sensor assembly 18 via a light-focusing unit 16. the spectrum photometry sensor assembly 18 spectroscopically analyzes the reflected light from the material component 12. the wavelength in the spectroscopic analysis is set variable. <p>copyright: (c)2006,jpo&ncipi
|
1. a method of full transverse scanning color analysis of color printed sheets moving in a color printer path with a full width array spectrophotometer, comprising: illuminating at least one substantially linear elongated array of broad band illumination sources extending sufficiently in a substantially linear dimension to transversely substantially span said color printer path to illuminate the printed sheets with a broad band transverse illumination source extending transversely across said color printed sheets moving in said color printer path, detecting reflected light from said illumination source and a corresponding portion of the printed sheets with a full width array of tunable spectrophotometers being positioned to receive light reflected from said transverse illumination source fully across said print media sheet moving in said paper path; selectively filtering the reflected light with a full width array of tunable optical filters associated with photodetectors for generating a detected spectra from the corresponding portion of the printed sheets representative of a color thereof including multiple transmission frequencies corresponding to multiple detected samples for the detecting; and, resolving the detected spectra with a sampling circuit for effecting the color analysis wherein multiple illuminate reflections from the corresponding portion of the printed sheets generate the detected spectra from the broad band illumination sources. 2. the method of claim 1 wherein the illuminating utilizes a white led or a fluorescent light source.
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cross-reference is made to copending, commonly assigned applications, u.s. application ser. no. 10/833,231, filed apr. 27, 2004, by lalit keshav mestha, et al., entitled “full width array scanning spectrophotometer”, (attorney docket no. a2517-us-np) and u.s. application ser. no. 10/758,096, filed jan. 16, 2004, by lalit keshav mestha, et al., entitled “reference database and method for determining spectra using measurements from an led color sensor, and method of partitioning a reference database” (attorney docket no. d/a2361), all of which are herein incorporated by reference. background the present embodiments relate to spectrophotometer scanning systems particularly suitable for high speed online document color analysis. they are also applicable to item identification and characterization in many non-graphic arts applications ranging from paint industry color measurements to biotechnology applications such as performing dna profiling. the embodiments also relate to defining a wide range spectra (visible, uv, infrared) for a particular media using a selected set of measured samples set by a tunable optical filter. spectroscopy is the measurement and analysis of electromagnetic radiation absorbed, scattered, or emitted by atoms, molecules, or other chemical or physical materials. each object affects light in its own unique way. when light waves strike an object, the object's surface absorbs some of the spectrum's energy, while other parts of the spectrum are reflected back from the object. the modified light that is reflected from the object has an entirely new composition of wavelengths. different surfaces containing various pigments, dyes, and inks (or chemistry/materials) generate different but unique wavelength compositions. light can be modified by striking a reflective object such as paper; or by passing through a transmissive object such as film or a transparency. the pattern of wavelengths that leaves an object is the object's spectral data, which is often called the “finger print” of the object. measuring spectral content of the object can give its intrinsic properties. for example, the region of the electromagnetic spectrum visible to the human eye ranges from about 400 nm to 700 nm, and if spectral measurements can be made in that wavelength range, then one can determine “the color of the object”. the amount of reflectance intensity decomposed at each wavelength is the most complete and infallible description of the color one can see. hence in this case, the spectrophotometer becomes a true color sensor. if the uv-vis spectrum (ultraviolet and visible spectrum) is from 200 nm to 800 nm, then the uv-v spectrum could be used to identify the material composition—which is a form of non-contact, non-reactive chemical test—which can be used to analyze the compounds. spectrophotometers with a broad range of spectral synthesis have a wide range of application, including color printing, color measurements in displays, paints, textiles, electronic cameras, chemical analysis, environmental monitoring, measurement of bio-samples for medicine or personal identification, etc. all commercial spectrophotometers tend to be large in size with many optical elements. prior known full width array spectrophotometer systems utilized a linear array of photodetectors to detect an illuminated band of a test target, but required multiple different led illumination sources of plural different color emissions in order to obtain an appropriate range of spectral response detections. in addition, such different color emissions had to be sequentially timed for emissive operation so the desired responses could be correspondingly distinguishably detected. u.s. pat. no. 6,295,130, issued sep. 25, 2001, to sun et al., entitled “structure and method for a microelectromechanically tunable fabry-perot cavity spectrophotometer”, discloses a measurement system for spot measurements requiring a single peak, which is generally difficult to achieve in fabry-perot devices. by “mems” it is meant “micro-electro-mechanical-systems” and by “fabry-perot cavity” it is meant an optical interference filter having a parallel glass plate silvered on the inner surfaces so that the incoming wave-is multiply reflected between them and ultimately transmitted. (cf. “mems: a new joker in microinstrumentation”, j. h. correia et al., iee industrial electronics society newsletter , january 2000; and, commonly assigned u.s. pat. no. 6,249,346, issued jun. 19, 2001 and entitled, “monolithic spectrophotometer”.) usually, scanner characterization is needed to transform scanned rgb values (scanner output signals) to colorimetric (i.e., visual) signals. today's document scanners actually sense colors in terms of rgb coordinates, which approximate the human visual system. most scanners are deviant from the human visual system in ways that differ depending on the media and ink being scanned. to address this problem, different characterizations, or profiles are built for different media. creation of profiles for multiple material, media and image combinations results into loss of productivity. this can be easily fixed by having a wide area scanning spectrophotometer embedded on each printing device. there is a need for an optical sensor that has the potential to measure colors at high printer speeds, at high resolution and with improved accuracy. a full width array optical sensing system, applicable for insitu measurements would provide significant advantages for automating publishing, production and decision processes in document production system via feedback through the proofing, prepress and creation stages. such an optical sensor system would also have the capability for useful applicability for non-printing related applications, where materials or items can be identified through their color spectra. brief summary a full width array document scanning spectrophotometer (fwas) integrates a fabry-perot cavity filter with a silicon photodetector and a light focusing device, such as an optical fiber guide or a selfoc® lens. an item or material such as a print document to be scanned for calibrating and ultimately maintaining color accuracy, is illuminated by a two-sided led illuminator bar wherein the illuminator bar is advantageously comprised of white leds or a fluorescence light source. the thickness of the cavity filter can be tuned electrostatically with a switching circuit to give multiple transmissive frequency measurements to the photodetector and a sampling circuit for resolving the spectral distribution of the transmitted light signal from the object media. the architecture of the full width array spectrophotometer facilitates representative spectral detection without the need for plural different color light source emissions, thereby engendering multiple illuminate reflections from a single light source on a target media to produce multiple samples. thus, multiple samples are derived from a single illuminate source by corresponding adjustment by the optical filter with enough samples in the fabry-perot cavity to define a characterizing spectral response. a spectral reconstruction technique facilitates the resolving of the spectral distribution in the presence of multiple resonant peaks transmitted by the filter. more particularly, an elongated array of multiple, closely spaced photodetectors are disposed adjacent the illumination source wherein the spectrophotometers are positioned to receive light reflected from the target sample. the switching circuit selectively ramps a voltage source to the optical filter for microelectronically tuning the cavity filter and selectively transmitting therethrough the desired frequencies of reflected light which can be sampled by the sampling circuit for generating the desired representative spectral responses of the target sample. methods are provided for full width scanning color analysis of transversely extensive color test targets in a test target path, such as a color printer path, with a full width array spectrophotometer. a substantially linear elongated array of closely spaced multiple led illumination sources are illuminated for illuminating a transversely substantial span of the test target with an illuminated band extending transversely across the test target. reflected light from the illuminated band is detected with a full width array of multiple, closely spaced plural photodetectors disposed adjacent to and extending substantially parallel to the array of illumination sources. the photodetectors are positioned to receive light reflected from the illuminated band fully across the test target. the reflected light is selectively filtered with the full width array of tunable optical filters associated with the photodetectors for generating a detected spectra from the test targets representative of a color thereof. the optical filters preferably comprise microelectronically tunable fabry-perot optical filters which are adjusted by a switching circuit for transmitting selected frequencies of the reflected light from the test target to the photodetectors. the disclosed systems and method may be operated and controlled by appropriate operation of conventional control systems. it is well known and preferable to program and execute such control functions and logic with software instructions for conventional or general purpose microprocessors, as taught by numerous prior patents and commercial products. such programming or software may of course vary depending on the particular functions, software type, and microprocessor or other computer system utilized, but will be available to, or readily programmable without undue experimentation from, functional descriptions, such as those provided herein, in the cited prior patents and applications herein, and/or prior knowledge of functions which are conventional, together with general knowledge in the software or computer arts. alternatively, the disclosed control systems or methods may be implemented partially or fully in hardware, using standard logic circuits or single chip vlsi designs. the term “reproduction apparatus” or “printer” as used herein broadly encompasses various printers, copiers or multifunction machines or systems, xerographic or otherwise. the term “sheet” or “document” herein refers to a usually flimsy physical sheet of paper, plastic, or other suitable physical substrate for images, whether precut or web fed. as to specific components of the subject apparatus or methods, or alternatives therefor, it will be appreciated that, as is normally the case, some such components are known per se in other apparatus or applications, which may be additionally or alternatively used herein, including those from art cited herein. for example, it will be appreciated by respective engineers and others that many of the particular components and component actuations or drive systems noted herein are merely exemplary, and that the same novel functions can be provided by many other known or readily available alternatives. all cited references, and their references, are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for teachings of additional or alternative details, features, and/or technical background. what is well known to those skilled in the art need not be described herein. drawing descriptions fig. 1 is schematic side view of one example of the subject full width array scanning spectrophotometer system, shown scanning a printed sheet in the output path of a xerographic printer; fig. 2 is an elevated side view of a full width array assembly with spectrophotometers, particularly illustrating the fabry-perot cavity construction in combination with schematic representations of associated control systems; fig. 3 is a top view of the full width array scanning spectrophotometer particularly illustrating the arrayed assembly, and without input sheet or other color test object present; and figs. 4( a )-( e ) are schematic illustrations of selected transmission spectra of an optical filter embodiment corresponding to differently tuned cavity gaps. detailed description describing now in detail the exemplary embodiments with reference to the figures, they illustrate a full width array mechanically tunable fabry-perot spectrophotometer system 10 . by “full width” is meant a document width, but is intended to also include an array having more than one spectrophotometer in a tightly integrated fashion. by “fabry-perot” is meant not only conventionally known fabry-perot interferometers, but also a wide range of all kinds of adjustable optical filters, and in particular, for example, a bragg mirror dielectric stack fabry-perot interferometer. with particular reference to fig. 1 , a document or material item is to be scanned 12 for purposes of assessing color accuracy, e.g., a printer feedback control system, or for identification of a nature or color aspect of the target material, e.g. a substrate, paint color, biosamples, etc. the system assembly comprises sources of illumination 14 preferably comprising a two-sided led illuminator bar, and in this embodiment advantageously instrumented with white leds, or could be a fluorescence light source of the kind used in three or four-row full width array image sensors. alternatively, a full width array illumination can be provided by the user with intermediate shaped plastic light guides splitting or spreading the light from a light source at the edge of the full width illuminator, such as is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,473,154 for a document scanner. the entire imaging module assembly comprises the illuminators 14 , a light focusing device assembly 16 such as a selfoc®, a lens or optical fiber assembly and a spectral photometric sensor assembly 18 . in operation, the sensor assembly 18 could be stationary and the document could be moved over it using constant velocity transport, or the document could be stationary and the spectral photometer module could be moved at a constant velocity, as in done in platen scanners. the selfoc® lens or alternative optical fiber assembly 16 can be built to focus light from each pixel from the document 12 to the array 18 , preferably comprising a plurality of mems sensors. alternatively, a plurality of photodetectors (photodiodes) can be associated with a single light focusing device where higher resolutions or enhanced processing efficiencies are desired. the basic structure and operational methods for a microelectromechnically tunable fabry-perot cavity spectrophotometer are described in detail in aforementioned u.s. pat. no. 6,295,130, and which descriptions is herein incorporated by reference. fig. 2 illustrates the arrayed assembly architecture of the mems full width array sensor assembly 22 . reflected light from the document 12 is communicated through the light focusing device assembly 16 (e.g., an optical fiber) through the optical filter 18 to the photodetectors 26 . as is well known in the art and is discussed in the aforementioned '130 patent, the fabry-perot cavity thickness can be tuned electrostatically by switching circuit 28 (using drive circuits shown in the '130 patent) to get multiple measurements to resolve the spectral distribution of the transmitted light signal. the gap length of the cavity in the filter is related to the tunable voltage from the switching circuit 28 and provides either a single or multiple peak of transmitted frequency of the reflected light. figs. 4( a )- 4 ( e ) illustrate a typical transmission spectra of such a device 18 for various gap lengths. since there are multiple peaks, resolving spectral distribution of the transmitted light requires processing. for scanning a document with 600 dots per inch, 8.5×11 square inch, the scanning area (33.66 million pixels) requires about 5400 fabry-perot cavity sensors (assumes 42 um width for each fabry-perot sensor). using known electronics and photodetector assemblies a scanning speed of 30 to 50 microseconds per scan line can be achieved. this amounts to a capability of around 200 to 500 pages per minute scanning speed. the external diameter of the optical fiber is the limiting factor in the measurement aperture for full width scanning applications when external fiber is used to guide the reflected light to the detector array. with known optical fiber technology, the unit can be assembled to contain about 40 um of external diameter (about 10 um internal diameter) for each sensor. in a single die of 1.5 cm×2 cm, around 150,000 sensors (300×500) can be assembled. with reference to fig. 3 , the illuminated spectrophotometric assembly 22 includes a substantially linear elongated array of closely spaced filter 18 and photodetector 26 assemblies adjacent linear elongated arrays of closely spaced multiple led illumination sources 14 disposed to transversely span a test target path to illuminate a transverse illuminated band of the color test targets. the photodetectors are just disposed adjacent to and extend substantially parallel to the array of illumination sources so that the illuminated bar assembly 22 can receive light reflected from the illuminated band of the test target. it is generally difficult to optimize fabry-perot device parameters to get a single peak sweeping between the light wavelengths of interest. accordingly, the subject embodiment includes an algorithm for extracting the full visible spectra from a single or multiple-peak fabry-perot cavity filter. if v gi is the measure of the amount of light flux at the output of the detector circuitry, then the simplest first order linear model (this ignores the effects due to scattering, illumination geometry, etc.) of the sensing system for a single switching event can be written as follows: where r(λ k ) is the reflectance spectra of the material, v gi is the integrated output of the detector for wavelengths λ k , k=0, 1, . . . n, s(λ k ) is the illuminant spectra and t gi (λ k ) is the transmission spectra at wavelength λ k for a gap size gi i . n is the total number of wavelength samples used for integrating the reflected power spectra from the device. note that the transmission spectra contain the photodetector spectra of the device and gi i is used to denote the gap setting. if the gap is varied between minimum to maximum in some known steps, say g 1 , g 2 . . . , gn, then, the following matrix equation can be written: v=dr (2) where the signal vector v, reflectance vector r and detector matrix d are expressed as follows: from equation (2), if the processing matrix is known and is invertible, then the reflectance spectra for any sample can be obtained using the following equation: r=d −1 v (4) equation 4 shows how to compute the reflectance spectra-using the inverse of the detector matrix. the processing matrix is precalculated and stored in the sensor processor in the sampling circuit 30 . the processing matrix is invertible, when all the columns of the matrix are linearly independent, and this is the case when the peaks occur at different wavelengths per gap. if the fabry-perot device is tuned to a single peak, then the detector matrix is diagonal. this method of spectral reconstruction does not require any pre-characterization of the sensor output with respect to a reference sensor as is done in known led/image sensor devices. a full ramping of the gap voltage (as in a saw tooth wave) per scan can give an equivalent change in the gap. for example, sampling of the photo-detector signal 31 times during the ramp per scan gives a vector v per pixel by the precalculated matrix as in equation 4. with such a processing method, this device can now generate true spectra for each pixel and has the potential for tuning to any wavelength of interest beyond the visible range within the scope of the fabry-perot device. the scaling factor or an offset may be required in equation 1 (not shown) and is extracted using the sensor output for the reference surface or by using the training samples and various known signal processing methods. it can be done every time the sensor calibration is done with a reference surface, such as a white calibration surface. if the errors in the detector matrix of equation 4 are zero, then the spectral measurements contain no errors. for color applications, generally 10 nano meter spectral resolution between 400 nm to 700 nm is desirable. for such applications, the detector matrix will be of size 31×31 elements, calculated offline using transmission and the illumination spectra. however, if the desire is to expand the sensor resolution and range based on requirements for much wider applications, then a suitable matrix size is chosen. for example, if the desired spectra is required at a resolution of 1 nano-meter wavelength between 400 nm to 700 nm, then the detector matrix will have a size of 300×300 elements. the detector signal has to be sampled 300 times for every scanning operation. since generally there are errors in the detector matrix (may be due to fluctuations in the gap voltage or noise in the illumination spectra) the expected accuracy can be simulated from the device for a small range of tunable voltages. hence, better control of the voltage source, illumination and improved signal to noise ratio inferred through simulation can give us potentially very accurate spectral measurements. while particular embodiments have been described, alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and substantial equivalents that are or may be presently unforeseen may arise to applicants or others skilled in the art. accordingly, the appended claims as filed and as they may be amended are intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, variations, improvements, and substantial equivalents.
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152-359-963-534-543
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US
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[
"US"
] |
H01Q3/34,H04B1/48,H04B7/0404
| 2018-09-17T00:00:00 |
2018
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[
"H01",
"H04"
] |
bi-directional active phase shifting
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an apparatus is disclosed for bi-directional active phase shifting. in an example aspect, the apparatus includes a wireless transceiver. the wireless transceiver includes at least one transmit path and at least one receive path. the wireless transceiver also includes at least one active phase shifter disposed in both the transmit path and the receive path.
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1 . an apparatus comprising: a wireless transceiver including: at least one transmit path; at least one receive path; and at least one active phase shifter disposed in both the transmit path and the receive path. 2 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the active phase shifter includes: a quadrature coupling circuit disposed in both the transmit path and the receive path; and an amplifier circuit, a portion of the amplifier circuit disposed in the transmit path and another portion of the amplifier circuit disposed in the receive path. 3 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein: the quadrature coupling circuit includes a quadrature coupler; and the amplifier circuit includes: at least two transmit variable gain amplifiers disposed in the transmit path; and at least two receive variable gain amplifiers disposed in the receive path. 4 . the apparatus of claim 3 , wherein: the active phase shifter includes a shared node; the quadrature coupler has a shared port and two quadrature ports, the shared port coupled to the shared node; the two transmit variable gain amplifiers are selectively coupled to the two quadrature ports of the quadrature coupler, respectively; and the two receive variable gain amplifiers are selectively coupled to the two quadrature ports of the quadrature coupler, respectively. 5 . the apparatus of claim 4 , wherein: the active phase shifter includes a switch circuit coupled between the two quadrature ports of the quadrature coupler and the two transmit variable gain amplifiers, and between the two quadrature ports of the quadrature coupler and the two receive variable gain amplifiers; and the switch circuit is configured to selectively be in: a transmit state that connects the two transmit variable gain amplifiers to the two quadrature ports and disconnects the two receive variable gain amplifiers from the two quadrature ports; or a receive state that connects the two receive variable gain amplifiers to the two quadrature ports and disconnects the two transmit variable gain amplifiers from the two quadrature ports. 6 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the active phase shifter includes: a transmit node and a receive node; a combiner disposed in the transmit path, the combiner coupled between the transmit node and the amplifier circuit; and a splitter disposed in the receive path, the splitter coupled between the receive node and the amplifier circuit. 7 . the apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the combiner and the splitter each comprise one of the following: a wilkinson circuit; a t-junction; a transformer; a current summing node; or a matching network. 8 . the apparatus of claim 6 , wherein: the transmit path includes at least one component coupled to the transmit node of the active phase shifter; the receive path includes at least one other component coupled to the receive node of the active phase shifter; and the at least one active phase shifter is electrically coupled to the component of the transmit path at the transmit node and is electrically coupled to the other component of the receive path at the receive node. 9 . the apparatus of claim 8 , wherein: the transmit path includes a power amplifier as the at least one component; and the receive path includes a low-noise amplifier as the at least one other component. 10 . the apparatus of claim 9 , further comprising an antenna, the antenna coupled to the power amplifier and the low-noise amplifier. 11 . the apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising another antenna, wherein the wireless transceiver includes: another transmit path coupled to the other antenna; another receive path coupled to the other antenna; and another active phase shifter disposed in both the other transmit path and the other receive path. 12 . the apparatus of claim 11 , wherein: the antenna and the other antenna are configured to transmit phase-shifted transmit signals; and the active phase shifter and the other active phase shifter are jointly configured to generate the phase-shifted transmit signals, the phase-shifted transmit signals having a relative phase offset with respect to one another. 13 . the apparatus of claim 11 , wherein: the antenna and the other antenna are configured to receive respective input receive signals having a relative phase offset with respect to one another; and the active phase shifter and the other active phase shifter are jointly configured to generate phase-shifted receive signals based on the respective input receive signals, the phase-shifted receive signals having a smaller relative phase offset compared to the relative phase offset of the respective input receive signals. 14 . an apparatus comprising: a wireless transceiver including: at least one transmit path; at least one receive path; and active means for phase shifting signals propagating along the transmit path and the receive path at different times. 15 . the apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the active means comprises: quadrature coupler means for generating split transmit signals based on an input transmit signal at a first time and for combining amplified receive signals to generate a phase-shifted receive signal at a second time; and amplifier means for adjusting respective amplitudes of the split transmit signals at the first time to generate amplified transmit signals and for generating the amplified receive signals based on split receive signals at the second time. 16 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the amplifier means comprises: variable-gain transmit means for amplifying the split transmit signals at the first time to generate the amplified transmit signals; and variable-gain receive means for amplifying the split receive signals to generate the amplified receive signals at the second time. 17 . the apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the active phase shifter includes switch means for connecting the variable-gain transmit means to the quadrature coupler means at the first time and for connecting the variable-gain receive means to the quadrature coupler means at the second time. 18 . the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the active means comprises: combiner means for generating a phase-shifted transmit signal based on the amplified transmit signals at the first time; and splitter means for generating the split receive signals based on an input receive signal at the second time. 19 . the apparatus of claim 18 , wherein: the combiner means is configured to generate the phase-shifted transmit signal while substantially maintaining a relative phase offset of the amplified transmit signals; and the splitter means is configured to generate the split receive signals such that the split receive signals are substantially in-phase with respect to one another. 20 . the apparatus of claim 18 , wherein: the transmit path includes a power amplifier coupled to the combiner means; and the receive path includes a low-noise amplifier coupled to the splitter means. 21 . a method for bi-directional active phase shifting, the method comprising: accepting an input transmit signal at a shared node of an active phase shifter at a first time; generating, based on the input transmit signal, a phase-shifted transmit signal at a transmit node of the active phase shifter at the first time; accepting an input receive signal at a receive node of the active phase shifter at a second time; and generating, based on the input receive signal, a phase-shifted receive signal at the shared node of the active phase shifter at the second time. 22 . the method of claim 21 , wherein the generating of the phase-shifted transmit signal comprises: splitting the input transmit signal to generate two split transmit signals; adjusting respective amplitudes of the two split transmit signals to generate two amplified transmit signals; and combining the two amplified transmit signals to generate the phase-shifted transmit signal. 23 . the method of claim 22 , wherein the splitting of the input transmit signal comprises generating the two split transmit signals based on the input transmit signal such that the two split transmit signals have a relative phase offset of approximately ninety degrees. 24 . the method of claim 21 , wherein the generating of the phase-shifted receive signal comprises: splitting the input receive signal to generate two split receive signals; adjusting respective amplitudes of the two split receive signals to generate two amplified receive signals; and combining the two amplified receive signals to generate the phase-shifted receive signal. 25 . the method of claim 24 , wherein the splitting of the input receive signal comprises generating the two split receive signals such that the two split receive signals are relatively in-phase with respect to each other. 26 . the method of claim 21 , wherein: the active phase shifter includes a quadrature coupler having quadrature ports; the generating of the phase-shifted transmit signal comprises causing the quadrature ports of the quadrature coupler to be connected to a transmit path; and the generating of the phase-shifted receive signal comprises causing the quadrature ports of the quadrature coupler to be connected to a receive path. 27 . an apparatus comprising: a wireless transceiver including: at least one power amplifier; at least one low-noise amplifier; and at least one active phase shifter coupled to the power amplifier and the low-noise amplifier. 28 . the apparatus of claim 27 , wherein the active phase shifter includes: a combiner coupled to the power amplifier; and a splitter coupled to the low-noise amplifier. 29 . the apparatus of claim 28 , wherein the active phase shifter includes: a pair of transmit variable gain amplifiers coupled to the combiner; a pair of receive variable gain amplifiers coupled to the splitter; and a quadrature coupler circuit coupled to the pair of transmit variable gain amplifiers and the pair of receive variable gain amplifiers. 30 . the apparatus of claim 27 , wherein: the power amplifier is configured to amplify a phase-shifted transmit signal at a first time; the low-noise amplifier is configured to generate an input receive signal at a second time; and the active phase shifter is configured to: accept an input transmit signal at the first time; generate the phase-shifted transmit signal based on the input transmit signal at the first time, the phase-shifted transmit signal having a different phase than the input transmit signal; accept the input receive signal at the second time; and generate a phase-shifted receive signal based on the input receive signal at the second time, the phase-shifted receive signal having a different phase than the input receive signal.
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technical field this disclosure relates generally to wireless transceivers and, more specifically, to techniques for implementing a bi-directional active phase shifter. background electronic devices use radio-frequency (rf) signals to communicate information. these radio-frequency signals enable users to talk with friends, download information, share pictures, remotely control household devices, receive global positioning information, employ radar for object detection and tracking, listen to radio stations, and so forth. over longer distances, it may be challenging to distinguish the radio-frequency signals from background noise. to address this issue, some electronic devices use phase shifters for beamsteering. beamsteering enables the electronic device to increase signal strength or sensitivity in a particular spatial direction. in this way, the electronic device can communicate with other devices over farther distances. to improve spatial coverage or to support multiple frequency bands, it may be desirable to increase a quantity of antenna elements within one or more antenna arrays of the electronic device. as the quantity of antenna elements, increases, however, a quantity of phase shifters used for beamsteering may also increase. it can be challenging to design a phase shifter that conserves space within the electronic device without introducing additional losses to the signals being transmitted or received. consequently, employing some phase shifter designs may limit an electronic device's spatial diversity or frequency diversity capabilities by limiting the quantity of phase shifters that can be implemented within a housing of the electronic device. summary an apparatus is disclosed that implements bi-directional active phase shifting. the described techniques implement an active phase shifter that is bi-directional and disposed in both a transmit path and a receive path. the active phase shifter includes a quadrature coupling circuit that enables phase shifting operations to be performed for either transmission or reception. by sharing the quadrature coupling circuit with both the transmit path and the receive path, the active phase shifter occupies less space compared to other designs that have individual active phase shifters disposed in the transmit and receive paths. the active phase shifter can also include variable gain amplifiers, which enable the active phase shifter to achieve higher accuracies relative to some passive phase shifters and to support wideband communications, such as those used for fifth-generation (5g) or millimeter-wave communication modes. use of the variable gain amplifiers can further conserve space within a wireless transceiver by obviating the use of additional gain buffers used in other wireless transceiver architectures with passive phase shifters. in an example aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. the apparatus includes a wireless transceiver. the wireless transceiver includes at least one transmit path and at least one receive path. the wireless transceiver also includes at least one active phase shifter disposed in both the transmit path and the receive path. in an example aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. the apparatus includes a wireless transceiver. the wireless transceiver includes at least one transmit path and at least one receive path. the wireless transceiver also includes active means for phase shifting signals propagating along the transmit path and the receive path at different times. in an example aspect, a method for bi-directional active phase shifting is disclosed. the method includes accepting an input transmit signal at a shared node of an active phase shifter at a first time. the method also includes generating, based on the input transmit signal, a phase-shifted transmit signal at a transmit node of the active phase shifter at the first time. at a second time, the method includes accepting an input receive signal at a receive node of the active phase shifter. the method also includes generating, based on the input receive signal, a phase-shifted receive signal at the shared node of the active phase shifter at the second time. in an example aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. the apparatus includes a wireless transceiver. the wireless transceiver includes at least one power amplifier, at least one low-noise amplifier, and at least one active phase shifter. the active phase shifter is coupled to the power amplifier and the low-noise amplifier. brief description of drawings fig. 1 illustrates an example operating environment for bi-directional active phase shifting. fig. 2 illustrates an example portion of a wireless transceiver for bi-directional active phase shifting. fig. 3 illustrates an example computing device with multiple antennas and multiple active phase shifters for bi-directional active phase shifting. fig. 4 illustrates an example implementation of an active phase shifter for bi-directional active phase shifting. fig. 5 illustrates another example implementation of an active phase shifter for bi-directional active phase shifting. fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process for bi-directional active phase shifting. detailed description it may be challenging to design a phase shifter that conserves space within an electronic device without introducing additional losses to the signal processing. some electronic devices use passive phase shifters, which may be bi-directional. as such, a passive phase shifter can be shared by both a transmit path and a receive path to conserve space within the electronic device. the passive phase shifter, however, can add additional loss within the transmit and receive paths, which degrades signal-to-noise performance of the electronic device. to address such challenges, techniques for bi-directional active phase shifting are described herein. the described techniques implement an active phase shifter that is bi-directional and disposed in a transmit path and a receive path. the active phase shifter includes a quadrature coupling circuit that enables phase shifting operations to be performed for either transmission or reception. by sharing the quadrature coupling circuit with both the transmit path and the receive path, the active phase shifter occupies less space compared to other designs that have individual active phase shifters disposed in the transmit and receive paths. the active phase shifter can also include variable gain amplifiers, which enable the active phase shifter to achieve higher accuracies relative to some passive phase shifters and to support wideband communications, such as those used for fifth-generation (5g) or millimeter-wave communication modes. use of the variable gain amplifiers can further conserve space within a wireless transceiver by obviating the use of additional gain buffers used in other wireless transceiver architectures with passive phase shifters. fig. 1 illustrates an example environment 100 for bi-directional active phase shifting. in the environment 100 , a computing device 102 communicates with a base station 104 through a wireless communication link 106 (wireless link 106 ). in this example, the computing device 102 is depicted as a smart phone. however, the computing device 102 may be implemented as any suitable computing or electronic device, such as a modem, cellular base station, broadband router, access point, cellular phone, gaming device, navigation device, media device, laptop computer, desktop computer, tablet computer, wearable computer, server, network-attached storage (nas) device, smart appliance or other internet of things (iot) device, medical device, vehicle-based communication system, radar, radio apparatus, and so forth. the base station 104 communicates with the computing device 102 via the wireless link 106 , which may be implemented as any suitable type of wireless link. although depicted as a tower of a cellular network, the base station 104 may represent or be implemented as another device, such as a satellite, server device, terrestrial television broadcast tower, access point, peer-to-peer device, mesh network node, fiber optic line, and so forth. therefore, the computing device 102 may communicate with the base station 104 or another device via a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination thereof. the wireless link 106 can include a downlink of data or control information communicated from the base station 104 to the computing device 102 , or an uplink of other data or control information communicated from the computing device 102 to the base station 104 . the wireless link 106 may be implemented using any suitable communication protocol or standard, such as second-generation (2g), third-generation (3g), fourth-generation (4g), fifth-generation (5g), ieee 802.11 (e.g., wi-fi™), ieee 802.15 (e.g., bluetooth™), ieee 802.16 (e.g., wimax′), and so forth. in some implementations, the wireless link 106 may wirelessly provide power and the base station 104 may comprise a power source. as shown, the computing device 102 includes an application processor 108 and a computer-readable storage medium 110 (crm 110 ). the application processor 108 may include any type of processor, such as a multi-core processor, that executes processor-executable code stored by the crm 110 . the crm 110 may include any suitable type of data storage media, such as volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (ram)), non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory), optical media, magnetic media (e.g., disk), and so forth. in the context of this disclosure, the crm 110 is implemented to store instructions 112 , data 114 , and other information of the computing device 102 , and thus does not include transitory propagating signals or carrier waves. the computing device 102 may also include input/output ports 116 (i/o ports 116 ) and a display 118 . the i/o ports 116 enable data exchanges or interaction with other devices, networks, or users. the i/o ports 116 may include serial ports (e.g., universal serial bus (usb) ports), parallel ports, audio ports, infrared (ir) ports, user interface ports such as a touchscreen, and so forth. the display 118 presents graphics of the computing device 102 , such as a user interface associated with an operating system, program, or application. alternately or additionally, the display 118 may be implemented as a display port or virtual interface, through which graphical content of the computing device 102 is presented. a wireless transceiver 120 of the computing device 102 provides connectivity to respective networks and other electronic devices connected therewith. alternately or additionally, the computing device 102 may include a wired transceiver, such as an ethernet or fiber optic interface for communicating over a local network, intranet, or the internet. the wireless transceiver 120 may facilitate communication over any suitable type of wireless network, such as a wireless local area network (lan) (wlan), peer-to-peer (p2p) network, mesh network, cellular network, wireless wide-area-network (wwan), and/or wireless personal-area-network (wpan). in the context of the example environment 100 , the wireless transceiver 120 enables the computing device 102 to communicate with the base station 104 and networks connected therewith. however, the wireless transceiver 120 can also enable the computing device 102 to communicate “directly” with other devices or networks. the wireless transceiver 120 includes circuitry and logic for transmitting and receiving communication signals via at least one antenna 122 . components of the wireless transceiver 120 can include amplifiers, switches, mixers, analog-to-digital converters, filters, and so forth for conditioning the communication signals (e.g., for generating or processing signals). the wireless transceiver 120 may also include logic to perform in-phase/quadrature (i/q) operations, such as synthesis, encoding, modulation, decoding, demodulation, and so forth. in some cases, components of the wireless transceiver 120 are implemented as separate receiver and transmitter entities. additionally or alternatively, the wireless transceiver 120 can be realized using multiple or different sections to implement respective receiving and transmitting operations (e.g., separate transmit and receiver chains). in general, the wireless transceiver 120 processes data and/or signals associated with communicating data of the computing device 102 over the antenna 122 . the wireless transceiver 120 includes at least one active phase shifter 124 . in contrast to passive phase shifters, an active phase shifter 124 includes active components, such as transistors or amplifiers, which can provide amplification. in some implementations, the active phase shifter 124 can support wideband (e.g., broadband) operations and can shift phases of signals having frequencies within an extremely-high frequency (ehf) spectrum (e.g., for signals having frequencies between approximately 24 and 44 gigahertz (ghz)). a design of the active phase shifter 124 can realize a particular bit resolution, such as approximately three bits of resolution or more. the active phase shifter 124 is bi-directional and can be disposed in both a transmit path and a receive path of the wireless transceiver 120 . accordingly, the active phase shifter 124 can shift phases of signals that are transmitted or received via the antenna 122 . the active phase shifter 124 can at least partially implement bi-directional active phase shifting, as further described with respect to figs. 2-5 . the wireless transceiver 120 also includes control circuitry 126 , which may be implemented within or separate from the wireless transceiver 120 as a modem, a general-purpose processor, a controller, fixed logic circuitry, hard-coded logic, some combination thereof, and so forth. components of the control circuitry 126 can be localized at one module or one integrated circuit chip or can be distributed across multiple modules or chips. although not explicitly shown, the control circuitry 126 can include at least one crm (e.g., the crm 110 ), can include a portion of the crm 110 , or can access the crm 110 to obtain computer-readable instructions (e.g., instructions 112 ). the control circuitry 126 controls the wireless transceiver 120 and enables wireless communication to be performed. in general, the control circuitry 126 can control an operational mode of the wireless transceiver 120 or has knowledge of a current operational mode. different types of operational modes may include a transmission mode, a reception mode, different spatial coverage modes, different frequency modes (e.g., a high frequency mode or a low frequency mode), different power modes (e.g., a low-power mode or a high-power mode), different resource control states (e.g., a connected mode, an inactive mode, or an idle mode), different modulation modes (e.g., lower-order modulation modes such as quadrature phase-shift keying (qpsk) modes or higher-order modulation modes such as 64 quadrature amplitude modulation (qam) or 256 qam), and so forth. to support transmission or reception via a particular antenna 122 , the control circuitry 126 enables the corresponding active phase shifter 124 to be appropriately configured. the control circuitry 126 may also specify a relative phase offset between multiple active phase shifters 124 that are coupled to multiple antenna elements of an antenna array to increase transmission power or increase sensitivity along a particular direction. fig. 2 illustrates an example portion of a wireless transceiver 120 for bi-directional active phase shifting. in the depicted configuration, the wireless transceiver 120 includes at least one transmit path 202 and at least one receive path 204 . the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 respectively include a power amplifier 206 and a low-noise amplifier 208 . both the power amplifier 206 and the low-noise amplifier 208 can be coupled to the antenna 122 of fig. 1 . the active phase shifter 124 is shown to be disposed in both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 . in other words, the active phase shifter 124 is electrically coupled to other components within the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 , such as the power amplifier 206 and the low-noise amplifier 208 . in this way, signals that propagate through the transmit path 202 or the receive path 204 propagate through the active phase shifter 124 . the active phase shifter 124 includes a transmit node 210 disposed in the transmit path 202 , a receive node 212 disposed in the receive path 204 , and a shared node 214 disposed in both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 . although not shown, the shared node 214 may be coupled to other components within the transmit path 202 or the receive path 204 , such as a mixer, a combiner, or a splitter. within a portion of the active phase shifter 124 , the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 share common components along a shared transceiver path 216 . this is illustrated with a portion of the dashed lines of the transmit path 202 and a portion of the dotted lines of the receive path 204 being contained within the dotted-dashed lines of the shared transceiver path 216 . in this manner, the shared transceiver path 216 represents a common path that is shared by both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 (e.g., the shared transceiver path 216 includes at least a portion of both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 ). during transmission, the active phase shifter 124 accepts an input transmit signal 218 at the shared node 214 . based on the input transmit signal 218 the active phase shifter 124 generates a phase-shifted transmit signal 220 at the transmit node 210 . the power amplifier 206 amplifies the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 for transmission via the antenna 122 . the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 can have a different phase than the input transmit signal 218 . during reception, the low-noise amplifier 208 generates an input receive signal 222 , which is accepted at the receive node 212 of the active phase shifter 124 . based on the input receive signal 222 , the active phase shifter 124 generates a phase-shifted receive signal 224 at the shared node 214 . the phase-shifted receive signal 224 can have a different phase than the input receive signal 222 . to perform a beamsteering operation, the computing device 102 includes multiple antennas 122 and multiple phase shifters 124 , as shown in fig. 3 . fig. 3 illustrates an example computing device 102 with multiple antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n and multiple active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n for bi-directional active phase shifting. in the depicted configuration, n is a positive integer, and a quantity of active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n equals a quantity of antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n, but the quantities may differ. in this example, the antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n implement an antenna array, which transmits and receives signals at different times. the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n are respectively coupled to the multiple antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n and apply relative phase offsets for beamsteering. for simplicity, the transmit path 202 , the receive path 204 , and the shared transceiver path 216 associated with each of the antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n are not explicitly depicted. the control circuitry 126 is coupled to the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n and generates a phase offset signal 308 . using the phase offset signal 308 , the control circuitry 126 specifies the relative phase offsets that are to be applied by the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n for beamsteering. the control circuitry 126 can determine the relative phase offsets based on a target direction that is selected for increasing transmission power or sensitivity. in some cases, the target direction is based on a known direction to the base station 104 of fig. 1 or a selected direction for communication. the phase offset signal 308 may comprise multiple signals that are sent to respective active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n or a multi-bit signal with each bit or group of bits respectively controlling the relative phase offset applied by the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n. using the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n and the antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n, the computing device 102 transmits multiple phase-shifted transmit signals 220 - 1 to 220 -n. in general, the phase-shifted transmit signals 220 - 1 to 220 -n have larger relative phase offsets compared to relative phase offsets of the input transmit signals 218 - 1 to 218 -n. based on the relative phase offsets of the phase-shifted transmit signals 220 - 1 to 220 -n, an uplink signal 304 is steered in a particular direction. additionally, the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n and the antennas 122 - 1 to 122 -n increase a sensitivity of the wireless transceiver 120 for receiving a downlink signal 306 from a particular direction. in this case, relative phases of the input receive signals 222 - 1 to 222 -n may differ due to differences in locations of the antennas 122 - 1 and 122 -n and the direction of the downlink signal 306 . the active phase shifters 124 - 1 to 124 -n can compensate for these relative phase differences by generating the phase-shifted receive signals 224 - 1 to 224 -n with substantially similar phases. in other words, the phase-shifted receive signals 224 - 1 to 224 -n generally have smaller relative phase offsets compared to relative phase offsets of the input receive signals 222 - 1 to 222 -n. in this way, the phase-shifted receive signals 224 - 1 to 224 -n can be combined by the wireless transceiver 120 to increase sensitivity. by performing phase shifting within the transmit path 202 or receive path 204 (as shown in fig. 2 ), the computing device 102 can communicate with other devices at farther distances. example implementations of the active phase shifter 124 are further described with respect to figs. 4 and 5 . fig. 4 illustrates an example active phase shifter 124 for bi-directional active phase shifting. in the depicted configuration, the active phase shifter 124 includes a quadrature coupling circuit 402 , an amplifier circuit 404 , a combiner 406 , and a splitter 408 . the active phase shifter 124 may also include a switch circuit 410 , which is coupled between the quadrature coupling circuit 402 and the amplifier circuit 404 . as illustrated in fig. 4 , the active phase shifter 124 includes components that are disposed along the transmit path 202 , components that are disposed along the receive path 204 , and components that are disposed along the shared transceiver path 216 (e.g., components that are shared by both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 ). in particular, the combiner 406 and a portion of the amplifier circuit 404 are included within the transmit path 202 . additionally, the receive path 204 includes the splitter 408 and another portion of the amplifier circuit 404 . the switch circuit 410 provides an interface that merges the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 into the shared transceiver path 216 . in some cases, the switch circuit 410 may include components that are individually or separately disposed in the transmit path 202 or the receive path 204 or components that are disposed in both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 . the shared transceiver path 216 includes the quadrature coupling circuit 402 , which is included within both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 . in this way, the active phase shifter 124 occupies less space compared to other wireless transceivers that utilize separate active phase shifters (e.g., and therefore separate quadrature coupling circuits 402 ) within the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 . the quadrature coupling circuit 402 includes a shared port 412 , which is coupled to the shared node 214 , and two quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 . in some implementations the quadrature coupling circuit 402 is implemented using a quadrature coupler (e.g., a three-decibel (3 db) ninety-degree hybrid coupler). in other implementations, the quadrature coupling circuit 402 includes coupling components that provide an approximately ninety-degree phase shift between one of the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 and the shared port 412 and provide an approximately zero-degree phase shift between another of the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 and the shared port 412 . in example operations for transmission, the quadrature coupling circuit 402 accepts a signal at the shared port 412 and splits the accepted signal into two signals, which are respectively provided at the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 . depending on a design of the quadrature coupling circuit 402 , the multiple signals can have relatively similar amplitudes or relatively different amplitudes, and can have a relative phase offset of approximately ninety degrees with respect to one another. in example operations for reception, the quadrature coupling circuit 402 shifts the phase of one of the signals that is accepted at one of the quadrature ports 414 - 1 or 414 - 2 by approximately ninety degrees and combines this phase-shifted signal with another signal that is accepted at the other quadrature port 414 - 1 or 414 - 2 . the combined signal is generated at the shared port 412 . the combiner 406 and the splitter 408 are respectively coupled to the transmit node 210 and the receive node 212 . in contrast to the quadrature coupling circuit 402 , the combiner 406 and the splitter 408 substantially maintain a relative phase offset between signals that are accepted or generated, respectively. in other words, the combiner 406 combines multiple signals without substantially shifting a phase of one of the accepted signals and the splitter 408 generates multiple signals that are approximately in-phase with respect to each other. types of components that may implement the combiner 406 or the splitter 408 include a wilkinson circuit (e.g., a wilkinson combiner or splitter), a t-junction, a transformer, a current summing node, a matching network, and so forth. in an example implementation of the combiner 406 using a current summing node, outputs of the amplifier circuit 404 that are coupled to the combiner 406 may be current mode outputs from transistors within the amplifier circuit 404 , and the combiner 406 provides the load impedance to each output of the amplifier circuit 404 . in an example implementation of the splitter 408 using a matching network, inputs to the amplifier circuit 404 coming from the splitter 408 may have an impedance z 1 , and the splitter 408 provides impedance transformation from z 1 to z 2 *2 so that two amplifiers within the amplifier circuit 404 provide a combined impedance z 2 through the splitter 408 to the receive node 212 . the impedance z 2 can be matched to tan output impedance of the low noise amplifier 208 that is coupled to receive node 212 . the amplifier circuit 404 is coupled between the quadrature coupling circuit 402 , the combiner 406 , and the splitter 408 . the amplifier circuit 404 adjusts amplitudes of signals that are provided by the quadrature coupling circuit 402 for transmission operations or by the splitter 408 for reception operations. in some implementations, the amplifier circuit 404 includes at least four variable gain amplifiers, which can be implemented using active components, such as transistors. respective gains of the four variable gain amplifiers can be individually controlled by the control circuitry 126 via the phase offset signal 308 of fig. 3 . using the variable gain amplifiers, the amplifier circuit 404 can individually adjust respective amplitudes of the signals by increasing, decreasing, or inverting the amplitudes. in other cases, the variable gain amplifiers can maintain the amplitudes of the signals such that the amplitudes are relatively unchanged by the variable gain amplifiers. as further described with respect to fig. 5 , at least two (e.g., a pair) of the transmit variable gain amplifiers are disposed in the transmit path 202 and at least two (e.g., a pair) of the receive variable gain amplifiers are disposed in the receive path 204 . the switch circuit 410 is coupled between the quadrature coupling circuit 402 and the amplifier circuit 404 . the switch circuit 410 may include at least one switch or at least one multiplexer. the control circuitry 126 controls an operational state of the switch circuit 410 , as is shown in fig. 5 . during transmission, the switch circuit 410 is in a transmit state that connects the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 of the quadrature coupling circuit 402 to a portion of the amplifier circuit 404 that is disposed in the transmit path 202 (e.g., to the transmit variable gain amplifiers) and disconnects the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 from the other portion of the amplifier circuit 404 that is disposed in the receive path 204 . during reception, the switch circuit 410 is in a receive state that connects the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 to a portion of the amplifier circuit 404 that is disposed in the receive path 204 (e.g., to the receive variable gain amplifiers) and disconnects the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 from the other portion of the amplifier circuit 404 that is disposed in the transmit path 202 . although the switch circuit 410 and the quadrature coupling circuit 402 may add some loss to the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 , having the switch circuit 410 and the quadrature coupling circuit 402 implemented before the amplifier circuit 404 and the power amplifier 206 (of fig. 2 ) within the transmit path 202 and after the low-noise amplifier 208 (of fig. 2 ) and the amplifier circuit 404 within the receive path 204 provides improved linearity in the transmit mode and improved noise figure performance in the receive mode of the wireless transceiver 120 . during transmission, the quadrature coupling circuit 402 splits the input transmit signal 218 to generate split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 . the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 are approximately ninety degrees out-of-phase with respect to each other. the control circuitry 126 (of fig. 3 ) causes the switch circuit 410 to be in the transmit state to pass the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 to the portion of the amplifier circuit 404 associated with the transmit path 202 . the amplifier circuit 404 adjusts the amplitudes of the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 to generate amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 . the combiner 406 combines the amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 to generate the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 at the transmit node 210 . in this manner, a phase of the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 is based on a relative amplitude difference between the amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 and the ninety-degree phase offset between the amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 , which was applied via the quadrature coupling circuit 402 . during reception, the splitter 408 splits the input receive signal 222 to generate the split receive signals 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 . the split receive signals 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 are substantially in-phase with each other (e.g., have relatively similar phases). the amplifier circuit 404 adjusts the amplitudes the split receive signals 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 to generate the amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 . the control circuitry 126 causes the switch circuit 410 to be in the receive state to pass the amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 to the quadrature coupling circuit 402 . the quadrature coupling circuit 402 generates the phase-shifted receive signal 224 at the shared node 214 based on the amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 . in this manner, a phase of the phase-shifted receive signal 224 is based on a relative amplitude difference between the amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 and the ninety-degree phase offset that is applied via the quadrature coupling circuit 402 . as shown above, the active phase shifter 124 performs phase shifting for both transmission and reception, and is therefore bi-directional. fig. 5 illustrates another example implementation of the active phase shifter 124 for bi-directional active phase shifting. in the depicted configuration, the quadrature coupler circuit 402 includes a quadrature coupler 502 with the shared port 412 (e.g., an input or output (io) port), a through port 504 , a coupled port 506 , and an isolated port 508 . a signal that passes between the shared port 412 and the through port 504 has a phase that remains relatively unchanged while another signal that passes between the shared port 412 and the coupled port 506 has a phase that is shifted by approximately ninety degrees. the through port 504 and the coupled port 506 correspond respectively to the quadrature ports 414 - 1 and 414 - 2 of fig. 4 . the switch circuit 410 includes four switches 510 - 1 to 510 - 4 . the amplifier circuit 404 includes four variable gain amplifiers (vgas), which comprise transmit variable gain amplifiers 512 - 1 and 512 - 2 and receive variable gain amplifiers 514 - 1 and 514 - 2 . the switches 510 - 1 and 510 - 2 respectively couple the transmit variable gain amplifiers 512 - 1 and 512 - 2 to the through port 504 and the coupled port 506 . likewise, the switches 510 - 3 and 510 - 4 respectively couple the receive variable gain amplifiers 514 - 1 and 514 - 2 to the through port 504 and the coupled port 506 . in addition to being coupled to the amplifier circuit 404 (as shown in fig. 5 ) and generating the phase offset signal 308 , the control circuitry 126 is coupled to the switch circuit 410 and generates a mode signal 516 . the mode signal 516 controls the operational state of the switch circuit 410 (e.g., whether the switch circuit 410 is in the transmit state or the receive state) by controlling operational states of the switches 510 - 1 to 510 - 4 . during transmission, the mode signal 516 causes the switches 510 - 1 and 510 - 2 to be in a closed state and the switches 510 - 3 and 510 - 4 to be in an open state. during reception, the mode signal 516 causes the switches 510 - 1 and 510 - 2 to be in the open state and the switches 510 - 3 and 510 - 4 to be in the closed state. example vector diagrams of the signals that are generated via the active phase shifter 124 are also shown in fig. 5 . during transmission, the quadrature coupler 502 generates the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 at the through port 504 and the coupled port 506 , respectively. due to the phase shift that occurs between the shared port 412 and the coupled port 506 , the split transmit signal 416 - 2 has a phase that differs from a phase of the split transmit signal 416 - 1 by approximately ninety degrees. the switch circuit 410 passes the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 to the transmit variable gain amplifiers 512 - 1 and 512 - 2 . in this example, the transmit variable gain amplifier 512 - 1 increases an amplitude of the split transmit signal 416 - 1 to generate the amplified transmit signal 418 - 1 , and the transmit variable gain amplifier 512 - 2 decreases and inverts an amplitude of the split transmit signal 416 - 2 to generate the amplified transmit signal 418 - 2 . these adjustments to the amplitudes of the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 can be specified by the control circuitry 126 via the phase offset signal 308 to effectively shift a phase of the input transmit signal 218 by a target amount. the combiner 406 combines the amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 to generate the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 , which is shown to be a vector summation of the amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 . during reception, the splitter 408 generates the split receive signals 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 , which are substantially in-phase with each other. in this example, the receive variable gain amplifier 514 - 1 generates the amplified receive signal 422 - 1 such that the amplified receive signal 422 - 1 has a relatively similar amplitude as the split receive signal 420 - 1 (e.g., a gain of the receive variable gain amplifier 514 - 1 is approximately zero db). in contrast, the receive variable gain amplifier 514 - 2 generates the amplified receive signal 422 - 2 with a larger amplitude than the split receive signal 420 - 2 . these adjustments or lack of adjustments to the amplitudes of the split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 can be specified by the control circuitry 126 via the phase offset signal 308 to effectively shift a phase of the input receive signal 222 by a target amount. the switch circuit 410 passes the amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 to the through port 504 and the coupled port 506 of the quadrature coupler 502 , respectively. because the amplified receive signal 422 - 2 is accepted at the coupled port 506 , the quadrature coupler 502 shifts a phase of the amplified receive signal 422 - 2 by approximately ninety degrees to produce a phase-shifted amplified receive signal 422 - 2 (not explicitly shown). at the shared port 412 , the quadrature coupler 502 combines the amplified receive signal 422 - 1 with the phase-shifted amplified receive signal 422 - 2 to generate the phase-shifted receive signal 224 , which is shown to be a vector summation of these signals. although single-ended circuits are shown in figs. 4 and 5 for simplicity, other implementations of the active phase shifter 124 may comprise differential circuits. fig. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an example process 600 for bi-directional active phase shifting. the process 600 is described in the form of a set of blocks 602 - 608 that specify operations that can be performed. however, operations are not necessarily limited to the order shown in fig. 6 or described herein, for the operations may be implemented in alternative orders or in fully or partially overlapping manners. operations represented by the illustrated blocks of the process 600 may be performed by a wireless transceiver 120 (e.g., of fig. 1 or 2 ). more specifically, the operations of the process 600 may be performed by an active phase shifter 124 as shown in figs. 1-5 . at block 602 , an input transmit signal is accepted at a shared node of an active phase shifter at a first time. for example, the active phase shifter 124 accepts the input transmit signal 218 at the shared node 214 at the first time, as shown in fig. 2 . the input transmit signal 218 may be provided by other components of a transmit chain of the wireless transceiver 120 , such as a splitter, a mixer, an amplifier, a filter, and so forth. at block 604 , a phase-shifted transmit signal is generated at a transmit node of the active phase shifter at the first time. the phase-shifted transmit signal is based on the input transmit signal. for example, the active phase shifter 124 generates, based on the input transmit signal 218 , the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 at the transmit node 210 , as shown in fig. 2 . the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 can have a different phase relative to the input transmit signal 218 . to generate the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 , the active phase shifter 124 can include the quadrature coupling circuit 402 , the amplifier circuit 404 , and the combiner 406 shown in fig. 4 . in an example operation, the quadrature coupling circuit 402 splits the input transmit signal 218 to generate two split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 . the amplifier circuit 404 adjusts respective amplitudes of the two split transmit signals 416 - 1 and 416 - 2 to generate two amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 . the combiner 406 combines the two amplified transmit signals 418 - 1 and 418 - 2 to generate the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 . the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 can be amplified by the power amplifier 206 and transmitted via the antenna 122 . by controlling a phase of the phase-shifted transmit signal 220 relative to other phase-shifted transmit signals transmitted via other antennas, the wireless transceiver 120 can steer the uplink signal 304 and increase transmission power along a direction to the base station 104 . at block 606 , an input receive signal is accepted at a receive node of the active phase shifter at a second time. for example, the active phase shifter 124 accepts the input receive signal 222 at the receive node 212 . the input receive signal 222 is based on a portion of the downlink signal 306 , which is received via the antenna 122 and amplified by the low-noise amplifier 208 of fig. 2 . the first time and the second time can correspond to different time slots associated with time division duplexing. at block 608 , a phase-shifted receive signal is generated at the shared node of the active phase shifter at the second time. the phase-shifted receive signal is based on the input receive signal. for example, the active phase shifter 124 generates, based on the input receive signal 222 , the phase-shifted receive signal 224 at the shared node 214 at the second time. the phase-shifted receive signal 224 can have a different phase relative to the input receive signal 222 . to generate the phase-shifted receive signal 224 , the active phase shifter 124 also includes the splitter 408 , which splits the input receive signal 222 to generate the two split receive signals 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 . the amplifier circuit 404 adjusts respective amplitudes of the two split receive signals 420 - 1 and 420 - 2 to generate two amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 . the quadrature coupling circuit 402 combines the two amplified receive signals 422 - 1 and 422 - 2 to generate the phase-shifted receive signal 224 . as described above, the active phase shifter 124 is bi-directional because it can provide phase shifting for the transmit path 202 or the receive path 204 , or both the transmit path 202 and the receive path 204 at different times. by controlling a phase of the phase-shifted receive signal 224 relative to other phase-shifted receive signals generated via other active phase shifters, the wireless transceiver 120 can realize increased sensitivity along a direction to the base station 104 for receiving the downlink signal 306 . the phase-shifted receive signal 224 can be provided to other components of a receive chain of the wireless transceiver 120 , such as a combiner, a mixer, an amplifier, a filter, and so forth. unless context dictates otherwise, use herein of the word “or” may be considered use of an “inclusive or,” or a term that permits inclusion or application of one or more items that are linked by the word “or” (e.g., a phrase “a or b” may be interpreted as permitting just “a,” as permitting just “b,” or as permitting both “a” and “b”). further, items represented in the accompanying figures and terms discussed herein may be indicative of one or more items or terms, and thus reference may be made interchangeably to single or plural forms of the items and terms in this written description. finally, although subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features or methodological operations, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or operations described above, including not necessarily being limited to the organizations in which features are arranged or the orders in which operations are performed.
|
156-012-079-463-257
|
JP
|
[
"CN",
"US",
"JP"
] |
B41J3/36,B41J2/485,B41J11/00,B41J11/70,B41J15/04,G06T3/40,G09G5/28
| 1998-08-10T00:00:00 |
1998
|
[
"B41",
"G06",
"G09"
] |
image printing method and apparatus
|
there are provided an image-printing method and device for enabling a more attractive print image to be obtained, even when a basic image is printed which is formed by changing the size of a whole image including image elements formed based on outline fonts or dot matrices. the image-printing method and device print an image on a printing object, while causing a print head and the printing object to move in a predetermined direction to effect relative motion between the print head and the printing object, to thereby form a printed image t. a high-density printing basic image is formed by increasing a dot size in the predetermined direction of a basic image created by arranging at least one image element therein, by a factor of m (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2). the high-density printing basic image is printed in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by directly printing the basic image, at a dot density increased by the factor of m in the predetermined direction.
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1. an image-printing device for printing an image on a printing object while causing at least one of a print head and said printing object to move in a predetermined direction to effect relative motion between said print head and said printing object, to thereby form a printed image, the image-printing device comprising: high-density printing basic image-forming means for forming a high-density printing basic image by increasing a dot size in said predetermined direction of a basic image created by arranging at least one image element therein, by a factor of m (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2); and high-density printing means for printing said high-density printing basic image in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by directly printing said basic image, at a dot density increased by said factor of m in said predetermined direction; said high-density printing basic image-forming means including: basic image-forming means for forming said basic image; enlarged basic image-forming means for forming an enlarged basic image by expanding said dot size in said predetermined direction of said basic image by said factor of m; smoothing means for carrying out smoothing of said enlarged basic image; high-density printing image element-forming means for forming a high-density printing image element corresponding to each of said at least one image element of said basic image by expanding a dot size in said predetermined direction of said each of said at least one image element by said factor of m, and if at least one of said at least one image element has said dot size in said predetermined direction thereof expanded based on other than an outline font therefor, then further carrying out smoothing of the resulting enlarged image of each of said at least one of said at least one image element; and high-density printing basic image-arranging means for arranging said high-density printing image element corresponding to said each of said at least one image element in a manner adapted to said high-density printing basic image; said high-density printing image element-forming means being further characterized by not carrying out smoothing of the resulting enlarged image which is expanded based on an outline font therefor. 2. an image-printing device according to claim 1, further including high-density printing-determining means for determining whether or not the forming of said high-density printing basic image and the printing of said high-density printing basic image at said dot density increased by said factor of m are to be carried out. 3. an image-printing device according to claim 2, wherein said high-density printing-determining means includes high-density printing mode-setting means for setting a high-density printing mode to thereby cause determination that the forming of said high-density printing basic image and the printing of said high-density printing basic image at said dot density increased by said factor of m are to be carried out on the whole of said basic image. 4. an image-printing device according to claim 1, wherein said printing object is a tape. 5. a method of printing an image on a printing object while causing at least one of a print head and said printing object to move in a predetermined direction to effect relative motion between said print head and said printing object, to thereby form a printed image, the method comprising the steps of: forming a high-density printing basic image by increasing a dot size in said predetermined direction of a basic image created by arranging at least one image element therein, by a factor of m (m is a natural number equal to or large than 2); and printing said high-density printing basic image in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by directly printing said basic image, at a dot density increased by said factor of m in said predetermined direction; the step of forming said high-density printing basic image comprising the steps of: forming said basic image; forming an enlarged basic image by expanding said dot size in said predetermined direction of said basic image by said factor of m; carrying out smoothing of said enlarged basic image; forming a high-density printing image element corresponding to each of said at least one image element of said basic image by expanding a dot size in said predetermined direction of said each of said at least one image element by said factor of m, and if at least one of said at least one image element has said dot size in said predetermined direction thereof expanded based on other than an outline font therefor, then further carrying out smoothing of the resulting enlarged image of each of said at least one of said at least one image element; and arranging said high-density printing image element corresponding to said each of said at least one image element in a manner adapted to said high-density printing basic image; the step of forming a high-density printing image element being further characterized by not carrying out smoothing of the resulting enlarged image which is expanded based on an outline font therefor. 6. a method according to claim 5, further including the step of determining whether or not the forming of said high-density printing basic image and the printing of said high-density printing basic image at said dot density increased by said factor of m are to be carried out. 7. a method according to claim 6, wherein the step of determining whether or not the forming of said high-density printing basic image and the printing of said high-density printing basic image at said dot density increased by said factor of m are to be carried out includes the step of setting a high-density printing mode to thereby cause determination that the forming of said high-density printing basic image and the printing of said high-density printing basic image at said dot density increased by said factor of m are to be carried out on the whole of said basic image. 8. a method according to claim 5, wherein said printing object is a tape.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to an image-printing method and device for printing an image formed by arranging at least one image element. 2. prior art generally, to print an image (whole image) containing, as image elements thereof, images of characters, such as letters, numerals, symbols, simple figures, etc., or images of character strings each formed by arranging such characters, it is required to read out font data corresponding to text data (character code) of each of the characters from a rom or the like storing predetermined font data, and then, based on the font data read out, convert the text data to image data and arrange the image data in a predetermined area of a memory, thereby forming whole image data representative of the whole image. as fonts (font data) for converting character codes to image data corresponding thereto, there have been conventionally employed a dot font (bitmap font) in which each character image is represented by a set of pixels (dots) in a manner defined by a dot matrix of a predetermined size, and an outline font in which each character image is defined by the coordinates of several reference points for forming contour lines of the image, the attributes of lines (straight lines or curves) connecting the reference points to each other, etc. the dot font provides images of characters fixed in size, and hence to print characters (character images) having various sizes in a clear and attractive manner, it is required to store font data suitable for each of the sizes for use, which necessitates a very large memory capacity. to form an image (enlarged image) by arranging enlarged image elements of character images or the like, especially to enlarge character images or the like, by using only dot font data of a predetermined size, it is required to replace each image pixel of each original character image by a plurality of image pixels. on the other hand, to form a reduced image, image pixels have to be thinned. in these cases, curved portions of the resulting character images are jagged, and to remove jaggedness from them, it is required to carry out a replacement process, in which blank pixels and image pixels at the curved portions are replaced by each other in a manner adjusted to the original curve such that the curved portion is smoothed. that is, so-called smoothing processing has to be carried out. however, even through the smoothing processing, it is difficult to form a neater image than an image formed based on the outline font discussed hereafter. the outline font provides character images each defined by the coordinates and attributes of contour lines thereof. hence, the dot matrix of a character image having a desired size can be determined simply by converting the character code to image data corresponding thereto according to the desired size. that is, the font data as reference is expanded or reduced in size by calculation during the conversion of the character code, so that a clear enlarged or reduced image can be formed by converting the character code of the original character image according to the desired size and arranging the resulting character image in a predetermined memory area. therefore, when a whole image comprised of image elements, such as character images is enlarged or reduced to use the same as a basic image for printing, that is, when it is required to enlarge or reduce and arrange image elements, such as character images, outline fonts are generally used. further, printing apparatuses necessitating the above processing are generally provided with a rom or the like for storing outline fonts. however, some images as the aforementioned whole image cannot be formed based on the outline font. for instance, if a whole image includes, as image elements thereof, not only character images and the like which can be converted from character codes based on the outline font but also registered nonstandard character images or registered images, the latter images cannot be formed based on the outline font since each of these images is normally registered in the form of a dot matrix. therefore, even when the enlarged image of the whole image is desired to be obtained, it is impossible to form the enlarged image by directly enlarging and arranging all the image elements through conversion based on the outline font. as described above, when a whole image of a normal (reference) size i.e. data representative of the image cannot be formed based on the outline font, to obtain a desired image (basic image), e.g. an enlarged image, which corresponds to the whole image, it is required to create the desired image based on dot matrices (including a dot font). more specifically, when a desired image(basic image) is to be formed by enlargement or reduction of image elements, it is required to arrange each image element enlarged or reduced in the form of a dot matrix in a memory area and thereafter smooth it, or alternatively to enlarge or reduce each image element and smooth the same before arrangement in the memory area. however, in these cases, even if each image element is smoothed as described above, it is difficult to obtain as clear an image as formed based on the outline font. summary of the invention it is an object of the invention to provide an image-printing method and device that enables a more attractive prints image to be obtained, even when a basic image is printed which is formed by changing the size of a whole image containing, as image elements thereof, not only character images convertible from respective character codes based on an outline font but also images of nonstandard characters or the like each registered in the form of a dot matrix. to attain the object, according a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of printing an image on a printing object while causing at least one of a print head and the printing object to move in a predetermined direction to effect relative motion between the print head and the printing object, to thereby form a printed image. the method according to the first aspect of the invention is characterized by comprising the steps of: forming a high-density printing basic image by increasing a dot size in the predetermined direction of a basic image created by arranging at least one image element therein, by a factor of m (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2); and printing the high-density printing basic image in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by directly printing the basic image, at a dot density increased by the factor of m in the predetermined direction. to attain the above object, according to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an image-printing device for printing an image on a printing object while causing at least one of a print head and the printing object to move in a predetermined direction to effect relative motion between the print head and the printing object, to thereby form a printed image. the image-printing device according to the second aspect of the invention is characterized by comprising: high-density printing basic image-forming means for forming a high-density printing basic image by increasing a dot size in the predetermined direction of a basic image created by arranging at least one image element therein, by a factor of m (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2); and high-density printing means for printing the high-density printing basic image in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by directly printing the basic image, at a dot density increased by the factor of m in the predetermined direction. in general, a so-called smoothing process is required when a print image has jagged curved portions. if such a print image is smoothed after enlargement by a factor of m in a predetermined direction, and printed at a high-density ratio m, it is possible to obtain a printed image having an identical print size but smoother curved portions. according to the image-printing method and device, even when a basic image, which is formed by changing the size of a whole image containing, as image elements, not only character images convertible from respective character codes based on an outline font but also images of nonstandard characters or the like each registered in the form of a dot matrix, that is, a basic image requiring smoothing is printed, it is possible to obtain an attractive printed image having smoother curved portions than a printed image formed by using the conventional method and device, by forming a high-density printing basic image with a dot size in a predetermined direction m times as large as that of the basic image (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2), and then printing the high-density printing basic image in a print size identical to a print size of a printed image to be obtained by printing the basic image, at a high-density ratio m in the predetermined direction. preferably, the method further including the step of determining whether or not the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing of the high-density printing basic image at the dot density increased by the factor of m are to be carried out. preferably, the image-printing device further including high-density printing-determining means for determining whether or not the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing of the high-density printing basic image at the dot density increased by the factor of m are to be carried out. according to these preferred embodiments, whether or not the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing operation at the high-density ratio m are to be effected can be determined to permit execution of high-density printing for obtaining a more attractive printed image as required. more preferably, the step of determining whether or not the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing of the high-density printing basic image at the dot density increased by the factor of m are to be carried out includes the step of setting a high-density printing mode to thereby cause determination that the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing of the high-density printing basic image at the dot density increased by the factor of m are to be carried out on the whole of the basic image. more preferably, the high-density printing-determining means includes high-density printing mode-setting means for setting a high-density printing mode to thereby cause determination that the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing of the high-density printing basic image at the dot density increased by the factor of m are to be carried out on the whole of the basic image. according to these preferred embodiments, by setting a high-density printing mode, it is possible to cause the forming of the high-density printing basic image and the printing of the high-density printing basic image at the dot density increased by the factor of m to be carried out on the whole of the basic image. preferably, the step of forming the high-density printing basic image comprises the steps of: forming the basic image; forming an enlarged basic image by expanding the dot size in the predetermined direction of the basic image by the factor of m; and carrying out smoothing of the enlarged basic image. preferably, the high-density printing basic image-forming means includes: basic image-forming means for forming the basic image; enlarged basic image-forming means for forming an enlarged basic image by expanding the dot size in the predetermined direction of the basic image by the factor of m; and smoothing means for carrying out smoothing of the enlarged basic image. according to these preferred embodiments, a basic image is formed, and an enlarged basic image is formed by increasing a dot size in the predetermined direction by the factor of m, followed by smoothing the enlarged basic image. this makes it possible to form a high-density printing basic image with the dot size in the predetermined direction m times as large as that of the basic image. preferably, the step of forming the high-density printing basic image comprises the steps of: forming a high-density printing image element corresponding to each of the at least one image element of the basic image by expanding a dot size in the predetermined direction of the each of the at least one image element by the factor of m, and if at least one of the at least one image element has the dot size in the predetermined direction thereof expanded based on other than an outline font therefor, then further carrying out smoothing of the resulting enlarged image of each of the at least one of the at least one image element; and arranging the high-density printing image element corresponding to the each of the at least one image element in a manner adapted to the high-density printing basic image. preferably, the high-density printing basic image-forming means includes: high-density printing image element-forming means for forming a high-density printing image element corresponding to each of the at least one image element of the basic image by expanding a dot size in the predetermined direction of the each of the at least one image element by the factor of m, and if at least one of the at least one image element has the dot size in the predetermined direction thereof expanded based on other than an outline font therefor, then further carrying out smoothing of the resulting enlarged image of each of the at least one of the at least one image element; and high-density printing basic image-arranging means for arranging the high-density printing image element corresponding to the each of the at least one image element in a manner adapted to the high-density printing basic image. according to these preferred embodiments, if any image element of the basic image is increased in dot size in the predetermined direction but not converted from a character code based on an outline font, e.g. when an image element, such as an image of a nonstandard character or the like registered in the form of a dot matrix, is enlarged, the smoothing process is carried out on the enlarged image element to thereby form a high-density printing image element corresponding thereto. then, the high-density printing image element corresponding to the image element thus formed is arranged in a manner adjusted to the high-density printing basic image. this makes it possible to form a high-density printing basic image with the dot size in the predetermine direction m times as large as that of the basic image. it should be noted that an image element which can be converted from the character code based on the outline font may be enlarged and stored by the conversion based on the outline font, to thereby create a high-density printing image element corresponding to the image element. in such a case, since an attractive high-density printing image element is easily formed, the smoothing process can be dispensed with. in other words, the smoothing processing may or may not be carried out. on the other hand, even if an image element can be enlarged and stored in a memory area through conversion from its character code based on the outline font, once the image element is formed by the conversion from its character code and stored as an image element, it is now in the form of a dot matrix. hence, when such an image element in the form of a dot matrix is enlarged, it is required to carry out smoothing, similarly to one which cannot be enlarged and stored by conversion from its character code based on the outline font. preferably, the printing object is a tape. according to the preferred embodiments, the printing object to be printed with a partial image formed as a print image is a tape. therefore, the image-printing method and device according to the invention can be applied to a tape printing apparatus. the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of an appearance of a tape printing apparatus to which is applied an image-printing method and device according to an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fig. 1 tape printing apparatus with a lid thereof opened and a tape cartridge removed therefrom; fig. 3 is a block diagram of the control system of the fig. 1 tape printing apparatus; fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a conceptual representation of an overall control process executed by the fig. 1 tape printing apparatus; fig. 5a is a diagram which is useful in explaining a whole image used as a print image (image to be printed) in enlarged image-printing; fig. 5b is a diagram which is useful in explaining partial images (split images) used as print images in enlarged image-printing; fig. 6a is a diagram which is useful in explaining a conversion area required for storage of a character image normally converted from a character code; fig. 6b is a diagram which is useful in explaining a conversion area required for storage of a character image enlargingly converted from the character code; fig. 6c is a diagram which is useful in explaining a conversion area required for storing part of an enlarged character image partially converted from the character code; fig. 6d is a diagram which is useful in explaining a print image printed in normal printing; fig. 7 is a flowchart showing a printing process; fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an image-forming process; fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a partial conversion process, together with character images formed at respective steps appearing in the flowchart; fig. 10 is a flowchart showing an imaginary contour-defining process; fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a partially converted contour-arranging process; fig. 12 is a diagram showing a data format of an example of outline font data; fig. 13 is a table which is useful in explaining contents defined by each data item appearing in fig. 12; fig. 14 is a flowchart showing a high-density printing process; figs. 15a to 15c are diagrams showing schematic representations of dot images, which are useful in explaining the principle of the fig. 14 high-density printing process; fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a high-density printing basic image-forming process; fig. 17 is a flowchart showing another example of the high-density printing basic image-forming process; fig. 18a is a diagram showing an example of a print image formed by the high-density printing process; fig. 18b is an enlarged partial view of the fig. 18a print image; fig. 19a is a diagram showing an example of a print image corresponding to fig. 18a, which is formed when the high-density printing is not carried out; and fig. 19b is an enlarged partial view of the fig. 19a print image. detailed description the invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings showing an embodiment thereof. in the embodiment, an image-printing method and device according to the invention is applied to a tape printing apparatus. fig. 1 is a perspective view of an appearance of the whole tape printing apparatus, and fig. 2 is a perspective view of the fig. 1 tape printing apparatus with its lid open. fig. 3 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the fig. 1 tape printing apparatus. as shown in figs. 1 and 2, the tape printing apparatus 1 includes a casing 2 having upper and lower divisional portions. the casing 2 has a keyboard 3 arranged on the top of the front portion thereof, a lid 21 attached to the top of the rear portion thereof, and a display 4 arranged in a window formed in the right-hand side of the lid 21. the keyboard 3 is comprised of various kinds of entry keys. further, as shown in fig. 3, the tape printing apparatus 1 is basically comprised of an operating block 11 having the keyboard 3 and the display 4 for interfacing with the user, a printer block 12 having a print head 7 and a tape feeder block 120 for printing on a tape t unwound from the tape cartridge 5 loaded in a compartment 6, a cutter block 13 for cutting off the printed portion of the tape t, a sensor block 14 having various sensors for carrying out various detecting operations, a driving block 270 having drivers for driving circuits of blocks and devices, and a control block 200 for controlling operations of components of the tape printing apparatus 1 including the above-mentioned sensors and drivers. to implement the above construction, the casing 2 accommodates a circuit board, not shown, in addition to the printer block 12, the cutter block 13, the sensor block 14 and so forth. on the circuit board are mounted a power supply unit and the circuits of the driving block 270 and the control block 200. the circuit board is connected to a connector port for connecting an ac adapter thereto, and batteries, such as nicad batteries, which can be removably mounted within the casing 2 from outside. in the tape printing apparatus 1, after loading the tape cartridge 5 in the compartment 6, the user enters printing information, such as desired characters (letters, numerals, symbols, simple figures, etc.) via the keyboard 3, while confirming or viewing the results of the entry and editing operations of the printing information on the display 4. thereafter, when the user instructs a printing operation via the keyboard 3, the tape feeder block 120 unwinds a tape t from the tape cartridge 5, while the print head 7 prints on the tape t. the printed portion of the tape t is delivered from a tape exit 22 as the printing proceeds. when the desired printing operation is completed, the tape feeder block 120 sends the tape t to a position corresponding to termination of a tape length (the length of a label to be formed) including the length of margins, and then stops the feeding of the tape. as shown in figs. 2 and 3, the printer block 12 has the compartment 6 arranged under the lid 21 for loading the tape cartridge 5 therein. the tape cartridge 5 is mounted in or removed from the compartment 6 when the lid 21 is open. the tape cartridge 5 has a cartridge casing 51 holding a tape t and an ink ribbon r both having a predetermined width (approximately 4.5 to 48 mm). the tape cartridge 5 is formed with a through hole 55 for receiving therein a head unit 61 arranged in the compartment 6. further, the tape cartridge 5 has a plurality of small holes formed in the bottom thereof for discrimination of a type of the tape t contained therein from the other types of the tape t having different widths, which are contained in other tape cartridges 5. the compartment 6 has a tape-discriminating sensor 142, such as micro-switches or the like, for detecting the above holes to thereby determine the type of the tape t set for use. the tape t has an adhesive surface on the reverse side which is covered with a peel-off paper. the tape t and the ink ribbon r are fed or run such that they pass by the through hole 55, in a state lying one upon the other, and the tape t alone is delivered out of the tape cartridge 5, but the ink ribbon r is taken up into a roll within the tape cartridge 5. the head unit 61 contains the print head 7 formed of a thermal head. the print head 7 abuts the reverse side of the ink ribbon r exposed to the through hole 55 of the tape cartridge 5 when the tape cartridge 5 is loaded in the compartment 6 with the print head 7 fitted in the through hole 55. then, by driving the print head 7 while heating the same, desired letters and the like are printed on the surface of the tape t. the compartment 6 is provided with an ambient temperature sensor 143, such as a thermistor, which sends information of an ambient temperature detected thereby to a control block 200. further, the casing 2 has a left side portion thereof formed with a tape exit 22 for causing the compartment 6 and the outside of the apparatus to communicate with each other. on the tape exit 22 faces a tape cutter 132 for cutting off a dispensed portion of the tape t. further, the compartment 6 is provided with drive shafts 62, 63 for engagement with driven portions of the tape cartridge 4 loaded in the compartment 6. these drive shafts 62, 63 cause the tape t and the ink ribbon r to be fed or advanced in the tape cartridge 5 by using a feed motor 121 as a drive source therefor, and at the same time the print head 7 is driven in synchronism with the feeding of the tape and ribbon to thereby carry out printing. further, after completion of the printing operation, the tape t continues to be fed to bring a predetermined cutting position (corresponding to the tape length) on the tape t to the position of the tape cutter 132. it should be noted that a head surface temperature sensor 144 formed e.g. by a thermistor, is arranged on a surface of the print head 7 in a manner intimately contacting the surface, which sends information of the surface temperature of the print head 7 detected thereby to the control block 200. the feed motor 121 has an end thereof rigidly fixed to a disc, not shown, formed with detection openings, and a rotational speed sensor 141 including a photo sensor or the like is provided to face the path of the detection openings, for sending information of the rotational speed of the feed motor 121 detected thereby to the control block 200. the cutter block 13 includes a tape cutter 132, a cutting button 133 to be operated manually for causing the tape cutter 132 to cut the tape t e.g. in the case of a desired length printing, and a cutter motor 131 for automatically driving the tape cutter 132 to cut the tape t e.g. in the case of a fixed length printing. to selectively carry out one of the two cutting operations, the tape printing apparatus 1 is capable of switching between a manual cutting mode and an automatic cutting mode in response to a mode-setting operation. more specifically, in the manual cutting mode, when the printing operation is completed, the user pushes the cutting button 133 arranged on the casing 2, whereby the tape cutter 132 is actuated to cut the tape t to a desired length. on the other hand, in the automatic cutting mode, after completion of the printing operation, the tape t is sent for incremental feed by the length of a rear margin, and then stopped, whereupon the cutter motor 131 is driven to cut off the tape t. the sensor block 14 includes the rotational speed sensor 141, the tape-discriminating sensor 142, the ambient temperature sensor 143 and the head surface temperature sensor 144. it should be noted that the above sensors can be omitted to suit the actual requirements of the tape-printing apparatus. the driving block 270 includes a display driver 271, a head driver 272 and a motor driver 273. the display driver 271 drives the display 4 of the operating block 11 in response to control signals delivered from the control block 200, i.e. in accordance with commands carried by the signals. similarly, the head driver 272 drives the print head 7 of the printer block 12 in accordance with commands from the control block 200. further, the motor driver 273 has a feed motor driver 273d for driving the feed motor 121 of the printer block 12 and a cutter motor driver 273c for driving the cutter motor 131 of the cutter block 13, and similarly to the display driver 271 and the head driver 272, drives each motor in accordance with commands from the control block 200. the operating block 11 includes the keyboard 3 and the display 4. the display 4 has a display screen 41 which is capable of displaying display image data of 96.times.64 dots on a rectangular display area of approximately 6 cm in the horizontal direction (x direction).times.4 cm in the vertical direction (y direction). the display 4 is used by the user to enter data via the keyboard 3 to form or edit print image data, such as character string image data, view the resulting data, and enter various commands including ones for selecting menu options via the keyboard 3. on the keyboard 3 there are arranged a character key group 31 including an alphabet key group 311, a symbol key group 312, a number key group 313, and a nonstandard character key group 315 for calling nonstandard characters for selection, as well as a function key group 32 for designating various operation modes. in a type of the apparatus which is capable of entering the japanese language, there is also provided a kana key group 314 for entering japanese hirakana letters and japanese katakana letters. the function key group 32 includes a power key 321, a print key 322 for instructing a printing operation, a selection key 323 for finally determining entry of character data and feeding lines during text entry as well as determining selection of one of modes on a selection screen, a color specification key 324 for specifying printing colors including neutral colors (mixed colors) of print image data, a color-setting key 325 for setting colors of characters and background colors, and four cursor keys 330 (up arrow key 330u, down arrow key 330d, left arrow key 330l, and right arrow key 330r) for moving the cursor or the display range of print image data on the display screen 41 in respective upward, downward, leftward, and rightward directions. the function key group 32 also includes a cancel key 326 for canceling instructions, a shift key 327 for use in changing roles of respective keys as well as modifying registered image data, an image key 328 for alternately switching between a text entry screen or a selection screen and a display screen (image screen) for displaying print image data, a proportion-changing (zoom) 329 key for changing a proportion between the size of print image data and the size of display image data displayed on the image screen, and a form key 331 for setting formats of labels to be formed. similarly to keyboards of the general type, the above key entries may be made by separate keys exclusively provided therefor or by a smaller number of keys operated in combination with the shift key 327 or the like. here, for purposes of ease of understanding, the following description will be made assuming that there are provided as many keys as described above. as shown in fig. 3, from the keyboard 3, various commands described above and data are input to the control block 200. the control block 200 includes a cpu 210, a rom 220, a character generator rom (cg-rom) 230, a ram 240, a peripheral control circuit (p-con) 250, all of which are connected to each other by an internal bus 260. the rom 220 has a control program area 221 for storing control programs executed by the cpu 210 as well as a control data area 222 for storing control data including a color conversion table, a character modification table and the like. the cg-rom 230 stores font data, i.e. data defining characters, symbols, figures and the like, provided for the tape printing apparatus 1. when code data for identifying a character or the like is input thereto, it outputs the corresponding font data. the ram 240 is supplied with power by a backup circuit, not shown, such that stored data items can be preserved even when the power is turned off by operating the power key 321. the ram 240 includes areas of a register group 241, a text data area 242 for storing text data of letters or the like entered by the user via the keyboard 3, a display image data area 243 for storing image data displayed on the display screen 41, a print image data area 244 for storing print image data, a registered image data area 245 for storing registered image data, as well as a print record data area 246 and conversion buffer areas 247 including a color conversion buffer. the ram 240 is used as a work area for carrying out the control process. the p-con 250 incorporates a logic circuit for complementing the functions of the cpu 210 as well as dealing with interface signals for interfacing between the cpu 210 and peripheral circuits. the logic circuit is implemented by a gate array, a custom lsi and the like. for instance, a timer 251 is incorporated in the p-con 250 for the function of measuring elapsed time. accordingly, the p-con 250 is connected to the sensors of the sensor block 14 and the keyboard 3, for receiving the above-mentioned signals generated by the sensor block 14 as well as commands and data entered via the keyboard 3, and inputting these to the internal bus 260 directly or after processing them. further, the p-con 250 cooperates with the cpu 210 to output data and control signals input to the internal bus 260 by the cpu 210 or the like, to the driving block 270 directly or after processing them. the cpu 210 of the control block 200 receives the signals from the sensor block 14, and the commands and data input via the keyboard 3 via the p-con 250, according to the control program read from the rom 220, processes font data from the cg-rom 230 and various data stored in the ram 240, and delivers control signals to the driving block 270 via the p-con 250 to thereby carry out position control during printing operations, the display control of the display screen 41, and the printing control that causes the print head 7 to carry out printing on the tape t under predetermined printing conditions. in short, the cpu 210 controls the overall operation of the tape printing apparatus 1. next, the overall control process carried out by the tape printing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 4. as shown in the figure, when the program for carrying out the control process is started e.g. when the power of the tape printing apparatus 1 is turned on, first, at step s1, initialization of the system including restoration of saved control flags is carried out to restore the tape printing apparatus 1 to the state it was in before the power was turned off the last time. then, the image that was displayed on the display screen 41 before the power was turned off the last time is shown as the initial screen at step s2. the following steps in fig. 4, that is, step s3 for determining whether or not a key entry has been made and step s4 for carrying out an interrupt handling operation are conceptual representations of actual operations. actually, when the initial screen has been displayed at step s2, the tape printing apparatus 1 enables an interrupt by key entry (keyboard interrupt), and maintains the key entry wait state (no to s3) until a keyboard interrupt is generated. when the keyboard interrupt is generated (yes to s3), a corresponding interrupt handling routine is executed at step s4, and after the interrupt handling routine is terminated, the key entry wait state is again enabled and maintained (no to s3). as described above, in the tape printing apparatus 1, main processing operations by the apparatus are carried out by interrupt handling routines, and hence if print image data for printing is provided or has been prepared, the user can print the image data at a desired time point, by depressing the print key 322 to thereby generate an interrupt by the print key and start a printing process. in short, operating procedures up to the printing operation can be selectively carried out by the user as he desires. further, in the tape printing apparatus 1, when a function key of the function key group 32 for selectively designating a control mode or the like is depressed, an interrupt by the function key is generated to start a corresponding interrupt handling routine, and a selection screen corresponding to the depression of the selected function key is displayed on the display screen 41 of the display 4. when such a selection screen for selecting control modes etc. is displayed on the display screen 41, any of a plurality of options of control modes displayed on the selection screen can be displayed in reverse video i.e. highlighted by operating the cursor key 330. then, by depressing the selection key 323 in this state, the highlighted option can be selected. now, a selection operation in the tape printing apparatus 1 will be described by taking one carried out for enlarged image-printing described hereinafter, as an example. for instance, when the form key 331 is depressed in the key entry wait state described above with reference to fig. 4 (no to s3), an interrupt by the form key 331 is generated to start a format-selecting process, and a selection screen for selecting formats is displayed on the display screen 41. by operating the cursor key 330 in this state to highlight, e.g. an option of "print format" and then depressing the selection key 323, the option of "print format" is selected, and then, a selection screen for selecting print formats is displayed (hereinafter "highlighting an option by operating the cursor key 330 and selecting the option by operating the selection key 323" is simply referred to as "selecting"). when an option of "enlarged image-printing", for instance, is selected from various options ("normal printing" is among the other options) in the state of the "print format" selection screen being displayed, an enlarged image-printing mode is set and an enlargement ratio-setting screen is displayed for setting an enlargement ratio n. in this state, the enlargement ratio n can be input by depressing a desired one of the number key group 313. assuming that a number key of "4", for instance, is depressed, in this case, the number "4" is entered as the enlargement ratio n, and a message is displayed, which notifies that the enlargement ratio n is set to 4. if the setting of the enlargement ratio n to 4 is desired to be canceled, the cancel key 326 is depressed and a different number is entered by operating another number key, whereas if the setting of the enlargement ratio n to 4 is approved, the selection key 323 is depressed to thereby finally determine entry of the enlargement ratio n to set the same to 4. then, the format-selecting process is terminated to display a text entry screen as the basic screen, followed by returning to the key entry wait state (no to s3). next, the relationship between an image represented by print image data formed in the enlarged image-printing operation described hereinbelow and the capacity of the memory device of the apparatus will be described with reference to figs. 5a, 5b and 6a to 6d. let it be assumed that when the enlargement ratio n is set to 1 (i.e. the normal printing is executed), a tape t having a tape width tw is large enough to print a character string "ab . . . " of a normal (reference) size, and that a tape cartridge 5 containing the tape t is loaded in the compartment. even when the enlargement ratio n=4, for instance, is set for carrying out printing, if the character string "ab . . . " can be split to be printed on four tapes t, as shown in figs. 5a and 5b, it is possible to print the whole of a character string enlarged by a factor of 4. in the above case, as shown in figs. 6a to 6d, assuming that the size of a conversion area required for storage of data (dot matrix data) of the character "a" converted (normally converted) from a character code based on a reference size, for instance, is defined as 1.times.1[=an enlargement ratio of horizontal size (corresponding to a size along length of the tape t).times.an enlargement ratio of vertical size (corresponding to a size along width of the tape t); i.e. a ratio obtained when the reference size is set to a value of 1] (see fig. 6a), the conversion area for simply storing data of the character "a" converted from the character code according to the enlargement ratio n (n=4, for instance), is required to have a size of n.times.n (=16) times as large as that of the normal conversion area) (see fig. 6b). on the other hand, by simply setting the vertical size of the character to one as large as a size required for the normal conversion (see fig. 6c), it is possible to reduce the size of the conversion area to 1/n times the size of the fig. 6b conversion area, whereby the capacity of the memory device can be saved. in other words, if data representative of only part (1/n) of the character image (partial image) can be converted (partially converted) from the character code instead of the whole character image (see fig. 6b), the capacity of the memory device required for storage can be saved accordingly. of course, if data representative of the character image is partially converted from the character code such that the data is stored in a conversion area having a size as large as the size (1.times.1) of the normal conversion area, the capacity of the memory device can be further saved. as described hereinbelow, this can be carried out by setting the size of a memory area allocated to a character image conversion/storage area to the same size (1.times.1) that is required for the normal conversion. however, normally, in the tape printing apparatus, predetermined margins are arranged above and below each character image and thereafter, a normal printing operation is carried out to obtain a printed image, e.g. as shown in fig. 6d. therefore, overall processing can be quickly carried out by converting character codes such that data of portions of respective character images extending continuously in the horizontal direction are stored at a time. therefore, in the following, description is made assuming that a conversion area having an area size n.times.1 times as large as that of the normal conversion area is allocated, as described above with reference to fig. 6c. as described above with reference to figs. 5a and 5b, if an enlarged image g0 shown in fig. 5a is split into four split images g1 to g4, as shown in fig. 5b, and the split images are sequentially printed on respective four strips of a tape t having a tape width tw, the whole of the enlarged image g0 can be eventually printed. in this process, when the split image g1, for instance, is to be printed as a first printing range, referred to hereinbelow, it is only required to prepare data of the split image g1. that is, data of the other split images g2 to g3 are not required for printing on a first strip of the tape t. further, for instance, there can be a case in which only a desired one of split images is printed as part of a decoration or the like. that is, there can be a case in which only the split image g2, for instance, is required but other split images are not required. if such a need can be expected, e.g. in the above case where the enlargement ratio n=4 is input and entry thereof is finally determined, the display 4 may be changed to a selection screen, via which an option it can be selected and determined concerning whether or not the whole of the enlarged image (g1 to g4: the first to fourth of the four split images) which is n=4 times as large as the reference-size character image is required, or which split image(s) is/are required when only part of the enlarged image is desired, thereby permitting the user to arbitrarily select settings for such printing. when the whole of an enlarged image is not required, as shown in the above example, only data of a necessitated portion of the enlarged image (for instance, the split image g1 used in the first printing operation) may be formed as data of a partial image. in such a case (when the split image gi is created, for instance), by converting (partially converting) a character code into only data of a required portion of an enlarged character image, it is made unnecessary to store data of an unrequired portion of the enlarged character image, which enables the capacity of the memory device to be saved. as described hereinabove, according to the tape printing apparatus 1, the "normal printing mode" and the "enlarged image-printing mode" can be selected from a plurality of options displayed in the "print format" selection screen. when the enlarged image-printing mode is selected for setting the same, if at least one of fully-converting conditions is not fulfilled, an image conversion mode for converting a character code such that data of only a required part of a character image is obtained (partial conversion mode) is set. it should be noted that the fully-converting conditions include, for instance, a condition of the whole of an enlarged image being set to an image-forming range, which is fulfilled e.g. when a tape t having a width large enough to print the whole enlarged image thereon is loaded in the apparatus (the other conditions will be described hereinafter). from the viewpoint of the conversion mode, the enlarged image-printing mode is an enlarged image mode and included in the partial conversion mode. further, according to the tape printing apparatus 1, in addition to the above enlarged image-printing (enlarged image) mode, various kinds of modes included in the partial conversion mode can be set. for instance, as modes concerning the aforementioned "print format", it is possible to set a "partial image-printing mode" (partial image mode) for printing only part of a whole image (including the above enlarged image) as a partial (split) image regardless of the tape width tw or the enlargement ratio n (or a reduction ratio), a "synthesized image-printing mode" (synthesized image mode) for synthesizing portions of a plurality of images which can be formed respectively by converting a plurality of groups of character data (text data) and arranging the resulting images, and printing the synthesized image, and a "high-density printing mode", described hereinafter, for carrying out high-density printing. further, on a format selection screen located at an upper level than the "print format" selection screen, it is possible to select a "display format" for forming and displaying enlarged, reduced, split (partial), or synthesized partial images as display images. an enlarged image display mode belongs to the enlarged image mode, similarly to the above enlarged image-printing mode, from the viewpoint of the conversion mode, and hence is included in the partial conversion mode. further, a split (partial) image display mode belongs to the partial image mode, similarly to the partial image-printing mode, and a synthesized image display mode belongs to the synthesized image mode, similarly to the synthesized image-printing mode. the split (partial) image display mode and the synthesized image display mode are also included in the partial conversion mode. further, the tape printing apparatus 1 is configured such that the operation modes thereof can be set not only by using the selection screens, but also by operating function keys. for instance, the enlarged image display (enlarged image) mode can be set by operating the zoom key 329. for instance, a partial image can be formed only by setting the partial image mode, such as the above partial image-printing mode or the partial image display mode, and setting an image-forming range therefor. the fully-converting conditions, i.e. conditions to be fulfilled to permit a character code to be converted such that data of a whole image is stored as it is, include one that the whole of a whole image is set to an image-forming range. in other words, unless the whole of the whole image is determined to be within an image-forming range, the fully-converting conditions are not fulfilled, and hence data of a character image is partially converted from its character code as required, thereby making it unnecessary to store data of an unrequired portion of the character image, which enables the capacity of the memory device to be saved. as described above, the tape printing apparatus 1 is capable of forming a partial image by setting both a conversion mode and an image-forming range within which the partial image is to be formed, and converting, out of character codes corresponding to character images to be arranged within a resulting whole image, each character code corresponding to a character image part or whole of which is contained in the image-forming range, based on outline font data, according to the set or determined conversion mode. in the following, a partial image-forming process will be described in further detail based on an example of the enlarged image-printing. first of all, the printing process will be described with reference to fig. 7. in the example described herein, the enlargement ratio n=4 is set as mentioned hereinabove, and hence so-called enlarged image-printing is carried out. when the user depresses the print key 322, an interrupt by the print key is generated, as described above, to start the printing process, and, as shown in fig. 7, first, at step s101, the type of the tape t is determined in response to information signals (detection signals) from the tape-discriminating sensor 142 described hereinabove with reference to fig. 3. this makes it possible to determine the tape width tw of the tape t loaded in the apparatus, thereby determining the sizes of the split images g1 to g4, described above with reference to fig. 5b, that is, the vertical sizes of the partial images. it should be noted that the process at step s101 may be omitted, when there is provided only one type of tape width tw of the tape t, for instance, and accordingly there is no need to determine the type of the tape t. after determining the type of the tape t (s101), the enlargement ratio n set as described above is determined or read in at step s102 (n=4 in the above-mentioned example). it should be noted that if the normal printing mode is set, the enlargement ratio n=1 is set, and hence, in this case, the enlargement ratio n=1 is determined or read in. after determination of the enlargement ratio n (s102), then, at step s103, a character image conversion/storage area is allocated in the print image data area 244 described above with reference to fig. 3. here, as described above with reference to fig. 6c, a conversion area having a width n=4 times as large as the normal (reference) size thereof and a length as large as the reference size thereof, that is, a conversion area n (=4).times.1 times as large as the reference size is allocated. it should be noted that when a fixed size character image conversion/storage area is to be allocated regardless of the enlargement ratio n, it may not be necessarily allocated here. the same can be allocated in advance to omit the step s103. further, the step (s103) can be also omitted when data representative of a character image is converted from the character code and directly stored in the following print image-forming area, as described hererinbelow. further, in the following description, it is assumed that the size (character size) of a character image data of which is converted from the character code at the enlargement ratio n is represented e.g. by (length.times.width=) nh.times.nv, so as to make a more generalized description. that is, it is assumed here that a conversion area is allocated which has a size large enough to store data of part (1/nv of the vertical size) of a character image which is nh.times.nv times as large as the reference size (nh(=4).times.(nh.times.1/nh)=4.times.1). after allocating the character image conversion/storage area (s103), next, at step s104, similarly to the character image conversion/storage area, the print image-forming area is allocated in the print image data area 244, described above with reference to fig. 3. here, an area is allocated, which has a size large enough to sequentially form or store the split images g1 to g4, described above with reference to fig. 5b. more specifically, an area is allocated for storing data representative of an image having a horizontal size obtained by multiplying the horizontal size of nh (=4) times as large as the reference size plus two halves of an inter-character blank space size allocated respectively forward and backward of the character image by the number of characters (for instance, the number of characters of the illustrated character string "ab . . . "), and a vertical size within the tape width tw (that is, a vertical size within which a 1/nv of the character image which is nv times as large as the reference size (nh.times.1/nh=1) can be printed. it should be noted that when an area for forming fixed-size printing data is allocated, the step s104 can be omitted, similarly to the case of the conversion area for fixed size character. further, when data of a character image is converted from its character code and directly stored in the print image-forming area, it is also possible to use the whole of the print image data area 244, described above with reference to fig. 3, as the print image-forming area. in this case as well, the present step can be omitted, since the area to be used is allocated or secured in advance. after the print image-forming area is allocated (s105), a first (initial) printing range is set at step s105. here, the range of the split image g1, described above with reference to fig. 5b, is set as the first printing range. after setting the first printing range at step s105, it is determined at step s106 whether or not high-density printing is to be carried out (whether or not high-density printing has been set). since the high-density printing will be described in detail hereinbelow, description is made here assuming that the high-density printing is not set (no to s106). when the high-density printing is not carried out (no to s106), next, at step s107, data of an image of the fig. 5b split image g1 is formed as that of a partial image to be printed in the set printing range. this image-forming process (s107) as well will be described hereinafter with reference to fig. 8 et. seq., and hence let it be simply assumed here that data of the fig. 5b split image g1 is formed as data of a print image. after completion of the image-forming process (s107), a print image formed (the split image g1 in this example) is printed on the tape t at step s108. after the print image is printed (s108), then, it is determined at step s109 whether or not the whole printing range has been printed, that is, printing of all the split images g1 to g4 to be printed has been completed. here, since only the split image g1 has been printed, and printing of the whole printing range has not yet been completed (no to s109), next, the range of the split image g2 is set as the following printing range at step s111. after setting the following (second in the present case) printing range (s111), the same processes (s106, s107 and s108) as carried out for the first printing range are carried-out, and then, it is determined again (s109) whether or not the whole printing range has been printed. since the printing of the whole printing range has not yet been completed (no to s109), the range of the split image g3 is set as a subsequent printing range at step s111. then, similarly, the split image g3 is printed (s106 to s111). after printing the split image g4 (s106 to s108), it is now determined that the whole of the printing range has been printed (yes to s109), followed by terminating the overall printing process (s10) at step s110. although in the above example, the printing range, that is, the image-forming range is automatically set, the tape printing apparatus 1 may be configured such that the user can designate the image-forming range as a range for a partial image of a whole image, as he desires, during a screen display process. as described above, in the tape printing apparatus 1, the partial conversion mode as the conversion mode includes the enlarged image mode, and the fully-converting conditions include the condition of the whole of an enlarged image being set to the image-forming range. in other words, also in the enlarged image mode in which an enlarged image is set to a whole image, if the whole of the enlarged image is not required (when the fully-converting conditions are not fulfilled), only a required portion of the enlarged image may be formed as a partial image. therefore, in the tape printing apparatus 1, data of only a required portion of an enlarged character image is converted (partially converted) from the character code, whereby it is made unnecessary to store data of an unrequired portion of the character image, which enables the capacity of the memory device to be saved. in the following, the image-forming process at step s107 in fig. 8 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 8. as described above, according to the tape printing apparatus 1, part or whole of a whole image can be created as a partial image, not only when it is formed as a print image (image to be printed), but also when it is formed as a display image (image to be displayed), and the image-forming process for forming the display image is the same as that for forming the print image (the same process is started as a subroutine). hence, the following description is made without discriminating a print image from a display image, simply assuming that an image (partial image) in an image-forming range is formed. referring to fig. 8, in the image-forming process (s20: started (called) at s107 or the like), first of all, the layout of each character image in the image-forming range is set at step s201. more specifically, as to each character image part or whole of which is in the image forming range, the layout thereof in a partial image is set or determined by taking into account (calculating) the enlargement ratio n, etc. (s201). this layout-setting process includes setting of the size of the character image and an arrangement area for arranging the same. in the example illustrated in figs. 5a and 5b, the layout of each character image, such as "a" and "b", in a partial image, including the size of each character image and an arrangement area therefor, is set at step s201 (for instance, after setting the first printing range described above with reference to fig. 7, layout of each character image in the split image g1 is set). in the example of the split images g1 to g4 illustrated in fig. 5b, data of all the character images, such as "a" and "b", are partially converted from respective character codes. in another case when character images "abcde", "fghij", "klmno" . . . are laid out on a first line, second line, a third line . . . , respectively, if all the character images "abcde" on the first line are included in the split image g1, and the character images "fghij" on the second line have an upper half thereof included in the split image g1 and a lower half thereof included in the split image g2, while the character images "klmno" on the third line are all included in the split image g2, data of all the character images "abcde" on the first line are converted from respective character codes in a full conversion mode, and data of the character images "fghij" on the second line are partially converted from the respective character codes in the partial conversion mode, while data of the character images "klmno" on the third line are converted from the respective character codes in the full conversion mode. of course, when character sizes of character images on respective lines are different from each other and accordingly a cut line e.g. between the split image g1 and the split image g2 is formed at a different position from the above example, data of the character images are converted from the respective character codes in the full conversion mode or the partial conversion mode in a manner adapted to the different position of the cut line. after setting the layout of each character image in the image-forming range (the partial image) (s201), a first (initial) object character is set at step s202. in the present case, first of all, as the initial object character, the character "a" is set. after the first object character is set (s202), it is determined at step s203 whether or not data of the whole of the object character image can be converted from its character code and at the same time can be arranged in the arrangement area therefor, that is, whether or not the fully-converting conditions are fulfilled. one of the fully-converting conditions is that data of the whole of an individual character image to be converted from its character code is required for forming a partial image and at the same time can be arranged in the arrangement area for arranging the character image. therefore, it is determined according to the results of the above layout-setting process (s201), that the fully-converting conditions are not fulfilled (no to s203), when the whole of the character image is not required for forming the partial image or cannot be arranged in the arrangement area therefor. that is, when the above fully-converting conditions are not fulfilled, data of the whole of the character image is converted from its character code in vain, and hence only data of a portion thereof, which is to be arranged in the arrangement area and required for forming the partial image, is converted form the character code (partial conversion process (s205) described hereinafter), whereby the capacity of the memory device can be saved or reduced. the other condition of the fully-converting conditions is that data of the whole of an individual character image can be converted from its character code and stored in a conversion area (the character image conversion/storage area in the printing process described above e.g. with reference to fig. 7). therefore, when data of the whole of the character image cannot be converted from its character code or stored in the conversion area, the fully-converting conditions are not fulfilled (no to s203). hence, by converting data of only a portion permitted to be converted, from its character code (the partial conversion process (s205) described hereinafter), it is possible to reduce the capacity of the memory device. in other words, if the conversion area is normally allocated, for instance, in a manner adjusted to the size of a character image repeatedly used, it is not required to secure an extra area only for storing each enlarged character image after the conversion from the character code, which is less frequently formed. this makes it possible to reduce the capacity of the memory device. further, when data of a character image of a size larger than that of the conversion area is to be stored, the partial conversion process (s205) may be carried out to store the same. since such a case does not occur so frequently, it does not present a critical problem to overall processing speed and the like of the apparatus. as described above, it is determined at step s203 whether or not data of the whole of an image of the object character can be converted from its character code and at the same time can be arranged in the arrangement area therefor (whether or not the fully-converting conditions are fulfilled). then, if it is determined that these conditions are fulfilled (yes to s203), the full conversion process is carried out based on an outline font at step s204, thereby storing data of the whole object image fully converted from its character code in the conversion area (the character image conversion/storage area in the printing process, for instance). then, at step 206, according to the results of the above layout-setting process (s201), the whole character image of the object character is arranged in the arrangement area (for instance, an arrangement area in the print image-forming area in the printing process). on the other hand, as shown in the examples of the split images g1 to g4 described above with reference to fig. 5b, when an image of the whole object character converted from its character code cannot be stored in the conversion area or arranged in the arrangement area therefor (when the fully-converting conditions are not fulfilled) (no to s203), the partial conversion process is carried out based on the outline font at step s205, thereby partially converting its character code to store only a required portion of the image of the object character in the conversion area. then, at step 206, according to the results of the layout-setting process (s201), part (the required portion) of the character image is arranged in the arrangement area therefor. after the character image of the object character is arranged (s206), it is determined at step s207 whether or not all the characters have been arranged, that is, when the split image g1 (in the first image-forming range) described above with reference to fig. 5b is created, for instance, it is determined whether or not all the characters in the character string "ab . . . " have been arranged. in the present case, only the arrangement of the character "a" has been completed but all the characters have not yet been arranged (no to s207). hence, next, the character "b" is set as a following object character at step s208. after setting the following object character "b" (s208), similarly to the case of the first object character, it is determined at step s203 whether or not an image of the whole of the object character can be converted from its character code and stored in the conversion area, and at the same time whether or not the image can be arranged in the arrangement area therefor and then, the full conversion process (s204) or the partial conversion process (s205) is carried out to obtain an image of the object character "b" (in the example illustrated in fig. 5b, the partial conversion process (s205) is carried out). next, the character image of the object character is arranged in the arrangement area therefor at step s206, and it is determined at step s207 whether or not images of all the characters have been arranged. if images of all the characters have not yet been arranged (no to s207), the following object character (character code) is set at step s208 to carry out the same loop (s203 to s206). thereafter, when it is determined that all the characters have been arranged (yes to s207), the overall image-forming process (s20) is terminated. as described above, in the image-forming process (s20), a single character image to be converted from its character code has a required portion thereof converted from the same and stored in a conversion area (the above character image conversion/storage area, for instance) and the data stored in the conversion area is arranged in a corresponding arrangement area (e.g. the print image-forming area). the above processes are repeatedly carried out by the number of character codes to be converted, whereby a partial image can be formed. it should be noted that when a character image is converted from its character code and directly stored in the print image-forming area, the character image can be directly arranged by the full conversion process or partial conversion process at the preceding step s204 or s205, so that the character image-arranging process (s206) can be omitted. further, since the condition concerning the character image conversion/storage area is not involved in the fully-converting conditions in this case, it is only determined at step s203 whether or not an image of the whole object character can be arranged in the arrangement area therefor. in this case, since a required portion of a single character image to be converted from its character code is converted and directly stored in a corresponding arrangement area, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the memory device as well as form a partial image by repeatedly carrying out this conversion process by the number of character codes to be converted. further, when a normal printing operation is carried out (for instance, in the case described above with reference to fig. 6d), the fig. 8 image-forming process carries out a full conversion process on all the characters at step s204, but it is also possible to set a portion required for forming a partial image to the whole of a character image, and thereby employ the partial conversion process at step s205. similarly, the determination (s203) as to whether or not an image of the whole of each object character can be converted from its character code and stored in the conversion area and at the same time whether or not the image can be arranged in the arrangement area therefor as well as the full conversion process (s204) may be omitted to carry out the partial conversion process (s205) on all the characters. although in the above description, the character image conversion/storage area and the print image-forming area in the printing process were taken as examples, in the screen display process, a similar character image conversion/storage area and a display image-forming area are allocated in the display image data area 243 described hereinabove with reference to fig. 3. of course, it is also possible to directly convert a character code to a character image for storage in the display image-forming area. in this case, the whole display image data area 243 can be used as the display image-forming area. as described above, according to the tape printing apparatus 1, when a partial image is to be formed, the layout of each character image arranged in the partial image including the settings of the size of the character image and an arrangement area for arranging the same is set. in the partial conversion mode, such as the enlarged image-printing mode or the like, a required portion of each character image is converted from a corresponding character code based on an outline font and arranged in the arrangement area in a predetermined partial image data-forming area, whereby it is possible to create an attractive partial image in the predetermined partial image data-forming area. further, the capacity of the memory device can be saved by partially converting the character code to obtain only the required portion of the character image. if the partial conversion range is set to the whole of each character image in the partial conversion process (s205), as described above, the partial conversion process (s205) can be substituted for the full conversion process (s204), and further, in the image-forming process (s20) as well, the full conversion process (s204) can be dispensed with. hence, in the following, description of the full conversion process (s204) is omitted, and the partial conversion process (s205) will be described in detail. referring to fig. 9, in the partial conversion process (s30) which is called (i.e. started) at s205 or the like, first, based on the outline font for converting a single character (character code) to data representative of a character image (corresponding to the character code), contour lines to be formed assuming that the whole of the character image is converted from the character code, are defined as imaginary contour lines at step s301. in other words, each character image is represented by contour lines formed by the coordinates of several reference points and the attributes of lines (straight lines or curves) connecting the reference points to each other, and an outline font is defined by the coordinates of the several reference points and the attributes of the lines (see figs. 12 and 13). therefore, here, assuming that data of the character image g31 of the character "a" shown in fig. 9, for instance, is converted from its character code, the contour lines of the whole character image g31 are defined as imaginary contour lines at step s301. more specifically, as shown in fig. 10, in an imaginary contour-defining process (s40) which is called (i.e. started) at s301 or the like, to define imaginary contour lines, the outline font based on which a single character code is converted to data of a character image (for instance, the character image g31 of the character "a") is read in at step s401, and contour coordinates included in the outline font are converted (scaled: s402) according to the size of the character image which was set in the layout-setting process, followed by terminating the imaginary contour-defining process (s40) at step s403. this makes it possible to define the contour lines of a character image formed by the conventional normal conversion (the full conversion) as imaginary contour lines. as shown in fig. 9, after terminating the imaginary contour-defining process (s301), out of the imaginary contour lines, only contour lines included in the partial conversion range which forms a required portion of data of the single character image to be converted from the character code, are determined to be actual contour lines, and actual contour pixels for forming the actual contour lines are arranged at step s302. only contour lines included in the partial conversion range as shown by a character image g32 of the character "a" in the figure, for instance, are discriminated as actual contour lines to arrange actual contour pixels forming the actual contour lines. more specifically, referring to fig. 11, in a partially converted contour-arranging process (s50), which is called (i.e. started) at s302 or the like, first, as to each of imaginary contour pixels for forming imaginary contour lines, the position coordinates thereof in a conversion area (the above character image conversion/storage area, for instance) or in an arrangement area (e.g. the above print image-forming area or display image-forming area) for directly arranging the required portion of the character image are calculated at step s501 based on the contour coordinates and attributes defining the imaginary contour lines. that is, based on the data of the contour coordinates of several reference points forming contour lines after scaling and the attributes of lines (straight or curved lines) connecting the reference points to each other, the dot positions of pixels (imaginary contour pixels) of the contour lines between the reference points are each calculated as position coordinates. after calculating the position coordinates of each of the imaginary contour pixels (s501), first, a first object contour pixel is set at step s50. then, it is determined at step s503 whether or not the set first object contour pixel is within the partial conversion range, that is, whether or not the same is a pixel required in the partial image. if it is determined that the same is a required pixel (actual contour pixel) (yes to s503), the plotting (the arrangement) of the pixel is carried out at step s504, whereas if it is determined that the initial object contour pixel is not an actual contour pixel (no to s503), the same is left as it is (i.e. the same is not plotted or arranged). thereafter, it is determined at step s505 whether or not the above determination plotting process is carried out on all the imaginary contour pixels. when the determination plotting has not yet been carried out on all the imaginary contour pixels (no to s505), a following object contour pixel is set at step s506 to carry out the same loop as described above (s503 to s505). when the determination plotting has been carried out on all the imaginary contour pixels (yes to s505), the overall partially converted contour-arranging process (s50) is terminated at step s507. it should be noted that the above position coordinate-calculating process (s501) on imaginary contour pixels may be carried out on a part-by-part basis instead of effecting the same beforehand on all the imaginary contour pixels. that is, first, the position coordinate-calculating process (s501) is carried out on a first part of the imaginary contour pixels, to thereafter perform the subsequent processes (s502 to s506). then, the same processes (s501 to s506) are carried out on a second part of the imaginary contour pixels. if the processes (s501 to s506) are repeatedly carried out to finally calculate the position coordinates of each of all the imaginary contour pixels, it is possible to reduce the capacity of the memory device for storing the results of the calculations. as described above, in the partially converted contour-arranging process (s50), in order to arrange actual contour pixels, position coordinates of each of imaginary contour pixels forming imaginary contour lines are calculated based on the contour coordinates and attributes of lines defining the imaginary contour lines. then, it is determined whether or not the position coordinates of each imaginary contour pixel are within the partial conversion range. imaginary contour pixels whose position coordinates are determined to be within the partial conversion range are arranged as the actual contour pixels forming actual contour lines at positions defined by the position coordinates. therefore, it is possible to arrange the actual contour pixels forming the actual contour lines of a partially converted character image formed by partially converting the character code corresponding to the character image. referring to fig. 9, after terminating the partially converted contour-arranging process (s302), pixels are arranged at a portion surrounded by the actual contour pixels (of the fig. 9 character image g32 of the character "a", for instance), whereby an image comprised of arranged pixels including the actual contour pixels is formed as the partially converted image of the character image (e.g. a fig. 9 partially converted image g33 of the character "a") at step s303, followed by terminating the overall partial conversion process (s30) at step s304. as described above, in the partial conversion process (s30), to convert a single character code to data of a required portion of a character image to which the single character code corresponds, contour lines to be formed when data of the whole of the character image is converted from the character code are defined as imaginary contour lines based on an outline font. out of the imaginary contour lines, only contour lines included in the partial conversion range are determined as actual contour lines to arrange actual contour pixels for forming the actual contour lines. then, pixels are arranged in a portion surrounded by the actual contour pixels to form a partially converted image of the character image, whereby only the required portion of the character image can be partially converted from the corresponding character code based on the outline font. further, according to the tape printing apparatus 1, a selected one of conversion modes is set, and at the same time an image-forming range of the whole image which is to be formed as a partial image is set. then, out of character images to be arranged when the whole image is formed, data of each character image part or whole of which is contained in the image-forming range is converted and arranged based on an outline font, according to the set or determined conversion mode, whereby it is possible to create the partial image. in this case, since the outline font is used, it is possible to form an attractive partial image. further, if one of at least one partial conversion mode is set as the conversion mode, when the fully-converting conditions, which include one that the whole of a character image to be converted from a character code is required for forming a partial image, for instance, are not fulfilled, only data of a required portion of the character image is converted (partially converted), whereby it is made unnecessary to store data of an unrequired portion of the character image, which enables the capacity of the memory device to be saved or reduced. now, whole images cannot be necessarily created based on the outline font. for instance, when registered nonstandard characters or registered images are contained in a whole image as image elements thereof (including character images or the like), each of the image elements is normally registered in the form of a dot matrix and cannot be formed based on the outline font. therefore, if the enlarged image of the whole image is desired to be obtained, it is impossible to directly arrange data of image elements enlargingly converted from character codes based on the outline font (by converting (scaling) the contour coordinates thereof). further, this inevitably makes it impossible to create partial images of the image elements based on the outline font. as described above, when a whole image of a normal (reference) size cannot be formed based on the outline font, to obtain a desired image (basic image), such as an enlarged image or the like, it is required to create the desired image based on a dot matrix (including a dot font), as described hereinbefore under the heading of prior art. more specifically, when a desired image (basic image) is to be formed by enlargement or reduction of image elements, it is required to enlarge or reduce each image element of a dot matrix, arrange the same, and thereafter smooth the arranged image element, or alternatively to enlarge or reduce each image element smooth the same, and then arrange the smoothed image element. however, in these cases, even if each image element is smoothed, it is difficult to obtain an image more attractive than one formed based on the outline font. therefore, in the tape printing apparatus 1, to obtain an attractive print image having smoother curved portions than one formed by the prior art even in the above-mentioned cases, the aforementioned high-density printing mode is provided, which can be selected on the print format selection screen. more specifically, when the option "high-density printing" is selected from the menu options in the state of the above "print format" selection screen being displayed, the high-density printing mode is set, and a selection screen for selecting high-density ratio m is displayed to permit the high-density ratio m to be input. it should be noted that the high-density printing mode can be set in combination with the normal printing mode or the enlarged image-printing mode, described above. when the high-density printing mode is set in combination with the normal printing mode, the high-density ratio m can be set with the enlargement ratio n=1, whereas when the high-density printing mode is set in combination with the enlarged image-printing mode, the high-density ratio m can be set with the enlargement ratio n=a set value (n=4 in the above example). when an option "2", for instance, is selected from the menu options of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the state of the high-density ratio selection screen being displayed, numeral 2 is set to the high-density ratio m. further, the tape printing apparatus 1 may be configured such that similarly to the case of the enlargement ratio n being set, described hereinbefore, any of the above numerical options may be input as the high-density ratio m by depressing a corresponding number key of the number key group 313. when the high-density ratio m (m=2, for instance) is input, a message that the high-density ratio m=2 is set is displayed. to cancel the input instruction, the cancel key 326 is depressed to make a new selection. if the setting of high-density ratio m=2 is approvable, by depressing the selection key 323, the high-density ratio m=2 is finally determined and set. then, the format-selecting process is terminated to display the text entry screen as the basic screen, followed by returning to the key entry wait state (no to s3). the above high-density ratio m is determined in relation to the print head (the thermal head) 7, a tape-feeding speed for feeding a tape t, a strobe pulse applied by the head driver 272 of the driving block 270 to drive the print head 7, and split pulses of the strobe pulse. the tape printing apparatus 1 uses a thermal head having heating elements of 256 dots as the print head 7 and is capable of setting the number of split pulses to a maximum of 6 (to any of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) in a manner adapted to the tape-feeding speed monitored by the rotational speed sensor 141, a dot number printable on the tape t having the tape width tw and the like. for instance, when 256 dots can be printed in the direction of the tape width tw, one strobe pulse is applied to the thermal head 7 according to the tape-feeding speed, thereby applying two split pulses thereto. accordingly, odd-numbered 128 dots of the 256 dots can be printed by a first split pulse, while the remaining even-numbered 128 dots can be printed by a second split pulse. that is, it is possible to print 128 dots.times.2 (steps)=256 dots. similarly, 256 dots.times.1 (step)=256 dots, 64 dots.times.4 (steps)=256 dots, and so forth. similarly, when 192 dots can be printed in the direction of the tape width tw, for instance, it is possible to print 192 dots.times.1 (step) (hereinafter, the terms "dot(s)" and "step(s)" are omitted), 96.times.2, 64.times.3, 48.times.4 and 32.times.6. further, e.g. when 192 dots can be printed in the direction of the tape width tw, as described above, if the high-density ratio m=2 is set, 192 dots are printed twice during a time period over which the tape t is advanced by one dot in the direction of feeding thereof, that is, 192 dots are printed once per time period over which the tape t is advanced by a half dot in the direction of feeding thereof, and printing dot density in the direction of feeding of the tape t is multiplied by m=2. in the following, the printing process, more particularly, the high-density printing will be described with reference to fig. 7. as described above, since the enlargement ratio n=4 and the high-density ratio m=2 are set, an enlarged image with a size (horizontal size (in the direction of feeding of the tape t).times.vertical size (in the direction of the width of the tape t=)) nh.times.nv times=4.times.4 times as large as that of the whole image of the reference size is set as a basic image. then, the basic image is further expanded or enlarged in the direction of feeding of the tape t by m=2 (that is, the whole image is expanded or enlarged by (nh.times.m).times.nv=(4.times.2).times.4=8.times.4) to form a high-density printing basic image of which the high-density printing is carried out at the high-density ratio m=2. as described hereinbefore, when the user depresses the print key 322, the interrupt by the print key is generated to start the printing process, and after completing processing from the determination of the type of the tape t (s101) up to the setting of the first printing range (s105), it is determined at step s106 whether or not the high-density printing mode is set. if the high-density printing mode is not set (no to s106), the program proceeds to execute the loop starting with the image-forming process (s107), as described above. that is, after carrying out the image-forming process (s107), the printing of the print image (s108), the determination of whether or not the a whole printing range has been printed (s109), the setting of the following printing range (s111), and the determination of whether or not the high-density printing mode is set (s106) are carried out. if the high-density printing mode is set (yes to s106), a loop is carried out in which a high-density printing process (s112), the determination of whether or not the whole printing range has been printed (s109), the setting of a following printing range (s111), and the determination of whether or not the high-density printing mode is set (s106). when it is determined (s109) that the whole printing range has been printed (yes to s109), the overall printing process (s10) is terminated at step sio. it should be noted that as clearly shown in fig. 7, if it is possible to select for each printing range (for a split image) whether or not the high-density printing is to be carried out, to set the selection as the printing mode for the printing range, the printing is executed according to the setting. next, the above high-density printing process (s60: called, which is started at s112 or the like, will be described in detail with reference to fig. 14. as shown in the figure, when the high-density printing process (s60) is started, first, the high-density ratio m (m=2 in the present example) is determined at step s601. then, a high-density printing basic image-forming process is carried out at step s602, and a high-density printing basic image produced is subjected to the high-density printing at step s603, followed by terminating the present process (s60) at step s604. in the high-density printing (s603) for printing a high-density printing basic image, as described above, the high-density printing basic image with a size (nh.times.m).times.nv times=8.times.4 times as large as that of the whole image is subjected to the high-density printing carried out at m=2, in which 192 dots are printed once during a time period over which the tape t is fed by a half dot in the direction of feeding thereof. therefore, the high-density printing basic image formed in the high-density printing basic image-forming process (s602) has a horizontal dot size (in the direction of feeding of the tape t) m (m=2, for instance) times as large as that of the basic image formed by arranging one or more image elements. for instance, a basic image (enlarged image) with a size nh.times.nv times (4.times.4 times, for instance) as large as that of the above reference-size whole image has a horizontal dot size (nh times=4 times as large as that of the above reference-size whole image) thereof expanded or enlarged by a factor of m (=2), to thereby form a high-density printing basic image (with a size (nh.times.m).times.nv times=8.times.4 times as large as the reference-size whole image). in general, so-called smoothing processing is required for smoothing jagged curved portions of a print image. when a print image has such a curved portion, if the print image is smoothed after enlargement by a factor of m in a predetermined direction (the direction of feeding of the tape t, in this example) and printed at a high-density ratio m, it is possible to obtain a printed image having an identical print size but smoother curved portions. referring to figs. 15a to 15c, for instance, when part of the contour line of a curved portion of an arbitrary image g10 is formed by pixels whose dot coordinates vary such that as one of the two-dimensional coordinates in a predetermined one (predetermined direction) of the vertical and horizontal directions changes by one dot (by a value corresponding to one dot, the other of the same in the other direction changes by two dots (by a value corresponding to the dots) (see fig. 15a), if the dot size of the pixel in the predetermined direction is magnified by a factor of two, the dot coordinates of the pixels come to vary such that the one of the coordinates changes by two dots in the predetermined direction per change of two dots in the other of the same in the other direction (see fig. 15b). in this case, if the smoothing process is carried out such that as the one of the dot coordinates first changes by one dot in the predetermined direction, the other changes by one dot in the other direction, and then, as the one changes by one dot, the other changes by one dot, that is, as the one changes by one dot twice in the predetermined direction, the other changes by one dot per time in the other direction to change through a total of two dots (fig. 15b pixel g1 is added), the contour line of the curved portion can be smoothed. if a high-density printing basic image g11 (see fig. 15b) formed in the above manner is printed in the predetermined direction at the high-density ratio m=2, the resulting print image g12 (see fig. 15c) is printed through addition of a pixel g1s of a half dot such that as the one of the dot coordinates first changes by a half dot in the predetermined direction, the other changes by one dot in the other direction, and as the one changes a second time by a half dot, the other changes by one dot. as a result, it becomes possible to draw a smoother curved portion in a print size of one dot in the predetermined direction. actually, each dot (each pixel) is printed in a manner overlapping by a half dot, whereby it looks as if the curved portion is printed by a half dot in the predetermined direction. but, now, the print image is illustrated in a simplified manner as if it is printed by a half dot. similarly, for instance, assuming that as one of the dot coordinates of a pixel forming the contour line of a curved portion of the arbitrary image g10 changes by one dot in a predetermined one (predetermined direction) of the vertical and horizontal directions, the other of the dot coordinates of the pixel changes by three dots in the other direction (see fig. 15a), if the dot size of the pixel in the predetermined direction is magnified by a factor of two, it is possible to change the other of the dot coordinates by three dots in the other direction as the one of the dot coordinates by two dots in the predetermined direction. in this case, the smoothing process is carried out such that as the one of the dot coordinates first changes by one dot in the predetermined direction, and the other changes by one dot in the other direction, and then, as the one changes by one dot, the other changes by two dots to thereby change through three dots in total (pixels g2 and g3 appearing in fig. 15b are added), whereby the contour line of the curved portion can be smoothed. if the high-density printing basic image g11 (see fig. 15b) formed in the above manner is printed in the predetermined direction at the high-density ratio m=2, the resulting print image g12 (see fig. 15c) is printed through addition of pixels g2s and g3s of a half dot such that as the one of the dot coordinates changes by a half dot in the predetermined direction, the other changes by one dot in the other direction, and as the one changes a second time by a half dot, the other changes by two dots. as a result, it becomes possible to draw a smoother curved portion in a print size of one dot in the predetermined direction. as described above, according to the tape printing apparatus 1, in printing even a basic image, which is formed by scaling the size of a whole image including, as image elements, thereof not only character images data of which is convertible from the character codes based on the outline font but also images of nonstandard characters or the like each registered in the form of a dot matrix, in short, in printing even a basic image which requires smoothing, a high-density printing basic image with its dot size in a predetermined direction m times as large as that of the basic image (m is a natural number equal to or larger than 2) is formed, and then, in a print size identical to that of a print image to be obtained by printing the basic image, the high-density printing basic image is printed, in the predetermined direction at a high-density ratio m, whereby it is possible to obtain an attractive print image having smoother curved portions than a print image formed by using the conventional method and device. in the tape printing apparatus 1, whether or not the creation of the high-density printing basic image and the printing at the high-density ratio m are to be carried out is determined according to whether or not the high-density printing mode is set, and hence, the high-density printing for obtaining a more attractive print image can be carried out as required. although in the above example, the high-density printing mode was set in combination with the enlarged image-printing mode, this is not limitative, but when the high-density printing mode is set in combination with the normal printing mode, if only the enlargement ratio n=1 is set, that is, for instance, if only a basic image is formed to have a size nh.times.nv times=1.times.1 time as large as that of the above whole image of the reference size (if only the basic image is formed to have the same size as that of the reference-size whole image), the high-density printing can be basically carried out by executing the same process as carried out in the enlarged image-printing mode, whereby similarly to the case where the high-density printing mode and the enlarged image-printing mode are set in combination, it is possible to obtain an attractive print image having smoother curved portions (see figs. 18a and 18b) than a print image formed without setting the high-density printing mode (see figs. 19a and 19b). next, the above the high-density printing basic image-forming process (s70), which is called (i.e. started) at s602 or the like will be described with reference to fig. 16. as shown in the figure, when the high-density printing basic image-forming process (s70) is started, first, a basic image is created at step s701, and then an enlarged basic image with a dot size in a predetermined direction (the direction of feeding of the tape t in this example) m times as large as that of the basic image is formed at step s702. after smoothing the enlarged basic image at step s703, the overall high-density printing basic image-forming process (s70) is terminated at step s704. this makes it possible to produce a high-density printing basic image with the dot size in the predetermined direction m times as large as that of the basic image. further, in the above example, when the whole image includes, as image elements thereof, images of registered nonstandard characters or the like each registered in the form of a dot matrix, a basic image in a dot matrix is first uniformly produced (s701), then an enlarged basic image with a dot size in the predetermined direction m times as large as that of the basic image is formed (s702), and the smoothing of the enlarged basic image (s703) is carried out. however, when there are image elements including a character image or the like data of which is convertible from character codes based on an outline font, it is also possible to employ the outline font to convert the character codes to such image elements. in the above case, as shown in fig. 17, when the high-density printing basic image-forming process (s80), which is called (i.e. started) at step s602 or the like, is started, first, it is determined at step s801 whether or not data of each of all the image elements can be converted from its character code based on an outline font. when data of all the image elements can be converted based on the outline font (yes to s801), to carry out the image-forming process (s20) described above with reference to fig. 8, the enlargement ratio in a predetermined direction (the direction of feeding of the tape t in this example) is changed at step s821. in the above example, for instance, the basic image has a size nh.times.nv times=4.times.4 times as large as that of the reference-size whole image, and the high-density ratio=2 is set, so that the setting of the enlargement ratio is changed to (nh.times.m).times.nv=8.times.4. after changing the enlargement ratio in the predetermined direction (nh.times.m) (s821), the above image-forming process (s20) is carried out at step s822 and the smoothing process is carried out as required (s823: this step can be omitted), whereby the high-density printing basic image is produced, followed by terminating the overall high-density printing basic image-forming process (s80) at step s810. this makes it possible to produce a high-density printing basic image with a dot size in the predetermined direction m times as large as that of the basic image. on the other hand, if data of any of the image elements cannot be converted from character codes based on the outline font (no to s801), next, at step s802, the layout of each image element in a high-density printing basic image, including the settings of the size of the image element, an arrangement area therefor and the like, is set based on definition data (outline font or a dot matrix registered) of the element, by taking into account the enlargement ratio set to (nh.times.m).times.nv=8.times.4. after setting the layout of each image element (s802), a first object image element is set at step s803 and then, it is determined at step s804 whether or not the same is convertible from a corresponding character code based on the outline font. when data of the object image element is not convertible based on the outline font (no to s804), that is, when the same is an image element registered in the form of a dot matrix (or based on a dot font), an image-enlarging process based on the dot matrix is carried out to thereby form a high-density printing image element with a size (nh.times.m).times.nv times (e.g. 8.times.4 times) as large as the reference-size image element at step s805. then, after carrying out the smoothing process at step s807, the high-density printing image element is arranged in a predetermined arrangement area according to the settings of the layout at step s808. on the other hand, when data of the object image element is convertible from a corresponding character code based on the outline font (yes to s804), that is, when the same is an image element formed based on the outline font, data of an enlarged image element with a size (nh.times.m).times.nv times (e.g. 8.times.4 times) as large as the reference-size image element is converted from the character code based on the outline font to form a high-density printing image element at step s806. then, after carrying out the smoothing process as required (s807: this step can be omitted), the high-density printing image element is arranged at a predetermined arrangement area according to the settings of the layout (s808). after arranging the high-density printing image element formed from the object image element (s808), it is determined at step s809 whether or not all the image elements have been arranged. if all the image elements have not yet been arranged (no to s809), a following object image element is set at step s811, and the same loop as described above is carried out. that is, the determination of whether or not the following object image element (s804), the creation of a high-density printing image element based on a dot matrix or the outline font (s805 or s806), the smoothing process (s807), the arrangement of the high-density printing image element (s808) and the determination of whether or not all the image elements have been arranged are carried out (s809), and when it is determined that all the image elements have been arranged (yes to s809), the overall high-density printing basic image-forming process (s80) is terminated at step s810. as described hereinabove, in the high-density printing basic image-forming process (s80), the dot size in the predetermined direction of each image is increased by a factor of m, and if the expansion of the image is not effected based on the outline font, e.g. when an image element, such as an image of nonstandard characters or the like registered in the form of a dot matrix, is enlarged, the smoothing process is carried out on the image element to thereby form a high-density printing image element corresponding thereto. then, the high-density printing image element corresponding to the image element, formed as above, is arranged in a manner adjusted to the layout of a high-density printing basic image, whereby it is possible to form a high-density printing basic image with a size in a predetermine direction m times as large as that of the basic image. it should be noted that an image element, data of which can be converted from its character code based on the outline font, is enlargingly converted from the character code based on the outline font to create a high-density printing image element corresponding to the image element. in this case, since an attractive high-density printing image element is easily formed, the smoothing process can be dispensed with, unless otherwise required. in short, the smoothing process may or may not be carried out. further, even if an object image element can be enlarged and converted from the character code based on the outline font for forming a high-density printing image element, once data of the object image element is formed or stored as an image element, it is in the form of a dot matrix. hence, when such an image element is expanded or enlarged, a high-density printing image element corresponding thereto is required to be smoothed, similarly to one corresponding to an image element data of which cannot be enlarged or converted from the character code based on the outline font. although in the above embodiment, the invention is applied to a tape printing apparatus by way of example, this is not limitative, but the image-printing method and device according to the invention can be applied to an image-printing device for a printing apparatus of the general type or an apparatus other than the printing apparatus, so long as the image-printing device prints images including image elements stored in dot matrices. as described above, according to the image-printing method and device according to the invention, also when a basic image, which is formed by scaling the size of a whole image including, as image elements, not only a character image convertible from its character code based on an outline font but also an image of nonstandard characters or the like registered in the form of a dot matrix, is printed, it is possible to obtain a more attractive print image than a print image formed by using the conventional method and device. it is further understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing is a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
|
156-975-710-617-994
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"TW",
"KR"
] |
C23C4/11,C23C4/04,C04B35/50,C04B35/515,C23C4/10,C23C4/134,C04B35/505,C23C4/12,C01F17/00
| 2015-05-08T00:00:00 |
2015
|
[
"C23",
"C04",
"C01"
] |
thermal spray material, thermal spray coating and thermal spray coated article
|
this invention provides a thermal spray material capable of forming a thermal spray coating with greater plasma erosion resistance. the thermal spray material comprises at least 77% by mass rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) which comprises a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents. it is characterized by being essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element
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1 . a thermal spray material comprising: a rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) comprising a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents, the rare earth element oxyhalide accounting for at least 77% of the total mass, and being essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element. 2 . the thermal spray material of claim 1 , further comprising a fluoride of the rare earth element up to 23% of the total mass. 3 . the thermal spray material of claim 1 essentially free of a halide of the rare earth element. 4 . the thermal spray material of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth element oxyhalide has a halogen to rare earth element molar ratio (x/re) of 1.1 or greater. 5 . the thermal spray material of claim 4 , having an oxygen to rare earth element molar ratio (o/re) of 0.9 or less. 6 . the thermal spray material of claim 1 , wherein the rare earth element is yttrium, the halogen is fluorine, and the rare earth element oxyhalide is an yttrium oxyfluoride. 7 . a thermal spray coating that is a thermal spray deposit of the thermal spray material of claim 1 . 8 . a thermal spray coating comprising: as its primary component, a rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) comprising a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents, and being essentially free of a fluoride of the rare earth element. 9 . the thermal spray coating of claim 8 , essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element. 10 . the thermal spray coating of claim 8 , wherein the rare earth element is yttrium, the halogen is fluorine, and the rare earth element oxyhalide is an yttrium oxyfluoride. 11 . a thermal sprayed article having a substrate surface provided with the thermal spray coating of claim 7 . 12 . a thermal sprayed article having a substrate surface provided with the thermal spray coating of claim 8 .
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cross-reference the present application claims priority to japanese patent application no. 2015-095515 filed on may 8, 2015 and japanese patent application no. 2016-043939 filed on mar. 7, 2016. the entire contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a thermal spray material, a thermal spray coating formed with the thermal spray material, and a thermal spray coated article. 2. description of the related art technologies to coat substrate surfaces with various materials to add new functionalities have been conventionally used in various fields. one known example of such surface coating technologies is thermal spray technology where a substrate surface is thermal-sprayed with particles formed with a material such as ceramic softened or melted by combustion or electrical energy, thereby to form a thermal spray coating made of the material. in industries of manufacturing semiconductor devices and the like, generally, the surfaces of semiconductor substrates are very finely processed by dry etching with plasma of a halogen gas such as fluorine, chlorine and bromine. after the dry etching process, the chamber (vacuum container) from which the semiconductor substrates have been removed are cleaned with oxygen gas plasma. during this, in the chamber, there are possibilities of erosion occurring on members exposed to the highly reactive oxygen gas plasma or halogen gas plasma. if the erosion areas fall as particles from these members, these particles may be deposited on the semiconductor substrates, becoming contaminants (or “particles” hereinafter) to cause circuit defects. thus, conventionally, in equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices, to reduce the formation of particles, members exposed to plasma of oxygen gas, halogen gases and the like are provided with a thermal spray ceramic coating with plasma erosion resistance. for instance, international application publication no. 2014/002580 teaches that by using granules that comprise an yttrium oxyfluoride at least partially as the thermal spray material, a thermal spray coating can be formed with high resistance to plasma erosion. summary of the invention with increasing degrees of integration of semiconductor devices, more precise management of particle contamination is required. greater plasma erosion resistance is thus required also from thermal spray ceramic coatings provided to equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices. in view of these circumstances, an objective of this invention is to provide a thermal spray material capable of forming a thermal spray coating with greater plasma erosion resistance. other objectives are to provide a thermal spray coating and a thermal spray coated article fabricated with the thermal spray material. as a solution to the problem, this invention provides a thermal spray material having the following characteristics. in particular, the thermal spray material disclosed herein is characterized by: comprising at least 77% by mass rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) which comprises a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents; and being essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element. studies by the present inventors have revealed that a thermal spray material that is essentially free of a rare earth element oxide while comprising a rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) within the range described above can form a thermal spray coating having superior plasma erosion resistance to that of a thermal spray coating formed of, for instance, yttrium oxide. this brings about a thermal spray material capable of forming a thermal spray coating with greater resistance to halogen plasma erosion. it is noted that patent document 1 discloses thermal spray materials comprising relatively high ratios of yttrium oxyfluoride (yof) (see examples 9 to 11). however, it is silent regarding the data of x-ray diffraction analysis of these thermal spray materials and a material with at least 77% by mass yof but free of yttrium oxide (y 2 o 3 ). that is, the thermal spray material disclosed herein is a novel thermal spray material that can form a thermal spray coating with unprecedented, excellent plasma erosion resistance. in a preferable embodiment, the thermal spray material disclosed herein is further characterized by comprising a fluoride of the rare earth element up to 23% of the total mass. it can even be in an embodiment essentially free of a fluoride of the rare earth element. the thermal spray material disclosed herein is free of a rare earth element oxide so that, as described above, the resulting thermal spray coating will have increased plasma erosion resistance. thus, it is allowed to include a rare earth element fluoride that can decrease the plasma erosion resistance when present in the thermal spray coating, up to the aforementioned percentage. it is favorable to be in the embodiment where the thermal spray material is essentially free of a rare earth element fluoride as the plasma erosion resistance of the resulting thermal spray coating can be further increased. in a preferable embodiment, the thermal spray material disclosed herein is characterized by the rare earth element oxyhalide having a halogen to rare earth element molar ratio (x/re) of 1.1 or greater. the oxygen to rare earth element molar ratio (o/re) is preferably 0.9 or less. it is favorable because by increasing the halogen content of the rare earth element oxyhalide in the thermal spray material, the resistance to halogen plasma can be further increased. it is favorable also because, with a lower oxygen content of the rare earth element oxyhalide in the thermal spray material, a rare earth element oxide is less likely to form in the thermal spray coating. it is also preferable because when adjustment is made to bring these features to a good balance, a thermal spray coating can be obtained with a low porosity and high vickers hardness. in a preferable embodiment, the thermal spray material disclosed herein is characterized by the rare earth element being yttrium, the halogen being fluorine, and the rare earth element oxyhalide being an yttrium oxyfluoride. such an embodiment provides, for instance, a thermal spray material capable of forming a thermal spray coating with excellent erosion resistance against fluorine plasma. in another aspect, the present invention provides a thermal spray coating that is a thermal spray deposit of an aforementioned thermal spray material (a thermal spray coating formed from a thermal spray material disclosed herein). the rare earth element oxide content in the thermal spray coating can embrittle the thermal spray coating to degrade the plasma resistance. the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is formed by thermal spraying of an aforementioned thermal spray material. with its reduced rare earth element oxide content, it is provided as a coating with surely greater plasma erosion resistance. the thermal spray coating provided by this invention is characterized by: comprising, as its primary component, a rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) which comprises a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents; and being essentially free of a fluoride of the rare earth element. according to such an embodiment, the thermal spray coating has a reduced rare earth element fluoride content and is thus provided with surely greater plasma erosion resistance. in a preferable embodiment, the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is characterized by being essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element. when the rare earth element oxyhalide is the primary component, a rare earth element oxide is allowed to be included, but the coating is preferably essentially free of such an oxide because the plasma erosion resistance is increased. in a preferable embodiment, the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is characterized by the rare earth element being yttrium, the halogen being fluorine, and the rare earth element oxyhalide being an yttrium oxyfluoride. such an embodiment allows for the thermal spray coating to be formed with excellent erosion resistance to, for instance, fluorine plasma. the thermal sprayed article provided by the art disclosed herein is characterized by having a substrate surface provided with an aforementioned thermal spray coating. according to such a configuration, the thermal sprayed article is provided with excellent plasma erosion resistance. brief description of the drawing for a better understanding of the invention as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is had to the following detailed description to be read in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein: the single figure shows x-ray diffraction spectra of thermal spray materials of examples (a) no. 8 and (b) no. 11. detailed description of the invention preferred embodiments of the present invention are described below. matters necessary to practice this invention other than those specifically referred to in this description may be understood as design matters based on the conventional art in the pertinent field for a person of ordinary skill in the art. the present invention can be practiced based on the contents disclosed in this description and common technical knowledge in the subject field. [thermal spray material] the thermal spray material disclosed herein is characterized by: (1) comprising at least 77% by mass rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) which comprises a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents; and (2) being essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element. in the art disclosed herein, the rare earth element (re) is not particularly limited and can be suitably selected among elements including scandium, yttrium and lanthanides. in particular, it can be one species or a combination of two or more species among scandium (sc), yttrium (y), lanthanum (la), cerium (ce), praseodymium (pr), neodymium (nd), promethium (pm), samarium (sm), europium (eu), gadolinium (gd), terbium (tb), dysprosium (dy), holmium (ho), erbium (er), thulium (tm), ytterbium (yb) and lutetium (lu). from the standpoint of the improved plasma erosion resistance and costs, etc., preferable species include y, la, gd, tb, eu, yb, dy and ce. the rare earth element may comprise solely one species among these, or two or more species in combination. the halogen (x) is not particularly limited, either, and can be any of the elements of group 17 of the periodic table. in particular, it can be solely one species or a combination of two or more species among fluorine (f), chlorine (ci), bromine (br), iodine (i) and astatine (at). it can be preferably f, cr or br. typical examples of the rare earth element oxyhalide include oxyfluorides, oxychlorides and oxybromides of various rare earth elements. the ratio of the rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and halogen (x) forming the rare earth element oxyhalide is not particularly limited. for instance, the halogen to rare earth element molar ratio (x/re) is not particularly limited. favorably, the molar ratio (x/re) can be, for instance, 1. it is preferably greater than 1. in particular, for instance, it is more preferably 1.1 or greater, or desirably 1.2 or greater or even 1.3 or greater. the upper limit of the molar ratio (x/re) is not particularly limited and can be, for instance, 3 or less. in particular, the halogen to rare earth element ratio (x/re) is more preferably 2 or less, or yet more preferably 1.4 or less (below 1.4). a favorable molar ratio (x/re) is, for example, 1.3 or greater, but 1.39 or less (e.g. 1.32 or greater, but 1.36 or less). this is preferable because such a high halogen to rare earth element ratio brings about greater resistance to halogen plasma. the oxygen to rare earth element molar ratio (o/re) is not particularly limited. for example, favorably, the molar ratio (o/re) can also be 1; it is preferably less than 1. in particular, for instance, it is more preferably 0.9 or less, or desirably 0.88 or less or even 0.86 or less. the lower limit of the molar ratio (o/re) is not particularly limited, either. for instance, it can be 0.1 or greater. in particular, the oxygen to rare earth element molar ratio (o/re) is favorably, for example, greater than 0.8, but less than 0.85 (preferably 0.81 or greater, but 0.84 or less). this is preferable because such a low oxygen to rare earth element ratio allows for inhibition of the formation of a rare earth element oxide (e.g. y 2 o 3 ) in the thermal spray coating caused by oxidation during the thermal spray process. in other words, the rare earth element oxyhalide can be, for instance, a compound having an arbitrary ratio of re, o and x, represented by a general formula such as re 1 o m1 x m2 (e.g. 0.1≦m1≦1.2, 0.1≦m2≦3). the rare earth element oxyhalide satisfies preferably 0.81≦m1≦1, more preferably 0.81≦m1≦0.85, for example, 0.82≦m1≦0.84. it satisfies preferably 1≦m2≦1.4, more preferably 1.29≦m2≦1.4, for example, 1.3≦m2≦1.38. a favorable embodiment is discussed now wherein the rare earth element is yttrium (y), the halogen is fluorine (f), and the rare earth element oxyhalide is an yttrium oxyfluoride (y—o—f). an example of the yttrium oxyfluoride is, for instance, a thermodynamically stable compound having a chemical composition represented by yof having a y:o:x ratio of 1:1:1. it can be a relatively thermodynamically stable species represented by a general formula y 1 o 1−n f 1+2n (in the formula, n satisfies, for instance, 0.12≦n≦0.22), such as y 5 o 4 f 7 , y 6 o 5 f 8 , y 7 o 6 f 9 , and y 17 o 14 f 23 . among them, the species having molar ratios (o/re and x/re) in the favorable ranges such as y 6 o 5 f 8 and y 17 o 14 f 23 are preferable because they can lead to formation of a denser and harder thermal spray coating with great plasma erosion resistance. in the yttrium oxyfluoride example, part or all of the yttrium (y) and part or all of the fluorine (f) can be substituted with an arbitrary rare earth element and an arbitrary halogen, respectively, for the same or a similar crystal structure can be formed. the rare earth element oxyhalide may be formed as: a single phase of a species described above; as a mixed phase, solid solution phase or compound of two or more species in combination; or as a mixture of these; and so on. when the thermal spray material comprises rare earth element oxyhalides having a number (e.g. a number a; when a is a natural number, a≧2) of different compositions, as for the molar ratios (x/re and o/re), the molar ratios (xa/rea and oa/rea) are determined for the respective compositions and multiplied by the abundance fractions of the respective compositions to obtain the overall molar ratios (x/re and o/re) for the entire rare earth element oxyhalide. the molar ratios (x/re and o/re) of the rare earth element oxyhalide can be determined, for instance, based on its composition identified by x-ray diffraction analysis. specifically, the rare earth element oxyhalide content in the thermal spray material can be measured and determined by the following method. first, by x-ray diffraction analysis, the crystal structures of substances in the thermal spray material are identified. here, with respect to the rare earth element oxyhalide, its atomicity (elemental ratio) is also determined. for instance, when a species of rare earth element oxyhalide is present in the thermal spray material with the rest being yf 3 , the oxygen content of the thermal spray material is measured by, for instance, an oxygen/nitrogen/hydrogen elemental analyzer (e.g. onh836 available from teco corporation); from the resulting oxygen content, the rare earth element oxyhalide content can be quantified. when two or more species of rare earth element oxyhalide are present or when an oxygen-containing compound such as yttrium oxide is mixed in, the fractions of the respective compounds can be quantified, for instance, by a calibration curve method. in particular, several samples varying in compositional ratio of the respective compounds are prepared; and the samples are individually analyzed by x-ray diffraction to plot calibration curves that show the relationship between the main peak intensity and the amounts of the respective compounds contained. based on the calibration curves, their amounts contained are quantified based on the main peak intensity of the rare earth element oxyhalide in the xrd spectrum of the thermal spray material of interest. in the art disclosed herein, the halogen plasma is typically generated, using a plasma-forming gas comprising a halogen gas (a gaseous halogen compound). in particular, typical examples include plasma formed with solely one species or a mixture of two or more species among fluorine-based gases such as sf 6 , cf 4 , chf 3 , clf 3 and hf used in a dry etching step in manufacturing semiconductor substrates; chlorine-based gases such as cl 2 , bcl 3 , and hcl; and bromine-based gases such as hbr. these gases can be used as a mixture with an inert gas such as argon (ar). the rare earth element oxyhalide content accounts for as high as or higher than 77% by mass of the thermal spray material. the rare earth element oxyhalide shows superior plasma erosion resistance to yttria (y 2 o 3 ) which is known as a highly plasma erosion resistant material. even a small amount of such a rare earth element oxyhalide contributes to increasing the plasma erosion resistance, but it is preferable that a large amount of it is included as described above because notably great plasma resistance can be exhibited. the ratio of the rare earth element oxyhalide is more preferably 80% by mass or greater (above 80% by mass), yet more preferably 85% by mass or greater (above 85% by mass), even more preferably 90% by mass or greater (above 90% by mass), or yet even more preferably 95% by mass or greater (above 95% by mass). for instance, it is particularly favorable that it accounts for essentially 100% by mass (for all but inevitable impurities). the thermal spray material is formulated to be essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element so as to bring out the best of the high plasma resistance of the rare earth element oxyhalide upon thermal spraying, the rare earth element oxide in a thermal spray material may remain unchanged as the rare earth element oxide in the resulting thermal spray coating. for instance, upon thermal spraying, yttrium oxide in the thermal spray material may remain unchanged as yttrium oxide in the resulting thermal spray coating. the rare earth element oxide (e.g. yttrium oxide) shows poorer plasma resistance as compared to that of a rare earth element oxyhalide. thus, when exposed to a plasma environment, an area containing the rare earth element oxide is susceptible to formation of a brittle modified layer and the modified layer is likely to fall as fine particles. these fine particles may be deposited as particles on a semiconductor substrate. accordingly, the thermal spray material disclosed herein is made to exclude a rare earth element oxide that can be a particle source. in this description, to be “essentially free (of a component)” means that the fraction of the component (here, a rare earth element oxide, e.g. yttrium oxide) is 5% by mass or less, or preferably 3% by mass or less, for example, 1% by mass or less. such a composition can be found by absence of detection of a diffraction peak corresponding to the component in x-ray diffraction analysis of the thermal spray material. the thermal spray material disclosed herein is formulated so that its rare earth element fluoride content is no more than 23% by mass. a rare earth element fluoride in a thermal spray material can be oxidized upon thermal spraying to form a rare earth element oxide in the resulting thermal spray coating. for instance, yttrium fluoride in a thermal spray material can be oxidized upon thermal spraying to form yttrium oxide in the resulting thermal spray coating. such a rare earth element oxide can be a particle source. if it accounts for more than 23% by mass, it will unfavorably decrease the plasma erosion resistance. from such a viewpoint, the rare earth element fluoride content is preferably 20% by mass or less, more preferably 15% by mass or less, or even more preferably 10% by mass or less, for instance, 5% by mass or less. in a preferable embodiment, the thermal spray material disclosed herein may also be essentially free of a rare earth element fluoride (e.g. yttrium fluoride). because of such a high rare earth element oxyhalide content, the thermal spray material of this invention is allowed to include other substances that are less likely to become particle sources. the thermal spray material is typically provided in a powder form. such a powder can be formed of particles prepared by granulation of finer primary particles or of a group of primary particles (which may include their aggregates). the upper limit of the average particle diameter is not particularly limited, either. the thermal spray material can have an average particle diameter of, for instance, 50 μm or smaller, preferably 40 μm or smaller, or more preferably about 35 μm or smaller. from the standpoint of the thermal spray efficiency, for instance, the average particle diameter is not particularly limited as long as it is about 30 μm or smaller. the lower limit of the average particle diameter is not particularly limited, either. in view of the fluidity of the thermal spray material, it can be, for instance, 5 μm or larger, preferably 10 μm or larger, or more preferably 15 μm or larger, for example, 20 μm or larger. [thermal spray coating] by thermal spraying the thermal spray material described above, a thermal spray coating can be formed. when the thermal spray coating is on a surface of a substrate (base material), it is provided as a thermal sprayed article (member), etc. such a thermal sprayed article and a thermal spray coating are described below. (substrate) in the thermal sprayed article disclosed herein, the substrate on which the thermal spray coating is formed is not particularly limited. for instance, as long as the substrate is formed of a material having desirable resistance when subjected to thermal spraying of the thermal spray material, it is not particularly limited in terms of material, shape, etc. examples of a material that constitutes such a substrate include various metallic materials such as metals, semimetals and alloys thereof as well as various inorganic materials. in particular, examples of metallic materials include metallic materials such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, iron, steel, copper, copper alloy, nickel, nickel alloy, gold, silver, bismuth, manganese, zinc and zinc alloy; and semi-metallic materials such as iv group semiconductors including silicon (si) and germanium (ge), ii-vi group semiconductor compounds including zinc selenide (znse), cadmium sulfide (cds) and zinc oxide (zno), iii-v group semiconductor compounds including gallium arsenide (gaas), indium phosphide (inp) and gallium nitride (gan), iv group semiconductor compounds including silicon carbide (sic) and silicon germanium (sige), and chalcopyrite-based semiconductors including copper.indium.selenium (cuinse 2 ). examples of inorganic materials include circuit board materials such as calcium fluoride (caf) and quartz (sio 2 ), ceramic oxides such as alumina (al 2 o 3 ) and zirconia (zro 2 ), ceramic nitrides such as silicon nitride (si 3 n 4 ), boron nitride (bn) and titanium nitride (tin), and ceramic carbides such as silicon carbide (sic) and tungsten carbide (wc). the substrate can be constituted with one species of these materials or with a composite of two or more species. among them, favorable examples include a substrate formed of a widely-used metallic material with a relatively large thermal expansion coefficient, such as steels typified by various sus materials (possibly so-called stainless steels), heat-resistant alloys typified by inconel, erosion-resistant alloys typified by hastelloy, and aluminum alloys typified by 1000-series to 7000-series aluminum alloys useful as lightweight structural materials, etc. the substrate can be, for instance, a component that constitutes semiconductor device manufacturing equipment and is exposed to highly reactive oxygen gas plasma or halogen gas plasma. it is noted that, for convenience, silicon carbide (sic) and the like can be classified into different categories as semiconductor compounds, inorganic materials, etc., but material-wise, they are the same. (thermal spray coating) the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is formed by thermal spraying the thermal spray material to, for instance, an arbitrary substrate surface. thus, the thermal spray coating is formed as a coating that comprises, as its primary component, a rare earth element oxyhalide (re-o-x) comprising a rare earth element (re), oxygen (o) and a halogen atom (x) as its elemental constituents. here, the term “primary component” refers to a component accounting for the highest percentage among the components forming the thermal spray coating. in particular, for instance, it means that the component accounts for 50% by mass or more of the entire thermal spray coating, or it may preferably accounts for 75% by mass or more, for example, 80% by mass or more. since the rare earth element oxyhalide is the same as that in the thermal spray material, detailed description is omitted. although the detailed mechanism is unknown, the rare earth element oxyhalide shows excellent erosion resistance to plasma, particularly to halogen plasma. thus, the thermal spray coating primarily comprising the rare earth element oxyhalide may exhibit notably great plasma erosion resistance. the thermal spray coating is further characterized by being essentially free of a fluoride of the rare earth element. when a rare earth element fluoride is included in a thermal spray coating, if the thermal spray coating is exposed to, for instance, oxygen plasma, areas where the rare earth element fluoride is present are susceptible to oxidation. when the rare earth element fluoride is oxidized to form a rare earth element oxide, the rare earth element oxide partially forms a modified layer. areas of the modified layer (rare earth element oxide) are relatively hard, but are indeed brittle. thus, when exposed to a plasma environment such as in dry etching, the modified layer areas fall to form particles. to the contrary, the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is essentially free of a rare earth element fluoride. thus, when exposed to plasma, particles are less likely to be formed, leading to greater plasma erosion resistance. as a more preferable embodiment, the thermal spray coating is also provided essentially free of an oxide of the rare earth element. as described above, the rare earth element oxide is relatively hard, but is indeed brittle. thus, when exposed to a plasma environment such as when followed by drying etching, it may give rise to particles. because the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is essentially free of such a rare earth element oxide, it may show yet greater plasma erosion resistance. reduction of particles is demanded of dry etching equipment for manufacturing semiconductor devices. possible causes of particle formation include falling of reaction products deposited in vacuum chambers as well as degradation of the chambers due to the use of halogen gas plasma or oxygen gas plasma. the larger the particle diameters are, the greater the problem is. in recent years with refined machining precision, it is necessary to strictly limit even the formation of particles having diameters of 0.2 μm or smaller (below 0.2 μm, e.g. 0.1 μm or smaller). studies by the present inventors have shown that the number and sizes of particles formed from a thermal spray coating in a dry etching environment are greatly influenced by the composition of the thermal spray coating. for instance, with a conventional thermal spray coating, 0.2 μm or larger particles may occur, but by the use of the thermal spray material disclosed herein and proper thermal spraying operation, it is possible to obtain a thermal spray coating with excellent plasma erosion resistance. typically, for instance, in current dry etching environments, the thermal spray coating disclosed herein will not form a modified layer that leads to formation of large particles larger than about 0.2 μm. this is because if the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is eroded in a dry etching environment, the particles occurring are formed from a modified layer formed of particles of about 0.2 μm or smaller (typically 0.1 μm or smaller). thus, the thermal spray coating disclosed herein is less susceptible to the formation of particles of about 0.2 μm or smaller (e.g. 0.1 μm or smaller, typically 0.06 μm or smaller, preferably 19 nm or smaller, more preferably 5 nm or smaller, or most preferably 1 nm or smaller). for instance, the count of these particles is reduced to essentially zero. such plasma erosion resistance of a thermal spray coating can be evaluated, for instance, by the count of particles formed when the thermal spray coating is exposed to a certain plasma environment. in dry etching, an etching gas is introduced into a vacuum container (chamber) and by exciting the etching gas by high frequency, microwave, etc., to form plasma and generate radicals and ions. the radicals and ions generated in the plasma are allowed to react with a workpiece (wafer) subject to etching and the reaction products are eliminated as a volatile gas to the outside, whereby the workpiece is finely processed. for instance, in an actual parallel plate rie (reactive ion etching) system, a pair of parallel plates is placed in the etching chamber. high frequency is applied to one of the electrodes to form plasma; a wafer is placed at the electrode and etching is carried out. the plasma is generated in a pressure range of about 10 mtorr or higher, but 200 mtorr or lower. as the etching gas, as described earlier, the possibilities include various halogen gases, oxygen gas and inert gases. when evaluating the plasma erosion resistance of a thermal spray coating, it is suitable to use a mixture of a halogen gas and oxygen gas (e.g. a mixture of argon, carbon tetrafluoride and oxygen at a certain volume ratio) as the etching gas. the flow rate of the etching gas is preferably, for instance, about 0.1 l/min or higher, but 2 l/min or lower. after the thermal spray coating is stored in such a plasma environment for a certain time period (e.g. the time period required for processing 2000 semiconductor substrates (silicon wafers, etc.), the number of particles formed can be counted to favorably evaluate the plasma erosion resistance of the thermal spray coating. here, to achieve a high level of quality control, for instance, particles of 0.06 μm or larger in diameter can be counted, but this can be suitably changed in accordance with the required quality. for example, regarding the particles in such a size range, plasma erosion resistance can be evaluated by means of counting the number of particles deposited per unit area of semiconductor substrate to determine the particle count (counts per cm 2 ) and the like. in a preferable embodiment of the thermal spray coating disclosed herein, the particle count can be reduced to at most about 15 counts per cm 2 . for example, when particles are formed under the conditions specified below, the particle count can be 15 counts per cm 2 or less. such an embodiment is preferable because the thermal spray coating can be obtained with surely increased plasma erosion resistance. [conditions for particle counting] in a parallel plate plasma etching system, a 70 mm by 50 mm thermal spray coating is placed at the upper electrode. a 300 mm diameter substrate subject to plasma treatment is placed on the stage. to reproduce a state of the thermal spray coating after long-term use, a dummy run is conducted for a total of 100 hours where 2000 substrates (silicon wafers) are subjected to plasma dry etching. the conditions of the plasma formation are as follows: 13.3 pa (100 mtorr) pressure, argon/carbon tetrafluoride/oxygen gas mixture as etching gas, and 13.56 mhz/4000 w applied power. subsequently, a substrate (silicon wafer) for monitoring the measurement is placed on the stage and plasma is generated for 30 seconds under the same conditions as above. before and after the plasma treatment, the number of 0.06 μm diameter or larger particles deposited on the substrate for measurement monitoring is counted. here, for the evaluation, the product of dividing the particle count by the area of the substrate can also be used as the particle count (counts per cm 2 ). for this, a gas mixture comprising argon, carbon tetrafluoride and oxygen can be used as the etching gas. the flow rate of the etching gas is, for instance, 1 l/min. (coating-formation method) the thermal spray coating can be formed by supplying the thermal spray material disclosed herein to a thermal spray system based on a known thermal spray method. the favorable thermal spray method for the thermal spray material is not particularly limited. favorable examples include plasma spray method, high-velocity flame spray method, flame spray method, detonation spray method and aerosol deposition method. the properties of a thermal spray coating may depend on the thermal spray method and its conditions to some degree. however, regardless of the thermal spray method and conditions employed, by using the thermal spray material disclosed herein, it is possible to form a thermal spray coating having superior plasma erosion resistance to that of thermal spray coatings formed of other thermal spray materials. examples several examples related to the present invention are described below, but the present invention is not to be limited to these examples. embodiment 1 as thermal spray material no. 1, was obtained an yttrium oxide powder generally used as a protective coating on members in semiconductor device manufacturing equipment, an yttrium-containing compound and a fluorine-containing compound were suitably mixed and calcined to obtain thermal spray materials nos. 2 to 7 in powder forms. these thermal spray materials were tested for physical properties. the results are shown in table 1. table 1xrd-detectedaveragephases ofrelative intensities of xrd main peaksratio of respective crystal phases (wt %)particlethermal sprayy—o—f specoesoxygenfluoriney—o—f speciesdiameterno.materialy2o3yf3yofy5o4f7(wt %)(wt %)yf3y2o3yofy5o4f7(mm)1y2o310000021.30010000312yf301000772.135.2>83<116<128y5o4f73yf304101004.331.2>66<133<129y5o4f74yf301901006.427.3>50<149<130y5o4f75yf3045100010.120.522<1>77<126yof6yf3026100010.420.019<1>80<131yof7yf3011100011.617.710<1>89<130yof in table 1, the column headed “xrd-detected phases of thermal spray material” gives the crystal phases detected as a result of powder xrd analysis of each thermal spray material. in the same column, y 2 o 3 indicates detection of a phase formed of yttrium oxide, yf3 yttrium fluoride, y5o4f7 an yttrium oxyfluoride represented by y 5 o 4 f 7 , and yof an yttrium oxyfluoride represented by yof (y 1 o 1 f 1 ). the analysis was carried out using an xrd analyzer (ultima iv available from rigaku corporation) with cu kα radiation (20 kv voltage, 10 ma current) as the x-ray source (scan rage 2θ=10° to 70°, scan speed 10°/min, sampling interval 0.01°). the divergence slit was adjusted to 1°, the divergence height-limiting slit to 10 mm, the scattering slit to 1/6°, the receiving slit to 0.15 mm, and the offset angle to 0°. in table 1, the column headed “relative intensities of xrd main peaks” shows the intensities of the main peaks of the respective crystal phases detected in the diffraction pattern obtained with each thermal spray material by the powder xrd analysis, given as relative values with the highest main peak intensity being 100. for reference, the main peaks of the respective crystal phases are detected at 29.157° for y 2 o 3 , 27.881° for yf 3 , 28.064° for yof, and 28.114° for y 5 o 4 f 7 . in table 1, the columns headed “oxygen” and “fluorine” show the measurement results of the oxygen and fluorine contents of each thermal spray material, respectively. these oxygen and fluorine contents are the values measured with an oxygen/nitrogen/hydrogen elemental analyzer (onh836 available from leco corporation) and an automated fluorine ion analyzer (model flia-101 available from horiba, ltd.), respectively. in table 1, the column headed “ratio of respective crystal phases” gives the mass ratio of the respective crystal phases detected for each thermal spray material with the total of the four different crystal phases being 100% by mass, determined based on the relative intensity of the xrd main peak and the oxygen and fluorine contents. in table 1, the column headed “average particle diameter” gives the average particle diameter of each thermal spray material. the average particle diameter is the d 50 value by weight measured with a laser diffraction/scattering particle size distribution analyzer (la-300 available from horiba, ltd.). as evident from the ratio of the respective crystal phases in table 1, the thermal spray material disclosed herein was obtained as thermal spray materials nos. 5 to 7, each comprising 77% by mass or more yof and being essentially free of y 2 o 3 . embodiment 2 in addition to thermal spray materials nos. 1 to 7 obtained in embodiment 1 above, four types of yttrium oxyfluoride particles varying in composition were newly obtained as thermal spray materials nos. 8 to 11. thermal spray materials nos. 8 to 11 were analyzed by xrd. in the resulting xrd spectra, no diffraction peak corresponding to y 2 o 3 or yf 3 was detected, and these thermal spray materials were found to be formed of mostly single phases of yof, y 7 o 6 f 9 , y 6 o 5 f 8 and y 5 o 4 f 7 , respectively. for reference, the xrd spectra obtained with thermal spray materials no. 8 and no. 11 are shown in figure (a) and (b), respectively. by plasma spraying of these thermal spray materials, thermal sprayed articles were fabricated, comprising thermal spray coatings of nos. 1 to 11. the thermal spray was carried out under the conditions below. in particular, as the substrate, a 70 mm by 50 mm by 2.3 mm plate of an aluminum alloy (al6061) was obtained, blasted with a brown alumina abrasive (a#40) and used. the plasma spraying was carried out, using a commercial plasma spray gun (sg-100 available from praxair surface technologies). using argon gas at 50 psi (0.34 mpa) and helium gas at 50 psi (0.34 mpa) as the plasma gas, plasma was generated at 37.0 v voltage and 900 a current. the thermal spray materials were supplied with a powder feeder (model 1264 available from praxair surface technologies) to the thermal spray device at a rate of 20 g/min to form 200 μm thick thermal spray coatings. the feed rate of the spray gun was set to 24 m/min and spray distance to 90 mm. the resulting thermal spray coatings were tested for physical properties. the results are shown in table 2 below. the thermal spray coatings were exposed to halogen plasma and the particle counts were determined by the following three different methods. the results are shown in table 2. of the column headings for the data shown in table 2, those in common with table 1 give the results of subjecting the thermal spray coatings to the same tests. table 2crystalphases ofxrd-detectedthermal sprayphases ofrelative intensities of xrd main peaks (—)poros-vickersparticleparticleparticlematerialthermal sprayy—o—f speciesityhardnesscountcountcountno.(see table 1)coatingy2o3yf3yofy7o6f9y6o5f8y5o4f7(%)(hv200 g)(1)(2)(3)1100% y2o3y2o31000000012.5450eee284% yf3y5o4f703800010017.3242eee16% y5o4f7yf3367% yf3y5o4f702700010016.9268eee33% y5o4f7yf3451% yf3y6o5f807120100025.4156eee49% y5o4f7yofyf3522% yf3yof65010000014.3214ddd78% yofy2o3619% yf3yof57010000018.6196ccc81% yofy2o3710% yf3yof46010000017.4202ccc90% yofy2o38100% yofyof41010000011.7291cddy2o39100% y7o6f9yof00100900013.7364aaay7o6f910100% y6o5f8yof00100085011.4352aaay6o5f811100% y5o4f7yof00670010012.4391bbby5o4f7 in table 2, the column headed “crystal phases of thermal spray material” gives the crystal phases constituting the respective thermal spray materials and their approximate ratio based on the ratio of the respective crystal phases determined in embodiment 1 as well as their xrd analysis data. in table 2, the column headed “xrd-detected phases of thermal spray coating” gives the crystal phases detected as a result of powder xrd analysis of each thermal spray coating. in table 2, y 6 o 5 f 8 refers to a phase formed of an yttrium oxyfluoride represented by y 6 o 5 f 8 and y 7 o 6 f 9 an yttrium oxyfluoride represented by y 7 o 6 f 9 while the others are the same as in table 1. for reference, the main peak of y 6 o 5 f 8 is detected at 28.139° and y 7 o 6 f 9 at 28.137°. in table 2, the column headed “porosity” shows the measurement result of the porosity of each thermal spray coating. the porosity measurement was carried out as follows: the thermal spray coating was cut across a plane orthogonal to the substrate surface; the resulting cross section was resin-filled and polished, and then an image of the cross section was taken with a digital microscope (vc-7700 available from omron corporation). the image was analyzed by image analysis software (image pro available from nippon roper k. k.) to identify pore areas in the cross section image. the ratio of the pore areas to the entire cross section was calculated to determine the porosity. in table 2, the column headed “vickers harness” shows the measurement result of the vickers hardness of each thermal spray coating. it refers to the vickers hardness (hv 0.2) determined based on jis r1610:2003, using a micro hardness tester (hmv-1 available from shimadzu corporation) with a test load of 1.96 n applied by a diamond indenter having an apical angle of 136°. in table 2, the column headed “particle count (1)” gives the result of counting the number of particles formed when each thermal spray coating was exposed to plasma under the following conditions: the thermal spray coating surface of each thermal sprayed article fabricated above was first mirror-polished with colloidal silica with 0.06 μm in average particle diameter. the thermal sprayed article was placed on the part corresponding to the upper electrode in the chamber of parallel plate semiconductor manufacturing equipment so that the polished surface was exposed. a dummy run was carried out for 100 hours in which 2000 silicon wafers of 300 mm in diameter were placed on the stage in the chamber and subjected to plasma dry etching. the plasma used in the etching process was generated by applying 4000 w high frequency power at 13.56 mhz while keeping the pressure inside the chamber at 13.3 pa and supplying, at a flow rate of 1 l/min, an etching gas containing argon, carbon tetrafluoride and oxygen at a prescribed ratio. subsequently, on the stage inside the chamber, a silicon wafer of 300 mm in diameter for particle counting was placed and plasma was generated for 30 seconds under the same conditions as above. upon this, the number of particles deposited from the thermal spray coating onto the silicon wafer for particle counting was counted. for the particle count, the total number of particles of 0.06 μm (60 nm) or larger in diameter was counted with a particle counter (wafer surface tester surfscan sp2) available from kla-tencor corporation. for the total particle count, particles on the silicon wafer were counted before and after the 30 second plasma etching and the difference was recorded as the count (total count) of particles that had been formed from the thermal spray coating after aged (after the dummy run) and deposited onto the silicon wafer. the particle count was graded by determining its relative value with the total particle count of the thermal spray coating of no. 1 formed of 100% yttria being 100 (reference). in the column for particle count (1), “a” is given when the particle count (relative value) was less than 1; “b” when 1 or greater, but less than 5; “c” when 5 or greater, but less than 15; “d” when 15 or greater, but less than 100; and “e” when 100 or greater. in table 2, the column headed “particle count (2)” shows the particle count resulted when wafer surface tester surfscan sp5 was used in place of surfscan sp2 both available from kla-tencor corporation. surfscan sp5 can detect particles of 19 nm or larger in diameter. particle count (2) shows the result when finer particles deposited on the silicon wafer were included in the count. for the total particle count, particles on the silicon wafer were counted before and after the 30 second plasma etching and the difference was recorded as the count (total count) of particles that had been formed from the thermal spray coating after aged and deposited onto the silicon wafer. the particle count was graded by determining its relative value with the total particle count of the thermal spray coating of no. 1 formed of 100% yttria being 100 (reference). in the column for particle count (2), “a” is given when the particle count (relative value) was less than 1; “b” when 1 or greater, but less than 5; “c” when 5 or greater, but less than 15; “d” when 15 or greater, but less than 100; and “e” when 100 or greater. in table 2, the column headed “particle count (3)” shows the particle count when each thermal spray coating was irradiated with plasma under the conditions below and subjected to ultrasound to induce release of particles from the thermal spray coating. in particular, in this experiment, the coating surface of the thermal sprayed article obtained was mirror-polished and the thermal spray coating was covered at its four corners with masking tape to obtain a test piece with a 10 mm by 10 mm exposed thermal spray coating area. the test piece was placed at the upper electrode of the semiconductor device manufacturing equipment. while keeping the pressure inside the chamber at 13.3 pa, an etching gas containing carbon tetrafluoride and oxygen at a prescribed ratio was supplied at a flow rate of 1 l/min, and 700 w high frequency power at 13.56 mhz was applied for a total of one hour to expose the test piece to plasma. subsequently, air was supplied to the chamber and the thermal spray coating of the test piece after plasma exposure was subjected to ultrasound at 22 hz at an output power of 400 w for 30 seconds to extricate particles from the thermal spray coating and particles in air were counted with a counter. for the particle count, the total number of particles of 100 nm or larger in diameter was counted, using a particle counter (lasair available from pms). the result was graded by determining its relative value with the total particle count of the thermal spray coating of no. 1 formed of 100% yttria being 100 (reference). in the column for particle count (3), “a” is given when the particle count (relative value) was less than 10; “b” when 10 or greater, but less than 25; “c” when 25 or greater, but less than 50; “d” when 50 or greater, but less than 90; and “e” when 90 or greater. (evaluations) as evident from the results of no. 1 in table 2, it has been found that a thermal spray coating formed by thermal spraying a thermal spray material made of solely y 2 o 3 (yttrium oxide) essentially consists of y 2 o 3 , showing no sign of further oxidative decomposition and the like of y 2 o 3 occurring during thermal spraying. from the results of nos. 2 to 4, it can be seen that a thermal spray material comprising yttrium fluoride (yf 3 ) is partially oxidized during thermal spraying to form an yttrium oxyfluoride in the resulting thermal spray coating. it is noted that when the yf 3 content of a thermal spray material is relatively high, the chemical composition of the resulting yttrium oxyfluoride is the same as the yttrium oxyfluoride species (y 5 o 4 f 7 in these examples) present in the thermal spray material. however, as seen with no. 4, with decreasing yf 3 content of a thermal spray material and increasing tendency of oxidation, yttrium oxyfluoride species with higher oxygen contents (y 6 o 5 f 8 and yof in this example) are formed in the resulting thermal spray coating. from the results of nos. 5 to 8, when a thermal spray material has a large amount (≦77% by mass) of an yttrium oxyfluoride (yof here), yof less susceptible to decomposition causes yf 3 to decomposed first, whereby a greater amount of yof remains in the resulting thermal spray coating. the results also show that: when yf 3 undergoes further oxidative decomposition by thermal spraying, it forms y 2 o 3 in the resulting thermal spray coating; and when yof partially undergoes oxidative decomposition by thermal spraying, it forms y 2 o 3 in the resulting thermal spray coating. on the other hand, according to the results of nos. 8 to 11, among the yttrium oxyfluorides in thermal spray materials, species with lower oxygen contents than yof—such as y 7 o 6 f 9 , y 6 o 5 f 8 and y 5 o 4 f 7 —are oxidized by thermal spraying to the more stable yof phase first, without directly forming y 2 o 3 . in other words, it has been shown that, as a thermal spray material, the use of an yttrium oxyfluoride with a lower oxygen content than yof can reduce the formation of y 2 o 3 in the resulting thermal spray coating. particle count (1): as for the physical properties of the thermal spray coatings, with (e)100 (reference) being the count of particles formed in the plasma environment from the thermal spray coating of no. 1 consisting solely of y 2 o 3 , the particle counts of the silicon wafers reached as many as about 500 to 1000 counts per wafer. among the particles detected, about 90% or more were ultrafine particles (≧0.06 μm, <0.2 μm) which had never been subject to control. in general, yttria-based thermal spray coatings are known to show superior plasma erosion resistance to that of alumina-based thermal spray coatings and the like. in this embodiment, however, the thermal spray coating formed of y 2 o 3 resulted in the highest particle count, exhibiting the poorest plasma resistance among all the thermal spray coatings. the yf 3 -containing thermal spray coatings of nos. 2 to 4 were also found to have poor plasma resistance with (e) 100 or higher particle counts in the plasma environment. when yf 3 is present in a thermal spray coating, it is likely to undergo oxidation when exposed to oxygen plasma. in the thermal spray coating, when yf 3 is oxidized to form y 2 o 3 , an area where the y 2 o 3 is present forms a modified layer. with the modified layer being brittle, when exposed to a plasma environment by a subsequent dry etching process, the modified layer is likely to fall as particles which are then deposited on semiconductor substrates. this indicates that the inclusion of yf 3 in a thermal spray coating decreases the plasma erosion resistance. as evident from nos. 5 to 11, with respect to a yf 3 -free thermal spray coating, even if it contains y 2 o 3 , the particle count can be reduced to a low level ((a) to (d), below 100) in an plasma environment. this may be because yof present in a thermal spray coating is extremely stable to plasma and effectively inhibits the plasma-caused peeling of the y 2 o 3 -containing modified layer. the results of nos. 5 to 8 show a tendency of decreasing particle count with decreasing y 2 o 3 content in the thermal spray coating. as shown with nos. 9 to 11, it has become evident that, with respect to a thermal spray coating essentially consisting of an yttrium oxyfluoride and being free of yf 3 and y 2 o 3 , the particle count can be reduced to a notably low level ((a) to (b), below 5). it can be said that these thermal spray coatings with well-balanced appropriate porosity and vickers hardness are of good qualities. also, with respect to these particles, almost all were ultrafine, having diameters of 0.06 μm or larger, but smaller than 0.2 μm. it is noted that the thermal spray coatings of nos. 9 and 10 formed with y 7 o 6 f 9 and y 6 o 5 f 8 as the thermal spray materials showed further superior plasma erosion resistance to the thermal spray coating of no. 11 formed with y 5 o 4 f 7 as the thermal spray material. from the standpoint of the porosity, the thermal spray coating of no. 11 is considered more preferable. the above indicates that yf 3 -free thermal spray coatings exhibit greatly improved plasma erosion resistance. especially, the plasma erosion resistance can be increased further with the inclusion of an yttrium oxyfluoride in a thermal spray coating and even further with a lower y 2 o 3 content. to form a thermal spray coating with great plasma erosion resistance, thermal spraying can be carried out, using a thermal spray material that comprises at least 77% by mass yttrium oxyfluoride and is essentially free of y 2 o 3 . while the thermal spray material may contain yf 3 , in order to avoid the presence of yf 3 remaining in the resulting thermal spray coating, the yf 3 content of the thermal spray material can be, for instance, about 25% or less (more favorably 23% or less) by mass. it has been found that, when thermal spraying is carried out using a thermal spray material essentially consisting of an yttrium oxyfluoride, a thermal spray coating can be formed with great plasma erosion resistance. particle count (2): as shown in table 2, the particle count (2) results were mostly comparable to the particle count (1) results. in the particle count (2), the rate of occurrence of finer particles somewhat increased from c to d only with the thermal spray coating obtained from thermal spray material no. 8 with 100% yof. however, in comparison to the thermal spray coating of no. 1 formed of solely y 2 o 3 , with respect to the other thermal spray coatings, relatively significant decreases in particle count were observed and even the formation of particles as fine as 19 nm to 60 nm in particular was reduced to low levels. 19 nm or larger particles are the smallest particles that can be currently detected. in the results, such fine particles were almost nonexistent (close to zero). this confirms that the thermal spray coating produced from the thermal spray material disclosed herein still exhibits high plasma erosion resistance even when the lower particle detection limit is further improved. particle count (3): as shown in table 2, the particle count (3) results were mostly comparable to the particle count (2) results. however, the particles detected in the particle count (3) are relatively large particles of at least 100 nm and the thresholds for a to d are also set closer to e. in other words, according to the particle count (3), a greater amount of larger particles are formed due to the ultrasound shock waves and made available for detection. this suggests that according to the particle count (3), in addition to the particles directly formed by halogen plasma irradiation, it is even possible to assess particle sources from which particles have not been actually formed yet, but can be formed later on. the particle sources are of the modified thermal spray coating (modified layer) formed by halogen plasma irradiation and can be thought as portions that may form particles during subsequent plasma etching. this indicates that by subjecting to ultrasound a thermal spray coating that has been exposed to halogen plasma, the plasma erosion resistance of the thermal spray coating can be evaluated more accurately. the particle count (3) also allows predicting the occurrence of particles formed from the thermal spray coating, for instance, for a case where more than 2000 silicon wafers are processed. for instance, with respect to the thermal spray coatings of nos. 6 to 8, the results of table 2 show that the occurrence of particles when exposed to halogen plasma was reduced to a greater extent. although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely for illustrations and do not limit the scope of claims. the art according to the claims includes various modifications and changes made to the specific embodiments illustrated above.
|
159-157-105-994-85X
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"US"
] |
C07C65/21,B01J23/02,C07B31/00,C07B41/04,C07B61/00,C07C41/00,C07C41/01,C07C41/16,C07C43/20,C07C45/00,C07C49/84,C07C51/00,C07C67/00,C07C201/00,C07C201/12,C07C205/38,C07C253/00,C07C253/30,C07C255/37,C07C255/54
| 1986-12-22T00:00:00 |
1986
|
[
"C07",
"B01"
] |
process for producing di(aryloxy)alkane
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a process for producing a high quality di(aryloxy)alkane with a high yield by the use of readily commercially available materials, without using any particular solvent or agent and by means of a simple operation and a general apparatus is provided, which process comprises subjecting a halogenated alkane of the formula (ii) x--a--y (ii) wherein x and y each represent a halogen atom and a represents a lower alkylene group, and a phenol of the formula (iii) ##str1## wherein r.sub.1 to r.sub.5 each are same or different, represent hydrogen, halogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, carboxylic acid salt, acyl or nitro group, and may form a ring in conjunction of two adjacent groups, to condensation reaction in the presence of an alkali in an aqueous medium to form a di(aryloxy)alkane of the formula (i) ##str2## and is characterized (i) by carrying out the condensation reaction in a molar ratio of the compound of the formula (ii): the phenol of the formula (iii): the alkali in terms of monovalent base of 1:1.5 to 3.0:1.5 to 3.0; or (ii) by carrying out the condensation reaction of the above (i) and adjusting the quantity of the aqueous medium phase after completion of the reaction can be 35% or less based on the oily phase; or (iii) by carrying out the condensation reaction of the above (i), feeding at least the alkali among the reaction components with progress of the reaction and adjusting the quantity of the aqueous medium phase as described in the above (ii).
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1. in a process for the preparation of di(aryloxy) compounds of the formula: ##str5## wherein a is a lower alkylene group and each r.sub.1 to r.sub.5 may be the same or different and independently are selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a carboxylic acid salt group, an acyl group, a cyano group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group and a nitro group and two adjacent groups of r.sub.1 to r.sub.5 when together from a divalent cyclic moiety, by a condensation reaction between a dihalogenated compound represented by the formula x--a--y (ii) wherein x and y each represent a halogen atom and a is as defined above; and a phenol represented by the formula ##str6## wherein r.sub.1 to r.sub.5 are as defined above; in the presence of a base in an aqueous, the improvement which comprises; carrying out said condensation reaction in a molar ratio of said dihalogenated compound: phenol: base of 1:1.5 to 3.0:1.5 to 3.0, and adding, the base gradually during the condensation the reaction; and maintaining the proportion of aqueous medium phase in the reaction mixture at 35% by weight or less based on the quantity of the oily phase present in the reaction mixture. 2. a process of claim 1 wherein an alkali metal hydroxide or an aqueous solution thereof is used as said base. 3. a process of claim 1 wherein said condensation reaction is carried out in the presence of an anionic surfactant.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to a process for producing a di(aryloxy)alkane commercially and advantageously. 2. description of the related art di(aryloxy)alkanes have various application fields such as sensitizers for heat-sensitive recording materials, heat-fusibilizing agents, monomer raw materials for synthetic high-molecular weight compounds, particularly polyester resins, additives such fire retardants, etc., and various production processes have been proposed, but no fully satisfactory processes have yet been found. for example, according to a process (bulletin of industrial chemistry, vol. 66, pp 979-981), ethylene dichloride and phenol and naoh both of 10 mols per mol of the chloride are reacted in an aqueous medium under reflux to obtain diphenoxyethane with a yield of 72% based on ethylene chloride, but in order to recover a large excess of phenol, considerable agents, equipments, energy, labor, etc. are required. further, according to a process of reacting a sulfonic acid ester of an aryloxyalkanol with an aromatic alcohol (japanese patent application laid-open no. sho 61-122238/1986), steps of converting a phenol into an aryloxyalkanol, followed by converting it into a sulfonic acid ester are required; hence this process cannot be regarded as a good countermeasure in the production of a di(aryloxy)alkane of symmetric type. the present inventors have further made extensive research on use of various solvents or mixtures of solvents with water as a reaction medium or various acid-seizing agents, additives, etc., but any of these substances have yielded no commercially satisfactory results. summary of the invention the object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing a high quality di(aryloxy)alkane with a high yield by the use of readily commercially available materials, without using any particular solvent or agent, and by means of a simple operation and a general apparatus. the present invention resides in the following process. in the production of a di(aryloxy)alkane by subjecting a dihalogenated alkane expressed by the formula (ii) x--a--y (ii) wherein x and y each represent a halogen atom and a represents a lower alkylene group, and a phenol expressed by the formula (iii) ##str3## wherein r.sub.1 to r.sub.5 each are the same or different from one another; each represent hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a lower alkyl group, a lower alkoxy group, a carboxylic acid salt group, an acyl group, cyano group, a cycloalkyl group, an aryl group or nitro group; and may form a ring in conjunction of two adjacent groups, to condensation reaction on heating in the presence of an alkali in an aqueous medium to form a di(aryloxy)alkane expressed by the formula (i) ##str4## wherein a and r.sub.1 to r.sub.5 are as defined in the above formulas (ii) and (iii), a process characterized by carrying out said condensation reaction in a molar ratio of said dihalogenated alkane of the formula (ii): said phenol of the formula (iii): said alkali (in terms of a monovalent base) of 1:1.5 to 3.0:1.5 to 3.0 and by adjusting the quantity of the phase of said aqueous medium after completion of said condensation reaction so as to give 35% by weight or less based on the quantity of the oily phase present in the reaction mixture. further, the present invention is characterized in that at least said alkali among the reaction components in said ratio is fed with progress of said condensation reaction. detailed description of preferred embodiments in the present invention, as the molar ratio of a dihalogenated alkane: a phenol: an alkali (in terms of a monovalent base), 1:1.5 to 3.0:1.5 to 3.0 i.e. the respective theoretical quantities of these three components or quantities close thereto are employed, the components are reacted using substantially water as a medium for the reaction, and further, the reaction is carried out by additionally adding at least an alkali among the raw materials with progress of the condensation reaction, whereby it is possible to prevent decomposition of the dihalogenated alkane (and a monohalogenated monoaryloxyalkane as a reaction intermediate) to thereby improve the yield. still further, the quantity of the aqueous phase is controlled to 35% or less based on the quantity of the oily phase, whereby it is possible to notably promote the reaction rate, particularly the reaction rate since a period close to the final period of the reaction. when the above-mentioned specific means are together employed, it is possible to obtain the objective di(aryloxy)alkane with a high quality and a high yield and in a shortened time. the reason for the foregoing is presumed as follows: the dihalogenated alkane is reacted with the phenol in the presence of an alkali in an aqueous phase. as to the regulation of the quantity of an alkali added, when the dihalogenated alkane, particularly a dihalogenated alkane having halogen atoms bonded to adjacent carbon atoms, is used as a raw material, the above regulation has an effectiveness that byproduction of unsaturated compounds due to intramolecular dehydrochlorination reaction is inhibited to notably improve the yield of the objective compound. (for example, in the case of 1,2-ethylene dichloride, byproduction of vinyl chloride is notably inhibited.) further, the regulation of the quantity of the aqueous phase regulates the concentration of alkali metal salts of the phenol (hereinafter referred to as "phenolates") dissolved in the aqueous phase in combination with the above regulation of the quantity of an alkali added, but the phenolates solubilize the dihalogenated alkane (and monohalogenated monoaryloxyalkane) into the aqueous phase in an aqueous solution state to advance condensation reaction. although the solubilizability thereof varies depending on the kind of the phenolates, it becomes sufficient when the concentration thereof in the aqueous phase has increased up to a certain value or higher, but if the concentration is lower than the value, the solubilizability is low so that the effectiveness of promoting the reaction rate is small. however, it is considered that if the concentration exceeds a certain limit, the phenolates are deposited to contrarily inhibit the reaction rate and also promote decomposition of the dihalogenated alkane. thus it is considered that at the stage where unreacted phenol is present in a considerably large quantity, somewhat large quantities of the alkali and the aqueous phase are advantageous for promoting the reaction, whereas at the stage where the reaction has advanced and the quantity of the phenol has been reduced, it is necessary for promoting the reaction to regulate the quantities of the alkali and the aqueous phase. namely, at the initial period of the reaction, it is advantageous that the quantity of the aqueous phase is large to such an extent that the concentration of the alkali (i.e. the concentration of the phenolates) is not so small as to reduce the reaction rate, whereas as the reaction advances and the remaining quantity of the phenol is reduced, the quantity of the aqueous phase is reduced and water is removed to the outside of the reaction system so that the concentration of the phenolates dissolved in the aqueous phase may not be reduced as much as possible, whereby the reaction rate particularly at the period close to the final period of the reaction is promoted. in the case where the phenolates have a low solubilizability, addition of a surfactant, particularly an anionic surfactant, is effective for preventing reduction in the reaction rate at the period close to the final period of the reaction. however, since the dihalogenated alkane is solubilized by the phenolates to react in the aqueous phase, the total quantity of reacted materials corresponds to the product of the reaction rate by the aqueous phase in which the reaction is carried out; hence it is contrarily disadvantageous to extremely reduce the quantity of the aqueous phase. in view of the foregoing, it is preferred to adjust the quantity of the aqueous phase in the reaction mixture system to 30 to 70%, preferably 35 to 60% at the initial period to the intermediate period of the reaction. further, in the case where the alkali is an alkali metal hydroxide, it is presumed to be present as an alkali metal salt of the phenol in the reaction mixture, and its concentration in the aqueous phase in the reaction system is preferred to be always kept at 20 molar concentration or lower, preferably 12 molar concentration or lower. next, the present invention will be described referring to a general embodiment. into a reactor are introduced a water dihalogenated alkane and a phenol, followed by adding an alkali in a portion of the total quantity required (e.g. 30 to 70%) with stirring and then heating the mixture under mild reflux. as to the total quantities of the respective raw materials used, the quantity of the phenol is 1.5 to 3.0 mols, preferably 1.8 to 2.3 mols based on one mol of the dihalogenated alkane and the total quantity of the alkali is 1.5 to 3.0 mols, preferably 2.0 to 2.5 mols based thereon. as to the alkali, it is preferred to use an alkali metal hydroxide in the form of its aqueous solution. as to the molar ratio of the phenol to the alkali, there is no particular necessity that it is made 1:1 or close thereto. if the molar ratio of the phenol is lower than the above range, the yield lowers, while even if it exceeds the range, there is no particular merit. further, if the molar ratio of the alkali is lower than the above range, the reaction rate at the latter period of the reaction lowers, the conversion is low and the yield lowers, while if it exceeds the range, the conversion increases, but decomposition of the dihalogenated alkane (and the monohalomonoaryloxyalkane) increases and the yield and quality lower. next, after the residual quantity of the alkali has been gradually added or while it is gradually added, the reflux condenser is changed over to an effluent cooler equipped with an oil-water separator, whereby the aqueous layer in the resulting condensate is removed to the outside of the system, while the oily layer (the dihalogenated alkane and monohaloaryloxyalkane) is returned to the inside of the reactor, and water is flown out so that the quantity of the aqueous layer in the reactor can be 35% or less, preferably 10 to 25%, based on the quantity of the oily layer. (this quantity can be calculated from the quantities of the raw materials fed, the quantity of water and the quantity of water flown out.) if the quantity of the aqueous phase is less than the above range, the crystal concentration of the salt formed increases, obstacles to agitation and heat transfer are liable to occur, while the quantity exceeds the range, the reaction rate lowers to retard the reaction time or the yield lowers. the total reaction time is in the range of 10 to 40 hours, usually 13 to 20 hours. a process of additionally adding the dihalogenated alkane along with the alkali is also preferred. further, if the reaction is carried out while the deposited salt is successively removed to the outside of the reaction system, it is possible to further reduce the quantity of the aqueous phase, but in this case it is necessary to pay attention particularly to the loss of the phenolates. the salt formed after completion of the reaction is filtered off, or if necessary, water is added to the reaction mixture to reduce the salt concentration, followed by separating the aqueous layer, washing the oily layer with water and drying it. since the oily layer is the objective product and generally has a melting point higher than room temperature, it is treated while its temperature is kept. if purification is required for the oily layer, the layer is subjected to vacuum distillation, or subjected to such purification treatments that it is dissolved in a suitable solvent on heating and if desired, decolorizing carbon is added, followed by filtering off it while hot, and further subjecting it to cooling, crystallization, separation, etc. at the time of the condensation reaction, it is also possible to simultaneously use a surfactant or use a suitable additive for depressing the melting point of the condensation product. examples of the dihalogenated alkane expressed by the formula (ii) in the present invention are methylene dichloride, 1,2-ethylene dichloride, 1,2- or 1,3-propylene dichloride, 1,2-, 1,3- or 1,4-butylene dichloride or monochloromonobromo-compounds or dibromo-compounds of the foregoing, etc. further, examples of the phenol expressed by the formula (iii) are phenol, 2-, 3- or 4-cresol, 2,3-, 2,4-, 2,5-, 2,6-, 3,4-, 3,5- or 3,6-xylenol, 2,3,5-, 2,3,6- or 2,4,6-trimethylphenol, 2- or 4-ethylphenol, 2-, 3- or 4-t-butylphenol, 2-, 3- or 4-methoxyphenol, 2- or 4-chlorophenol, 2,4- or 2,6-dichlorophenol, 2-chloro-4-methylphenol, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenol, 2-, 3- or 4-nitrophenol, 2- or 4-acetylphenol, 2- or 4-benzoylphenol, 2- or 4-cyanophenol, sodium 3- or 4-hydroxybenzoate, 2- or 4-cyclohexylphenol, o- or p-phenylphenol, 1- or 2-naphthol, 2-isopropyl-2-naphthol, sodium 2-hydroxy-6-naphthoate, etc. the present invention will be described in more detail by way of examples. example 1 ethylene dichloride (95 g), m-cresol (200 g) and water (35 ml) were introduced into a reactor, followed by dropwise adding a 49% aqueous solution of naoh (106 g) in nitrogen gas atmosphere with stirring over about 20 minutes, heating the mixture under mild reflux for 3 hours, dropwise adding a 49% aqueous solution of naoh (77 g) over 8 hours, and further continuing reaction for 8 hours. the temperature inside the reactor was about 110.degree. c. thereafter water (185 ml) was added, followed by agitating the mixture at 100.degree. c., allowing it to stand still, thereafter separating the aqueous layer, again adding water (35 ml), agitating the mixture, allowing it to stand still, separating the resulting oily layer, adding isopropanol (580 ml) to the layer, dissolving the layer therein at 85.degree. c. to 90.degree. c., filtering it while hot, cooling, crystallizing, filtering, washing with isopropanol and drying to obtain 1,2-di(3-methylphenoxy)ethane (153 g) in the form of colorless plate crystals. yield: 68.3% based on m-cresol. m.p.: 98.0.degree. c. purity: 99.4%. comparative example 1 ethylene dichloride (95 g, 0.96 mol), m-cresol (200 g, 1.85 mol) and water (35 ml) were introduced into a reactor, followed by dropwise adding a 49% (by weight; this applies to the subsequent %) aqueous solution of naoh (183 g, 2.24 mol) over about 20 minutes while the mixture was agitated in nitrogen gas atmosphere, and subjecting the mixture to condensation reaction under mild reflux for 20 hours (the quantity of the aqueous phase in the reactor being calculated to be about 46% based on the quantity of the oily phase). the temperature inside the reactor was about 110.degree. c. thereafter post-treatment was carried out in the same manner as in example 1 to obtain 1,2-di(3-methylphenoxy)ethane in the form of colorless plate crystals (115 g). yield: 51.3 g. m.p.: 97.7.degree. c. purity: 99.1%. example 2 ethylene dichloride (95 g), m-cresol (200 g) and water (35 ml) were introduced into a reactor, followed by dropwise adding a 49% aqueous solution of naoh (106 g) over 20 minutes with stirring in nitrogen gas atmosphere, thereafter heating the mixture under mild reflux for 3 hours, dropwise adding a 49% aqueous solution of naoh (77 g) over 8 hours, thereafter changing over the reflux condenser to an effluent condenser equipped with an oil-water separator, removing the aqueous phase in the condensate to the outside of the system, returning the oily layer to the reactor and continuing the condensation reaction. after 4 hours, the quantity of effluent water was 95 ml and the reaction temperature inside the reactor reached 120.degree. c. the quantity of the aqueous phase in the reactor was calculated to be about 30% based on the quantity of the oily phase. thereafter, post-treatment was carried out in the same manner as in example 1, to obtain 1,2-di(3-methylphenoxy)ethane in the form of colorless plate crystals (163 g). yield: 72.8% based on m-cresol. m.p.: 98.2.degree. c. purity: 99.6%. using phenols indicated in table 1 in place of m-cresol (200 g, 1.85 mol), operation was carried out in the same manner as in example 2, to obtain the corresponding 1,2-di(aryloxy)ethanes. table 1 ______________________________________ m.p. phenols compounds obtained (.degree.c.) ______________________________________ phenol 1,2-di(phenoxy)ethane 96 o-cresol 1,2-di(2-methylphenoxy)ethane 84 p-cresol 1,2-di(4-methylphenoxy)ethane 135 2,3-xylenol 1,2-di(2,3-dimethylphenoxy)ethane 120 3,4-xylenol 1,2-di(2,4-dimethylphenoxy)ethane 111.5 2,5-xylenol 1,2-di(2,5-dimethylphenoxy)ethane 80 3,4-xylenol 1,2-di(3,4-dimethylphenoxy)ethane 105 4-ethylphenol 1,2-di(4-ethylphenoxy)ethane 151.5 4-methoxyphenol 1,2-di(4-methoxyphenoxy)ethane 128 4-chlorophenol 1,2-di(4-chlorophenoxy)ethane 1-naphthol 1,2-di(1-naphthoxy)ethane 129 ______________________________________ example 3 operation was carried out in the same manner as in example 2, using 1,3-propylene dichloride (108 g, 0.96 mol), p-cresol (205 g, 1.90 mol), water (35 ml) and a 49% aqueous solution of naoh (106 g, 1.30 mol; a first dropwise addition) and further 79 g, 0.97 mol (a second dropwise addition), to obtain 1,3-di(4-methylphenoxy)propane in the form of white plate crystals (178 g). yield: 73.2% based on p-cresol. m.p.: 93.5.degree. c. purity: 99.6%. example 4 operation was carried out in the same manner as in example 2, using 1,4-butylene dichloride (122 g, 0.96 mol), phenol (174 g, 1.85 mol), water (40 ml) and a 49% aqueous solution of naoh (106 g) (a first dropwise addition) and (77 g) (a second dropwise addition), to obtain 1,4-di(phenoxy)butane in the form of white plate crystals (188 g). yield: 83.9% based phenol. m.p.: 99.degree. c. purity: 99.0%. further, operation was similarly carried out using p-cresol (200 g) in place of phenol (174 g) to obtain 1,4-di(4-methylphenoxy)butane (208 g) in the form of white plate crystals. yield: 83.2% based on p-cresol. m.p.: 104.degree. c. purity: 99.1%.
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159-186-118-459-285
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G01R31/00,G06F11/00
| 2006-08-23T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"G01",
"G06"
] |
generation of system power-good signal in hot-swap power controllers
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a power controller system is described herein, which may consist of one or more power controller ics and other components. each power controller selectively couples power supply voltages to a plurality of electrical devices, such as cards that have been inserted into expansion slots in a server. to simplify processing by a system processor monitoring the health of the power subsystem, each power controller ic asserts a power-good signal at a power-good terminal only if the operating conditions for all channels are satisfactory. a power good signal is generated even if a channel is not supplying power to a channel due to a card retention switch signal not being asserted or the channel is not enabled. the power-good signals from all power controllers in the system are then anded together to determine if any of the power controllers are experiencing unsatisfactory conditions. if the resulting single signal is an asserted power-good signal, then the system knows that all channels in all the power controllers are experiencing satisfactory conditions, even though some channels may not be enabled or there are no modules (e.g., cards) connected to a power controller.
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1 . a power control system comprising: a first power controller comprising: a first control terminal for connection to a first switch for selectively coupling a power supply voltage to a first electrical device; first fault detection circuitry for receiving a sense signal indicating any fault in delivery of the power supply voltage to the first electrical device, the fault detection circuitry generating at least one fault indication signal indicating whether there is a first fault condition; first circuitry for detecting a level of voltage provided to the first electrical device and generating a first signal, a first state of the first signal indicating that power to the first electrical device is satisfactory, a second state of the first signal indicating that power to the first electrical device is unsatisfactory; first logic circuitry receiving the first signal, the at least one fault indication signal, and at least one other first status signal, wherein the at least one other first status signal is processed by the first logic circuitry to determine whether the second state of the first signal is a result of other than a first fault condition; and a first output terminal connected to an output of the first logic circuitry, the first output terminal providing a first power-good signal having a first state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller are unsatisfactory and a second state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller are satisfactory, the first output terminal for connection to circuitry external to the first power controller. 2 . the system of claim 1 wherein the at least one other first status signal is an enable signal that enables or disables at least a portion of the first power controller. 3 . the system of claim 1 wherein the at least one other first status signal is a signal indicating whether electrical equipment is installed to received power controlled by the first power controller. 4 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first electrical device comprises a slot for receiving a circuit card. 5 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first electrical device comprises at least one circuit card. 6 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first power controller is a single integrated circuit. 7 . the system of claim 1 further comprising third circuitry connected to the first output terminal and connected to other output terminals of other power controllers, the third circuitry generating an overall system power-good signal having a first state that indicates that all power controllers are experiencing satisfactory conditions and having a second state that indicates that at least one power controller is experiencing an unsatisfactory condition. 8 . the system of claim 1 , wherein the first output terminal is connected to a processor for monitoring a status of a power subsystem. 9 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first fault detection circuitry comprises overcurrent and undervoltage detection circuitry. 10 . the system of claim 1 wherein the at least one other first status signal comprises a retention switch signal that is asserted when the first electrical device is installed in a receiving station, the retention switch signal being received by the first power controller causing the control terminal to output a control signal to couple the power supply voltage to the first electrical device. 11 . the system of claim 10 wherein the first electrical device is a card and the receiving station is a slot into which a card is inserted, the slot having one or more terminals that receive the power supply voltage when a control signal output by the control terminal causes the power supply voltage to be coupled to a card. 12 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first power controller controls multiple voltages to the first electrical device, each voltage being coupled to the first electrical device by a separate switch connected to an associated control terminal of the first power controller. 13 . the system of claim 12 wherein the multiple voltages comprise 12 volts and 3.3 volts. 14 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first power controller further comprises: a plurality of control terminals for connection to a plurality of switches for selectively coupling at least one power supply voltage to a plurality of electrical devices connected to different channels of the first power controller, wherein the first output terminal connected to the output of the first logic circuitry provides a first power-good signal having a first state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller for any one of the channels are unsatisfactory and a second state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller for all the channels are satisfactory. 15 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first power controller is a hot-swap power controller, wherein the first electrical device is removed or installed without shutting down other electrical devices in the system. 16 . the system of claim 1 further comprising: a second power controller comprising: a second control terminal for connection to a second switch for selectively coupling a power supply voltage to a second electrical device; second fault detection circuitry for receiving a sense signal indicating any fault in delivery of the power supply voltage to the second electrical device, the second fault detection circuitry generating at least one second fault indication signal indicating whether there is a second fault condition; second circuitry for detecting a level of voltage provided to the second electrical device and generating a second signal, a first state of the second signal indicating that power to the second electrical device is satisfactory, a second state of the second signal indicating that power to the second electrical device is unsatisfactory; second logic circuitry receiving the second signal, the at least one second fault indication signal, and at least one other second status signal, where the at least one other second status signal is processed by the second logic circuitry to determine whether the second state of the second signal is a result of other than a second fault condition; and a second output terminal connected to an output of the second logic circuitry, the second output terminal providing a second power-good signal having a first state that indicates that conditions of the second power controller are unsatisfactory and a second state that indicates that conditions of the second power controller are satisfactory, the second output terminal for connection to circuitry external to the second power controller. 17 . the system of claim 16 further comprising third circuitry connected to the first output terminal, the second output terminal, and any output terminals of additional power controllers in the system, the third circuitry generating an overall system power-good signal having a first state that indicates that the first power controller, the second power controller, and any additional power controllers are experiencing satisfactory conditions and having a second state that indicates that at least one power controller is experiencing an unsatisfactory condition. 18 . the system of claim 1 wherein the first state of the first power good signal is generated upon at least the following conditions being met: a card retention switch signal indicating that a circuit card has been installed in a slot connected to receive the power supply voltage controlled by the first power controller; an enable signal indicating that the first power controller is enabled to provide power to the circuit card; and all power supply voltages supplied to the circuit card are above a threshold voltage. 19 . the system of claim 1 wherein a first power good signal is provided for each voltage controlled by the first power controller. 20 . a method of operating a power controller system comprising: generating a control signal by a first power controller at a first control terminal connected to a first switch that selectively couples a power supply voltage to a first electrical device and uncouples the power supply voltage from the first electrical device; receiving, by first fault detection circuitry, a sense signal for indicating any fault in delivery of the power supply voltage to the first electrical device, the fault detection circuitry generating at least one fault indication signal indicating whether there is a first fault condition; detecting, by first circuitry, a level of voltage provided to the first electrical device and generating a first signal, a first state of the first signal indicating that power to the first electrical device is satisfactory, a second state of the first signal indicating that power to the first electrical device is unsatisfactory; receiving, by first logic circuitry, the first signal, the at least one fault indication signal, and at least one other first status signal, wherein the at least one other first status signal is processed by the first logic circuitry to determine whether the second state of the first signal is a result of other than a first fault condition; and providing, by a first output terminal connected to an output of the first logic circuitry, a first power-good signal having a first state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller are unsatisfactory and a second state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller are satisfactory, the first power-good signal being supplied to circuitry external to the first power controller. 21 . the method of claim 20 wherein the at least one other first status signal is an enable signal that enables or disables at least a portion of the first power controller. 22 . the method of claim 20 wherein the at least one other first status signal is a signal indicating whether electrical equipment is installed to received power controlled by the first power controller. 23 . the method of claim 20 wherein the circuitry external to the first power controller is a processor, the method further comprising the processor monitoring a status of a power subsystem. 24 . the method of claim 20 wherein the first fault detection circuitry comprises overcurrent and undervoltage detection circuitry. 25 . the method of claim 20 wherein the at least one other first status signal comprises a retention switch signal that is asserted when the first electrical device is installed in a receiving station, the method further comprising receiving the retention switch signal by the first power controller to cause the control terminal to output a control signal to couple the power supply voltage to the first electrical device. 26 . the method of claim 20 wherein the first power controller controls multiple voltages to the first electrical device, each voltage being coupled to the first electrical device by a separate switch connected to an associated control terminal of the first power controller. 27 . the method of claim 20 further comprising: generating control signals at a plurality of control terminals for controlling a plurality of switches for selectively coupling at least one power supply voltage to a plurality of electrical devices connected to different channels of the first power controller, wherein the first output terminal connected to the output of the first logic circuitry provides a first power-good signal having a first state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller for any one of the channels are unsatisfactory and a second state that indicates that conditions of the first power controller for all the channels are satisfactory. 28 . the method of claim 20 wherein the first state of the first power good signal is generated upon at least the following conditions being met: a card retention switch signal indicating that a circuit card has been installed in a slot connected to receive the power supply voltage controlled by the first power controller; an enable signal indicating that the first power controller is enabled to provide power to the circuit card; and all power supply voltages supplied to the circuit card are above a threshold voltage. 29 . the method of claim 20 wherein a first power good signal is provided for each voltage controlled by the first power controller.
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field of invention this invention relates to power controllers for controlling and sensing power to electronic components and, in particular, to the generation of a system power-good signal for use by other circuitry to determine the status of the power subsystem. background a hot-swap power controller allows electronic components, such as circuit boards, to be added, removed, or replaced within a system without removing power from other electronic components in the system. an example of the use of a hot-swap power controller is in a server, where expansion cards may be added by inserting the cards into empty slots in the server. the cards have terminals that mate with terminals in the slot. the mated terminals pass information to and from the card as well as supply power to the card. typical voltages supplied to the slot power terminals are 12 volts and 3.3 volts. one or more power controller ics selectively couple the 12 volt and 3.3 volt power supply voltages to the corresponding slot terminals based on whether certain conditions are met. for example, the power supply voltages should only be applied, or continue to be applied, to the slot terminals if: 1) there is a card inserted into the slot; 2) the supply voltages are at their proper levels; and 3) there is no fault condition, such as an over-current. other conditions may apply. once the above conditions are met, the power controller ic couples power to the card and, in some cases, generates a “power-good” signal for application to a system processor that is used to convey that the output power to the card is satisfactory. the power-good signal indicates to the system processor that it is now okay to communicate with the card since it is powered up. if the power controller is not enabled by the system processor, the power controller will issue a “power not good” signal, which is a deasserted power-good signal. further, if a card is not inserted into an expansion slot, the power controller for that slot will not provide power to that slot, and will output a deasserted power-good signal. a deasserted power-good signal may also be a result of an overcurrent condition, an input undervoltage, or an over-temperature condition that caused the power controller to shut off power to the card or other equipment. therefore, detecting a deasserted power-good signal on the power-good terminal of the power controller does not indicate whether or not the power is not good due to problems with the system. in a hot-swap system, each power controller typically controls power to only a few devices, each device being associated with a separate channel of the power controller. the power controller must separately control the power to each replaceable module and detect the power status of each individual replaceable module. some systems include many replaceable modules or the capability of using many replaceable modules, such as a server that has expansion slots for receiving hot-swap expansion cards. therefore, a single system may have many power controllers ic, each operating independently and providing their own sets of status and power-good signals to one or more system processors. the system must figure out, from all the independent signals, whether the system is healthy and how to react to any flags indicating that the system is not healthy. designers of such systems find it complex and difficult to deal with all the signals generated by the various power controller ics. the above problems are also applicable in many other situations not relating to cards in a slot. it is desirable to simplify the determination in an electronic system incorporating power controllers that the power subsystem is operating satisfactorily. summary a power controller system is described herein, which may consist of one or more power controller ics and other components. each power controller selectively couples power supply voltages to electrical equipment, such as a card that has been inserted into an expansion slot in a server. each power controller supplies status signals to a system processor or other housekeeping processor. to simplify the determination by the system processor that the power subsystem is operating satisfactorily, each power controller ic asserts a system power-good signal (referred to herein as a syspwrgd signal) at a syspwrgd terminal reflecting that no unsatisfactory conditions in any channel are sensed. only the voltage levels and other conditions for enabled channels that are providing power to installed cards (or other installed equipment) are sensed. accordingly, even if some channels are not supplying power due to proper operation, the syspwrgd signal will still be asserted for each power controller. the syspwrgd signals from all power controllers in the system are then anded together to determine if any of the power controllers are experiencing an unsatisfactory condition. if the resulting overall syspwrgd signal is asserted, then the system knows that the power subsystem is experiencing satisfactory conditions, even though some channels may not be enabled or there are no modules (e.g., cards) connected to a power controller. a logic circuit is described that receives various inputs to and from multiple power controllers and outputs a single asserted or deasserted overall syspwrgd signal to convey to the system processor (e.g., a processor that monitors the health of the system) the health of the power subsystem. if the syspwrgd signal is deasserted, the system processor will typically identify to the user by a flag that there is a problem. the user may then perform diagnostics to discover the source of the problem. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 illustrates a power controller controlling power to two slots in an expandable server or other equipment in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. fig. 2 illustrates many dual-slot power controllers connected to slots in an expandable server or other equipment in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. fig. 3 illustrates a logic circuit in each power controller ic of fig. 2 that receives various status signals and outputs a single syspwrgd signal. fig. 4 illustrates a logic circuit that receives as inputs all the syspwrgd signals from the various power controller ics and provides a single overall syspwrgd signal that is asserted only if all the power controller ics generated an asserted syspwrgd signal. fig. 5 is a flowchart identifying the steps performed in one embodiment of the invention. detailed description fig. 1 illustrates a power controller 10 controlling power from a system power supply 12 to power terminals in two slots (a and b) in a server or other equipment. the controller 10 may be a single integrated circuit (ic). in the example described herein, the controller 10 is used as a dual-slot power controller supporting the power distribution requirements for peripheral component interconnect express (pci express) hot-plug compliant systems. the power controller 10 provides power control support for two pci express slots, requiring 12 volt and 3.3 volt power. although the pci express standards also call for an auxiliary 3.3 volt supply, the circuitry for supplying this auxiliary power is not described herein since it is unnecessary for a full understanding of the invention. fig. 2 illustrates how a separate power controller 10 a- 10 d controls power to two slots a and b in a server 14 . an expansion card 16 , containing a printed circuit board and circuitry for operation of the server 14 , is inserted into a slot when necessary for expanding the capability of the server. accordingly, the slots are referred to as expansion slots. the cards 16 have metal terminals 18 that mate with corresponding terminals in a slot for coupling power to the card 16 and for interfacing with the server/system processor. the cards 16 may be removed or inserted while the server 14 is operating, without affecting the cards in the other slots. this is referred to a hot-swapping. in the described example, power is automatically applied to the associated 12 volt and 3.3 volt power terminals of the slot only when it is detected that a card 16 has been inserted into the slot and other conditions, described below, are met. referring back to fig. 1 , each slot includes a microswitch or other sensor (both generically referred to as a card retention switch) that is triggered by the card 16 being inserted into a slot. fig. 1 shows a card retention switch (crsw) 20 that is physically pushed closed by the action of the card 16 being inserted into slot a or by card retainer clips being secured. the closing of switch 20 causes a crsw signal to go from a logical high to a logical low to signal to the power controller 10 that mosfets 22 and 24 should be closed to apply the 12 volt and 3.3 volt power to the slot if all other required conditions (e.g., an adequate power supply voltage) are met. the controller 10 detects, for the 12 volt and 3.3 volt paths, at least the following: the input voltage from the power supply 12 , a sense voltage whose value is a product of the current through a sense resistor r 1 or r 2 , and the voltage actually applied to the slot terminal. an over-current through the sense resistor r 1 or r 2 is detected by applying the input voltage (12 v in or 3.3 v in) from the power supply 12 , minus an offset voltage, to one input of a hysteretic comparator. the other input of the hysteretic comparator is connected to the sense voltage (12 v sense or 3.3 v sense). if the sense voltage drops below a threshold, the comparator triggers to indicate an over-current condition, and a fault signal is generated for that slot. the fault detection circuitry is shown in fig. 1 as fault detection circuit 25 , which receives the various sense signals and determines overcurrent, overtemperature, and other appropriate fault conditions. such fault circuitry is well known. the controller 10 also compares the 12 v and 3.3 v voltages from the power supply 12 to a minimum threshold to determine if there is an undervoltage condition. such circuitry is well known. if an undervoltage is detected, an undervoltage lockout (uvlo) signal is generated, causing a fault signal to be generated for that slot. fault flags are output at the fault a and fault b terminals. a hot-plug system controller 26 shown in figs. 1 and 2 represents any system processor that receives signals from the power controller 10 and controls other aspects of the system based on those signals. the hot-plug system controller 26 may be a system processor for the server or other device. the hot-plug system controller 26 generates an enable signal for each slot (enable a or b) to enable or disable any channel or reset the fault logic circuitry in the power controller 10 after a fault condition has been fixed. the enable signal may be toggled by the system for any reason to decouple power from the slots, such as a shut down of the system. if the crsw signal indicates a card 16 is in the slot, and there are no fault signals, and the power controller 10 is enabled for that slot, then the power controller 10 closes or keeps closed the mosfets 22 and 24 for the associated slot. the circuitry shown in fig. 1 also exists for the slot b, but the circuitry for slot b is not shown for simplicity. a power-good (pwrgd) signal is generated by each power controller ic for each associated slot a and b. the pwrgd a and pwrgd b terminals are shown in fig. 1 and are applied to the hot-plug system controller 26 . a logical 0 pwrgd signal indicates that the output voltage applied to the slot is above the threshold and there is no fault associated with that slot. this logical 0 state of the pwrgd signal is referred to as being an asserted pwrgd signal. a logical 1 pwrgd signal indicates that either the output voltage applied to the slot is below the threshold or that there is a fault associated with that slot. this logical 1 state of the pwrgd signal is referred to as being a deasserted pwrgd signal. the logic level associated with an asserted or deasserted signal may also be the opposite. the determination of whether the output voltage to the slot is above the threshold is determined by the output voltage detect circuit 27 , which compares the 12 v out and 3.3 v out voltages to threshold voltages, using a comparator. upon powering up of the card or other equipment, after the mosfets 22 and 24 have been turned on, the externally outputted pwrgd a or b signal state is determined by the logical anding of the power-good indicators (no undervoltage, no overcurrent, no overtemperature, etc.) and the enable signal that enables the channel. upon powering down of the card or other equipment, the deassertion of the pwrgda or b signal corresponds with the mosfets 22 and 24 being switched off. the pwrgd a and b signals are output from the power controller 10 and applied to an external processor (e.g., the hot-plug system controller 26 in fig. 1 ) so that the external processor knows the state of the power for that particular channel and can used the signal for any purpose applicable to the system when the slot is powering up or down. for example, the asserted pwrgd a or b signal may be used by the external system to determine that it is okay to begin communicating with the card in the slot. although the pwrgd a and pwrgd b signals indicate when a particular slot is properly powered up, it would be beneficial for the system processor (or other housekeeping processor) to also know the overall status of the power subsystem, including all power controllers in the system, for “power housekeeping.” a simple high or low signal indicating the overall status of the entire power subsystem could be used by the system or housekeeping processor (both will be subsequently referred to as the system processor) to easily determine whether the power subsystem is operating satisfactorily. if such a simple signal were not made available, the designer of the system would have to develop software or logic circuitry to detect status signals for each slot for each power controller, as well as other applicable signals, to determine if the overall status of the power subsystem is good. such detection would be complex and add cost to the system. fig. 3 is a logic circuit internal to a single power controller 10 that generates a system power-good signal (syspwrgd) for each power controller ic that indicates whether the overall power provided by that power controller ic is good for all of its channels, even when one or more channels are not enabled, or cards are not installed in the slots, or the controller is in a diagnostic state that overrides certain protections. in other words, the syspwrgd signal is asserted even when there is no power provided to certain channels, as long as the inadequate power is not a result of any fault in a channel. this syspwrgd output terminal is shown in fig. 1 . the logic circuit 35 in fig. 1 outputting the syspwrgd signal contains the circuitry of fig. 3 along with additional logic that generates the various pwrgd signals, including the pwrgd a and pwrgd b signals in fig. 1 . implementation of such logic would be well known to those skilled in the art. the logic circuit of fig. 3 receives various internal status signals and, if the states are of the proper levels indicating that there is no undesirable condition, the logic circuit asserts the syspwrgd signal. if the status signals indicate that there is an undesirable condition, then the logic circuit deasserts the syspwrgd signal. in the embodiment of fig. 3 , the input status signals are as follows. separate pwrgd signals for the 12 volt, 3.3 volt, and auxiliary 3.3 volt outputs for channels a and b are received, indicating whether the 12 volt, 3.3 volt, and auxiliary power output for those channels are above a threshold voltage. the pwrgd12a, pwrgd3a, pwrgdvauxa, pwrgdvauxb, pwrgd3b, and pwrgd12b signals shown in fig. 3 are generated internal to the controller 10 and are not the pwrgd a and pwrgd b signals of fig. 1 output by the power controller 10 to the hot-plug system controller 26 . the pwrgd12a, pwrgd3a, pwrgdvauxa, pwrgdvauxb, pwrgd3b, and pwrgd12b signals only reflect whether the output voltage for the associated voltage and channel is above the threshold. enable signals (ona, onb, auxena, and auxenb) are received indicating whether the system has enabled the main or auxiliary power for each channel. card retention switch signals (crswa and crswb) are received to determine if a card (or any other type of electronic equipment) has been connected to the power output terminals of a channel. force on enable signals (forceona and forceonb) are received, which are used for diagnostic purposes only and turn on all three of the outputs (12 v, 3.3 v main, and 3.3 v aux) while defeating all protections on those channels. the syspwrgd signal is low, meaning there is a problem in the power controller output power to any one of the channels, when any of the following conditions occur: 1) crswa is high (card in slot a); and ona is high (channel/slot a is enabled); and forceona is low (the force diagnostic operation is off); and either the pwrgd12a or pwrgd3a signals are low, indicating that a fault in the main 12 v or 3.3 v paths in channel a is detected in channel a or either the main 12 v or 3.3 v output in channel a is below its threshold; or 2) crswb is high (card in slot b); and onb is high (channel/slot b is enabled); and forceonb is low (the force diagnostic operation is off); and either the pwrgd12b or pwrgd3b signals are low, indicating that a fault in the main 12 v or 3.3 v paths in channel b is detected or either the main 12 v or 3.3 v output in channel b voltage is below its threshold; or 3) crswa is high (card in slot a); and auxena is high (aux voltage for channel/slot a is enabled); and forceona is low (the force diagnostic operation is off); and the vauxa (aux 3.3 volt power output for channel a) signal is low, indicating that a fault in the aux 3.3 v path in channel a is detected or the auxiliary voltage output is below its threshold; or 4) crswb is high (card in slot b); and auxenb is high (aux voltage for channel/slot b is enabled); and forceonb is low (the force diagnostic operation is off); and the vauxb (aux 3.3 volt power output for channel b) signal is low, indicating that a fault in the aux 3.3 v path in channel b is detected or the auxiliary voltage output is below its threshold. the syspwrgd signal is an open drain “high” signal for all other times. since the output of the syspwrgd terminal is the drain of an n-mosfet, the output is ground when syspwrgd is low and an open circuit when syspwrgd is high. to develop a single high/low signal to determine the health of all power controller conditions in the system, the connection shown in fig. 4 may be used. fig. 4 shows the output mosfets for three power controllers, although many more power controllers may be connected. each mosfet is the mosfet shown in fig. 3 internal to each power controller. all the syspwrgd signals from the various power controllers are connected together on a bus to a pull up resistor 40 . if all the mosfets are off, meaning that the power status is good for all the power controllers, then the overall syspwrgd signal will be high. if any one of the syspwrgd signals from the power controllers is low, the overall syspwrgd signal will be low. the connection of fig. 4 is equivalent to an and gate, where all input signals must be a logical high in order for the output to be high. the overall syspwrgd signal is received by a system processor (such as the hot-plug system controller 26 in fig. 2 ) and is used by the system processor to determine if the power subsystem is operating normally. if the overall syspwrgd signal indicated a problem, then the system processor will create a flag, notifying the user of a problem. a routine may then be performed to identify the particular channel having the problem. a faulty card in a slot may then be replaced or other remedial action taken. many other types of equivalent logic circuits may also be used instead of the logic of figs. 3 and 4 . the various logic signal levels may be the opposite of those described above. although the embodiments described couple two or more different power supply voltages to corresponding inputs of two or more slots, the invention is equally applicable to a power controller that couples one voltage to a single slot. such a power controller that couples one voltage to a single slot would still output a syspwrgd signal indicating that the operating conditions are satisfactory, where the syspwrgd signal may be anded with other syspwrgd signals as shown in fig. 4 . fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating various steps in generating the overall syspwrgd signal to allow a system processor to determine the health of the power subsystem. in step 50 , multiple power controller ics are connected in a system, where each power controller is connected to control power to one or more electrical devices, such as slots for expansion cards, the expansion cards themselves, or other electrical equipment. in step 52 , each power controller detects whether the output power is good for each channel output and that there are no fault conditions. good output power may not be detected for some channels because there is no card installed, or the channel is not enabled, or there is diagnostic testing occurring. therefore, even if there is normal operation, the output power may be detected as being not good. in step 54 , logic in each power controller ic is used to ignore all “not-good” power indication states which are due to non-fault conditions (e.g., channel disabled, no card installed, etc.) and asserts a system power-good (syspwrgd) signal if the power controller is experiencing satisfactory operating conditions. in step 56 , all the syspwrgd signals from all the power controller ics are logically anded together to generate an overall syspwrgd signal. in step 58 , an asserted overall syspwrgd signal indicates that the entire power subsystem is operating properly and there are no faults that need remedial action. in step 60 , a deasserted overall syspwrgd signal indicates that there is a problem somewhere in the power subsystem that needs remedial action. having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that given the present disclosure, modifications may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and inventive concepts described herein. therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiments illustrated and described.
|
160-824-630-118-702
|
IT
|
[
"IT",
"DE",
"EP",
"ES"
] |
B60Q1/26,F21S8/10
| 1994-06-22T00:00:00 |
1994
|
[
"B60",
"F21"
] |
vehicle lamp
|
a vehicle lamp (1) capable of emitting an amber yellow light beam (1a) is provided with a light source (4) defined by a plurality of light-emitting diodes (6) capable of emitting individual amber yellow light beams (8), and with a light-permeable lens (5) positioned in front of said light source (4); the lens (5) being of a red coloration and having a low-pass transfer function (11) that extends substantially beyond the emission spectrum (10) of each of the light-emitting diodes (6) and has a cut-off frequency greater than the central emission frequency of each of said light-emitting diodes (6).
|
vehicle lamp (1) comprising a light source (4), and a light-permeable lens (5) positioned in front of said light source (4), the light source (4) comprising an electronic light-emitting assembly (6) having its own emission spectrum (10), the lamp being characterized in that said electronic light-emitting assembly (6) is capable of emitting an amber yellow light beam (8), and in that the lens (5) is of a red coloration and has a low-pass transfer function (11) that extends substantially beyond the emission spectrum (10) of said light-emitting assembly (6) in such a way as not substantially to vary a dominant wavelength of said light-emitting assembly (6). lamp according to claim 1, characterised in that said electronic light-emitting assembly comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes (6), each for emitting a respective amber yellow light beam. lamp according to claim 2, characterized in that said transfer function (11) has a wavelength, corresponding to a cut-off frequency, less than the wavelength corresponding to the central emission frequency of each of said light-emitting diodes (6). lamp according to claim 3, characterized in that said wavelength corresponding to said cut-off frequency has a value of between 550 and 580 nm, and the wavelength corresponding to said central emission frequency has a value of between 590 and 595 nm. lamp according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that it emits an amber yellow light with a spectrum (15) of symmetrical shape and a maximum central value at the same wavelength as a maximum central value of the emission spectrum (10) of said electronic light-emitting assembly (6). lamp according to any one of the previous claims, characterized in that said lens (5) is made of methacrylate.
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the present invention relates to a vehicle lamp. in particular, the present invention is of advantageous application to the field of direction indicators, to which the following discussion will make explicit reference without thereby losing in generality. as is well known, a direction indicator normally comprises a light source capable of emitting a light beam, and a lens of light-permeable material positioned in front of the light source, cooperating with said light source in order to generate an output light beam of amber yellow coloration. in most applications the amber yellow coloration of the output light beam is produced by using a light source capable of emitting a light beam of amber yellow coloration and a substantially colourless transparent lens. alternatively, the output light beam is produced by using a source of white light and providing an amber yellow lens. though universally used, known direction indicators of the sort described above present certain problems of an aesthetic nature especially when combined with other light beam emitters to form a rear optical unit on a vehicle. the problem here is that the lens of the direction indicator introduces an undesired nonuniformity into the coloration of the lens of the complete optical unit inasmuch as its colour is different from the colour of the lenses of all the other emitters of the optical unit. in particular, the lens of the direction indicator is of a colour which, in both the alternatives described above, differs noticeably from the red colour of the lenses of all the other emitters of the optical unit, with the exception of that of the reversing light. it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle lamp that will in a simple way overcome the disadvantage described above and at the same time offer a high functional efficiency. the present invention provides a vehicle lamp comprising a light source, and a light-permeable lens positioned in front of said light source, the light source comprising a plurality of light-emitting diodes each having its own emission spectrum, the lamp being characterized in that said light-emitting diodes are each capable of emitting an amber yellow light beam, and in that the lens is of a red coloration and has a low-pass transfer function that extends substantially beyond the emission spectrum of each of said light-emitting diodes in such a way as not substantially to vary a dominant wavelength of said light-emitting diodes. preferably, in the lamp defined above, said transfer function has a wavelength corresponding to a cut-off frequency less than the wavelength corresponding to the central emission frequency of each of said light-emitting diodes. the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying figures, which illustrate a non-restricting example of an embodiment thereof, in which: figure 1 shows, schematically and in section, a preferred embodiment of the lamp according to the present invention; and figure 2 shows the graphs of the light emitted by the light source of the lamp and of the light transmitted by said lamp, and the transfer function of a light-permeable lens placed in front of said light source. in figure 1, the numeral 1 indicates as a whole a vehicle lamp capable of emitting, in use, an amber yellow light beam 1a, and preferably of fulfilling the function of a direction indicator. the lamp 1 comprises an outer shell 2 having an aperture 3, a light source 4 housed inside the shell 2, and a body or lens 5 of light-permeable material positioned so as to close the aperture 3 in front of the source 4. the source 4 comprises a plurality of light-emitting diodes 6, commonly known in the trade as "leds" which are mounted on a supporting wall 7 housed inside the shell 2 and connected, in a known manner, to the shell 2 itself, and are distributed on the wall 7 in front of the lens 5. with reference to figure 2, each diode 6 emits, when in use, towards the lens 5 an individual beam 8 of amber yellow light, and has an emission spectrum whose graph is shown in figure 2 as a function of wavelength, by the dashed curve indicated by the numeral 10. in particular, the spectrum of each diode 6 extends within a field of wavelengths lying between 545 and 640 nm (nanometres) and has a maximum central value at a wavelength of approximately 594 nm and a wavelength corresponding to a central emission frequency of between 590 and 595 nm. referring still to figure 2, the lens 5 is made of a plastics material, especially methacrylate commonly known by the commercial term "degalan 7330" having trichroic coordinates equal to 0.645 along the x-axis and 0.338 along the y axis, and has a red coloration, and a transfer function represented by the dot-and-dashed curve 11 in figure 2. the transfer function of the lens 5 is of the low-pass type: it extends mostly beyond the emission spectrum of each of the diodes 6 in such a way as not substantially to vary a dominant or peak wavelength of the diodes 6, and has a wavelength corresponding to a cut-off frequency less than the wavelength corresponding to the emission frequency of said diodes 6. in particular, the transfer function of the lens 5 has a wavelength corresponding to a cut-off frequency of between 550 and 580 nm, and comprises a first approximately straight and horizontal portion 12 extending, in figure 2, to the left of the curve 10, within a range of wavelengths lying approximately between 510 and 540 nm, a second portion 13, also approximately straight and approximately parallel to the first portion 12, extending, in figure 2, to the right of the curve 10, within a range of wavelengths lying between 615 and 650 nm; and a third portion 14 forming an approximate s shape that connects portions 12 and 13 to each other. it will be clear from the account given immediately above and from figure 2 that the lens 5, when in use, does not substantially modify the emission spectrum of the diodes 6, since it enables transmitted light to be obtained from the lamp 1, whose spectrum is represented by the continuous curve 15 in figure 2. the curve 15 is similar in shape to the curve 10 and in particular is a symmetrical peaked curve with a maximum at the same wavelength as the maximum central value of the emission spectrum of the diodes 6. the light beam emitted by the lamp 1 is therefore of the same colour as the light beam 8 emitted by each of the diodes 6, and hence of an amber yellow coloration, because, during its passage through the lens 5, the light generated by the diodes 6 undergoes no substantial change to its wavelength and hence to its colour. from the above, and on the basis of figure 2, it will be clear that the special characteristics of the lens 5 mean that in the first place it is possible to reduce loss of light due to absorbtion to values below fifty per cent and consequently to use a relatively limited number of diodes. furthermore, the special colour of the lens 5 makes it possible to produce a rear optical unit (not shown) for vehicles in which the lens is of an approximately uniform colour because the lens of the direction indicator is also of a red coloration, like the lenses of the other emitters forming the rear optical unit. lastly, it will be clear from the foregoing that modifications and alterations can be made to the lamp 1 here described that do not go beyond the scope of protection of the present invention. in particular, the lens could have a slightly different transfer function from that described by way of an example, provided it still includes almost completely the emission spectrum of each of the diodes 6.
|
161-181-374-415-694
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G01S13/75,G06K7/00,G06K17/00,G08B13/24
| 2002-12-12T00:00:00 |
2002
|
[
"G01",
"G06",
"G08"
] |
method and apparatus for using rfid tags to determine the position of an object
|
one embodiment of the present invention provides a system that uses radio frequency identification (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object. during operation, the system receives signals from an array of rfid tags at an rfid tag reader, wherein a mask of known size and shape is interposed between the array of rfid tags and the rfid tag reader, thereby obscuring signals from a subset of the rfid tags. next, the system determines the position of the object by analyzing the pattern of obscured rfid tags, wherein the analysis is based on a known spatial relationship between the object, the mask and the array of rfid tags.
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1. a method for using radio frequency id (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object, comprising: 2. the method of claim 1 , 3. the method of claim 2 , wherein the object contains a separate rfid tag that facilitates identifying the object. 4. the method of claim 1 , 5. the method of claim 4 , wherein identifiers received from rfid tags in the array of rfid tags facilitate in identifying the object. 6. the method of claim 1 , wherein analyzing the pattern of obscured rfid tags further involves determining the orientation of the object. 7. the method of claim 1 , wherein each rfid tag in the array of rfid tags is a passive, unpowered circuit that transmits a unique id in response to an rf signal. 8. a computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for using radio frequency id (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object, the method comprising: 9. the computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , 10. the computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , wherein the object contains a separate rfid tag that facilitates identifying the object. 11. the computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , 12. the computer-readable storage medium of claim 11 , wherein identifiers received from rfid tags in the array of rfid tags facilitate in identifying the object. 13. the computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein analyzing the pattern of obscured rfid tags further involves determining the orientation of the object. 14. the computer-readable storage medium of claim 8 , wherein each rfid tag in the array of rfid tags is a passive, unpowered circuit that transmits a unique id in response to an rf signal. 15. an apparatus for using radio frequency id (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object, comprising: 16. the apparatus of claim 15 , 17. the apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the object contains a separate rfid tag that facilitates identifying the object. 18. the apparatus of claim 15 , 19. the apparatus of claim 18 , wherein identifiers received from rfid tags in the array of rfid tags facilitate in identifying the object. 20. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the analysis mechanism is further configured to determine the orientation of the object. 21. the apparatus of claim 15 , wherein each rfid tag in the array of rfid tags is a passive, unpowered circuit that transmits a unique id in response to an rf signal. 22. a means for using radio frequency id (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object, comprising:
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background 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to systems for detecting the position of an object. more specifically, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for using radio frequency identification (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object. 2. related art computers often need to know the position of an object in the physical world. for example, interacting with a computer system often involves moving a mouse, a trackball, or some other physical object. in addition to user interaction, there are many other contexts in which computers need to know the position of objects in the physical world. for example, logistics systems need to track the movements of goods through warehouses, and assembly robots need to determine the position of cars as they move down the assembly line. applications of such knowledge are nearly countless, because knowing the position of objects is a fundamental requirement for interacting with the physical world. one technique for determining the position of a physical object is to modify the object to so that it is able to track its own position, and to report its position through a wired or wireless connection. while this technique is useful for some applications, it is expensive to modify an object in this way. moreover, the object must contain a power supply, such as a battery, which further increases bulk or tethers the object through a physical connection. another technique is to use a video camera to survey a scene, and to use object recognition software to identify and determine the location of objects within the scene. however, this technique is expensive and requires line of sight access to the camera. moreover, creating software that accurately detects objects is a daunting task because of hidden surfaces and similarities between objects. for example, in a warehouse containing boxes of similar size, if the camera cannot see the side of a particular box with distinguishing markings, the system cannot identify the particular box. a relatively inexpensive technique for determining the position of an object in the physical world is to attach a radio frequency identification (rfid) tag to the object. rfid tags are relatively small (some are smaller than a nickel), inexpensive, and do not require a power source. however, existing rfid tag readers cannot pinpoint the exact location of the object. rather, they simply report the presence or absence of a tag in their field of sensitivity. hence, what is needed is a method and an apparatus for using rfid tags to determine the position of an object. summary one embodiment of the present invention provides a system that uses radio frequency identification (rfid) tags to determine the position of an object. during operation, the system receives signals from an array of rfid tags at an rfid tag reader, wherein a mask of known size and shape is interposed between the array of rfid tags and the rfid tag reader, thereby obscuring signals from a subset of the rfid tags. next, the system determines the position of the object by analyzing the pattern of obscured rfid tags, wherein the analysis is based on a known spatial relationship between the object, the mask and the array of rfid tags. in a variation on this embodiment, the array of rfid tags resides at a fixed location and the mask of known size and shape is coupled to the object. in this way, when the physical object is interposed between the array of rfid tags and the rfid tag reader, the mask obscures the subset of rfid tags. in a further variation on this embodiment, the object contains a separate rfid tag that facilitates in identifying the object. in a variation on this embodiment, the mask of known size and shape resides at a fixed location and the array of rfid tags is coupled to the object. in this way, when the mask of known size and shape is interposed between the object and the rfid tag reader, a pattern on the mask obscures the subset of rfid tags. in a further variation on this embodiment, identifiers received from rfid tags in the array of rfid tags facilitate in identifying the object. in a variation on this embodiment, the system analyzes the pattern of obscured rfid tags to determine the orientation of the object. in a variation on this embodiment, each rfid tag in the array of rfid tags is a passive, unpowered circuit that transmits a unique id in response to an rf signal. brief description of the figures fig. 1 illustrates a system for determining the location of an object using a mask in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2a illustrates an object with an array of radio frequency id (rfid) tags in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2b illustrates a system for determining the location of an object with an array of rfid tags in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 presents a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the location of an object in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention, and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements. various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein. the data structures and code described in this detailed description are typically stored on a computer readable storage medium, which may be any device or medium that can store code and/or data for use by a computer system. this includes, but is not limited to, magnetic and optical storage devices such as disk drives, magnetic tape, cds (compact discs) and dvds (digital versatile discs or digital video discs), and computer instruction signals embodied in a transmission medium (with or without a carrier wave upon which the signals-are modulated). for example, the transmission medium may include a communications network, such as the internet. system for determining the location of an object with a mask fig. 1 illustrates a system for determining the location of object 106 with a mask 108 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. as is illustrated in fig. 1 , the system contains rfid tag reader 100 which has field of sensitivity 112 . rfid tag reader 100 can read any rfid tag that is within field of sensitivity 112 , provided that the signal from the rfid tag is not blocked by any intervening material or mask. the system illustrated in fig. 1 also contains surface 102 which is transparent to radio frequency (rf) signals. for example, surface 102 can include a tabletop or a floor. embedded in or below surface 102 is an array of rfid tags 104 . rfid tags in array of rfid tags 104 are arranged in a fixed pattern that is known to the system. note that each rfid tag in the array of rfid tags 104 has a unique id. the system illustrated in fig. 1 also contains object 106 . object 106 can include any object to be tracked by the system. for example, object 106 can be a box of parts moving through a warehouse. mask 108 and rfid tag 110 are attached to or contained within object 106 . rfid tag 110 is unique to object 106 and identifies object 106 to the system. once object 106 becomes known to the system, the system can determine the size and shape of mask 108 . for example, in one embodiment, the size and shape of mask 108 is retrieved from a database using the id from rfid tag 110 . mask 108 is opaque to rf signals, and hence, blocks the rf signals from a subset of the array of rfid tags 104 from reaching rfid tag reader 100 . by determining the pattern of the rf signals that are blocked from rfid tag reader 100 , and comparing the pattern to the size and shape of mask 108 , the system can determine the position of mask 108 . since mask 108 is attached to object 106 , the system can also determine the position of object 106 . in one embodiment of the present invention, the system can additionally determine the orientation of object 106 , based upon how the shape of mask 108 obscures rfid tags 104 . object with an array of rfid tags fig. 2a illustrates object 200 with an array of radio frequency id (rfid) tags 202 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. object 200 contains an array of rfid tags 202 on its bottom surface. note that rfid tags 202 can generally be placed on any surface of object 200 , but have been placed on the bottom surface in this example. each rfid tag in the array of rfid tags 202 contains a unique id. these unique ids serve to identify object 200 . moreover, signals received from the array of rfid tags 202 facilitate in determining the position of object 200 as illustrated in fig. 2 b. system for determining the location of an object fig. 2b illustrates a system for determining the location of object 200 with an array of rfid tags 202 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. the system contains rfid tag reader 100 which has field of sensitivity 112 . rfid tag reader 100 can read any rfid tag that is within field of sensitivity 112 , provided that the signal from the rfid tag is not blocked by any intervening material or mask. the system also contains mask 204 , which is located between object 200 and rfid tag reader 100 . mask 204 is opaque to rf signals, but contains a pattern of holes that allow signals from rfid tags close to the holes to pass through mask 204 . when object 200 moves across mask 204 , the signals from certain rfid tags from the array of rfid tags 202 reach rfid tag reader 100 . by analyzing the pattern of rfid tags from rfid tags 202 that are visible to rfid tag reader 100 , the system can determine the position of object 200 . note that in one embodiment of the present invention, the system can also determine the orientation of object 200 . process of determining the location of an object fig. 3 presents a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the location of an object in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. the system starts when the presence of rfid tag 110 is detected by rfid tag reader 100 (step 302 ). once the presence of rfid tag 110 is detected, the system determines the identity of object 106 from rfid tag 110 (step 304 ). in one embodiment of the present invention, this information is stored in a database attached to the system. at this time, the system also determines the size and shape of mask 108 that is attached to object 106 (step 306 ). once the identity of object 106 and the size and shape of mask 108 have been determined, the system determines which signals from the array of rfid tags 104 are blocked by mask 108 (step 308 ). the system then compares the pattern of blocked rfid tags to the size and shape of mask 108 (step 310 ) and from this comparison, determines the position of object 106 (step 312 ). note that the system can additionally determine the orientation of object 106 . the foregoing descriptions of embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description only. they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the forms disclosed. accordingly, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art. additionally, the above disclosure is not intended to limit the present invention. the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
|
161-567-126-295-197
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO",
"CN"
] |
G01R27/26,G06V40/13,A61B5/117,G01N27/02,G01N33/00,G06T1/00
| 2013-10-01T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"G01",
"G06",
"A61"
] |
compact and durable button with biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production and method for making same
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a biometric sensor and button assembly and method of making same are disclosed which may comprise: a button housing comprising at least two side walls each forming a vertical load absorbing tower and defining an opening within the button housing; an insert within the opening within the housing; a sensor controller integrated circuit positioned within a cavity formed in one of the insert, the housing or a combination of the insert and the housing; and the insert and the housing cooperating to absorb vertical loading on the button housing, thereby protecting the integrated circuit from excess vertical loading. the assembly and method may also comprise the biometric comprising a fingerprint sensed by the biometric sensor. the assembly and method may also comprise the at least two side walls comprising at least four side walls, the cavity being formed within the bottom of the insert, within the housing, or both.
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1 . a sensor and button apparatus, comprising: a flexible substrate; sensor elements disposed on the flexible substrate; an integrated circuit (ic) disposed on the flexible substrate, the ic being communicatively coupled to the sensor elements; an insert having a top side and a bottom side; and a button housing having a top side, a bottom side, and at least one sidewall, wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the sensor elements of the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert, and wherein the insert is disposed within an interior of the button housing with the top side of the insert corresponding to the top side of the button housing. 2 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate wrapped around the insert includes a portion extending outside of the button housing, and the ic is disposed on the portion of the flexible substrate extending outside of the button housing. 3 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the at least one sidewall includes a slot, and wherein the portion of the flexible substrate extending outside of the button housing extends from the insert through the slot. 4 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the ic at the bottom side of the insert. 5 . the apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the insert includes a cavity, and wherein the ic is disposed within the cavity of the insert. 6 . the apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the ic is disposed facing up from the flexible substrate within the cavity of the insert. 7 . the apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the button housing defines a cavity, and wherein the ic is disposed within the cavity of the button housing. 8 . the apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the ic is disposed facing down from the flexible substrate within the cavity of the button housing. 9 . the apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the insert includes a first cavity, wherein the button housing defines a second cavity, and wherein the ic is disposed within the first cavity of the insert and the second cavity of the button housing. 10 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one side wall includes at least one ledge in the interior of the button housing, and wherein the insert with the flexible substrate wrapped around it is vertically supported by the ledge. 11 . the apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a hard top film, wherein the sensor elements are disposed facing up from the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert, and wherein the hard top film coats the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert. 12 . the apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising: a conformal coating, wherein the sensor elements are disposed facing down from the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert, and wherein the conformal coating coats the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert. 13 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor elements comprise a capacitive sensor array. 14 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor elements comprise a capacitive fingerprint sensor array. 15 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor elements comprise a swipe fingerprint sensor array. 16 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the sensor elements comprise a placement fingerprint sensor array. 17 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the button housing is user depressible from the top side of the button housing. 18 . the apparatus of claim 17 , further comprising: a device housing, wherein the button housing is disposed in the device housing and user depressible relative to the device housing. 19 . a sensor and button apparatus, comprising: a flexible substrate; fingerprint sensor electrodes disposed on the flexible substrate; an integrated circuit (ic) disposed on the flexible substrate, the ic being communicatively coupled to the sensor electrodes; an insert having a top side and a bottom side; and a button housing having a top side, a bottom side, and at least one sidewall, the button housing being user depressible from the top side of the button housing, wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the sensor electrodes of the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert and the ic at the bottom side of the insert, wherein the insert is disposed within an interior of the button housing with the top side of the insert corresponding to the top side of the button housing, wherein the insert comprises a cavity at the bottom side of the insert, wherein the ic is disposed facing up from the flexible substrate within the cavity of the insert. 20 . a sensor and button apparatus, comprising: a flexible substrate; fingerprint sensor electrodes disposed on the flexible substrate; an integrated circuit (ic) disposed on the flexible substrate, the ic being communicatively coupled to the sensor electrodes; an insert having a top side and a bottom side; and a button housing having a top side, a bottom side, and at least one sidewall, the button housing being user depressible from the top side of the button housing, wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the sensor electrodes of the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert and the ic at the bottom side of the insert, wherein the insert is disposed within an interior of the button housing with the top side of the insert corresponding to the top side of the button housing, wherein the button housing defines a cavity at the bottom side of the button housing, wherein the ic is disposed within the cavity of the button housing facing down from the flexible substrate and facing down from the insert.
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cross-reference this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 61/885,260, filed oct. 1, 2013, which application is incorporated herein by reference. background compact button designs including biometric sensor, e.g., fingerprint sensor, elements integrated with the button assembly have been designed. however, certain aspects of such designs, while satisfying the need for compactness and integration of the sensor elements and, perhaps also, a sensor controller integrated circuit, have been not fully satisfactory. as an example, the button design, strength and/or construction may not sufficiently protect the ic, or one or more of the layers covering the sensor elements, e.g., from applied forces, such as, vertically applied force. in such prior buttons the controller ic was attached to the underside of a flex sensor element and ic mounting substrate, e.g., directly under the sensor element area or also under the entire button structure itself. while such arrangements can provide the advantage of having an extremely compact cof button and sensor arrangement, and thus, e.g., facilitate very low cost high volume manufacturing. nevertheless, the ic has been found to be susceptible to damage or even destruction by the placement by a user of the finger of the user on the button over the sensor element area, e.g., a finger swiping or placement area. even more so, however, damage to the ic can occur, as an example, where the consumer device in which the button is mounted and utilized, e.g., is dropped and the stress of an applied vertical force to the button assembly serving to damage or destroy the ic or its relatively rigid silicon wafer substrate, with the applied vertical force. according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter such shortcomings have been eliminated or at least alleviated. summary an aspect of the disclosure is directed to sensor and button apparatuses. suitable sensor and button apparatuses, comprise: a flexible substrate; sensor elements disposed on the flexible substrate; an integrated circuit (ic) disposed on the flexible substrate, the ic being communicatively coupled to the sensor elements; an insert having a top side and a bottom side; and a button housing having a top side, a bottom side, and at least one sidewall, wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the sensor elements of the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert, and wherein the insert is disposed within an interior of the button housing with the top side of the insert corresponding to the top side of the button housing. additionally, the flexible substrate can be wrapped around the insert includes a portion extending outside of the button housing, and the ic is disposed on the portion of the flexible substrate extending outside of the button housing. in some configurations, the at least one sidewall includes a slot, and wherein the portion of the flexible substrate extending outside of the button housing extends from the insert through the slot. the flexible substrate can also be wrapped around the insert with the ic at the bottom side of the insert. the insert is configurable to include a cavity, and wherein the ic is disposed within the cavity of the insert. further, the ic can be disposed facing up from the flexible substrate within the cavity of the insert. additionally, the button housing can define a cavity, and wherein the ic is disposed within the cavity of the button housing. in some configurations, the ic is disposed facing down from the flexible substrate within the cavity of the button housing. the insert can also be configured to include a first cavity, wherein the button housing defines a second cavity, and wherein the ic is disposed within the first cavity of the insert and the second cavity of the button housing. in some configurations, the at least one side wall is configurable to include at least one ledge in the interior of the button housing, and wherein the insert with the flexible substrate wrapped around it is vertically supported by the ledge. additional configuration can further comprise: a hard top film, wherein the sensor elements are disposed facing up from the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert, and wherein the hard top film coats the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert. some configurations also comprise: a conformal coating, wherein the sensor elements are disposed facing down from the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert, and wherein the conformal coating coats the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert. sensor elements can also comprise a capacitive sensor array, a swipe fingerprint sensor array, and/or a placement fingerprint sensor array. capacitive sensor arrays can include, such as a capacitive fingerprint sensor array. additionally, the button housing is configurable to provide a user depressible from the top side of the button housing. additional configurations can include a device housing, wherein the button housing is disposed in the device housing and user depressible relative to the device housing. another aspect of the disclosure is directed to sensor and button apparatuses. suitable sensor and button apparatuses comprise: a flexible substrate; fingerprint sensor electrodes disposed on the flexible substrate; an integrated circuit (ic) disposed on the flexible substrate, the ic being communicatively coupled to the sensor electrodes; an insert having a top side and a bottom side; and a button housing having a top side, a bottom side, and at least one sidewall, the button housing being user depressible from the top side of the button housing, wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the sensor electrodes of the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert and the ic at the bottom side of the insert, wherein the insert is disposed within an interior of the button housing with the top side of the insert corresponding to the top side of the button housing, wherein the insert comprises a cavity at the bottom side of the insert, wherein the ic is disposed facing up from the flexible substrate within the cavity of the insert. still another aspect of the disclosure is directed to sensor and button apparatuses, comprising: a flexible substrate; fingerprint sensor electrodes disposed on the flexible substrate; an integrated circuit (ic) disposed on the flexible substrate, the ic being communicatively coupled to the sensor electrodes; an insert having a top side and a bottom side; and a button housing having a top side, a bottom side, and at least one sidewall, the button housing being user depressible from the top side of the button housing, wherein the flexible substrate is wrapped around the insert with the sensor electrodes of the flexible substrate at the top side of the insert and the ic at the bottom side of the insert, wherein the insert is disposed within an interior of the button housing with the top side of the insert corresponding to the top side of the button housing, wherein the button housing defines a cavity at the bottom side of the button housing, wherein the ic is disposed within the cavity of the button housing facing down from the flexible substrate and facing down from the insert. it will be understood that a biometric sensor and button combination assembly and method of making same is disclosed which may comprise: a button housing comprising at least two side walls each forming a vertical load absorbing tower and defining an opening within the button housing; an insert within the opening within the housing; a sensor controller integrated circuit positioned within a cavity formed in one of the insert, the housing or a combination of the insert and the housing; and the insert and the housing cooperating to absorb vertical loading on the button housing, thereby protecting the integrated circuit from excess vertical loading. the assembly and method may also comprise the biometric comprising a fingerprint sensed by the biometric sensor when a finger of a user presses on the top of the button to invoke the functionality of the button. the assembly and method may also comprise the at least two side walls comprising at least four side walls, the cavity being formed within the bottom of the insert, spaced from the top of the button, or within the housing under the bottom of the insert, or both. the assembly and method may further comprise the housing supporting the insert to prevent movement of the insert in a direction that would apply vertical loading applied to the button to the integrated circuit. the assembly and method may further comprise the insert being sized and constructed of material that prevents the insert from significantly bending in a direction that would apply to the integrated circuit any damaging amount of a vertical loading applied to the button. the assembly and method may further comprise the integrated circuit being mounted on a flexible substrate having sensor element traces formed on one surface of the substrate facing a top of the button on a top side of the insert and facing a bottom of the button on a bottom side of the insert or formed on one surface of the substrate facing a bottom of the button on a top side of the insert and facing a top of the button on a bottom side of the insert. the assembly and method may further comprise the assembly being incorporated into a user authentication apparatus providing user authentication for controlling access to one of an electronic user device or an electronically provided service and the electronic user device comprises at least one of a portable phone, a computing device or the provided service comprises at least one of providing access to a web site or to an email account or controlling an online transaction or providing user authentication for controlling access to a physical location or demonstrating the user was present at a certain place at a certain time or for providing at least one of a finger motion user input or navigation input to a computing device or the performance by the user device of at least one other task specific to the particular finger of the user. the assembly and method may further comprise a button housing comprising at least two side walls each forming a vertical load absorbing tower and defining an opening within the button housing; an insert within the opening within the housing; a flexible circuit substrate containing sensor element conductor traces formed over the insert, the insert and the vertical load absorbing towers cooperating to also absorb vertical loading on the button housing, thereby protecting the sensor conductor traces from damage due to excess vertical loading; and the flexible circuit substrate extending outside of the housing an having an integrated circuit mounted to the flexible circuit substrate outside of the housing of the button. incorporation by reference all publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. brief description of the drawings the novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. a better understanding of the features and advantages of the present invention will be obtained by reference to the following detailed description that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which the principles of the invention are utilized, and the accompanying drawings of which: fig. 1 illustrates a top plan view of a compact and durable button with a biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter; fig. 2 illustrates a top perspective view of the button of fig. 1 ; fig. 3 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the button of figs. 1 and 2 ; fig. 4 illustrates a left side view of the button of figs. 1-3 ; fig. 5 illustrates an exploded view of the button of figs. 1-4 ; fig. 6 illustrates a first lateral cross-sectional view of the button of figs. 1-5 ; fig. 7 illustrates a second lateral cross-sectional view of the button of figs. 1-6 ; fig. 8 illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the button of figs. 1-7 ; fig. 9 illustrates a top perspective view of another compact and durable button with a biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter; fig. 10 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the button of fig. 9 ; fig. 11 illustrates a lateral cross-sectional view of the button of figs. 9 and 10 ; fig. 12 illustrates a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the button of figs. 9-11 ; fig. 13 illustrates a lateral cross-sectional view of another compact and durable button with a biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter; and fig. 14 illustrates schematically, another possible sensor/button assembly, according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. detailed description according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter, a compact button and biometric sensor assembly can be provided whereby the tendencies of the prior designs to have the sensor control integrated circuit (ic), e.g., housed in the button structure, not be sufficiently robust, e.g., in the face of the above noted vertical loading or repeated instances of such loading. it will be understood that as used in the present application such denominatives as horizontal or vertical or the like, or top, bottom and side, or the like are utilized for illustrative discussion only and to help understand the orientation and functionality of various components of the disclosed subject matter, and also, generally to align only with the view shown in a given figure, e.g., as aligned in the plane of the paper. these are not intended to limit the actual positioning of the structures so described in any real world coordinate system, where, of course, the “top” or “bottom” may be otherwise aligned with the real world coordinate system, etc. according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter, the combination button and biometric sensor arrangement is intended to be at least as compact as prior arrangements, i.e., generally meaning less thick in the vertical direction, from top to bottom, but also more durable, especially with respect to the durability of the controller ic. also, according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter the button/sensor assembly can be such that the ic does not bear direct impact of vertical loading, e.g., from the user device being dropped or from impact tests, simulating the same, or the like, while still maintaining as minimum a form factor of the overall button itself as can be (particularly vertically). this can be accomplished in a myriad of different ways as articulated below, and can depend in part on specific materials and structures employed. in addition to the improved durability, according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, improved cosmetics can also be achieved and ease and diversity of manufacturing techniques and methods and materials usage can be promoted. in addition two general button/sensor assemblies can be implemented with aspects of the disclosed subject matter. a first may, e.g., have the controller ic removed from even the possibility of direct loading. such a construction could apply to both sensors employing one dimensional (1d) or two dimensional (2d) arrays of sensors, i.e., formed on a flexible sensor element substrate, which is within the button itself. in such an arrangement, the sensor controller ic can be outside of the structure of the button, per se. as explained in more detail below, the sensor element part of the flex substrate, passing under the sensing area, e.g., on the top surface of the button, can then be routed, along with the sensor ic mounted thereon, e.g., a chip on flex (cof) mounting, out of the front, back, or side of the button. in this manner only the button housing itself and the sensor part of the flex are exposed to direct vertical loading and impacts. the flex substrate with the sensor elements formed on the flex substrate, e.g., by an etched metal layer applied to the flex substrate, has proven very durable to such loading, particularly with a protective layer(s) over the sensor elements themselves on the flex substrate or other protective layers of the button assembly, or both, also providing for greater durability under such loading. such a design, discussed in more detail below, e.g., with respect to fig. 13 has been found to enable the formation of very thin button/biometric sensor arrangements, e.g., ranging from 0.2 to 1.2 mm in height. maintained is the button functionality, i.e., such that the button housing can be depressed, e.g., within an opening in a housing of a user device containing the remainder of the button operating mechanism, such as a physical switch mechanism operated by depressing, or otherwise manipulating or moving the button housing to operate as a button. also maintained is, e.g., the rigidity of the button. an insert may be used as discussed in more detail in the present application, e.g., to increase the rigidity of the button, especially in the vertical direction. a stiffener, e.g., under the entire button/sensor assembly itself, may also be used for more support, as discussed below. such a design is illustrated in connection with fig. 13 . a second possible design can serve, e.g., to remove the controller ic from direct vertical loading, or at least significantly decrease such loading, and according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter can have the controller ic within a cavity in the button/sensor assembly. in such case, a vertically extending side wall of the button, surrounding the cavity, can form vertical support tower, e.g., to absorb the vertical loading. in addition, as another example, an insert can be placed in between the controller ic and the top surface of the button where the sensor part of the flex substrate resides, with internal support to maintain the insert in a position to strengthen the overall button assembly, support the sensor element flexible substrate in the sensor element sensing area, but not place loading on the controller ic itself, particularly vertical loading. in such a design the controller ic can reside inside the button/sensor assembly, giving the overall design a more compact footprint while maintaining compact thickness. such arrangements are discussed in more detail with respect to figs. 1-12 and 14 . the strength and hardness of the insert are important considerations, which may also lead to choice of dimensions (e.g., width vs. thickness) and the choice of materials (polycarbonate, nylon, glass filled, metal with insulated coating, etc.) is to be considered. as will be discussed in more detail below, also, the size, shape and supporting structures and encapsulating materials, and the like, for a cavity to house the controller ic itself have a significant role to play in the design. the cavity may be where the controller application-specific integrated circuit (asic) will fit into the insert itself, or the insert may form the cavity with the rest of the button housing structure, e.g., with the insert above the cavity and vertically supported by the button housing structure, or both, as illustrated schematically in fig. 14 . the cavity can be made with or without potting material also supporting the controller ic. in order to minimize overall button vertical profile having as thin a vertical profile as possible, e.g., the ic silicon die itself and a cof mounting along with minimum encapsulation, etc. may be utilized. additionally, the length/width of the cavity can be selected to fit the dimensions of the controller ic, and encapsulation, e.g., under fill. also, the provision of as large a gap between the bottom of the controller ic and a stiffener, e.g., a metal plate, on the bottom of the button/sensor assembly can provide for more protection to the controller ic, but may need also to be adjusted so as not to create too thick of a button. a potting material may be added to the cavity as well to add more protection to the silicon die of the controller ic. the stiffener or bottom support of the whole button, itself, is a concern, needing to be thick enough to add strength against bending, but thin enough to also serve to minimize button height/thickness. those skilled in the art will understand that, for all of these factors there is always a trade-off(s) that must be made, e.g., between strength and size, with the size usually being paramount in order to make the button smaller vertically (thinner) and more compact, however, without also resulting in critical areas (e.g., insert, stiffener, and cavity) not being sized or constructed or supported such that the durability requirements are not passed. those skilled in the art will understand that given the myriad of materials available and the possible constructions available, as illustrated in part in the present application, such dimensions and/or materials for maximizing the protection of the controller ic from vertical loading while minimizing button thickness can be readily selected without undue experimentation, especially given the guidance of the present disclosure. external construction and cosmetics of the button/sensor arrangement are also important considerations. a top view shape of a button/sensor assembly according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be, e.g., made into a rectangle, a circle, an ellipse, or a combination, e.g., a pill shape. in the case of the rectangle where the edges of the button are straight with no radii the flex can be cut with straight edges and simply wrapped around a mandrel forming the insert within a cavity in the button/sensor arrangement. as an example, the edges of the flex can then sit flush with the edges of the button or a bezel can be added as well to cover the edges, as discussed in more detail below. in this type of button/sensor arrangement the sensor surface of the flex substrate (i.e., where the sensor element are formed on the flexible substrate) can be made flat or rounded (i.e., protrude up, at least slightly) in a rather straight forward assembly arrangement. for convenience, embodiments of the disclosed subject matter will be discussed in the present application as part of a generally rectangular footprint, without limiting the disclosed subject matter to such a shape(s). in the case of a pill shaped button or button with radii, e.g., at the ends of the “pill-shaped” structural footprint, the edges of the flex can either be cut to conform to the desired shape or they can be cut with straight edges and the surface beneath the flex, e.g., that of the insert, can be designed to the desired rounded shape. if the edges of the flex are so cut with wings or dog ears (i.e., cut with radii) then an adhesive between the flex and the bottom surface, e.g., the insert, may be provided to keep them from flapping up. however, a bezel could also be used to cover the edges of the flex, and in such case an adhesive may not be required since the bezel may keep the edges down. adding a bezel may limit the shape of the surface where the flex resides, whether there is adhesive or not. adding a bezel may also create a situation where the sensor elements on the flex substrate sit slightly below the top surface (i.e., the top of the bezel). because of this the button/sensor assembly could have to be made wider to accommodate good swipe ergonomics. in order to avoid widening the button, however, a hump may be added to the sensor flexible substrate surface, whereby, as an example, the sensor element flex substrate surface can be raised above the bezel upper surface. however, e.g., there can be a trade-off between using a bezel that covers the edges of the flex, creating a hump that allows for good ergonomics, and allowing edges of the bezel to protrude above the hump to maintain a minimum bezel thickness. with a button having rounded edges with straight cut flex sides, as an example, the edges can have a straight surface, e.g., an insert, beneath it, which also may continue out to edges of the button to give the button a rounded edge look. where the flex ends there can be created a physical step that can be difficult to hide, e.g., in the top surface. a recess may be created in the insert that, e.g., the flex can sit in and thereby create a flush top surface. such an assembly can also serve to allow for extended sides of the insert, e.g., that could be shaped into dome-like shapes, which may not be possible with flex over the top, since the flex may not wrap around a dome shape in a flat manner. if, however, the sensor were attached onto a thermoforming substrate this could then be possible. such dome-like edges, e.g., in conjunction with a hump shaped sensor element flex substrate surface could then create both superior ergonomics and improved cosmetics. a final top surface/coating for a compact button could be created using a hard film, e.g., pet, teflon®, etc., or even an ink or other spray-on protective coating. however, the shape of the surface beneath the top flex substrate film (e.g., the flex or the insert) can serve to determine which type of top coating may be used. a top coating comprised of a hard thin (1-5 mil) film can be used with a flat or hump/cylindrical shaped sensor surface since the film may be wrapped around dome-shaped surfaces only with some difficulty. a thermoforming film should not have such a problem. also, a hard top film may be more tolerant to surface flatness blemishes and “seams,” e.g., more able to hide surface imperfections, due to its mechanical rigidity. a top surface spray coating solution can be compatible with any type of surface shape, e.g., since it deposits a conformal coating. however, the spray coating preferably should be flat and not have any “seams” or blemishes that the coating must hide. thus a design where the edges of the flex extend to the edges of the button may be preferred. for either type of coating the metal sensor element traces pattern could face up or down. in the case of the hard top film it may be preferred to have the sensor elements, e.g., the metal traces on the flex substrate, face up, since the extra material of having the metal face down could degrade the sensor signal. that is, e.g., the traces will be further from the sensing surface of the button where the biometric, e.g., the finger of the user, is placed or swiped. in this case the hard film can hide the structure and roughness created by the pattern of the sensor element metal traces. a spray coating can have more difficulty hiding this pattern, and thus it may be preferred to have the metal traces face down and coat the smooth side of the flex substrate, given a satisfactory signal strength at the receiver trace(s). the signal should still be strong enough since the spray film is thin. additionally, the top surface may also include other protective coatings, e.g., inks, as desired, based on use. the top surface may also include an oxide or nitride coloration as desired, also based on use. a layer of oxide or nitride can be used to change the color of the button, e.g., with the color created being determined by the thickness of the layer of oxide or nitride coating. the addition of sensor signal boosting structure can improve received signal to noise ration or the like, e.g., by mixing in high dielectric constant materials to sensor packaging or coating materials, such as within the flexible circuit substrate or the oxide or nitride or ink or other protective coatings. the thickness of the oxide or nitride layer can also be decided based on color preference and/or total thickness of, e.g., the top layer of the button. t able i shows as an example, specific colors and associated thicknesses for sio 2 , and table ii shows the same for si 3 n 4 . table ithicknesscolor0.05 μmtan0.07 μmbrown0.10 μmdark violet to red-violet0.12 μmroyal blue0.15 μmlight blue to metallic blue0.17 μmmetallic to yellow-green0.20 μmlight gold or yellow0.22 μmgold0.25 μmorange to melon0.27 μmred-violet0.30 μmblue to violet-blue0.31 μmblue0.32 μmblue to blue-green0.34 μmlight green0.35 μmgreen to yellow-green0.36 μmyellow-green0.37 μmgreen-yellow0.39 μmyellow0.41 μmlight orange0..42 μmcarnation pink0.44 μmviolet-red0.46 μmred-violet0.47 μmviolet0.48 μmviolet-blue0.49 μmblue0.50 μmblue-green0.52 μmgreen (broad)0.54 μmyellow-green0.56 μmgreen-yellow0.57 μmyellowish0.58 μmlight orange0.60 μmcarnation pink0.63 μmviolet-red0.68 μmbluish0.72 μmblue-green to green0.77 μmyellowish0.80 μmorange0.82 μmsalmon0.85 μmdull light red-violet0.86 μmviolet0.87 μmblue-violet0.89 μmblue0.92 μmblue-green0.95 μmdull yellow-green0.97 μmyellow to yellowish0.99 μmorange1.00 μmcarnation pink table ii shows as an example, specific colors and associated thicknesses for si 3 n 4 . table iithicknesscolor0-20 nmsilicon20-40 nmbrown40-55 nmgolden brown55-73 nmred73-77 nmdeep blue77-93 nmblue93-100 nmpale blue100-110 nmvery pale blue110-120 nmsilicon120-130 nmlight yellow130-150 nmyellow150-180 nmorange red180-190 nmred190-210 nmdark red210-230 nmblue230-250 nmblue-green250-280 nmlight green280-300 nmorange yellow300-330 nmred according to aspects of the disclosed subject matter, there are certain fabrication techniques that can be used that can enhance performance and at the same time ease manufacturing processes and/or costs, e.g., improving the work flow, e.g., especially in regard to how the flex substrate is folded around the insert. such a so-called wrap step can be important in the fabrication processes, e.g., since it can lay a foundation for good cosmetics and can also impact proper functionality, e.g., promoting a thinner button overall lamination. as an example, it may be important that the surface be relatively flat to achieve both of these. at least two general applications of the flex being assembled onto the insert include molding the sensor part of the flex substrate onto the insert as the insert is created. in such a case the flex top surface can be made flat due to the fact that the mold cavity that is provided can be made flat. after molding these parts together the front edge and rear edges of the flex can then be wrapped around the insert and, e.g., secured with adhesive. the insert can be created using various forms of molding processes (the insert can also be formed, for example, by machining/cutting), such as, polycarbonate mold, epoxy mold, etc. in the second example, the insert can be molded (the insert can also be formed, for example, by machining/cutting) as a separate piece and then the flex substrate can be wrapped around the molded insert, e.g., using adhesive and/or mechanical means. in this case the flex sensor element traces should be aligned properly to the insert. this can be done, e.g., using alignment pins or holes on the insert either in the front part of the flex or in an alternate location. if dog ears are created on the flex then these can possibly be utilized as alignment structures, e.g., with the aid of a mechanical jig that can be utilized, e.g., to center and lower the flex substrate onto the insert. for both of these processes, after the insert is wrapped with the flex substrate, the combined assembly can be adhered into the button housing, which can then act as mechanical support and a bezel can then be added to the outer edge. the next assembly steps could then be to add a stiffener onto the housing and pot the full assembly, if desired. the top hard film could be laminated as a final assembly step or added to the insert before placing it into the housing. the button assembly can thus be made in two separate molding or machining steps. in the first step the inner part of the button, i.e., including the insert, can be made and in the second step the finer detailed flanges and sidewalls, etc. of the button housing can be made. according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, the two step process could include, first, forming the insert, e.g., by molding, with or without the flex, then, if necessary wrapping the flex around the insert and then the insert piece with flex attached can be placed back into a mold or sequence of molds, whereby the flanges, sidewalls, bezel, etc. are made. in this manner the molding compound could, in some stage(s) act as the potting material as well. a hard film could also be created as part of the molding step or attached later as previously described. another method that could provide a lower cost manufacturing solution and add flexibility to the integration of the button into a user could provide the flex substrate with a tail on it designed to properly locate the button in the user device. this tail in some cases might be relatively long and irregularly shaped. such size and shape could limit the total volume of sensors that could be made from a section of flex substrate, e.g., coming off of a flex film reel, since it may take extra space on the flex substrate film reel. this may be alleviated by removing the tail portion of the flex from the cof portion, e.g., where the sensor controller ic is mounted. a standard area of attach can be made on the cof to which to attach the tail, and any customized design for the tail can be chosen. this can improve the manufacturing costs/volumes, e.g., because the metallization patterns on the tail do not require the fine line widths that are required on the sensor element portion of the substrate and thicker polyimide substrates can also be used in the area of such a tail. such a customized tail can then have the cof ic mounted on it, e.g., using anisotropic conductive film (acf) attachment or the like. different methods may be utilized to, e.g., apply a hard coat on the button. coating on film by roll-to-roll processing, whereby, e.g., color ink may be printed, using a gravure, slit, roller, or spray coating technique(s), on one side of a high k film and a hard coat applied on the other side of the flex substrate film. the printing process can proceed roll-to-roll. after coating is completed, the roll can, e.g., go through die cutting to create button covers. it is also possible to have both color coating and hard coat on the same side when needed. for coating directly on flex, the color ink and hard coat can be applied to the top of the sensor element flex substrate after the button is essentially completely assembled. the full stack can be applied as the final steps in the button construction. sputter deposited dielectric film can be utilized with resultant color effect: oxide or nitride, e.g., sio 2 or si 3 n 4 can be deposited at a selected thickness to create holographic-like color effect on the sensor flex substrate or high k films, as noted with respect to tables i and ii. at different viewing angles, such a layer can actually show a variety of colors. one or more such layers can also be deposited directly on a film or on top of matte colors, and after a dielectric film is formed. hard coat can be applied to protect the dielectric film. a reduction in the layer thickness on top of the sensor to enhance the signal strength can be achieved. according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter an ultrathin button can be fabricated with a thickness of from about 0.2 mm to 1.2 mm. this can readily be increased to up to about 5 mm, if necessary, with a stiffer button. such a design can, e.g., have the ic outside of button. the sensor controller ic is in the neighborhood, currently, of about 75 μm-400 μm. a less thin, but still quite compact button, having a thickness of about 1 mm-5 mm, can be made having, e.g., a length of around 6 mm-25 mm and a width of around 3 mm-25 mm, with a sensor controller ic having a thickness of around 75 μm to 600 μm. a radius of the flex substrate, which may be determined by the height of the insert may be dictated by the degree to which the metal traces on the flex can be bent without breaking, may be up to about one half the height (thickness) of the insert, i.e., about 50 μm to 500 μm. the thickness of the flex substrate may be around 12.5 μm to 75 μm, and the stiffener around 50 μm to 400 μm, and the bezel from around 0.3 mm to around 2 mm. the hump (mandrel) radius may be from about 0.5 mm to about 50 mm. the thickness of the hard film may be from about 25 μm to about 400 μm. according to further aspects of the disclosed subject matter, suitable materials for use in fabricating the button(s) disclosed may consist of potential coatings such as, ped with or without filler; pvdf (teflon®) with or without filler; glass, sapphire; polyimide, pvf (dupont+tedlar); organics or inorganics, and oxides or nitrides. adhesives may include, e.g., for forming the flex substrate/insert assembly, pressure sensitive adhesive (psa) (transfer film types and tape types), such as 3m psa/oca types: 200mp types, 8171, 8172, 467mp(f), 9461p, 8211, adhesive research psa/oca types el925224, el92524-99, nitto denko psa/oca types 5601, 5600 or liquid types, such as uv pre-activation types, ultraviolet (uv)/visible light curable: (delo: 45952, 4552, gb345, henkel: 4307, 3106, 3942, 3974, 5056); thermal cure types: (delo: ad465, dymax 9001-e-v3.0, henkel), uv activated psa types: (3m sp-7555); hot dispense types: henkel; humidity types (cyanoacrylate): henkel 4307, 4306, 4310, delo; two and one part epoxies (delo ad066); dry film types; thermal forming/hot melt: (polyone 55000, adhesive research el770039-6); thermal plastic (dupont 5400) and thermal set (ethylene-vinyl acetate (eva)), etc. other adhesives, e.g., for attaching the insert flex sub-assembly to the housing may include psa —transfer film types and tape types, e.g., 3m sp-7555,200mp types, 8171, 8172, 467mp(f), 9461p, 8211, adhesive research psa/oca types el925224, el92524-99, nitto denko psa/oca types 5601, 5600 or liquid types, e.g., uv pre-activation types: delo: 45952, 4552, henkel types; thermal cure types: delo: ad465, ad066, dymax:9001-e-v3.0; uv activated psa types: (3m sp-7555); hot dispense types: henkel; humidity types (cyanoacrylate): henkel 4307, 4306, 4310, delo or two and one part epoxies. other adhesives, e.g., for attaching the housing and stiffener, may include, e.g., psa—transfer film types and tape types, e.g., 3m sp-7555,200mp types, 8171, 8172, 467mp(f), 9461p, 8211, adhesive research psa/oca types el925224, el92524-99, nitto denko psa/oca types 5601, 5600 or liquid types, e.g., uv pre-activation types: delo: 45952, 4552, henkel types; thermal cure types: delo: ad465, ad066, dymax:9001-e-v3.0; uv activated psa types: (3m sp-7555); hot dispense types: henkel; humidity types (cyanoacrylate): henkel 4307, 4306, 4310, delo and two and one part epoxies. adhesives for attaching, e.g., a hard top film to the housing and stiffener sub-assembly may include, e.g., psa—transfer film types and tape types, e.g., 3m psa/oca types:200mp types, 8171, 8172, 467mp(f), 9461p, 8211, adhesive research psa/oca types el925224, el92524-99, nitto denko psa/oca types 5601, 5600, liquid types, e.g., uv pre-activation types, uv/visible light curable: delo: 45952, 4552, gb345, henkel: 4307, 3106, 3942, 3974, 5056; thermal cure types: (delo: ad465, dymax 9001-e-v3.0, henkel; uv activated psa types: (3m sp-7555); hot dispense types: henkel; humidity types (cyanoacrylate): henkel 4307, 4306, 4310, delo and two and one part epoxies (delo ad066) or dry film types, e.g., thermal forming/hot melt: (polyone 55000, adhesive research el770039-6); thermal plastic (dupont 5400) or thermal set (eva). adhesives for potting the button assembly may include, e.g., liquid types, e.g., thermal cure types: delo: ad465, dymax 9001-e-v3.0, henkel; two and one part epoxies (3m dp270, delo ad066, ad894, ad821) or rtv silicones (henkel 5040). according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, a biometric sensor button assembly may include a top coating. this may be sprayed or printed, e.g., with various materials to meet reliability and cosmetic requirements directly onto the insert/flex or onto a hard film that already is or will be laminated to the insert/flex. the corners of the insert may be shaped, e.g., so that they maintain flatness out to the edges of the sensor/button assembly. that is, the corners may be shaped to be flat on top to support a top film at the edges of the four corners or the insert. in addition, in order to accommodate a deposited top film coating the corners of the insert should be rounded. in this manner the relatively compact sensor/button assembly can accommodate the deposited coatings, which may also be utilized to hide the interface on the middle insert between the flex substrate and the hard plastic of the insert. alternatively, the flex can be cut to include wings/dog ears as previously described. if not, a gap between these should be kept below about 20-100 μm in width and 10-50 μm in depth, e.g., to accommodate spray deposited top coating. this can be filled so that it looks flat after coating, e.g., by tuning the coating process, e.g., with proper pressure/deposition rate/temperature, or by applying a smoothing layer prior to the coating application. the smoothing layer might be first applied thickly and then smoothed/ground to be more flat. or, the smoothing layer may have smoothing properties of its own during deposition/drying. or the smoothing layer might be smoothed before drying/curing, e.g., by a squeegee/block coating technique. in such ways a compact biometric sensor/button assembly may be able to accommodate deposited coating layers in addition to a hard top film and be able to accommodate rectangular or round shaped sides. it will be understood that there can be at least two general cases for the top surface of the sensor/button assembly. a hard film can be laminated to the flex/insert assembly. this may have pigment already in it or it may require a deposited coating to achieve the right color. this color coating may be on the top or the bottom of the hard film, e.g., if the hard film is transparent and color is important to be different from the natural color of the hard film. it may also be necessary to add an additional deposited hard coat layer on top, e.g., to achieve scratch resistant, and, further possibly another anti-fingerprint layer on top of that. as another example, a top coating that is directly coating onto the flex/insert assembly, as opposed to being applied to a hard film, can be utilized. this could essentially involve applying the above mentioned layers (color, hard coat, anti-fingerprint) directly onto the flex/insert assembly. however, using the second choice with a purely coated top film could be more sensitive to surface roughness compared to a “rigid” hard film that has already (or will be) coated with the appropriate material. the hard film can hide some of the surface imperfections since it is semi-rigid. turning now to figs. 1-7 there is illustrated, by way of example, respectively, a top plan view, a top perspective view, a bottom perspective view, a left side view, an exploded view, and several cross-sectional views of a compact and durable button 10 with a biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. the button 10 with integrated biometric sensor can have a button housing 12 with at least one side wall. the button 10 may be formed with a front side wall 16 , a rear side wall 18 and a pair of longitudinal sidewalls 20 . a bezel 22 may be formed at the interior edge of the side walls 16 , 18 and 20 , e.g., to assist in holding, as an example a top protective laminate 40 in place, where side walls are identified as, for example front and rear to provide orientation. the intersections of the front side wall 16 and the longitudinal side walls 20 and the rear side wall 18 and the longitudinal side walls 20 may form rounded corners 24 . as seen in more detail in the cross-sectional views of figs. 6-8 , the side walls 16 , 18 and 20 can form vertical support towers 26 extending upwards from the base 30 and acting to absorb vertically applied loads applied to the top of the button housing 12 . the base 30 can form a flange 32 that can be utilized to assist in the housing functioning as a button, e.g., serving to retain the button housing 12 , and thus the button 10 , within, e.g., an opening within a chassis of a user device (not shown) wherein the button 10 button housing 12 moving up and down with respect to the opening in the chassis forms an operating mechanism for a physical button or switch assembly (not shown) also mounted with the chassis of the user device, when the button housing 12 moves up and/or down. as will be explained in more detail below, a top protective laminate 40 can serve to protect structures, such as biometric sensor element traces mounted on, e.g., a flexible substrate 50 , forming part of the biometric, e.g., fingerprint, sensor, i.e., the sensor element conductive metal traces 44 , as are well known in the art. a slot 42 may be formed in the top protective laminate 40 to facilitate interaction between the user biometric, i.e., finger, and the sensor element(s) 44 under the top protective laminate 40 . a top adhesive laminate 46 , seen, e.g., in more clearly in the exploded view of fig. 5 can serve to, at least in part, attach the top protective laminate 40 to a region of the flex substrate 50 in the area at the top of the button/sensor assembly 10 , where the sensor elements 44 are located and where sensing of the user biometric, e.g., fingerprint occurs when, e.g., the user operates the button and thus places or at least swipes the finger over the sensing area of the sensor element metal traces 44 in doing so. as seen in fig. 5 , a stiffener 60 , such as a metal stiffener, may form a relatively rigid, but at least somewhat bendable, bottom support for the button housing 12 and its contents, as explained in more detail below. alignment holes 62 may be present in the stiffener, e.g., to position the button/sensor assembly within a switch or button assembly, e.g., in the chassis of the user device, for operation as a button mechanism, e.g., for a switch (not shown). an adhesive stiffener 64 can be utilized to attach the stiffener 60 to the button housing 12 bottom and then, e.g., cured to harden the adhesive to attach the stiffener 60 and form a functional part of the stiffener 60 , adding strength while providing at least some flexibility. an ic opening 66 allows the ic to project at least through the adhesive stiffener 64 toward the stiffener 60 . turning to figs. 6-8 there are illustrated, respectively, two different lateral cross-sectional views and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the button and biometric sensor assembly of figs. 1-5 . in figs. 6 and 8 can be seen a sensor controller integrated circuit (“ic”) 54 housed within a cavity 114 formed within the interior of the structure of the button housing 12 , also showing under fill 56 , e.g., formed when the ic 54 was mounted to the flex substrate 50 , e.g., in a chip on flex (“cof”) mounting process as is well known in the art. also shown is an insert 70 than fits within at least part of the interior of the button housing 12 . an adhesive insert 72 can be wrapped around the insert 70 to facilitate placing and holding the insert 70 within the interior of the button housing 12 . the insert 70 may have rounded corners 74 to receive the flexible substrate film 50 with limited damage when the flex substrate 50 is also wrapped about the insert 70 . as seen in more detail in the exploded view of fig. 5 , the interior of the button housing 12 can also have a floor 80 , part of which may be cut away to form ledges 82 , or shelves, upon which may be formed strengthening ribs 84 to receive the entire insert assembly 90 , i.e., the insert 70 and surrounding an adhesive insert 72 and flexible circuit substrate 50 film. the exemplary cross-sectional view of fig. 6 is taken in an area where the ic 54 is mounted on the flex substrate 50 and is received within a cavity 114 , such as a first cavity formed within the insert 70 . as can be seen in fig. 6 , the sensor element electrode metal traces can be formed on the bottom side of the flex substrate 50 where the flex substrate passes over the insert 70 at the top of the button, as shown in fig. 6 , which then is on the top side of the flex substrate 50 within the cavity 114 , where the ic 54 is mounted, e.g., as a cof, with under fill 56 . applicants have denominated this arrangement as “copper (cu) down”, since copper is a suitable and preferable metal material for the sensor element electrode metal traces formed on the flex substrate 50 . a suitable filler material, e.g., a potting material, such as epoxy, or the like, may be placed in the cavity 114 during the manufacturing process to harden around the under fill 56 of the ic 54 to further protect the ic from vertical loading stress. it can be seen with respect to fig. 8 that the insert 70 can be supported against vertical movement or deflection by resting on ledges 82 at either end of the opening in the button housing 12 . this, as well as the support from the stiffener 60 running under the button housing 12 makes the sensor/button assembly 10 relatively sturdy in the face of vertical loading on the top of the button/sensor assembly 10 , thereby protecting the ic 54 in the cavity 114 from damage under such loading. it can also be seen in figs. 6-8 that the flexible substrate 50 can pass out of the button housing 12 through a slot formed in one of the longitudinal sidewalls 20 of the button housing 12 . it will be understood that this slot could also be formed in one of the front side wall 16 and rear side wall 18 . fig. 9 illustrates a top perspective view and fig. 10 illustrates a bottom perspective view of another compact and durable button 10 ′ with a biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production, according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. the sensor/button assembly 10 ′ has a modified button housing 12 ′, as explained in more detail with respect to figs. 11 and 12 , showing, respectively, a lateral cross-sectional view and a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a so-called “copper (cu) up” sensor element metal trace arrangement on the flex circuit of a flexible substrate 50 . the sensor element electrode metal traces (not shown) can be formed on the top of the flex substrate 50 as it passed over the insert 110 such that the ic 54 can be mounted on the bottom side of the flex substrate 50 as it is passed through the cavity 116 . the sensor element traces in this arrangement of figs. 8-11 may be coated with a protective coating, such as an ink, film or the like in the area of the relatively flat top protective laminate 40 , which may be attached to the insert 110 and flexible substrate 50 by an adhesive layer 46 . the flex substrate 50 may pass from the interior of the modified button housing 12 ′ through a slot 42 . as can be seen in more detail, in figs. 11 and 12 , the insert 110 may be formed as a relatively flat-topped structure and rest upon or be supported by the ledges 82 , thus being relatively sturdy against vertical loading to protect the ic 54 mounted on the flex substrate 50 on the bottom side of the flexible substrate 50 as it passed through a cavity 116 formed in the floor 80 of the modified button housing 12 ′. the cavity 116 in the floor 80 of the modified button housing 12 ′ may be formed with ledges 82 to support the insert/flex substrate assembly 110 . the side walls 16 , 18 , 20 can be seen to be formed also with a relatively flat top, providing vertical loading strength to the button/sensor assembly 10 ′. fig. 13 illustrates a lateral cross-sectional view of another button 100 , which is compact and durable, with a biometric sensor having improved sensor signal production and an ultra-low vertical profile according to aspects of embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. the sensor/button assembly may have an insert 150 that may be supported on the stiffener 60 , or also with ledges (not shown) in the button housing 112 . a relatively flat top protective laminate 40 may be attached to the flexible substrate 102 , in either a “copper up” or “copper down” configuration with the flexible substrate passing from the housing and having the ic mounted to the flexible substrate 102 outside of the button housing 112 , through an opening in the rear sidewall of the button 100 . fig. 14 illustrates schematically, another possible sensor/button assembly 10 ″, with a cavity 118 formed partly within the bottom of the button housing 12 ″ and partly within the insert 70 . the button housing 12 ,″ insert 70 and flex substrate 50 are arranged similarly to the less schematic view of figs. 9-12 , except with a “copper down” flexible substrate arrangement as seen in more detail in figs. 1-8 . however, as can be seen in schematic form in fig. 14 , the cavity 118 can be formed partly in the floor 80 of the interior of the button housing 12 ″ and partly within the insert 70 . the insert 70 can be supported vertically by the ledges 82 . the side wall vertical support towers 26 can also provide vertical loading structural support for the ic 54 . it will be understood that the ic 54 may also be attached to the insert 70 , e.g., by a suitable adhesive layer (not shown). furthermore, the flexible substrate 50 may be attached to the portion of the cavity 118 within the insert 70 (as opposed to as is shown in fig. 14 ), and the ic 54 then mounted on the opposite side of the flex circuit from that shown in fig. 14 , i.e., changing the flex substrate to a “copper up” arrangement. as before, suitable potting material may fill the cavity 118 to further protect the ic 54 . it will be understood that a biometric sensor and button combination assembly and method of making same is disclosed which may comprise: a button housing comprising at least two side walls each forming a vertical load absorbing tower and defining an opening within the button housing; an insert within the opening within the housing; a sensor controller integrated circuit positioned within a cavity formed in one of the insert, the housing or a combination of the insert and the housing; and the insert and the housing cooperating to absorb vertical loading on the button housing, thereby protecting the integrated circuit from excess vertical loading. the assembly and method may also comprise the biometric comprising a fingerprint sensed by the biometric sensor when a finger of a user presses on the top of the button to invoke the functionality of the button. the assembly and method may also comprise: the at least two side walls comprising at least four side walls, the cavity being formed within the bottom of the insert, spaced from the top of the button or within the housing under the bottom of the insert. the assembly and method may further comprise the housing supporting the insert to prevent movement of the insert in a direction that would apply vertical loading applied to the button to the integrated circuit. the assembly and method may further comprise the insert being sized and constructed of material that prevents the insert from significantly bending in a direction that would apply to the integrated circuit any damaging amount of a vertical loading applied to the button. the assembly and method may further comprise the integrated circuit being mounted on a flexible substrate having sensor element traces formed on one surface of the substrate facing a top of the button on a top side of the insert and facing a bottom of the button on a bottom side of the insert or formed on one surface of the substrate facing a bottom of the button on a top side of the insert and facing a top of the button on a bottom side of the insert. the assembly and method may further comprise the assembly being incorporated into a user authentication apparatus providing user authentication for controlling access to one of an electronic user device or an electronically provided service and the electronic user device comprises at least one of a portable phone, a computing device or the provided service comprises at least one of providing access to a web site or to an email account or controlling an online transaction or providing user authentication for controlling access to a physical location or demonstrating the user was present at a certain place at a certain time or for providing at least one of a finger motion user input or navigation input to a computing device or the performance by the user device of at least one other task specific to the particular finger of the user. the assembly and method may further comprise a button housing comprising at least two side walls each forming a vertical load absorbing tower and defining an opening within the button housing; an insert within the opening within the housing; a flexible circuit substrate containing sensor element conductor traces formed over the insert, the insert and the vertical load absorbing towers cooperating to also absorb vertical loading on the button housing, thereby protecting the sensor conductor traces from damage due to excess vertical loading; and the flexible circuit substrate extending outside of the housing an having an integrated circuit mounted to the flexible circuit substrate outside of the housing of the button. it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the disclosed subject matter provides a biometric authentication system wherein a biometric image sensor can be incorporated into a user authentication apparatus providing user authentication, e.g., for controlling access to one of an electronic user device or an electronically provided service. the electronic user device may comprise at least one of a portable phone and a computing device. the electronically provided service may comprise at least one of providing access to a web site or to an email account. the biometric image sensor may be incorporated into a user authentication apparatus providing user authentication for controlling an online transaction. the user authentication apparatus may be a replacement of at least one of a user password or personal identification number. the user authentication apparatus may be incorporated into an apparatus providing user authentication for controlling access to a physical location, or providing user authentication demonstrating the user was present at a certain place at a certain time. the user authentication apparatus may be incorporated into an apparatus providing at least one of a finger motion user input or navigation input to a computing device. the user authentication apparatus may be incorporated into an apparatus providing authentication of the user to a user device and the performance by the user device of at least one other task, e.g., specific to a particular finger of the user. the user authentication apparatus may be incorporated into an apparatus providing user authentication for purposes of making an online transaction non-repudiatable. while preferred embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. numerous variations, changes, and substitutions will now occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. it should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of the invention described herein may be employed in practicing the invention. it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the invention and that methods and structures within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
|
167-055-498-911-121
|
US
|
[
"WO",
"US",
"AU"
] |
C02F1/28,C02F1/32,C02F1/44,C02F9/00,C02F9/12
| 2002-12-09T00:00:00 |
2002
|
[
"C02"
] |
solar powered portable water purifier
|
the water purification system and associated method of the present invention consists of a generally self-contained, highly maneuverable, portable water purification system. maneuverability is enhanced by mounting a cabinet on wheels or on a cart that may be easily guided to a water supply. power is supplied to the system in a solar cell. the power is used to operate the pump of the system and to power the purifying radiation source. the system can also be used as a portable power source in addition to its capacity as a water purifier.
|
claims what is claimed is : 1. a portable, highly maneuverable, water purification system, comprising: a mobile cabinet having a water purification system including : a water conduit; a plurality of filters connected by said conduit; at least one ultraviolet (uv) light source located within the cabinet downstream from the filters connected to said conduit; solar power source; and pump connected to said conduit and said solar power source. 2. the system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of filters includes at least one screen filter for screening solid larger particulates in the water. 3. the system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of filters includes a carbon filter located downstream from the screen filter. 4. the system of claim 1, further comprising: a supply hose; and a pre-strainer of the water to be purified located between the supply hose and an ingress. 5. the system of claim 1, further comprising a battery power supply located within the cabinet . 6. the system of claim 5, further comprising a pump, wherein power to the pump is supplied after power is supplied to the uv light. 7. the system of claim 6, ' wherein the pump brings the water to be purified to at least approximately 40 psi of head pressure . 8. the system of claim 5, further comprising a power receptacle for providing electrical power located outside the cabinet . 9. the system of claim 5, further comprising a solar cell in electronic communication with the power supply. 10. the system of claim 5, wherein the power supply is adaptable to electronic communication with an outside power source. 11. the system of claim 5, further comprising a malfunction indicator for the uv light. 12. the system of claim 1, further comprising: wheels for rolling the system, and a handle mechanism for directing the cabinet. 13. the system of claim 1, wherein the interior of the cabinet is protected with a closeable mechanism. 14. a portable, highly maneuverable apparatus for purifying water, comprising: cabinet means for receiving water to be purified, including; means for filtering the water located inside the cabinet means ; means for exposing the water to purifying radiation located within the cabinet downstream from the filters; and pump means powered by solar power. 15. the apparatus of claim 14, further comprising: means for supplying water to the cabinet means; and means for supplying power to means for supplying water located within the cabinet means. 16. the apparatus of claim 15, further comprising means for supplying power to the means for exposing the water to purifying radiation. 17. the apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a means for obtaining solar power for charging the means for supplying power . 18. the apparatus of claim 14, further comprising wheels for rolling the system; and a handle mechanism for directing the cabinet . 19. a method of purifying water within a portable, highly maneuverable cabinet system, comprising the steps of: providing a portable, highly maneuverable cabinet for the purification of water; filtering the water inside the cabinet with a series of filters; exposing the water to at least one ultraviolet (uv) light source located within the cabinet downstream from the filtering step; and using solar energy to supply power. 20. the method of claim 19, wherein the cabinet includes a solar power supply and battery. 21. the method of claim 20, wherein the cabinet is capable of operating as a portable power source.
|
solar powered portable water purifier background of the invention 1. field of the invention the invention relates generally to a portable water purification system, and specifically to a self-contained, highly mobile, solar powered portable water purification system. 2. description of related art the importance of having water purification systems are especially critical in third world countries or remote areas which have concentrations of people for human survival . numerous different types of water purification systems have been devised which include chemicals such as chlorine, ozone and filters to make the water consumable by human beings. mobile water filtration and chlorination systems are known in the prior art. u.s. patent no. 5,399,260 issued to eldredge, et al . shows a field portable water purification system. this system uses a diesel engine to transport and draw water from a source through the filtration system into some sort of container. u.s. patent no. 5,547,584 issued to capehart shows a transportable self-contained water purification system. some of the drawbacks of the prior art units are that they require diesel fuel for diesel motors and the use of a combustion engine as a power source adds to the overall weight of the unit decreasing its mobility especially in remote areas. in remote regions and especially in some third world countries even getting fuel for combustion engines is a difficult process. the present invention overcomes problems with the prior art by providing a highly mobile water purification system that includes a self-contained power supply that provides for solar power to an electrical battery that powers an electrical motor that is used for the pumping action in the purification process. the system also includes ultraviolet radiation for purification in addition to a plurality of filters that remove different undesirable particulates from the water supply. the system is highly mobile by a single person and can be directed in remote areas through woods and other type areas . the system may also provide additional energy from its solar cells to other equipment if necessary. summary of the invention a self-contained, highly mobile, compact and relatively light weight portable water purification system for remote geographical areas that lack a power supply comprising a rigid cabinet the exterior of the cabinet covered with solar cells, a first inlet pipe for receiving contaminated water, a pump mounted inside said cabinet, a plurality of water filters connected together serially to perform filtration on the pumped water, an ultraviolet radiation chamber that radiates ultraviolet rays into the water being purified at the final stage and an outlet pipe for receiving and dispensing purified water. mounted inside the cabinet is also a battery and an electrical system for providing power to the water pump and a delay circuit that allows the ultraviolet radiation unit to warm up for approximately ten seconds before the pump is turned on. the exterior of the housing may be made of a any material including but not limited to plastic or metal and has mounted on the exterior surfaces (to cover as much surface area as possible) a plurality of solar cells or solar panels containing cells each of which generate electricity when subjected to sun light and which provide the electricity to the storage battery (which is typically a 12 volt battery) . an inverter may be used to provide a 120 volt a/c current to the pump or to an electrical receptacle mounted on the exterior of the housing to receive an electric plug to power accessory equipment. in areas of high sun light, the system may also be used as an electrical supply source when sufficient electrical power is available for purification. attached to the cabinet is at least one axle with two large wheels or a plurality of wheels depending on the type of environment anticipated. a manual handle bar that is removable, collapsible and telescopic is attached to the upper portion or side of the cabinet to allow the device to be manually wheeled in any desired direction. by using the exterior cabinet surfaces, additional solar cells can be added and disposed and panels could be mechanically hinged to the device to provide for additional solar power under certain circumstances, in areas of low sun light. in using the invention, the entire device is manually wheeled to a suitable area that has a polluted water supply that is typically fresh water and not salt water. a hose is disposed in the polluted water supply. the power switch is turned on. the pump turn on is delayed about ten seconds to allow the ultraviolet radiation unit to get up to full power in the uv chamber. a series of- water filters and strainers are provided in a conduit path of the water supply to be purified mounted inside . the housing for multiple stages such as first stage filter, a second stage filter and a third stage filter. the inlet water is carried in a plastic pvc pipe from the inlet hose to the outlet hose through each filter and the uv chamber for ultraviolet radiation for killing bacteria. the amount of gallons per minute is a function of the diameter of the pipe, the size of the pump and the amount of time of transition desired the filters and through the uv chamber. it is an object of this invention to provide a highly mobile, solar powered fresh water purification system especially for use in remote and urban areas. it is another object of this invention to provide a highly mobile solar powered water purification system that can also provide additional electrical power from solar energy in remote areas in addition to the water purification. any yet still another object of this invention is to provide a highly efficient self-contained water purification system that can be easily maneuvered in remote and urban : areas that does not require petroleum fuel sources for energy. in accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings . brief description of the drawings figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the present invention including the purification system mounted inside a mobile cabinet. figure 2 shows a perspective view of the present invention. figure 3 shows a perspective view of the present invention. preferred embodiment of the invention referring now to the drawings and especially figure 1, the present invention is shown schematically mounted in a housing 24 that contains strainers si and s2 connected together by the inlet pipe 16. an inlet hose 12 draws water from a source 44 that is polluted, that is fresh water but not drinkable by human beings for various pollution problems. the inlet hose 12 is connected to a fitting 14 that allows the water to flow into pipe 16 within the cabinet 24. a pre-strainer si removes the particulates from the inlet water. an additional strainer s2 can be used connected to pipe 16 as the water flows from pre- strainer si into strainer s2. the source of the flow energy for the water is a pump p 32 that draws the water from the inlet hose 12 from source 44 through the entire cabinet 24 as described. the pump p is an electrical pump powered by a battery 46b connected electrically to on/off switch 48 sw. the battery power 46 goes through an inverter 30 that can be used to convert dc to a 110 volt a/c system. a pump delay element 34 allows the ultraviolet radiation to "warm up" to full power in the ultraviolet chamber 36 that contains an ultraviolet radiation source that destroys bacteria in the water by radiation. by having a ten second delay ensures that water contained in chamber 36 will be purified through the ultraviolet radiation. once the pump 32 is running, water from screen s2 goes through the pump 32 into a first filter fi . the first stage filter fi removes particles down to one micron in size. this removes any water borne cysts. the water then under pressure leaves the first stage filter and enters filter f2 which will filter particulates down to .35 microns. this stage cleans most of the turbidity or dirt and anything else that may get past stage fi . as the water leaves the filter f2 , it enters filter f3 which is solid or granular carbon filter. the filter f3 polishes the water to a crystal clear state. it can also sweeten the water for better taste. the carbon blocked filter f3 removes chlorine and most organic chemicals and lead. the water then leaves the carbon filter f3 and enters the fourth stage which is a uv chamber 36. water in the reactor chamber 36 receives the ultraviolet rays which kills all living organisms by the dna exposure to ultraviolet rays within chamber 36. as water exits the uv chamber 36, it is now pure in the sense that it is safe for human beings to drink the water. other filters can be added to remove specific impurities that are unique to other areas of the world. a bulk head fitting 20 connected to pipe 16 is in fluid communication with the exit pipe 22 which can deposit water into a receptacle 38 either directly or indirectly to collect the purified water. note also that the battery 46 is connected to a solar cell c40 which can have numerous solar cells c40 disposed all over the outside of the cabinet connected by wires to the battery or directly to the pump wiring. this allows for maximum solar charging of the battery b. the inverter 30 is used to convert 12 volt battery power current into 120 volt ac when necessary. this could provide receptacle 28 (which is an external electrical receptacle) to provide additional power to other accessory machinery in a remote location if there is excess battery power available. the receptacle also allows for a/c power to be plugged into the unit if it were available in an urban location to charge the battery and to drive the pump 32 from a 110 volt source if available. the power control is comprised of the on/off source 48 sw which is the ac/dc power switch, a pump time delay (which can be ten seconds or more) 34 to hold the pump off until the ultraviolet light comes up to full power in the chamber 36. the water passing through the ultraviolet chamber 36 assumes a 99.9% kill rate of bacteria. a relay can be used with inverter 30 to block out the power being provided from two different power sources external and battery if available. the system may include an indicator light and an alarm a to alert problems with the ultraviolet radiation unit . the alarm a is mounted on the outside of the cabinet and connected electrically to uv unit in chamber 36. referring now to figure 2, the outside cabinet or housing 24 of the portable water purifier system is shown. the housing 21 is made of any suitable rectangular material and may have an access door 54 with hinges 54a. a handle bar 50 is connected to the housing that allows maneuvering the cabinet 24 which is connected to wheels 26 on each side. the handle bar 50 may fold down or be removable or telescopic. the solar cells c40 are mounted on five or six surfaces of the housing for increased solar power collection to capture as much solar energy as possible, useful in urban or remote locations. thus each side and end panel that makes up housing 24 can include additional solar cells 40 which are electrically connected to the battery for charging the battery when not in use . figure 3 shows portable purifier 10 and housing 24 on the purified water outlet side. the outlet hose 22 is a source of purified water under pressure for use with a water container. additional solar panels c40 can be used. an alarm that can be used to warn of any problems with the ultraviolet . using the present invention drinkable, portable water can be obtained from any fresh water source regardless of how polluted in any remote region that has even a moderate amount of sun light through the use of the solar cells that collect solar energy to charge a battery. the mobile unit can also be easily maneuvered with two large wheels as shown or additional wheels if required for any type of terrain. the wheels can be solid material such as rubber, tubeless or tube containing tires. the unit is easy to maneuver manually because of its light weight since it does not have a huge, heavy internal combustion engine typically found on other water purification systems . - lo ¬ in the electrical wiring of the system if an external power source is available, a relay locks out one of the two voltage power sources from being on together that could cause a short . there is also the option of mounting a battery charger on board to speed up the battery recharge cycle if needed. in addition the system may be used as a portable power source to run accessories such as a light, radio, tv, or power tools. the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. it is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art .
|
170-942-099-178-996
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"EP",
"US"
] |
A61B6/00,G06T1/00,G06T3/00,G06T5/20,H04N1/387,H04N5/232,H04N5/265,H04N5/32,H04N7/18
| 2000-06-30T00:00:00 |
2000
|
[
"A61",
"G06",
"H04"
] |
apparatus and method for processing signal, and imaging device
|
problem to be solved: to provide an apparatus and a method for processing a signal even for stably correcting a dynamic image of the overall image in view of a difference between partial images. solution: the apparatus for processing the signal comprises image processing means (6 to 24) each for continuously obtaining a synthetic image obtained by synthesizing a plurality of the partial images, and correcting means (25 to 37) each for correcting an offset at each partial image of the plurality of the partial images. the correcting mean corrects the image by using information of the image acquired before the image to be corrected.
|
1 . an image processing apparatus comprising: image processing means for successively obtaining a composite image obtained by compositing a plurality of partial images; and correction means for correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images, wherein said correction means corrects the partial images using information of an image captured before an image to be corrected. 2 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said correction means corrects the partial images using information of an image acquired in the preceding frame of partial images to be corrected. 3 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said correction means corrects the partial images of a plurality of images using common image information. 4 . the apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the common image information is information of one or a plurality of frame images obtained every predetermined number of consecutive images. 5 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said correction means corrects the partial images on the basis of a statistical property value of pixel values near a boundary between the partial images. 6 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said correction means independently executes a calculation process of correction values used in correction in parallel with a process for correcting the partial images. 7 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a plurality of independent image capture means for capturing the plurality of partial images, wherein said image processing means successively obtains the composite image by compositing the plurality of partial images captured by said independent image capture means. 8 . the apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the statistical property value of the pixel values near the boundary is a value obtained by subtracting an expected value of a difference value calculated based on features of image information from difference values between pixel values near the boundary of two partial images that sandwich the boundary therebetween. 9 . the apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is a mode of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 10 . the apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is an average value of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 11 . the apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein only a range of pixel values which can guarantee linearity of the partial images is used when calculating the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images. 12 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein when boundary portions of the plurality of partial images do not overlap each other, and image data is missing at the boundary portions, said correction means corrects respective partial images, and then generates the missing pixel information by interpolation. 13 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: image capture means, made up of a plurality of x-ray sensor panels, for generating a plurality of partial images, wherein said image processing means successively obtains the composite image obtained by compositing the plurality of partial images captured by said image capture means. 14 . the apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said correction means corrects on the basis of a statistical property value of pixel values near a boundary between the partial images, and uses only a range of pixel values which can guarantee linearity of the partial images when calculating the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images, and the range of pixel values which can guarantee linearity of the partial images is a range excluding pixel values of portions of the x-ray sensor panels which are not irradiated with x-rays, and pixel values of portions of the x-ray sensor panels which are directly irradiated with x-rays which are not transmitted through an object. 15 . the apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said image capture means generates an image signal proportional to intensities of x-rays which hit the x-ray sensor panel. 16 . the apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein said image capture means generates an image signal proportional to logarithmic values of intensities of x-rays which hit the x-ray sensor panel. 17 . the apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said correction means corrects the image using information of a plurality of images captured before correction. 18 . an image processing apparatus comprising: image processing means for compositing plurality of partial images; and correction means for correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images, wherein said correction means corrects the partial images on the basis of a statistical property value of pixel values near boundary between the partial images. 19 . the apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the statistical property value of the pixel values near the boundary is a value obtained by subtracting an expected value of a difference value calculated based on features of image information from difference values between pixel values near the boundary of two partial images that sandwich the boundary therebetween. 20 . the apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is a mode of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 21 . the apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is an average value of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 22 . the apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein only a range of pixel values which can guarantee linearity of the partial images is used when calculating the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images. 23 . an image processing method for generating a composite image by correcting a plurality of partial images, comprising: the calculation step of calculating correction values using information of an image captured before an image to be corrected; and the correction step of correcting an image using the calculated correction values. 24 . the method according to claim 23 , wherein, in the correction step, the partial images are corrected using information of an image acquired in the preceding frame of partial images to be corrected. 25 . the method according to claim 23 , wherein, in the correction step, the partial images of a plurality of images are corrected using common image information. 26 . the method according to claim 25 , wherein the common image information is information of one or a plurality of frame images obtained every predetermined number of consecutive images. 27 . the method according to claim 25 , wherein, in the calculation step, the correction values are calculated on the basis of a statistical property value of pixel values near a boundary between the partial images. 28 . the method according to claim 27 , wherein the statistical property value of the pixel values near the boundary is a value obtained by subtracting an expected value of a difference value calculated based on features of image information from difference values between pixel values near the boundary of two partial images that sandwich the boundary therebetween. 29 . the method according to claim 23 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is a mode of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 30 . the method according to claim 23 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is an average value of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 31 . the method according to claim 23 , wherein only a range of pixel values which can guarantee linearity of the partial images is used when calculating the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images. 32 . the method according to claim 23 , further comprising the step of generating, when boundary portions of the plurality of partial images do not overlap each other, and image data is missing at the boundary portions, the missing pixel information by interpolation after the correction step. 33 . the method according to claim 23 , wherein, in the calculation step, the correction values are calculated using information of a plurality of images captured before correction. 34 . an image processing method for generating a composite image by correcting a plurality of partial images, comprising: the calculation step of calculating a statistical property value of pixel values near boundary between the partial images; and the correction step of correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images using the calculated statistical property value. 35 . the method according to claim 34 , wherein the statistical property value of the pixel values near the boundary is a value obtained by subtracting an expected value of a difference value calculated based on features of image information from difference values between pixel values near the boundary of two partial images that sandwich the boundary therebetween. 36 . the method according to claim 35 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is a mode of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 37 . the method according to claim 35 , wherein the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images is an average value of a plurality of level difference values calculated in association with the boundary between the two partial images. 38 . the method according to claim 35 , wherein only a range of pixel values which can guarantee linearity of the partial images is used when calculating the statistical property value of the level difference values between the partial images. 39 . a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for generating a composite image by correcting a plurality of partial images, said product including: first computer readable program code means for calculating correction values using information of an image captured before an image to be corrected; and second computer readable program code means for correcting an image using the calculated correction values. 40 . a computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for generating a composite image by correcting a plurality of partial images, said product including: first computer readable program code means for calculating a statistical property value of pixel values near boundary between the partial images; and second computer readable program code means for correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images using the calculated statistical property value.
|
field of the invention the present invention relates to an image processing technique and, more particularly, to an image processing technique for compositing a plurality of partial images. background of the invention as recent means for obtaining an image of an object (especially, an image inside a human body) by x-ray irradiation, the spatial distribution of x-ray intensities is directly converted into an electrical signal using a large x-ray sensor panel, the electrical signal is converted into a digital value by analog-to-digital (a/d) conversion, the digital value is input into a computer to form a digital image, and the digital image is used for saving, an image process, and observation. in order to sense a chest image of a human body at one time, a sensor panel having a size of about 40 cm40 cm is brought into nearly contact with the human body and is irradiated with x-rays from a direction opposite of the sensor panel to the human body, and the intensity distribution of x-ray transmitted through the human body is acquired by the sensor panel. in order to sense the detailed structure of the human body, a pixel resolution as high as 0.1 to 0.2 mm ² is required by the sensor and one image consists of 20002000 to 40004000 pixels. thus, the amount of image data becomes very large. as a method for quickly and stably reading image information of a large x-ray sensor panel, basically, the following two methods are used. (1) one large sensor panel is formed by combining relatively small partial sensor panels, similar to arrangement of tiles. the individual partial sensor panels are driven in parallel to obtain an a/d convert images. (2) when a single large sensor panel is used, the sensor is divisionally driven in small portions, and independent amplifiers and a/d converters are connected to these portions to acquire data, so as to attain high-speed image data capture or to shorten the data wiring length on the sensor panel. that is, it is difficult for a single system to quickly and stably acquire data since the size of the sensor panel as well as the image data size are large. when a plurality of systems are used in place of a single system to obtain an image by part, the characteristics of the amplifiers, a/d converters, and the like, used in the systems, for processing respective image signals vary independently due to environmental change, aging, and so on. fig. 13 shows a system arrangement for capturing a normal x-ray image. in this case, one sensor panel is divided into four regions 1 a to 1 d , which are driven independently. independent amplifiers 2 a to 2 d amplify electrical signals output from the regions 1 a to 1 d with gains, a/d converters 3 a to 3 d convert the output signals from the amplifiers 2 a to 2 d into digital values, and independent dma controllers 4 a to 4 d store partial image data in parallel into a frame memory 5 . a line 15 is a bus line of this system, and a central processing unit (cpu) 9 sequentially executes programs stored in a program memory 16 to process data via the bus 15 in this computer system. the frame memory 5 is a dual-port memory from which image data is read out as the cpu 9 controls the read address. the image sensing sequence is as follows. an irradiation controller 12 for an x-ray bulb controls an x-ray generator 13 (bulb) to emit x-rays toward an object (human body) 14 . in synchronism with the x-ray irradiation, panel drivers (not shown) drive the sensor panel regions 1 a to 1 d (to sequentially drive internal switching transistors) to output electrical signals corresponding to pixels, thus storing an image in the frame memory 5 via the amplifiers 2 a to 2 d , a/d converters 3 a to 3 d , and dma controllers 4 a to 4 d. reference numeral 6 denotes a frame memory. similar operation as described above is made without emitting any x-rays in order to capture a fixed pattern representing an offset in the frame memory 5 , and that pattern is stored in the frame memory 6 . reference numeral 8 denotes a memory which pre-stores gain variation information of each pixel of the sensor panel regions 1 a to 1 d . this information is normally obtained by irradiating the sensor with x-rays without any object, and capturing that image. the fixed pattern is removed from the captured image, and the resultant image is converted into a logarithmic value. reference numeral 20 denotes a look up table (lut) used for converting pixel data from which the fixed pattern stored in the frame memory 6 is subtracted by a subtractor 24 into a logarithmic value, and outputs the logarithmic value. a subtractor 23 subtracts gain variation data held in the memory 8 from the image data converted into the logarithmic value. a memory 18 pre-stores the positions of pixels that cannot be corrected by using gain variation data (pixels themselves are defective and no data are obtained therefrom), and a defect correction unit 19 corrects pixel data output from the subtractor 23 by interpolating data at the defective pixel positions stored in the memory 18 from surrounding non-defective pixel values. the corrected data is converted into an analog video signal again, and the converted signal is displayed on a monitor 21 . in this method, data can be processed while capturing image data, and a plurality of images can be successively processed. hence, an x-ray moving image that displays the motion of an object can be displayed. a moving image is often saved as a file in a storage device 11 such as a magnetic storage device, large-capacity nonvolatile storage device, or the like, or is often output to an external display device, recording device, or storage device via an interface (not shown). in this case, since partial image data obtained by independently driving the sensor panel regions 1 a to 1 d are normalized using the fixed pattern held in the frame memory 6 and the gain variation pattern held in the memory 8 , the observer does not notice that an image obtained by compositing partial image data is made up of images captured for respective regions. in the aforementioned basic operation, the gain variation data for respective pixels held in the memory 8 are obtained by irradiating the sensor with x-rays without any object, and is difficult to obtain for each image sensing in a normal medical facility. the data is sensed, e.g., once per day. also, the fixed pattern held in the frame memory 6 is obtained at a time very close to the image sensing time but not at the same time. the capture time difference between the correction data held in the frame memory 6 and memory 8 and image data obtained by sensing an object corresponds to environmental differences (temperature, humidity, and the like) upon capturing those data, and the characteristics of the partial panels, amplifiers, and the like may change. in this case, different characteristics appear in respective partial images, and a clear boundary exists between respective partial images. the present inventors proposed a method of solving such problem, i.e., making the boundary inconspicuous by extracting components having features that continue in the boundary direction near the boundary and removing these feature components near the boundary (japanese patent laid-open no. 2000-162663). this method is very effective when partial images suffer relatively small variations, and implements correction that does not require correction over the entire image by smoothing only the neighborhood of the boundary. however, variations among partial images are often too large to absorb unnaturalness as a whole by only partial correction, and a measure against such case is required. in the above method, when important image information happens to be present at a boundary position and along a boundary, that image information may be damaged by correction. further, since correction is made after the entire image is obtained, it is difficult to attain a moving image process in nearly real time. summary of the invention the present invention has been made in consideration of the above situation, and has as its object to provide a technique for implementing stable correction of differences among partial images over the entire image even for a moving image. according to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing an image processing apparatus comprising: image processing means for successively obtaining a composite image obtained by compositing a plurality of partial images; and correction means for correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images, wherein the correction means corrects the partial images using information of an image captured before an image to be corrected. according to the present invention, the foregoing object is also attained by providing an image processing apparatus comprising: image processing means for compositing plurality of partial images; and correction means for correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images, wherein the correction means corrects the partial images on the basis of a statistical property value of pixel values near boundary between the partial images. further, the foregoing object is also attained by providing an image processing method for generating a composite image by correcting a plurality of partial images, comprising: sthe calculation step of calculating correction values using information of an image captured before an image to be corrected; and the correction step of correcting an image using the calculated correction values. furthermore, the foregoing object is also attained by providing an image processing method for generating a composite image by correcting a plurality of partial images, comprising: the calculation step of calculating a statistical property value of pixel values near boundary between the partial images; and the correction step of correcting an offset of each of the plurality of partial images using the calculated statistical property value. other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an x-ray image processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 2 depicts respective regions of an x-ray sensor shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 is a table of coefficients of respective pixel data; fig. 4 is a flow chart showing a process for obtaining offset values among partial images according to the first embodiment; fig. 5 is a view for illustrating a method of calculating level difference values; fig. 6 is a graph showing the characteristics of a general recursive filter; fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration for calculating an offset value according to a third embodiment of the present invention; fig. 8 shows an example of an x-ray image; fig. 9 linearly illustrates level differences among image portions; fig. 10 shows a structure of four partial images; fig. 11 depicts a method of correcting partial images; fig. 12 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an x-ray image processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention; and fig. 13 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional x-ray image processing apparatus. detailed description of the preferred embodiments preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail in accordance with the accompanying drawings. first embodiment fig. 1 shows an example of a system (x-ray image processing apparatus) for capturing an x-ray image according to the first embodiment of the present invention. in fig. 1 , the same units and elements as those in fig. 13 are referred to by the same reference numerals. in this system, a single sensor panel is divided into four regions 1 a to 1 d , which are driven independently. independent amplifiers 2 a to 2 d amplify electrical signals output from the regions 1 a to 1 d with gains, a/d converters 3 a to 3 d convert the output signals from the amplifiers 2 a to 2 d into digital values, and independent dma controllers 4 a to 4 d store partial image data in parallel into a frame memory 5 . a line 15 is a bus line of this system, and a central processing unit (cpu) 9 sequentially executes programs stored in a program memory 16 to process data via the bus 15 in this computer system. the frame memory 5 is a dual-port memory from which image data is read out as the read address is controlled by the cpu 9 . the image sensing sequence is as follows. an irradiation controller 12 for an x-ray bulb controls an x-ray generator 13 (bulb) to emit x-rays toward an object (human body) 14 . in synchronism with the x-ray irradiation, panel drivers (not shown) drive the sensor panel regions 1 a to 1 d (to sequentially drive internal switching transistors) to output electrical signals corresponding to pixels, thus storing an image in the frame memory 5 via the amplifiers 2 a to 2 d , a/d converters 3 a to 3 d , and dma controllers 4 a to 4 d. reference numeral 6 denotes a frame memory. similar operation as described above is made without emitting any x-rays in order to capture a fixed pattern representing an offset in the frame memory 5 , and that pattern is stored in the frame memory 6 . reference numeral 8 denotes a memory which pre-stores gain variation information of each pixel of the sensor panel regions 1 a to 1 d . this information is normally obtained by irradiating the sensor with x-rays without any object, and capturing that image. the fixed pattern is removed from the captured image, and the resultant image is converted into a logarithmic value. reference numeral 20 denotes a look up table (lut) used for converting pixel data from which the fixed pattern stored in the frame memory 6 is subtracted by a subtractor 24 into a logarithmic value, and outputs the logarithmic value. a subtractor 23 subtracts gain variation data held in the memory 8 from the image data converted into the logarithmic value. a memory 18 pre-stores the positions of pixels that cannot be corrected by using gain variation data (pixels themselves are defective and no data are obtained therefrom), and a defect correction unit 19 corrects pixel data output from the subtractor 23 by interpolating data at the defective pixel positions stored in the memory 18 from surrounding non-defective pixel values. fig. 2 shows the concept of image data with defective pixels. in fig. 2 , it is assumed that there is a gap of g pixels between partial images. such gap may be considered as defective pixels in a way, and if partial images have different levels in general, it is meaningless to execute pixel interpolation using pixels on the both sides of the gap. hence, correction using the defect correction unit 19 is not applied to such gap in the first embodiment; after levels of respective partial images are corrected as will be described later, the gap are interpolated using, e.g., the average value of neighboring pixel values. the subsequent processes are basically implemented by hardware but may be implemented by software if a high-speed computer is used. image data that has undergone the defective pixel correction process of the defect correction unit 19 is input to and stored in a partial image correction processing unit 25 . since arithmetic operations of the partial image correction processing unit 25 are simple additions and only a boundary region is subject to pixel correction by interpolation, high-speed arithmetic operations can be performed, e.g., within one frame period or in real time. the corrected is output to a display device 21 . a level difference correction value calculation unit 28 calculates level difference correction values f0 to f3 for partial images from the statistical property near the boundary of images. the level difference correction value calculation method in the step correction value calculation unit 28 will be described in detail later. the calculated level difference correction values f0 to f3 are respectively stored in memories 29 to 32 , and are read out and used by the partial image correction processing unit 25 . upon completion of the arithmetic calculation of the level difference correction values, the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 opens gates 34 and 35 to fetch image information for the next arithmetic operations. reference numeral 35 denotes a gate for the latest captured image data output from the defect correction unit 19 . the latest image data passes through the gate 35 , and is multiplied by (1a) (a is an arbitrary set number, and a<1) by a multiplier 36 . the product data is supplied to one input of an adder 33 . the gate 34 is used to read out image data from a frame memory 27 . this data passes through the gate 34 , and is multiplied by a (a<1). the product data is supplied to the other input of the adder 33 . the output from the adder 33 is recorded in the frame memory 27 again as image data. the image data in the frame memory 27 is used for statistically calculating level differences between partial images by the level difference correction value correction unit 28 . the frame memory 27 must be initialized to 0s in an early stage of the processing. the aforementioned arrangement for adding the latest image data and immediately preceding image data multiplied by given coefficients is called a recursive filter, and forms for each pixel a filter having frequency characteristics h(z) given by: h ( z ) = 1 - a 1 - az - 1 ( 1 ) where z ¹ denotes a one-frame delay. if the one-frame delay is {fraction (1/30)} sec, the filter exhibits the frequency characteristics shown in fig. 6 . in fig. 6 , as the value a becomes larger, high-frequency components drop all together, and noise components of image data are reduced greatly. however, each frame image becomes less independent of the former and subsequent frame images. in this embodiment, this delay does not always match one frame period but indicates the end timing of arithmetic operations of the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 , and the contents of the frame memory 27 have no significance as information indicating an image. in this embodiment, information stored in the frame memory 27 is not used as information indicating an image but is used to calculate level difference values. since the level difference values do not depend on image information itself but depend on the state of the system, the same effect of correcting an image using correction data obtained from the image to be corrected can be obtained by using correction data obtained from image information acquired at a timing near the capture timing of the image to be corrected. hence, calculations of correction data and an correction process can be independently done. the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 calculates offset values f0 to f3 on the basis of data near the boundary of partial image in the contents of the frame memory, and stores them in the memories 29 to 32 . the partial image correction processing unit 25 adds the correction values for offset of respective partial images, stored in the memories 29 to 32 (f0 to f3), to the corresponding partial images, fills the gap of the boundary portion by interpolation, and executes processes such as d/a conversion and the like. after that, the processing unit 25 outputs the obtained image to the monitor 21 as a video signal, thus a moving image is displayed. level differences among partial images which appear in an image do not depend on image information containing an object image, but depend on variations of the system along with an elapse of time. therefore, statistically calculated level difference values near the boundaries of partial images should be independent of the content of image information. in this embodiment, image data obtained for respective frames are sequentially stored, correction values to be added to respective partial images are statistically extracted from a less noise-loaded image which is insignificant as image information but is significant to correct level difference values, and level differences are corrected by adding stable correction values to partial images. that is, a system for calculating the correction values and a system for correcting level differences of an image operate independently, thus implementing level difference correction at higher speed. a practical method of obtaining level difference values will be explained below. in fig. 9, a linear image is assumed, and x(0), x(1), . . . , x(n) represent pixel values of a first partial image. also, x(ng), x(ng1), . . . represent pixel values of a second partial image which adjoins the first partial image. fig. 9 is illustrated generally, and assumes that a gap of g pixels is present between partial images. in this case, an object image should continue on the right and left or upper and lower sides of the boundary. therefore, the gradient can be considered to be continuous. let k be the average of the gradient of image data obtained from data x(0), x(1), . . . , x(n), and the gradient of image data obtained from data x(ng), x(ng1), . . . . a case will be examined below wherein the difference between data is calculated. the difference between pixel values x(n) and x(ng) of pixels which adjoin across the boundary is x(ng)x(ni). since the gradient is k, the expected difference between the pixel values x(n) and x(ng) based on this gradient k is gk. the difference between this value gk and the value x(ng)x(n) is an expected value d of a substantial level difference, which is dgkx ( ng ) x ( n )(2) the expected value d given by equation (2) defines a practical level difference value. note that the calculation method is not limited to the above method, and various other methods may be used. for example, differential values may be used. that is, the gradient of the first partial image may be calculated at x(n), the gradient of the second partial image may be calculated at x(ng), and these gradients may be averaged using data at m points to obtain the gradient k of image data: k = 1 2 m [ p = 1 m 1 p ( x ( n ) - x ( n - p ) + p = 1 m 1 p ( x ( n + g + p ) - x ( n + g ) ) ] ( 3 ) by plugging equation (3) in equation (2), the expected value d is given as, d = g 2 m { p = 1 m 1 p ( x ( n ) - x ( n - p ) ) + p = 1 m 1 p ( x ( n + g + p ) - x ( n + g ) ) } + x ( n + g ) - x ( n ) ( 4 ) as a result of this arithmetic operation, a level difference between lines having one boundary as a symmetric point is obtained. this arithmetic operation essentially amounts to cumulative additions that multiply pixel values by prescribed coefficients, and cumulate the products. since an image includes a plurality of rows and columns, a continuous level difference value sequence d(i); i0 to l is obtained for each boundary. since each partial image has a plurality of boundaries with other partial images, a plurality of level difference value sequences are present for each partial image. based on these data, changes in pixel value of the partial image are statistically calculated. this method varies depending on the pattern of the partial image, and must be considered case by case. an example will be explained below. assume that an image is made up of four partial images a, b, c, and d, as shown in fig. 10 . in this case, four boundaries a, b, c, and d shown in fig. 10 appear. if the center is defined as an origin, each partial image consists of ll pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the lower left corner of partial image a is at the origin, level differences calculated by the aforementioned method at those boundaries are expressed as d0(0 to l1), d1(0 to l1), d2(1 to l), and d3(1 to l). at this time, if image data has a format proportional to the signal strength, these level differences correspond to offset values. if image data have been logarithmically converted, these level differences correspond to gain variations. the correction methods used in such cases also vary case by case, and a case will be exemplified below wherein the partial image is corrected by adding/subtracting a constant value. if a constant value is used, the level difference value at each of boundaries a, b, c, and d becomes a single value. hence, four level difference values d0, d1, d2, and d3 are respectively derived from the level difference value sequences d0(0 to l 1), d1(0 to l1), d2(1 to l), and d3(1 to l), as shown in fig. 11 . in this case, each value may be extracted by computing the average value of the corresponding sequence. alternatively, when many ranges are to be corrected in place of average correction, the mode (histogram peak) of the sequence may be used. theoretically, d0d1d2d30. however, owing to errors, the influences of image noise, and non-constant offset values, and the like, d0d1d2d3 (0) must be normally considered. the level differences of the respective partial images are corrected by adding four data f0, f1, f2, and f3 as correction values. if partial image a is a reference image, f00. if d0d1d2d30, the same result is obtained by either clockwise or counterclockwise correction. that is, f00, f1d1d0d3d2; f2d1d2d0d3; and f3d1d2d3d0. if d0d1d2d3 (0), this inconsistency is avoided by computing the average of clockwise and counterclockwise corrections. that is, f00; f1(d1d0d3d2)/2; f2(d1d2d0d3)/2; and f3(d1d2d3d0)/2. this process corresponds to uniformly distributing errors to overall data. as another method of avoiding such inconsistency, one having a minimum absolute value of d0 to d3 may be replaced by a value obtained by inverting the sign of the sum of the remaining values. furthermore, if all values f0 to f3 are positive values, the pixel values of an image can be consequently prevented from becoming negative values. hence, a minimum value of the values f0 to f3 may be added to all the values. the process executed in the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 will be described below. assume that gap g2. a level difference value is calculated by equation (4) above. let m2 in equation (4). since equation (4) is an operation for multiplying respective pixel values by specific coefficients (c(j), where j2 to 4) and add the products, the coefficients are obtained according to a table shown in fig. 3 . in the table shown in fig. 3 , coefficients are categorized into those for computing differentials k for respective gs (first term), and those for computing level difference values (second and third terms), and the sum total is computed in the final stage. from the table in fig. 3 , when linear data sequences that sandwich boundary x(n1) therebetween undergo an arithmetic operation described by: d ( i ) = j = - 2 4 c ( j ) x ( n + j ) = 1 4 ( x ( n + 4 ) - x ( n - 2 ) ) + 1 2 ( x ( n + 3 ) - x ( n - 1 ) ) - 1 4 ( x ( n ) - x ( n + 2 ) ) ( 5 ) a level difference value sequence can be obtained in consideration of the gradient of image data as level differences d. in equation (5), i is an index in a direction parallel to the boundary. fig. 5 depicts the concept of equation (5). reference numeral 21 in fig. 5 denotes each pixel. in fig. 5 , data are extracted across a boundary, and the arithmetic operation described by equation (5) is made to output d0(i). the same arithmetic operation is made for all boundaries. the processing operation executed by the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 will be explained below with reference to the flow chart shown in fig. 4 . using equation (5), four level difference value sequences d0(0) to d0(n) (step s 101 ), d1(n 2 ) to d1(m1) (step s 102 ), d2(n2) to d2(m1) (step s 103 ), and d3(0) to d3(n) (step s 104 ) are generated for boundaries a to d of partial images a to d shown in fig. 2 . the modes of the sequences d0(0) to d0(n), d1(n2) to d1(m1), d2(n2) to d2(m1), and d3(0) to d3(n) are obtained as d0 (step s 105 ), d1 (step s 106 ), d2 (step s 107 ), and d3 (step s 108 ). in place of the mode, a value that represents a distribution of each level difference value sequence such as an average value, central value, or the like may be used. the offset value f0 to be added to partial image a is set to 0 (step s 109 ), and other offset values f1, f2, and f3 are calculated by f1(d1d0d3d2)/2 (step s 110 ); f2(d1d2d0d3)/2 (step s 111 ); and f3(d1d2d3d0)/2 (step s 112 ). since the pixel values of an image basically assume positive values, all f0 to f3 are set to be positive values to guarantee positive pixel values even after the arithmetic operation. more specifically, a minimum value mv of f0 to f3 is extracted (step s 113 ), and mv is added to the respective values to obtain new f0 to f3 (steps s 114 to s 117 ). the operation of the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 has been explained. since this operation is complicated, it may be implemented by a local microprocessor or it is easy to implement such operation by hardware. the offset values f0 to f3 obtained by the above operation are set in the memories 29 to 32 , and are passed to the partial image correction processing unit 25 . the partial image correction processing unit 25 adds the offset correction values f0 to f3 stored in the memories 29 to 32 to partial images of the current frame image, thus correcting level differences. in the above example, a boundary portion has a one-pixel region having no image data, and such region cannot undergo an interpolation process unless the aforementioned correction for respective partial images is completed. data for the pixels in this boundary portion, which remain uncorrected, is calculated by interpolation using non-defective neighboring pixel data, and are output. the output from the partial image correction processing unit 25 undergoes processes such as d/a conversion and the like, and is then input to the monitor 21 as a video signal, thus a moving image is displayed. as described above, in the image processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, level difference information for each partial image is calculated from a previous frame image or previous to current frame images obtained as a moving image, and the current frame image undergoes level difference correction using the calculated level difference information, thus correcting level differences at boundaries even in a moving image. further, a frame image used for obtaining correction data may be a frame image obtained by the sensor panel one frame prior to a frame image to be connected. furthermore, a frame image used for obtaining correction data may be sensed every 10 frame images, for instance, and correction data obtained from the sensed frame image may be used until a next frame image is sensed. further, two frame images may be used for obtaining correction data. in this case, two frame images are sensed every 10 frame images, for instance, and correction data obtained from the sensed two frame images may be used until next two frame images are sensed. further, according to the first embodiment as described above, level difference values of the boundary of partial images are statistically interpreted to determine correction values (offset or gain) for the entire pixel values in the respective partial images, thus correcting the level differences. in this embodiment, a logarithmically converted image undergoes correction. alternatively, when such image is re-converted into linear data using another lut, level differences due to offset can be corrected. although f0 to f3 are not stable for the first several frames regardless of the initial values set to f0 to f3, they gradually become stable independently of the initial values. further these offset values may be saved, and these values can be used as the initial values for observing a moving image of another object using the identical system,. in case of a normal recursive filter, coefficient a cannot be increased so much to accurately capture the motion of an object. however, in this embodiment, the value a is preferably closer to 1 as much as possible to obtain stable level difference data. it should be noted that offset variations cannot be tracked if a is too large. as described above, according to the first embodiment, when a single x-ray image is formed by compositing a plurality of partial x-ray images, correction values are calculated by statistically obtaining level difference values of boundary portions between partial images using information of an image captured before the image to be corrected, and the image can be corrected using the calculated correction value. since the system for calculating the correction values and the system for actually correcting an image operate independently, a real-time process for a moving image can be realized. second embodiment in the second embodiment of the present invention, the configuration of the x-ray image processing apparatus of the first embodiment is simplified. as shown in fig. 12, a function for adding images is omitted from the configuration shown in fig. 1 . when a level difference correction value calculation unit 28 finishes an operation, a gate 35 is opened and the latest image data is written into a frame memory 27 . operations of other elements are the same as those of the first embodiment. third embodiment in the third embodiment of the present invention, offset values f0 to f3 output from a level difference correction value calculation unit 28 shown in fig. 1 or fig. 12 undergo recursive filtering using outputs from the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 delayed for a period corresponding to a period of performing one cycle of operation. in this manner a stable offset values are obtained. fig. 7 shows a configuration for processing one of output signals from the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 shown in fig. 1 . in response to the completion of calculation, the output signal is sent to a multiplier 55 via a gate 52 , multiplied by (1a) (a is an arbitrary set number, and a<1), then enters one input of an adder 56 . memories 29 to 32 are read via a gate 54 which also opens at the time of completion of calculation, and the read content is multiplied by a (a<1), and enters the other input of the adder 56 . the adder 56 adds these inputs and updates the memory 29 to 32 with the sum. in this case, the memory 29 to 32 needs to be initialized to 0. especially, in a system as shown in fig. 12 which does not add image data, initialization to 0 is an effective way to increase stability. fourth embodiment fig. 8 is a schematic view of an x-ray image of a human body used for medical purpose. in fig. 8 , reference numeral 41 denotes an area where x-ray does not incident, and 42 denotes an area where x-ray incidents by masking x-ray emitted from the x-ray bulb by a collimator. further, reference numeral 43 denotes an area where an image of an object is projected. note, the area 41 is almost or completely free from x-ray radiation, whereas, the area 42 is exposed to very strong x-ray radiation which did not pass through the object. the area 43 showing the object may be considered representing an intermediate x-ray intensity. generally, in an x-ray sensor, the output electric signal is proportional to the intensity of x-ray. however, linearity between the intensity of x-ray and the output electric signal is not always preserved in all the photo sensing area of the x-ray sensor during processes of energy conversion and processes of converting electric signals (e.g., amplification and impedance conversion). especially, in a portion where the intensity of x-ray is very strong, the relationship between the intensity of x-ray and the output electric signal may be non-linear due to saturation of the electrical system. further, in a portion where the intensity is very weak, then the intensity of x-ray and the output electric signal may be non-linear due to, e.g., noise and instability of operation of an electric circuit under very low voltage. however, image information in such areas is often not important, and no problem will arise because of the non-linearity in a conventional case. however, in the present invention, offset components (offsets for image data which is proportional to the intensity of the x-ray, and gains for image data which has undergone logarithmic conversion) of entire partial images are statistically derived from portions of the partial images, therefore, if the portions include substantially a large amount of non-linear data as described above, the proper offset components can not be extracted. as a countermeasure to the above problem, in the fourth embodiment, an interval where the linearity of sensitivity of the x-ray sensor is reliable is set, and the obtained level difference values are used only when a representative value, such as an average, is known to fall within the set interval at the time of or before calculating level difference values. in x-ray image sensing for medical purpose in general, an amount of x-ray which passes through an object and reach a sensor is adjusted to its optimum (either an expected amount of x-ray is irradiated toward an object or x-ray radiation is stopped at the time when a proper amount of x-ray is radiated, the radiated amount is measured by an apparatus, called photo-timer, for measuring the amount of the x-ray), linearity in a portion where object information is present is optimum in most of the cases. more specifically, the reliable area is determined by the average m(i) of data sandwiching a boundary used in equation (5) as shown in equation (6). m ( i ) = 1 6 ( j = - 2 0 x ( n + j ) + j = - 1 4 x ( n + j ) ) ( 6 ) a minimum value v0 and maximum value v1 of the reliable interval are determined, and only when v 0 m ( i ) v 1(7) d(i) is computed using equation (5). this operation is done within the level difference correction value calculation unit 28 . operations other than above is the same as those explained in the first embodiment, thus the explanation of them are omitted here. according to the fourth embodiment as described above, a proper level difference correction and gap interpolation are realized for an x-ray image including a wide non-linear portion. it should be noted that, in the first to fourth embodiment as described as above, a case of processing an x-ray image is explained. however, the present invention is not limited to this, and applicable to any image sensing apparatus, such as a digital still camera and a digital video camera, which has a configuration of obtaining a frame image by sensing a plurality of partial images and individually processing the partial images. other embodiment the present invention can be applied to a system constituted by a plurality of devices or to an apparatus comprising a single device. further, the object of the present invention can also be achieved by providing a storage medium storing program codes for performing the aforesaid processes to a computer system or apparatus (e.g., a personal computer), reading the program codes, by a cpu or mpu of the computer system or apparatus, from the storage medium, then executing the program. in this case, the program codes read from the storage medium realize the functions according to the embodiments, and the storage medium storing the program codes constitutes the invention. further, the storage medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, cd-rom, cd-r, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile type memory card, and rom can be used for providing the program codes. furthermore, besides aforesaid functions according to the above embodiments are realized by executing the program codes which are read by a computer, the present invention includes a case where an os (operating system) or the like working on the computer performs a part or entire processes in accordance with designations of the program codes and realizes functions according to the above embodiments. furthermore, the present invention also includes a case where, after the program codes read from the storage medium are written in a function expansion card which is inserted into the computer or in a memory provided in a function expansion unit which is connected to the computer, cpu or the like contained in the function expansion card or unit performs a part or entire process in accordance with designations of the program codes and realizes functions of the above embodiments. in a case where the present invention is applied to the aforesaid storage medium, the storage medium stores program codes corresponding to the flowchart in fig. 4 described in the embodiment. the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various changes and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention. therefore to apprise the public of the scope of the present invention, the following claims are made.
|
175-672-105-997-109
|
US
|
[
"US",
"CN",
"TW"
] |
H04M3/42,H04Q3/00
| 1998-07-31T00:00:00 |
1998
|
[
"H04"
] |
apparatus and method for deploying and updating services in a telephone network
|
the basic philosophy of intelligent network (in) is the separation of service control from the telephone switches which now perform only connection control and a minimum amount of work to facilitate service control. in in terms, service control point (scp) determined how a particular call from a user is routed and how to manipulated it once a call is set up and some interesting events happen. the telephone switch with the added in capabilities o collaborate with the scp in in services is called service switching point (ssp). all the services will be managed by service management system (sms). for the management of in, the telecommunication management network (tmn) is adopted, all the management information are defined as managed objects and transmitted within the management network. an q adaptor is a software process and responsible for the maintenance of the mib tree and the management information conversion between sms and scp. with q adaptor, the management resources of svp are not burdened with the translating process. separate mib trees, service application process mib tree and scp platform mib tree, and qas well solve the problems of deploying and updating services existed in in.
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1. a telecommunication intelligent network (in) system comprising: a signal network connected to a telephone; a service management system (sms); a service control point (scp) connected between said signal network and said sms, wherein said scp has a management information base (mib) tree separate from an mib tree for a service application process; and a service application process management object instance contained within said scp mib tree; and a q adapter (qaap), wherein said service application process management object instance is configured to link said scp mib tree with said service application process mib tree through said qaap, and wherein said qaap is configured to process requests for said service application process including access resources of said service application process and transmit results back to said scp. 2. the in system of claim 1, wherein said qa.sub.ap is further configured to receive event reports from said service application process and transmit said event reports to said scp. 3. the in of claim 1, wherein said service application process management object instance is a first service application process management object instance, said in system further comprising: a second service application process management object instance contained within said scp mib tree; and a second q adapter (qa.sub.scp), wherein said second service application process management object instance is configured to link said scp mib tree with said qa.sub.scp, and wherein said qa.sub.scp is configured to process requests from said sms including access resources of said scp and transmit results back to said sms. 4. the in of claim 3, wherein said first and second service application process management object instances are contained within said scp mib tree and said in is configured to be telecommunication management network (tmn) compliant. 5. the in of claim 3, wherein said scp is a first computing system and said qa.sub.ap and said qa.sub.scp are a second computing system. 6. the in of claim 3, wherein said sms is configured to communicate with said qa.sub.scp in a first communication protocol, and said qa.sub.scp is configured to communicate with said scp in a second communication protocol. 7. the in of claim 6, wherein said first communication protocol is q3 compliant and said second communication protocol is transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip) compliant. 8. the in of claim 1, wherein said scp mib tree contains service application process management object instances and is configured such that addition or updating of a service application process may be performed without interrupting operation of said scp. 9. a method of deploying a telecommunication intelligent network (in) comprising the steps of: configuring a first management information base (mib) tree for a service control point (scp), said first mib tree having a plurality of scp platform management objects contained therein; configuring a second mib tree for a service application process, said second mib tree being separate from said first mib tree; configuring a first one of said plurality of scp platform management objects to link a q adapter (qa.sub.scp) for said scp with said first mib tree, said qa.sub.scp processing requests from a service management system (sms), accessing resources of said scp, and transmitting results back to said sms; and configuring a second one of said plurality of scp platform management objects to link said second mib tree with said first mib tree through a q adapter (qa.sub.ap) for said service application process, said qa.sub.ap processing requests for said in service application process including accessing resources of the service application process and transmitting results back to said scp. 10. the method of claim 9, wherein said service application process is a first service application process, said method further comprising deploying a second service application process by: adding a new scp platform management object within said first mib tree and a q adapter (qa.sub.new) for said second service application process; downloading from said sms to said scp through said qa.sub.new, data and execution files for said second service application process; and compiling said data and execution files at said scp, to define a third mib tree, said third mib tree representing said second service application process. 11. the method of claim 10, further comprising: determining whether said data and execution files where successfully downloaded; performing said compiling if said determination is that said download was successful; and clearing said data and execution files downloaded to said scp, and re-performing said downloading and determining steps if said determination is that said download was unsuccessful. 12. the method of claim 9, further comprising selecting said service application process to be a virtual private network (vpn). 13. the method of claim 9, further comprising updating said service application process, said updating comprising: configuring a new scp platform management object within said first mib tree to link a third mib tree with said first mib tree through a q adapter (qa.sub.uap) for said updated service application process; and deleting said second one of said plurality of scp platform management objects, said qa.sub.ap, and said second mib tree. 14. the method of claim 13, wherein said step of configuring said new scp platform management object further comprises: copying, from said qa.sub.ap to said qa.sub.uap, subscription and subscriber data for said service application process; and downloading, from said sms to said qa.sub.uap, updates to said data files and execution files for said updated service application process. 15. the method of claim 14, further comprising: determining whether said subscription and subscriber data were successfully copied and updated, and serving with the updated subscription and subscriber data by the updated service application process if the determination is that said subscription and subscriber data were successfully copied and updated; and clearing the updated subscription and subscriber data and re-performing said copying, downloading, and determining steps if the determination is that said subscription and subscriber data were not successfully copied and updated.
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field of the invention this invention generally relates to an intelligent network (in) that is a telecommunications network services control architecture to provide a framework for a network operator to introduce, control, and manage services more effectively, economically and rapidly than a traditional telephone network architecture allows. more specifically, this invention relates to an in wherein service application processes may be deployed and/or updated without restricting user access to the in during the deploying and updating events. background of the invention using the in increases the quantity of available resources, such as services and processing components, and aids in the rapid deployment of new resources. within the in, the function of service control in conventional switches is singled out and implemented with computer technology to provide faster and more efficient communication services. fig. 1 shows an in 100 including a service control point (scp) 106, a service creation environment (sce) 102, and a service management system (sms) 104. in addition, the in 100 includes a signal network 108, such as a ccitt no. 7 signal network, connected to the scp 106 and signal switching points (ssps) 109, 110. the ssps 109, 110 are connected respectively to telephones 109a, 109b, 109c and 110a, 110b, 110c. the sce 102 provides a graphic interface for a user to develop service logic. the sce 102 is used to create the building blocks of the in 100 such as call routing, call prioritization, and service application process availability (discussed in more detail below). by utilizing the sce 102, a programmer can describe the logical processes that define the operation and interaction of the in 100. the sms 104 is managed by the network operator. the sms 104 updates the scp 106 with new data and/or programs and collects statistics from the scp 106. the sms 104 also may enable a service subscriber to control their own service parameters via a terminal (not shown) linked to the sms 104. for example, the subscriber may define the day and time when an "800" number should be routed to a specific office. this modification may be filtered and/or validated by the network operator. one operation of the scp 106 is to introduce and activate new in service application processes into the network. for a service application process based on functional components (fcs), the fcs are executed with the help of a service logic interpreter (using an explanatory script). the service application process programs and the data are updated from the sms 104. the scp 106 may be implemented on a computer system including a processor and a memory. some scp service application processes may require large amounts of data which must reside on direct access storage devices, such as disks. the storage devices may be a part of the computer system or may be remotely located. importantly, the scp 106 should be configured to access databases efficiently and reliably. in addition, the scp 106 should be configured to provide a software platform for rapid service application process creation, for example, through user programmability and portability. to achieve various subscriber service application process customizations, the sce 102 may be utilized to create a user-friendly interface for customers. for example, a new service application process may be designed and created with the sce 102. thereafter, the output service application process data profile may be deployed to the scp 106 through the sms 104. after the deployment of the new service application process, users can subscribe to the new service application process and access the new service application process from the telephone (e.g., telephone 109a). when a user makes a telephone call which requires an in service application process, the ssp (e.g., ssp 109) recognizes it and initiates a trigger pre-installed for the in service application process. after the triggering, the ssp establishes a connection with the scp 106, via the signal network, and requests service. the scp 106 will, based on the information of the call and the scp's own database, provide instructions to the ssp as to how to treat the call. the ssp monitors call progress, connections, and other events utilizing, for example, a state machine. the scp 106 can access this information utilizing a message passed from the ssp. therefore, the scp 106 possess the supervisory power of call control. in client-server terms, the ssp is the client and the scp 106 is the server. to manage the in, a telecommunications management network (tmn) structure is adopted which is a management network with standard protocols, interfaces, and architectures established by the international telecommunications union-telecommunications (itu-t, formerly ccitt). the tmn provides a host of management functions and communications for operation, administration, and maintenance (oam) of the telecommunications network and its services for a multivendor environment. in modeling for network management, logical and physical resources of interest, such as management operations, are defined as managed objects and structured within an object-oriented (oo) information model. an itu-t recommendation m.3000 series provides a generic network information model. the m.3000 series defines tmn architecture and object classes that are common to managed telecommunications networks, are of a generic type that can be used to manage a network at a technology-independent level, or are super-classes of technology-specific managed objects in a telecommunications network. based on the object class structure defined in an itu-t recommendation m.3000 series, the managed objects of the scp, including service application processes, are modeled having a tree structure, wherein the service application processes are branches of the original tree. this, in accordance with a bellcore gr-1286 specification wherein the structure is described as a management information base (mib) tree. fig. 2 illustrates an mib tree 200 for managing general network elements (e.g., managed objects or mos) as defined in the itu-t recommendation m.3000 series. as shown, the mib tree 200, illustratively for a network management element 210, may contain mos, such as managed element objects 240 and network connection objects 220. in addition, the mib tree 200 may contain fabric objects, such as termination point 250, and software objects, such as software object 230. each of the elements within the mib tree 200 may have a further mib tree structure. the mib tree structure defines a containment tree relationship between each object (e.g., the network and the network management element). the scp platform objects (e.g., the organizational objects of the scp) and the service application process objects are contained within the same mib tree. consequently, for a modification (e.g., a service application process update) to the architecture, the entire mib tree must be recompiled so that the scp can operate utilizing the new architecture. this is a major problem since between the time of the modification and the time that the new mib tree is compiled, the scp is taken off-line. this represents an interruption in the operation of scp which may result in a loss of service. fig. 3 illustrates an mib tree 300 as defined by the bellcore gr-1286 specification for managing and servicing relevant logic and data within an in. under the mib tree architecture, an scp management object 310 is shown having a process tree, which among other objects, contains scp platform objects, such as an active controls object 320, and a service application process management object 330. fig. 4 shows a more detailed view of the service application process 330. as shown, the service application process 330 has a sub-group of managed objects including a service object 410, a subscription object 450, etc. each sub-group may have further subgroups of managed objects. for example, the service object 410 has subgroups including service feature 420, current service subscription data 430, and service subscription data 440. as stated above, the problem with this containment architecture is that there is no way to modify object or add a new defined object, such as the service application process management object 330, without interrupting the operation of the scp. interruption in the operation of the scp may result in an interruption in the operation of the in service. another problem with the previous mib tree structure for the scp is that the scp is required to convert messages from a management protocol that is used by the sms, such as common management information protocol/common management information services (cmip/cmis), to an scp internal processing format. in acknowledging a command from the sms, or communicating a response back to the sms, the scp has to convert the response to the communication protocol that is used by sms. typically, the sms and the scp utilize different communication protocols. accordingly, the scp contains a process that converts between the sms and scp communication protocols. this process performing constant conversions between communication protocols utilizes a great deal of the scp resources. therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a novel architecture that is compatible with the tmn standard, yet enables new services to be deployed without interrupting other services or the operation of the scp. another object of the present invention is to provide a novel architecture that is complaint with the tmn standard, yet enables a service to be updated without significantly interrupting the service and without interrupting the other services. a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel architecture wherein the burden of the scp communicating with the sms is greatly reduced. summary of the invention these and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an architecture for an in accordance with the present invention. in the present invention, a new architecture is disclosed that is tmn compliant and wherein service application process management is separate from management of the scp platform. in a preferred embodiment, only scp management objects exist under the scp mib tree. in accordance with a preferred embodiment, service application process management objects are added to the scp mib tree and treated as scp platform management objects. each service application process management object instance is associated with a specific q-adaptor (qa) for that services application process. a qa is a software process and is responsible for the management information conversion between the sms and the scp. with the present inventive qa, the management resources of the scp are not burdened with the translating process. the scp has a qa (qa.sub.scp) that among other functions, translates between the sms and the scp. in addition, each service application process management object is associated with a service application process mib tree that is separated from the scp mib tree. in this way, the scp platform management is separated from the service application process management. one containment tree comprises the scp platform management function (e.g., the scp mib tree) while a separate containment tree is adopted for each service (e.g., the service application process mib tree). by separating the containment trees for the scp platform management and the service application processes, implementing a change to a service application process need not result in recompilation of the scp mib tree. consequently, the scp may continue to function even in the face of service application process additions and updates. in accordance with the present invention, the qa.sub.scp processes the scp mib tree for management of the scp platform. the service application process mib tree is removed from the scp mib tree and a service application process management object instance added to the scp mib tree. each service application process management object instance is associated with a specific service application process mib tree. for example, a virtual private network (vpn) object instance is associated with an application process mib tree for management of the vpn service and an advance free phone (afp) object instance is associated with an application process mib tree for management of the afp service. in addition, each service application process mib tree is maintained by a specific qa. for example, the vpn service application process mib tree, is maintained by a qa.sub.vpn and the afp service application process mib tree is maintained by a qa.sub.afp. since all the service application process object instances are provided by the scp and running on the scp, the qas have the same responsibilities to transfer communicating messages between the sms and the scp. in a case where a service application process is updated or a new service application process is deployed, the qa.sub.scp will create a new service management object instance under the scp mib tree, as requested by the sms. in the new service application process management object instance, all the related management information, e.g., service class, service name and control actions, is stored. after creation of the new service application process management object instance, the sms controls the updating/deploying process by issuing a sequence of requests to the new service application process management object instance to invoke a sequence of actions to be executed by the qa.sub.scp. the actions include the creation of a new qa service (qa.sub.service) for the new service application process. during a deploying/updating procedure, all the new information including service logic, service process, service application mib tree, etc., is prepared separate from the original system and only a new service application process management object instance is created under the scp mib tree. therefore, the original system and the running services are not interrupted. in a case where the new service application process is a service update, the original service application process management object instance, the original service application process mib tree, and the original qa.sub.service are stopped at the end of the service update procedure. in this way, installing a new service or updating a running service may be performed without interrupting operation of the scp. brief description of the drawings following is a description of a preferred embodiment of the present invention that when taken in conjunction with the following drawings will demonstrate the above noted features and advantages as well as further ones. it should be expressly understood that the drawings are included for illustrative purposes and do not represent the scope of the present invention. in the drawings, like reference numerals are used to designate like parts. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional in; fig. 2 is an mib tree as defined in the itu-t recommendation m.3000 series; fig. 3 is an scp mib tree as defined in the bellcore gr-1286 standard, including scp platform management objects and service application process management objects; fig. 4 is a service application process mib tree as defined in the bellcore gr-1286 standard; fig. 5 is a block diagram of an in in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is an scp mib tree and service application process mib tree in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 7 is a flow diagram showing the behavior of a qa as an agent for the sms; fig. 8 is an illustrative process chart for deploying a new service application process within an in in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and figs. 9a and 9b are illustrative process charts for updating an existing service application process within an in in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiment for clarity of presentation, the detailed description is set out in the following subsections: i. overview of the invention the invention is briefly described. ii. service application process addition within a tmn the operation of the present invention architecture is discussed particularly with regard to adding a new service application process to an existing tmn. an illustrative process chart is also discussed. iii. service application process update within a tmn the operation of the present invention architecture is discussed particularly with regard to updating an existing service application process within an existing tmn. an illustrative process chart is also discussed. vi. conclusion i. overview of the invention fig. 5 is a block diagram of an in 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. the present inventive in 500 includes a novel scp q adaptor (qa.sub.scp) 150 and a service q adaptor (qa.sub.service). in addition, the in 500 includes an scp 506, an sms 504, a signal network 508, such as a ccitt no. 7 signal network, service switch points (ssps) 109, 110, and respective telephones 109a, 109b, 109c and 110a, 110b, 110c. the qa.sub.scp 510 and the qa.sub.service 512 are separated from the scp 509 and in a preferred embodiment run on a different machine than with the scp 509 so as not to utilize the resources of the scp 509. the qa.sub.scp 540 and the qa.sub.service 512 share the process of information management and utilize the scp 509 to provide in services to subscribers. fig. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the present novel architecture for an scp 606 and an application process 650, such as a service application process. as shown, the scp 606 has an mib tree 600 that contains service application process management (servicemgnt) objects 610, 630. inventively, the servicemgnt object 610 has control attributes that interact with the special behavior executed by the qa.sub.scp. the qa.sub.scp processes all the scp platform management objects and functions as an agent for the sms 104. fig. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating the behavior of a q adaptor (qa) 710 operating as an agent of an sms 720. as shown, the qa 710 may receive requests from the sms 720. in response to requests from the sms 720, the qa 710 may access corresponding real resources of an scp 730, such as management counters, service features, application management stores, etc. after performing a requested task, the qa 710 may produce a response notifying the sms 720 of the result. illustratively, the sms 720 may request creation of a vpn service. in that case, the qa.sub.scp (e.g., qa 710) may then receive data and execution files from the sms 720. the data and execution files represent the composition of the vpn. after creation of the vpn is successfully completed (or not, such as in a case where requested resources are busy), the qa.sub.scp produces an appropriate corresponding response (e.g., startupok) and forwards the response to the sms 720. independent of a request from the sms 720, the scp 730 may produce event reports that are forwarded to the sms 720 after conversion by the qa 710 to a notification in a form utilized by the sms 720. for example, for changing of the scp system operation state, the scp 730 will issue an event to notify the sms 720 through the qa.sub.scp. after the conversion by the qa.sub.scp, the event will be forwarded to the sms 720 in a format suitable for the sms 720. in some embodiments, the sms 720 may use different communication protocols than the scp 730. in those embodiments, the qa 710 reduces the management overhead (e.g., processing load) on the scp 730 by converting between the different communication protocols prior to forwarding a message or command. illustratively, the interfaces between the qa 710 and the sms 720 may be a q3 interface as defined by the itu-t m.3000 series specification. however, the scp 730 may use another protocol, such as a proprietary protocol over a transmission control protocol/internet protocol (tcp/ip) connection. returning to fig. 6, in the present inventive architecture, each service application process is associated to a service application process management (servicemgnt) object instance within the scp mib tree. the servicemgnt 630 instance indicates a specific service application process, such as a vpn service. in addition, there exists an independent service application process mib tree, such as service application process mib tree 640, to model the management of the service application process. the independent service application process mib tree is maintained by an independent qa. inventively, the servicemgnt 630 stores all the related management information of the service application process, e.g., service class, service name, and control actions, and is treated as one of the scp platform management objects. illustratively, the servicemgnt 630 invokes some actions from the qa and the scp as requested from the sms and returns the results of the requested actions to the sms as executed by the qa and the scp. the management information in a service application process management object is described below. the service application management object class (servicemgnt) is service dependent. there is a servicemgnt object instance for each service application process deployed in the scp. the servicemgnt object illustratively contains the following attributes: servicemgntid, serviceclass, datafilelocation, exefilelocation, controlstate, exestate, failreason, new servicename. the attribute servicemgntid specifies the service application process name (e.g.,name+version). the servicemgntid may be the same as an attribute serviceid for the service object class. the attribute serviceclass specifies the service class name. for example, it may be set to vpnservice for a vpn service application process. the attribute datafilelocation specifies the data files path for the service application process. it may include a source file path and a destination file path. the attribute exefilelocation specifies the execution files path. it may include a source file path and a destination file path. a change of the exefilelocation value may cause a state change notification. the attribute controlstate is set by the sms to invoke a specific action. the value illustratively may be download, staticdeploy, startup, stop, remove, handover, and customize. the attribute exestate represents the result of the last service control operation in the scp mib tree. any change of the value may cause a state change notification. the exestate value illustratively may be proceding, downloadok, staticdeployok, startupok, updateok, stopok, removeok, handoverok, customizeok, downloadfail, staticdeployfail, startupfail, updatefail, stopfail, removefail, handoverfail, and customizefail. when the exestate value is proceding, the action requested by controlstate is proceeding in the scp. at this time, the result has not yet been produced. when the requested action is finished, the exestate value will be reset according to the result. the attribute failreason is used to store the reason why the action failed. it is valid only when the value of exestate is xxxxfail, such as updatefail. the attribute newservicename specifies a new service application process name and is utilized while updating a service application process. as discussed above, in the present inventive architecture, each service application process has an mib tree, such as a vpn mib tree. as shown in fig. 6, the service application process mib tree 640 is separate from the scp mib tree 600 which contains the scp platform management objects. in a preferred embodiment, the scp mib tree only contains scp platform management objects. inventively, the qa.sub.scp processes and manages all the scp platform management objects in the scp mib tree 600, and the qa.sub.service processes and manages all the objects in the service application process mib tree 640. in a preferred embodiment, the qa.sub.scp and qa.sub.service are running on a system separate from the scp mib tree (e.g., the scp platform). in this way, the scp is able to operate more efficiently. in addition, since the service application process mib tree is separate from the scp mib tree, an instance of service application process deployment or service application process update may be performed without stopping and recompiling the scp mib tree. yet, the present novel architecture may still be tmn compliant since the function of service application process management still resides within the scp mib tree. ii. service application process addition within a tmn when a new service application process is added in the present inventive architecture, it is only necessary to add an instance of service application process management (e.g., add a servicemgnt object instance for the new service application process) to the scp mib tree. thereafter, the system will deploy an mib tree, in accordance with the new service application process, that is independent from the scp mib tree. in this way, after the deployment, the new service application process may be made available for use within the telecommunications network. fig. 8 shows an illustrative process chart for deploying a new service application process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. as shown in step 81, the sms makes a request to the scp to create a service management (servicemgnt) object for a new service application process. the scp thereafter confirms creation of the servicemgnt object. in step 82, the sms will set the attribute controlstate to download to request the qa.sub.scp to download data files and execution files of the new service application process from the sms. then, the qa.sub.scp as an agent for the sms, starts to download the data files and execution files from the sms. illustratively, the sms may transfer the files using a ftam transfer protocol. thereafter, the qa.sub.scp will send a message to the scp, illustratively in a proprietary format, to ask the scp to download the files (e.g., data and execution file, for the new service application process) received from the sms. at the end of this step, the scp has received all the data files and execution files needed for the new service application process. illustratively, the data files and execution file for the new service application process may be transferred from the qa.sub.scp to the scp using ftp. in step 83, after the download is finished, the scp notifies the qa.sub.scp that the storage was successful. then, the qa.sub.scp sends the state change notification of the attribute exestate to the sms. in a case where the download and storage are successful, the state change notification is downloadok. in a case where the download or storage was unsuccessful, the state change notification is downloadfail. in that case, the data and execution files are cleared (step not shown) and steps 82 and 83 are repeated. in step 84, after step 83 is successfully completed (e.g., downloadok), the sms instructs the scp to construct a working environment (e.g. create a qa.sub.service) for the new service application process by setting the attribute controlstate to staticdeploy. the scp then confirms that the controlstate is set to staticdeploy. after step 84 is completed successfully, in step 85, the qa.sub.scp will send a staticdeployok state change notification of the attribute exestate to the sms. in step 86, the sms will set the attribute control state to startup. in response thereto, the qa.sub.scp will start up the qa.sub.service (e.g., a qavpn for a vpn service application process), then invokes supporting processes on the scp for the new service application process by sending the startup message of the attribute controlstate to the scp. confirmation of receipt of the startup command is forwarded from the scp to the sms through the qa.sub.scp. at this time, the scp issues a request to the qa.sub.service to create the new service application process service object instance within the service application process mib tree. after the creation, the qa.sub.service issues a service object creation notification to the sms. in step 87, the sms receives a startupok state change notification of the attribute exestate from the scp as forwarded by the qa.sub.scp. in step 88, the sms creates the necessary object instances for the new service application process for the subscribers. for the case of the vpn service application process, the sms creates instances of serviceprofile, servicefeature, etc., in sequence. the scp will receive all the creations forwarded by the qa.sub.vpn and confirm receipt of all the respective processes. in step 89, after step 88 is completed successfully, the sms sets the attribute deploymentstatus of the new service object(e.g., vpnservice) to "readyfortest". this message is forwarded by the qa.sub.vpn to the scp. the service object is then within the new service, service application process tree (e.g., new vpn service application process tree). thereafter, the scp will start the testing procedure to verify that the newly created service operates correctly. in step 90, if the testing in step 89 is successfully completed, the sms will receive a deploymentstatus state change notification with a value of testingcomplete. in step 91, the sms sets the attribute admstate of the new service application process object (e.g., the vpnservice) to unlocked and the new service application process is ready for use. once the value of the attribute admstate for the service application process object (vpnservice) is unlocked, the vpn service application process is accessible by a subscriber using a telephone connected to the signal network as shown in fig. 5. the vpnservice, as modeled by the vpn service application process mib tree, is utilized through the service application process management object instance within the scp mib tree and the qa.sub.vpn. iii. service application process update within a tmn due to the present inventive architecture, during a service application process update, there is no need to halt operation of the scp or the service application process that is being updated. in a case when a service application process is updated, it is only necessary to add a new service application process object instance (servicemgnt) and a service application process mib tree for the updated service application process. after the deployment and migration of the updated service application process is completed and the updated service application process is ready for operation, the service application process object instance and the service application process mib tree of the original service application process is deleted. there is no need to stop operation of the original service application process until the updated service application process is ready. inventively, in this way, there is virtually no interruption of service performance during the updating process. fig. 9a shows an illustrative process chart for updating an existing service application process, such as a vpn, in accordance with the present invention. before the updating procedure, the existing service application process has to finish all the steps of service application process deployment successfully, such as shown in fig. 8. in step 120a, the sms sets the attribute controlaction of the existing service application process qa.sub.old-vpn, to duplicate and assigns the values of newservicegenericnetworkid, and newservicename. in step 120b, all the subscription objects and subscriber objects are re-created in qa.sub.new-vpn as the same objects in qa.sub.old-vpn. in step 120c, after step 120b is finished, the qa.sub.old-vpn will set the attribute controlresult of the existing service application process on the scp to duplicateok (in a case where the duplication process was successful) or duplicatefail (in a case where the duplication process was unsuccessful). in step 120d, if the duplication process was successfully completed, the scp is notified by the attribute controlaction being set to duplicate by the qa.sub.old-vpn. in step 120e, the attribute controlresult of the existing vpn service application process (either duplicateok or duplicatefail) generates a state change notification from the scp. this notification is transmitted to the sms through the qa.sub.old-vpn. step 130a, if the duplication process is successful (e.g., duplicateok), the attribute control state of the new (e.g., updated) vpn servicemgnt object is set to update. in step 130b, the subscription and subscriber data on the scp (e.g., the existing servicemgnt object instance) will be duplicated for the updated service application process similar to the process for duplicating qa.sub.old-vpn as performed in step 120b. thereafter, in step 130c, the scp sets the exestate of the updated servicemgnt object instance to updateok, if the update is successfully completed, or updatefail, if the update is unsuccessful. the updateok/updatefail notification of the attribute exestate is forwarded to the sms through the qa.sub.scp. in step 140a, if the update is successfully completed (e.g., the state change notification is updateok), the present usage of the existing (e.g., old) vpn service application process is transferred to the updated vpn service application process by the sms setting the attribute controlstate of the updated servicemgnt object instance to "handover". in step 140b, after handover of the present usage of the vpn service application process is completed, the scp starts context switching wherein new requests for the vpn service application process are switched for processing by the updated vpn service application process, and the new vpn service application process is provided when it is unlocked (see step 150b below). in step 140c, the exestate state change notification of the updated servicemgnt object instance is transmitted to the sms by the scp. the sms receives a handoverok state change notification, if the handover is successfully completed. otherwise, the sms receives a handoverfail state change notification. in step 150a, if the handover process is successfully completed (e.g., handoverok), then the administrative state (the attribute admstate) of the old vpn service application process receives an event report of serviceshutdown from the scp. the qa.sub.old-vpn converts this event report to a shutdown state change notification which is provided to the sms. in step 150b, after the scp has sent out the event report of service shutdown of the old vpn service application process, the scp starts to service new vpn requests by setting the attribute admstate of the new service application process (vpnservice) to unlocked. in accordance with the present invention, shutdown of the old service application process is performed to stop the old service application process while still servicing existing usage. due to the sequential steps from step 140b to 150b, the service application process usage may be switched to the new vpn service application process while still accomplishing the object of "non-stopping" access to the service application process. in the event that the attribute controlresult in step 120c equals duplicatefail (e.g., the duplication process in step 120b is unsuccessful), then as shown in fig. 9b, the controlaction is set to clear and the subscription and subscriber objects (e.g., the contents of the mib tree for the updated service application process) are deleted by the qa.sub.new-vpn. in step 160b, the qa.sub.new-vpn sets the controlresult of the updated service application process to clearok, if the deletion process is successful, or clearfail, if the deletion process is unsuccessful. the value of the attribute controlresult is forwarded to the scp. thereafter, the scp will process the subscription and subscriber data duplicated at step 130b, if the attribute controlresult is equal to clearok, then clear it. in step 160c, the qa.sub.new-vpn retransmits the attribute controlaction with a value equal to clear. in step 160d, the scp sends an event report of controlresult to the sms according to the attribute value received from the qa.sub.new-vpn at step 160b. the q.sub.new-vpn will convert this event report to a state change notification which is then forwarded to the sms. after this step, the updating process shown in fig. 9a can be re-started from step 120b. it should be noted that although the values of the attributes mentioned above (e.g., "clearok") are illustratively represented by words, they may be mapped to an integer, a character, or any combination thereof. iv. conclusion the present inventive in architecture provides the function of an scp that not only offers scp management, but also is capable of processing deployment of a new service application process or a service application process update without halting the scp function. yet, the present inventive architecture is tmn compliant. in addition, in the event of a service application process update, the new service application process may be deployed without interrupting access to the service application process. in this way, the update process need not result in shut down of the scp or termination of access to the original service application process prior to availability of the updated service application process. the invention is described above with reference to preferred embodiments as well as illustrative processes. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous alternative embodiments and processes may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention which is defined by the appended claims. the preferred embodiments described above were intended to be illustrative only and were not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
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176-476-096-331-29X
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US
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[
"CN",
"US"
] |
H04L5/00,H04W24/08,H04W24/10,H04W72/04,H04L1/00,H04W72/232
| 2020-04-27T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"H04"
] |
method and apparatus for pdcch monitoring configuration for carrier aggregation in mobile communications
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various solutions for physical downlink control channel (pdcch) monitoring configuration for carrier aggregation (ca) with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications are described. an apparatus may transmit a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of pdcch monitoring capabilities to a network node. the apparatus may receive a monitoring combination configured by the network node based on the capability report. the apparatus may determine a monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination. the apparatus may perform a pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget.
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1. a method, comprising: transmitting, by a processor of an apparatus, a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of physical downlink control channel (pdcch) monitoring capabilities to a network node; receiving, by the processor, a monitoring combination configured by the network node based on the capability report; determining, by the processor, a monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination; and performing, by the processor, a pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget by using the monitoring combination configured by the network node responsive to a number of component carriers (ccs) configured being larger than a reported capability, wherein each of the monitoring combinations comprises a first supported number of ccs with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability, and wherein the receiving comprises receiving the monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability via a radio resource control (rrc) signaling. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability is selected from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by the capability report. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein the first pdcch monitoring capability comprises a slot-based pdcch monitoring capability, and wherein the second pdcch monitoring capability comprises a span-based pdcch monitoring capability. 4. the method of claim 1 , wherein the first pdcch monitoring capability comprises a release-15 pdcch blind detection capability, and wherein the second pdcch monitoring capability comprises a release-16 pdcch blind detection capability. 5. the method of claim 1 , wherein the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability is received in response to that a number of ccs configured is larger than the reported pdcch monitoring capability. 6. the method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises determining the monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination to scale the pdcch monitoring capabilities. 7. the method of claim 1 , wherein the configured monitoring combination is different from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by the capability report. 8. the method of claim 1 , wherein the configured monitoring combination comprises a combination indicator of pdcch blind detection under carrier aggregation. 9. the method of claim 1 , wherein the determining comprises determining a first number of ccs to monitor with the first pdcch monitoring capability and a second number of ccs to monitor with the second pdcch monitoring capability. 10. an apparatus, comprising: a transceiver which, during operation, wirelessly communicates with a network node of a wireless network; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver such that, during operation, the processor performs operations comprising: transmitting, via the transceiver, a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of physical downlink control channel (pdcch) monitoring capabilities to a network node; receiving, via the transceiver, a monitoring combination configured by the network node based on the capability report; determining a monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination; and performing a pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget by using the monitoring combination configured by the network node responsive to a number of component carriers (ccs) configured being larger than a reported capability, wherein each of the monitoring combinations comprises a first supported number of ccs with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability, and wherein, in receiving the monitoring combination, the processor receives the monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability via a radio resource control (rrc) signaling. 11. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability is selected from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by the capability report. 12. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first pdcch monitoring capability comprises a slot-based pdcch monitoring capability, and wherein the second pdcch monitoring capability comprises a span-based pdcch monitoring capability. 13. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the first pdcch monitoring capability comprises a release-15 pdcch blind detection capability, and wherein the second pdcch monitoring capability comprises a release-16 pdcch blind detection capability. 14. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability is received in response to that a number of ccs configured is larger than a reported pdcch monitoring capability. 15. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, in determining the monitoring budget, the processor determines the monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination to scale the pdcch monitoring capabilities. 16. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the configured monitoring combination is different from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by the capability report. 17. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the configured monitoring combination comprises a combination indicator of pdcch blind detection under carrier aggregation. 18. the apparatus of claim 10 , wherein, in determining the monitoring budget, the processor determines a first number of ccs to monitor with the first pdcch monitoring capability and a second number of ccs to monitor with the second pdcch monitoring capability.
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cross reference to related patent application(s) the present disclosure is part of a non-provisional patent application claiming the priority benefit of u.s. provisional patent application no. 63/015,827, filed on 27 apr. 2020, the content of which being incorporated by reference in its entirety. technical field the present disclosure is generally related to mobile communications and, more particularly, to physical downlink control channel (pdcch) monitoring configuration for carrier aggregation (ca) with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications. background unless otherwise indicated herein, approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted as prior art by inclusion in this section. in long-term evolution (lte) or new radio (nr), pdcch candidates refers to the area in the downlink resource grid where pdcch may be carried. the ue needs to perform blind decoding throughout these pdcch candidates trying to find pdcch data (e.g., downlink control information (dci)). pdcch candidates to be monitored are configured for a ue by means of search space sets. monitoring a large number of pdcch candidates increases the ue complexity. therefore, nr specifies the maximum number of pdcch candidates that require blind decodes and the maximum number of control channel elements (cces) that require channel estimations. this limit the ue complexity to a reasonable level with an acceptable restriction on the search space sets for pdcch monitoring. in release-15 (rel-15) of the 3 rd generation partnership project (3gpp) technical specification for nr, the limit on the maximum number of pdcch candidates to monitor in ca scenarios is defined per slot. the maximum number of non-overlapped cces or blind decodings (bds) is specified per slot. in release-16 (rel-16) of the 3gpp technical specification for nr, an increased pdcch monitoring capability on the number of non-overlapped cces is proposed for better latency. the explicit limitation on the maximum number of non-overlapping cces or bds is specified per monitoring span. for the cases with mix between rel-15 monitoring capability and rel-16 monitoring capability on different serving cells, the ue should report its capability for supporting the rel-15 monitoring capability and its capability for supporting the rel-16 monitoring capability. the ue may report one or more than one monitoring combinations as ue capability. based on the ue reported monitoring combinations, the network node (e.g., gnb) will configure the ue with a specific number of rel-15 and rel-16 component carriers (ccs). however, some issues may happen under such scenario and need to be resolved/defined. for example, how the ue knows about the gnb selected monitoring combination? and how the ue will use this information? could the gnb configure the ue with a monitoring combination different to the reported monitoring combinations? the monitoring combinations reported by the ue are the maximum capabilities the ue can support. the gnb may not always configure the maximum ccs for the ue to monitor. the gnb may configure less ccs to the ue. thus, if the number of ccs configured is larger or different from the ue reported capabilities, the ue needs to know which reported monitoring combination should be used for cces/bds budgets scaling. therefore, it is needed for the ue to know which reported monitoring combination should be used for the scaling and determining the pdcch monitoring budgets. accordingly, how to determine/configure the pdcch monitoring configuration in ca scenarios for the ue to perform pdcch monitoring becomes an important issue for the newly developed wireless communication network. therefore, there is a need to provide proper configuration for the ue to know which reported monitoring combination should be used for the scaling and determining the pdcch monitoring budgets. summary the following summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. that is, the following summary is provided to introduce concepts, highlights, benefits and advantages of the novel and non-obvious techniques described herein. select implementations are further described below in the detailed description. thus, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended for use in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. an objective of the present disclosure is to propose solutions or schemes that address the aforementioned issues pertaining to pdcch monitoring configuration for ca with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications. in one aspect, a method may involve an apparatus transmitting a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of pdcch monitoring capabilities to a network node. the method may also involve the apparatus receiving a monitoring combination configured by the network node based on the capability report. the method may further involve the apparatus determining a monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination. the method may further involve the apparatus performing a pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget. each of the monitoring combinations comprises a first supported number of component carriers with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability. in one aspect, an apparatus may comprise a transceiver which, during operation, wirelessly communicates with network nodes of a wireless network. the apparatus may also comprise a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. the processor, during operation, may perform operations comprising transmitting, via the transceiver, a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of physical downlink control channel (pdcch) monitoring capabilities to a network node. the processor may also perform operations comprising receiving, via the transceiver, a monitoring combination configured by the network node based on the capability report. the processor may further perform operations comprising determining a monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination. the processor may further perform operations comprising performing a pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget. each of the monitoring combinations comprises a first supported number of component carriers with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability. it is noteworthy that, although description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as long-term evolution (lte), lte-advanced, lte-advanced pro, 5th generation (5g), new radio (nr), internet-of-things (iot), narrow band internet of things (nb-iot) and industrial internet of things (iiot), the proposed concepts, schemes and any variation(s)/derivative(s) thereof may be implemented in, for and by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies. thus, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure. the drawings illustrate implementations of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. it is appreciable that the drawings are not necessarily in scale as some components may be shown to be out of proportion than the size in actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concept of the present disclosure. fig. 1 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 2 is a diagram depicting an example table of cces and bds budgets under schemes in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 3 is a diagram depicting an example scenario under schemes in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 4 is a block diagram of an example communication apparatus and an example network apparatus in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. fig. 5 is a flowchart of an example process in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. detailed description of preferred implementations detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matters are disclosed herein. however, it shall be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrative of the claimed subject matters which may be embodied in various forms. the present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. rather, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that description of the present disclosure is thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. in the description below, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations. overview implementations in accordance with the present disclosure relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and/or solutions pertaining to pdcch monitoring configuration for ca with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in mobile communications. according to the present disclosure, a number of possible solutions may be implemented separately or jointly. that is, although these possible solutions may be described below separately, two or more of these possible solutions may be implemented in one combination or another. in lte or nr, pdcch candidates refers to the area in the downlink resource grid where pdcch may be carried. the ue needs to perform blind decoding throughout these pdcch candidates trying to find pdcch data (e.g., dci). pdcch candidates to be monitored are configured for a ue by means of search space sets. monitoring a large number of pdcch candidates increases the ue complexity. therefore, nr specifies the maximum number of pdcch candidates that require blind decodes and the maximum number of cces that require channel estimations. this limit the ue complexity to a reasonable level with an acceptable restriction on the search space sets for pdcch monitoring. in rel-15 of the 3gpp technical specification for nr, the limit on the maximum number of pdcch candidates to monitor in ca scenarios is defined per slot. the maximum number of non-overlapped cces or bds is specified per slot. in rel-16 of the 3gpp technical specification for nr, an increased pdcch monitoring capability on the number of non-overlapped cces is proposed for better latency. the explicit limitation on the maximum number of non-overlapping cces or bds is specified per monitoring span. fig. 1 illustrates an example scenario 100 under schemes in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. scenario 100 involves a ue and a plurality of network nodes, which may be a part of a wireless communication network (e.g., an lte network, a 5g network, an nr network, an iot network, an nb-iot network or an iiot network). the span-based monitoring is used in rel-16 for the explicit bds/cces budgets. the ue reports one or more combinations of (x, y) number of symbols, where x≥y, for pdcch monitoring. a span is a set of consecutive symbols in a slot in which the ue is configured to monitor pdcch candidates. the ue supports pdcch monitoring occasions in any symbol of a slot with minimum time separation of x symbols between the first symbol of two consecutive spans, including across slots. the duration of a span is d span =max (d coreset,max , y min ) where d coreset,max is a maximum duration among durations of coresets that are configured to the ue and y min is a minimum value of y in the combinations of (x, y) that are reported by the ue. a last span in a slot can have a shorter duration than other spans in the slot. a ue capability for pdcch monitoring per slot or per span on an active downlink (dl) bandwidth part (bwp) of a serving cell is defined by a maximum number of pdcch candidates and non-overlapped cces the ue can monitor per slot or per span, respectively, on the active dl bwp of the serving cell. scenario 100 illustrates an example of span determination. the ue may report the spans it can support. for example, the ue may report the supported span (x, y)={(7,3),(4,3)} to the network node. the network node may select at least one of them and configure the selected span to the ue. a particular pdcch monitoring configuration that meets the ue capability limitation may be configured if the span arrangement satisfies the gap separation for at least one (x, y) in the ue reported candidate value set in every slot, including cross slot boundary. for example, the network node may determine that span duration=max{maximum value of all coreset durations, min of y}=max{3,3}=3. the span arrangement does not satisfy the gap separation for (x, y)=(7,3) and can satisfy the gap separation for (x, y)=(4,3). therefore, the pdcch monitoring configuration corresponding to monitoring span (x, y)=(4,3) can be configured to the ue by the network node. in rel-15, the maximum number of non-overlapped cces and the maximum number of monitored pdcch candidates (e.g., the maximum number of bds) are specified per slot for different sub-carrier spacing (scs) (e.g., μ=0, 1, 2 or 3). in rel-16, the maximum number of non-overlapped cces and the maximum number of monitored pdcch candidates (e.g., the maximum number of bds) are specified per span for combinations of (x, y) and different scs (e.g., μ=0 or 1). fig. 2 illustrates an example table 200 under schemes in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. table 200 illustrates the cces budgets and bds budgets corresponding to the rel-15 slot-based configuration and the rel-16 span-based configuration respectively. 3 monitoring spans are introduced in rel-16 including (2, 2), (4, 3) and (7, 3). the ue may be configured to determine the cces budgets and bds budgets according to table 200 which is also defined in the 3gpp technical specification for nr. fig. 3 illustrates an example scenario 300 under schemes in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. scenario 300 involves a ue and a plurality of network nodes, which may be a part of a wireless communication network (e.g., an lte network, a 5g network, an nr network, an iot network, an nb-iot network or an iiot network). scenario 300 illustrates an example of cces/bds budgets determination. the cces/bds budgets are defined per span in rel-16 for scs=15 khz (e.g., μ=0) and 30 khz (e.g., μ=1). assuming that the pdcch monitoring configuration corresponding to monitoring span (x,y)=(4,3) is configured and the scs is 15 khz, the ue may be configured to determine the cces/bds budgets according to table 200 defined in 3gpp technical specification for nr. as shown in fig. 3 , for (x,y)=(4,3) and scs=15 khz, the ue may determine that the cce budgets is equal to 36 and the bds budgets is equal to 28 for each span. for the cases with mix between rel-15 monitoring capability and rel-16 monitoring capability on different serving cells, the ue should report its capability for supporting the rel-15 monitoring capability (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15) and its capability for supporting the rel-16 monitoring capability (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16). the ue may report one or more than one monitoring combinations of (pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15, pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16) as ue capability. based on the ue reported monitoring combinations, the network node (e.g., gnb) will configure the ue with a specific number of rel-15 and rel-16 ccs. however, some issues may happen under such scenario and need to be resolved/defined. for example, how the ue knows about the gnb selected monitoring combination? and how the ue will use this information? could the gnb configure the ue with a monitoring combination different to the reported monitoring combinations? the monitoring combinations reported by the ue are the maximum capabilities the ue can support. the gnb may not always configure the maximum ccs for the ue to monitor. the gnb may configure less ccs to the ue. thus, if the number of ccs configured is larger or different from the ue reported capabilities, the ue needs to know which reported monitoring combination should be used for cces/bds budgets scaling. therefore, it is needed for the ue to know which reported monitoring combination should be used for the scaling and determining the pdcch monitoring budgets. in view of the above, the present disclosure proposes a number of schemes pertaining to pdcch monitoring configuration for ca with respect to the ue and the network apparatus. according to the schemes of the present disclosure, the ue may be configured to transmit a capability report to indicate more than one monitoring combinations of pdcch monitoring capabilities to the network node. the network node will determine/select a monitoring combination based on the ue reported monitoring combinations. the network node will configure/signal to the ue a specific number of rel-15 ccs and rel-16 ccs. then, the ue may be able to know the specific monitoring combination used by the network node and use such information to determining pdcch monitoring budgets and perform pdcch monitoring accordingly. accordingly, by introducing extra signalling, the network node may signal the ue the monitoring combination determined by the network node. the ue may perform pdcch monitoring correctly to avoid uncertainty and ambiguity. the design complexity at the ue may also be reduced and limited. specifically, the ue may be configured to transmit a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of pdcch monitoring capabilities to a network node. each of the monitoring combinations may comprise a first supported number of ccs with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability. the first pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a slot-based pdcch monitoring capability. the second pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a span-based pdcch monitoring capability. for example, the first pdcch monitoring capability may be a release-15 pdcch blind detection capability (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15). the second pdcch monitoring capability may be a release-16 pdcch blind detection capability (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16). after receiving the capability report from the ue, the network node may select/determine a monitoring combination based on the reported monitoring combinations. for example, the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability may be selected from the plurality of combinations indicated by the ue capability report. in another example, the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability may be different from the plurality of combinations indicated by the ue capability report. then, the network may be configured to indicate/configure the determined/selected monitoring combination the ue. the network node may use a radio resource control (rrc) signaling and a physical layer signaling to configure the monitoring combination. the ue may be configured to receive the configured monitoring combination configured by the network node based on the capability report. the configured monitoring combination may be received in response to that a number of ccs configured is larger than a reported pdcch monitoring capability. the configured monitoring combination may comprise a combination indicator of pdcch blind detection for carrier aggregation (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-combindicator). this combination indicator is used to configure one monitoring combination of pdcch-blinddetectionca1 (for rel-15) and pdcch-blinddetectionca2 (for rel-16) for the ue to use for scaling pdcch monitoring capability if the number of serving cells configured to a ue is larger than the reported capability, and if the ue reports more than one monitoring combinations of pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15 and pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16 as ue capability. the monitoring combination of pdcch-blinddetectionca1 and pdcch-blinddetectionca2 configured by pdcch-blinddetectioncacombindicator may be from the more than one monitoring combinations of pdcch-blinddetectionca1 and pdcch-blinddetectionca2 reported by the ue. the ue may be configured to determine a monitoring budget (e.g., maximum number of non-overlapping cces or bds) by using the configured monitoring combination to scale the pdcch monitoring capabilities. the ue may determine a first number of ccs to monitor with the first pdcch monitoring capability and a second number of ccs to monitor with the second pdcch monitoring capability. for example, the ue may use the rel-15 formula for cces/bds budget to determining the pdcch monitoring budget according to pdcch-blinddetectionca1 (for rel-15). the ue may use the rel-16 formula for cces/bds budget to determining the pdcch monitoring budget according to pdcch-blinddetectionca1 (for rel-15). then, the ue may perform the pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget. in some implementations, the ue may support and be configured with 8 ccs. however, the ue may not monitor pdcch on all 8 cells. the ue may support multiple monitoring combinations and reports the monitoring combinations (a, b) it can support to the network node. a is the number of rel-15 ccs (e.g., slot based monitoring) and b is the number of rel-16 ccs (e.g., with span based monitoring). in 3gpp specifications, a may be indicated by the parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15 and b may be indicated by the parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16. for example, the ue may report three monitoring combinations comprising (6, 1), (4, 2) and (2, 3). the monitoring combination (6, 1) means that the ue can support 6 ccs with rel-15 capability and 1 cc with rel-16 capability. the monitoring combination (4, 2) means that the ue can support 4 ccs with rel-15 capability and 2 ccs with rel-16 capability. the monitoring combination (2, 3) means that the ue can support 2 ccs with rel-15 capability and 3 ccs with rel-16 capability. assuming that the network node configures the ue with (5, 1) or another monitoring combination different from the reported monitoring combinations (but still the network node can't configure the ue with a monitoring combination above its monitoring capability). the ue needs to know which monitoring combination among the reported ones to use for the scaling in the cces/bds budgets formula. thus, the network node needs to signal/configure the ue with one of its reported monitoring combinations to use for the scaling (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-combindicator). the pdcch-blinddetectionca-combindicator may comprise a first parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca1 and a second parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca2. in some implementations, for the case with rel-15 monitoring capability and rel-16 monitoring capability on different serving cells (i.e., case 3), the ue will report one or more monitoring combination of (pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15, pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16) as ue capability. if the ue reports more than one monitoring combination of (pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15, pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16), gnb will configure which monitoring combination for the ue to use for scaling pdcch monitoring capability if the number of ccs configured is larger than the reported capability. illustrative implementations fig. 4 illustrates an example communication apparatus 410 and an example network apparatus 420 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. each of communication apparatus 410 and network apparatus 420 may perform various functions to implement schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein pertaining to pdcch monitoring configuration for ca with respect to user equipment and network apparatus in wireless communications, including scenarios/schemes described above as well as process 500 described below. communication apparatus 410 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a ue such as a portable or mobile apparatus, a wearable apparatus, a wireless communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. for instance, communication apparatus 410 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, a digital camera, or a computing equipment such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a notebook computer. communication apparatus 410 may also be a part of a machine type apparatus, which may be an iot, nb-iot, or iiot apparatus such as an immobile or a stationary apparatus, a home apparatus, a wire communication apparatus or a computing apparatus. for instance, communication apparatus 410 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart fridge, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker or a home control center. alternatively, communication apparatus 410 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated-circuit (ic) chips such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more reduced-instruction set computing (risc) processors, or one or more complex-instruction-set-computing (cisc) processors. communication apparatus 410 may include at least some of those components shown in fig. 4 such as a processor 412 , for example. communication apparatus 410 may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device), and, thus, such component(s) of communication apparatus 410 are neither shown in fig. 4 nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity. network apparatus 420 may be a part of an electronic apparatus, which may be a network node such as a base station, a small cell, a router or a gateway. for instance, network apparatus 420 may be implemented in an enodeb in an lte, lte-advanced or lte-advanced pro network or in a gnb in a 5g, nr, iot, nb-iot or iiot network. alternatively, network apparatus 420 may be implemented in the form of one or more ic chips such as, for example and without limitation, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more risc or cisc processors. network apparatus 420 may include at least some of those components shown in fig. 4 such as a processor 422 , for example. network apparatus 420 may further include one or more other components not pertinent to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and/or user interface device), and, thus, such component(s) of network apparatus 420 are neither shown in fig. 4 nor described below in the interest of simplicity and brevity. in one aspect, each of processor 412 and processor 422 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more cisc processors. that is, even though a singular term “a processor” is used herein to refer to processor 412 and processor 422 , each of processor 412 and processor 422 may include multiple processors in some implementations and a single processor in other implementations in accordance with the present disclosure. in another aspect, each of processor 412 and processor 422 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware) with electronic components including, for example and without limitation, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors and/or one or more varactors that are configured and arranged to achieve specific purposes in accordance with the present disclosure. in other words, in at least some implementations, each of processor 412 and processor 422 is a special-purpose machine specifically designed, arranged and configured to perform specific tasks including power consumption reduction in a device (e.g., as represented by communication apparatus 410 ) and a network (e.g., as represented by network apparatus 420 ) in accordance with various implementations of the present disclosure. in some implementations, communication apparatus 410 may also include a transceiver 416 coupled to processor 412 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. in some implementations, communication apparatus 410 may further include a memory 414 coupled to processor 412 and capable of being accessed by processor 412 and storing data therein. in some implementations, network apparatus 420 may also include a transceiver 426 coupled to processor 422 and capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. in some implementations, network apparatus 420 may further include a memory 424 coupled to processor 422 and capable of being accessed by processor 422 and storing data therein. accordingly, communication apparatus 410 and network apparatus 420 may wirelessly communicate with each other via transceiver 416 and transceiver 426 , respectively. to aid better understanding, the following description of the operations, functionalities and capabilities of each of communication apparatus 410 and network apparatus 420 is provided in the context of a mobile communication environment in which communication apparatus 410 is implemented in or as a communication apparatus or a ue and network apparatus 420 is implemented in or as a network node of a communication network. in some implementations, processor 412 may be configured to transmit, via transceiver 416 , a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of pdcch monitoring capabilities to network apparatus 420 . each of the monitoring combinations transmitted by processor 412 may comprise a first supported number of ccs with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability. the first pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a slot-based pdcch monitoring capability. the second pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a span-based pdcch monitoring capability. for example, the first pdcch monitoring capability may be a release-15 pdcch blind detection capability (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15). the second pdcch monitoring capability may be a release-16 pdcch blind detection capability (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16). in some implementations, after receiving the capability report from communication apparatus 410 , processor 422 may select/determine a monitoring combination based on the reported monitoring combinations. for example, processor 422 may select the monitoring combination from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by communication apparatus 410 . in another example, processor 422 may determine a monitoring combination different from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by communication apparatus 410 . then, processor 422 may be configured to indicate/configure, via transceiver 426 , the determined/selected monitoring combination to communication apparatus 410 . processor 422 may use an rrc signaling and a physical layer signaling to configure the monitoring combination. in some implementations, processor 412 may be configured to receive, via transceiver 416 , the configured monitoring combination configured by network apparatus 420 based on the capability report. processor 412 may receive the configured monitoring combination in response to that a number of ccs configured is larger than a reported pdcch monitoring capability. the configured monitoring combination received by processor 412 may comprise a combination indicator of pdcch blind detection for carrier aggregation (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-combindicator). communication apparatus 420 may use this combination indicator to configure one monitoring combination of pdcch-blinddetectionca1 (for rel-15) and pdcch-blinddetectionca2 (for rel-16) for communication apparatus 420 to use for scaling pdcch monitoring capability if the number of serving cells configured to communication apparatus 420 is larger than the reported capability, and if communication apparatus 420 reports more than one monitoring combinations of pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15 and pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16 as its capability. the monitoring combination of pdcch-blinddetectionca1 and pdcch-blinddetectionca2 configured by pdcch-blinddetectioncacombindicator may be from the more than one monitoring combinations of pdcch-blinddetectionca1 and pdcch-blinddetectionca2 reported by communication apparatus 420 . in some implementations, processor 412 may be configured to determine a monitoring budget (e.g., maximum number of non-overlapping cces or bds) by using the configured monitoring combination to scale the pdcch monitoring capabilities. processor 412 may determine a first number of ccs to monitor with the first pdcch monitoring capability and a second number of ccs to monitor with the second pdcch monitoring capability. for example, processor 412 may use the rel-15 formula for cces/bds budget to determining the pdcch monitoring budget according to pdcch-blinddetectionca1 (for rel-15). processor 412 may use the rel-16 formula for cces/bds budget to determining the pdcch monitoring budget according to pdcch-blinddetectionca1 (for rel-15). then, processor 412 may perform, via transceiver 416 , the pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget. in some implementations, processor 412 may support and be configured with 8 ccs. however, processor 412 may not monitor pdcch on all 8 cells. processor 412 may support multiple monitoring combinations and reports the monitoring combinations (a, b) it can support to the network node. a is the number of rel-15 ccs (e.g., slot based monitoring) and b is the number of rel-16 ccs (e.g., with span based monitoring). in 3gpp specifications, a may be indicated by the parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca-r15 and b may be indicated by the parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca-r16. for example, processor 412 may report three monitoring combinations comprising (6, 1), (4, 2) and (2, 3). the monitoring combination (6, 1) means that processor 412 can support 6 ccs with rel-15 capability and 1 cc with rel-16 capability. the monitoring combination (4, 2) means that processor 412 can support 4 ccs with rel-15 capability and 2 ccs with rel-16 capability. the monitoring combination (2, 3) means that processor 412 can support 2 ccs with rel-15 capability and 3 ccs with rel-16 capability. in some implementations, assuming that network apparatus 420 configures processor 412 with (5, 1) or another monitoring combination different from the reported monitoring combinations (but still network apparatus 420 can't configure processor 412 with a monitoring combination above its monitoring capability). processor 412 needs to know which monitoring combination among the reported ones to use for the scaling in the cces/bds budgets formula. thus, network apparatus 420 needs to signal/configure processor 412 with one of its reported monitoring combinations to use for the scaling (e.g., pdcch-blinddetectionca-combindicator). the pdcch-blinddetectionca-combindicator may comprise a first parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca1 and a second parameter pdcch-blinddetectionca2. illustrative processes fig. 5 illustrates an example process 500 in accordance with an implementation of the present disclosure. process 500 may be an example implementation of schemes described above, whether partially or completely, with respect to pdcch monitoring configuration for ca with the present disclosure. process 500 may represent an aspect of implementation of features of communication apparatus 410 . process 500 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks 510 , 520 , 530 and 540 . although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks of process 500 may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. moreover, the blocks of process 500 may executed in the order shown in fig. 5 or, alternatively, in a different order. process 500 may be implemented by communication apparatus 410 or any suitable ue or machine type devices. solely for illustrative purposes and without limitation, process 500 is described below in the context of communication apparatus 410 . process 500 may begin at block 510 . at 510 , process 500 may involve processor 412 of apparatus 410 transmitting a capability report to indicate a plurality of monitoring combinations of pdcch monitoring capabilities to a network node. each of the monitoring combinations comprises a first supported number of ccs with a first pdcch monitoring capability and a second supported number of ccs with a second pdcch monitoring capability. process 500 may proceed from 510 to 520 . at 520 , process 500 may involve processor 412 receiving a monitoring configuration configured by the network node based on the capability report. process 500 may proceed from 520 to 530 . at 530 , process 500 may involve processor 412 determining a monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination. process 500 may proceed from 530 to 540 . at 540 , process 500 may involve processor 412 performing a pdcch monitoring according to the monitoring budget. in some implementations, the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability may be selected from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by the capability report. in some implementations, the first pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a slot-based pdcch monitoring capability. the second pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a span-based pdcch monitoring capability. in some implementations, the first pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a release-15 pdcch blind detection capability. the second pdcch monitoring capability may comprise a release-16 pdcch blind detection capability. in some implementations, the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability may be received in response to that a number of ccs configured is larger than a reported pdcch monitoring capability. in some implementations, process 500 may involve processor 412 receiving the configured monitoring combination for scaling of the pdcch monitoring capability via at least one of an rrc signaling and a physical layer signaling. in some implementations, process 500 may involve processor 412 determining the monitoring budget by using the configured monitoring combination to scale the pdcch monitoring capabilities. in some implementations, the configured monitoring combination may be different from the plurality of monitoring combinations indicated by the capability report. in some implementations, the configured monitoring combination may comprise a combination indicator of pdcch blind detection under carrier aggregation. in some implementations, process 500 may involve processor 412 determining a first number of ccs to monitor with the first pdcch monitoring capability and a second number of ccs to monitor with the second pdcch monitoring capability. additional notes the herein-described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. it is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. in a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated” such that the desired functionality is achieved. hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components. further, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. the various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity. moreover, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g., bodies of the appended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms, e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc. it will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. for example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. however, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to implementations containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. in addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of a, b, and c, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of a, b, and c” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b together, a and c together, b and c together, and/or a, b, and c together, etc. in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of a, b, or c, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of a, b, or c” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b together, a and c together, b and c together, and/or a, b, and c together, etc. it will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. for example, the phrase “a or b” will be understood to include the possibilities of “a” or “b” or “a and b.” from the foregoing, it will be appreciated that various implementations of the present disclosure have been described herein for purposes of illustration, and that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. accordingly, the various implementations disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
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177-075-831-017-344
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US
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C12Q1/68,C40B40/06,C40B40/10,C40B40/12,G01N33/48,G01N33/50,G01N33/53,G06F19/00,G01N21/78,G01N33/543,G01N37/00
| 2003-01-23T00:00:00 |
2003
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[
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methods for analyzing polymer populations
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the invention relates to methods and algorithms for processing polymer analysis data. more specifically, the data is analyzed in order to align, orient and discern individual polymer data from a population data set.
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1. a method for analyzing polymer intensity data from a sample comprising obtaining intensity profiles from individual labeled polymers contained in the sample, aligning individual intensity profiles from individual labeled polymers with respect to an alignment reference point, combining aligned individual intensity profiles to generate a population profile, selecting a pealc in the population profile and obtaining individual intensity profiles that contribute to pealc, combining individual intensity profiles that contribute to the pealc to generate a pealc profile, and comparing the pealc profile with the population profile. 2. the method of claim 1, wherein the sample contains a heterogeneous mixture of polymers. 3. the method of claim 2, wherein the heterogeneous mixture of polymers comprises differentially sized fragments of a parent polymer. 4. the method of claim 2, wherein the heterogeneous mixture of polymers comprises polymers with different sequences. 5. the method of claim 1, wherein the profiles are intensity versus length profiles. 6. the method of claim 1 , wherein the intensity data is fluorescence intensity data and intensity profiles are fluorescence intensity profiles. 7. the method of claim 1, wherein the polymers are labeled with a sequence specific probe. 8. the method of claim 1, wherein the polymers are labeled with a sequence non-specific label. 9. the method of claim 1, wherein the method is implemented on a computer. 10. the method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a nucleic acid. 11. the method of claim 10, wherein the nucleic acid is dna or rna. 12. the method of claim 11 , wherein the dna is genomic nuclear dna, mitochondrial dna or cdna. ' 13. the method of claim 11 , wherein the rna is mrna. 14. the method of claim 1, wherein the alignment reference point is an internal reference point. 15. the method of claim 14, wherein the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. 16. the method of claim 14, wherein the alignment reference point is a sequence specific probe bound to individual polymers. 17. the method of claim 14, wherein the alignment reference point is a sequence non-specific probe bound to individual polymers. 18. the method of claim 1 , wherein the intensity profiles are obtained from individual polymers in flow. 19. the method of claim 1 , wherein the intensity profiles are obtained from individual polymers fixed to a solid support. 20. the method of claim 1 , wherein the population profile is a cumulative population profile. 21. the method of claim 1 , wherein the population profile is an averaged population profile. 22. the method of claim 1 , wherein the peak profile is a cumulative peak profile. 23. the method of claim 1 , wherein the pealc profile is an averaged peak profile. 24. the method of claim 1, wherein the pealc is selected based on intensity. 25. the method of claim 1, wherein the pealc is selected based on the presence of its mirror image pealc in the population profile. 26. the method of claim 1, wherein polymers in the sample are sorted according to size prior to aligning individual intensity profiles. 27. the method of claim 1 , wherein a pealc profile that resembles the population profile indicates a non-oriented profile. 28. the method of claim 1 , wherein a peak profile that consists of a subset of pealcs from the population profile indicates a putative oriented profile. 29. the method of claim 28, further comprising inverting the putative oriented profile to generate a putative inverted profile, combining the putative oriented profile with the putative inverted profile to generate a putative non-oriented profile, and comparing the putative non-oriented profile with the population profile, wherein a putative non-oriented profile that is identical to the population profile indicates that the putative oriented profile is an oriented profile, that the putative inverted profile is an inverted profile, and that the putative non-oriented profile is a non-oriented profile. 30. the method of claim 28, further comprising determining whether individual pealcs in the pealc profile have corresponding mirror image peaks in the population profile when the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. 31. the method of claim 30, wherein the presence of corresponding mirror images indicates the putative oriented profile is an oriented profile. 32. the method of claim 28, further comprising determining whether the oriented pealc has a corresponding mirror image pealc in the population profile when the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. 33. the method of claim 32, further comprising obtaining individual intensity profiles that contribute to the mirror image pealc, and combining individual intensity profiles that contribute to the mirror image pealc to generate a mirror image pealc profile. 34. the method of claim 33, further comprising comparing the mirror image peak profile with the population profile. 35. the method of claim 34, further comprising determining whether the mirror image peak profile is a mirror image of the pealc profile. 36. the method of claim 35, further comprising inverting and combining the mirror image peak profile with the pealc profile provided the mirror image peak profile is a mirror image of the peak profile. 37. the method of claim 33, wherein the mirror image peak profile is a cumulative mirror image pealc profile. 38. the method of claim 33, wherein the mirror image pealc profile is an averaged mirror image peak profile. 39. the method of claim 28 or 31 , further comprising subtracting the pealc profile from the population profile. 40. the method of claim 35, further comprising subtracting the mirror image pealc profile from the population profile. 41. the method of claim 35, further comprising subtracting the peak profile and the mirror image peak profile from the population profile. 42. the method of claim 41, further comprising determining whether additional pealcs remain in the population profile following subtraction of the peak profile and the mirror image peak profile. 43. the method of claim 42, wherein the presence of additional pealcs is indicative that the sample comprised different polymers. 44. the method of claim 1, wherein the polymer is completely stretched. 45. the method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is partially stretched. 46. the method of claim 31, further comprising inverting the oriented profile, combining the oriented profile with the inverted profile to generate a non-oriented profile, and comparing the non-oriented profile with the population profile. 47. the method of claim 8, wherein the sequence non-specific label is a backbone label. 48. the method of claim 47, wherein the aligmnent reference pomt is a center of molecule reference point. 49. the method of claim 48, wherein the center of molecule reference point is the midpoint of an individual profile. 50. the method of claim 1 , wherein the pealc is visible in an intensity versus length profile. 51. the method of claim 1 , wherein the pealc corresponds to bin counts. 52. the method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is uniformly stretched. 53. the method of claim 1 , wherein the sample comprises polymers embedded in a gel matrix.
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methods foranalyzing polymerpopulations field of the invention the present invention relates generally to methods for analyzing complex mixtures of polymers. this facilitates inter alia the generation of accurate sequence maps of analyzed polymers (e.g., nucleic acids). background of the invention analysis of polymers including sequence analysis often involves analysis of polymer mixtures. these mixtures may contain multiple copies of identical polymers, or they may contain multiple copies of disparate polymers (in terms of size and/or sequence). in the former case, even though the sample is homogeneous with respect to the polymer, the data generated is not directly useful because the polymers are usually analyzed in an orientation-insensitive manner. as a result, each polymer is independently analyzed in either a "head-first" or a "tail-first" orientation. data sets resulting from randomly analyzed individual polymers cannot be superimposed due to the non-oriented nature of the data. additionally, polymer analysis usually requires analysis of more than one (and often times several hundred or several thousand) copies of the same polymer. this is due to the inefficient labeling of single polymers and inefficient detection of probes that are minimally labeled. labeling efficiencies of 50% to 95% are common, particularly when the labeling strategy involves labeling target sequence sites in nucleic acids with nucleic acid probes. for example, detection of single fluorophores at a high rate has an average efficiency of 10-90%o and is dependent upon the properties of the fluorophore used as well as on the trajectory of the probe and polymer through the excitation spot of the detection system. analysis of multiple copies of a polymer is therefore necessary in order to compile information for all target sequence sites in a polymer. accordingly, when a sample contains more than one copy of a particular polymer (or in more complex situations, more than one type of polymer), intensity profiles generated from identical and uniformly oriented polymers are difficult to distinguish from all other intensity profiles. superimposition of intensity profiles from randomly oriented polymers of one or more types are not particularly useful, and one is left analyzing signals from individual polymers only. thus, there exists a need for discerning individual polymer data from a heterogeneous sample. an example of this is the need to accurately assess polymer orientation in order to generate polymer sequence maps. the ability to discern polymers from each other and determine polymer orientation should increase the amount of usable sequence data available and reduce the number of polymers that need to be analyzed. this is particularly useful if there is only a limited supply of the polymer (e.g., rarely transcribed mrna species). summary of the invention the invention provides methods and algorithms for processing polymer data. the method enables the identification of polymer-specific and orientation-specific data from a population data set. in one aspect, the invention provides a method for analyzing polymer intensity data from a sample. the method comprises obtaining intensity profiles from individual labeled polymers contained in the sample, aligning individual intensity profiles from individual labeled polymers with respect to an alignment reference point, combining aligned individual intensity profiles to generate a sample population profile, selecting a pealc in the sample population profile and obtaining individual intensity profiles that contribute to peak, combining individual intensity profiles that contribute to the peak to generate a peak profile, and comparing the pealc profile with the sample population profile. in one embodiment, the sample contains a heterogeneous mixture of polymers. the heterogeneous mixture of polymers may comprise differentially sized fragments of a parent polymer. the heterogeneous mixture of polymers may comprise polymers with different sequences. in one embodiment, the profiles are intensity versus length profiles. length may be contour length or actual length, depending on the embodiment. the intensity data may be fluorescence intensity data and intensity profiles may be fluorescence intensity profiles, but neither is so limited. in one embodiment, the polymers are labeled with a sequence specific probe. additionally, the polymers may be labeled with a sequence non-specific label. in one embodiment, the sequence non-specific label is a backbone label. in important embodiments, the method is implemented on a computer. in one embodiment, the polymer is a nucleic acid, such as dna or rna. in one embodiment, the dna is genomic nuclear dna, mitochondrial dna or cdna. in another embodiment, the rna is mrna. in one embodiment, the alignment reference point is an internal reference point. in another embodiment, the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. in yet another embodiment, the alignment reference point is a sequence specific probe bound to individual polymers. in still another embodiment, the alignment reference point is a sequence non-specific probe bound to individual polymers. in one embodiment, the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. in another embodiment, the center of molecule reference point is the midpoint of an individual profile. the intensity profiles may be obtained from individual polymers in flow, or from individual polymers fixed to a solid support. alternatively, the intensity profiles may be obtained from individual polymers embedded in a gel matrix. in one embodiment, the sample population profile is a cumulative population profile. in another embodiment, the sample population profile is an averaged population profile. similarly, the pealc profile may be a cumulative pealc profile or an averaged pealc profile. in one embodiment, the peak is randomly selected. in another embodiment, the pealc is selected based on intensity. in yet another embodiment, the peak is selected based on the presence of its mirror image pealc in the population profile. in some embodiments, the polymers in the sample are sorted according to size prior to aligning individual intensity profiles. in one embodiment, a peak profile that resembles the sample population profile indicates a non-oriented profile. in another embodiment, a pealc profile that consists of a subset of peaks from the population profile indicates a putative oriented profile. in one related embodiment, the method further comprises inverting the putative oriented profile to generate a putative inverted profile, combining the putative oriented profile with the putative inverted profile to generate a putative non-oriented profile, and comparing the putative non-oriented profile with the population profile, wherein a putative non-oriented profile that is identical to the population profile indicates that the putative oriented profile is an oriented profile, that the putative inverted profile is an inverted profile, and that the putative non-oriented profile is a non-oriented profile. in a second related embodiment, the method further comprises determining whether individual peaks in the pealc profile have corresponding mirror image peaks in the population profile when the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. the presence of corresponding mirror images may indicate that the putative oriented profile is an oriented profile. in a third related embodiment, the method further comprises determining whether the oriented pealc has a corresponding mirror image peak in the population profile when the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. this latter method may further comprise obtaining individual intensity profiles that contribute to the mirror image pealc, and combining individual intensity profiles that contribute to the mirror image pealc to generate a mirror image peak profile, and optionally comparing the mirror image peak profile with the population profile, and optionally determining whether the mirror image pealc profile is a mirror image of the peak profile, and optionally inverting and combining the mirror image pealc profile with the pealc profile provided the mirror image pealc profile is a mirror image of the pealc profile. in one embodiment, the mirror image pealc profile is a cumulative mirror image peak profile. in another embodiment, the mirror image pealc profile is an averaged mirror image peak profile. the method may further comprise inverting the oriented profile, combining the oriented profile with the inverted profile to generate a non-oriented profile, and comparing the non-oriented profile with the sample population profile. the method may further comprise subtracting the pealc profile from the sample population profile, or subtracting the mirror image pealc profile from the sample population profile, or subtracting the peak profile and the mirror image pealc profile from the sample population profile. the method may further comprise determining whether additional peaks remain in the sample population profile following subtraction of the pealc profile and the mirror image pealc profile. in a related embodiment, the presence of additional peaks is indicative that the sample comprised different polymers. in one embodiment, the pealc is visible in an intensity versus length profile, hi another embodiment, the pealc corresponds to bin counts. in one embodiment, the polymer is completely stretched, while in another it is partially stretched. in yet another embodiment, the polymer is uniformly stretched. each of the limitations of the invention can encompass various embodiments of the invention. it is therefore anticipated that each of the limitations of the invention involving any one element or combinations of elements can be included in each aspect of the invention. this invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. the use of "including", "comprising", "having", "containing" or "involving" and variations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. brief description of the drawings the drawings are illustrative only and are not required for enablement of the invention disclosed herein. fig. 1 shows the location of particular sequence sites ("target sequence sites") on a polymer (top panel), a theoretical direct signal profile of the polymer based on these sequence sites (middle panel), and a theoretical combination of the direct signal profile and the mirror image signal profile showing the duplicate signals on either side of the center of the molecule (bottom panel). this latter plot is used in fig. 2. the middle panel resembles and can represent a theoretical "individual intensity profile" and/or an oriented profile. the bottom panel resembles and can represent a population profile and/or a non-oriented profile. the arrows in the middle and bottom panels indicate the orientation of the polymer which contributes to the corresponding pealc. the profiles are plotted as intensity (or photon count) as a function of length (i.e., position on the polymer). fig. 2 shows signal intensity as a function of polymer position relative to the center of the molecule for a single polymer type prior to orientation (top panel). the observed and theoretical oriented sequence information is also shown (bottom panel). the observed signals are indicated by a solid line and the theoretical signals are indicated by a dashed line. the observed oriented profile shown in the bottom panel was derived using the methods described herein. detailed description of the invention the invention provides, inter alia, methods for evaluating and manipulating polymer sequence data. these methods are used to align, orient and thus discern signal profiles that are derived from individual polymers in a sample. the need to discern polymer profiles derives in part from the fact that generally it is impossible to label and detect all desired target sequence sites within a polymer with 100% efficiency (i.e., not every target site is labeled on every polymer). to compensate for this, multiple copies of an identical polymer are usually analyzed and the resultant signals are combined in order to observe and thus detect all sequence specific sites along the polymer. as used herein, analyzing a polymer means obtaining information about the structure of the polymer such as its size, the order of its sequence sites, its relatedness to other polymers, the identity of its sequence sites, or its presence or absence in a sample. the structure of a polymer can reveal important information about its function since these parameters are generally interrelated in biological polymers. in some instances, the sample may contain multiple copies of the same polymer. such a sample is considered to be homogeneous. polymers in homogenous samples are identical in length and sequence. even a homogeneous sample however will give rise to two types of profiles: a "direct" profile and an "inverted" profile. this is because most, if not all, polymer analysis systems are orientation-insensitive. as a result, each polymer has an equal chance of being analyzed in a "head-first" orientation (resulting in a "direct" profile) or in a "tail-first" orientation (resulting in an "inverted" profile"). when the profiles from each polymer are combined, the resulting profile (referred to herein as a "population profile" to distinguish it from an "individual polymer profile") contains signals (or peaks) from the direct and the inverted profiles. prior to the invention, it was difficult to discern direct profile signals from inverted profile signals. in other instances, the sample may contain multiple copies of a plurality of polymers, wherein each of the plurality of polymers is different. as used herein, different polymers are polymers that differ in length and/or sequence. examples include fragments of a larger polymer such as restriction fragments of a parent polymer or sheared genomic dna, and mrna transcripts expressed in a cell or tissue. "different polymers" may however share some sequence identity, provided that they are not 100%) identical with respect to their sequence. in the case of heterogeneous samples, the combined population profile is even more complex since it contains direct and inverted profiles from more than one polymer type. the invention provides methods for manipulating and processing the signals and profiles from homogeneous and heterogeneous samples. in its simplest form, it provides methods for discerning direct profiles from inverted profiles in a homogeneous sample. it can also accomplish this for a given polymer in a heterogeneous sample. in a more complex form, it discerns different polymers from each other as well as distinguishing direct and inverted profiles for each polymer type. the polymer being analyzed (sometimes referred to herein as the "target" polymer) may be free flowing or it may be fixed to a solid support. in a fixed conformation, the polymer is attached to a solid support at one or multiple attachment points. the nature of the solid support is not limiting to the invention. the solid support may be any surface to which the polymer can be attached without comprising its integrity. various types of solid supports are available (including microchips, beads and the like), of which the art is familiar. when fixed it a solid support, the polymer is immobile. in this latter embodiment, the interrogation and/or detection station of a polymer analysis system may move relative to the polymer. in a flow conformation, the polymer is able to move in a fluid, preferably through an interrogation station within the polymer analysis system. the polymer may also be attached to a support that is itself mobile, such as for example a free flowing bead. another immobilization approach involves the use of polymers trapped in a gel matrix. stretching of the polymer is accomplished through the use of an electric field, for example. in the absence of directional labeling (e.g., end specific labeling) of the polymer, it is difficult to determine the direction in which the polymer is analyzed since the polymer analysis system is orientation-insensitive. as a result, polymers are expected to orient themselves randomly with approximately equal numbers being analyzed head-first and tail-first, regardless of whether they are provided in free flowing or fixed conformations. the methods provided herein generally involve several data processing steps. these include alignment of individual polymer profiles, compilation of individual profiles to form population profiles, selection of individual signals (or peaks) from the population profile, extraction of individual profiles that contribute to the selected signal (or pealc), compilation of these latter individual profiles to yield a "peak profile", and comparison of the pealc profile with the population profile. this latter compaiison yields information regarding the oriented nature of the subset of polymers giving rise to the pealc in the population profile. for example, this subset of polymers may itself comprise direct and inverted polymer profiles. more preferably, this subset of polymers comprises polymers oriented in one direction (e.g., all head-first or all tail-first). each of these steps will be discussed in greater detail below. the polymers to be analyzed must be labeled in a sequence specific manner. it is this labeling that gives rise to the signals (or peaks) which are later evaluated by the methods of the invention. the polymer is generally labeled prior to analysis with the polymer analysis system. polymer labeling will be discussed in greater detail below. sequence specific labeling can be accomplished in any number of ways known in the art. in important embodiments, the polymer is labeled using a binding partner that binds to the polymer in a sequence specific manner. the most common example of a sequence specific binding partner for nucleic acid polymers is a nucleic acid probe. as used herein, a nucleic acid probe is a nucleic acid that hybridizes to the polymer being analyzed (i.e., the target polymer) at a site that is complementary to its own sequence. the terms "probe" and "tag" and "unit specific marker" are used interchangeably herein. the nature of a nucleic acid probe will be described in greater detail herein. briefly, it can be of any length and of any sequence. the shorter the length, the greater the resolution that may be achieved. usually, nucleic acid probes should be contacted to the target polymer under conditions that promote hybridization between true complements (i.e., where each base of the probe is bound to its complementary base on the target polymer in a continuous and contiguous manner). these conditions are referred to herein as stringent conditions. the art is familiar with such conditions. (see for example maniatis et al., molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. cold spring harbor (1982).) the methods however are not limited to hybridization under stringent conditions and can be performed under conditions in which less than 100 %> of the probe bases are bound to target polymer bases. the polymer may additionally be labeled in a sequence non-specific manner, as will also be discussed in greater detail below. in some instances, the non-specific labels are evenly distributed along the length of the polymer. an example of non-specific labels are stains that bind to the backbone of the target nucleic acid polymer. preferably, the sequence non-specific labels uniformly label the polymer along its length and thus do not give rise to any intensity "peaks". intensity peaks should derive solely from the sequence specific labels described herein. the labeled polymers are analyzed using a polymer analysis system. these systems include interrogation and detection stations that serve to stimulate a signal from a polymer (or a probe bound thereto) and to detect the resultant signal, respectively. preferably, the polymer analysis system is capable of analyzing single polymers. even more preferably, they analyze the polymer linearly and are therefore referred to as linear single polymer analysis systems. such systems are discussed in greater detail below. an exemplary polymer analysis system is the geneengine described in u.s. patent no. 6,355,420 bl, issued march 12, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference herein. the polymer analysis system analyzes individual polymers starting from one end of the polymer and moving along the polymer length towards the opposite end. in the process, signals are recorded as a function of their position or location on the polymer. the sum total of signals for a given polymer is then plotted as a function of position on the polymer. this plot is referred to herein as a profile. if the profile derives from analysis of a single copy of a polymer, then it is referred to herein as an "individual profile". if instead the profile derives from the combination (or compilation) of a plurality of individual profiles, then it is referred to as a "population profile". as will be discussed below, the population profile may be oriented or non-oriented. as used herein, profiles are also referred to as "intensity profiles" since they reflect label intensity along the length of the polymer. labels will be discussed in greater detail below. once obtained, individual polymer profiles are aligned relative to each other in order to facilitate their superimposition. alignment is performed using an alignment reference point. an alignment reference point is an identical site present in each analyzed polymer of a given type. the alignment reference point may be internal to the polymer (i.e., an internal alignment reference point) or it may be at an end of a polymer (i.e., a terminal alignment reference point). it may be sequence dependent or sequence independent, depending on the polymer. furthermore, it may be intrinsically detectable or it may be detected through the use of an extrinsic probe, for example. accordingly, the reference point may be visualized through the binding of a sequence specific probe oi ¬ a sequence non-specific probe to individual polymers. as will be discussed in greater detail below, the method uses two reference points. one reference point is used to align individual profiles in order to generate a population profile (i.e., the alignment reference point) and the other reference point is used to determine orientation of individual profiles (i.e., the orientation reference point). the orientation reference point is preferably an internal reference point. more preferably, it is the center of the molecule (or center of the polymer). the center of the molecule can be determined by labeling the polymer uniformly along its length with for example a length proportional dye or stain, estimating the length of the polymer based on the length of the intensity profile and thereby determining the midpoint or center of the molecule. the center of the molecule is a suitable reference point regardless of the stretching characteristics of the target polymer (i.e., the center of the molecule may still be determined even if the target polymer is not uniformly and completely stretched.) for example, it is possible that one or both ends of the polymer are compacted to an extent that precludes linear polymer analysis in these regions. regardless, if the polymer is ' labeled with a length proportional label, these compacted areas are still useful for determining the center of the molecule (i.e., the signal from these compacted areas is still indicative of the length of polymer therein and can be used together with the more linear portions of the polymer to determine the midpoint of the polymer). the reference point may also be an origin of replication, a transcriptional promoter, a centromere, a highly repetitive sequence, and the like. the method preferably uses stretched linear polymers in order to maximize the amount of sequence information that can be attained. non-linear and/or coiled regions of the target polymer are less useful for determining sequence. the polymer may be uniformly stretched along its length, or it may contain regions that are more or less stretched than other regions along its length. in either case, the polymer and/or regions within the polymer may be maximally stretched. the polymer can also be less than maximally stretched. thus if maximum stretching is referred to as 100% stretched (see below for definition of maximal stretching), then the polymer may also be at least 50%, at least 60%, at least 70%, at least 80%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or at least 99% stretched. in important embodiments, the polymer is uniformly but not maximally stretched. as will be described in the examples, polymers having stretched and compacted regions are still useful. although the specification refers to polymer length (for example, on the x-axis of figs.l and 2), the invention similarly relates to polymer contour length lc. polymer length as shown in the intensity vs. length plots (and thus profiles) represents the polymer projection in the direction of flow or other stretcliing force. actual polymer length is the length of the polymer backbone or contour length (lc) (i.e., the length per nucleotide times the number of nucleotides, independent of polymer conformation). for b-form dna, the length per nucleotide is 0.34 rim. the measured length and contour length are equal when the polymer is maximally stretched (i.e., 100% stretched). thus, the ratio of measured length to contour length is indicative of the extent of stretching of the polymer. sequence non-specific labeling, such as intercalation, changes the contour length by expanding the dna. however, lc can be defined even for such "swollen" dna and still be used as to determine the extent of stretching. overstretched dna is essentially denatured and should be avoided. once aligned, the individual profile can be combined to yield a population profile. "combining" individual profiles as used herein means that the aligned and possibly superimposed profiles are added together (i.e., intensity values at a given position from one profile are added to corresponding intensity values at the same position in another profile). the population profile may be a cumulative profile, meaning that it represents the sum total of all intensity values as a function of position along the polymer. alternatively, it may be an averaged or normalized profile, meaning that it represents the averaged or normalized intensity value as a function of position along the polymer. the averaged or normalized profile is obtained by dividing the intensity values on a cumulative profile by the number of contributing profiles. importantly, the population profiles may derive from individual profiles from identical and/or different polymers, both of which will contribute direct and inverted profiles. as used herein, a sample population profile is the profile that combines all individual profiles obtained from a sample and thus should include signals from all labeled polymers in the sample. the data from such analyses is generally combined in order to achieve higher signal to noise ratios than would be possible by analyzing a single polymer. additionally, combining individual profiles yields the complete pattern of sequence specific target sites on a polymer. individual profiles may only provide signals for a subset of target sites. moreover, they may also include probes bound at incorrect sites (i.e., mismatched probes). this is because binding of nucleic acid probes to a nucleic acid polymer is generally less than 100% efficient and specific (e.g., hybridization efficiency may range from 50% to 95% and hybridization specificity may range from 2 to 20). hybridization specificity is the ratio of the proportion of correctly labeled target sites to the proportion of incorrectly labeled sites. in addition, not every probe is detected. for example, probes with one or few detectable labels on them are less likely to be detected. detection of single fluorophores at a high rate has an average efficiency 10-90% and depends upon the properties of fluorophore used as well as on the trajectory of the probe and polymer through the excitation spot of the polymer analysis system. population profiles generally contain twice as many signals (or peaks) as the number of actual sequence specific sites on the target polymer. this is because at a minimum the population profile is made up of direct and inverted individual profiles. if sequence information is desired (e.g., in order to generate a sequence map), then it is desirable to separate direct and inverted profiles from each other. population profiles can also be used as identifiers for a particular polymer and as such are referred to as barcodes or fingerprints of the polymer. in preferred embodiments, the barcode or fingerprint is an oriented population profile (i.e., a population profile in which all contributing individual profiles are oriented in the same direction, either head-first or tail-first). however, the population profile can also serve as an identifier even if in non-oriented form, in some cases. once the population profile is formed, individual peaks in the profile are further analyzed. it is desirable to select individual peaks that are formed from a subset of oriented individual profiles. such peaks may be selected randomly or based on a particular parameter, such as intensity level. for example, in some cases, lower (but still above background) intensity peaks are more likely to represent a subset of oriented individual profiles. once such a pealc is identified, the individual profiles that contributed to that pealc are extracted from the data set. the extracted individual profiles should all comprise a peak identical to the selected pealc from the population profile. thus, in some instances, peaks that correspond to oriented profiles can be identified as such if (a) the pealc profile is asymmetric and has peaks at fewer positions than the sample population profile, and (b) the combination of the direct and inverted pealc profiles is identical to the symmetric population profile. these criteria are valid for homogeneous samples that include one polymer in two orientations. in the case of a mixture of different polymers, the first criterion remains the same (although in this case the profile need not be asymmetric), but the second is not necessarily fulfilled. once the mixture is separated into the profiles of different polymers, each of those profiles can be analyzed as described above to extract an oriented profile. however, in some cases, the profiles of different polymers may be already extracted in oriented form. this will depend on the complexity of the sample and profile, as well as the positioning and interference of individual peaks of different polymers. it is to be understood that as used herein, "identical peaks" mean two or more peaks that are positioned identically along the length of the polymer (and correspondingly, along the length of the profile). identical peaks may vary however in their intensity depending on whether the profile is an individual profile or a population profile. additionally, there will be variations in the intensities of identical peaks between individual profiles. extracted individual profiles are then combined (as described herein) to yield a pealc profile. the pealc profile is therefore a population profile since it is made up of a plurality of individual profiles. the pealc profile however is derived from only a subset of individual profiles as compared to the sample population profile which represents all profiles obtained from the sample. the pealc profile is then compared to the sample population profile. depending upon the nature of the sample and the desired degree of analysis, comparison of pealc profiles to the sample population profile can take various forms and iterations. it is to be understood that although the description provided herein describes the comparison of a single pealc profile with the sample population profile, comparison of a plurality of pealc profiles and potentially all pealc profiles may also be carried out by successive or concurrent iterations of the method. as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, such data manipulations can be performed using a computer. if the pealc profile resembles the sample population profile, this indicates that the pealc profile is likely derived from individual profiles in both orientations (i.e., it is a non-oriented pealc profile). as used herein, a peak profile that "resembles" a population profile consists of peaks that are present in the population profile. as stated above, identical peaks are peaks that are present at the same position along the polymer, regardless of their intensity. if however the peak profile consists of only a subset of the peaks present in the sample population profile, then this suggests that the peak profile may derive from oriented individual profiles. if necessary, this can be confirmed in a number of ways. in an important embodiment, it is confirmed by inverting the peak profile, combining the direct and inverted pealc profiles to yield a non-oriented peak profile, and comparing the non-oriented peak profile with the sample population profile. a non-oriented pealc profile that consists of peaks that are all present in the sample population profile confirms the oriented nature of the originally selected pealc profile and the individual profiles and polymers giving rise thereto. if the non-oriented population profile is identical to the sample population profile, this may further indicate that the sample is homogeneous. when a non-oriented pealc profile is identical to a population profile, the two profiles consist of identically situated peaks. orienting polymers according to the invention may be performed using a one or a two step process, as described above. if a two step process is used, then peak profiles that appear to be oriented are referred to as "putative" oriented peak profiles since their oriented nature remains to be confirmed via the second step in the process. another method for confirming the oriented nature of a putative oriented pealc profile is to determine whether individual pealcs present in the pealc profile have corresponding mirror images in the population profile when the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. as used herein, a mirror image pealc is a peak that exists distal to the center of molecule reference point and at a distance from the center of molecule reference point identical to the distance between the center of the molecule and the peak in question. for example, consider a peak that exists 20 microns to the left of the center of molecule reference point. its mirror image would exist 20 microns to the right of the center of molecule reference point. yet another method for confirming the oriented nature of a putative oriented pealc profile involves determining whether the putative oriented peak has a corresponding mirror image pealc in the sample population profile when the alignment reference point is a center of molecule reference point. the mirror image pealc can be processing similarly to the originally selected pealc. for example, the individual profiles contributing to the mirror image peak can be extracted from the population data set, and thereafter combined, as described herein, to generate a mirror image pealc profile. the mirror image peak profile can then be compared to the population profile in order to determine whether the profiles resemble or are identical to each other. the mirror image pealc profile can also be compared to the inverted peak profile. if these latter profiles are identical, then the pealc profile is oriented. as described herein, the method selects pealcs present in an intensity versus polymer length plot. this is intended to exemplify the analysis, particularly since the examples and corresponding figures illustrate such peaks. however, it is likely that individual pealcs may not be as apparent experimentally, particularly when a sample of hundreds, or thousands, or millions of polymers is being analyzed. accordingly, the method is not necessarily limited to the use of observable and discernable peaks. rather it can be performed using bin counts. as used herein, a bin is a period of time in which the detection system collects signals from a polymer being analyzed. as an example, a bin may be 1 microsecond in duration, and 1000 consecutive bins may contain contiguous intensity data from one individual polymer. each of the consecutive bins therefore corresponds to a position along the length of the polymer. thus rather than using observable peaks, the method can be performed using bin counts (i.e., the number of signals such as photon counts) for one or more bins. accordingly, as used herein, the term "peak" is meant to embrace observable and discernable increases in intensity on an intensity versus length plot as well as bin counts in one or more bins. in some instances, a peak may be defined by the signals (i.e., bin counts) falling into one or two, tliree, four, five or more consecutive bins. it is to be understood that the methods provided herein can be used to distinguish polymers according to size. however, in some embodiments, it may be preferable to distinguish polymers based on size prior to alignment. this can be done by sorting polymers (and/or their corresponding data sets) according to intensity versus length characteristics. the invention provides for additional data processing. in one embodiment, it may be desirable to remove signals deriving from an identified and oriented polymer from a sample population profile in order to discern signals from different polymers. in this way, the complexity of the sample population profile can be progressively reduced and/or the complexity of a sample can be determined. as used herein, the complexity of a sample refers to the number of different polymer types contained in the sample. accordingly, a sample that contains 100 different polymer types is more complex than a sample that contains 2 different polymers, regardless of how many copies of each polymer is present in the sample. individual profiles or a subset of individual profiles (such as for example an oriented pealc profile) may be subtracted from the sample population profile. similarly, the inverted peak profile may also be subtracted from the sample population profile in order to effectively remove all signals from a given polymer. in this way, signals from a given polymer are removed from the population profile, thereby making it less complex and potentially allowing lower intensity pealcs and/or profiles to be observed. as should be apparent to one of ordinary skill, if subtraction of the oriented and inverted peak profiles from the population profile results in a population profile devoid of pealcs, then this indicates that the population was homogeneous for one particular polymer. if, on the other hand, there are additional peaks remaining after the subtraction, then this indicates that more than one polymer is present in the sample. it is to be understood that subtraction of profiles from each other can only be accomplished when the profiles are of the same form (i.e., when both profiles are cumulative profiles or when both profiles are normalized or averaged profiles). a "polymer" as used herein is a compound having a linear backbone of individual units which are linked together by linkages. in some cases, the backbone of the polymer may be branched. preferably the backbone is unbranched and linear. the term "backbone" is given its usual meaning in the field of polymer chemistry. the polymers may be heterogeneous in backbone composition thereby containing any possible combination of polymer units linked together, such as peptide-nucleic acids (which have amino acids linked to nucleic acids and have enhanced stability). in one embodiment the polymers are, for example, nucleic acids, polypeptides, polysaccharides, or carbohydrates. in the most preferred embodiments, the polymer is a nucleic acid or a polypeptide. a polypeptide as used herein is a biopolymer comprised of linked amino acids. the polymer is made up of a plurality of individual units. an "individual unit" as used herein is a building block or monomer which can be linked directly or indirectly to other building blocks or monomers to form a polymer. the polymer preferably is a polymer of at least two different linked units. the at least two different linked units may produce or be labeled to produce different signals. the polymer as well as the probes that bind the polymer can be nucleic acids. the term "nucleic acid" is used herein to mean multiple nucleotides (i.e., molecules comprising a sugar (e.g., ribose or deoxyribose) linked to an exchangeable organic base, which is either a substituted pyrimidine (e.g., cytosine (c), thymidine (t) or uracil (u)) or a substituted purine (e.g., adenine (a) or guanine (g)). as used herein, the terms refer to oligoribonucleotides as well as oligodeoxyribonucleotides. nucleic acids can be obtained from existing nucleic acid sources (e.g., genomic or cdna), or by synthetic means (e.g., produced by nucleic acid synthesis). nucleic acids can be but are not limited to dna and rna. in important embodiments, the polymer being analyzed is a dna or rna. the dna may be a genomic dna such as nuclear dna or mitochondrial dna. the dna may also be cdna. the rna may be mrna or rrna but is not so limited. nucleic acid polymers to be analyzed may be amplified in vitro prior to analysis in some embodiments, while in others the nucleic acids are non-amplified in vitro. various modifications of nucleic acids are encompassed by the invention. although not limiting, these usually apply to nucleic probes used to sequence the nucleic acid polymer. these modifications are described below. nucleic acids shall also include polynucleosides (i.e., a polynucleotide minus a phosphate) and any other organic base containing polymer. the nucleic acids can include other non-naturally occurring substituted purines and pyrimidines such as c-5 propyne modified bases (wagner et al., nature biotechnology 14:840- 844, 1996). purines and pyrimidines include but are not limited to adenine, cytosine, guanine, thymidine, 5-methylcytosine, 2-aminopurine, 2-amino-6-chloropurine, 2,6-diaminopurine, hypoxanthine, 2-thiouracil, pseudoisocytosine, and other naturally and non-naturally occurring nucleobases, and substituted and unsubstituted aromatic moieties. other such modifications are known to those of skill in the art. the nucleic acids may also encompass substitutions or modifications, such as in the base and/or sugar moiety. for example, they include nucleic acids having backbone sugars which are covalently attached to low molecular weight organic groups other than a hydroxyl group at the 3' position and other than a phosphate group at the 5' position. thus, modified nucleic acids may include a 2'-0-alkylated ribose group. in addition, modified nucleic acids may include sugars such as arabinose instead of ribose. the nucleic acids may be heterogeneous in backbone composition thereby containing any possible combination of polymer units linked together such as peptide nucleic acids (which have amino acid backbone with nucleic acid bases, and which are discussed in greater detail herein). in some embodiments, the nucleic acids are homogeneous in backbone composition. as used herein with respect to linked units of a polymer, "linked" or "linkage" means two entities are bound to one another by any physico chemical means. any linkage known to those of ordinary skill in the art, covalent or non-covalent, is embraced. natural linkages, which are those ordinarily found in nature connecting the individual units of a particular polymer, are most common. natural linkages include, for instance, amide, ester and thioester linkages. the individual units of a polymer and/or probes may be linked, however, by synthetic or modified linkages. polymers in which units are linked by covalent bonds will be most common but may also include hydrogen bonded units, etc. intensity data may be obtained by analyzing polymers having probes bound thereto. these probes are preferably sequence specific. "sequence specific" when used in the context of a nucleic acid means that the probe recognizes a particular linear arrangement of nucleotides or derivatives thereof. an analogous definition applies to non-nucleic acid polymers. in preferred embodiments, the linear arrangement includes contiguous nucleotides or derivatives thereof that each bind to corresponding contiguous complementary nucleotides on the target nucleic acid. in some embodiments, however, the sequence may not be contiguous as there may be one, two, or more nucleotides that do not have corresponding complementary residues in the target. it is to be understood that any nucleic acid analog that is capable of recognizing a nucleic acid with structural or sequence specificity can be used as a probe to label sequence sites on a polymer or to identify a reference point. in most instances involving a nucleic acid polymer, the probes will form at least a watson-crick bond with the polymer. in other instances, the probe can form a hoogsteen bond with the nucleic acid polymer, thereby forming a triplex with the target nucleic acid polymer. a nucleic acid sequence that binds by hoogsteen binding enters the major groove of its target and hybridizes with the bases located there. examples of these hoogsteen binding probes include molecules that recognize and bind to the minor and major grooves of nucleic acids (e.g., some forms of antibiotics). the probes may form both watson-crick and hoogsteen bonds with the polymer. bispna probes, for instance, are capable of both watson-crick and hoogsteen binding to a nucleic acid polymer. when used to identify polymer sequence, it is preferred that the probes have strong sequence specificity. the probe may be a peptide nucleic acid (pna) and various forms thereof as described herein, a locked nucleic acid (lna), dna, rna, or co-polymers of the above such as dna-lna co-polymers. pnas are dna analogs having their phosphate backbone replaced with 2- aminoethyl glycine residues linked to nucleotide bases through glycine amino nitrogen and methylenecarbonyl linlcers. pnas can bind to both dna and rna targets by watson-crick base pairing, and in so doing form stronger hybrids than would be possible with dna or rna based probes. peptide nucleic acids are synthesized from monomers com ected by peptide bonds (nielsen, p.e. et al.. peptide nucleic acids. protocols and applications. norfolk: horizon scientific press, p. 1-19 (1999)). they can be built with standard solid phase peptide synthesis technology. pna chemistry and synthesis allows for inclusion of amino acids and polypeptide sequences in the pna design. for example, lysine residues can be used to introduce positive charges in the pna backbone. all chemical approaches available for the modifications of amino acid side chains are directly applicable to pnas. pna has a charge-neutral backbone, and this attribute leads to fast hybridization rates of pna to dna (nielsen, p.e. et al. peptide nucleic acids. protocols and applications, norfolk: horizon scientific press, p. 1-19 (1999)). the hybridization rate can be further increased by introducing positive charges in the pna structure, such as in the pna backbone or by addition of amino acids with positively charged side chains (e.g., lysines). pna can form a stable hybrid with dna molecule. the stability of such a hybrid is essentially independent of the ionic strength of its environment (orurn, h. et al., biotechniques 19(3):472-480 (1995)), most probably due to the uncharged nature of pnas. this provides pnas with the versatility of being used in vivo or in vitro. however, the rate of hybridization of pnas that include positive charges is dependent on ionic strength, and thus is lower in the presenςe of salt. several types of pna designs exist, and these include single strand pna (sspna), bispna, pseudocomplementary pna (pcpna). the structure of pna/dna complex depends on the particular pna and its sequence. single stranded pna (sspna) binds to ssdna preferably in antiparallel orientation (i.e., with the n-terminus of the sspna aligned with the 3' terminus of the ssdna) and with a watson-crick pairing. pna also can bind to dna with a hoogsteen base pairing, and thereby forms triplexes with dsdna (wittung, p. et al., biochemistry 36:7973 (1997)). single strand pna is the simplest of the pna molecules. this pna form interacts with nucleic acids to form a hybrid duplex via watson-crick base pairing. the duplex has different spatial structure and higher stability than dsdna (nielsen, p.e. et al.. peptide nucleic acids, protocols and applications, norfolk: horizon scientific press, p. 1-19 (1999)). however, when different concentration ratios are used and/or in the presence of complimentary dna strand, pna/dna/pna or pna/dna/dna triplexes can also be formed (wittung, p. et al, biochemistry 36:7973 (1997)). the formation of duplexes or triplexes additionally depends upon the sequence of the pna. thymine-rich homopyrimidine sspna forms pna/dna/pna triplexes with dsdna targets where one pna strand is involved in watson-crick antiparallel pairing and the other is involved in parallel hoogsteen pairing. cytosine-rich homopyrimidine sspna preferably binds through hoogsteen pairing to dsdna forming a pna/dna/dna triplex. if the sspna sequence is mixed, it invades the dsdna target, displaces the dna strand, and forms a watson-crick duplex. polypurine sspna also forms triplex pna/dna/pna with reversed hoogsteen pairing. bispna includes two strands connected with a flexible linker. one strand is designed to hybridize with dna by a classic watson-crick pairing, and the second is designed to hybridize with a hoogsteen pairing. the target sequence can be short (e.g., 8 bp), but the bispna/dna complex is still stable as it forms a hybrid with twice as many (e.g., a 16 bp) base pairings overall. the bispna structure further increases specificity of their binding. as an example, binding to an 8 bp site with a probe having a single base mismatch results in a total of 14 bp rather than 16 bp. although not intending to be bound by any particular theory, the bispna molecule is thought to bind to its target site first via its hoogsteen strand, followed by the invasion of the watson-crick strand to form a triplex with one of the original dna strands displaced. to facilitate the second step, the hybridization reaction is performed at elevated temperature to increase the frequency of dna helix opening (i.e., localized melting). that mechanism increases the overall hybridization rate dramatically, since at the moment of dna opening, the watson-crick strand of bispna is positioned to invade the helix. preferably, bispnas have homopyrimidine sequences, and even more preferably, cytosines are protonated to form a hoogsteen pair to a guanosine. therefore, bispna with thymines and cytosines is capable of effective hybridization to dna only at ph below 6.5. the first restriction - homopyrimidine sequence only - is inherent to the mode of bispna binding. pseudoisocytosine (j) can be used in the hoogsteen strand instead of cytosine to allow its hybridization through a broad ph range (kuhn, h., j. mol. biol. 286:1337-1345 1999)). bispnas have multiple modes of binding to nucleic acids (hansen, g.i. et al., j mol. biol. 307(l):67-74 (2001)). one isomer includes two bispna molecules instead of one. it is formed at higher bispna concentration and has tendency to rearrange into the complex with a single bispna molecule. other isomers differ in positioning of the linker around the target dna strands. all the identified isomers still bind to the same binding site/target. pseudocomplementary pna (pcpna) (izvolsky, k.i. et al., biochemistry 39: 10908-10913 (2000)) involves two single stranded pnas added to dsdna. one pcpna strand is complementary to the target sequence, while the other is complementary to the displaced dna strand. as the pna/dna duplex is more stable, the displaced dna generally does not restore the dsdna structure. the pna pna duplex is more stable than the dna/pna duplex and the pna components are self-complementary because they are designed against complementary dna sequences. hence, the added pnas would rather hybridize to each other. to prevent the self-hybridization of pcpna units, modified bases are used for their synthesis including 2,6-diamiopurine (d) instead of adenine and 2-thiouracil ( u) instead of thymine. while d and u are still capable of hybridization with t and a respectively, their self-hybridization is sterically prohibited. this pna construct also delivers two base pairs per every nucleotide of the target sequence. hence, it can bind to short sequences similar to those that are bispna targets. the pcpna strands are not connected by a hinge, and they have different sequences. hybridization of pcpna can be less efficient than that of bispna because it needs three molecules to form the complex. however, the pseudocomplementary stands can be connected by a sufficiently long and flexible hinge. another bispna-based approach involves use of the displaced dna strand (demidov, v.v. et al., methods: a companion to methods in enzymology 23(2):123- 131 (2001)). if the second bispna is hybridized close enough to the first one, then a run of dna (up to 25 bp) is displaced, forming an extended p-loop. this run is long enough to be tagged. this combination is referred to as a pd-loop (demidov, vn. et al., methods: a companion to methods in enzymology 23(2):123-131 (2001)). other applications for the opening are also designed including topological labels or "earrings". tagging based on pd-loop has important advantages, including increased specificity. in some embodiments, positive charges are incorporated into a probe such as a pna based probe in order to improve the interaction between the probe and the polymer. such modification increases the hybridization rate due to electrostatic attraction of the positively charged probe and the negatively charged backbone of the nucleic acid polymer. locked nucleic acid (lna) molecules form hybrids with dna, which are at least as stable as pna/dna hybrids (braasch, d.a. et al., chem & biol. 8(1):1-7(2001)). therefore, lna can be used just as pna molecules would be. lna binding efficiency can be increased in some embodiments by adding positive charges to it. lnas have been reported to have increased binding affinity inherently. commercial nucleic acid synthesizers and standard phosphoramidite chemistry are used to make lna oligomers. therefore, production of mixed lna/dna sequences is as simple as that of mixed pna/peptide sequences. the stabilization effect of lna monomers is not an additive effect. the monomer influences conformation of sugar rings of neighboring deoxynucleotides shifting them to more stable configurations (nielsen, p.e. et al.. peptide nucleic acids, protocols and applications, norfolk: horizon scientific press, p. 1-19 (1999)). also, lesser number of lna residues in the sequence dramatically improves accuracy of the synthesis. naturally, most of biochemical approaches for nucleic acid conjugations are applicable to lna/dna constructs. the probes can also be stabilized in part by the use of other backbone modifications. the invention intends to embrace in addition to the peptide and locked nucleic acids discussed herein, the use of the other backbone modifications such as but not limited to phosphorothioate linkages, phosphodiester modified nucleic acids, combinations of phosphodiester and phosphorothioate nucleic acid, methylphosphonate, alkylphosphonates, phosphate esters, alkylphosphonothioates, phosphoramidates, carbamates, carbonates, phosphate triesters, acetamidates, carboxymethyl esters, methylphosphorothioate, phosphorodithioate, p-ethoxy, and combinations thereof. other backbone modifications, particularly those relating to pnas, include peptide and amino acid variations and modifications. thus, the backbone constituents of pnas may be peptide linkages, or alternatively, they may be non-peptide linkages. examples include acetyl caps, amino spacers such as o-linlcers, amino acids such as lysine (particularly useful if positive charges are desired in the pna), and the like. various pna modifications are known and probes incorporating such modifications are commercially available from sources such as boston probes, inc. one limitation of the stability of nucleic acid hybrids is the length of the probe, with longer probes leading to greater stability than shorter probes. notwithstanding this proviso, the probes can be any length ranging from at least 4 nucleotides long to in excess of 1000 nucleotides long. in preferred embodiments, the probes are 6-100 nucleotides in length, more preferably between 5-25 nucleotides in length, and even more preferably 5-12 nucleotides in length. the length of the probe can be any length of nucleotides between and including the ranges listed herein, as if each and every length was explicitly recited herein. it should be understood that not all residues of the probe need hybridize to complementary residues in the target nucleic acid molecule. for example, the probe may be 50 residues in length, yet only 25 of those residues hybridize to the nucleic acid polymer. preferably, the residues that hybridize are contiguous with each other. the probes recognize and bind to sequences within the target polymer. if the polymer is itself a nucleic acid molecule, then the probe preferably recognizes and binds by hybridization to a complementary sequence within the target polymer. the specificity of binding can be manipulated based on the hybridization conditions. for example, salt concentration and temperature can be modulated in order to vary the range of sequences recognized by the probes. the probes are preferably single stranded, but they are not so limited. for example, when the probe is a bispna it can adopt a secondary structure with the nucleic acid polymer resulting in a triple helix conformation, with one region of the bispna clamp forming hoogsteen bonds with the backbone of the target polymer and another region of the bispna clamp forming watson-crick bonds with the nucleotide bases of the target polymer. polymer analysis according to the invention encompasses detecting signals intrinsically present in a polymer or signals from an extrinsic probe that is bound to the polymer. the signals in turn derive from labels or detectable moieties. the "label" or "detectable moiety" may be, for example, light emitting, energy accepting, fluorescing, radioactive, quenching, and the like, as the invention is not limited in this respect. many naturally occurring units of a polymer are light emitting compounds or quenchers, and thus are intrinsically labeled. both types of labels are useful according to the methods of the invention. guidelines for selecting the appropriate labels, and methods for adding extrinsic labels to polymers are provided in more detail in us 6,355,420 bl . the label or detectable moiety can be directly or indirectly detected. a directly detectable moiety is one that can be detected directly by its ability to emit and/or absorb light of a particular wavelength. an indirectly detectable moiety is one that can be detected indirectly by its ability to bind, recruit and, in some cases, cleave another moiety which itself may emit or absorb light of a particular wavelength. an example of indirect detection is the use of a first enzyme label which cleaves a substrate into directly detectable products. the label may be organic or inorganic in nature. for example, it may be chemical, peptide or nucleic acid in nature although it is not so limited. labels can be conjugated to a polymer or probe using thiol, amino or carboxylic groups. the labels described herein are referred to according to the systems by which they are detected. as an example, a fluorophore molecule is a molecule that can be detected using a system of detection that relies on fluorescence. generally, the label can be selected from the group consisting of an electron spin resonance molecule (such as for example nitroxyl radicals), a fluorescent molecule (i.e., fluorophores), a chemiluminescent molecule (e.g., chemiluminescent substrates), a radioisotope, an optical or electron density marker, an enzyme, an enzyme substrate, a biotin molecule, a streptavidin molecule, an electrical charge transferring molecule (i.e., an electrical charge transducing molecule), a chromogenic substrate, a semiconductor nanocrystal, a semiconductor nanoparticle, a colloid gold nanocrystal, a ligand, a microbead, a magnetic bead, a paramagnetic particle, a quantum dot, a chromogenic substrate, an affinity molecule, a protein, a peptide, nucleic acid, a carbohydrate, an antigen, a hapten, an antibody, an antibody fragment, and a lipid. they are not so limited however. examples of labels include fluorophores such as fluorescein (e.g., fluorescein succinimidyl ester), tritc, rhodamine, tetramethylrhodamine, r-phycoerythrin, cy-3, cy-5, cy-7, texas red, phar-red, allophycocyanin (apc); radioactive isotopes such as p 32 or h 3 ; epitope or affinity molecules such as flag and ha epitope; and enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase, horseradish peroxidase and β-galactosidase. also envisioned is the use of semiconductor nanocrystals such as quantum dots, described in u.s. pat. no. 6,207,392, as labels. quantum dots are commercially available from quantum dot corporation. the labels may be directly linked to the dna bases or may be secondary or tertiary units linked to modified dna bases. antibodies can be used according to the invention as probes as well as labels. thus, polymers can be labeled using antibodies or antibody fragments and optionally their corresponding antigens, haptens or epitopes. in the latter embodiment, the antigen, hapten, or epitope may itself be labeled. detection of bound antibodies is accomplished by techniques known to those skilled in the art. antibodies bound to polymers can be detected by linking a label to the antibodies and then observing the site of the label. if antibody binding indicates sequence information, then the antibody should bind to the polymer in a sequence specific manner. if antibody binding indicates merely the presence of the polymer (e.g., represents the backbone of the polymer, as discussed below), then the antibody need not bind to the polymer in a sequence specific manner. in addition to the use of antigens, haptens and epitopes, antibodies can also be visualized using secondary antibodies or fragments thereof that are specific for the primary antibody. polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies may be used. antibody fragments include fab, f(ab) 2 , fd and antibody fragments which include a cdr3 region. in some embodiments, the polymer and/or probes are labeled with detectable moieties that emit distinguishable signals that can all be detected by one type of detection system. for example, the detectable moieties can all be fluorescent labels or they can all be radioactive labels. in other embodiments, the polymers and/or probes are labeled with moieties that are detected using different detection systems. for example, one polymer or unit may be labeled with a fluorophore while another may be labeled with a radioactive isotope. in some instances, it may be desirable to further label the polymer with a standard marker. the standard marker may be used to identify the polymer including defining, but not distinguishing between, its ends. for example, the standard marker may be a backbone label. one subset of backbone labels for nucleic acids are nucleic acid stains that bind nucleic acids in a sequence independent manner. examples include intercalating dyes such as phenanthridines and acridities (e.g., ethidium bromide, propidium iodide, hexidium iodide, dil ydroethidium, ethidium homodimer-1 and -2, ethidium monoazide, and acma); minor grove binders such as indoles and imidazoles (e.g., hoechst 33258, hoechst 33342, hoechst 34580 and dapi); and miscellaneous nucleic acid stains such as acridine orange (also capable of intercalating), 7-aad, actinomycin d, lds751, and hydroxystilbamidine. all of the aforementioned nucleic acid stains are commercially available from suppliers such as molecular probes, inc. still other examples of nucleic acid stains include the following dyes from molecular probes: cyanine dyes such as sytox blue, s ytox green, sytox orange, popo-1, popo-3, yoyo-1, yoyo-3, toto-1, toto-3, jojo-1, lolo-1, bobo-1, bobo-3, po-pro-1, po-pro-3, bo-pro-1, bo-pro-3, to-pro-1, to-pro-3, to- pro-5, jo-pro- 1, lo-pro-1, yo-pro-1, yo-pro-3, picogreen, oligreen, ribogreen, sybr gold, sybr green i, sybr green ii, sybr dx, syto-40, -41, - 42, -43, -44, -45 (blue), syto-13, -16, -24, -21, -23, -12, -11, -20, -22, -15, -14, -25 (green), syto-81, -80, -82, -83, -84, -85 (orange), syto-64, -17, -59, -61, -62, -60, -63 (red). in some instances, the detectable labels are part of a fret system with fluorescence signals dependent upon the proximal location of donor and acceptor molecules. preferably, fluorescence arises when donor and acceptor molecules are proximally located to each other. length-proportional dna labeling also can be performed using the label it® kit which is commercially available from minis (madison, wi). the kit covalently attaches different fluorophores to dna. the fluorophores are rhodamine, fluorescein, cy3™ and cy5™. the polymers are analyzed using polymer analysis systems. as a polymer is analyzed, the detectable labels attached to it are detected in either a sequential or simultaneous manner. a linear polymer analysis system is a system that analyzes polymers in a sequential or linear manner (i.e., starting at one location on the polymer and then proceeding linearly in either direction therefrom). when detected simultaneously, the signals usually form an image of the polymer, from which distances between labels can be determined. when detected sequentially, the signals are viewed in histogram (signal intensity vs. time), that can then be translated into a profile such as those discussed herein, with knowledge of the velocity of the polymer. it is to be understood that in some embodiments, the polymer is attached to a solid support, while in others it is free flowing, hi either case, the velocity of the polymer as it moves past, for example, an interaction and/or detection station will aid in determining the position of the labels, relative to each other and relative to other detectable mai cers that may be present on the polymer. accordingly, preferable polymer analysis systems are able to deduce not only the total amount of label on a polymer, but perhaps more importantly, the location of such labels. the ability to detect, position, and orient profiles allows these profiles to be superimposed on other genetic maps, in order to orient and/or identify the regions of the genome being analyzed, for example. in preferred embodiments, the linear polymer analysis systems are capable of analyzing nucleic acid molecules individually (i.e., they are single molecule detection systems). an example of a suitable polymer analysis system is the gene engine™ system described in pct patent applications w098/35012 and wo00/09757, published on august 13, 1998, and february 24, 2000, respectively, and in issued u.s. patent 6,355,420 bl, issued march 12, 2002. the contents of these applications and patent, as well as those of other applications and patents, and references cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. this system allows single nucleic acid molecules to be passed through an interaction station in a linear manner, whereby the nucleotides in the nucleic acid polymer and/or the nucleic acid probe are interrogated individually in order to deteπnine whether there is a detectable label conjugated thereto. interrogation involves exposing the nucleic acid to an energy source such as optical radiation of a set wavelength. in response to the energy source exposure, the detectable label on the nucleotide (if one is present) emits a detectable signal. the mechanism for signal emission and detection will depend on the type of label sought to be detected. other single molecule nucleic acid analytical methods which involve elongation of dna molecule can also be used in the methods of the invention. these include optical mapping (schwartz, d.c. et al., science 262(5130):110-u4 (1993); meng, x. et al., nature genet. 9(4):432-438 (1995); jing, j. et al., proc. natl. acad. sci. usa 95(14):8046-8051 (1998); and aston, c. et al., trends biotechnol. 17(7):297-302 (1999)) and fiber-fluorescence in situ hybridization (fiber-flsh) (bensimon, a. et al, science 265(5181):2096-2098 (1997)). in optical mapping, nucleic acids are elongated in a fluid sample and fixed in the elongated conformation in a gel or on a surface. restriction digestions are then performed on the elongated and fixed nucleic acids. ordered restriction maps are then generated by determining the size of the restriction fragments. in fiber-fish, nucleic acids are elongated and fixed on a surface by molecular combing. hybridization with fluorescently labeled probe sequences allows determination of sequence landmarks on the nucleic acids. both methods require fixation of elongated nucleic acids so that molecular lengths and/or distances between markers can be measured. pulse field gel electrophoresis can also be used to analyze the labeled nucleic acids. pulse field gel electrophoresis is described by schwartz, d.c. et al., cell 37(l):67-75 (1984). other nucleic acid analysis systems are described by otobe, k. et al., nucleic acids res. 29(22):e109 (2001), bensimon, a. et al. in u.s. patent 6,248,537, issued june 19, 2001, herrick, j. et al, chromosome res. 7(6):409:423 (1999), schwartz in u.s. patent 6,150,089 issued november 21, 2000 and u.s. patent 6,294,136, issued september 25, 2001. other linear polymer analysis systems can also be used, and the invention is not intended to be limited to solely those listed herein. the nature of such detection systems will depend upon the nature of the detectable moiety attached to the polymer. the detection system can be selected from any number of detection systems known in the art. these include an electron spin resonance (esr) detection system, a charge coupled device (ccd) detection system, an avalanche photodiode (apd) detection system, a photomultiplier (pmt) detection system, a fluorescent detection system, an electrical detection system, a photographic film detection system, a chemiluminescent detection system, an enzyme detection system, an atomic force microscopy (afm) detection system, a scanning tunneling microscopy (stm) detection system, an optical detection system, a nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) detection system, a near field detection system, and a total internal reflection (tir) detection system, many of which are electromagnetic detection systems. other interactions involved in methods of the invention will produce a nuclear radiation signal. as a radiolabel on a polymer passes through the defined region of detection, nuclear radiation is emitted, some of which will pass through the defined region of radiation detection. a detector of nuclear radiation is placed in proximity of the defined region of radiation detection to capture emitted radiation signals. many methods of measuring nuclear radiation are known in the art including cloud and bubble chamber devices, constant current ion chambers, pulse counters, gas counters (i.e., geiger-mϋller counters), solid state detectors (surface barrier detectors, lithium-drifted detectors, intrinsic germanium detectors), scintillation counters, cerenlcov detectors, to name a few. other types of signals generated are well known in the art and have many detections means which are known to those of skill in the art. some of these include opposing electrodes, magnetic resonance, and piezoelectric scanning tips. opposing nanoelectrodes can function by measurement of capacitance changes. two opposing electrodes create an area of energy storage, located effectively between the two electrodes. it is known that the capacitance of such a device changes when different materials are placed between the electrodes. this dielectric constant is a value associated with the amount of energy a particular material can store (i.e., its capacitance). changes in the dielectric constant can be measured as a change in the voltage across the two electrodes. in the present example, different nucleotide bases or unit specific markers of a polymer may give rise to different dielectric constants. the capacitance changes as the dielectric constant of the unit specific marker of the polymer per the equation: c=kc 0 , where k is the dielectric constant and c 0 is the capacitance in the absence of any bases. the voltage deflection of the nanoelectrodes is then outputted to a measuring device, recording changes in the signal with time. detectable signals are generated, detected and stored in a database. the signals can be analyzed to determine structural iirformation about the polymer. the signals can be analyzed by assessing the intensity of the signal to determine structural information about the polymer. a computer may be used to store the database and/or perform the algorithms described herein. the computer may be the same computer used to collect data about the polymers, or may be a separate computer dedicated to data analysis. a suitable computer system to implement embodiments of the present invention typically includes an output device which displays information to a user, a main unit connected to the output device and an input device which receives input from a user. the main unit generally includes a processor connected to a memory system via an interconnection mechanism. the input device and output device also are connected to the processor and memory system via the interconnection mechanism. computer programs for data analysis of the detected signals are readily available from ccd (charge coupled device) manufacturers. the present invention is further illustrated by the following examples, which in no way should be construed as further limiting. the entire contents of all of the references (including literature references, issued patents, published patent applications, and co-pending patent applications) cited throughout this application are hereby expressly incorporated by reference. examples example 1: mapping of 12m9 bag. a bacterial artificial chromosome, 12m9 bag, was mapped using bispna #k tag: tmr-oo-lys-lys-ttc ttc tc-ooo-jtj-ttj-tt-lys-lys the bac has target sites at 0.7, 10.2, 73.5, 152.4, 154.5, and 181.4 lcb (fig. 1, top panel). there are 82 sites with a single mismatch at the ends (semm) on this dna. semm are sites to which sequence specific probes can bind even though they are not 100%) complementary. these can be estimated from a known nucleic acid sequence. to obtain the map, all polymer traces were aligned using the center of molecule reference point (cm) and averaged (fig. 2, top panel). this image represents the averaged signals from each bound probe on the overlayed but non-oriented dna polymers. although other internal reference points can be used, cm is particularly useful as the reference point when the polymer is incompletely stretched. these polymers are not stretched homogeneously but rather can take a stem and flower conformation. (manneville et al. europhys. lett. 36:413-418, 1996.) in this conformation, most fluctuations are concentrated in the termini regions (i.e., the flower region), while the middle of dna polymer remains highly stretched (i.e., the stem region). therefore, even in incompletely stretched polymers the central portion is usable for analysis. the measured non-oriented map (continuous line) is overlapped in fig. 2, top panel, with an expected (i.e., theoretical) one from the published 12m9 sequence (dashed line). the latter was obtained by representing the sequence on a 0.34 μm/kb scale, including the target signals as gaussian curves 5 lcb in width (fig. 1, middle panel), and superimposing the map with its mirror image (fig. 1, bottom panel). all the peaks expected for 12m9 bag (designated a, b and c) are present in the experimental map. one extra pealc, designated d, was also present. it was hypothesized that this peak represents at least one extra target site, missed in the bag and human genome sequence due to a sequencing error. to verify this, this region of the bac was re- sequenced. it was found that beginning at position 64,388 bp, tliree semm sites are positioned in close proximity separated by a single base pair. such close proximity alleviates the energetic cost of displacement of the second dna strand and allows formation of stable complexes even with mismatching sites (a so-called p-loop structure). because this complex is highly cooperative and can exist only if 2 or 3 semm sites are hybridized simultaneously, peak d is much higher than pealc a which is formed by a single target. a symmetric pattern of the sharp peaks is clearly visible on top of a featureless pedestal at an intensity of about 4-5 (fig. 2, top panel). for comparison, the signals derived by dna bound impuiities as measured on untagged bacs is presented on the same picture (dot and dash curve). the major portion (if not all) of the measured map pedestal is due to signals from these impurities. the s/n ratio is very high for the mapping procedure itself. to obtain the map profile that includes only dna molecules oriented in one direction, we extracted the profiles that inputted into pealcs a' and b (fig. 2, top panel). those peaks are formed by tags hybridized at positions 73.5 lcb and 152.0/154.5 lcb, respectively, and only molecules oriented in the same direction. overall signals of these selected profiles were summed and averaged. the resulting oriented profile is presented in fig. 2, bottom panel and compared with the theoretically expected profile (dashed line). example 2: algorithms. in the general case, every pealc of a non-oriented map can be tested, selecting the molecular traces contributing to it. if the peak includes tag signals from both polymer orientations, the selected map resembles the total non-oriented map. if the peak is formed only by signals from dna polymers of one orientation, the selected map does not include all the pealcs of the total non-oriented map. moreover, it can be inverted and combined with itself to produce the total non-oriented map. a similar approach can be applied to discriminate a couple of polymers of similar but not identical length. in this case, the peaks are searched in the total non-oriented map, which are formed by input of tags from one polymer only. the criterion for pealc selection is that the map formed by the polymers inputting in the pealc does not have all pealcs present in the total non-oriented pealc. once the single polymer map is obtained, its oriented map can be further determined as described herein. in the case of more than two overlapping polymers, the same approach can be used to break the total non-oriented map into simpler combinations. it should be possible directly (if every polymer has a representative peak in the total non-oriented map), or step by step by subtracting single polymer maps from the total map and re-iterating the process thereby simplifying the map with each iteration. the power of this approach is that it is based on the averaged pattern and therefore is not sensitive to stretching and tagging defects of a particular detected polymer profile. most important are the mapping resolution and degree of labeling of every fragment. better resolution increases the probability of isolating the pealc with input from one polymer only. a higher degree of labeling improves detection of all other pealcs belonging to the polymer. to some extent, incomplete labeling can be compensated by including more polymer traces in the averaging. selectivity can be further improved, using simultaneously several tags for different targets emitting in different spectral regions. in this case, the tags are detected independently. if some dna polymers from the mixture can be identified using a map obtained with one of the tags, this identification can be applied to the maps obtained with all other tags. similarly, if the tagging pattern is asymmetric for one of the tags, it can be used to orient the maps of this fragment obtained with all other tags. application of different tags not only improves selectivity but also offers extra strategies for analysis. for example, one of the tags can be selected on the basis that it binds rarely and to be used for recognition of the fragments and orienting of their detected traces. in a complimentary manner, another tag can be selected with a high density of target sites on the dna polymer to provide higher resolution mapping. algorithms containing such data processing steps can be provided in a software package. the software package will be capable of analyzing data from different color channels to automatically perform selection, orientation and averaging. the detection system used to generate the data can be outfitted with third color excitation and detection channels. example 3: genomic sequencing and pathogen analysis. this example describes two different types of analysis. in the first case, prior knowledge about the analyzed dna samples is available. one example is mapping of bac libraries generated for genomic analysis. for known genomes, rare-cutting restriction endonucleases can be used to generate fragments of different sizes. moreover, bacs or small-size genomes can be analyzed as single molecules. a second example is the mapping of different strains of the same microorganism. in the latter application, a previously unsequenced genome of a known or unknown microbe can be analyzed. the major difference from the previous case is that restriction enzyme treatment results in an unknown distribution of sizes. however, even the use of rare cutters does not always guarantee a distribution of fragment sizes appropriate for linear polymer analysis, using systems such as the geneengine. to facilitate this analysis, several digests may be required. one application of geneengine mapping with unknown genomes is restriction mapping. the major difference from the standard approach based on electrophoresis (for example see brown, "genomes." new york: john wiley & sons inc. (1999) 472 p.) is that in addition to its size, every fragment can be characterized by a pattern of bound tags. this allows the generation of a species specific "barcode" which can be used, for example, for strain recognition. this will be useful for example in the fields of infection outbreaks in human and agricultural subjects, germ warfare, and the like. equivalents the foregoing written specification is considered to be sufficient to enable one skilled in the art to practice the invention. the present invention is not to be limited in scope by examples provided, since the examples are intended as a single illustration of one aspect of the invention and other functionally equivalent embodiments are within the scope of the invention. various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description and fall within the scope of the appended claims. the advantages and objects of the invention are not necessarily encompassed by each embodiment of the invention. what is claimed is:
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181-421-215-728-20X
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06F3/033,G06F3/038,G06F3/041,G06F3/042,G06K9/00
| 1992-02-14T00:00:00 |
1992
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[
"G06"
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graphical input controller and method with rear screen image detection
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an interactive graphics system includes a touch-sensitive controller having a number of semi-transparent light-diffusing panels imaged by a rear mounted imaging device such as a video camera. the imaging device is arranged to detect the shadows of objects, such as fingers, touching any of the panels. the camera can simultaneously to detect multiple touch points on the panels resulting from the touch of multiple fingers, which facilitates the detection of input gestures. the panel and the position on the panel touched can be determined by the position of the shadow on the video image. as the imaging device is only required to detect the existence of shadows on the panels, only a two-dimensional image must be processed. however, since the imaging device can image multiple panels simultaneously, a multi-dimensional input signal can be provided. further, as this image is of high contrast, only light/dark areas must be differentiated for greatly simplified image processing.
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1. a method for providing graphical input signals from an input device for an interactive computer system using an opaque enclosure with multiple semi-transparent light-diffusing panels disposed to form outside surfaces of the enclosure and an imaging device mounted relative to the panels for imaging the panels, the method including the steps of: touching an outside surface of one panel; imaging an inner surface of the panels with the imaging device; acquiring a background image of the panels before touching the one panel; p1 normalizing the image signal in response to the background image; providing an image signal in response to the image; determining the coordinates of the image of the touch on the panel; and providing signals responsive to the coordinates to the interactive computer system. 2. a method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of digitizing the image signal into two values prior to determining the coordinates of the image of the touch on a panel. 3. a method as in claim 1 further comprising the step of tracking objects on the image of the panel. 4. a method for providing graphical input signals for an interactive computer system using an opaque enclosure with multiple semi-transparent light-diffusing panels and an imaging device disposed relative to the panels, the method including the steps of: touching an outside surface of one panel; imaging inner surfaces of the panels with the imaging device; providing an image signal in response to an image of the inner surface of a panel; acquiring a background image of the panels before touching the one panel; normalizing the image signal in response to the background image; determining the coordinates of the image of a touch on the panel; transforming the coordinates into a three dimensional image in response to the coordinates; and providing a signalrepresentative of the transformed coordinates. 5. a method as in claim 4 further comprising the step of digitizing the image signal into two values prior to determining the coordinates of the image of the touch on the panel. 6. a method as in claim 4 wherein the steps of providing an image signal, and determining coordinates and transforming the coordinates are continuously repeated, and further comprising the step of tracking objects on the image of the panel. 7. a method for providing graphical input signals from an input device for an interactive computer system using an opaque enclosure with a semi-transparent light-diffusing panel and an imaging device disposed relative to the panel, the method including the steps of: touching an outside surface of the panel; imaging an inner surface of the panel with the imaging device; providing an image signal in response to an image of the inner surface of the panel; acquiring a background image of the panel before touching the panel; normalizing the image signal in response to the background image; determining coordinates of the image of a touch on the panel; identifying a position on the panel which is touched in response to the coordinates; and providing a signal responsive to the coordinates to the interactive computer system. 8. a method as in claim 7 further comprising the step of digitizing the image signal into two values prior to determining the coordinates of the image of the touch on the panel. 9. a method as in claim 7 further comprising the step of tracking objects on the image of the panel. 10. a method for providing graphical input signals from an input device for an interactive computer system using an opaque enclosure with a semi-transparent light-diffusing panel and an imaging device disposed relative to the panel, the method including the steps of: touching an outside surface of the panel; imaging an inner surface of the panel with the imaging device; providing an image signal in response to the image of the panel; acquiring a background image of the panel before touching the panel; normalizing the image signal in response to the background image; determining coordinates of the image of the touch on the panel; transforming the coordinates into a three dimensional image in response to the coordinates; and providing a signal responsive to the transformed coordinates. 11. a method as in claim 10 further comprising the step of digitizing the image signal into two values prior to determining the coordinates of the image of the touch on the panel. 12. a method as in claim 10 wherein the steps of providing an image signal, and determining coordinates, and transforming the coordinates are continuously repeated, and further comprising the step of tracking objects on the image of the panel.
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background of the invention 1. field the present invention relates to the field of graphical input devices for interactive computer graphics. more specifically, the present invention relates to the rear screen video detection of multiple objects, such as fingers, on a semi-transparent touch screen used to control interactive computer graphics. 2. art background broadly, graphical input devices for interactive computer graphics sense the actions of a user. most such graphical input devices are manipulated by the user. these include the devices commonly associated with personal computers, such as light pens, mice, joysticks, track balls, and keyboards. however, there are also a number of devices that directly sense the actions of a user. touchscreens with sensors in the display screen are one example of such devices. myron w. krueger discloses a number of other devices in his book artificial reality ii, 1991, that use video cameras to detect the position of a user's hand or body in free space. the videodesk concept described in krueger's book is also described in u.s. pat. no. 4,843,568, titled real time perception of and response to the actions of an unencumbered participant/user, issued to myron w. krueger, katrin hinrichsen and thomas s. glonfriddo jun. 27, 1989. however, this device requires the user to place his hands on a backlit screen mounted on the upper surface of a desk within the view of an overhead video camera and requires the camera's view of the hands to be unimpeded. as a result, the controller is burdensome and bulky. the drawing prism presented by richard greene at the 1985 siggraph in san francisco uses a large transparent prism as a drawing surface. as described in "the drawing prism: a versatile graphic input device," richard greene, acm volume 19, number 3, 1985, pages 103-110, and in u.s. pat. no. 4,561,017, titled graphic input apparatus, issued dec. 24, 1985, , a video camera is arranged to view that surface from an angle such that it can only image the points of optical contact between drawing tools and the surface. however, this device is based on the refraction and total internal reflection of light at a dielectric surface and requires rather precise and expensive optical components and alignment. another camera-based system is the sensor frame of sensor frame corporation. the sensor frame controller uses multiple cameras with intersecting fields-of-view to detect multiple light-occluding objects within a frame. this device is described in u.s. pat. no. 4,746,770 titled method and apparatus for isolating and manipulating graphics objects on computer video monitor, issued to paul mcavinney on may 24, 1988. this apparatus is capable of simultaneously detecting the positions of multiple fingers. however, it requires multiple cameras to detect the positions of objects. further, the device has certain problems with "ghost" images when multiple objects are detected. it is desirable to provide a graphics input device that provides free-form inputs, commonly referred to as gestures, which directly senses the actions of a user without impeding or otherwise restricting a user by requiring him to wear or hold a device. it is further desirable that the device can sense simultaneous multiple inputs. further, it is desirable to provide such a system that reduces the requirements of image processing so that it can be implemented real-time on a commonly available computer system. finally, it is desirable to provide a system that can provide an input suitable for controlling a multi-dimensional application, such as a three-dimensional graphics application. summary of the invention a graphics system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention includes one or more semi-transparent screens with a rear mounted video camera. the camera is arranged to detect the shadows of objects, such as fingers, touching the screens. these shadows are referred to as "touch points." this provides for a simple two-dimensional input image, which greatly simplifies the image processing required. specifically, as the camera is only required to detect the existence of shadows on the screens, only a two-dimensional image needs to be processed. further, as the light/dark areas are easily differentiated, image processing is further simplified. the graphics system also provides an unimpeded environment for the user. the camera is used to detect multiple touch points resulting from the touch of multiple fingers on the screens. this provides for the input of a multiplicity of gesture commands. as a result, a practical, convenient and intuitive system is provided that can directly sense multiple finger touches and gestures without placing any restrictions on the users actions. finally, force-sensitive sensors are used to mount the screens to the enclosure so as to sense forces applied to the screens and to provide an alternative "z" input capability for use in moving and manipulating display objects. these and other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention and studying the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a rear-screen video graphics input controller having and an interactive computer graphics system including a display in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. fig. 2 is a perspective view of an alternative graphics input controller having multiple rear-screen video control surfaces and a interactive computer graphics system including a display. fig. 3 illustrates the image space, or the image captured by the ccd camera of fig. 2, figs. 4a-c illustrate control gestures on the controller of fig. 2 and the resulting displays on the display of fig. 2, fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the steps in the processing of the images obtained by the ccd camera of fig. 2, fig. 6 provides a functional block diagram of the system of fig. 2, fig. 7a-7d illustrates the steps of fig. 5 in a image format. fig. 8a-8b provides a graphical representation of how a graphical applications software might transform touch images from the camera image space into the display space, . fig. 9 is a further illustration of the steps of the image processing, fig. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment that includes force sensors so as to sense the pressure applied to any of the panels. fig. 11 illustrates the operation of the controller of fig. 10 as an interface for a interactive computer graphics application. fig. 12 illustrates a new input control technique for use with the graphical control devices taught herein, such as controller 100 illustrates in fig. 1. figs. 13a-14c illustrate the operation of the interface technique of fig. 12. figs. 14a-14c illustrate a cylindrical controller built in accordance with the present invention. fig. 14a is a perspective view, fig. 14b is a vertical cross-sectional view, and fig. 14c is a top view. fig. 15 illustrates a typical image from the ccd camera obtained from the controller illustrated in the configuration of fig. 14, fig. 16 illustrates the operation of the controller of fig. 14 and shows the correspondence of points with the image of fig. 15. fig. 17a is a perspective view of a hemispherical controller built in accordance with the present invention. figs. 17b-171 illustrate the generation of rotation commands using the controller of fig. 17a. figs. 18a-18j provide data images and histograms in support of the explanation of steps 505-520 of fig. 5. fig. 19 provides an exploded perspective view of an infrared-based 6 degree-of-freedom controller according to the present invention. detailed description of the preferred embodiment one preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig. 1. as illustrated, a controller 100 is generally configured in the shape of a cube. 0f course, this shape could vary widely to conform to the needs of any given application. however, i prefer this use of a cube as a controller for use with a standard cartesian coordinate system. controller 100 is generally an opaque enclosure except for a semi-transparent panel 105. semi-transparent panel 105 is preferably flat, but could be otherwise shaped for other applications. a compact ccd camera 110 is mounted within controller 100 and is oriented and focused on panel 105 so as to detect the shadows of objects, such as fingers, touching panel 105. semi-transparent panel 105 allows some light through, but does not generally allow through the images of background objects. thus, it diffuses light and generally provides a uniform gray image to ccd camera 110. however, if a user touches an area or areas of panel 105, the areas touched by his fingers appear black to ccd camera 110 and can be readily distinguished from untouched areas of panel 105, which is illuminated by ambient light. the areas touched by the user thus are identified as control objects 115. further illumination can be provided in order to augment the illumination of panel 105. for example, fig. 1 illustrates a light source 120 disposed outside of controller 100. a mirror 125 is mounted to controller 100 and oriented so as to generally illuminate panel 105. since ccd camera 110 distinguishes light from dark areas on the back of panel 105, it is desirable to uniformly illuminate panel 105 from the front. accordingly, mirror 125 is configured to generally provide a diffuse light on the front surface of panel 105. ccd camera 110 is coupled to an image processing computer 130 which converts the image obtained from ccd camera 110 into graphical inputs for an interactive computer system. these inputs, which may simultaneously include the positions of multiple control objects 115 (finger touch points), are used to manipulate display objects on a graphics display 135. for example, graphics display 135 can display objects, such as display objects 140, that correspond to control objects 115 on panel 105. thus, display objects 140 move in response to movement of control objects 115 on panel 105. if the user's fingers move up on panel 105, display objects 140 on graphics display 135 move up in response. if the user's fingers rotate about a position on panel 105, display objects 140 will rotate about a position on graphics display 135 in response. further, display objects 140 may be used to manipulate other display objects. for example, fig. 1 illustrates display objects 140 contacting a generally square display object 145. programming could be provided such that rotating display objects 140 while contacting display object 145 cause display object 145 to rotate, an alternative embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig. 2. as illustrated, a graphics input controller 200 is generally configured in the shape of a cube and has multiple rear-screen control surfaces. of course, this shape could be varied to conform to the needs of any given application. controller 200 is generally opaque except for three semi-transparent panels 202, 204 and 206. semi-transparent panels 202, 204 and 206 are preferably flat, but could be otherwise shaped for other applications. a compact ccd camera 210 having a wide angle lens is mounted near corner 212 within controller 200 and is oriented and focused so as to detect the shadows of objects, such as fingers, touching panels 202, 204, 206. more specifically, it is preferred that camera 210 be oriented so that it is aimed at the vertex 214 that is common to panels 202, 204 and 206. the field of view of ccd camera 210 should be adequate to image panels 202, 204 and 206. for a cube, this would typically require a field-of-view of approximately 90 degrees. in operation, the embodiment of fig. 2 operates in much the same manner as controller 100 of fig. 1. specifically, semi-transparent panels 202, 204 and 206 are similar to panel 105 and allow some light through, but do not generally allow through images of background objects. thus, the panels diffuse light and generally provides a uniform gray image to ccd camera 210. however, if a user touches an area or areas on one of the panels, such as areas of panel 202, the areas touched by his fingers appear black to ccd camera 210 and can be readily distinguished from untouched areas of panel 202 which is illuminated by ambient light. similarly, if a user touches an area or areas on either of panels 204 or 206, the areas touched by his fingers appear black to ccd camera 210 and can be also readily distinguished from untouched areas of the panels which are illuminated by ambient light. the areas touched by the user thus are identified as control objects 215. further illumination can be provided in order to augment the illumination of panels 202, 204 and 206. for example, fig. 2 illustrates a light sources 222, 224 and 226 disposed outside of controller 200. mirrors 232, 234 and 236 are mounted to controller 200 and oriented so as to generally illuminate the semitransparent panels. since ccd camera 210 distinguishes light from dark areas on the back of the panels, it is desirable to uniformly illuminate the panels from the front. accordingly, mirrors 232, 234, and 236 are configured to generally provide a diffuse light on the front surface of the panels. ccd camera 210 is coupled to image processing computer 250 which converts the image obtained from ccd camera 210 into graphical inputs for an interactive computer system. these inputs, which may simultaneously include the positions of multiple control objects 215, are used to manipulate display objects on a graphics display 260. for example, graphics display 260 can display objects that correspond to control objects 215 on panel 202. specifically, display objects 270 move in response to movement of control objects 215 on panel 202. if the user's fingers move up on panel 202, display objects 270 on graphics display move up in response. if the user's fingers rotate about a position on panel 202, display objects 270 will rotate about a position on graphics display 260 in response. further, display objects 270 may be used to manipulate other display objects. for example, fig. 2 illustrates display objects 270 contacting a square display object 280. programming could be provided such that rotating display objects 260 while contacting display object 280 causes display object 280 to rotate. similarly, touches on panels 204 and 206 permit control of display objects in other or redundant dimensions. as illustrated in fig. 2, ccd camera 210 is positioned to capture images of the inside surfaces of panels 202, 204, and 206. (panel 206 is on the back side of the cube with edges common to panels 202 and 204.) the captured images appear generally to ccd camera 210 as illustrated in fig. 3. as illustrated, panels 202, 204, and 206 do not appear to ccd camera 210 as squares. rather, their precise appearance depends on the shape of the panels, their orientation to the camera, the position of the camera, and the characteristics of the camera lens. however, in the preferred embodiment, the general appearance appears as illustrated in fig. 3, with panel 204 appearing to be generally triangular in shape, panels 206 and 202 generally trapezoidal. as illustrated, control objects caused by finger touches on the panels can be imaged simultaneously, as shown by control objects 305, 310, 315 and 320. the system illustrated in fig. 2 is capable of generating sophisticated yet intuitive commands, known as gestures, such as sliding, rotation, and grasping. the techniques for generating these commands is illustrated in figs. 4a-4c. specifically, in fig. 4a, a user slides two fingers horizontally left on panel 202. control objects 410 and 415 correspond to the positions at which the fingers touch panel 202. control objects 410 and 415 are imaged by ccd camera 210 and their position and movement is interpreted by computer 250. in response, computer 250 generates an image of the user's hand, including fingers 420 and 425, which moves horizontally left on graphics display 260. movement of finger images 420 and 425 thus corresponds to movements of the users fingers. finger images 420 and 425 are used to interact with the images of two slide switches, switches 430 and 435, to provide an intuitive interactive graphical user interface. a three dimensional rotation command (or "gesture") is illustrated in fig. 4b. as the user positions and rotates two fingers on panel 206, control objects 450 and 460 at which the fingers touch panel 206 are imaged by ccd camera 210 and their position and movement are interpreted by computer 250. in response, computer 250 generates an image of a rotating tool (the user's hand), including fingers 465 and 470, which rotates in the y-z plane (where x is horizontal, y is vertical, and z is into the plane of the graphics display) on graphics display 260. movement of finger images 465 and 470 thus correspond to movements of the users fingers. this movement is used to interact with the images of a knob 475, to provide another intuitive interactive graphical user interface. a three dimensional grasping command (or "gesture")is illustrated in fig. 4c. as the user positions and "grasps with" his two fingers on panel 204, control objects 480 and 482 are imaged by ccd camera 210 and their position and movement is interpreted by computer 250. in response, computer 250 generates an image of a grasping tool (or the user's hand), including finger images 484 and 486, which move in the x-z plane (where x is horizontal, y is vertical, and z is into the plane of the graphics display) on graphics display 260. movement of finger images 484 and 486 thus correspond to movements of the users fingers. this movement is used to interact with the image an object 488, to provide yet another intuitive interactive graphical user interface. a flow chart illustrating the processing and interpretation of the control images obtained by ccd camera 210 is provided in fig. 5. in step 505, ccd camera 210 acquires a complete gray scale background image of the two dimensional image of the three panels, such as the one illustrated in fig. 3. in the preferred embodiment, this is accomplished during initialization, while the user is not touching the panels, though a person skilled in the art would understand that the background image could be updated during operation. the background image is stored as a matrix of brightness values b.sub.0 (i,j) in computer 250. next, computer 250 acquires a complete operating image from ccd camera 210 in step 510. the operating image is intended to capture the positions of control objects resulting from finger touches on the semi-transparent panels. this data is also in the form of a two dimensional gray scale image and is stored as a matrix of brightness values x.sub.k (i,j). in step 515, the operating image is normalized by subtracting the operating image from the background image on a point-by-point basis. this produces a normalized image z.sub.k (i,j) which is used for identification of "touch spots" or "touch points." mathematically, the normalization step can be represented by: z.sub.k (i,j)=b.sub.0 (i,j)-x.sub.k (i,j) where i=the row index of 2d image. j =the column index of 2d image. x.sub.k (i,j) =brightness value of a pixel at location (i,j) in operating image at time k. b.sub.0 (i,j) =brightness value of a pixel at location (i,j) in the background image. z.sub.k (i,j) =brightness value of a pixel at location (i,j) in the normalized image at time k. in step 520, the gray scale data is compared to a threshold value to obtain a binary version of the gray scale data. the gray scale values of touch points are always greater than those of untouched areas. gray scale data greater than the threshold value will be interpreted as a "1". gray scale data less than the threshold value will be interpreted as a "0". preferably, the threshold value is close to the minimum brightness value of the touch points, so that the entire area of a touch point is interpreted as a "1", while the untouched portions of the panels are interpreted as a "0". in step 530 the position coordinates of the centroids of any control objects in the ccd image are determined and stored. in step 540, the position coordinates of control objects are compared to previous control objects to determine if they represent old objects that have moved or new objects that have newly appeared. to accomplish this, the distance between all new objects and all old objects is calculated. the positions of old objects is updated to that of the nearest new object, provided that they are within an acceptable distance. if no new object is within an acceptable distance, the old object is removed and a new object is entered. finally, in step 550, the coordinates of any objects that have moved are changed, new objects are entered, and old objects no longer appearing are removed. the program then continues by looping to step 510. in the preferred embodiment the loop is fast enough to determine the proper correspondence of old and new objects and to provide a continuous display. for example, a refresh rate of 1/10 to 1/30 of a second is sufficient to provide a continuous display and to distinguish reasonably rapid finger movements. a further description of steps 505, 510, 515 and 520 is provided with reference to the images and histograms of figs. 18a-18j. fig. 18a illustrates the ccd image 50 for step 505, such as from camera 210. fig. 18b illustrates the corresponding histogram, where the y-axis indicates the number of pixel counts at each gray scale level and the x-axis indicates the gray scale level on a scale of 0-255. fig. 18c illustrates the ccd image for step 510, showing three finger touch points 20, and fig. 18d illustrates the corresponding histogram. fig. 18e illustrates an image representation of the data resulting from the subtraction of image 18c from image 18a, corresponding to step 515. fig. 18f provides the corresponding histogram. as illustrated, the digital values of the background and finger touches may be close to each other in value. if so, the preferred embodiment includes an additional step of autoscaling, which is accomplished by multiplying the gray scale levels of the pixels after the subtraction operation by a value sufficient to bring the finger touch points to near full scale. for example, if the maximum value for any finger touch points was 12, a multiplication factor of 20 would bring the maximum value to 240. this provides for a better separation between the finger and background data and facilitates the setting of a threshold level prior to step 520. figs. 18g and 18h illustrates the image data 49 and corresponding histogram after autoscaling. as suggested, this is an optional operation in the normalization step 515. finally, figs. 18 illustrate the image 48 data and a corresponding histogram after step 520, wherein a threshold value is set between the gray scale values for the background and finger touch data and the data is digitized to a "0" or "1" value. fig. 6 provides a functional block diagram of the system of fig. 2. as illustrated, ccd camera 210 provides a gray scale image to computer 250. computer 250 includes an analog-to-digital converter 610 which converts the analog signal from ccd camera 210 to an 8-bit digital signal. computer 250 also includes image processing software 620 for acquiring background and operating images, normalizing the operating images, and converting the gray scale image data to a two-level binary version by comparing the normalized gray scale data to a threshold value. this corresponds to steps 505, 510, 515 and 520 of fig. 5. (the threshold value may be preset or adjustable.) image processing software 620 also computes the centroids of the control objects and tracks the positions of control objects. this corresponds to steps 530, 540 and 550 of fig. 5. the coordinates of all control objects are then provided to graphics application software 630 which generates a graphics display on display 270. it is intended that graphics application software shall handle the coordinate transformation of control objects from the ccd image space (fig. 3) to the graphics display image space (of display 270). the mathematical equations or tables for this transformation depend on the characteristics of graphics application 630. one method to perform the transformation is to use a table that transforms the image space illustrated in fig. 3 into a controller space. each position in the table would be indexed by the coordinates of the point in the image space and would include three data values. the first value would define one of the three panels. that is, either panel 202, 204 or 206. for example, the first value for image point 305 would correspond to panel 206. the first value for image point 310 would correspond to panel 204, etc. the second and third values would define the position of the touch point on the identified panel. for example, the second and third values for touch point 305 would identify the "y" and "z" coordinates of the touch point on panel 206. similarly, the second and third values for touch point 310 would identify the "x" and "z" coordinates of the touch point on panel 204. the second and third values for touch point 315 would identify the "x" and "y" coordinates of the touch point on panel 202. this transformed object position data could then be used to determine the positions of the objects in the display space of display 270. this method could be incorporated into a rom table in image processing software 620, which has the advantage of making the image space of fig. 3 "transparent" to the applications programmer. that is, the programmer of graphics application software 630 would receive in:put directly identifying the panel and panel positions of control objects and would not have to compensate for the internal geometries of the controller. however, the graphics application software is likely to require an additional transformation into the display space. accordingly, a single a transformation could be done directly from the image space to the display space. however, this transformation is dependent on the display characteristics of graphics application software 630, thus would have to be included in graphics application software 630. further, graphics application software 630 interprets the movement of the control objects as commands to gestures. this may be to provide commands such as those illustrated in figs. 4a-4c. further, the number of touch points may provide additional command information. for example, one touch point may indicate a cursor movement command. two touch points might indicate a slide or rotation command of graphics objects. three touch points might provide a cancel or "undo" command. four touch points may provide an erase screen command. steps 510-550 are illustrated in an image format in figs. 7a-7d. fig. 7a illustrates the gray scale image received by computer 250 from ccd camera 210. as illustrated, this is in the "camera" image space. the image of fig. 7a corresponds to the image data after step 515. the image of fig. 7b corresponds to the image data after it is digitized in step 520. the position data of each object is retained, however the gray scale information is eliminated in response to the threshold value setting. the control objects in fig. 7b are represented by "spots," such as control objects 705, 710, and 715, of varying size and shape. in fig. 7c, each control object has been reduced to a single set of coordinates representing the centroids of the control objects, corresponding to step 530. finally, in fig. 7d, these coordinates are compared to the coordinates of existing control objects so as to determine which objects have moved to the new locations, corresponding to steps 540 and 550. figs. 8a-8b provide a graphical representation of how a graphical applications software, such as software 630, might transform control objects images from the camera image space directly into the display space of graphics display 260. specifically, the position of control object 810 is identified by its position in the ccd camera image space. this is transformed directly to a position 820 on graphics display 260 by an appropriate table or formula. for example, an image processing technique known as "warping" can be applied to transform the position coordinates 810 into position coordinates 820. warping is the process by which one image is altered so that the spatial relationship of objects and features in a first image are aligned to a second image or spatial template. the warping transformation is given by the following polynomial equations: x'=a1+a2*x+a3*y+a4*x*y+a5*x.sup.2 +a6*y.sup.2 +. . . y'=b1+b2*x+b3*y+b4*x*y+b5*x.sup.2 +b6*y.sup.2 +. . . where x and y are old coordinates and x' and y' are the new coordinates. the coefficients a1, a2, . . . and b1, b2, . . . are determined to correspond to the desired mapping between the two images. control objects on panel 202 are thus interpreted directly as positions on the x-y plane of graphics display 260. thus, the position is mapped into the image space such that positions on the panels have a one-to-one correspondence with positions on graphics display 260. the mappings of touches on panels 204 and 206 may include three dimensional or "z" data for use in a perspective view of the three dimensional image on the two dimensional display. the flow of the image processing in graphics application software 630 is further illustrated in fig. 9. in step 910, the basic equations and/or tables are set up for transforming the image space coordinates of the ccd camera to the display (or controller) coordinates. in step 920, the coordinates of control objects are transformed to the display (or controller) coordinates. finally, in step 930, the number and position of the control objects are interpreted into specific commands. fig. 10 illustrates an alternative embodiment that includes force sensors so as to sense the pressure applied to any of the semi-transparent panels. specifically, controller 1100 operates in a manner similar to controller 200, except that it further includes force sensors. force sensors 1102, 1104, 1106, and 1108 monitor the force applied to panel 206. similarly, force sensors 1110, 1112, 1114, and 1116 monitor the force applied to panel 204. similarly again, force sensors 1118, 1120, 1122, and 1124 monitor the force applied to panel 202. suitable sensors are available from interlink electronics, carpinteria, calif. alternatively, suitable sensors distributed under the touchsurface trademark are available from intelligent computer music systems, inc. of albany, n.y. use of the outputs from the force sensitive sensors allows a sophisticated three-dimensional control, such as illustrated in fig. 11. for example, pressure on panel 202 is interpreted to provide an apparent movement of tool 1210 (in a "-z" direction into the display) such that it could be rotated in the x-y plane in response to a rotation gesture of the control objects and simultaneously moved in the "-z" direction in response to the pressure detected by force sensors 1118, 1120, 1122, and 1124. fig. 12 illustrates a new input control technique for use with the graphical control devices taught herein, such as controller 100 illustrated in fig. 1. as a background, input control devices for interactive computer graphics am often characterized by a figure-of-merit known as the control-to-display ratio, or "c/d". the c/d is the ratio between the hand or finger movement (the control) and the cursor movement (the display). a large c/d ratio allows for precise positioning of the cursor. however, large and/or rapid cursor movements are difficult to accomplish with controllers characterized by a large c/d. in contrast, a small c/d ratio allows for large and rapid cursor movements, but makes precise positioning of the cursor difficult. in order to overcome this problem of conflicting requirements, some relative position devices utilize variable c/d ratios which provide small c/d ratios in response to rapid controller movements and large c/d ratios in response to slow controller movements. this technique, which makes the c/d ratio a function of the velocity of the input device, is used on some mouse controllers. proper set up can allow a user to position a cursor accurately across an entire crt screen without repositioning his/her wrist. however, such variable c/d devices have certain disadvantages. specifically, one disadvantage of a variable c/d ratio device is that a user cannot slowly move the cursor accurately and continuously across the entire display without. repositioning his/her hand. in certain 3-d graphics applications, a user sometimes desires to accurately position and slowly control graphical objects entirely across the display to perform high precision manipulation without repositioning his/her hand or fingers. accordingly, it is desirable to develop a interactive interface technique that simultaneously provides high precision and large and rapid movements. fig. 12 illustrates controller 100, also illustrated in fig. 1. as illustrated, controller 100 is configured as a 6-dof (degree-of-freedom) controller for controlling a graphical object or cursor on a 2-d display, such as display 135 (also illustrated in fig. 1 ). thus, as discussed in regard to fig. 1, controller 100 can simultaneously respond to multiple control objects (touch points). as illustrated, a region 1205 is graphically provided on panel 105 of controller 100. region 1205 on controller 100 is referred to herein as object manipulation region 1205. object manipulation region 1205 corresponds to a graphically defined display region 1210 on display 135. the user can manipulate any graphical objects (including the cursor) on display region 1210 by the use of control objects on object manipulation region 1205 as discussed above. there is a one-to-one correspondence between the points on object manipulation region 1205 and display region 1210. that is, the center of object manipulation region 1205 corresponds to the center of display region 1210, the top-left corner of regions 1205 corresponds to the top-left corner of region 1210, etc. thus, if region 1210 is specified as a small area, a relatively large c/d results. this facilitates precise manipulation of any display objects that appear within display region 1210. further, display region 1210 can be quickly moved, or moved simultaneously with a manipulation of objects within display region 1210. specifically, panel region 1220 outside of object manipulation region 1205 is used for movement of display region 1210 on display 135. specifically, if a user touches in panel region 1220, the center of display region 1210 will move on display region 135 in the direction defined by a vector from the center of object manipulation region 1205 to the center of the touch in region 1220. for example, a touch in region 1220 above object manipulation region 1205, as illustrated in fig. 11, will result in display region 1210 moving upward on display 135. by moving the display region, objects not previously within display region 1220 can be included within the region so that they can be manipulated. this provides the capability to quickly move display region 1220 so that any object on display 135 can be reached for manipulation. by simple using more than one finger, the ability to simultaneously move display region 1210 and to manipulate objects is provided. for example, an object could be slowly rotated and quickly moved to another point on display 135. this cursor/object manipulation technique can also be applied in the x-z and y-z planes of a graphics application, thus could be used with other controllers, such as controller 200 illustrated in fig. 2. the operation of the interface technique of fig. 12 is further illustrated in figs. 13a-13e. as illustrated in fig. 13a, graphical objects 1305, 1310, 1315, 1320, 1325, and 1330 are displayed on display 135. objects 1320, 1325, and 1330 are within display region 1210. thus, objects 1320, 1325, and 1330 can be manipulated in response to touches on object manipulation region 1205 of controller 100. the objects in the display region 1210 are highlighted. further, as illustrated in fig. 12a, a touch to the left of object manipulation region 1205 on panel 105 results in display region 1210 moving to the left on display 135. fig. 13b illustrates object 1320, within display region 1210, being rotated in response to a rotation gesture in object manipulation region 1205 on panel 105. fig. 13c illustrates the upward movement of display region 1210 in response to a touch on panel 105 above the object manipulation region 1205. this permits the user to include object 1305 within display region 1210. fig. 13d illustrates object 1305, now within display region 1210, being rotated in response to a rotation gesture in object manipulation region 1205 on panel 105. finally, fig. 13e illustrates a simultaneous interface technique wherein the user grasps object 1305 and simultaneously touches the area of panel 105 below and to the right of object manipulation region 1205. this causes object 1305 to be moved along with display region 1210 as display region 1210 moves downwards and to the right on display 135. figs. 14a-14c illustrate a cylindrical controller built in accordance with the present invention. as illustrated, a graphics input controller 1500 includes an opaque base 1505, an opaque sleeve 1510, and a semi-transparent cylinder 1515. cylinder 1515 includes a flat semi-transparent disk 1516 mounted on the top of the cylinder. thus, controller 1500 is generally opaque except for semi-transparent cylinder 1515. semi-transparent cylinder 1515 fits into sleeve 1510 as illustrated in fig. 14b, a cross-section view of controller 1500. a compact ccd camera 1520 having a wide angle lens is mounted within enclosure 1505 and is oriented and focused so as to detect the shadows of objects, such as fingers, touching cylinder 1515. in operation, controller 1500 operates in much the same manner as controller 100 of fig. 1 and controller 200 of fig. 2. specifically, semi-transparent cylinder 1515 allows some light through, but do not generally allow through images of background objects. thus, the cylinder diffuses light and generally provides a uniform gray image to ccd camera 1520. however, if a user touches an area or areas on the cylinder, the areas touched by his fingers appear black to ccd camera 1520 and can be readily distinguished from untouched areas which is illuminated by ambient light. further, radial forces and axial forces applied to cylinder 1515 can be detected by force sensors 1525 and 1530 and the location of radial forces can be determined in response to the location of detected radial forces on force sensor 1525. further, controller 1500 includes two force sensors for detecting the magnitude of a force applied to cylinder 1515. specifically, sensor 1525 is mounted between cylinder 1515 and sleeve 1510 and can detect the magnitude and the position of a force applied radially against cylinder 1515. sensor 1530 is mounted between enclosure 1505 and cylinder 1515 to detect the magnitude of a force applied along the axis of cylinder 1515. fig. 15 illustrates a typical image acquired from the ccd camera of figs. 14a-14c. region 1610 corresponds to the image of the cylindrical sides of cylinder 1515. region 1620 corresponds to the circular top of cylinder 1515. spots and points a, b, e, and f correspond to the like-identified locations on fig. 16, which illustrates the operation of controller 1500. specifically, finger touches are identified as a and b, and the upper edge of cylinder 1515 includes points e and f. in operation, a user can generate vertical (+z) position/manipulation commands by either dragging up on the surface of cylinder 1515 or by pushing down on disk 1516. radial position commands can be generated by either pushing against cylinder 1515 or by dragging across disk 1516. rotation commands about the z axis can be generated by either dragging horizontally on cylinder 1515 or by a twisting gesture on disk 1516. as illustrated in fig. 17a, cylinder 1515 could be replaced with a hemispherical surface 1805, wherein the operation would be substantially unchanged from that described above. hemispherical surface 1805 is particularly useful for generating rotation commands about arbitrary angles or axes in 3d space. for example, in virtual reality applications or in cad/cam systems, a user may need to rotate objects about arbitrary angles or axes. the cube, which has an intuitive shape for generating rotation commands about the reference axes (x, y, and z axes)in the cartesian coordinate system, is not suitable for generating rotation commands about arbitrary angles or axes. however, the hemispherical shape is more natural and intuitive for generating such rotation commands. specifically, rotation commands can be generated on an hemispherical surface by dragging a single finger in an arc or by a two finger gesture of "twisting" on the surface of the hemisphere. fig. 17b depicts the shadow image of touch points 1810 on hemispherical surface 1805 as acquired by the compact camera. while the compact camera is continuously acquiring the shadow image of touch points, software computes the x-y coordinates of centroids corresponding to the "touch points." the x-y coordinates of the centroids are converted to polar coordinates (r, theta) using the equations described below. r=sqrt(x.sup.2 +y.sup.2) theta=tan.sup.-1 (y/x) the trajectories of touch points 1810 are then tracked in terms of radius (r) and angle (theta) to interpret the rotation commands. for example, figs. 17c-17g depict typical rotation commands entered by touch points on hemispherical surface 1805. in fig. 17c, the user is dragging his/her finger in a circle about the y axis. the trajectory of the touch point obtained by the ccd camera is arc of constant radius (r) and increasing angle (theta), as illustrated in the ccd image of fig. 17d. a change of angle and constant radius is interpreted as a rotation command about y axis. figs. 17e and 17f illustrate a rotation command about the x axis. similarly, figs. 17g and 17h illustrate a rotation command about the z axis. in these cases, the value of radius (r) of the touch point varies while the value of angle is constant. this change of radius and constant angle is interpreted as a rotation command about the x or z axis. figs. 17i and 17h illustrate a rotation command about arbitrary single axis. in fig. 17g, the user generates a rotation command about z' axis, where z' is shifted an angle of phi from the z axis. the trajectory profile (r, theta) illustrated in fig. 17j is similar to that of figs. 17f and 17h, however the value of angle theta is shifted 90+phi. finally, an arbitrary trajectory is illustrated in fig. 17k and the corresponding ccd image is illustrated in fig. 17i. fig. 17k illustrates simultaneous rotation commands about x axis, y axis and z axis. in this case, both coordinates (r, theta) of the touch point changes continuously. alternatively, the light source and semi-transparent panels can be made of infrared light emitting diodes (ir led) and long pass glass filters, which reflect most visible light but allow transmission of infrared. fig. 19 illustrates a 6 degree-of-freedom controller 2000 including an opaque enclosure 2010, a compact infrared-sensitive camera 2020, infrared leds 2030 an infrared light source frames 2029 and a three long pass glass filters 2040, 2050, and 2060. force-sensors 2060 are optionally mounted between filters 2040, 2050 and 2060 and enclosure 2010 to detect forces on the filters. visible light reflects from filters 2040, 2050, and 2060. however, infrared light, such as that from leds 2030, is transmitted through the filters. infrared leds 2030 surround each filter to provide a uniform illumination on each filter. thus, if the user touches a filter, such as filter 2040, the touch spot blocks the transmission of infrared light and this touch point will be detected by camera 2020. the operation of controller 2000 is similar to the operation of the white-light based systems described above with the advantage that the infrared-based controller 2000 is insensitive to ambient white light in the user's room which is a potential cause of error in the formation of the digitized "0" or "1")image. long-pass glass filters having a very low transmission in the shortwave region (i.e. visible light region) and high transmission in the longwave region (i.e. infrared light region) are commercially available. one such a filter, known as "black glass," is available from rolyn optics under stock number 65.1398 (stock number rg850.) this example has a transmission for visible light (390 nm-770 nm) of less than 10.sup.-3 %; a transmission of 50% at 850 nm; and a transmission of 97.5% at 900 nm. ir leds typically provide light in the 800 nm-1000 nm range with a peak intensity at 900 nm. thus, stock number rg850 glass is ideally suited to differentiate ambient visible light from light generated by ir leds. the desired semi-transparent property of the long-pass filter is achieved by treatment of fine ground surface (single side) or a putting gray colored translucent film/sheet on the surface to provide the desired diffusion. such a light diffusion sheet is distributed by edmund scientific co., barrington, n.j. under the lenscreen mark. while the invention has been particularly taught and described with reference to the preferred embodiment, those versed in the art will appreciate that minor modifications in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. for example, the input control technique taught in association with figs. 11 and 12 could be used with input control devices other than rear screen video detection devices. for example, it could be used with a mouse or other input control device. as another example, the force sensitive pads as described in fig. 10 could be used in the embodiment of fig. 1, so that panel 105 did not have to be force sensitive, but a force applied to panel 105 could still be detected. again, while the preferred embodiment has been taught with reference to a compact ccd camera, other types of imaging devices such as cmos area sensors, infrared focal area sensors, or other equivalent imaging sensing devices could be used. accordingly, all such modifications are embodied within the scope of this patent as properly come within my contribution to the art and are particularly pointed out by the following claims.
|
181-591-512-457-284
|
IB
|
[
"WO",
"EP",
"US"
] |
H04L1/00,H04L1/18,H04L5/00,H04W8/00,H04W76/40,H04W84/18
| 2018-03-14T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"H04"
] |
low duty cycle proximity based acknowledgement
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a method and system for controlling network communications between a plurality of devices and a network node. the plurality of devices includes one or more devices of a group. if the network node receives messages from devices of a group, the network node sends a group ack to the group of devices.
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1. a method for controlling network communications between a plurality of devices and a network node, the method comprising: receiving, at the network node, a message from one or more devices of a group of the plurality of devices; and sending, from the network node, a group acknowledgement message (ack) to the group of devices. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the method further comprising: if a message is not received, at the network node, from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval, sending, from the network node, a non- acknowledgement message (nack) to said at least one device of the group of devices indicating that a message was not received. 3. the method of any of the preceding claims, wherein each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the method further comprising: if a message is not received, at the network node, from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval: if a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from is greater than or equal to a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from, sending, from the network node, a group non-acknowledgement message (nack) to the group of devices and an ack to one or more devices of the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from; and if the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from is greater than the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from, sending, from the network node, a group ack to the group of devices and a nack to the at least one device of the group of devices. 4. the method of any of the preceding claims, wherein each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the method further comprising: if a message is received, by the network node, from every device of the group of devices, sending, from the network node, a group ack to the group of devices. 5. the method of any of the preceding claims, further comprising: if the message received by the network node is an urgent message, sending, from the network node, an ack to the device that sent the urgent message. 6. a network node for communications with a plurality of devices, the network node being configured to: receive a message from one or more devices of a group of the plurality of devices; and send a group acknowledgement message (ack) to the group of devices. 7. the network node of claim 6, wherein each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the network node is further configured to: if a message is not received from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval, send a non-acknowledgement message (nack) to said at least one device of the group of devices indicating that a message was not received. 8. the network node of any of claim 6 or 7, wherein each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the network node further configured to: if a message is not received from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval: if a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from is greater than or equal to a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from, send a group non-acknowledgement message (nack) to the group of devices and an ack to one or more devices of the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from; if the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from is greater than the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from, send a group ack to the group of devices and a nack to the at least one device of the group of devices. 9. the network node of any of claims 6-8, wherein each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the network node further configured to: if a message is received from every device of the group of devices, send a group ack to the group of devices. 10. the network node of any of claims 6-9, further configured to: if the message received by the network node is an urgent message, send an ack to the specific device that sent the urgent message. 11. a method for communicating over a network between a plurality of devices and a network node, the method comprising: receiving, by a new device of the plurality of devices, a signal sent by at least one other device of the plurality of devices to the network node; analyzing, by the new device, the received signal to determine a neighboring device; and transmitting, by the new device, a connection request message, to the network node, requesting to join a group of the plurality of devices that the neighboring device is a member. 12. the method of claim 11 , wherein: the received signal includes a group address of the device transmitting the received signal; and transmitting, from the new device, the connection request message, to the network node, includes: determining, by the new device, the group address of the neighboring device included in a signal received by the new device from the neighboring device; and including, by the new device, the group address of the neighboring device. 13. a device of a plurality of devices for communications with a network node, the device being configured to: receive a signal sent by at least one other device of the plurality of devices to the network node; analyze the received signal to determine a neighboring device; and transmit a connection request message, to the network node, requesting to join a group of the plurality of devices that the neighboring device is a member. 14. the device of claim 13, wherein: the received signal includes a group address of the device transmitting the received signal; and transmitting the connection request message to the network node includes: determining, by the device, the group address of the neighboring device included in a signal received by the device from the neighboring device; and including, by the device, the group address of the neighboring device.
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low duty cycle proximity based acknowledgement technical field the present disclosure relates generally to wireless networking devices and more particularly to a framework for wireless network communications. background wireless sensor networks are being used more and more extensively in, e.g., smart cities, industrial internet of things (lot), and smart homes. these wireless sensors communicate environmental conditions over a network to a network node. often, sensors are used in close proximity to each other, with each sensor separately communicating with the network node. for example, presence sensors in a meeting room may include one sensor positioned to detect movement of people passing through a door and a number of additional sensors positioned under a table pointing at each chair to detect an exact number of persons in the room. summary wireless sensors commonly implement wireless technologies in the unlicensed wireless spectrum. use of unlicensed spectrum implies certain rules that all devices need to follow (e.g., a maximum power output or limits on active duty cycle). duty cycle requirements in particular keep traffic to a minimum, sometimes forcing devices to cut down on robustness and quality of service. to create robust wireless communications, messages from wireless devices should be acknowledged with an acknowledgement message (ack) from the network node to each wireless device. but, because many frequency bands where these communications take place have limitations of, e.g., 0.1 % - 1 % duty cycle, acks cannot always be sent from the network node to the devices. the present disclosure provides a method for conserving network bandwidth by grouping devices and permitting a network node to send a single acknowledgement message (ack) to a group of devices (as opposed to each device of the group individually). the present disclosure also provides a method to identify neighboring wireless devices in combination with a protocol and addressing scheme to reduce the need for multiple data transfers in a duty cycle constrained network. according to one aspect, there is provided a method for controlling network communications between a plurality of devices and a network node. the method includes receiving, at the network node, a message from one or more devices of a group of the plurality of devices and sending, from the network node, a group acknowledgement message (ack) to the group of devices. alternatively or additionally, each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval. the method further includes, if a message is not received at the network node from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval, sending from the network node a non-acknowledgement message (nack) to said at least one device of the group of devices indicating that a message was not received. alternatively or additionally, each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval. the method further includes, if a message is not received at the network node from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval and if a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from is greater than or equal to a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from, sending from the network node a group non-acknowledgement message (nack) to the group of devices and an ack to one or more devices of the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from. if a message is not received at the network node from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval and if the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from is greater than the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from, sending, from the network node, a group ack to the group of devices and a nack to the at least one device of the group of devices. alternatively or additionally, each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval. the method further includes, if a message is received by the network node from every device of the group of devices, sending from the network node a group ack to the group of devices. alternatively or additionally, if the message received by the network node is an urgent message, sending from the network node an ack to the device that sent the urgent message. according to another aspect, there is provided a network node for communications with a plurality of devices. the network node is configured to receive a message from one or more devices of a group of the plurality of devices; and send a group acknowledgement message (ack) to the group of devices. alternatively or additionally, each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval. the network node is further configured to, if a message is not received from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval, send a non-acknowledgement message (nack) to said at least one device of the group of devices indicating that a message was not received. alternatively or additionally, each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval, the network node further configured to, if a message is not received from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval and if a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from is greater than or equal to a number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from, send a group non-acknowledgement message (nack) to the group of devices and an ack to one or more devices of the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from. if a message is not received from at least one device of the group of devices within the time interval and if the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did receive a message from is greater than the number of devices in the group of devices that the network node did not receive a message from, the network node is configured to send a group ack to the group of devices and a nack to the at least one device of the group of devices. alternatively or additionally, each device in the group of devices is configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval. the network node further configured to, if a message is received from every device of the group of devices, send a group ack to the group of devices. alternatively or additionally, if the message received by the network node is an urgent message, the network node is configured to send an ack to the specific device that sent the urgent message. according to a further aspect, there is provided a method for communicating over a network between a plurality of devices and a network node. the method includes receiving by a new device of the plurality of devices a signal sent by at least one other device of the plurality of devices to the network node. the new device analyzes the received signal to determine a neighboring device and transmits a connection request message to the network node requesting to join a group of the plurality of devices that the neighboring device is a member. alternatively or additionally, the received signal includes a group address of the device transmitting the received signal. transmitting from the new device the connection request message to the network node includes (1 ) determining by the new device the group address of the neighboring device included in a signal received by the new device from the neighboring device and (2) including by the new device the group address of the neighboring device. according to an another aspect, there is provided a device of a plurality of devices for communications with a network node. the device is configured to receive a signal sent by at least one other device of the plurality of devices to the network node. the device is also configured to analyze the received signal to determine a neighboring device and transmit a connection request message to the network node requesting to join a group of the plurality of devices that the neighboring device is a member. alternatively or additionally, the received signal includes a group address of the device transmitting the received signal. transmitting the connection request message to the network node includes: (1 ) determining by the device the group address of the neighboring device included in a signal received by the device from the neighboring device and (2) including by the device the group address of the neighboring device. while a number of features are described herein with respect to embodiments of the invention; features described with respect to a given embodiment also may be employed in connection with other embodiments. the following description and the annexed drawings set forth certain illustrative embodiments of the invention. these embodiments are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed. other objects, advantages and novel features according to aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. brief description of the drawings the annexed drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, show various aspects of the invention in which similar reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar parts in the various views. fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system including a plurality of devices and a network node. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of one of the devices and the network node of fig. 1. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a message sent by one of the devices to the network node of fig. 1. figs. 4-6 are ladder diagrams depicting communications between the network node and the devices of fig. 1. figs. 7-9 are flow diagrams showing methods for controlling network communications. fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing a method for connecting a new device to a network node. detailed description the present invention is now described in detail with reference to the drawings. in the drawings, each element with a reference number is similar to other elements with the same reference number independent of any letter designation following the reference number. in the text, a reference number with a specific letter designation following the reference number refers to the specific element with the number and letter designation and a reference number without a specific letter designation refers to all elements with the same reference number independent of any letter designation following the reference number in the drawings. the present invention provides a method for controlling network communications between a plurality of devices and a network node. the plurality of devices includes one or more devices of a group. if the network node receives messages from devices of a group, the network node sends a group ack to the group of devices. turning to figs. 1 and 2, a communication system 10 including a network node 12 and a plurality of devices 14 is shown. the devices 14 are connected to the network node 12 and the network node 12 may forward messages (e.g., reports) to a server 16. the plurality of devices 14 include grouped devices (i.e. , devices that are members of a group 30) and may also include lone device(s) (i.e., device(s) that are not a member of a group 30). the plurality of devices 14 are configured to send messages 30 to the network node 12. when the network node 12 receives a message 40 from a lone device 14, the network node 12 sends an acknowledgement message (ack) 32 to the lone device 14. the network node 12 receives a message 40 from one or more devices 14 of a group 30 of the plurality of devices. in response, the network node 12 sends a group ack 32 to the group of devices 30. turning to fig. 3, each message 40 may include a device address 60, a group address 62, and message content 64. as is described in further detail below, the device address 60 and group address 62 may be combined together (also referred to as an identifier). the devices 14 may comprise a number of different wireless sensors (e.g., environmental sensors, presence sensors, etc.) positioned in an area (e.g., a building). often, such devices 14 are insensitive to latency. that is, the devices 14 may report to the network node 12 and/or receive a response from the network node 12 with varying intervals. for example, a smart home may take action on reports of where people are in the house, what the temperature is, if windows and doors are open, etc. to control heating, lightning, etc. for these applications, a latency of a few seconds may not be critical. the network node 12 may comprise any networking hardware device allowing the devices 14 to wirelessly connect to a network (e.g., a wired or wireless network). for example, the network node 12 may comprise an access point, a router, a hotspot, or any suitable device connecting a wireless device to a network. the network node 12 and devices 14 each include circuitry (also referred to as a controller) 20, a communication interface 22, and memory 24. as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the circuitry 20 may have various implementations. for example, the circuitry 20 may include any suitable device, such as a processor (e.g., cpu), programmable circuit, integrated circuit, memory and i/o circuits, an application specific integrated circuit, microcontroller, complex programmable logic device, other programmable circuits, or the like. the circuitry 20 may also include a non-transitory computer readable medium (memory) 24, such as random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), or any other suitable medium. instructions for performing the functions performed by the network node 12 and devices 14 (e.g., the method described below) may be stored in the non- transitory computer readable medium and executed by the circuitry 20. the circuitry 20 may be communicatively coupled to the computer readable medium 24 and communication interface 22 through a system bus, mother board, or using any other suitable structure known in the art. as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the communication interface 22 may comprise a wireless network adaptor or any suitable device that provides an interface between the network node 12 and the devices 14. the communication interface 22 may be communicatively coupled to the computer readable medium 24, such that the communication interface 22 is able to send data stored on the computer readable medium 24 across the network and store received data on the computer readable medium 24. the communication interface 22 may also be communicatively coupled to the circuitry 20 such that the circuitry is able to control operation of the communication interface 22. turning to figs. 1 and 4, each device 14 of the plurality of may be configured to send at least one message 40 to the network node within a time interval (e.g., every minute, every 10 minutes, every 30 minutes, etc.). in the figures, three devices 14a, 14b, 14c are a member of group 1 30a and three devices 14d, 14e, 14f are a member of group 2 30b. as shown in fig. 4, if the network node 12 receives a message 40 from every device 14 of the group of devices 30, the network node 12 may send a group ack 42 to the group of devices 30. consequently, because a message 40 was received from every device 14 of group 1 and group 2, a group ack 42 was sent to group 1 and group 2. as is described in further detail below, a group ack 42 may be sent to a group of devices 30 by including a group identifier in the ack 42. turning to fig. 5, if a message 40 is not received at the network node 12 from at least one device 14 of a group of devices 30 within the time interval, the network node 12 may send a non-acknowledgement message (nack) 44 to the at least one device 14 of the group 30 indicating that a message 40 was not received. for example, in fig. 5, a message 40 was not received from device 14c. in response, the network node 12 sends a group ack 42a to the group of devices 30 and a nack 44a to device 14c. the network node 12 may wait a time duration at least as long as the time interval (e.g., twice as long, three times as long, or five times as long as the time interval) before sending a nack. as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, a message 40 may not be received by the network node 12 from a device 14, because the device 14 did not send a message (e.g., because the device 14 is turned off) or alternatively the device 14 may send a message 40 that is never received by the network node 12 (e.g., due to environmental interference). with continued reference to fig. 5, if a number of devices 14 in the group of devices that the network node 12 did not receive a message 40 from is greater than or equal to a number of devices 14 in the group of devices 30 that the network node 12 did receive a message 40 from, the network node 12 may send a group nack 44 to the group of devices 30 and an ack 42 to one or more devices 14 of the group of devices 30 that the network node 12 did receive a message 40 from. for example, because the network node 12 did not receive messages 40 from two devices 14e, 14f of the three devices 14d, 14e, 14f in the group 30, the network node 12 sent a group nack 44b to the group 30 and an ack 42b to the device 14d that a message 40 was received from. if the number of devices 14 in the group 30 that the network node 12 did receive a message 40 from is greater than the number of devices 14 in the group 30 that the network node 12 did not receive a message 40 from, the network node 12 may send a group ack 42 to the group of devices 30 and a nack 44 to the at least one device 14 of the group of devices 30 (i.e. , the devices that the network node 12 did not receive a message 40 from). for example, because the network node 12 received messages 40 from two devices 14a, 14b of the three devices 14a, 14b, 14c in group 1 , the network node 12 sent a group ack 42a to the group 30 and a nack 44a to the device 14c that a message 40 was not received from. while the network node 12 is described as sending a group nack 42 to the group of devices 30 if the number of devices 14 in the group 30 that the network node 12 did receive a message 40 from is equal to the number of devices 14 in the group 30 that the network node 12 did not receive a message 40 from, the network node 12 may instead send a group ack 42 to the group of devices 30 and a nack 44 to the at least one device 14 of the group of devices 30 (i.e., the devices that the network node 12 did not receive a message 40 from). when a particular group of devices 30 transmits messages to the network node 12 and the particular group of devices 30 does not receive an ack 42 from the network node 12, the particular group of devices 30 may retransmit the transmitted messages 30 to the network node 12. as opposed to waiting a duration of time before sending an ack 42, the network node 12 may send an ack 42 more immediately in some circumstances. for example, if the message 40 received by the network node 12 is an urgent message 40, the network node 12 may send an ack 42 to the device 14 that sent the urgent message 40. that is, even if the device 14 that sent the urgent message 30 is a member of a group 30, the network node 12 may send an ack 42 to the device 14 as opposed to sending a group ack to the group of devices 30. a message 40 may be identified as urgent by a flag in the message. for example, a routine message sent periodically (i.e. , a heart beat or stay alive message) may include a flag indicating that the messages are not urgent. an example of an urgent message may be when a motion sensor senses movement. as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the decision to flag a message as urgent may be determined by preprogramming into a device or by user preference. a user may specify which group 30 each device 14 of the plurality of devices is a member of. alternatively, as shown in figs. 1 and 6, when a new device 14g connects to the network node 12, the new device 14g may transmit a connection request message 46 to the network node 12 requesting to join a particular group of devices 30. in response to the received connection request message 46, the network node 12 may transmit to the new device 14g a connection accept message 48 including a new device address 60 for the new device 14g. when the network node 12 sends a message to the new device 14g, the message 40 may include a group address 62 of the particular group of devices 30 and the new device address 60. the new device address 60 may be dynamic (e.g., similar to an ip address). following the network node 12 sending the device address 60 and group address 62 to the new device 14g, when the new device 14g sends a message 40 to the network node 12, the new device 14g may use the received group address 62 and device address 60 as the identifier of the source of the message 40. the group address 62 may be include in the connection request message 46 or in the connection accept message 48. that is, the new device 14 may request to join a particular group 30 by providing a group address 62 in the connection request message 46. alternatively, the new device 14g may instead rely on the network node 12 to choose a particular group 30 for the new device 14g to join. for example, prior to sending a connection request message 46, the new device 14g may receive (e.g., overhear) a signal (e.g., one or more message 40) sent by at least one other device 14a-f of the plurality of devices 14 to the network node 12 as shown in fig. 6. because the signals are sent wirelessly, one or more of the devices 14 (other than the network node 12) may also receive the signals. the new device 14g may analyze the received signals to determine a neighboring device. the new device 14g may transmit the connection request message 46 to the network node 12 requesting to join a group 30 (e.g., the particular group 30 that the determined neighboring device is a member of). with continued reference to fig. 6, the new device 14g may analyze the received signals to determine the neighboring device after receiving signals sent by other devices 14 for a duration of time. in this way, the new device 14g may ensure that it has received signals sent by most (or all) of the nearby devices before requesting to join a group 30. as described above, the devices 14 may be configured to send at least one message 40 to the network node 12 within a time interval. to ensure that messages 40 from devices 14 are not missed due to timing, the new device 14g may wait longer than the time interval before requesting to join a group 30. the new device 14g may determine the neighboring device 14 based on a signal strength of the received signal. for example, the neighboring device 14g may be determined to be the device 14 that sent the received signal having a strongest signal strength. in the example shown in fig. 5, the new device 14g receives messages 40 sent by the other devices 14a-14f in two different groups 30. in this example, upon analyzing the received messages, the new device 14g finds that the average signal strength of the messages 40 received from device 14c (a member of group 1 ) is the highest. the new device 14g then sends a connection request message 46 requesting to connect to the network node 12 and to be a member of group 1. in response, the network node 12 sends a connection accept message 48 specifying that new device 14g is a member of group 1. as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, fig. 5 shows signals (e.g., messages 40, akcs 42, connection request messages 46, connection acceptance transmissions 48, etc.) being sent by the network node 12 or one of the devices 14. these signals are also shown as being received by the network node 12 and/or one or more of the devices 14. because the signals are being sent wirelessly, the signals may be received by devices 14 other than those shown in the figures. as opposed to showing that the signals may be received by additional (or all) of the devices 14, fig. 5 shows signals being received by devices 14 that take a described action based on the received signal(s). for example, while ack 42a is shown as being received by devices 14a, 14b, and 14c, ack 42a may also be received by devices 14d, 14e, and/or 14f. to be determined as the neighboring device (and used in the determination of which group 30 to join), the signal strength of one or more received signals from a particular device may be required to be greater than a signal strength threshold. for example, in fig. 1 , device 14f is placed in a room (i.e. , the kitchen) by itself away from other sensors. in this example, it may be undesirable for device 14f to be grouped with any of devices 14a-g, because these devices are located in different rooms (i.e., the living room and bedroom). for this reason, device 14h may use signal strength as an approximation of distance from the other devices 14a-g. consequently, if the signals received by device 14h from the other devices 14a-g are below the signal strength threshold, then the device 14h may be assumed to be in a different room or region from the other devices 14a-g. as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the signal strength threshold may be preloaded into the devices 14, may be set by a user, and/or may be determined in any suitable manner. the determined neighboring device may also be limited to particular types of devices. for example, when adding a new light controller (e.g., a lighting fixture or light switch), the new light controller may only request to join groups including other light controllers. in another example, a new device may only request to join groups with devices having similar operating parameters (e.g., similar duty cycles for sending messages to the network node 12). the determination of which devices in the plurality of devices are the same type (or have similar operating parameters) as a particular device may be made by the network node 12 or by the individual devices 14 (e.g., based on information transmitted by the devices 14). each of the received signals may include a group address of the device 62 transmitting the received signal. a new device 14 may use the group address 62 included in the received signals to determine a group 30 to join. for example, transmitting the connection request message 46 to the network node 12 requesting to join a group 30 that the determined neighboring device 14 is a member of may include determining the group address 62 of the neighboring device 14 included in a signal received form the neighboring device 14. this determined group address 62 may then be included in the connection request message 46. an identifier of the new device may also be included in the connection request message 46 in addition ot the determined group address 62. the identifier of the new device may be, e.g., the mac address, serial number, or any other suitable (e.g., unique) identifier of the new device. as an example, device address 60 and group address 62 may combined be of the format oxaaaaad where d is the device address 60 and oxaaaaa is the group address 62. in this example, new device 14g may receive messages from device 14a-14e and determine that device 14a in group 1 is the closest device (i.e. , the neighboring device). in the messages 40 received by the new device 14g from device 14a, the messages 40 may include the device address 60 and group address 62 oxaaaaao. new device 14g may report to the network node 12 oxaaaaa as the group address 62 of the group 30 that the new device 14g would like to join. the network node 12 may then respond with a connection accept message 48 stating that the new device 14g may connect to the network node 12 and that the new device 14g has the combined device address 60 and group address 62 of 0xaaaaa3 (i.e., the device address 60 is 3 and the group address 62 is oxaaaaa). continuing this example, the network node 12 may wait a time to gather as many messages 40 from the devices 14 as possible and, if messages 40 are received from all four devices 14a-c, 14g of group 1 , the network node 12 can send only one group ack 42 to the group using oxaaaaa as the only identifier (i.e., the group address 62 without any device address 60). in this way, multiple acks 42 are not needed and the active transmission time is 75% less than if acks 42 were sent to each device of the group individually, helping to avoid blocking by any duty cycle requirements. turning to fig. 7, a method 100 for controlling network communications is shown. the method 100 is performed by the network node 12. in process block 102, a message 30 is received by the network node 12. in decision block 104, a check is performed to determine if the received message was sent by a lone device. for example, the determination may be made by referring to a group address 62 included in the received message 30. a specific designation may be used in the group address 62 to identify lone devices or the group address 60 may be left blank for lone devices. if the received message 40 is sent by a lone device, then an ack 42 is sent to the lone device 14 by the network node 12 in process block 106. alternatively, if the received message 40 is sent by a grouped device, then a group ack is sent to the group 30 that the sending device 14 is a member of in process block 108. turning to fig. 8, another method 110 for controlling network communications is shown. in process block 112, the network node 12 selects a device 14. in decision block 114, a determination is made by the network node 12 regarding whether a message was received from the selected device in a time duration. as is described above, the plurality of devices are configured to send at least one message to the network node within a time interval and the time duration is at least as long as the time interval. if a message 40 was received, then another device 14 is selected in process block 116. alternatively, if a message was not received, then a nack 44 is sent to the selected device 118. turning to fig. 9, a further method 120 for controlling network communications is shown. in process block 122, the network node 12 determines the devices 14 that a message was not received from within the time duration. in process block 124, one of the groups of devices 30 is selected. in decision block 126, a determination is made regarding whether there is a device in the selected group of devices 30 that a message 40 was not received from. if a message 40 was received from every device 14 in the selected group 30, then a group ack 42 is sent to the selected group in process block 128. alternatively, if a message 40 was not received from at least one device 14 in the selected group 30, then a comparison is made in decision block 132 between a number of devices 14 in the group 30 that a message was received from to a number of devices 14 in the group 30 that a message was not received from. if a message 40 was received from more devices 14 in the group 30, then in process block 136 a group ack 42 is sent to the selected group 30 in process block 134 and a nack 44 is sent to the devices that a message 40 was not received from. alternatively, if a message was not received from more devices in the group 30, then in process block 140 a group nack is sent to the selected group in process block 138 and an ack 42 is sent to the devices in the selected group 30 that a message 40 was received from. following process blocks 128, 136, and 140, a determination is made in decision block 130 regarding whether there are any remaining unselected groups 30. if there are any remaining unselected groups 30, then the method returns to process block 124 where a new group of devices 30 is selected. turning to fig. 10, a method 150 for connecting a new device 14 to a network node 12 is shown. in optional process block 152, the new device 14 receives transmissions from the other devices 14. in optional process block 154, the received transmissions are analyzed to determine a neighboring device. in process block 156, the new device 14 sends a connection request message to the network node 12. in process block 158, the network node 12 transmits a connection accept message to the new device 14. it should be appreciated that many of the elements discussed in this specification may be implemented in a hardware circuit(s), a processor executing software code or instructions which are encoded within computer readable media accessible to the processor, or a combination of a hardware circuit(s) and a processor or control block of an integrated circuit executing machine readable code encoded within a computer readable media. as such, the term circuit, module, server, application, or other equivalent description of an element as used throughout this specification is, unless otherwise indicated, intended to encompass a hardware circuit (whether discrete elements or an integrated circuit block), a processor or control block executing code encoded in a computer readable media, or a combination of a hardware circuit(s) and a processor and/or control block executing such code. all ranges and ratio limits disclosed in the specification and claims may be combined in any manner. unless specifically stated otherwise, references to“a,” “an,” and/or“the” may include one or more than one, and that reference to an item in the singular may also include the item in the plural. although the invention has been shown and described with respect to a certain embodiment or embodiments, equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. in particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described elements (components, assemblies, devices, compositions, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such elements are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any element which performs the specified function of the described element (i.e. , that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiment or embodiments of the invention. in addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been described above with respect to only one or more of several illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.
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182-114-542-843-527
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G06Q50/12,G06Q30/00,G06F7/00,G06F17/00,G06K5/00,G06K7/01,G06K15/00,G06Q10/00,G06Q10/10,G06Q20/00,G06Q50/00,H04L29/08
| 2011-08-26T00:00:00 |
2011
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[
"G06",
"H04"
] |
selection information system and method for ingestible product preparation system and method
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a computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus.
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1 . a method comprising: electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being, the living being identification including at least a prescription serial number, to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus; and electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being, the living being identification including at least a prescription serial number, at least some of the user status information regarding the particular living being electrically obtained from a memory storage coupled with a medication container. 3 . (canceled) 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via a credit card swipe. 5 . (canceled) 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via bar code communication. 7 . (canceled) 8 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: electronically receiving a second user status information regarding the particular individual living being from a remotely located user via an electronic network. 9 . (canceled) 10 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the electronically receiving a second user status information regarding the particular individual living being from a remotely located user via an electronic network comprises: electronically receiving the second user status information regarding the particular individual living being from at least one of a physician, nurse, nutritionist, health expert, sports coach, physician assistant, pharmacist, or laboratory technician. 11 . (canceled) 12 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the electronically receiving the second user status information regarding the particular individual living being from at least one of a physician, nurse, nutritionist, health expert, sports coach, physician assistant, pharmacist, or laboratory technician comprises: electronically receiving at least one of a new prescription or a prescription renewal regarding the particular individual living being. 13 . (canceled) 14 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription identification. 15 . (canceled) 16 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a data image of handwritten text. 17 . (canceled) 18 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer audio file. 19 . (canceled) 20 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via an rfid tag. 21 . (canceled) 22 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a holographic image. 23 . (canceled) 24 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in icon form. 25 . (canceled) 26 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in markup language form. 27 . (canceled) 28 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in list form. 29 . (canceled) 30 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in map form. 31 . (canceled) 32 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form. 33 . (canceled) 34 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic identification card. 35 . (canceled) 36 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic voice print. 37 . (canceled) 38 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with electronic dental records. 39 . (canceled) 40 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a password. 41 . (canceled) 42 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a cell phone swipe. 43 . (canceled) 44 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof. 45 . (canceled) 46 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed. 47 . (canceled) 48 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested via a tube. 49 . (canceled) 50 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in capsule form. 51 . (canceled) 52 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup. 53 . (canceled) 54 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good. 55 . (canceled) 56 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction. 57 . (canceled) 58 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically. 59 . (canceled) 60 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices. 61 . (canceled) 62 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly. 63 . (canceled) 64 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer. 65 . (canceled) 66 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via a memory circuit coupled with a medication container. 67 . (canceled) 68 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via a cell phone swipe. 69 . (canceled) 70 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via an internet communication. 71 . (canceled) 72 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via touch screen input. 73 . (canceled) 74 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via electronic imaging of the particular individual living being. 75 . (canceled) 76 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via electronic audio recording of the particular individual living being. 77 . (canceled) 78 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus comprises: electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto, the electronically receiving the user status information via electronically enabled input including via electronic input by the particular individual living being. 79 . (canceled) 80 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part one or more directly connected electrical circuits. 81 . (canceled) 82 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. 83 . (canceled) 84 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via cooling control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. 85 . (canceled) 86 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via controlling amount of ingredient mixing during preparation of the ingestible product. 87 . (canceled) 88 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of sound emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. 89 . (canceled) 90 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of microwave radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. 91 . (canceled) 92 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient syringe holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product. 93 . (canceled) 94 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of blending of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product after thermal treatment of the ingredients. 95 . (canceled) 96 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of amount of time spent for a particular step in preparation of the ingestible product. 97 . (canceled) 98 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically including ingredients in the preparation of the ingestible product. 99 . (canceled) 100 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus, the vicinity including at least within an interior of an architectural building containing a dispensing machine. 101 . (canceled) 102 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus, the vicinity including at least within an interior of a restaurant. 103 . (canceled) 104 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus, the vicinity including at least within an interior of a ground vehicle. 105 . (canceled) 106 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus comprises: electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus, the vicinity including at least within an international region. 107 . a system comprising: means for electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being, the living being identification including at least a prescription serial number, to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus; and means for electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. 108 .- 212 . (canceled) 213 . a system, comprising: circuitry for receiving user status information regarding a particular living being, the user status information including at least identification associated with the particular living being, the living being identification including at least a prescription serial number; circuitry for generating, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular living being; circuitry for outputting at least one of the one or more selection menus; circuitry for receiving a selection of at least one of the one or more candidate ingestible products; circuitry for directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products; and circuitry for dispensing the one or more selected ingestible products.
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summary a method includes, but is not limited to electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus; and electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. in one or more various aspects, related machines, compositions of matter, or manufactures of systems may include, but are not limited to, virtually any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware configured to effect the herein-referenced method aspects depending upon the design choices of the system designer (limited to patentable subject matter under 35 usc 101). a system includes, but is not limited to: means for electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus; and means for electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. in addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. a system includes, but is not limited to a receiving information electrical circuitry arrangement for electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus; and a controlling preparation electrical circuitry arrangement for electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. in addition to the foregoing, other system aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. an article of manufacture including a non-transitory signal-bearing storage medium bearing one or more instructions for electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus; and one or more instructions for electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. in addition to the foregoing, other computer program product aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. the foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. in addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. brief description of the figures fig. 1 is a schematic diagram depicting a first application of a first exemplary implementation of a ingestible product preparation system 10 including a selection information system. fig. 1a is a fragmentary view depicting a second application of the first exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 1b is a fragmentary view depicting a third application of the first exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 1c is a fragmentary view depicting a fourth application of the first exemplary implementation of a ingestible product preparation system 10 including a substance allocation system therefor. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram depicting a first application of a second exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 including the selection information system. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram depicting a second application of the second exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 including the selection information system. fig. 4 is a schematic view of a display screen of the first exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 displaying first content. fig. 5 is a schematic view of a display screen of the first exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 displaying second content. fig. 6 is a schematic of an exemplary network implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 . fig. 7 is a schematic of an exemplary user identification implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 . fig. 8 is a schematic diagram depicting user identification implementations for the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 . fig. 9 is a schematic diagram depicting user identification implementations for the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 . fig. 10 is a schematic diagram view depicting an information display associated with one or more ingestible product selection menus for the ingestible product preparation system 10 in fig. 1 . fig. 11 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 including exemplary subsystems. fig. 12 is a block diagram depicting a control and information processing subsystem s 100 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 13 is a block diagram depicting an information storage subsystem s 200 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 14 is a block diagram depicting an information user interface subsystem s 300 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 15 is a block diagram depicting a sensing subsystem s 400 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 16 is a block diagram depicting an electronic communication subsystem s 500 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 17 is a block diagram depicting a power subsystem s 600 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 18 is a block diagram depicting a material processing subsystem s 700 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 19 is a block diagram depicting a preparation subsystem s 800 of an exemplary implementation of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 20 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary electrical circuitry arrangements of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 21 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary electrical circuitry arrangements of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 22 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary electrical circuitry arrangements of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 23 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary electrical circuitry arrangements of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 24 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary electrical circuitry arrangements of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 25 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary electrical circuitry arrangements of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 26 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary instructions of the information storage subsystem s 200 of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 27 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary instructions of the information storage subsystem s 200 of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 28 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary instructions of the information storage subsystem s 200 of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 29 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary instructions of the information storage subsystem s 200 of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 30 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary instructions of the information storage subsystem s 200 of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 31 is a block diagram depicting one or more exemplary instructions of the information storage subsystem s 200 of the ingestible product preparation system 10 of fig. 1 . fig. 32 is a high-level flowchart illustrating an operational flow o 10 representing exemplary operations related to electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus, and electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus at least associated with the depicted exemplary implementations of the system. fig. 33 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 34 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 35 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 36 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 37 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 38 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 39 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 40 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 41 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 42 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 43 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 44 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 45 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 46 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 47 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 48 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 49 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 50 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 51 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 52 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 53 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 54 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 55 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 56 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 57 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 58 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 11 of fig. 32 . fig. 59 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 60 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 61 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 62 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 63 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 64 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 65 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 66 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . fig. 67 is a high-level flowchart including exemplary implementations of operation o 12 of fig. 32 . detailed description in the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. in the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. the illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. generally, automated and semi-automated machines to make, manufacture, fabricate, or otherwise prepare and/or dispense ingestible products to be ingested by living beings such as humans, animals, plants, etc are known to a degree with interest existing for future development as well. automated and semi-automated preparation of the ingestible products can incorporate all known forms of preparation of food and other ingestible products including but not limited to all known forms of energy addition to one or more ingredients of the ingestible products (such as through various forms of thermal heating or adding microwave, infrared, or ultrasonic energy), extracting energy from one or more ingredients of the ingestible products (such as through thermodynamic-cycle based cooling or peltier cooling), deposition methods (including deposition by layering or at the pixel level), and combinational methods (such as blending, mixing, ingredient injection, kneading, stirring, ultrasonic agitation, other agitational methods, etc.), etc. although ingestible products made, fabricated, or otherwise prepared and/or dispensed by semi-automated and automated machines are presently limited in scope to a degree, it is envisioned that with future development, this will change. ingestible products can take many forms including, but not limited to, solids, semi-solids, liquids, gases, dispersions (such as true solutions, colloid dispersions, emulsions, foams, and gels) and vast combinations thereof. ingestion by the living beings can occur through many pathways including, but not limited to, oral ingestion, transdermal ingestion, peg-tube ingestion, nasal ingestion, anal ingestion, injectable ingestion, tear-duct ingestion, and respiratory ingestion. as depicted in figs. 1-3 , exemplary implementations of an ingestible product preparation system 10 are shown to prepare and dispense ingestible products such as a liquid drink 12 (shown in dispensing area 21 ) to be consumed by a particular individual living being, such as a human being 14 (such as a user, etc.) shown. exemplary implementations determine selection menus to be generated and outputted, for instance, on display 16 and selections or other information can be inputted through user interfaces, for instance, user input 20 or other types of user input. for instance, input may be collected through active user input (e.g. keyboard, textual, audio, graphical user interface, etc.) or passive user input (e.g. image recognition of user behavior, refuse analysis of past dispensing such as quantity of wrappers, leftovers, audio analysis of collected unsolicited user comments, etc.). selection menus can be generated that are unique to a particular individual living being, such as the human being 14 , based upon such information as but not limited to identification of the individual and other information such as past selections, allergies, preferences, specials, holidays, location of preparation, location of dispensing, time of day, dislikes, recent ingestion, health goals, present illness, past illness, sports requirements, injuries, fads, hobbies, associated social organizations, etc. other sorts of ingestible products can include but are not limited to sandwiches ( fig. 1a ), full meals ( fig. 1b ), food bars ( fig. 1c ), meal replacements, snacks, plant and/or animal based products, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, smoothies, etc. the ingestible product preparation system 10 is further depicted in figs. 2 and 3 as communicating with the human being 14 an exemplary remotely located user or an exemplary advisor 18 (e.g. physician, nurse, nutritionist, health expert, sports coach, etc.) via a communication link (e.g. wireless or wired network or direct electronic communication, etc.) and display screen 28 . the display screen 28 can include selection indicators configured to provide information described above by the users and advisors. the display screen 28 can also output generated selection menus based upon identification of the particular individual living being and other information including that described above. selection menus can be furnished to suggest candidate ingestible products that once selected as selected ingestible products can be prepared and dispensed (in some implementations prepared such as from ingredient containers 22 ) and to provide other sorts of information discussed herein. the display screen 28 can display textual and graphic information such as including but not limited to menu screens allowing users to select various dispensing (including in some implementations preparation) options and information requests. other implementations can include other devices and methods for information input and output including those further discussed below. exemplary generated selection menus depicted in figs. 4 and 5 are in listed textual form, but other implementations can include but are not limited to graphical, audio, video, ingestible samples, maps of suggestions, hierarchical ordered arrangements and other sorts of arrangements, etc. as depicted in fig. 6 , information used to generate selection menus can be found on other machines networked, for example network 30 , with, the ingestible product preparation system (aka production machine) 10 such as being stored on network server 32 . identification information and other information regarding the particular individual living being can be inputted directly to the ingestible product preparation system 10 or can be inputted through other devices to be stored apart from the ingestible product preparation system since in some implementations, the selection menus can be generated locally at the ingestible product preparation system whereas is other implementations the selection menus can be generated elsewhere to either be displayed elsewhere or to be sent to the digestible product preparation system to be displayed thereon. fig. 7 depicts an exemplary implementation where at least some information such as identification information is inputted directly through a memory card 34 into receiving slot 36 to the ingestible product preparation system 10 to be used to generate selection menus either locally or remotely to then be displayed on the ingestible product preparation system. in other implementations, the memory card 34 can be inputted into a receiving slot found on another machine other than the ingestible product preparation system 10 . figs. 8 and 9 show other examples of various ways that information, such as identification information, can be inputted directly to the ingestible product preparation system 10 . alternatively, these depicted ways that information can be inputted and other ways can be inputted to other devices that are electronically linked to the ingestible product preparation system 10 so that selection menus can be generated directly by the ingestible product preparation system 10 or elsewhere, such as the network server 32 , to be outputted at the ingestible product preparation system or elsewhere. the input ways depicted in fig. 8 include voice/audio scanner 42 , iris/eye scanner 44 , fingerprint scanner 46 , facial recognition scanner 48 , odor/scent scanner 50 , and hand geometry scanner 52 . the input ways depicted in fig. 9 include user worn bio health monitor 60 (for instance, tracking blood pressure, blood sugar, urea, temperature, activity, heart rate, ekg, ecg, hormone levels, nerve activity, other blood levels, etc), body weight scanner 62 , blood pressure scanner 64 , blood sugar scanner 66 , heart rate scanner 68 , and body temperature scanner 70 . other information can be displayed on other screens to complement the selection menus as depicted in fig. 10 . an exemplary version of the ingestible product preparation system 10 is shown in fig. 11 to optionally include various subsystems such as control and information processing subsystem s 100 , information storage subsystem s 200 , information user interface subsystem s 300 , sensing subsystem s 400 , electronic communication subsystem s 500 , power subsystem s 600 , material processing subsystem s 700 , and preparation subsystem s 800 . an exemplary implementation of the control and information processing subsystem s 100 is shown in fig. 12 to optionally include various components such as microprocessor component s 102 , central processing unit (cpu) component s 104 , digital signal processor (dsp) component s 106 , application specific integrated circuit (asic) component s 108 , field programmable gate array (fpga) component s 110 , multiprocessor component s 112 , optical processing component s 114 , and logic component s 116 . an exemplary implementation of the information storage subsystem s 200 is shown in fig. 13 to optionally include various components such as random access memory (ram) component s 202 , dynamic random access memory (dram) component s 204 , other volatile memory component s 206 , persistent memory component s 208 , read only memory (rom) component s 210 , electrically erasable programmable read only memory (eeprom) component s 212 , compact disk (cd) component s 214 , digital versatile disk (dvd) component s 216 , flash memory component s 218 , other nonvolatile memory component s 220 , hard drive component s 222 , disk farm component s 224 , disk cluster component s 226 , remote backup component s 228 , server component s 230 , digital tape component s 232 , optical storage component s 234 , optical storage component s 236 , computer readable signal bearing medium s 238 , and blu ray disk component s 240 . an exemplary implementation of the information user interface subsystem s 300 is shown in fig. 14 to optionally include various components such as graphical user interface (gui) component s 302 , visual display component s 304 , keyboard component s 306 , keypad component s 308 , trackball component s 310 , joystick component s 312 , touch screen component s 314 , mouse component s 316 , switch component s 318 , dial component s 320 , button component s 322 , gauge component s 324 , light emitting component s 326 , audio in/out component s 328 , vibration emitting component s 330 , portable information storage reader component s 332 , projection component s 334 , camera component s 336 , and scanner component s 338 . an exemplary implementation of the sensing subsystem s 400 is shown in fig. 15 to optionally include various components such as electromagnetic sensing component s 402 , antenna component s 404 , photodetecting component s 406 , micro-electro-mechanical system (mems) detecting component s 408 , weight sensing component s 410 , temperature sensing component s 412 , radio frequency identification (rfid) sensing component s 414 , chemical sensing component s 416 , optical sensing component s 418 , sound sensing component s 420 , solid sensing component s 422 , liquid sensing component s 424 , and solid sensing component s 426 . an exemplary implementation of the electronic communication subsystem s 500 is shown in fig. 16 to optionally include various components such as network cable component s 502 , optical network component s 504 , waveguide network component s 506 , internet network component s 508 , wireless network component s 510 , wired network component s 512 , cellular network component s 514 , wide area network component s 516 , local area network component s 518 , encrypted communication component s 520 , transceiver component s 522 , infrared network component s 524 , transmitter component s 526 , and receiver component s 528 . an exemplary implementation of the power subsystem s 600 is shown in fig. 17 to optionally include various components such as electrical component s 602 , hydrocarbon fuel component s 604 , hydrogen fuel component s 606 , solid fuel component s 608 , liquid fuel component s 610 , gaseous fuel component s 612 , battery component s 614 , battery component s 622 , battery component s 624 , battery component s 626 , battery component s 628 , and power cell component s 630 . an exemplary implementation of the material processing subsystem s 700 is shown in fig. 18 to optionally include various components such as heating component s 702 , cooling component s 704 , microwave component s 706 , laser component s 708 , light emitting diode (led) component s 710 , peltier cooling component s 712 , blending component s 714 , mixer component s 716 , acoustic energy component s 718 , stirring component s 720 , shaker component s 722 , energy emitting component s 724 , pump component s 726 , sorting component s 728 , infrared component s 730 , cutting component s 732 , material storage component s 734 , controlled substance receiving assembly s 736 , controlled substance containing assembly s 738 , deposition component s 740 . an exemplary implementation of the preparation subsystem s 800 is shown in fig. 19 to optionally include various components such as air blower component s 802 , compressed fluid component s 804 , vacuum component s 806 , ultrasonic component s 808 , radiant energy component s 810 , abrasive component s 812 , brush component s 814 , squeegee brush component s 816 , pipe cleaner brush component s 818 , material flush abrasive component s 820 , fish tape system brush component s 822 , parts exchange component s 824 , parts replacement component s 826 , compressed air fluid component s 828 , compressed water fluid component s 830 , and chemical component s 832 . implementations involve different combinations (otherwise known as “electrical circuitry arrangements”) of components from the subsystems of the ingestible product preparation system 10 . exemplary depictions of some of these electrical circuitry arrangements are shown in fig. 20 to include receiving information electrical circuitry arrangement ell, receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1101 , receiving information memory electrical circuitry arrangement e 1102 , receiving information credit card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1103 , receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1104 , receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1105 , receiving information internet electrical circuitry arrangement e 1106 , receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1107 , receiving encrypted information electrical circuitry arrangement e 1108 , receiving information memory card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1109 , receiving information wirelessly electrical circuitry arrangement e 1110 , receiving information keypad entry electrical circuitry arrangement e 1111 , receiving information meds history electrical circuitry arrangement e 1112 , receiving information prescription id electrical circuitry arrangement e 1113 , receiving information prescription number electrical circuitry arrangement e 1114 , receiving information handwritten electrical circuitry arrangement e 1115 , receiving information text file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1116 , receiving information audio file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1117 , receiving information video file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1118 , and receiving information rfid electrical circuitry arrangement e 1119 . some of these electrical circuitry arrangements are depicted in fig. 21 to include receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1120 , receiving information holographic electrical circuitry arrangement e 1121 , receiving information textual electrical circuitry arrangement e 1122 , receiving information icon electrical circuitry arrangement e 1123 , receiving information graphical electrical circuitry arrangement e 1124 , receiving information markup electrical circuitry arrangement e 1125 , receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1126 , receiving information list electrical circuitry arrangement e 1127 , receiving information hierarchical electrical circuitry arrangement e 1128 , receiving information map electrical circuitry arrangement e 1129 , receiving information video electrical circuitry arrangement e 1130 , receiving information sample electrical circuitry arrangement e 113 , receiving information human electrical circuitry arrangement e 1132 , receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1133 , receiving information iris scan electrical circuitry arrangement e 1134 , receiving information voice electrical circuitry arrangement e 1135 , receiving information fingerprint electrical circuitry arrangement e 1136 , receiving information dental electrical circuitry arrangement e 1137 , receiving information rfid electrical circuitry arrangement e 1138 , and receiving information password electrical circuitry arrangement e 1139 . some of these electrical circuitry arrangements are depicted in fig. 22 to include receiving information fob electrical circuitry arrangement e 1140 , receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1141 , receiving information breathalyzer electrical circuitry arrangement e 1142 , receiving information incorporate electrical circuitry arrangement e 1143 , receiving information days electrical circuitry arrangement e 1144 , receiving information swallow electrical circuitry arrangement e 1145 , receiving information inhaled electrical circuitry arrangement e 1146 , receiving information tube electrical circuitry arrangement e 1147 , receiving information transdermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1148 , receiving information capsule electrical circuitry arrangement e 1149 , receiving information sandwich electrical circuitry arrangement e 1150 , receiving information soup electrical circuitry arrangement e 1151 , receiving information smoothie electrical circuitry arrangement e 1152 , receiving information baked electrical circuitry arrangement e 1153 , receiving information deposited electrical circuitry arrangement e 1154 , receiving information assembled electrical circuitry arrangement e 1155 , receiving information uses electrical circuitry arrangement e 1156 , receiving information periods electrical circuitry arrangement e 1157 , receiving information display electrical circuitry arrangement e 1158 , and receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1159 . some of these electrical circuitry arrangements are depicted in fig. 23 to include receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1160 , receiving information wirelessly electrical circuitry arrangement e 1161 , receiving information paper electrical circuitry arrangement e 1162 , receiving information food electrical circuitry arrangement e 1163 , receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1164 , receiving information container electrical circuitry arrangement e 1165 , and receiving information credit card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1166 , receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1167 , receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1168 , receiving information internet electrical circuitry arrangement e 1169 , receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1170 , receiving information touch screen electrical circuitry arrangement e 1171 , receiving information wireless electrical circuitry arrangement e 1172 , receiving information imaging electrical circuitry arrangement e 1173 , receiving information gesture electrical circuitry arrangement e 1174 , receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1175 , receiving information keypad electrical circuitry arrangement e 1176 , receiving information input electrical circuitry arrangement e 1177 , and receiving information encrypted electrical circuitry arrangement e 1178 . some of these electrical circuitry arrangements are depicted in fig. 24 to include controlling preparation electrical circuitry arrangement e 12 , control prep connected electrical circuitry arrangement e 1201 , control prep network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1202 , control prep thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1203 , control prep heating electrical circuitry arrangement e 1204 , control prep cooling electrical circuitry arrangement e 1205 , control prep portion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1206 , control prep mixing electrical circuitry arrangement e 1207 , control prep radiation electrical circuitry arrangement e 1208 , control prep sound electrical circuitry arrangement e 1209 , control prep infrared electrical circuitry arrangement e 1210 , control prep microwave electrical circuitry arrangement e 1211 , and control prep container electrical circuitry arrangement e 1212 , control prep syringe electrical circuitry arrangement e 1213 , control prep mix before thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1214 , control prep re mix after thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1215 , control prep heating cooling electrical circuitry arrangement e 1216 , control prep time control electrical circuitry arrangement e 1217 , control prep ingredient exclusion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1218 , and control prep ingredient inclusion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1219 . some of these electrical circuitry arrangements are depicted in fig. 25 to include control prep housing electrical circuitry arrangement e 1220 , control prep building electrical circuitry arrangement e 1221 , control prep mall electrical circuitry arrangement e 1222 , control prep restaurant electrical circuitry arrangement e 1223 , control prep airplane electrical circuitry arrangement e 1224 , control prep vehicle electrical circuitry arrangement e 1225 , control prep territory electrical circuitry arrangement e 1226 , and control prep region electrical circuitry arrangement e 1227 . in implementations one or more instructions are stored and/or otherwise borne in various subsystems, components, and/or accessories of the ingestible product preparation system 10 such as being borne in a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 . one or more exemplary instructions depicted in fig. 26 as being borne in an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 include one or more receiving information instructions i 11 , one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1101 , one or more receiving information memory instructions i 1102 , one or more receiving information credit card instructions i 1103 , one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1104 , one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1105 , one or more receiving information internet instructions i 1106 , one or more receiving information network instructions i 1107 , one or more receiving encrypted information instructions i 1108 , one or more receiving information memory card instructions i 1109 , one or more receiving information wirelessly instructions i 1110 , one or more receiving information keypad entry instructions i 1111 , one or more receiving information meds history instructions i 1112 , one or more receiving information prescription id instructions i 1113 , one or more receiving information prescription number instructions i 1114 , one or more receiving information handwritten instructions i 1115 , one or more receiving information text file instructions i 1116 , one or more receiving information audio file instructions i 1117 , one or more receiving information video file instructions i 1118 , and one or more receiving information rfid instructions i 1119 . one or more exemplary instructions depicted in fig. 27 as being borne in an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 include one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1120 , one or more receiving information holographic instructions i 1121 , one or more receiving information textual instructions i 1122 , one or more receiving information icon instructions i 1123 , one or more receiving information graphical instructions i 1124 , one or more receiving information markup instructions i 1125 , one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1126 , one or more receiving information list instructions i 1127 , one or more receiving information hierarchical instructions i 1128 , one or more receiving information map instructions i 1129 , one or more receiving information video instructions i 1130 , one or more receiving information sample instructions i 1131 , one or more receiving information human instructions i 1132 , one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1133 , one or more receiving information iris scan instructions i 1134 , one or more receiving information voice instructions i 1135 , one or more receiving information fingerprint instructions i 1136 , one or more receiving information dental instructions i 1137 , one or more receiving information rfid instructions i 1138 , and one or more receiving information password instructions i 1139 . one or more exemplary instructions depicted in fig. 28 as being borne in an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 include one or more receiving information fob instructions i 1140 , one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1141 , one or more receiving information breathalyzer instructions i 1142 , one or more receiving information incorporate instructions i 1143 , one or more receiving information days instructions i 1144 , one or more receiving information swallow instructions i 1145 , one or more receiving information inhaled instructions i 1146 , one or more receiving information tube instructions i 1147 , one or more receiving information transdermal instructions i 1148 , one or more receiving information capsule instructions i 1149 , one or more receiving information sandwich instructions i 1150 , one or more receiving information soup instructions i 1151 , one or more receiving information smoothie instructions i 1152 , one or more receiving information baked instructions i 1153 , one or more receiving information deposited instructions i 1154 , one or more receiving information assembled instructions i 1155 , one or more receiving information uses instructions i 1156 , one or more receiving information periods instructions i 1157 , one or more receiving information display instructions i 1158 , and one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1159 . one or more exemplary instructions depicted in fig. 29 as being borne in an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 include one or more receiving information network instructions i 1160 , one or more receiving information wirelessly instructions i 1161 , one or more receiving information paper instructions i 1162 , one or more receiving information food instructions i 1163 , one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1164 , one or more receiving information container instructions i 1165 , and one or more receiving information credit card instructions i 1166 , one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1167 , one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1168 , one or more receiving information internet instructions i 1169 , one or more receiving information network instructions i 1170 , one or more receiving information touch screen instructions i 1171 , one or more receiving information wireless instructions i 1172 , one or more receiving information imaging instructions i 1173 , one or more receiving information gesture instructions i 1174 , one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1175 , one or more receiving information keypad instructions i 1176 , one or more receiving information input instructions i 1177 , and one or more receiving information encrypted instructions i 1178 . one or more exemplary instructions depicted in fig. 30 as being borne in an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 include one or more controlling preparation instructions i 12 , one or more control prep connected instructions i 1201 , one or more control prep network instructions i 1202 , one or more control prep thermal instructions i 1203 , one or more control prep heating instructions i 1204 , one or more control prep cooling instructions i 1205 , one or more control prep portion instructions i 1206 , one or more control prep mixing instructions i 1207 , one or more control prep radiation instructions i 1208 , one or more control prep sound instructions i 1209 , one or more control prep infrared instructions i 1210 , one or more control prep microwave instructions i 1211 , one or more control prep container instructions i 1212 , one or more control prep syringe instructions i 1213 , one or more control prep mix before thermal instructions i 1214 , one or more control prep re mix after thermal instructions i 1215 , one or more control prep heating cooling instructions i 1216 , one or more control prep time control instructions i 1217 , one or more control prep ingredient exclusion instructions i 1218 , and one or more control prep ingredient inclusion instructions i 1219 . one or more exemplary instructions depicted in fig. 31 as being borne in an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 include one or more control prep housing instructions i 1220 , one or more control prep building instructions i 1221 , one or more control prep mall instructions i 1222 , one or more control prep restaurant instructions i 1223 , one or more control prep airplane instructions i 1224 , one or more control prep vehicle instructions i 1225 , one or more control prep territory instructions i 1226 , and one or more control prep region instructions i 1227 . an operational flow o 10 as shown in fig. 32 represents example operations related to electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. fig. 32 and those figures that follow may have various examples of operational flows, and explanation may be provided with respect to the above-described examples of figs. 1-7 and/or with respect to other examples and contexts. nonetheless, it should be understood that the operational flows may be executed in a number of other environments and contexts, and/or in modified versions of figs. 1-7 . furthermore, although the various operational flows are presented in the sequence(s) illustrated, it should be understood that the various operations may be performed in other orders than those which are illustrated, or may be performed concurrently. in fig. 32 and those figures that follow, various operations may be depicted in a box-within-a-box manner. such depictions may indicate that an operation in an internal box may comprise an optional exemplary implementation of the operational step illustrated in one or more external boxes. however, it should be understood that internal box operations may be viewed as independent operations separate from any associated external boxes and may be performed in any sequence with respect to all other illustrated operations, or may be performed concurrently. as shown in fig. 32 , the operational flow o 10 proceeds to operation o 11 for electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information instructions i 11 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 11 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information instructions i 11 when executed direct electronically receiving (e.g. the network cable component s 502 carries information to the transceiver component s 522 , etc.) user status information regarding a particular individual living being (e.g. a particular human being, animal, etc.) including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being (e.g. identification numbers, passwords, biometric data such as voice prints, stored in information storage subsystem 200 ) to at least in part electronically generate (e.g. microprocessor component s 102 uses the received user status information combined with database references to determine what to generate or otherwise be outputted), based at least in part upon the user status information (e.g. generating one or more menus based upon allergies, preferences, past selections, holidays, preparation and/or dispensing location, etc.) one or more selection menus (e.g. textual, graphical, audio-visual or other sorts of menus, etc.) electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products (e.g. textual descriptions on the menus of the one or more candidate ingestible products, etc.), the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted (e.g. outputted on electronic display screens, etc.) to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus (e.g. input using a keypad, voice commands, etc. to implement one or more selections, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information electrical circuitry arrangement (“elec circ arrange”) ell when activated will perform the operation o 11 . in an implementation, the receiving information electrical circuitry arrangement ell, when activated performs electronically receiving (e.g. the network cable component s 502 carries information to the transceiver component s 522 , etc.) user status information regarding a particular individual living being (e.g. a particular human being, animal, etc.) including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being (e.g. identification numbers, passwords, biometric data such as voice prints, stored in information storage subsystem 200 ) to at least in part electronically generate (e.g. microprocessor component s 102 uses the received user status information combined with database references to determine what to generate or otherwise be outputted), based at least in part upon the user status information (e.g. generating one or more menus based upon allergies, preferences, past selections, holidays, preparation and/or dispensing location, etc.) one or more selection menus (e.g. textual, graphical, audio-visual or other sorts of menus, etc.) electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products (e.g. textual descriptions on the menus of the one or more candidate ingestible products, etc.), the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted (e.g. outputted on electronic display screens, etc.) to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus (e.g. input using a keypad, voice commands, etc. to implement one or more selections, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving user status information regarding a particular individual living being including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information, one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products, the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus is carried out by electronically receiving (e.g. the network cable component s 502 carries information to the transceiver component s 522 , etc.) user status information regarding a particular individual living being (e.g. a particular human being, animal, etc.) including living being identification associated with the particular individual living being (e.g. identification numbers, passwords, biometric data such as voice prints, stored in information storage subsystem 200 ) to at least in part electronically generate (e.g. microprocessor component s 102 uses the received user status information combined with database references to determine what to generate or otherwise be outputted), based at least in part upon the user status information (e.g. generating one or more menus based upon allergies, preferences, past selections, holidays, preparation and/or dispensing location, etc.) one or more selection menus (e.g. textual, graphical, audio-visual or other sorts of menus, etc.) electronically identifying at least in part one or more candidate ingestible products (e.g. textual descriptions on the menus of the one or more candidate ingestible products, etc.), the electronically generated one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted (e.g. outputted on electronic display screens, etc.) to provide, via electronically enabled input in response thereto, selection opportunity of the one or more candidate ingestible products subject to ingestion by the particular individual living being prior to selection of at least one candidate ingestible product as at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus (e.g. input using a keypad, voice commands, etc. to implement one or more selections, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 33 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1101 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic identification card. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1101 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1101 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1101 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a card having memory storage holding the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement (“elec circ arrange”) e 1101 when activated will perform the operation o 1101 . in an implementation, the receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1101 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a card having memory storage holding the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic identification card is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a card having memory storage holding the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1102 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information memory instructions i 1102 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1102 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information memory instructions i 1102 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a memory storage coupled with a medication container to receive the user status information in electronic form, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information memory electrical circuitry arrangement e 1102 when activated will perform the operation o 1102 . in an implementation, the receiving information memory electrical circuitry arrangement e 1102 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a memory storage coupled with a medication container to receive the user status information in electronic form, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a memory storage coupled with a medication container to receive the user status information in electronic form, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1103 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via a credit card swipe. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information credit card instructions i 1103 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1103 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information credit card instructions i 1103 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via a credit card swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory stripe integrated into a credit card to receive the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information credit card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1103 when activated will perform the operation o 1103 . in an implementation, the receiving information credit card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1103 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via a credit card swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory stripe integrated into a credit card to receive the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the is electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via a credit card swipe carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via a credit card swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory stripe integrated into a credit card to receive the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 34 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1104 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via cell phone swipe. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1104 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1104 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1104 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information via cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory component integrated into a cell phone to receive the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1104 when activated will perform the operation o 1104 . in an implementation, the receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1104 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information via cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory component integrated into a cell phone to receive the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the is electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via cell phone swipe carried out by electronically receiving the user status information via cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory component integrated into a cell phone to receive the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1105 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via bar code communication. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1105 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1105 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1105 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information via bar code communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically read a bar code label to receive the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1105 when activated will perform the operation o 1105 . in an implementation, the receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1105 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information via bar code communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically read a bar code label to receive the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via bar code communication is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information via bar code communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically read a bar code label to receive the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1106 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via internet communication. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information internet instructions i 1106 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1106 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information internet instructions i 1106 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information via internet communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the internet network component s 508 the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information internet electrical circuitry arrangement e 1106 when activated will perform the operation o 1106 . in an implementation, the receiving information internet electrical circuitry arrangement e 1106 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information via internet communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the internet network component s 508 the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via internet communication is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information via internet communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the internet network component s 508 the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 35 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1107 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic network. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information network instructions i 1107 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1107 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information network instructions i 1107 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information via an electronic network (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the network cable component s 502 to receive the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1107 when activated will perform the operation o 1107 . in an implementation, the receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1107 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information via an electronic network (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the network cable component s 502 to receive the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via an electronic network is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information via an electronic network (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the network cable component s 502 to receive the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1108 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being as encrypted data. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving encrypted information instructions i 1108 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1108 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving encrypted information instructions i 1108 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information as encrypted data (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the encrypted communication component s 520 the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving encrypted information electrical circuitry arrangement e 1108 when activated will perform the operation o 1108 . in an implementation, the receiving encrypted information electrical circuitry arrangement e 1108 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information as encrypted data (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the encrypted communication component s 520 the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being as encrypted data is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information as encrypted data (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the encrypted communication component s 520 the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1109 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained on a memory card. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information memory card instructions i 1109 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1109 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information memory card instructions i 1109 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information contained on a memory card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory card to receive the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information memory card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1109 when activated will perform the operation o 1109 . in an implementation, the receiving information memory card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1109 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information contained on a memory card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory card to receive the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being contained on a memory card is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information contained on a memory card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory card to receive the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 36 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1110 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being wirelessly. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information wirelessly instructions i 1110 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1110 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information wirelessly instructions i 1110 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information wirelessly (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the wireless network component s 512 the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information wirelessly electrical circuitry arrangement e 1110 when activated will perform the operation o 1110 . in an implementation, the receiving information wirelessly electrical circuitry arrangement e 1110 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information wirelessly (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the wireless network component s 512 the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being wirelessly is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information wirelessly (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the wireless network component s 512 the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1111 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via electronic keypad entry. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information keypad entry instructions i 1111 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1111 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information keypad entry instructions i 1111 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information via electronic keypad entry (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the keypad component s 308 to receive the user status information as inputted by a user, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information keypad entry electrical circuitry arrangement e 1111 when activated will perform the operation o 1111 . in an implementation, the receiving information keypad entry electrical circuitry arrangement e 1111 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information via electronic keypad entry (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the keypad component s 308 to receive the user status information as inputted by a user, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being via electronic keypad entry is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information via electronic keypad entry (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the keypad component s 308 to receive the user status information as inputted by a user, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1112 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a medication history. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information meds history instructions i 1112 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1112 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information meds history instructions i 1112 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a medication history (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to identify the name and control number of the medication history of the particular individual living being, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information meds history electrical circuitry arrangement e 1112 when activated will perform the operation o 1112 . in an implementation, the receiving information meds history electrical circuitry arrangement e 1112 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a medication history (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to identify the name and control number of the medication history of the particular individual living being, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a medication history is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a medication history (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to identify the name and control number of the medication history of the particular individual living being, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 37 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1113 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription identification. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information prescription id instructions i 1113 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1113 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information prescription id instructions i 1113 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription identification (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to include a prescription identification, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information prescription id electrical circuitry arrangement e 1113 when activated will perform the operation o 1113 . in an implementation, the receiving information prescription id electrical circuitry arrangement e 1113 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription identification (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to include a prescription identification, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription identification is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription identification (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to include a prescription identification, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1114 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription serial number. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information prescription number instructions i 1114 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1114 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information prescription number instructions i 1114 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription serial number (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to include a prescription serial number, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information prescription number electrical circuitry arrangement e 1114 when activated will perform the operation o 1114 . in an implementation, the receiving information prescription number electrical circuitry arrangement e 1114 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription serial number (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to include a prescription serial number, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription serial number is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a prescription serial number (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component to include a prescription serial number, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1115 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a data image of handwritten text. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information handwritten instructions i 1115 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1115 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information handwritten instructions i 1115 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a data image of handwritten text (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic handwriting analysis of the data image of the handwritten text, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information handwritten electrical circuitry arrangement e 1115 when activated will perform the operation o 1115 . in an implementation, the receiving information handwritten electrical circuitry arrangement e 1115 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a data image of handwritten text (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic handwriting analysis of the data image of the handwritten text, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a data image of handwritten text is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a data image of handwritten text (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic handwriting analysis of the data image of the handwritten text, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 38 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1116 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer text file. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information text file instructions i 1116 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1116 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information text file instructions i 1116 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer text file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer text file, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information text file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1116 when activated will perform the operation o 1116 . in an implementation, the receiving information text file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1116 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer text file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer text file, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer text file is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer text file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer text file, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1117 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer audio file. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information audio file instructions i 1117 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1117 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information audio file instructions i 1117 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer audio file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer audio file, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information audio file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1117 when activated will perform the operation o 1117 . in an implementation, the receiving information audio file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1117 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer audio file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer audio file, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer audio file is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer audio file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer audio file, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1118 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer video file. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information video file instructions i 1118 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1118 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information video file instructions i 1118 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer video file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer video file, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information video file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1118 when activated will perform the operation o 1118 . in an implementation, the receiving information video file electrical circuitry arrangement e 1118 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer video file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer video file, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer video file is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a computer video file (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the computer video file, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 39 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1119 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via an rfid tag. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information rfid instructions i 1119 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1119 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information rfid instructions i 1119 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via an rfid tag (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading be the radio frequency identification (rfid) sensing component s 414 of the rfid tag, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information rfid electrical circuitry arrangement e 1119 when activated will perform the operation o 1119 . in an implementation, the receiving information rfid electrical circuitry arrangement e 1119 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via an rfid tag (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading be the radio frequency identification (rfid) sensing component s 414 of the rfid tag, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via an rfid tag is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via an rfid tag (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading be the radio frequency identification (rfid) sensing component s 414 of the rfid tag, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1120 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a bar code. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1120 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1120 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1120 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a bar code (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the bar code, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1120 when activated will perform the operation electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a bar code. in an implementation, the receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1120 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a bar code (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the bar code, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a bar code is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a bar code (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the bar code, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1121 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a holographic image. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information holographic instructions i 1121 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1121 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information holographic instructions i 1121 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a holographic image (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the holographic image, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information holographic electrical circuitry arrangement e 1121 when activated will perform the operation o 1121 . in an implementation, the receiving information holographic electrical circuitry arrangement e 1121 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a holographic image (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the holographic image, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a holographic image is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being via a holographic image (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being as determined by the processor component through electronic reading of the holographic image, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 40 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1122 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in textual form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information textual instructions i 1122 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1122 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information textual instructions i 1122 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in textual form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated allergies, one or more selection menus in textual form, such as a menu containing textual one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information textual electrical circuitry arrangement e 1122 when activated will perform the operation o 1122 . in an implementation, the receiving information textual electrical circuitry arrangement e 1122 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in textual form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated allergies, one or more selection menus in textual form, such as a menu containing textual one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in textual form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in textual form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated allergies, one or more selection menus in textual form, such as a menu containing textual one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1123 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in icon form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information icon instructions i 1123 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1123 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information icon instructions i 1123 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in icon form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated previous meals, one or more selection menus in icon form, such as a menu containing iconic one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information icon electrical circuitry arrangement e 1123 when activated will perform the operation o 1123 . in an implementation, the receiving information icon electrical circuitry arrangement e 1123 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in icon form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated previous meals, one or more selection menus in icon form, such as a menu containing iconic one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in icon form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in icon form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated previous meals, one or more selection menus in icon form, such as a menu containing iconic one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1124 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in graphical form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information graphical instructions i 1124 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1124 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information graphical instructions i 1124 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in graphical form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated favorite foods as observed and recorded in a database, one or more selection menus in graphical form, such as a menu containing graphical one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information graphical electrical circuitry arrangement e 1124 when activated will perform the operation o 1124 . in an implementation, the receiving information graphical electrical circuitry arrangement e 1124 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in graphical form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated favorite foods as observed and recorded in a database, one or more selection menus in graphical form, such as a menu containing graphical one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in graphical form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in graphical form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated favorite foods as observed and recorded in a database, one or more selection menus in graphical form, such as a menu containing graphical one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 41 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1125 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in markup language form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information markup instructions i 1125 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1125 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information markup instructions i 1125 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in markup language form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated health building goals, one or more selection menus in markup language form, such as a menu containing markup language one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information markup electrical circuitry arrangement e 1125 when activated will perform the operation o 1125 . in an implementation, the receiving information markup electrical circuitry arrangement e 1125 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in markup language form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated health building goals, one or more selection menus in markup language form, such as a menu containing markup language one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in markup language form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in markup language form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated health building goals, one or more selection menus in markup language form, such as a menu containing markup language one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1126 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in audio form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1126 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1126 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1126 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in audio form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated disease mitigating measures, one or more selection menus in audio form, such as a menu containing audio one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1126 when activated will perform the operation o 1126 . in an implementation, the receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1126 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in audio form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated disease mitigating measures, one or more selection menus in audio form, such as a menu containing audio one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in audio form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in audio form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated disease mitigating measures, one or more selection menus in audio form, such as a menu containing audio one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1127 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in list form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information list instructions i 1127 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1127 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information list instructions i 1127 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in list form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated dislikes, one or more selection menus in list form, such as a menu containing listed one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.)l. furthermore, the receiving information list electrical circuitry arrangement e 1127 when activated will perform the operation o 1127 . in an implementation, the receiving information list electrical circuitry arrangement e 1127 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in list form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated dislikes, one or more selection menus in list form, such as a menu containing listed one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.)l. in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in list form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in list form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated dislikes, one or more selection menus in list form, such as a menu containing listed one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 42 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1128 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information hierarchical instructions i 1128 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1128 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information hierarchical instructions i 1128 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated past purchases, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form; such as a menu containing hierarchical one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information hierarchical electrical circuitry arrangement e 1128 when activated will perform the operation o 1128 . in an implementation, the receiving information hierarchical electrical circuitry arrangement e 1128 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated past purchases, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form, such as a menu containing hierarchical one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated past purchases, one or more selection menus in hierarchical form, such as a menu containing hierarchical one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1129 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in map form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information map instructions i 1129 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1129 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information map instructions i 1129 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in map form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated food preferences determined from use history stored in one or more distributed databases, one or more selection menus in map form, such as a menu having arrangements resembling one or more maps containing one or more selections and one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information map electrical circuitry arrangement e 1129 when activated will perform the operation o 1129 . in an implementation, the receiving information map electrical circuitry arrangement e 1129 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in map form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated food preferences determined from use history stored in one or more distributed databases, one or more selection menus in map form, such as a menu having arrangements resembling one or more maps containing one or more selections and one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in map form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in map form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated food preferences determined from use history stored in one or more distributed databases, one or more selection menus in map form, such as a menu having arrangements resembling one or more maps containing one or more selections and one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1130 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in video presentation form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information video instructions i 1130 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1130 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information video instructions i 1130 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in video presentation form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated one or more prescriptions, one or more selection menus in video presentation form, such as a menu containing one or more video presentations having one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information video electrical circuitry arrangement e 1130 when activated will perform the operation o 1130 . in an implementation, the receiving information video electrical circuitry arrangement e 1130 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in video presentation form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated one or more prescriptions, one or more selection menus in video presentation form, such as a menu containing one or more video presentations having one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in video presentation form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in video presentation form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated one or more prescriptions, one or more selection menus in video presentation form, such as a menu containing one or more video presentations having one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 43 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1131 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information sample instructions i 1131 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1131 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information sample instructions i 1131 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated one or more holidays stored in one or more databases, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form, such as a menu containing ingestible samples that are either stored or produced in real time to serve as or otherwise complement one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information sample electrical circuitry arrangement e 1131 when activated will perform the operation o 1131 . in an implementation, the receiving information sample electrical circuitry arrangement e 1131 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated one or more holidays stored in one or more databases, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form, such as a menu containing ingestible samples that are either stored or produced in real time to serve as or otherwise complement one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information including the living being identification associated with the particular individual living being for the processor component to at least in part electronically generate, based at least in part upon the user status information regarding the particular individual living being, such as based on associated one or more holidays stored in one or more databases, one or more selection menus in ingestible sample form, such as a menu containing ingestible samples that are either stored or produced in real time to serve as or otherwise complement one or more descriptions of possible ingestible product to select from, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1132 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a human being. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information human instructions i 1132 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1132 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information human instructions i 1132 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a human being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying a human being, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information human electrical circuitry arrangement e 1132 when activated will perform the operation o 1132 . in an implementation, the receiving information human electrical circuitry arrangement e 1132 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a human being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying a human being, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a human being is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a human being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying a human being, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1133 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic identification card. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1133 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1133 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1133 when executed direct electronically receiving the user-status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying a living being through the electronic identification card, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1133 when activated will perform the operation o 1133 . in an implementation, the receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1133 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying a living being through the electronic identification card, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic identification card is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying a living being through the electronic identification card, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 44 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1134 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic iris scan. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information iris scan instructions i 1134 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1134 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information iris scan instructions i 1134 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic iris scan (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic iris scan, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information iris scan electrical circuitry arrangement e 1134 when activated will perform the operation o 1134 . in an implementation, the receiving information iris scan electrical circuitry arrangement e 1134 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic iris scan (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic iris scan, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic iris scan is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic iris scan (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic iris scan, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1135 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic voice print. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information voice instructions i 1135 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1135 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information voice instructions i 1135 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic voice print (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic voice print, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information voice electrical circuitry arrangement e 1135 when activated will perform the operation o 1135 . in an implementation, the receiving information voice electrical circuitry arrangement e 1135 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic voice print (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic voice print, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic voice print is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronic voice print (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic voice print, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1136 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronically captured fingerprint image. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information fingerprint instructions i 1136 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1136 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information fingerprint instructions i 1136 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronically captured fingerprint image (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronically captured fingerprint image, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information fingerprint electrical circuitry arrangement e 1136 when activated will perform the operation o 1136 . in an implementation, the receiving information fingerprint electrical circuitry arrangement e 1136 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronically captured fingerprint image (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronically captured fingerprint image, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronically captured fingerprint image is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an electronically captured fingerprint image (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronically captured fingerprint image, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 45 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1137 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with electronic dental records. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information dental instructions i 1137 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1137 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information dental instructions i 1137 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with electronic dental records (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic dental records, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information dental electrical circuitry arrangement e 1137 when activated will perform the operation o 1137 . in an implementation, the receiving information dental electrical circuitry arrangement e 1137 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with electronic dental records (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic dental records, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with electronic dental records is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with electronic dental records (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the electronic dental records, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1138 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an rfid tag. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information rfid instructions i 1138 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1138 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information rfid instructions i 1138 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an rfid tag (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the rfid tag, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information rfid electrical circuitry arrangement e 1138 when activated will perform the operation o 1138 . in an implementation, the receiving information rfid electrical circuitry arrangement e 1138 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an rfid tag (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the rfid tag, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an rfid tag is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with an rfid tag (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the rfid tag, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1139 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a password. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information password instructions i 1139 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1139 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information password instructions i 1139 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a password (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the password, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information password electrical circuitry arrangement e 1139 when activated will perform the operation o 1139 . in an implementation, the receiving information password electrical circuitry arrangement e 1139 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a password (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the password, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a password is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a password (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the password, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 46 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1140 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a fob. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information fob instructions i 1140 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1140 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information fob instructions i 1140 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a fob (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through electronic data contained on the fob, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information fob electrical circuitry arrangement e 1140 when activated will perform the operation o 1140 . in an implementation, the receiving information fob electrical circuitry arrangement e 1140 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a fob (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through electronic data contained on the fob, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a fob is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a fob (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through electronic data contained on the fob, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1141 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a cell phone swipe. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1141 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1141 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1141 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through passing the cell phone in close proximity to the cell phone, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1141 when activated will perform the operation o 1141 . in an implementation, the receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1141 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through passing the cell phone in close proximity to the cell phone, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a cell phone swipe is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through passing the cell phone in close proximity to the cell phone, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1142 for electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a breathalyzer test. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information breathalyzer instructions i 1142 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1142 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information breathalyzer instructions i 1142 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a breathalyzer test (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the breathalyzer test of the living being, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information breathalyzer electrical circuitry arrangement e 1142 when activated will perform the operation o 1142 . in an implementation, the receiving information breathalyzer electrical circuitry arrangement e 1142 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a breathalyzer test (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the breathalyzer test of the living being, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a breathalyzer test is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification associated with a breathalyzer test (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the processor component s 102 to receive the user status information regarding the particular individual living being including living being identification as determined by the processor component to be identifying the living being through the breathalyzer test of the living being, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 47 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1143 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information incorporate instructions i 1143 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1143 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information incorporate instructions i 1143 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof such as a sandwich to include the substance as an amino acid incorporated into the sandwich, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information incorporate electrical circuitry arrangement e 1143 when activated will perform the operation o 1143 . in an implementation, the receiving information incorporate electrical circuitry arrangement e 1143 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof such as a sandwich to include the substance as an amino acid incorporated into the sandwich, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to incorporate one or more substances therein during the at least partial preparation thereof such as a sandwich to include the substance as an amino acid incorporated into the sandwich, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1144 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information days instructions i 1144 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1144 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information days instructions i 1144 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days such as a smoothie to contain an activator that is designed to interact with a substance, such as a pharmaceutical agent that is encapsulated in pill form to be ingested over a period of days by a living being, such as a boy, at the same time that the smoothie is being ingested by the boy, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information days electrical circuitry arrangement e 1144 when activated will perform the operation o 1144 . in an implementation, the receiving information days electrical circuitry arrangement e 1144 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible, products to be ingested over a period of days (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days such as a smoothie to contain an activator that is designed to interact with a substance, such as a pharmaceutical agent that is encapsulated in pill form to be ingested over a period of days by a living being, such as a boy, at the same time that the smoothie is being ingested by the boy, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested over a period of days such as a smoothie to contain an activator that is designed to interact with a substance, such as a pharmaceutical agent that is encapsulated in pill form to be ingested over a period of days by a living being, such as a boy, at the same time that the smoothie is being ingested by the boy, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1145 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information swallow instructions i 1145 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1145 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information swallow instructions i 1145 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed (e.g., an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed such as a snack bar, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information swallow electrical circuitry arrangement e 1145 when activated will perform the operation o 1145 . in an implementation, the receiving information swallow electrical circuitry arrangement e 1145 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed (e.g., an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed such as a snack bar, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed (e.g., an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be swallowed such as a snack bar, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 48 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1146 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menu's electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information inhaled instructions i 1146 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1146 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information inhaled instructions i 1146 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled such as a medicament dispensed through a nebulizer, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information inhaled electrical circuitry arrangement e 1146 when activated will perform the operation o 1146 . in an implementation, the receiving information inhaled electrical circuitry arrangement e 1146 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled such as a medicament dispensed through a nebulizer, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be inhaled such as a medicament dispensed through a nebulizer, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1147 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested via a tube. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information tube instructions i 1147 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1147 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information tube instructions i 1147 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested thru a tube (e.g., an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested via a tube such as a liquid meal replacement, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information tube electrical circuitry arrangement e 1147 when activated will perform the operation o 1147 . in an implementation, the receiving information tube electrical circuitry arrangement e 1147 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested thru a tube (e.g., an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested via a tube such as a liquid meal replacement, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested via a tube is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested thru a tube (e.g., an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested via a tube such as a liquid meal replacement, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1148 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information transdermal instructions i 1148 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1148 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information transdermal instructions i 1148 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally such as a cream, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information transdermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1148 when activated will perform the operation o 1148 . in an implementation, the receiving information transdermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1148 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally such as a cream, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be ingested transdermally such as a cream, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 49 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1149 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in capsule form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information capsule instructions i 1149 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1149 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information capsule instructions i 1149 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in a capsule form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in capsule form, such as through capsules via encapsulation, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information capsule electrical circuitry arrangement e 1149 when activated will perform the operation o 1149 . in an implementation, the receiving information capsule electrical circuitry arrangement e 1149 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in a capsule form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in capsule form, such as through capsules via encapsulation, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in capsule form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in a capsule form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in capsule form, such as through capsules via encapsulation, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1150 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in sandwich form. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information sandwich instructions i 1150 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1150 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information sandwich instructions i 1150 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in sandwich form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products in sandwich form such as a hamburger, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information sandwich electrical circuitry arrangement e 1150 when activated will perform the operation o 1150 . in an implementation, the receiving information sandwich electrical circuitry arrangement e 1150 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in sandwich form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products in sandwich form such as a hamburger, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in sandwich form is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used in sandwich form (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products in sandwich form such as a hamburger, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1151 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information soup instructions i 1151 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1151 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information soup instructions i 1151 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup such as tomato soup, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information soup electrical circuitry arrangement e 1151 when activated will perform the operation o 1151 . in an implementation, the receiving information soup electrical circuitry arrangement e 1151 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup such as tomato soup, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate, ingestible products to be used as a soup (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a soup such as tomato soup, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 50 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1152 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a smoothie. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information smoothie instructions i 1152 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1152 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information smoothie instructions i 1152 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a smoothie (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used a smoothie such as a fruit smoothie, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information smoothie electrical circuitry arrangement e 1152 when activated will perform the operation o 1152 . in an implementation, the receiving information smoothie electrical circuitry arrangement e 1152 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a smoothie (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used a smoothie such as a fruit smoothie, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a smoothie is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a smoothie (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used a smoothie such as a fruit smoothie, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1153 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information baked instructions i 1153 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1153 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information baked instructions i 1153 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good such as a muffin, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information baked electrical circuitry arrangement e 1153 when activated will perform the operation o 1153 . in an implementation, the receiving information baked electrical circuitry arrangement e 1153 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good such as a muffin, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a baked good such as a muffin, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1154 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information deposited instructions i 1154 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1154 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information deposited instructions i 1154 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material such as a multi-layered cake, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information deposited electrical circuitry arrangement e 1154 when activated will perform the operation o 1154 . in an implementation, the receiving information deposited electrical circuitry arrangement e 1154 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material such as a multi-layered cake, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a deposited material such as a multi-layered cake, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 51 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1155 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information assembled instructions i 1155 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1155 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information assembled instructions i 1155 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction such as a decorated confection, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information assembled electrical circuitry arrangement e 1155 when activated will perform the operation o 1155 . in an implementation, the receiving information assembled electrical circuitry arrangement e 1155 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction such as a decorated confection, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to direct the material processing subsystem s 700 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as an assembled concoction such as a decorated confection, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1156 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information uses instructions i 1156 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1156 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information uses instructions i 1156 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof such as a steak dinner, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information uses electrical circuitry arrangement e 1156 when activated will perform the operation o 1156 . in an implementation, the receiving information uses electrical circuitry arrangement e 1156 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof such as a steak dinner, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used as a as a main entrée, a dessert, a liquid drink, an emulsion, a snack, a meal, or a combination thereof such as a steak dinner, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1157 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information periods instructions i 1157 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1157 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information periods instructions i 1157 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically such as once a week, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information periods electrical circuitry arrangement e 1157 when activated will perform the operation o 1157 . in an implementation, the receiving information periods electrical circuitry arrangement e 1157 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically such as once a week, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information and engage with the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus electronically identifying at least in part the one or more candidate ingestible products to be used periodically such as once a week, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 52 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1158 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more electronic display screens. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information display instructions i 1158 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1158 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information display instructions i 1158 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more electronic display screens (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more display screens such as via graphical user interface (gui) component s 302 , etc.). furthermore, the receiving information display electrical circuitry arrangement e 1158 when activated will perform the operation o 1158 . in an implementation, the receiving information display electrical circuitry arrangement e 1158 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more electronic display screens (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more display screens such as via graphical user interface (gui) component s 302 , etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more electronic display screens is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more electronic display screens (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more display screens such as via graphical user interface (gui) component s 302 , etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1159 for electronically receiving user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1159 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1159 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1159 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices such as via audio in/out component s 328 , etc.). furthermore, the receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1159 when activated will perform the operation o 1159 . in an implementation, the receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1159 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices such as via audio in/out component s 328 , etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more audio output devices such as via audio in/out component s 328 , etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1160 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information network instructions i 1160 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1160 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information network instructions i 1160 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces such as via wide area network component s 516 , etc.). furthermore, the receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1160 when activated will perform the operation o 1160 . in an implementation, the receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1160 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces such as via wide area network component s 516 , etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via one or more network interfaces such as via wide area network component s 516 , etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 53 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1161 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information wirelessly instruction's i 1161 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1161 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information wirelessly instructions i 1161 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly such as via wireless network component s 510 , etc.). furthermore, the receiving information wirelessly electrical circuitry arrangement e 1161 when activated will perform the operation o 1161 . in an implementation, the receiving information wirelessly electrical circuitry arrangement e 1161 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly such as via wireless network component s 510 , etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including wirelessly such as via wireless network component s 510 , etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1162 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information paper instructions i 1162 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1162 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information paper instructions i 1162 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer such as via scanner component s 338 , etc.). furthermore, the receiving information paper electrical circuitry arrangement e 1162 when activated will perform the operation o 1162 . in an implementation, the receiving information paper electrical circuitry arrangement e 1162 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer such as via scanner component s 338 , etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic paper printer such as via scanner component s 338 , etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1163 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information food instructions i 1163 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1163 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information food instructions i 1163 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer such as via deposition component s 740 , etc.). furthermore, the receiving information food electrical circuitry arrangement e 1163 when activated will perform the operation o 1163 . in an implementation, the receiving information food electrical circuitry arrangement e 1163 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer such as via deposition component s 740 , etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive the user status information in a format for the processor component s 102 to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to be electronically outputted including via electronic food printer such as via deposition component s 740 , etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 54 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1164 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic identification card. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1164 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1164 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information id card instructions i 1164 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a card having memory storage holding the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1164 when activated will perform the operation o 1164 . in an implementation, the receiving information id card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1164 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a card having memory storage holding the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic identification card is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic identification card (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a card having memory storage holding the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1165 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a memory circuit coupled with a medication container. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information container instructions i 1165 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1165 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information container instructions i 1165 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a memory storage coupled with a medication container to receive the electronically enabled input in electronic form to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information container electrical circuitry arrangement e 1165 when activated will perform the operation o 1165 . in an implementation, the receiving information container electrical circuitry arrangement e 1165 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a memory storage coupled with a medication container to receive the electronically enabled input in electronic form to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a memory circuit coupled with a medication container is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via in a memory circuit coupled with a medication container (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with a memory storage coupled with a medication container to receive the electronically enabled input in electronic form to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1166 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a credit card swipe. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information credit card instructions i 1166 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1166 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information credit card instructions i 1166 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a credit card swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory stripe integrated into a credit card to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information credit card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1166 when activated will perform the operation o 1166 . in an implementation, the receiving information credit card electrical circuitry arrangement e 1166 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a credit card swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory stripe integrated into a credit card to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a credit card swipe is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a credit card swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory stripe integrated into a credit card to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 55 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1167 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a cell phone swipe. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1167 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1167 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information cell phone instructions i 1167 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory component integrated into a cell phone to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1167 when activated will perform the operation o 1167 . in an implementation, the receiving information cell phone electrical circuitry arrangement e 1167 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory component integrated into a cell phone to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a cell phone swipe is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via cell phone swipe (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with an electronic memory component integrated into a cell phone to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1168 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a bar code communication. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1168 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1168 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information bar code instructions i 1168 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via bar code communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically read a bar code label to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1168 when activated will perform the operation o 1168 . in an implementation, the receiving information bar code electrical circuitry arrangement e 1168 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via bar code communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically read a bar code label to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via a bar code communication is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via bar code communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically read a bar code label to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1169 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an internet communication. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information internet instructions i 1169 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1169 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information internet instructions i 1169 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via internet communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the internet network component s 508 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information internet electrical circuitry arrangement e 1169 when activated will perform the operation o 1169 . in an implementation, the receiving information internet electrical circuitry arrangement e 1169 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via internet communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the internet network component s 508 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an internet communication is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via internet communication (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the internet network component s 508 the user status information to be used by the processing component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 56 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1170 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic network. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information network instructions i 1170 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1170 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information network instructions i 1170 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic network (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the network cable component s 502 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1170 when activated will perform the operation o 1170 . in an implementation, the receiving information network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1170 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic network (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the network cable component s 502 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic network is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic network (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the network cable component s 502 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1171 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via touch screen input. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information touch screen instructions i 1171 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1171 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information touch screen instructions i 1171 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via touch screen input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the touch screen component s 314 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information touch screen electrical circuitry arrangement e 1171 when activated will perform the operation o 1171 . in an implementation, the receiving information touch screen electrical circuitry arrangement e 1171 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via touch screen input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the touch screen component s 314 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via touch screen input is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via touch screen input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the touch screen component s 314 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1172 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via wireless input. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information wireless instructions i 1172 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1172 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information wireless instructions i 1172 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via wireless input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the wireless network component s 510 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information wireless electrical circuitry arrangement e 1172 when activated will perform the operation o 1172 . in an implementation, the receiving information wireless electrical circuitry arrangement e 1172 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via wireless input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the wireless network component s 510 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via wireless input is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via wireless input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the wireless network component s 510 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 57 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1173 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic imaging of the particular individual living being. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information imaging instructions i 1173 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1173 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information imaging instructions i 1173 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic imaging of the particular individual living being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the camera component s 336 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information imaging electrical circuitry arrangement e 1173 when activated will perform the operation o 1173 . in an implementation, the receiving information imaging electrical circuitry arrangement e 1173 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic imaging of the particular individual living being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the camera component s 336 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic imaging of the particular individual living being is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic imaging of the particular individual living being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically receive through the camera component s 336 the user status information to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1174 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic based gesture recognition. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information gesture instructions i 1174 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1174 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information gesture instructions i 1174 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic based gesture recognition (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the optical sensing component s 418 to receive the electronically enabled input as inputted by a user to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information gesture electrical circuitry arrangement e 1174 when activated will perform the operation o 1174 . in an implementation, the receiving information gesture electrical circuitry arrangement e 1174 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic based gesture recognition (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the optical sensing component s 418 to receive the electronically enabled input as inputted by a user to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic based gesture recognition is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic based gesture recognition (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the optical sensing component s 418 to receive the electronically enabled input as inputted by a user to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1175 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic audio recording of the particular individual living being. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1175 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1175 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information audio instructions i 1175 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic audio recording of the particular individual living being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the sound sensing component s 420 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1175 when activated will perform the operation o 1175 . in an implementation, the receiving information audio electrical circuitry arrangement e 1175 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic audio recording of the particular individual living being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the sound sensing component s 420 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic audio recording of the particular individual living being is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic audio recording of the particular individual living being (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the sound sensing component s 420 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 58 , operation o 11 includes an operation o 1176 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic keypad entry. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more receiving information keypad instructions i 1176 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1176 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information keypad instructions i 1176 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic keypad entry (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the keypad component s 308 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information keypad electrical circuitry arrangement e 1176 when activated will perform the operation o 1176 . in an implementation, the receiving information keypad electrical circuitry arrangement e 1176 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic keypad entry (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the keypad component s 308 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic keypad entry is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic keypad entry (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the keypad component s 308 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1177 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic input by the particular individual living being. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information input instructions i 1177 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1177 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information input instructions i 1177 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the electromagnetic sensing component s 402 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information input electrical circuitry arrangement e 1177 when activated will perform the operation o 1177 . in an implementation, the receiving information input electrical circuitry arrangement e 1177 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the electromagnetic sensing component s 402 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via electronic input by the particular individual living being is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via an electronic input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the electromagnetic sensing component s 402 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 11 includes an operation o 1178 for electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via encrypted input. a non-transitory signal bearing medium includes one or more receiving information encrypted instructions i 1178 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1178 . in an implementation, the one or more receiving information encrypted instructions i 1178 when executed direct electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via encrypted input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the encrypted communication component s 520 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the receiving information encrypted electrical circuitry arrangement e 1178 when activated will perform the operation o 1178 . in an implementation, the receiving information encrypted electrical circuitry arrangement e 1178 , when activated performs electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via encrypted input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the encrypted communication component s 520 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via encrypted input is carried out by electronically receiving the user status information to at least in part electronically generate the one or more selection menus to provide the selection opportunity in response thereto via electronically enabled input including via encrypted input (e.g. an implementation of the receiver component s 528 is configured to electronically engage with the encrypted communication component s 520 to receive the electronically enabled input to be used by the processor component s 102 to generate the one or more selection menus, etc.). as shown in fig. 32 , the operational flow o 10 proceeds to operation o 12 for electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more controlling preparation instructions i 12 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 12 . in an implementation, the one or more controlling preparation instructions i 12 when executed direct electronically directing control (e.g. the microprocessor component s 102 can direct control, etc.) of at least partial preparation (e.g. mixing and blending steps of making a smoothie, etc.) of the one or more selected ingestible products (e.g. a fruit smoothie, etc.) subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input (e.g. graphical user interface s 302 is used to input selection of a fruit smoothie to be prepared by the digestible product preparation system 10 , etc.) in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus (e.g. the graphical user interface s 302 displaying the one or more selection menus is located with a room of a building that also houses the material processing subsystem 700 used to prepare the selected fruit smoothie, etc.). furthermore, the controlling preparation electrical circuitry arrangement e 12 when activated will perform the operation o 12 . in an implementation, the controlling preparation electrical circuitry arrangement e 12 , when activated performs electronically directing control (e.g. the microprocessor component s 102 can direct control, etc.) of at least partial preparation (e.g. mixing and blending steps of making a smoothie, etc.) of the one or more selected ingestible products (e.g. a fruit smoothie, etc.) subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input (e.g. graphical user interface s 302 is used to input selection of a fruit smoothie to be prepared by the digestible product preparation system 10 , etc.) in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus (e.g. the graphical user interface s 302 displaying the one or more selection menus is located with a room of a building that also houses the material processing subsystem 700 used to prepare the selected fruit smoothie, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus is carried out by electronically directing control (e.g. the microprocessor component s 102 can direct control, etc.) of at least partial preparation (e.g. mixing and blending steps of making a smoothie, etc.) of the one or more selected ingestible products (e.g. a fruit smoothie, etc.) subsequent to and based at least in part upon the selection of the at least one candidate ingestible product as the at least one selected ingestible products via the electronically enabled input (e.g. graphical user interface s 302 is used to input selection of a fruit smoothie to be prepared by the digestible product preparation system 10 , etc.) in response to the electronically outputted one or more selection menus and prior to dispensing of the one or more selected ingestible products for ingestion by the particular individual living being of the selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products occurring within a vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus (e.g. the graphical user interface s 302 displaying the one or more selection menus is located with a room of a building that also houses the material processing subsystem 700 used to prepare the selected fruit smoothie, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 59 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1201 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part one or more directly connected electrical circuits. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep connected instructions i 1201 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1201 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep connected instructions i 1201 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part one or more directly connected electrical circuits (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically receive directing control through receiver component s 528 co-located within a common housing of the ingestible product preparation system 10 to control the material processing subsystem 700 in preparation of the one or more ingestible products, etc.). furthermore, the control prep connected electrical circuitry arrangement e 1201 when activated will perform the operation o 1201 . in an implementation, the control prep connected electrical circuitry arrangement e 1201 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part one or more directly connected electrical circuits (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically receive directing control through receiver component s 528 co-located within a common housing of the ingestible product preparation system 10 to control the material processing subsystem 700 in preparation of the one or more ingestible products, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part one or more directly connected electrical circuits is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part one or more directly connected electrical circuits (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically receive directing control through receiver component s 528 co-located within a common housing of the ingestible product preparation system 10 to control the material processing subsystem 700 in preparation of the one or more ingestible products, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1202 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part electronic computer network communication. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep network instructions i 1202 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1202 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep network instructions i 1202 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part electronic computer network communication (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically receive directing control through internet network components s 508 to control the material processing subsystem 700 in preparation of the one or more ingestible products, etc.). furthermore, the control prep network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1202 when activated will perform the operation o 1202 . in an implementation, the control prep network electrical circuitry arrangement e 1202 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part electronic computer network communication (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically receive directing control through internet network components s 508 to control the material processing subsystem 700 in preparation of the one or more ingestible products, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part electronic computer network communication is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via at least in part electronic computer network communication (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically receive directing control through internet network components s 508 to control the material processing subsystem 700 in preparation of the one or more ingestible products, etc.). in one or more implementations; operation o 12 includes an operation o 1203 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep thermal instructions i 1203 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1203 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep thermal instructions i 1203 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the laser component s 708 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1203 when activated will perform the operation o 1203 . in an implementation, the control prep thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1203 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the laser component s 708 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the laser component s 708 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 60 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1204 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via heating control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep heating instructions i 1204 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1204 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep heating instructions i 1204 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via heating control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the heating component s 702 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep connected electrical circuitry arrangement e 1204 when activated will perform the operation o 1204 . in an implementation, the control prep heating electrical circuitry arrangement e 1204 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via heating control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the heating component s 702 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via heating control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via heating control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the heating component s 702 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1205 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via cooling control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep cooling instructions i 1205 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1205 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep cooling instructions i 1205 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via cooling control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the cooling component s 704 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep cooling electrical circuitry arrangement e 1205 when activated will perform the operation o 1205 . in an implementation, the control prep cooling electrical circuitry arrangement e 1205 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via cooling control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the cooling component s 704 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via cooling control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via cooling control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the cooling component s 704 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1206 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via portion size control of an amount of the substance to be used in preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep portion instructions i 1206 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1206 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep portion instructions i 1206 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via portion size control of an amount of the substance to be used in preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 according to a ingredient size distribution profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep portion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1206 when activated will perform the operation o 1205 . in an implementation, the control prep portion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1206 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via portion size control of an amount of the substance to be used in preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 according to a ingredient size distribution profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via portion size control of an amount of the substance to be used in preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via portion size control of an amount of the substance to be used in preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 according to a ingredient size distribution profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 61 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1207 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via controlling amount of ingredient mixing during preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep mixing instructions i 1207 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1207 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep mixing instructions i 1207 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via controlling amount of ingredient mixing during preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the mixer component s 716 according to a mixing profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep mixing electrical circuitry arrangement e 1207 when activated will perform the operation o 1207 . in an implementation, the control prep mixing electrical circuitry arrangement e 1207 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via controlling amount of ingredient mixing during preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the mixer component s 716 according to a mixing profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via controlling amount of ingredient mixing during preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via controlling amount of ingredient mixing during preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the mixer component s 716 according to a mixing profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1208 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep radiation instructions i 1208 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1208 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep radiation instructions i 1208 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the energy emitting component s 724 configured to emit radiation according to a radiation profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep radiation electrical circuitry arrangement e 1208 when activated will perform the operation o 1208 . in an implementation, the control prep radiation electrical circuitry arrangement e 1208 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the energy emitting component s 724 configured to emit radiation according to a radiation profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the energy emitting component s 724 configured to emit radiation according to a radiation profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1209 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of sound emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep sound instructions i 1209 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1209 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep sound instructions i 1209 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of sound emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the acoustic energy component s 718 according to an acoustic energy profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep sound electrical circuitry arrangement e 1209 when activated will perform the operation o 1209 . in an implementation, the control prep sound electrical circuitry arrangement e 1209 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of sound emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the acoustic energy component s 718 according to an acoustic energy profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of sound emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of sound emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the acoustic energy component s 718 according to an acoustic energy profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 62 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1210 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of infrared radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep infrared instructions i 1210 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1210 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep infrared instructions i 1210 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of infrared radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the infrared component s 730 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep infrared electrical circuitry arrangement e 1210 when activated will perform the operation o 1210 . in an implementation, the control prep infrared electrical circuitry arrangement e 1210 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of infrared radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the infrared component s 730 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of infrared radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of infrared radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the infrared component s 730 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1211 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of microwave radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep microwave instructions i 1211 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1211 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep microwave instructions i 1211 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of microwave radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the microwave component s 706 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep microwave electrical circuitry arrangement e 1211 when activated will perform the operation o 1211 . in an implementation, the control prep microwave electrical circuitry arrangement e 1211 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of microwave radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the microwave component s 706 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of microwave radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of microwave radiation emitted within an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the microwave component s 706 according to a temperature profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1212 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient container holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep container instructions i 1212 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1212 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep container instructions i 1212 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient container holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control an outlet of the material storage component s 734 configured as an ingredient container according to an access profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep container electrical circuitry arrangement e 1212 when activated will perform the operation o 1212 . in an implementation, the control prep container electrical circuitry arrangement e 1212 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient container holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control an outlet of the material storage component s 734 configured as an ingredient container according to an access profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient container holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient container holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control an outlet of the material storage component s 734 configured as an ingredient container according to an access profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 63 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1213 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient syringe holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep syringe instructions i 1213 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1213 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep syringe instructions i 1213 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient syringe holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control an outlet of the material storage component s 734 configured as an ingredient syringe according to an access profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep syringe electrical circuitry arrangement e 1213 when activated will perform the operation o 1213 . in an implementation, the control prep syringe electrical circuitry arrangement e 1213 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient syringe holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control an outlet of the material storage component s 734 configured as an ingredient syringe according to an access profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient syringe holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of an outlet of an ingredient syringe holding an ingredient used for preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control an outlet of the material storage component s 734 configured as an ingredient syringe according to an access profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1214 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of mixing of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product before thermal treatment of the ingredients. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep mix before thermal instructions i 1214 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1214 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep mix before thermal instructions i 1214 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of mixing of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product before thermal treatment of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the mixer component s 716 according to a mixing profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep mix before thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1214 when activated will perform the operation o 1214 . in an implementation, the control prep mix before thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1214 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of mixing of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product before thermal treatment of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the mixer component s 716 according to a mixing profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of mixing of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product before thermal treatment of the ingredients is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of mixing of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product before thermal treatment of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the mixer component s 716 according to a mixing profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1215 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of blending of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product after thermal treatment of the ingredients. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep re mix after thermal instructions i 1215 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1215 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep re mix after thermal instructions i 1215 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of blending of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product after thermal treatment of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the blending component s 714 according to a blending profile involving some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep re mix after thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1215 when activated will perform the operation o 1215 . in an implementation, the control prep re mix after thermal electrical circuitry arrangement e 1215 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of blending of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product after thermal treatment of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the blending component s 714 according to a blending profile involving some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of blending of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product after thermal treatment of the ingredients is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of blending of at least some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product after thermal treatment of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the blending component s 714 according to a blending profile involving some of the ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 64 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1216 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of thermal treatment of ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product, the thermal treatment including heating, cooling, or a combination thereof of the ingredients. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep heating cooling instructions i 1216 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1216 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep heating cooling instructions i 1216 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of thermal treatment of ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product, the thermal treatment including heating, cooling, or a combination thereof of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the heating component s 702 and/or the cooling component s 704 according to a thermal profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep heating cooling electrical circuitry arrangement e 1216 when activated will perform the operation o 1216 . in an implementation, the control prep heating cooling electrical circuitry arrangement e 1216 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of thermal treatment of ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product, the thermal treatment including heating, cooling, or a combination thereof of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the heating component s 702 and/or the cooling component s 704 according to a thermal profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of thermal treatment of ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product, the thermal treatment including heating, cooling, or a combination thereof of the ingredients is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of thermal treatment of ingredients used to prepare the ingestible product, the thermal treatment including heating, cooling, or a combination thereof of the ingredients (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the heating component s 702 and/or the cooling component s 704 according to a thermal profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1217 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of amount of time spent for a particular step in preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep time control instructions i 1217 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1217 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep time control instructions i 1217 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of amount of time spent for a particular step in preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control components of the material processing subsystem s 700 based upon an internal clock of the processor according to a time profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep time control electrical circuitry arrangement e 1217 when activated will perform the operation o 1217 . in an implementation, the control prep time control electrical circuitry arrangement e 1217 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of amount of time spent for a particular step in preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control components of the material processing subsystem s 700 based upon an internal clock of the processor according to a time profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of amount of time spent for a particular step in preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via control of amount of time spent for a particular step in preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control components of the material processing subsystem s 700 based upon an internal clock of the processor according to a time profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1218 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically excluding ingredients from being included in the preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep ingredient exclusion instructions i 1218 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1218 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep ingredient exclusion instructions i 1218 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically excluding ingredients from being included in the preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 to exclude one or more ingredients from being included in the ingestible product according to an exclusion profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep ingredient exclusion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1218 when activated will perform the operation o 1218 . in an implementation, the control prep ingredient exclusion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1218 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically excluding ingredients from being included in the preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 to exclude one or more ingredients from being included in the ingestible product according to an exclusion profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically excluding ingredients from being included in the preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically excluding ingredients from being included in the preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 to exclude one or more ingredients from being included in the ingestible product according to an exclusion profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 65 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1219 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically including ingredients in the preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep ingredient inclusion instructions i 1219 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1219 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep ingredient inclusion instructions i 1219 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically including ingredients in the preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 to include one or more ingredients in the ingestible product according to an inclusion profile included in the user status information, etc.). furthermore, the control prep ingredient inclusion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1219 when activated will perform the operation o 1219 . in an implementation, the control prep ingredient inclusion electrical circuitry arrangement e 1219 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically including ingredients in the preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 to include one or more ingredients in the ingestible product according to an inclusion profile included in the user status information, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically including ingredients in the preparation of the ingestible product is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via electronically including ingredients in the preparation of the ingestible product (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to electronically control the sorting component s 728 to include one or more ingredients in the ingestible product according to an inclusion profile included in the user status information, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1220 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a dispensing machine housing. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep housing instructions i 1220 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1220 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep housing instructions i 1220 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a dispensing machine housing (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the digestible product preparation system 10 that uses for instance visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus, etc.). furthermore, the control prep housing electrical circuitry arrangement e 1220 when activated will perform the operation o 1220 . in an implementation, the control prep housing electrical circuitry arrangement e 1220 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a dispensing machine housing (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the digestible product preparation system 10 that uses for instance visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a dispensing machine housing is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a dispensing machine housing (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the digestible product preparation system 10 that uses for instance visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1221 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a architectural building containing a dispensing machine. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep building instructions i 1221 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1221 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep building instructions i 1221 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a architectural building containing a dispensing machine (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of an airport wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the airport, etc.). furthermore, the control prep building electrical circuitry arrangement e 1221 when activated will perform the operation o 1221 . in an implementation, the control prep building electrical circuitry arrangement e 1221 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a architectural building containing a dispensing machine (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of an airport wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the airport, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a architectural building containing a dispensing machine is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a architectural building containing a dispensing machine (e.g. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of an airport wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the airport, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 66 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1222 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a food court of a shopping mall. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep mall instructions i 1222 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1222 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep mall instructions i 1222 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a food court of a shopping mall (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the food court of the shopping mall wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the food court of the shopping mall, etc.). furthermore, the control prep mall electrical circuitry arrangement e 1222 when activated will perform the operation o 1222 . in an implementation, the control prep mall electrical circuitry arrangement e 1222 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a food court of a shopping mall (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the food court of the shopping mall wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the food court of the shopping mall, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a food court of a shopping mall is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a food court of a shopping mall (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the food court of the shopping mall wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the food court of the shopping mall, etc.) in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1223 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a restaurant. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep restaurant instructions i 1223 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1223 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep restaurant instructions i 1223 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a restaurant (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the restaurant wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the restaurant, etc.). furthermore, the control prep restaurant electrical circuitry arrangement e 1223 when activated will perform the operation o 1223 . in an implementation, the control prep restaurant electrical circuitry arrangement e 1223 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more, selection menus as within an interior of a restaurant (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the restaurant wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the restaurant, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a restaurant is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a restaurant (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the restaurant wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the restaurant, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1224 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of an airplane. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep airplane instructions i 1224 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1224 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep airplane instructions i 1224 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of an airplane (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the airplane wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the airplane, etc.). furthermore, the control prep airplane electrical circuitry arrangement e 1224 when activated will perform the operation o 1224 . in an implementation, the control prep airplane electrical circuitry arrangement e 1224 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of an airplane (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the airplane wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the airplane, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of an airplane is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of an airplane (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the airplane wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the airplane, etc.). in one or more implementations, as shown in fig. 67 , operation o 12 includes an operation o 1225 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products via thermal control of an enclosure containing ingredients to be used for preparation of the ingestible product. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep vehicle instructions i 1225 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1225 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep vehicle instructions i 1225 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a ground vehicle (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the ground vehicle wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the ground vehicle, etc.). furthermore, the control prep vehicle electrical circuitry arrangement e 1225 when activated will perform the operation o 1225 . in an implementation, the control prep vehicle electrical circuitry arrangement e 1225 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a ground vehicle (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the ground vehicle wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the ground vehicle, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a ground vehicle is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an interior of a ground vehicle (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the ground vehicle wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the ground vehicle, etc.) in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1226 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a multi-state territory. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep territory instructions i 1226 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1226 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep territory instructions i 1226 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a multi-state territory (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the multi-state territory of colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, new mexico, and texas wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the multi-state territory of colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, new mexico, and texas, etc.). furthermore, the control prep territory electrical circuitry arrangement e 1226 when activated will perform the operation o 1226 . in an implementation, the control prep territory electrical circuitry arrangement e 1226 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a multi-state territory (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the multi-state territory of colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, new mexico, and texas wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the multi-state territory of colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, new mexico, and texas, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a multi-state territory is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within a multi-state territory (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the interior of the multi-state territory of colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, new mexico, and texas wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the multi-state territory of colorado, wyoming, montana, utah, new mexico, and texas, etc.). in one or more implementations, operation o 12 includes an operation o 1227 for electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an international region. an exemplary version of a non-transitory signal bearing medium of information storage subsystem s 200 is depicted as bearing one or more control prep region instructions i 1227 that when executed will direct performance of the operation o 1227 . in an implementation, the one or more control prep region instructions i 1227 when executed direct electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an international region (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the international region of england, germany, france, brazil, russia, india, china, and the united states wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the international region of england, germany, france, brazil, russia, india, china, and the united states, etc.). furthermore, the control prep region electrical circuitry arrangement e 1227 when activated will perform the operation o 1227 . in an implementation, the control prep region electrical circuitry arrangement e 1227 , when activated performs electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an international region (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the international region of england, germany, france, brazil, russia, india, china, and the united states wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the international region of england, germany, france, brazil, russia, india, china, and the united states, etc.). in an implementation, the electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an international region is carried out by electronically directing control of the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products, the at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the vicinity of the electronically outputting of the electronically generated one or more selection menus as within an international region (i.e. an implementation of the processor component s 102 is configured to receive through the electronic communication subsystem 500 directing control to electronically control the material processing subsystem 700 for at least partial preparation of the one or more selected ingestible products within the international region of england, germany, france, brazil, russia, india, china, and the united states wherein the digestible product preparation system 10 is located that communicates with for instance the visual display component s 304 to electronically output the electronically generated one or more selection menus also within the international region of england, germany, france, brazil, russia, india, china, and the united states, etc.). those having skill in the art will recognize that the state of the art has progressed to the point where there is little distinction left between hardware and software implementations of aspects of systems; the use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that in certain contexts the choice between hardware an d software can become significant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs. those having skill in the art will appreciate that there are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/or other technologies described herein can be effected (e.g., hardware, software, and/or firmware in one or more machines or articles of manufacture), and that the preferred vehicle will vary with the context in which the processes and/or systems and/or other technologies are deployed. for example, if an implementer determines that speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; alternatively, if flexibility is paramount, the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation that is implemented in one or more machines or articles of manufacture; or, yet again alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination of hardware, software, and/or firmware in one or more machines or articles of manufacture (limited to patentable subject matter under 35 usc 101). hence, there are several possible vehicles by which the processes and/or devices and/or other technologies described herein may be effected, none of which is inherently superior to the other in that any vehicle to be utilized is a choice dependent upon the context in which the vehicle will be deployed and the specific concerns (e.g., speed, flexibility, or predictability) of the implementer, any of which may vary. those skilled in the art will recognize that optical aspects of implementations will typically employ optically-oriented hardware, software, and or firmware in one or more machines or articles of manufacture. the foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the devices and/or processes via the use of block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. insofar as such block diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functions and/or operations, it will be understood by those within the art that each function and/or operation within such block diagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or virtually any combination thereof (limited to patentable subject matter under 35 u.s.c. 101). in one embodiment, several portions of the subject matter described herein may be implemented via application specific integrated circuitry (asics), field programmable gate arrays (fpgas), digital signal processors (dsps), or other integrated formats. however, those skilled in the art will recognize that some aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented in integrated circuitry, as one or more computer programs running on one or more computers (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more computer systems), as one or more programs running on one or more processors (e.g., as one or more programs running on one or more microprocessors), as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof, and that designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the software and or firmware would be well within the skill of one of skill in the art in light of this disclosure (limited to patentable subject matter under 35 usc 101). in addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable of being distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that an illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described herein applies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium used to actually carry out the distribution. examples of a signal bearing medium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable type medium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive, a compact disc (cd), a digital video disk (dvd), a digital tape, a computer memory, etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analog communication medium (e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wired communications link, a wireless communication link, etc.). in a general sense, those skilled in the art will recognize that the various aspects described herein which can be implemented, individually and/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof (limited to patentable subject matter under 35 u.s.c. 101) can be viewed as being composed of various types of “electrical circuitry.” consequently, as used herein “electrical circuitry” includes, but is not limited to, electrical circuitry having at least one discrete electrical circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one integrated circuit, electrical circuitry having at least one application specific integrated circuit, electrical circuitry forming a general purpose computing device configured by a computer program (e.g., a general purpose computer configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein, or a microprocessor configured by a computer program which at least partially carries out processes and/or devices described herein), electrical circuitry forming a memory device (e.g., forms of random access memory), and/or electrical circuitry forming a communications device (e.g., a modem, communications switch, or optical-electrical equipment). those having skill in the art will recognize that the subject matter described herein may be implemented in an analog or digital fashion or some combination thereof. those having skill in the art will recognize that it is common within the art to describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein, and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such described devices and/or processes into data processing systems. that is, at least a portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can be integrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount of experimentation. those having skill in the art will recognize that a typical data processing system generally includes one or more of a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory such as volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessors and digital signal processors, computational entities such as operating systems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs, one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/or control systems including feedback loops and control motors (e.g., feedback for sensing position and/or velocity; control motors for moving and/or adjusting components and/or quantities). a typical data processing system may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially available components, such as those typically found in data computing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems. the herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates different components contained within, or connected with, different other components. it is to be understood that such depicted architectures are merely exemplary, and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality. in a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “associated”-such that the desired functionality is achieved. hence, any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective of architectures or intermedial components. likewise, any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or “operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality, and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewed as being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality. specific examples of operably couplable include but are not limited to physically mateable and/or physically interacting components and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interacting components and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactable components. while particular aspects of the present subject matter described herein have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that, based upon the teachings herein, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the subject matter described herein and its broader aspects and, therefore, the appended claims are to encompass within their scope all such changes and modifications as are within the true spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. furthermore, it is to be understood that the invention is defined by the appended claims. it will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). it will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. for example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. however, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory, phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. in addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of a, b, and c, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of a, b, and c” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b together, a and c together, b and c together, and/or a, b, and c together, etc.). in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of a, b, or c, etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of a, b, or c” would include but not be limited to systems that have a alone, b alone, c alone, a and b together, a and c together, b and c together, and/or a, b, and c together, etc.). it will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. for example, the phrase “a or b” will be understood to include the possibilities of “a” or “b” or “a and b.”
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183-511-576-317-360
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US
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] |
G02B21/06,G01N1/36,G01N21/01,G01N21/03,G01N21/64,G02B21/00,G02B21/08,G02B21/16,G02B21/26,G02B21/33,G02B21/36
| 2017-02-08T00:00:00 |
2017
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[
"G02",
"G01"
] |
selective plane illumination in the conventional inverted microscope geometry by side illumination
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provided herein is a device related to imaging. in one embodiment, the device includes a side illumination unit, two window sample chamber, and refractive index matching. also provided herein is an imaging apparatus comprising: a microscope; and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. further provided herein is a method of imaging a sample comprising: providing an apparatus comprising a microscope and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching; and imaging the sample in the apparatus.
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claims what is claimed is: 1. a device comprising: a side illumination unit; a two window sample chamber; and a refractive index matching. 2. the device of claim 1, wherein the side illumination unit comprises components to generate a light sheet illuminating on a sample. 3. the device of claim 1, wherein the two window sample chamber comprises two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other. 4. the device of claim 1, wherein the two window sample chamber further comprises a magnetic attachment to ensure easy to handle, stable, and reproducible mounting of a sample. 5. the device of claim 1, wherein the refractive index matching comprises raising a sample in the two window sample chamber using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid. 6. the device of claim 1, wherein the refractive index matching allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. 7. the device of claim 1, wherein the device is coupled with a microfluidic device. 8. the device of claim 1, wherein the device is coupled with high throughput 3d imaging of multiple samples. 9. an imaging apparatus comprising: a microscope; and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. 10. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is capable of imaging thick samples, such as cells, tissues, or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel. 11. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus is capable of imaging a monolayer of cells. 12. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a fluorescence lifetime measurement capability. 13. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the side illumination unit comprises components to generate a light sheet illuminating on a sample. 14. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the two window sample chamber comprises two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other. 15. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the two window sample chamber further comprises a magnetic attachment to ensure easy to handle, stable, and reproducible mounting of a sample. 16. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the refractive index matching comprises raising a sample in the two window sample chamber using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid. 17. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the refractive index matching allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. 18. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the observation plane is parallel to the sample surface, maximizing field of view for flat samples. 19. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the microscope is an inverted or standard research microscope. 20. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the imaging apparatus is coupled with a microfluidic device. 21. the imaging apparatus of claim 9, wherein the imaging apparatus is coupled with high throughput 3d imaging of multiple samples. 22. a method of imaging a sample comprising: providing an apparatus comprising a microscope and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching; and imaging the sample in the apparatus. 23. the method of claim 22, wherein the sample is a thick sample, such as cells, tissues, or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel. 24. the method of claim 22, wherein the sample is a flat sample, such as a monolayer of cells. 25. the method of claim 22, wherein no dipping into a container containing the sample is required to image the sample. 26. the method of claim 22, wherein the imaging may be a video imaging. 27. the method of claim 26, wherein the video image maps diffusion of molecular domains. 28. the method of claim 22, wherein the imaging is a high throughput three-dimensional time course imaging. 29. a method of improving an imaging device, comprising: providing an imaging device; and illuminating a sample of the imaging device from the side with an accessory. 30. the method of claim 29, wherein the imaging device is a microscope. 31. the method of claim 29, wherein the imaging device is a standard research or regular inverted microscope. 32. the method of claim 29, wherein the accessory comprises a side illumination unit. 33. the method of claim 29, wherein the accessory comprises a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching.
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selective plane illumination in the conventional inverted microscope geometry by side illumination field of the invention the present disclosure relates to microscopy, specifically selective plane illumination microscopy. background of the disclosure all publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. the following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. it is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art. selective plane illumination microscopy (spim) is suitable for fast, three-dimensional imaging. by confining the excitation light to a sheet, spim combines axial sectioning capability with minimal light exposure and fast, camera-based image acquisition. spim typically uses two (objective) lenses arranged perpendicular to each other. one lens is used for light detection, while the focal plane of that lens is illuminated with a sheet of light generated via the other lens. to generate the light sheet, cylindrical optics can be used. alternatively, the beam can be rapidly scanned across the field of view of the detection lens to generate the sheet illumination. however, the arrangement of two objective lenses perpendicular to each other provides a number of challenges in terms of instrument design and sample geometry. for example, spim requires specific sample preparation, typically embedding the sample in a hydrogel such as agarose. this excludes the use of conventional sample mounts, such as coverslips, culture dishes and multi well plates. to overcome this limitation, a popular approach is to dip into the sample container from the top, with both lenses typically at a 45° angle with respect to the sample plane. such a system can be mounted on top of an inverted microscope or implemented as an independent instrument. the drawbacks of this geometry include the requirement of a large sample container to accommodate both lenses resulting in a large immersion volume. this can cause sample disturbance due to flow/convection and increases the amount of reagents needed. further, there is no isolation of optics and sample which is problematic when dealing with hazardous samples (toxic, cancerous, infectious, etc.). finally, since the observation plane is at an angle with respect to the sample container, the field of view for flat samples, such as a monolayer of cells, is limited, i.e., the full field of view of the detector cannot be utilized. thus there remains a need in the art for new devices and methods for devices and apparatuses with improved imaging capabilities. summary of the disclosure various embodiments include a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. in another embodiment, the side illumination unit comprises components to generate a light sheet illuminating on a sample. in another embodiment, the two window sample chamber comprises two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other. in another embodiment, the two window sample chamber further comprises a magnetic attachment to ensure easy to handle, stable, and reproducible mounting of a sample. in another embodiment, the refractive index matching comprises raising a sample in the two window sample chamber using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid. in another embodiment, the refractive index matching allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. in another embodiment, the device is coupled with a microfluidic device. in another embodiment, the device is coupled with high throughput 3d imaging of multiple samples. other embodiments include a imaging apparatus comprising a microscope, and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. in another embodiment, the apparatus is capable of imaging thick samples, such as cells, tissues, or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel. in another embodiment, the apparatus is capable of imaging a monolayer of cells. in another embodiment, the imaging apparatus further comprises a fluorescence lifetime measurement capability. in another embodiment, the side illumination unit comprises components to generate a light sheet illuminating on a sample. in another embodiment, the two window sample chamber comprises two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other. in another embodiment, the two window sample chamber further comprises a magnetic attachment to ensure easy to handle, stable, and reproducible mounting of a sample. in another embodiment, the refractive index matching comprises raising a sample in the two window sample chamber using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid. in another embodiment, the refractive index matching allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. in another embodiment, the observation plane is parallel to the sample surface, maximizing field of view for flat samples. in another embodiment, the microscope is an inverted or standard research microscope. in another embodiment, the imaging apparatus is coupled with a microfluidic device. in another embodiment, the imaging apparatus is coupled with high throughput 3d imaging of multiple samples. other embodiments include a method of imaging a sample comprising providing an apparatus comprising a microscope and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching, and imaging the sample in the apparatus. in another embodiment, the sample is a thick sample, such as cells, tissues, or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel. in another embodiment, the sample is a flat sample, such as a monolayer of cells. in another embodiment, no dipping into a container containing the sample is required to image the sample. in another embodiment, the imaging may be a video imaging. in another embodiment, the video image maps diffusion of molecular domains. in another embodiment, the imaging is a high throughput three- dimensional time course imaging. various embodiments include a method of improving an imaging device, comprising providing an imaging device, and illuminating a sample of the imaging device from the side with an accessory. in another embodiment, the imaging device is a microscope. in another embodiment, the imaging device is a standard research or regular inverted microscope. in another embodiment, the accessory comprises a side illumination unit. in another embodiment, the accessory comprises a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, various embodiments of the invention. description of the drawings exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures. it is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. figure 1 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, horizontal spim, which excludes the use of samples prepared on cover slips and in dishes/multi well plates. figure 2 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, inverted or upright spim with lenses of high numerical aperture is possible by raising the specimen into the gap between the two objective lenses. figure 3 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, one embodiment of sidespim system. on the left the conventional inverted microscope configuration can be seen, joined by the side illumination unit on the right. the sample holder is mounted to the microscope stage figure 4 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, one embodiment of the side illumination unit that generates the light sheet. figure 5 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, one embodiment of the arrangement of excitation lens, detection lens and sample holder. (a) top view of microscope stage and sample holder. (b) custom sample holder mounted to the piezo stage. (c) side view of the excitation/detection lens arrangement. (d) view from the left showing spacers to raise the microscope stage. figure 6 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, (a) drawing of the sample holder including dimensions. (b) chamber snapped to sample holder in the sidespim. figure 7 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, (a) drawing of sample chamber including dimensions. (b) sample chamber backbone laser-cut from 6 mm thick plastic. (c) bottom glass, side glass and four steel pins that attach to the chamber backbone. (d) fully assembled chamber. figure 8 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, (a) principle of spim via side illumination illustrated for solutions or cells mounted in a hydrogel. (b) photograph of the light sheet generated in the earlier aluminum prototype sample chamber with an excitation na of 0.3. figure 9 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, (a) if a significant portion of the beam passes through a material of different refractive index, optical aberrations occur resulting in a distorted light sheet. (b) by mounting the sample on top of a material of the same refractive index as the surrounding medium, an index change and, hence, aberrations can be avoided. figure 10 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, overview of the refractive index of commercially available, uv curable resins and common sample immersion media. figure 11 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, the resin is filled between to glass slides spaced at the desired distance, here 1 mm (a). after curing with a uv source, the resin is cut to size (b) and transferred into the sample chamber (c). a closeup image of the resin in the chamber well is shown in (d). instead of the resin, a collagen hydrogel can also be used (e). figure 12 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, light sheet in a solution of rhodamine 110. light sheet at a scan amplitude of 0.1 v (a) and 0.2 v (b). (c) fluorescence image of the beam at 0 v scan amplitude. (d) cross section of the beam. scale bar, 40 μηι. figure 13 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, y projections of 1 μιη fluorescent beads in an agarose matrix. (a) with epifluorescence illumination. (b) with sidespim illumination. scale bar, 40 μηι. figure 14 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, demonstration of matching of the refractive index. since the resin has a refractive index with a difference of less than 0.1% compared to the immersion medium (here: water), aberration-free imaging of the surface is possible via side illumination with a light sheet. figure 15 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, two-photon excitation of rhodamine 110 on top of the resin. figure 16 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, y-projection of spim image stack of 1 um green fluorescent beads embedded in an agarose gel layered on top of the resin mounted inside the two window sample chamber imaged by spim with side illumination. field of view, 138 μηι. figure 17 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, 3d projection of a stack of images acquired with spim with side illumination. the cells were labeled with cell mask deep red. figure 18 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, optical sectioning in an upright/inclined spim (a, c) geometry versus a horizontal, side-illuminated geometry (b, d). (a) when imaging at a 45° angle as in upright/inclined spim many equidistant planes (cyan lines) need to be acquired to image an entire cell. (b) with horizontal, side-illuminated spim much fewer planes are required to image the same cell, since the sample is sectioned along the direction of the least extension. this is especially true when imaging many cells grown on the same surface (c, d). figure 19 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, fluorescently labeled guv's with different lipid compositions have been grown and subjected to spim imaging. the projections of the 3d reconstructions are shown. depending on the lipid composition, different fluorescence intensity patterns can be observed. figure 20 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, three-dimensional renderings of lipid domains in a guv imaged at 0.8 s intervals, the size of the red box is 38 x 38 x 30 μηι3. the time resolution is sufficient to observe the diffusion of individual lipid domains in 3d on the surface of the guv, six exemplary tracks are shown. note that there is no visible photobleaching. figure 21 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, embodiments of the multiwell chamber for high throughput imaging using side illumination spim. (a) chamber 'skeleton' laser cut from a sheet of 6 mm thick plastic. (b) finished chamber with cover slides attached to the sides and the bottom. four pads of 0.1 mm thick steel are glued to the corners allowing the chamber to easily attach to the microscope stage via magnets. figure 22 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, high throughput acquisition scheme for a linear microwell chamber. figure 23 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, one embodiment of a flim camera. figure 24 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, various demonstrations of light illumination as further described herein. figure 24(a) shows the distortion of the light sheet can be minimized by supporting the sample with a material of refractive index similar to the surrounding medium. figure 24(b) excitation light path without (top) and with refractive index mismatch (bottom), the insets show the corresponding diffraction patterns at the focus. figure 24(c) intensity profile of the illumination beam at the focus along x direction for index mismatches of 0-0.5% (na 0.3, 1 mm depth, 500 nm light). figure 24(d) beam waist (e-2) at the focus and strehl ratio plotted as a function of the refractive index mismatch, the inset shows the diffraction pattern at 0.3% mismatch where the maximum intensity has shifted to the periphery of the light sheet as indicated by the arrows. figure 25 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, an overview of results further described herein. (a) rhodamine 110 on top of the resin without scanning of the excitation beam. (b) fluorescence image of a single xy plane inside the rhodamine solution without scanning and no resin in the sample well as illustrated in (a). (c) a gaussian was fitted to the intensity distribution for each vertical line of pixels, the minimum beam waist was 1.43 μιτι, the confocal parameter was 12.0 μιτι. (e) fluorescence image of a single xy plane inside the rhodamine solution at a distance of 1 μιτι from the resin (my- 133 v2000) without scanning as shown in (d). (f) the minimum beam waist was 1.53 μιτι, the confocal parameter was 10.9 μιτι. (h) fluorescence image of a single xy plane at the rhodamine solution/resin interface without scanning as depicted in (g). (i) the minimum beam waist was 1.49 μηι, the confocal parameter was 11.8 μιη. (k) fluorescence image of a single xz plane extracted from a z stack of the rhodamine solution/resin interface as drawn in (j). (l) the minimum beam waist calculated from the intensity derivative was 1.46 μιτι, the confocal parameter was 11.0 μηι. figure 26 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, light sheet evaluation with 100 nm green fluorescent beads. single xy (a) and yz (b) plane of a stack of fluorescence images of 100 nm beads embedded in a 1% agarose hydrogel. the xy (c) and yz (d) cross sections of the psf of a single bead (marked by the crosshair in a,b) were fitted with a gaussian distribution (d,f) to obtain the radial and the axial waist. single xy (g) and yz (h) plane of a stack of fluorescence images of 100 nm beads embedded in a 1% agarose hydrogel placed on top of the 1 mm thick resin (my-133 v2000). the xy (i) and yz (k) cross sections of the psf of a single bead (marked by the crosshair in g,h) were fitted with a gaussian distribution (j,l) to obtain the radial and axial waist. figure 27 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, a photograph of the two window sample chamber serving as a fluidic device. figure 28 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, a 3d reconstruction of a biofilm of afs64 bacteria expressing egfp on top of 1% agarose under flow at different time points. figure 29 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, three dimensional tracking. (a) 3d reconstruction of an image stack of lysosomes in a549 cells labeled with lysotracker red. (b) 3d trajectories of the lysosomes shown in panel a followed over 2,100 s that could be followed in a minimum of 50 consecutive stacks. (c) msd of those tracks with a velocity >0 μιτιβ-ι . (d) histogram of the velocities of the tracks shown in panel c. figure 30 depicts, in accordance with embodiments herein, fluorescence images of a zebrafish embryo labeled with nile red. (a-c) single sections of an image stack of the tail section of a 36 hpf embryo. (a) xy view, (b) yz view, (c) xz view, the yellow lines indicate the position of the corresponding views. (d) single section of an area with microcirculation, the track of a single erythrocyte is shown in red. detailed description all references, publications, and patents cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety as though they are fully set forth. unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. horny ak, et al, introduction to nanoscience and nanotechnology, crc press (2008); singleton et al., dictionary of microbiology and molecular biology 3rd ed., j. wiley & sons (new york, ny 2001); march, advanced organic chemistry reactions, mechanisms and structure 7th ed., j. wiley & sons (new york, ny 2013); and sambrook and russel, molecular cloning: a laboratory manual 4th ed., cold spring harbor laboratory press (cold spring harbor, ny 2012), provide one skilled in the art with a general guide to many of the terms used in the present application. one skilled in the art will recognize many methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein, which could be used in the practice of the present invention. indeed, the present invention is in no way limited to the methods and materials described. as described herein, and in accordance with the various embodiments herein, the inventors have disclosed a novel apparatus illustrating selective plane illumination in the conventional sample geometry. the new design is uses a novel accessory along with a regular inverted microscope, wherein the sample is illuminated from the side by the accessory. a custom designed chamber with multiple wells featuring two optically transparent windows is used to allow side illumination and light detection from the bottom. this way, all microscope ports remain available for other purposes. also, there is unrestricted access from the top which can be used, for example, to fit the connections of a microfluidic device. without the need of dipping into the sample container, smaller sample volumes (< 1 ml) can be realized and the use of high na lenses is facilitated. still, all kinds of samples can be used including both, flat samples such as monolayers of cells or bacteria on a surface and specimen such as cells, tissues and organisms embedded in hydrogels. distortion-free imaging of flat samples is achieved via matching of the refractive index. also, isolation of optics and sample allows imaging of sealed sample containers when demanded, e.g., for samples treated with potent toxins. further, in this design, the orientation of the imaging plane is parallel to the surface of the sample container which is desirable for flat samples where it maximizes the field of view. finally, since the observation well volume can be very small, high throughput 3d imaging of multiple wells is possible. in one embodiment, the present disclosure provides a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. in one embodiment, the side illumination unit comprises components to generate a light sheet illuminating on a sample. in one embodiment, the two window sample chamber comprises two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other. in one embodiment, the two window sample chamber further comprises a magnetic attachment to ensure easy to handle, stable, and reproducible mounting of a sample. in one embodiment, the refractive index matching comprises raising a sample in the two window sample chamber using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid. in one embodiment, the refractive index matching allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. in another embodiment, the present disclosure provides an imaging apparatus comprising (a) a microscope and (b) a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching. in one embodiment, the apparatus is capable of imaging thick samples, such as cells, tissues, or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel. in one embodiment, the apparatus is capable of imaging a monolayer of cells. in one embodiment, the apparatus further comprises a fluorescence lifetime measurement capability. in one embodiment, the side illumination unit comprises components to generate a light sheet illuminating on a sample. in one embodiment, the two window sample chamber comprises two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other. in one embodiment, the two window sample chamber further comprises a magnetic attachment to ensure easy to handle, stable, and reproducible mounting of a sample. in one embodiment, the refractive index matching comprises raising a sample in the two window sample chamber using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid. in one embodiment, the refractive index matching allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. in one embodiment, the observation plane is parallel to the sample surface, maximizing field of view for flat samples. in another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a method of imaging a sample comprising providing an apparatus comprising a microscope and a device comprising a side illumination unit, a two window sample chamber, and a refractive index matching; and imaging the sample in the apparatus. in one embodiment, the sample is a thick sample, such as cells, tissues, or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel. in one embodiment, the sample is a flat sample, such as a monolayer of cells. in one embodiment, no dipping into a container containing the sample is required to image the sample. in one embodiment, the imaging may be a video imaging. in one embodiment, the video image maps diffusion of molecular domains. in one embodiment, the imaging is a high throughput three-dimensional time course imaging. to reduce cost and complexity while maximizing flexibility, it is highly desirable to implement a new imaging technology such that it can be added to a standard research microscope. while doing so, all of the previous functionality should be maintained and modifications to the existing system should be kept to a minimum. at the same time, the implementation should be able to take full advantage of the employed technology. additionally, sample handling should be compatible with established methods and operation of the system should not require labor intensive adjustments. previously described selective plane illumination microscopy techniques typically compromise at least one of those parameters, e.g., spatial resolution is sacrificed to simplify sample handling or vice versa. in one embodiment, the inventors have disclosed herein a new technology termed sidespim that meets all requirements simultaneously while also offering new applications of spim towards microfluidics and high throughput 3d imaging of multiple samples. embodiments of the present disclosure are further described in the following examples. the examples are merely illustrative and do not in any way limit the scope of the invention as claimed. examples example 1 generally selective plane illumination microscopy (spim) is one of the most suitable techniques for fast, three-dimensional imaging. by confining the excitation light to a sheet, spim combines axial sectioning capability with minimal light exposure and fast, camera- based image acquisition. spim typically uses two (objective) lenses arranged perpendicular to each other. one lens is used for light detection, while the focal plane of that lens is illuminated with a sheet of light generated via the other lens. to generate the light sheet, cylindrical optics can be used. alternatively, the beam can be rapidly scanned across the field of view of the detection lens to generate the sheet illumination. however, the arrangement of two objective lenses perpendicular to each other provides a number of challenges in terms of instrument design and sample geometry as explained in the following. initially spim was designed around the specimen with excitation and detection in the horizontal plane. this requires specific sample preparation, typically embedding the sample in a hydrogel such as agarose. this excludes the use of conventional sample mounts, such as coverslips, culture dishes and multi well plates as illustrated in figure 1. to overcome this limitation, a popular approach is to dip into the sample container from the top, with both lenses typically but not necessarily at a 45° angle with respect to the sample plane. such a system can be mounted on top of an inverted microscope or implemented as an independent instrument. in this configuration, the objectives are immersed in the same fluid as the sample, which in most cases is either air or water. with water dipping lenses, a numerical aperture (na) of up to 0.8 can be utilized. lenses of higher na can be used by raising the sample into the gap between the two lenses (see figure 2). this large na lens allows the application of fluorescence fluctuation methods. the drawbacks of this geometry include the requirement of a large sample container to accommodate both lenses resulting in a large immersion volume. this can cause sample disturbance due to flow/convection and increases the amount of reagents needed. further, there is no isolation of optics and sample which is problematic when dealing with hazardous samples (toxic, cancerous, infectious, etc.). also, dipping into the sample container from the top limits access from that direction. this makes it difficult to fit devices for sample support and monitoring such as incubators, microfluidic devices, electrodes, brightfield illumination, etc. finally, since the observation plane is at an angle with respect to the sample container, the field of view for flat samples, such as a monolayer of cells, is limited, i.e., the full field of view of the detector cannot be utilized. another approach to using high na lenses is reflected light sheet microscopy, in which the light sheet is generated by reflecting a beam incident from the top by 45° with a small mirror mounted on an atomic force microscope cantilever. with this approach, the light sheet is parallel to the sample plane, hence, for flat samples such as a cell monolayer, the full field of view of the detector can be utilized. however, this method requires precise positioning of the mirror very close to the sample. also, the mirror as well as the excitation lens are introduced from the top and dipped into the sample container, again limiting access and prohibiting sample isolation. also, chemicals present in the immersion fluid can degrade the mirror so it has to be replaced regularly. finally, objects very close (< 2 μιτι) to the bottom of the sample container, such as the bottom membrane of a cell, cannot be imaged in this configuration. alternatively, high na detection can be realized via a prism-coupled light-sheet condenser design that redirects the light sheet horizontally onto a sample at the focal plane of an imaging objective. the lack of a cantilever facilitates sample handling and operation of the system. however, the sample container is tilted at a horizontal angle of approximately 20°, so care has to be taken when filling the sample dish with the immersion fluid. again this design demands open access from the top with the same drawbacks as mentioned before. a design that allows access from the top uses a water prism that compensates for aberrations introduced when illumination and imaging from the bottom at an angle through a coverglass. however, this solution cannot be mounted on a regular inverted microscope due to size constraints. also, this configuration does contain additional sources of aberration, primarily due to imaging through a tilted coverslip. hence, it is more suitable for low resolution imaging. another design integrates a sample cuvette with side illumination into a stage inset of an inverted microscope. while this approach is compact and low cost, it provides relatively low axial resolution (>5 μιτι) and demands specific fep tube- mounted samples. finally, spim implementations using a single lens do not suffer from optomechanical constraints of two lens designs but are limited in spatial resolution and/or imaging depth. example 2 components of sidespim in one embodiment, the three key components of the sidespim include: 1) side illumination unit. all optical components required to generate the light sheet illuminating the sample are mounted onto a single platform. this unit can be coupled to any inverted microscope. 2) two window sample chamber. with two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other, the light to generate the sheet illumination at the sample plane can be introduced from the side. magnetic attachment of the chamber to the microscope stage ensures easy to handle, stable and reproducible mounting. 3) refractive index matching. by raising the sample inside the chamber well using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid, samples can be imaged distortion free all the way to the bottom. index matching also allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells in the first place. example 3 side illumination unit one embodiment of the sidespim prototype is illustrated in figure 3. the system is based on an inverted microscope (1x71 fitted with epifluorescence illumination unit, olympus) with camera detection (edge 4.2, pco). a motorized xy stage (ms-2000, asi) holds a piezo xyz-stage (nano-pdq375, mad city labs) fitted with a custom magnetic sample holder inset. the stage assembly is raised by 36 mm using spacers to make room for the objective lens of the side illumination unit located on the left. besides being installed onto the same flat and rigid mounting surface (smart table ut2, newport), no further mechanical connections from to side illumination unit to the microscope body are required. a more detailed view of the side illumination assembly is shown in figure 4. with this unit, the light sheet is generated and injected into the sample. the assembly consists of a white laser source, wl (sc 390, fianium), for excitation with visible light. from the fiber output the light is reflected of a dichroic mirror, dm1 (lp670), and passed through a short pass filter, fl (sp680), to remove the near ir portion of the laser output which is directed onto an absorber, a (lb1, thorlabs). the visible portion is passed through a shutter, s (ls3, uniblitz), followed by a motorized filter wheel, f2-7 (fw102c, thorlabs), containing six different filters (440/40 nm, 480/30 nm, 535/30 nm, 572/15 nm, 633/10 nm and nd3) which define the excitation wavelength band. to ensure a gaussian beam profile the filter wheel is followed by a spatial filter. in the spatial filter, the laser beam is focused onto a 10 μπι pinhole, ph (pi os, thorlabs), via a lens of 30 mm focal length, li (ac254- 030-a, thorlabs), and collimated by a lens of 50 mm focal length, l2 (ac254-050-a, thorlabs). redirected with a mirror, ml, the beam is then passed through an adjustable iris, i (sm1d12, thorlabs), to control the beam diameter. reflected off a second mirror, m2, and a long pass dichroic mirror, dm2 (lp670), the beam is redirected onto the scanning mirror assembly, xy (a402, iss). in addition, a pulsed tunable ti:sa laser (chameleon ultra, coherent) for two-photon excitation located behind the sidespim setup on the same optical table is free space coupled into the side illumination unit from the bottom. the laser intensity is modulated by an acousto optic modulator (aom, aa opto electronic) placed immediately after the laser output. after directing the beam to the illumination unit via four mirrors on the optical table it is reflected off a mirror, m3, and collimated by a telescope consisting of two lenses of 50 mm focal length, l3 and l4 (ac254-050-b, thorlabs). via two more mirrors, m4 and m5, the ti:sa beam is passed through the same long pass dichroic mirror, dm2 (lp670), to be joined with the visible laser light. the combined beam is then relayed towards the excitation objective (lox cfi plan fluorite na 0.3, nikon) via a scan lens, sl (#49-356, edmund optics), and a tube lens, tl (180 mm, olympus). rapid scanning of the horizontal axis results in the generation of a light sheet in the plane of the detection lens. alternatively, instead of scanning the beam, cylindrical optics could be used to generate the sheet. the scanning, however, facilitates two-photon excitation and has the advantage that non-gaussian beam profiles could be generated. the light generated in the sample is collected by the detection lens and, after passing through the internal tube lens and fluorescence filters (dapi, gfp and texasred filter sets and a 650 nm long pass filter) of the inverted microscope, imaged onto the cmos camera (edge 4.2, pco) mounted to the left side port of the microscope. hence fluorescence is collected the same way as with conventional epi- illumination through the backport. brightfield illumination is possible via the lamp and condenser arrangement mounted on top. the right side port of the microscope is still available and could be fitted with another excitation/detection system. any combinations of excitation and detection lens can be used, with the only restriction that the focal points of the two lenses have to overlap without mechanical collision of the two lenses. photographs of the objective lens arrangement and the sample holder is shown in figure 5. panel (a) shows a top view of the microscope stage with the sample holder, on the left, the tube lens from the side illumination unit can be seen. a piezo xyz-stage (nano-pdq375, mad city labs) is mounted on top of a motorized xy stage (ms-2000, asi). the inset of the piezo stage is fitted with the custom sample holder, as can be seen in panel (b). it consists of a vertically mounted linear stage (ms i s, thorlabs) onto which the actual sample holder is mounted to. the linear stage allows for manual adjustment of the sample z position. panels (c) and (d) show the objective lens configuration. the detection lens (lumplfln60xav na 1.0, olympus) is located in the turret that is part of the inverted microscope. hence, detection lenses can be easily changed by rotation of the turret, if different magnifications are required for image acquisition. in one illustrative prototype a lox na 0.3 water dipping lens was used for excitation (lox cfi plan fluorite na 0.3, nikon), and switch between a lox na 0.3 air objective (lox plan fluorite objective na 0.3, olympus) and the 60x na 1.0 water dipping lens in detection depending on the resolution/field of view demanded. a rubber o-ring is utilized to stop water from flowing down the 60x na 1.0 water dipping lens. the excitation lens is mounted on an xz manual platform (mt1, thorlabs) attached to the illumination unit to align the light sheet with the optical axis of the detection lens. the microscope turret z- drive is then utilized to align the focal plane of the detection lens with the light sheet. the stage assembly is raised by 36 mm using aluminum spacers to make room underneath the motorized xy stage for the objective lens of the side illumination unit. three-dimensional imaging is achieved by scanning the sample in axial direction with the piezo z-stage inset. the sample holder is machined from aluminum, its t-shaped legs hold four magnets, one in each corner, to ensure easy and secure sample attachment. a sketch of the sample holder is shown in figure 6 (a). the screws that attach the legs to the frame also act as pins that fit into corresponding holes (5 mm diameter) in the sample chamber. panel (b) displays how the chamber attaches to the sample holder. example 4 two window sample chamber in order to inject the light sheet into the sample from the side with the side illumination unit, the sample chamber needs to have two optically transparent windows, one on the bottom and one on the side of each well. a sketch of one embodiment of the sample chamber design including dimensions is shown in figure 7a. the first prototype was machined from aluminum or 6 mm thick plastic. three pieces of glass were then attached to create the chamber wells, one on the bottom and two on the sides of the chamber backbone. for the bottom, commercially available cover glass measuring 60 mm x 24 mm of 0.17 mm thickness (22266882, fisherbrand) was used. the two side windows (52 mm x 6 mm) were cut from the same cover glass slides using an engraving pen (z225568-1ea, sigma). watertight attachment was achieved by means of an uv curable optical adhesive (noa60, thorlabs). finally, four steel pins were glued into holes pre-drilled during the laser-cutting process on the comers to allow the chamber to attach to the four magnets embedded in the feet of the sample holder. a photograph of the raw material is shown in panel (b, c), while panel (d) displays a picture of the fully assembled chamber. the exact dimensions are not critical for the function of the system and can be adopted to optimally accommodate the sample under study. especially, since the well size can be very small, a large number of wells can be arranged in a line to allow for high throughput imaging. each well can be addressed in an automated way by movement of the sample chamber with the motorized stage. the only requirements of the design are two thin, optically transparent windows, one on the bottom and one on the side. for the prototype, microscope cover glass of 0.17 mm thickness was used, however other transparent materials would work as well. for samples embedded in a transparent medium there are no further requirements for imaging. figure 8a illustrates how the light sheet is generated in the sample. one well of the chamber was filled with a 100 nm solution of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 110. panel (b) shows the light sheet generated by excitation with blue light (480 nm). the only change in refractive index occurs at the transition between window and mounting medium. since this transition occured perpendicular to the optical axis, there were no significant optical aberrations. this was demonstrated with a solution of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 1 10, an image of the light sheet can be seen in figure 7, right panel. it has to be noted, however, that as soon as a significant amount of light passes through a material of different refractive index, e.g., when trying to image an object close to the bottom of the sample chamber, optical aberrations occur. this can be avoided by matching of the refractive index. example 5 refractive index matching while in solution or in a hydrogel (e.g. agarose, collagen, gelatin, etc.) the mismatch in refractive index between the bottom window of the chamber and the sample mounting medium can be avoided by imaging in the center of the mounting medium (see figure 8a), imaging a monolayer of cells or bacteria on a surface represents exactly such problem (figure 9a). however, a mismatch can be avoided if the flat sample is mounted on top of an optically transparent material with a refractive index that is the same as the surrounding medium (figure 9b). with an excitation na of 0.3 and a desired imaging depth of 1 mm, the mismatch in refractive index should be less than 0.1%. such material is commercially available, e.g., in the form of an uv curable resin (my-133, eoc-inc), a selection of suitable materials is shown in figure 10. the resin between two glass slides was cured to achieve a flat surface with the desired thickness. after curing, the resin is cut to size and transferred into the sample chamber, as illustrated in figure 11a-d. samples such as single cells can be grown on the resin followed by spim imaging with side illumination. other samples that do not require culture such as giant unilamellar vesicles (guvs) can simply be transferred into the sample chamber containing the resin for immediate imaging. alternatively, hydrogels with a refractive index very close to water can be used as substrate as well. figure he shows 1 mm thick layers of collagen inside three chamber wells, the pink color comes from the ph indicator phenol red that was mixed with the collagen to facilitate ph adjustment. example 6 prototype, without index matching the inventors have built a working prototype and performed several measurements to test the capabilities. to test the system, a 100 nm solution of rhodamine-110 was imaged. fluorescence was excited in a band of 465 - 495 nm (100 μw before the excitation objective) and detected through a 535/50 nm band pass filter. the extension of the light sheet in the plane of excitation is defined by the scanning signal amplitude. figure 12 shows the fluorescence signal from the rhodamine 110 solution using scanning amplitudes of 0.1 v (a) and 0.2 v (b), both acquired with the olympus 60x na 1.0 detection lens. the width of the light sheet is determined by the numerical aperture of the excitation lens independent of the detection lens. the minimum thickness (maximum axial resolution) is found at the beam waist, which can be determined by measuring the central width at 0 v scan amplitude, as depicted in panels (c) for the olympus 60x na 1.0 detection lens and (d) olympus lox na 0.3 detection lens. the resulting beam waist of 1.7 μηι is identical since the same excitation lens was used (nikon lox na 0.3). to evaluate imaging performance of the sidespim setup in a hydrogel, a sample was prepared with green fluorescent spheres of 1 μιη diameter (yellow-green fluorospheres, invitrogen) dispersed in a 1% agarose hydrogel. three dimensional stacks were acquired by imaging 512 planes at a distance of 270 nm with the olympus 60x na 1.0 detection lens. the y projection is shown in figure 13 for epi- illumination (a) as well as with light sheet illumination (b). as expected for epi-illumination there is no optical sectioning. instead, with light sheet excitation the individual beads are clearly visible. since the light sheet was formed with a gaussian beam, the axial resolution diminishes towards the periphery of the light sheet. example 7 prototype, with index matching a working prototype was built and several measurements were tested on it to assess the capabilities of the new design disclosed herein. to verify that optical aberrations are minimal after introduction of the resin to match the refractive index, the inventors coated a piece of 1 mm thick resin with the fluorescent dye rhodamine 110 and subjected it to spim imaging with side illumination. the inventors acquired z-stacks with epi-illumination as well as light sheet illumination. the results are shown in figure 14. with epi-illumination no z- sectioning is obtained. with spim, however, the rhodamine 110 layer is clearly visible. a full width at half maximum of 1.6 μηι can be achieved with an excitation lens na of 0.3. the slight background fluorescence on top of the resin comes from residual rhodamine 110 in the water solution. as illustrated in figure 15, the design is compatible with 2-photon excitation (figure 15). the top right image compares the excitation volume of the single vs the two photon excitation beam. this image was acquired with the lox instead of the 60 x detection lens to illustrate the difference in shape. with single photon excitation every fiuorophore in the way of the beam gets excited, whereas with two photon excitation, excitation happens only in the very center where the intensity is high enough. the center right image shows the same layer of rhodamine 110 as in figure 14 but excited with 780 nm light (60x detection lens). a fwhm of 2 μηι is achieved. again, the slight background fluorescence on top of the resin comes from residual rhodamine 1 10 present in the water solution. 1 % agarose hydrogel containing green fluorescent spheres of 1 μιη diameter was layered on top of the resin mounted inside the two window sample chamber and subjected it to spim imaging with side illumination (single photon excitation with blue light, same imaging parameters as without the resin). a stack of 512 images at a distance of 270 nm was acquired. the beads are clearly visible all the way down to the surface of the resin as depicted in the y-projection of the corresponding z-stack shown in figure 16. finally, the design was tested on cells grown on top of the resin that were fluorescently labeled with the membrane dye cell mask deep red. in this case, fluorescence was excited in a band of 628 - 638 nm and detected with a 650 nm long pass filter. a stack of 256 images at a distance of 400 nm was acquired, the resulting projection of the image stack is shown in figure 17. example 8 applications of the sidespim system optical sectioning through plane illumination, the high frame rates possible with camera-based detection in combination with a fast piezo stage renders the instant system ideal for fast, three-dimensional time lapse imaging. in principle, every (plane illumination) microscope can be fitted with a fast stage for volumetric imaging. in the case of an upright/inclined spim system, the imaging plane is oriented at a 45° angle with respect to the sample and stage. hence, optical sectioning occurs at a 45° angle as well (figure 18 a). however, in the case of samples with a low extension in the axial direction as compared to their lateral size, such as a monolayer of cells, it is favorable to optically section the sample along the vertical direction (b). by sectioning along the vertical direction the number of planes to capture the same specimen is minimized, which in turn allows for faster imaging of a larger field of view. this is especially important when imaging multiple cells growing on the same surface as illustrated in figure 18 c,d. with sectioning at a 45° angle the number of planes required increases with the number of cells to be imaged. in the sidespim configuration, the number of planes required does not change as long as the cells are within the field of view of the camera. consequently, objects with an axial extension of a few tens of micrometers such as cells or giant vesicles can be three-dimensional imaged on the subsecond timescale. example 9 -dimensional imaging of guvs of different lipid concentrations giant unilamellar vesicles (guvs) with different lipid compositions were prepared. to attach the guvs to the resin surface, a coating protocol with biotin-bovine serum albumin (b-bsa) was used. briefly, the resin was coated with a solution 1% bsa and 0.1% b-bsa. the guvs was doped with 0.1% molar of biotin-phosphatidylethanolamine (b-pe) and 0.5% molar diic18 (invitrogen, ge). an electro-formation protocol was used to grow the guvs, lipids was deposited on a platinum wire and later dry in vacuum for an hour. then, the pt wires were connected to a function generator with 2 v p-p and 10 hz sinusoidal function, for 1 hour above the melting transition. after 1.5 hour the sample was disconnected and allowed to decrease the temperature to room temperature. guvs was carefully transferred to the coated chamber and immediately imaged. fluorescence of diic18 was excited in a band of 465 - 495 nm and detected using the olympus 60x na 1.0 objective through a 535/50 nm band pass filter. z-stacks of the three different samples were acquired at an axial spacing of 500 nm while the camera pixel size at the sample was 107 nm. the differences in lipid composition are immediately apparent from the 3d reconstructions (figure 19). while dopc alone forms a homogeneous membrane (a), the ternary mixture of dopc, dppc and cholesterol allows liquid phase coexistence. since the dye diic18 has different affinities for the different phases, these can be identified as dark patches. example 10 mapping the diffusion of lipid domains on the surface of a guv with the microscope system disclosed herein, the inventors were able to follow the diffusion of lipid domains in a ternary mixture that allows liquid phase coexistence (dopc: dppc: cholesterol, 1 : 1 : 1) on the entire guv as shown in the 3d renderings at different time points in figure 20 (the full movie is provided as an attachment). 3d stacks of 60 planes were imaged with a step size of 500 μιτι at 800 ms intervals. the exposure time for a single plane was 10 ms resulting in 600 ms for all 60 planes plus a 200 ms overhead for repositioning of the piezo stage at the starting position. the domains freely diffuse on the surface of the guv, six exemplary tracks are shown. note that the images shown here represent only a subset of the full acquisition of 60 s length. during this time, the photobleaching was negligible. all samples were imaged at room temperature (23°c). for image acquisition the open source microscopy software micro manager (https://micro- manager.org/) was used. 3d images were rendered with fiji imagej (https://fiji.se/). example 11 high throughput three-dimensional time course imaging in one embodiment, the sample chamber was redesigned with respect to miniaturizing the individual sample compartments. the size of each well is now 2 x 10 x 6 mm3 holding about 50 - 100 μΐ of fluid. photographs of the chamber are shown in figure 21. the sample chamber can be moved in the horizontal plane with the xy stage of the microscope, the axial direction can be scanned using the added piezo z stage. high throughput three-dimensional time lapse imaging can be performed with the following scheme. the xy stage is used to move to a volume of interest inside the first well, e.g., containing a cell. in less than a second all sections of this volume are acquired using the piezo stage. if needed, the xy stage is then used to move to other volumes of interest in the same well for subsequent 3d imaging. when all volumes of interest are imaged, the xy stage is used to move to the second well. the procedure is repeated for each well. the entire sequence is restarted after the last well. this way, multiple samples can be followed in 3d with a time resolution on the order of tens of seconds, depending on the total number of volumes of interest. this acquisition scheme is illustrated in figure 22. so far, one of the most relevant applications of this arrangement could be the high throughput drug screening in the pharmaceutical industry. example 12 imaging bacteria forming a biofllm in one embodiment, the sidespim imaging is combined with a microfluidic culture system. this experimental platform is used to image a biofllm growing mimicking host colonization with the goal to observe differences between the exterior and interior bacteria cells. with conventional microscopy methods, imaging of such biofilms has remained challenging. the lack of temporal resolution of laser scanning confocal microscopy and the lack of optical sectioning in widefield epi-fluorescence microscopy, combined with the phototoxicity of both methods can be avoided by using sidespim. from the 3d time lapse acquisitions, the growth and formation of the biofilm was quantified and its role in protecting and promoting bacteria during host colonization was studied. example 13 multichannel detection for many samples it is desirable to be able to detect fluorescence in multiple channels, separated for example by color, such that two fluorophores of different emission spectra can be imaged simultaneously. for the instant system, the fluorescence was split into four channels, separated by two colors and the two orthogonal polarizations. as an example of multiple-channel detection, the four channels detection is applied to study the dynamic of cellular membranes using laurdan fluorescence. this dye was largely used to study de polarity of the membrane in vitro and in cellular experiments. based on a spectral shift driven by the change in the membrane polarity it is possible to study the organization of the membrane. besides, the changes in polarity are correlated to changes in membrane viscosity, usually, evaluate by anisotropy measurements. anisotropy measurements are difficult in regular confocal microscopy, however, are simpler in the spim configuration by the optic arrangement. the idea is to collect to color channels (by a band pass filter) and measure the anisotropy at the same time, by the addition polarizers to get parallel and perpendicular to emission respect to the excitation. this approach would allow to simultaneously measure the spectral shift and anisotropy, pixel by pixel, with ultrafast parallel acquisition using the camera detection. the acquisition of the polarity and viscosity simultaneously with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution should allow better compression in the complex dynamic of the cellular membranes. example 14 fluorescence lifetime imaging recently, cmos camera technology has been adopted to measure luminescence decays such as fluorescence lifetimes (pco.flim, pco). the only requirement is synchronization of the camera to a modulated or pulsed light source. both the lasers used in the sidespim prototype are pulsed, the white laser at 20 mhz and the ti:sa laser at 80 mhz. in one embodiment, a flim camera is installed on the right side port of the olympus 1x71 body used in the sidespim system. this allows to perform 3d flim imaging with unprecedented speed and minimal photobleaching. in combination with two photon excitation, this can be used for video-rate label-free imaging of, for example, nadh in live cells and tissues. example 15 discussion the instant disclosure combines the benefits of the spim designs while avoiding the drawbacks of the individual methods. thick samples such as cells, tissues or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel as well as flat samples such as a monolayer of cells can be imaged using the instant system. no dipping into the sample container is required, it can be sealed if desired or the space can be utilized for sample support, treatment or additional monitoring. high numerical aperture lenses can be used with this design resulting in single molecule sensitivity. this allows for the application of methods involving single particle localization and tracking as well as fluorescence fluctuation techniques. the sample volume can be large or small as desired. the observation plane is parallel to the sample surface maximizing field of view for flat samples. and, since the side illumination unit as well as the sample chamber are both additions independent of the main microscope platform, spim capability can be added to any existing inverted microscope. further, since the size of the individual wells can be very small as opposed to designs that require optics dipping into the sample chamber, a large number of wells can be accommodated within the same chamber to allow for automated, high throughput three-dimensional time course imaging with sidespim. to verify that optical aberrations are minimal after introduction of the resin to match the refractive index, a piece of resin was coated with the fluorescent dye rhodamine 110 and subjected it to spim imaging with side illumination. z-stacks were acquired with epi-illumination as well as light sheet illumination. with epi-illumination no z-sectioning is obtained. with spim, the rhodamine 110 layer is clearly visible. a full width at half maximum of 1.6 μιτι was achieved with an excitation lens na of 0.3. in one embodiment, the inventors have constructed a sample chamber with a large number of microwells arranged in a line to allow for three-dimensional time lapse imaging of multiple specimen (high throughput) with all the benefits spim provides such as high speed and minimal photobleaching. in one embodiment, the instrument can be used on a regular basis for advanced research projects. in one embodiment, a quadruple view for the camera is implemented, such that two color and polarization channels can be imaged simultaneously. in one embodiment, the device further includes fluorescence lifetime measurement capability. in one embodiment, the two-photon excitation is optimized by exciting with non-gaussian beams. in one embodiment, the system disclosed herein further provides an incubator to control the temperature and gas concentration (such as amount of co 2 gas) at the sample. example 16 updated - overview to reduce cost and complexity while maximizing flexibility, it is highly desirable to implement a new imaging technology such that it can be added to a standard research microscope. while doing so, all of the previous functionality should be maintained and modifications to the existing system should be kept to a minimum. at the same time, the implementation should be able to take full advantage of the employed technology. additionally, sample handling should be compatible with established methods and operation of the system should not require labor intensive adjustments. previously described selective plane illumination microscopy techniques typically compromise at least one of those parameters, e.g., spatial resolution is sacrificed to simplify sample handling or vice versa. the inventors devised a new technology termed sidespim that meets all requirements simultaneously while also offering new applications of spim towards microfluidics and high throughput 3d imaging of multiple samples. selective plane illumination microscopy (spim) is one of the most suitable techniques for fast, three-dimensional imaging. by confining the excitation light to a sheet, spim combines axial sectioning capability with minimal light exposure and fast, camera- based image acquisition. spim typically uses two (objective) lenses arranged perpendicular to each other. one lens is used for light detection, while the focal plane of that lens is illuminated with a sheet of light generated via the other lens. to generate the light sheet, cylindrical optics can be used. alternatively, the beam can be rapidly scanned across the field of view of the detection lens to generate the sheet illumination. however, the arrangement of two objective lenses perpendicular to each other provides a number of challenges in terms of instrument design and sample geometry as explained in the following. initially, spim was designed around the specimen with excitation and detection in the horizontal plane. this requires specific sample preparation, typically embedding the sample in a hydrogel such as agarose. this excludes the use of conventional sample mounts, such as coverslips, culture dishes and multi well plates as illustrated in figure 1. to overcome this limitation, a popular approach is to dip into the sample container from the top, with both lenses typically but not necessarily at a 45° angle with respect to the sample plane. such a system can be mounted on top of an inverted microscope or implemented as an independent instrument. in this configuration, the objectives are immersed in the same fluid as the sample, which in most cases is either air or water. with water dipping lenses, a numerical aperture (na) of up to 0.8 can be utilized. lenses of higher na can be used by raising the sample into the gap between the two lenses (see figure 2). this large na lens allows the application of fluorescence fluctuation methods. the drawbacks of this geometry include the requirement of a large sample container to accommodate both lenses resulting in a large immersion volume. this can cause sample disturbance due to flow/convection and increases the amount of reagents needed. further, there is no isolation of optics and sample which is problematic when dealing with hazardous samples (toxic, cancerous, infectious, etc.). also, dipping into the sample container from the top limits access from that direction. this makes it difficult to fit devices for sample support and monitoring such as incubators, microfluidic devices, electrodes, brightfield illumination, etc. finally, since the observation plane is at an angle with respect to the sample container, the field of view for flat samples, such as a monolayer of cells, is limited, i.e., the full field of view of the detector cannot be utilized. another approach to using high na lenses is reflected light sheet microscopy, in which the light sheet is generated by reflecting a beam incident from the top by 45° with a small mirror mounted on an atomic force microscope cantilever [4] . with this approach, the light sheet is parallel to the sample plane, hence, for flat samples such as a cell monolayer, the full field of view of the detector can be utilized. however, this method requires precise positioning of the mirror very close to the sample. also, the mirror as well as the excitation lens are introduced from the top and dipped into the sample container, again limiting access and prohibiting sample isolation. also, chemicals present in the immersion fluid can degrade the mirror so it has to be replaced regularly. finally, objects very close (< 2 μιτι) to the bottom of the sample container, such as the bottom membrane of a cell, cannot be imaged in this configuration. alternatively, high na detection can be realized via a prism-coupled light-sheet condenser design that redirects the light sheet horizontally onto a sample at the focal plane of an imaging objective. the lack of a cantilever facilitates sample handling and operation of the system. however, the sample container is tilted at a horizontal angle of approximately 20°, so care has to be taken when filling the sample dish with the immersion fluid. again this design demands open access from the top with the same drawbacks as mentioned before. a design that allows access from the top uses a water prism that compensates for aberrations introduced when illumination and imaging from the bottom at an angle through a coverglass. however, this solution cannot be mounted on a regular inverted microscope due to size constraints. also, this configuration does contain additional sources of aberration, primarily due to imaging through a tilted coverslip. hence, it is more suitable for low resolution imaging. another design integrates a sample cuvette with side illumination into a stage inset of an inverted microscope. while this approach is compact and low cost, it provides relatively low axial resolution (>5 μιτι) and demands specific fep tube- mounted samples. finally, spim implementations using a single lens do not suffer from optomechanical constraints of two lens designs but are limited in spatial resolution and/or imaging depth. this invention describes selective plane illumination in the conventional sample geometry. our design is based on a regular inverted microscope where the sample is illuminated from the side via an accessory. a custom designed chamber with multiple wells featuring two optically transparent windows is used to allow side illumination and light detection from the bottom. this way, all microscope ports remain available for other purposes. also, there is unrestricted access from the top which can be used, for example, to fit the connections of a microfluidic device. without the need of dipping into the sample container, smaller sample volumes (< 1 ml) can be realized and the use of high na lenses is facilitated. still, all kinds of samples can be used including both, flat samples such as monolayers of cells or bacteria on a surface and specimen such as cells, tissues and organisms embedded in hydrogels. distortion-free imaging of flat samples is achieved via matching of the refractive index. also, isolation of optics and sample allows imaging of sealed sample containers when demanded, e.g., for samples treated with potent toxins. further, in this design, the orientation of the imaging plane is parallel to the surface of the sample container which is desirable for flat samples where it maximizes the field of view. finally, since the observation well volume can be very small, high throughput 3d imaging of multiple wells is possible. example 17 updated - detailed description in accordance with various embodiments herein, some components of the sidespim include: 1) side illumination unit. all optical components required to generate the light sheet illuminating the sample are mounted onto a single platform. this unit can be coupled to any inverted microscope. 2) two window sample chamber. with two optically transparent windows perpendicular to each other, the light to generate the sheet illumination at the sample plane can be introduced from the side. magnetic attachment of the chamber to the microscope stage ensures easy to handle, stable and reproducible mounting. 3) refractive index matching. by raising the sample inside the chamber well using an optically transparent material with a refractive index identical to the sample immersion fluid, samples can be imaged distortion free all the way to the bottom. index matching also allows imaging of flat samples such as a monolayer of cells in the first place. these components are described in the following. side illumination unit: a sidespim prototype (located at the laboratory for fluorescence dynamics, natural sciences 2, room 3311, university of california irvine) is shown in figure 3. the system is based on an inverted microscope (1x71 fitted with epifluorescence illumination unit, olympus) with camera detection (edge 4.2, pco). a motorized xy stage (ms-2000, asi) holds a piezo xyz-stage (nano-pdq375, mad city labs) fitted with a custom magnetic sample holder inset. the stage assembly is raised by 36 mm using spacers to make room for the objective lens of the side illumination unit located on the left. besides being installed onto the same flat and rigid mounting surface (smart table ut2, newport), no further mechanical connections from to side illumination unit to the microscope body are required. a more detailed view of the side illumination assembly is shown in figure 4. with this unit, the light sheet is generated and injected into the sample. the assembly consists of a white laser source, wl (sc 390, fianium), for excitation with visible light. from the fiber output the light is reflected of a dichroic mirror, dm1 (lp670), and passed through a short pass filter, fl (sp680), to remove the near ir portion of the laser output which is directed onto an absorber, a (lb1, thorlabs). the visible portion is passed through a shutter, s (ls3, uniblitz), followed by a motorized filter wheel, f2-7 (fw102c, thorlabs), containing six different filters (440/40 nm, 480/30 nm, 535/30 nm, 572/15 nm, 633/10 nm and nd3) which define the excitation wavelength band. to ensure a gaussian beam profile the filter wheel is followed by a spatial filter. in the spatial filter, the laser beam is focused onto a 10 μπι pinhole, ph (pi os, thorlabs), via a lens of 30 mm focal length, li (ac254- 030-a, thorlabs), and collimated by a lens of 50 mm focal length, l2 (ac254-050-a, thorlabs). redirected with a mirror, ml, the beam is then passed through an adjustable iris, i (sm1d12, thorlabs), to control the beam diameter. reflected off a second mirror, m2, and a long pass dichroic mirror, dm2 (lp670), the beam is redirected onto the scanning mirror assembly, xy (a402, iss). in addition, a pulsed tunable ti:sa laser (chameleon ultra, coherent) for two-photon excitation located behind the sidespim setup on the same optical table is free space coupled into the side illumination unit from the bottom. the laser intensity is modulated by an acousto optic modulator (aom, aa opto electronic) placed immediately after the laser output. after directing the beam to the illumination unit via four mirrors on the optical table it is reflected off a mirror, m3, and collimated by a telescope consisting of two lenses of 50 mm focal length, l3 and l4 (ac254-050-b, thorlabs). via two more mirrors, m4 and m5, the ti:sa beam is passed through the same long pass dichroic mirror, dm2 (lp670), to be joined with the visible laser light. the combined beam is then relayed towards the excitation objective (lox cfi plan fluorite na 0.3, nikon) via a scan lens, sl (#49-356, edmund optics), and a tube lens, tl (180 mm, olympus). rapid scanning of the horizontal axis results in the generation of a light sheet in the plane of the detection lens. alternatively, instead of scanning the beam, cylindrical optics could be used to generate the sheet. the scanning, however, facilitates two-photon excitation and has the advantage that non-gaussian beam profiles could be generated. the light generated in the sample is collected by the detection lens and, after passing through the internal tube lens and fluorescence filters (dapi, gfp and texasred filter sets and a 650 nm long pass filter) of the inverted microscope, imaged onto the cmos camera (edge 4.2, pco) mounted to the left side port of the microscope. hence fluorescence is collected the same way as with conventional epi- illumination through the backport. brightfield illumination is possible via the lamp and condenser arrangement mounted on top. the right side port of the microscope is still available and could be fitted with another excitation/detection system. any combinations of excitation and detection lens can be used, with the only restriction that the focal points of the two lenses have to overlap without mechanical collision of the two lenses. the objective lens arrangement and the sample holder is shown in figure 5. panel (a) shows a top view of the microscope stage with the sample holder, on the left, the tube lens from the side illumination unit can be seen. a piezo xyz-stage (nano-pdq375, mad city labs) is mounted on top of a motorized xy stage (ms-2000, asi). the inset of the piezo stage is fitted with the custom sample holder, as can be seen in panel (b). it consists of a vertically mounted linear stage (ms is, thorlabs) onto which the actual sample holder is mounted to. the linear stage allows for manual adjustment of the sample z position. panels (c) and (d) show the objective lens configuration. the detection lens (lumplfln60xav na 1.0, olympus) is located in the turret that is part of the inverted microscope. hence, detection lenses can be easily changed by rotation of the turret, if different magnifications are required for image acquisition. in the current prototype we use a lox na 0.3 water dipping lens for excitation (lox cfi plan fluorite na 0.3, nikon), and switch between a lox na 0.3 air objective (lox plan fluorite objective na 0.3, olympus) and the 60x na 1.0 water dipping lens in detection depending on the resolution/field of view demanded. a rubber o-ring is utilized to stop water from flowing down the 60x na 1.0 water dipping lens. the excitation lens is mounted on an xz manual platform (mt1, thorlabs) attached to the illumination unit to align the light sheet with the optical axis of the detection lens. the microscope turret z-drive is then utilized to align the focal plane of the detection lens with the light sheet. the stage assembly is raised by 36 mm using aluminium spacers to make room underneath the motorized xy stage for the objective lens of the side illumination unit. three-dimensional imaging is achieved by scanning the sample in axial direction with the piezo z-stage inset. the sample holder is machined from aluminium, its t-shaped legs hold four magnets, one in each corner, to ensure easy and secure sample attachment. a sketch of the sample holder is shown in figure 6 (a). the screws that attach the legs to the frame also act as pins that fit into corresponding holes (5 mm diameter) in the sample chamber. panel (b) displays how the chamber attaches to the sample holder. two window sample chamber: in order to inject the light sheet into the sample from the side with the side illumination unit, the sample chamber needs to have two optically transparent windows, one on the bottom and one on the side of each well. a sketch of our sample chamber design including dimensions is shown in figure 7a. the first prototype was machined from aluminium. to save time and cost, the inventors then switched to laser cutting the backbone of the chamber from 6 mm thick plastic. three pieces of glass are then attached to create the chamber wells, one on the bottom and two on the sides of the chamber backbone. for the bottom, the inventors used commercially available cover glass measuring 60 mm x 24 mm of 0.17 mm thickness (22266882, fisherbrand). the two side windows (52 mm x 6 mm) are cut from the same cover glass slides using an engraving pen (z225568-1ea, sigma). watertight attachment is achieved by means of an uv curable optical adhesive (noa60, thorlabs). finally, four steel pins are glued into holes pre-drilled during the laser-cutting process on the corners to allow the chamber to attach to the four magnets embedded in the feet of the sample holder. a figure of the raw material is shown in panel (b, c), while panel (d) displays a picture of the fully assembled chamber. the exact dimensions are not critical for the function of the system and can be adopted to optimally accommodate the sample under study. especially, since the well size can be very small, a large number of wells can be arranged in a line to allow for high throughput imaging. each well can be addressed in an automated way by movement of the sample chamber with the motorized stage. the only requirements of the design are two thin, optically transparent windows, one on the bottom and one on the side. for the prototype we used microscope cover glass of 0.17 mm thickness but other transparent materials would work as well. for samples embedded in a transparent medium there are no further requirements for imaging. figure 8a illustrates how the light sheet is generated in the sample. the inventors filled one well of the chamber with a 100 nm solution of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 1 10. panel (b) shows the light sheet generated by excitation with blue light (480 nm). the only change in refractive index occurs at the transition between window and mounting medium. since this transition occurs perpendicular to the optical axis there are no significant optical aberrations. the inventors demonstrated this with a solution of the fluorescent dye rhodamine 110, an image of the light sheet can be seen in figure 7, right panel. it has to be noted, however, that as soon as a significant amount of light passes through a material of different refractive index, e.g., when trying to image an object close to the bottom of the sample chamber, optical aberrations occur. this can be avoided by matching of the refractive index. refractive index matching: while in solution or in a hydrogel (e.g. agarose, collagen, gelatin, etc.) the mismatch in refractive index between the bottom window of the chamber and the sample mounting medium can be avoided by imaging in the center of the mounting medium (see figure 8a), imaging a monolayer of cells or bacteria on a surface represents exactly such problem (figure 9a). however, a mismatch can be avoided if the flat sample is mounted on top of an optically transparent material with a refractive index that is the same as the surrounding medium (figure 9b). to quantify the allowed mismatch for distortion free imaging, we calculated the point spread function at the support/solution interface using wavefront optics. the distortion is a function of the na of the lens used for illumination and the distance between side window and the optical axis of the detection lens. in the excitation path (fig. 24a herein) a lens with focal length, and aperture, d ° = 2r ° , is focusing the illumination beam in a transparent medium of refractive index ( x ) - w above and refractive index " μ ( χ ) ~ " 2 below the optical axis. with laser illumination, the incident light wave, u ° ( x, y ) , can be described as a monochromatic plane wave of unity amplitude propagating along the z axis. the lens and the medium in the light path introduce a phase retardation, ( x ' y ) t depending on the local thickness of the lens, a (x,y) < (x, y) = kn l a (x, y) +kn m (x)[a 0 - a (x,y) ^ with refractive index of the lens, π\_, maximum thickness of the lens, δ ° , and wave vector k. hence the field leaving the lens, ul ^ x ' y ^ , can be described as where the transmission by the lens aperture is given by to ^ x ' y ^ ~ 1 for x + y ≤ r ° and to ( x ' y ~ 0 for all other values. in paraxial approximation, the local thickness of the lens can be described by with r \ and i¾ the curvature of the lens faces which can be substituted by the focal length substitution of eqs. (3,4) in eq. (2) yields the field immediately behind the lens x + _y u l (x, y) - t 0 (x, _y ) exp {-ika 0 n l ) exp 2/ (x) (5) this field further propagates along the optical axis, hence, fresnel diffraction can be used to calculate the field, u * ( xz , yz ) , at a distance z ~ f , exp(-zfe) x + y xx 2 + yy 2 j dx j dy u z (x, » ) exp -ik exp 2z (6) \μ = 2π where ^ is the wavelength of the excitation light with /λ after substituting u l {x, y) in eq. (6) the field at the focal plane 2 f of the lens becomes , .. x 2 + y 2 i f .. xx 2 + y 2 ■ j dx j dy¾ (x, » )exp /a- y— exp| - a— -^— |exp| - a- 2 f {x) (7) to evaluate the maximum allowed deviation of the index of the immersion medium, ¾ ( x ) - w i 5 and mounting medium, n ^ { x ) - n2 ; t ne diffraction pattern was calculated by numerical evaluation of eq. (7) with an excitation wavelength of 500 nm, an excitation lens na of 0.3, and an imaging depth of 1 mm from the side (computation was done in matlab r2016b, mathworks, natick, ma, usa). as a result of increasing index mismatch we observed a translation of the excitation beam focus along the optical axis, a shift normal to the interface of immersion medium and mounting medium, a broadening in width and a decrease in amplitude (see fig. 24b, insets). in the microscope, position of the beam focus can be easily compensated by adjusting the position of the excitation beam. therefore, as a criterion for the tolerable index mismatch, the inventors evaluated the increase in beam waist and decrease in amplitude. in fig. 24c the cross section of the intensity profile along the x axis at the focus is plotted as a function of the refractive index mismatch, δ « = 1 - «ι / «2 5 i n percent. the inventors quantified the increase in beam waist (e -2 ) (fig. 24d) by fitting a gaussian distribution to the intensity profiles plotted. the decrease in intensity was quantified by calculating the strehl ratio, i.e., the ratio of the peak intensity of the distorted beam (here, δ « > ° ) to the maximum intensity of the ideal beam (here, δ« = θ ) while the strehl ratio decreases rapidly, the minimum beam width remains almost constant until a mismatch of around 0.4%. the reason is that there is a shift of the intensity at the beam focus towards the periphery of the beam (see fig. 10d, inset). this shift is not a problem, however, with a further increase of the index mismatch the beam shows a curvature and will no longer coincide with the focal plane of the detection lens. therefore, with an excitation na of 0.3, as used in the inventors' system, this calculation suggests that the mismatch in refractive index should ideally be <0.2%. such material is commercially available, e.g., in the form of an uv curable resin (my-133, eoc-inc). the inventors cure the resin between two glass slides to achieve a flat surface with the desired thickness. after curing, the resin is cut to size and transferred into the sample chamber, as illustrated in figure 11a-d. samples such as single cells can be grown on the resin followed by spim imaging with side illumination. other samples that do not require culture such as giant unilamellar vesicles (guvs) can simply be transferred into the sample chamber containing the resin for immediate imaging. alternatively, hydrogels with a refractive index very close to water can be used as substrate as well. figure he shows 1 mm thick layers of collagen inside three chamber wells, the pink color comes from the ph indicator phenol red that was mixed with the collagen to facilitate ph adjustment. demonstration of a working prototype: the inventors have built a working prototype and performed several measurements to test the capabilities of the design. without index matching: to test the system, they first imaged a 100 nm solution of rhodamine 1 10. fluorescence was excited in a band of 465 - 495 nm (100 μ\¥ before the excitation objective) and detected through a 535/50 nm band pass filter. the extension of the light sheet in the plane of excitation is defined by the scanning signal amplitude. figure 12 shows the fluorescence signal from the rhodamine 110 solution using scanning amplitudes of 0.1 v (a) and 0.2 v (b), both acquired with the olympus 60x na 1.0 detection lens. the width of the light sheet is determined by the numerical aperture of the excitation lens independent of the detection lens. the minimum thickness (maximum axial resolution) is found at the beam waist, which can be determined by measuring the central width at 0 v scan amplitude, as depicted in panels (c) for the olympus 60x na 1.0 detection lens and (d) olympus lox na 0.3 detection lens. the resulting beam waist of 1.7 μηι is identical since the same excitation lens was used (nikon lox na 0.3). to evaluate imaging performance of the sidespim setup in a hydrogel, they prepared a sample with green fluorescent spheres of 1 μιη diameter (yellow-green fluorospheres, invitrogen) dispersed in a 1% agarose hydrogel. three dimensional stacks were acquired by imaging 512 planes at a distance of 270 nm with the olympus 60x na 1.0 detection lens. the y projection is shown in figure 13 for epi- illumination (a) as well as with light sheet illumination (b). as expected for epi-illumination there is no optical sectioning. instead, with light sheet excitation the individual beads are clearly visible. since the light sheet was formed with a gaussian beam, the axial resolution diminishes towards the periphery of the light sheet. with index matching: to verify that optical aberrations are minimal after introduction of the resin to match the refractive index, the inventors coated a piece of 1 mm thick resin with the fluorescent dye rhodamine 110 and subjected it to spim imaging with side illumination. they acquired z- stacks with epi-illumination as well as light sheet illumination. the results are shown in figure 14. with epi-illumination no z-sectioning is obtained. with spim, however, the rhodamine 110 layer is clearly visible. a full width at half maximum of 1.6 μιη can be achieved with an excitation lens na of 0.3. the slight background fluorescence on top of the resin comes from residual rhodamine 110 in the water solution. they were also able to demonstrate that the design is compatible with 2-photon excitation (figure 15). the top right image compares the excitation volume of the single vs the two photon excitation beam. this image was acquired with the lox instead of the 60 x detection lens to illustrate the difference in shape. with single photon excitation every fluorophore in the way of the beam gets excited, whereas with two photon excitation, excitation happens only in the very center where the intensity is high enough. the center right image shows the same layer of rhodamine 110 as in figure 14 but excited with 780 nm light (60x detection lens). a fwhm of 2 μηι is achieved. again, the slight background fluorescence on top of the resin comes from residual rhodamine 1 10 present in the water solution. for a more detailed evaluation they imaged the rhodamine 1 10 solution without scanning the beam along the x direction (amplitude of the scanner 0 v). hence, the extension of the light sheet in the plane of excitation was defined by the excitation lens na of 0.3. an overview of the experiment is displayed in fig. 25a. the xy section of the fluorescence of the rhodamine 1 10 solution is shown in fig. 25b. a gaussian was fitted to the intensity distribution for each vertical line of pixels, the corresponding beam waist (at e- 2) as a function of the distance from the focus is graphed in fig. 25c. the minimum thickness (maximum axial resolution) was 1.43 μιτι while the confocal parameter (two times the rayleigh length, zr) was measured as 12.0 μιτι. to prove that optical aberrations are minimal after placement of the resin for index matching, they placed a 10 χ 10 mm2 piece of 1 mm thick resin (my-133 v2000) into a sample chamber well and filled it with the same 100 nm solution of rhodamine 1 10. they acquired images at a distance of 1 μιτι from the resin/rhodamine solution interface as shown in fig. 25d. the intensity image is shown in fig. 25e, and the beam waist is graphed in fig. 25f. the minimum extension was 1.53 μιτι, while the confocal parameter was 10.9 μιη. another image was taken at the resin/rhodamine solution interface (fig. 25g-i). the minimum extension was 1.49 μιτι, and the confocal parameter was 1 1.8 μιτι. in a homogeneous solution, the shape of the beam should be identical in the xy plane compared to the xz plane. however, this could not be the case after introduction of the resin. hence, the inventors recorded a z stack while scanning the beam in x direction to illuminate the whole field of view near the resin/rhodamine solution interface (fig. 25j). a single xz plane is shown in fig. 25k. the beam shape in xz direction was obtained by fitting a gaussian to the derivative of the intensity distribution in each vertical line (fig. 25l). the minimum extension was 1.46 μιτι, the confocal parameter was 1 1.0 μιτι. all fluorescence images of rhodamine 1 10 in solution were subjected to deconvolution with the detection point spread function (psf) using the lucy-richardson method (deconvlucy, matlab r2016b). the detection psf was modeled as a gaussian with 0.37 μιτι width as experimentally determined from images of 100 nm green fluorescent beads (see next paragraph). they proceeded by layering the 1 % agarose hydrogel containing green fluorescent spheres of 1 μιτι diameter on top of the resin mounted inside the two window sample chamber and subjected it to spim imaging with side illumination (single photon excitation with blue light, same imaging parameters as without the resin). a stack of 512 images at a distance of 270 nm was acquired. they were able to demonstrate that the beads are clearly visible all the way down to the surface of the resin as depicted in the y-projection of the corresponding z-stack shown in figure 16. to better quantify these effects we prepared another sample using fluorescent beads of subdiffractional size (100 nm yellow-green fluorospheres, invitrogen, thermo fisher scientific) dispersed in a 1% agarose hydrogel. three dimensional stacks were recorded, single xy and yz planes are displayed in fig. 26a,b. zoomed-in xy and yz images of the bead marked by the crosshairs and plots of their cross sections in y and z direction are shown in fig. 26c-f. they characterized 10 beads, the average radial waist resulted in 0.37 ± 0.02 μιτι while the average axial waist was 1.2 ± 0.2 μιτι (mean ± standard deviation, sd). next, the resin was introduced to the sample chamber and topped with the same hydrogel containing 100 nm fluorescent beads. single xy and yz planes of a z stack are displayed in fig. 26g,h. all beads are clearly visible all the way down to the surface of the resin/hydrogel interface. zoomed-in xy and yz images of a bead at 5 μιτι distance from the resin/hydrogel interface as indicated by the crosshairs and plots of the corresponding cross sections in y and z direction are shown in fig. 26i-l. the average radial and axial waist of several beads at a distance of 0-5 μιτι from the resin/hydrogel interface was 0.39 ± 0.02 μιη and 1.5 ± 0.1 μιτι (n = 10, mean ± sd). as a result, the loss in spatial resolution introduced by the resin is minimal. as expected for a gaussian beam, the axial resolution decreases towards the periphery of the light sheet (i.e., if the field of view extends beyond the confocal parameter). finally, they tested our design on cells grown on top of the resin that were fluorescently labeled with the membrane dye cell mask deep red. in this case, fluorescence was excited in a band of 628 - 638 nm and detected with a 650 nm long pass filter. a stack of 256 images at a distance of 400 nm was acquired, the resulting projection of the image stack is shown in figure 17. applications of the sidespim system: optical sectioning through plane illumination, the high frame rates possible with camera-based detection in combination with a fast piezo stage renders the system ideal for fast, three-dimensional time lapse imaging. in principle, every (plane illumination) microscope can be fitted with a fast stage for volumetric imaging. in the case of an upright/inclined spim system, the imaging plane is oriented at a 45° angle with respect to the sample and stage. hence, optical sectioning occurs at a 45° angle as well (figure 18 a). however, in the case of samples with a low extension in the axial direction as compared to their lateral size, such as a monolayer of cells, it is favorable to optically section the sample along the vertical direction (b). by sectioning along the vertical direction the number of planes to capture the same specimen is minimized, which in turn allows for faster imaging of a larger field of view. this is especially important when imaging multiple cells growing on the same surface as illustrated in figure 18 c,d. with sectioning at a 45° angle the number of planes required increases with the number of cells to be imaged. in the sidespim configuration, the number of planes required does not change as long as the cells are within the field of view of the camera. consequently, objects with an axial extension of a few tens of micrometers such as cells or giant vesicles can be three-dimensional imaged on the subsecond timescale. as an example, the inventors placed a 1 mm thick layer of agarose inside the well of a two window chamber and added a solution containing pseudomonas aeruginosa afs64 bacteria expressing egfp. the sample chamber used for this particular experiment included an inlet on one end and an outlet on the opposing end of the well in order to be used as a fluidic device, a photograph of the chamber is shown in fig. 27. 3d stacks of 20 planes each (500 nm z spacing) were taken at a rate of 1 stacks/s. from the time sequence it can be seen that the biofilm is very dynamic. especially at the edges, the bacteria continuously detach from and join the film. this is an example of an experiment particularly difficult to do with most other spim configurations. it is almost impossible to perform an experiment involving fluidics, let alone microfluidics by dipping into the sample chamber while this is not a problem at all with the two window well chamber and the sidespim configuration. three dimensional imaging of guvs of different lipid compositions: to demonstrate the capabilities of the system, they prepared giant unilamellar vesicles (guvs) with different lipid compositions. to attach the guvs to the resin surface the inventors used a coating protocol with biotin-bovine serum albumin (b-bsa). briefly, the resin was coated with a solution 1% bsa and 0.1% b-bsa. the guvs was doped with 0.1% molar of biotin-phosphatidylethanolamine (b-pe) and 0.5% molar diic18 (invitrogen, ge). an electro-formation protocol was used to grow the guvs, lipids was deposited on a platinum wire and later dry in vacuum for an hour [12]. then, the pt wires were connected to a function generator with 2 v p-p and 10 hz sinusoidal function, for 1 hour above the melting transition. after 1.5 hour the sample was disconnected and allowed to decrease the temperature to room temperature. guvs was carefully transferred to the coated chamber and immediately imaged. fluorescence of diic18 was excited in a band of 465 - 495 nm and detected using the olympus 60x na 1.0 objective through a 535/50 nm band pass filter. the inventors acquired z-stacks of the three different samples at an axial spacing of 500 nm while the camera pixel size at the sample was 107 nm. the differences in lipid composition are immediately apparent from the 3d reconstructions (figure 19). while dopc alone forms a homogeneous membrane (a), the ternary mixture of dopc, dppc and cholesterol allows liquid phase coexistence (b). since the dye diic18 has different affinities for the different phases, these can be identified as dark patches. mapping the diffusion of lipid domains on the surface of a guv: with the microscope system, the inventors were able to follow the diffusion of lipid domains in a ternary mixture that allows liquid phase coexistence (dopc:dppc:cholesterol, 1 : 1 : 1) on the entire guv as shown in the 3d renderings at different time points in figure 20 (the full movie is provided as an attachment). they were able to image 3d stacks of 60 planes with a step size of 500 μιτι at 800 ms intervals. the exposure time for a single plane was 10 ms resulting in 600 ms for all 60 planes plus a 200 ms overhead for repositioning of the piezo stage at the starting position. the domains freely diffuse on the surface of the guv, six exemplary tracks are shown. note that the images shown here represent only a subset of the full acquisition of 60 s length. during this time, the photobleaching was negligible. all samples were imaged at room temperature (23°c). for image acquisition the open source microscopy software micro manager was used. 3d images were rendered with fiji imagej. three-dimensional tracking of lysosomes in a549 cells: lysosomes are small vesicles containing enzymes able to digest biomolecules. to follow lysosome dynamics in 3d, a549 cells embedded in a collagen matrix were labeled with lysotracker red (l7528, thermo fisher scientific). cells were incubated with a final concentration of 50 nm for 1 h at 37°c immediately before sidespim imaging. fluorescence was excited in a band of 572/15 nm and detected through a 630/69 nm band pass filter, the 3d reconstruction of a single stack is shown in fig. 29a. a series of 500 stacks (60 planes each with 500 nm z spacing) was taken at 4.2 s intervals for a total of 2,100 s and subjected to 3d particle tracking analysis. sample drift was compensated by subtraction of the average displacement of all lysosomes detected. tracks of those lysosomes that could be followed for a minimum of 20 consecutive stacks were included in the dataset for further analysis. the tracks are visualized in fig. 29b. a minimum track length threshold of 50 consecutive stacks was applied for better visualization. all tracks were fitted with a second order polynomial. fig. 29c shows the mean square displacement (msd) of those tracks with velocities >0 μιτιβ-ι. a histogram of the velocities found is shown in fig. 29d. there seem to be at least two populations of velocities, the first starting from 0 μιηβ-ι, the second centered around 0.25 μιτιβ-ι . the msd for each lysosome was calculated for the entire track length, resulting in an average speed. but the data could be analyzed on a subtrajectory level to obtain a more detailed picture. in such analysis, the trajectory is thresholded for active transport by defining periods of directed motion as motion in a single direction for a certain amount of time. for particle tracking the 2d/3d particle tracker was used which is part of the mosaic imagej plugin. msds were calculated with a custom script written in matlab (mathworks, natick, ma, usa). zebrafish embryo imaging: a 36 hours post fertilization (hpf) zebrafish embryo was fluorescently labeled by incubating for 12 hours with a zebrafish medium that contained 1 um of the dye nile red. prior to the addition of the dye the embryo was dechorionated and placed in an incubator at 28°c. the embryo was mounted in a well of our two window chamber using a 1.5% solution of agarose (low melting temperature, sigma-aldrich) at ph 7 for imaging. to prevent the fish from moving anesthesia consisting of 0.003% tricaine (3-amino benzoic acid ethyl ester; sigma-aldrich) was supplemented. the sidespim is able to switch between high spatial resolution imaging of single cells and imaging of whole organisms with a large field of view after minimal adjustments. basically, a 4x 0.1 na objective (pln4x, olympus) was placed at the excitation side and the detection lens turret was switched to the next position containing a 40x 0.8 na water objective (lumplfl40x/w na 0.8, olympus). no further modifications in the excitation or emission paths are necessary. figure 30a-c shows an orthogonal view of a 3d stack of the fluorescently labeled 36 hpf zebrafish embryo. fluorescence was excited in a band of 572/15 nm and detected through a 630/69 nm band pass filter. from the data it is possible to easily identify structures such as the notochord, neural tube, and dorsal aorta. the dark lines are related to structures that absorb the excitation light resulting in reduced excitation of the dye behind those points. to demonstrate the high speed of our instrument for fast 3d data acquisition we recorded the microcirculation of erythrocytes in the capillary of the zebrafish embryo (see fig. 30d for a single section). data was acquired at 5 stacks/s of 40 planes each (1 μιτι z spacing), the camera frame rate was 200 frames/s. in principle, it would be possible to track and measure the flow and speed of every single erythrocyte with a simple tracking approach. high throughput three-dimensional time course imaging: the inventors redesigned our sample chamber with respect to miniaturizing the individual sample compartments. the size of each well is now 2 x 10 x 6 mm3 holding about 50 - 100 μΐ of fluid. photographs of the chamber are shown in figure 21. the sample chamber can be moved in the horizontal plane with the xy stage of the microscope, the axial direction can be scanned using the added piezo z stage. high throughput three-dimensional time lapse imaging can be performed with the following scheme. the xy stage is used to move to a volume of interest inside the first well, e.g., containing a cell. in less than a second all sections of this volume are acquired using the piezo stage. if needed, the xy stage is then used to move to other volumes of interest in the same well for subsequent 3d imaging. when all volumes of interest are imaged, the xy stage is used to move to the second well. the procedure is repeated for each well. the entire sequence is restarted after the last well. this way, multiple samples can be followed in 3d with a time resolution on the order of tens of seconds, depending on the total number of volumes of interest. this acquisition scheme is illustrated in figure 22. so far, one of the most relevant applications of this arrangement could be the high throughput drug screening in the pharmaceutical industry. future plans and applications: imaging bacteria forming a biofilm: in one embodiment, the inventors combined sidespim imaging with a microfluidic culture system. this platform can be used to image a biofilm growing mimicking host colonization with the goal to observe differences between the exterior and interior bacteria cells. with conventional microscopy methods, imaging of such biofilms has remained challenging. the lack of temporal resolution of laser scanning confocal microscopy and the lack of optical sectioning in widefield epi-fluorescence microscopy, combined with the phototoxicity of both methods can be avoided by using sidespim. from the 3d time lapse acquisitions, one can then quantify the growth and formation of the biofilm and study its role in protecting and promoting bacteria during host colonization. multichannel detection: for many samples it is desirable to be able to detect fluorescence in multiple channels, separated for example by color, such that two fluorophores of different emission spectra can be imaged simultaneously. in one embodiment, one can split the fluorescence into four channels, separated by two colors and the two orthogonal polarizations. as an example of multiple-channel detection, one can apply the four channels detection to study the dynamic of cellular membranes using laurdan fluorescence. this dye was largely used to study de polarity of the membrane in vitro and in cellulo experiments. based on a spectral shift driven by the change in the membrane polarity it is possible to study the organization of the membrane. besides, the changes in polarity are correlated to changes in membrane viscosity, usually, evaluate by anisotropy measurements. anisotropy measurements are difficult in regular confocal microscopy, however, are simpler in the spim configuration by the optic arrangement. in one embodiment, one can collect to color channels (by a band pass filter) and measure the anisotropy at the same time, by the addition polarizers to get parallel and perpendicular to emission respect to the excitation. this approach allows one to simultaneously measure the spectral shift and anisotropy, pixel by pixel, with ultrafast parallel acquisition using the camera detection. the acquisition of the polarity and viscosity simultaneously with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution should allow better compression in the complex dynamic of the cellular membranes. fluorescence lifetime imaging: recently, cmos camera technology has be adopted to measure luminescence decays such as fluorescence lifetimes (pco.flim, pco). the only requirement is synchronization of the camera to a modulated or pulsed light source. both the lasers used in our sidespim prototype are pulsed, the white laser at 20 mhz and the ti:sa laser at 80 mhz. the flim camera mentioned earlier is present at the laboratory for fluorescence dynamics as of 1/31/2017 (see figure 23). since the right side port of the olympus 1x71 body used in the sidespim system is still available, we plan to install the flim camera there in the near future. this will allows one to perform 3d flim imaging with unprecedented speed and minimal photobleaching. in combination with two photon excitation this can be used for video-rate label-free imaging of, for example, nadh in live cells and tissues. in one embodiment, the present invention combines the benefits of the spim designs described in section 1 while avoiding the drawbacks of the individual methods. in accordance with various embodiments herein, one is able to image thick samples such as cells, tissues or small organisms embedded in a hydrogel as well as flat samples such as a monolayer of cells. no dipping into the sample container is required, it can be sealed if desired or the space can be utilized for sample support, treatment or additional monitoring. high numerical aperture lenses can be used with this design resulting in single molecule sensitivity. this allows for the application of methods involving single particle localization and tracking as well as fluorescence fluctuation techniques. the sample volume can be large or small as desired. the observation plane is parallel to the sample surface maximizing field of view for flat samples. and, since the side illumination unit as well as the sample chamber are both additions independent of the main microscope platform, spim capability can be added to an existing inverted microscope. further, since the size of the individual wells can be very small as opposed to designs that require optics dipping into the sample chamber, a large number of wells can be accommodated within the same chamber to allow for automated, high throughput three-dimensional time course imaging with sidespim. the inventors have built a working prototype and performed several measurements to test the capabilities of design. to verify that optical aberrations are minimal after introduction of the resin to match the refractive index, they coated a piece of resin with the fluorescent dye rhodamine 110 and subjected it to spim imaging with side illumination. they acquired z-stacks with epi- illumination as well as light sheet illumination. with epi-illumination no z-sectioning is obtained. with spim, the rhodamine 110 layer is clearly visible. a full width at half maximum of 1.6 μιτι was achieved with an excitation lens na of 0.3. so far, they built a prototype, demonstrated the principle and run experiments. they have also constructed a sample chamber with a large number of microwells arranged in a line to allow for three- dimensional time lapse imaging of multiple specimen (high throughput) with all the benefits spim provides such as high speed and minimal photobleaching. the various methods and techniques described above provide a number of ways to carry out the invention. of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all obj ectives or advantages described may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment described herein. thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods can be performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other objectives or advantages as may be taught or suggested herein. a variety of advantageous and disadvantageous alternatives are mentioned herein. it is to be understood that some preferred embodiments specifically include one, another, or several advantageous features, while others specifically exclude one, another, or several disadvantageous features, while still others specifically mitigate a present disadvantageous feature by inclusion of one, another, or several advantageous features. furthermore, the skilled artisan will recognize the applicability of various features from different embodiments. similarly, the various elements, features and steps discussed above, as well as other known equivalents for each such element, feature or step, can be mixed and matched by one of ordinary skill in this art to perform methods in accordance with principles described herein. among the various elements, features, and steps, some will be specifically included and others specifically excluded in diverse embodiments. although the invention has been disclosed in the context of certain embodiments and examples, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the invention extend beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses and modifications and equivalents thereof. many variations and alternative elements have been disclosed in embodiments of the present invention. still further variations and alternate elements will be apparent to one of skill in the art. among these variations, without limitation, are the selection of constituent modules for the inventive compositions, and the diseases and other clinical conditions that may be diagnosed, prognosed or treated therewith. various embodiments of the invention can specifically include or exclude any of these variations or elements. in some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the invention are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term "about." accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. in some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. the numerical values presented in some embodiments of the invention may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements. in some embodiments, the terms "a," "an," and "the" and similar references used in the context of describing a particular embodiment of the invention (especially in the context of certain of the following claims) can be construed to cover both the singular and the plural. the recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. the use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g. "such as") provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention otherwise claimed. no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the invention. groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. one or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. when any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all markush groups used in the appended claims. preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. variations on those preferred embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. it is contemplated that skilled artisans can employ such variations as appropriate, and the invention can be practiced otherwise than specifically described herein. accordingly, many embodiments of this invention include all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. furthermore, numerous references have been made to patents and printed publications throughout this specification. each of the above cited references and printed publications are herein individually incorporated by reference in their entirety. in closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the present invention. other modifications that can be employed can be within the scope of the invention. thus, by way of example, but not of limitation, alternative configurations of the present invention can be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein. accordingly, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to that precisely as shown and described.
|
187-560-203-574-635
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
B01D11/04,B01J20/32,G01N30/00,G01N30/06,G01N33/94
| 1989-02-21T00:00:00 |
1989
|
[
"B01",
"G01"
] |
solid-phase extraction tubes containing sulfonazide bonded-phase extractants
|
the bonded phases generated from the reaction of aliphatic and aromatic azidosilanes with silica gel are suitable for use as packings in solid phase extraction columns for cleanup of urine samples for analysis of acid metabolites of cannabinoids. such bonded phases are unique in their ability to selectively retain the acid metabolites of cannabinoids from a urine sample matrix.
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1. a solid-phase extraction tube packed with a bonded phase product comprising the product generated from the reaction of a silica support and sulfoxyazidosilanes of the formula: ##str3## in which r ia an aliphatic carbon chain from two to ten carbon units in length and r.sub.1, r.sub.2 and r.sub.3 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxyl and c.sub.1 -c.sub.4 alkoxy, the product being useful for the solid phase extraction of thc-cooh. 2. the extraction tube of claim 1 wherein the silica support is particulate silica having an average particle diameter of 3 to 177 micrometers. 3. the extraction tube of claim 2 wherein the particulate silica has an average pore size from 60 to 300 angstrom units. 4. the extraction tube of claim 1 wherein the sulfoxyazidosilanes have the formula: ##str4## in which r.sub.4 is a carbon chain from zero to four carbon units in length, r.sub.1, r.sub.2 and r.sub.3 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxyl and c.sub.1 -c.sub.4 alkoxy, and the product is useful for the solid phase extraction of thc-cooh. 5. the extraction tube of claim 4 wherein the silica support is particulate silica having an average particle diameter of 3 to 177 micrometers. 6. the extraction tube of claim 4 wherein the particulate silica has an average pore size from 60 to 300 angstrom units. 7. a solid phase extraction tube packed with the bonded phase product comprising the product generated from the reaction of a silica support and sulfoxyazidosilanes of the formula: ##str5## wherein r is an aliphatic carbon chain from two to ten carbon units in length and r.sub.1 and r.sub.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, hydroxyl and ethoxy, the product being useful for the solid phase extraction of thc-cooh. 8. a solid phase extraction tube packed with a bonded phase comprising the product generated from the reaction of silica and sulfoxyazidosilanes of the formula: ##str6## wherein r.sub.1 and r.sub.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of halogen hydroxyl and ethoxy, the product being useful for the solid phase extraction of thc-cooh.
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field of the invention this invention relates to solid phase extraction packing materials and an extraction procedure useful for the cleanup of urine samples for the analysis of acidic metabolites of cannabinoids in urine. background of the invention the continued increase in marijuana abuse has created an even greater demand for sensitive, rapid and reliable methods for confirming the presence of this drug in biological samples. confirmation of the presence of the drug is important in initially detecting marijuana users as well as assisting drug counseling programs in monitoring compliance with rehabilitation programs. marijuana abuse is detected by identifying the presence of metabolites of the major psychoactive constituent of marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, in biological fluids. urine, because of its less invasive and more convenient sampling process, is the biological fluid most often analyzed for marijuana abuse. the major metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol found in urine is 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid (thc-cooh) existing in both a free acid and a conjugated (glucuronide) form. many analytical procedures using gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, radioimmunoassay and enzyme multiplied immunoassay have been developed for determining the presence of thc-cooh in urine. however, the sensitivity and, more importantly, the reliability of these methods are hindered by inadequacies of the techniques used in preparing urine samples for analysis. current methods of sample preparation, using techniques such as thin layer chromatography, liquid-liquid extraction and other solid phase extraction techniques commonly suffer from low drug recovery, incomplete removal of interfering urine components, and/or long preparation times. measurement of thc-cooh in urine is considerably complicated by the complexity of the urine matrix. the large number of organic acids present in urine make extraction of thc-cooh quite difficult. many of these organic acids exhibit chromatographic properties similar to thc-cooh and therefore may interfere with the measurement of the drug metabolite. therefore, selective extraction of thc-cooh from the urine sample matrix is essential to providing the sensitivity and reliability required for confident drug monitoring. typical urine screens for thc-cooh and many other abused-drugs are performed using thin layer chromatography or the enzyme multiplied immunoassay technique (emit) of syva company. positive results are then confirmed using a second more specific test. confirmation is usually obtained using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques, however other chromatographic techniques may be employed. the use of these techniques has created a need for a more efficient sample cleanup technique. a bonded phase chromatographic packing that allows selective washing of impurities without removing the thc-cooh and/or permits selective elution of the thc-cooh without removing impurities would be highly desirable. a clean, concentrated extract with good metabolite recovery will allow for much more sensitive confirmation analyses. a clean extract will also aide in maintaining the integrity of the instrumentation used in confirmation. several existing patents, such as u.s. pat. nos. 4,640,909; 4,650,784; 4,680,120 and 4,680,121, and journal publications, such as m. elsohly et al, analysis of the major metabolite of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in urine, journal of analytical toxicology, vol. 7, november/december 1983, pp. 262-264; j. vinson et al, a semi-automated extraction and spotting system for drug analysis by tlc, journal of analytical toxicology, vol. 9, january/febuary 1985, pp. 6-7 h. mccurdy et al, evaluation of the ion trap detector for the detection of 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid in urine after extraction by bonded-phase adsorption, journal of analytical toxicology, vol. 10, september/october 1986, pp. 175-177, report the use of solid phase extraction in the analysis of thc-cooh in urine. all of this prior art uses bonded phases and extraction procedures significantly different from those represented in this invention. the four united states patents, held by j. t. baker, disclose the use of silica based bonded phases with ether, ester, thiol ether and alkyl function groups for extracting thc-cooh from urine using a reverse phase or hydrogen bonding mechanism. the processes for the extraction of the drug metabolite also use different solutions and solvents for conditioning and washing the bonded phase as well as eluting the drug metabolite from the bonded phase than those disclosed in this invention. the work of elsohly et al and mccurdy et al discuss the use a bonded phase, produced by analytichem international, for the extraction of thc-cooh from urine. the chemistry of the bonded phase is not disclosed in this work but once again different solutions and solvents are used in the conditioning, washing and elution of the bonded phase than those used in this invention. the work of vinson et al discusses the use of an ion exchange resin in the extraction of thc-cooh. once again the extraction process differs significantly from the process disclosed in this invention. the invention of this document uses a unique bonded phase which contains a sulfonylazide grafted to silica through a reversed phase side chain which isolates thc-cooh from urine. absolute recovery of the thc-cooh is also significantly improved when using the invention as compared to the recoveries obtained from the previously published methods. objects of invention an object of the invention is the development of a sample pretreatment that allows for improved and more reproducible analysis of thc-cooh in urine. another object of the invention is the development of a bonded phase, consisting of a support and a sulfonylazide functional group linked to the support through a spacer of 2 to 10 carbon units in length, for the solid phase extraction of 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid from urine. yet another object of the invention is the development of a bonded phase for the solid phase extraction of thc-cooh that allows impurities from a urine sample matrix to be selectively washed from the phase providing isolation of the thc-cooh in a relatively pure extract. still another object of the invention is the development of a bonded phase for the pretreatment of urine samples containing thc-cooh resulting a concentration of the thc-cooh sample on the bonded phase. a further object of the invention is the development of an extraction procedure for the selective washing of the impurities from the urine sample matrix from the bonded phase. another object of the invention is the development of an extraction procedure for the isolation of thc-cooh in a relatively pure extract. a further object of the invention is the development of an extraction procedure for the concentration of a urine sample containing thc-cooh on the bonded phase. a still further object of the invention is the development of a chemically specific extraction procedure that concentrates and isolates thc-cooh to an analyte that may be conveniently analyzed by numerous conventional analytical techniques. another object of the invention is the development of an extraction method to provide improved and more reproducible analysis of thc-cooh in urine. other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following specification. brief description of the invention a bonded phase and solid phase extraction procedure for the extraction of a more highly purified and concentrated form of thc-cooh at a higher level of recovery from urine is provided by the reaction product obtained from the reaction of silica with alkoxysilanes of the formulas: ##str1## in which r is an aliphatic chain from 2 to 10 carbon units in length and where aliphatic can be defined as a straight, branched or cyclic carbon chain. r.sub.1, r.sub.2 and r.sub.3 are reactive silanes. these reactive silanes can be the same or different and are selected from halogens, hydroxyl groups or alkoxy groups with aliphatic carbon chains from one to four carbon units long. r.sub.4 is an aliphatic chain from 0 to 4 carbon units in length. the extraction procedure, consisting of a mild acid conditioning of the bonded phase followed by sample addition and packing washes with polar and ionic solutions to remove urine impurities and sample elution with an organic solvent, provides a purer extract and significantly greater recovery of the thc-cooh from urine than previously used or available bonded phases. the pure extract and increased recovery allow quantitation of the thc-cooh at much lower levels providing a more sensitive and more accurate analysis. brief description of drawings a brief description of the figures follows. figs. 1-3 depict the analysis of thc-cooh by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection using a 30 m.times.0.25 mm i.d. (0.25 micrometer df) spb-35 capillary gas chromatography column. the analytical conditions for this column were a helium carrier gas at a flow rate of 32.7 cm/sec, 1 .mu.l injection volume, splitless injection with a 30 second delay and 50:1 split ratio, an injectector temperature of 260.degree. c., a detector temperature of 290.degree. c., and a detector sensitivity of 2.times.10.sup.-11 afs. the temperature program used with the column started with a 2 minute hold at 220.degree. c. followed by a linear temperature ramp to 290.degree. c. at a rate of 10.degree. c. per minute. the final temperature was held for 12 minutes. fig. 1 depicts a typical fid chromatogram obtained from a thc-cooh standard containing the internal standard cannabinol (cn). fig. 2 depicts a typical fid chromatogram of an extracted urine sample. the initial urine concentration of thc-cooh was 50 ng/ml. fig. 3 depicts a typical fid chromatogram of an extracted urine blank. fig. 4-6 depict the analysis of thc-cooh by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry using a 15 m.times.0.25 mm i.d. (0.25 micrometer df) spb-5 capillary gas chromatography column. the analytical conditions for this column were a helium carrier gas at a flow rate of 29.8 cm/sec, 1 .mu.l injection volume, splitless injection with a 30 second delay and a 50:1 split ratio and an injector temperature of 260.degree. c. the temperature program used with the column started with a 2 minute hold at 220.degree. c. followed by a linear temperature ramp to 290.degree. c. at a rate of 10.degree. c. per minute. the final temperature was held for 10 minutes. the mass spectrometer was programmed for selected ion monitoring over the ranges of m/z 364.610 to m/z 376.613 and m/z 471.642 to m/z 492.648. the scan rate over the two ranges was 0.518 scans per second. fig. 4 depicts a typical reconstructed ion chromatogram for a thc-cooh standard containing the internal standards cn and 11-nor-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol-9-carboxylic acid-5'-.sup.2 h.sub.3 (thc-cooh-h.sub.3). fig. 5 depicts a typical reconstructed ion chromatogram obtained from an extracted urine sample. the initial concentration of thc-cooh in the urine sample was 50 ng/ml. fig. 6 depicts the mass spectrum obtained from the derivatized form of thc-cooh where m designates the parent ion, m/z 488, m-ch.sub.3 designates the loss of a methyl group from the parent ion, m/z 473, and m-otms depicts the loss of an oxygen and trimethylsilyl group from the parent ion, m/z 371. figs. 7-9 depicts the analysis of thc-cooh by high performance liquid chromatography using ultraviolet detection. the analytical column used was a 25 cm.times.4.6 mm i.d. (5 micrometer) octyldecylsilane column with a 2 cm.times.4.6 mm i.d. (5 micrometer) octyldecylsilane guard column. the mobile phase consisted of a 55:45 mixture of acetonitrile and 2% (v/v) acetic acid in deionized water. a flow rate of 2.5 ml/min was maintained and the column operated at a temperature of 30.degree. c. the injection volume was 100 .mu.l. the detector was operated at a wavelength of 280 nm and a sensitivity of 0.004 aufs. fig. 7 depicts a typical hplc chromatogram obtained from a thc-cooh standard. fig. 8 depicts a typical hplc chromatogram for an extracted urine sample. the initial concentration of thc-cooh in the urine sample was 250 ng/ml. fig. 9 depicts a typical hplc chromatogram obtained from an extracted urine blank. figs. 10-12 depicts a comparison of extraction methods analyzed by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. the analytical column used in this work was a 30 m.times.0.25 mm i.d. (0.25 micrometer df) spb-35 capillary gas chromatography column. the analytical conditions for this column were a helium carrier gas at a flow rate of 32.7 cm/sec, 1 .mu.l injection volume, splitless injection with a 30 second delay and a 50:1 split ratio, an injector temperature of 260.degree. c., a detector temperature of 290.degree. c. and a detector sensitivity of 2.times.10.sup.-11 afs. the temperature program used with the column started with a 2 minute hold at 220.degree. c. followed by a linear temperature ramp to 290.degree. c. at a rate of 10.degree. c. per minute. the final temperature was held for 12 minutes. fig. 10 depicts a typical fid chromatogram obtained from a urine sample extracted using a product manufactured by analytichem international. fig. 11 depicts a typical fid chromatogram obtained from a urine sample extracted using a product manufactured by j. t. baker. fig. 12 depicts a urine sample extracted using the invention described in this document. the initial concentration of thc-cooh in the urine samples used in each of these extractions was 50 ng/ml. detailed description of the invention the alkoxysilanes reacted with the silica gel can be any silane conforming to the previously described formulas. in these formulas the spacer chain in the r group is preferably a straight chain with a length of seven carbons or the r group is a straight chain with a length of two carbon units. the reaction product is useful as a packing in solid phase extraction for the purification of thc-cooh in human urine. such bonded phase silica products are obtained by reaction of previously described alkoxysilanes with silica gel having an average particle diameter from 3 to 177 micrometers and an average pore size from 60 to 300 angstrom units. the silica based bonded phase products of this invention can be prepared in accordance with the following steps: a. reacting either particulate silica gel having an average particle diameter from 3 to 177 micrometers and an average pore size from 40 to 300 angstrom units in an aprotic organic solvent slurry with an alkoxysilane of the previously defined formulas, said reaction being conducted at ambient to refluxing temperatures for about 4 to approximately 24 hours; b. recovering the resultant solid fraction from the mixture; and c. the solid fraction washed with aprotic and protic organic solvents to remove unbound reaction products and dried at a temperature not exceeding 70.degree. c. the reaction takes place in one step as shown. an alkoxysilane with an aliphatic seven carbon length spacer chain and an alkoxysilane with an aromatic ring and aliphatic two carbon length spacer chain are used as an exemplary silane reagents. step 1: silica hydroxyls and the ethoxy groups on the silane react to form si-o-si bonds and free ethanol, with some residual ethoxy groups remaining unreacted: ##str2## among the aprotic organic solvents suitable for preparing the silica gel slurry or washing the reaction product are aliphatic hydrocarbons such as, for example, hexane, heptane, cyclohexane and the like; aromatic hydrocarbons such as, for example, benzene, toluene, xylene and the like; chlorinated methanes such as, for example, methylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride and the like. among the protic solvents suitable for washing the reaction product are methanol, acetonitrile, acetone, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, tetrahydrofuran, ethyl acetate and the like. in general, about 30 to 75 grams of the silane is used to react with each 100 grams of silica. the reaction may be conducted at ambient temperature although elevated temperatures up to the refluxing temperature of the reaction solvent system may be utilized to enhance the rate of the reaction. the reaction proceeds readily to completion within 4 to 24 hours. the resultant solid fraction is recovered from the reaction mixture by conventional physical means, for example, filtration, centrifugation and the like. filtration is typically suitable for particle sizes of 5 micrometers or larger. centrifugation is typically suitable for particles smaller than 5 micrometers. the subsequent reaction products constitute a new and useful bonded phase for the purification and concentration of thc-cooh in urine samples. an example of the methodology suitable for purification and concentration of thc-cooh is similar to that reported in the literature using other but much less effective and efficient bonded phases and methods, for example, the methodology disclosed by m. elsohly, j. analytical toxicology, vol. 7, pp. 262-264, 1983 h. e. ramsden et al. u.s. pat. no. 4,640,909 issued feb. 3, 1987. the following is only one possible embodiment of the procedure for using the bonded phase extractant of the present invention. for example, the bonded phases of this invention are packed in solid phase extraction tubes. a solid phase extraction tube is described as a vessel manufactured from an appropriate material including but not limited to glass, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium or moldable plastic, for example polyethylene, polypropylene, delrin or other such plastic. packing is held in place in the solid phase extraction tube using an appropriate porous material manufactured from material including but not limited to glass stainless steel, glass wool or plastic, for example polyethylene, polypropylene, delrin or other such plastic. such a solid phase extraction tube is packed with an appropriate quantity of the bonded phases of the present invention, as for example, 100 mg when the dimensions of the tube are a cylinder of length 6.5 cm, an inner diameter of 1 cm with a male leurlok.rtm. fitting molded to one end of the cylinder. for such a tube and quantity of bonded phase extractant, the tube is then conditioned with 2 ml of methanol or other organic solvent such as aprotic solvents or protic solvents, for example, acetonitrile, acetone, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, tetrahydrofuran and the like. the packing is then conditioned with 1 ml of an aqueous 1% acetic acid solution to adjust the ph of the packing for complete retention of the metabolite (care must be taken not to let the column dry out prior to sample addition). other acids can be used in place of the acetic acid such as phosphoric acid, hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, perchloric acid, nitric acid, hydrobromic acid, hydriodic acid and the like. two milliliters of the hydrolyzed sample is then added to the tube. the rest of the hydrolyzed sample is added to a reservoir attached to the tube using an adaptor. the sample is then passed through the tube at a slow, dropwise flow rate (approximately 500 l/min.). the reservoir and adaptor are then removed and the tube washed with two 1 ml aliquots of an aqueous 20% acetone solution to remove polar impurities from the packing. other water miscible organic solvents can be used in place of acetone such as methanol, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, ethyl acetate and the like. the tube is then washed with 1.5 ml of an aqueous 0.01m kh po solution. other ionic strength modifiers can be used in place of kh po such as potassium phosphate (dibasic), sodium phosphate (monobasic), sodium phosphate (dibasic), sodium acetate, sodium chloride, ammonium 30 acetate, sodium sulfate and the like. the bonded phase is then washed with 500 l of an aqueous 0.01m na hpo solution to remove ionic impurities from the packing. other ionic strength modifiers can be used in place of na hpo such as sodium phosphate (monobasic), potassium phosphate (monobasic), potassium phosphate (dibasic), sodium acetate, sodium sulfate, sodium chloride, ammonium acetate and the like. the final wash is 500 l of an aqueous 1% acetic acid solution used to orient the ph of the packing in the proper range for complete removal of the metabolite. once again other acids can be used in place of acetic acid. the metabolite is eluted from the tube using 1 ml of methanol and collected in a silanized glass vial. once again, other aprotic or protic solvents could be used in place of the methanol. the methanol is then evaporated under nitrogen. the sample is then reconstituted in a suitable solvent or derivatized. non-derivatized samples may be analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography, thin layer chromatography, uv-visible spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, radioimmunoassay (ria), enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique (emit), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) or other such analytical techniques. derivatized samples may be analyzed by gas chromatography, high performance liquid chromatography, uv-visible spectroscopy, thin layer chromatography, mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, mass spectrometry-mass spectrometry, ria, emit, elisa or other such analytical technique. exemplary of the preparation of the new sulfonylazide bonded phases according to the invention are the following representative examples. example 1 to 100 grams of 40 micrometer silica was added 5700 ml of toluene and 1000 ml of 50% 2-(triethoxysilyl)-hexylsulfonylazide in methylene chloride. the mixture is gently heated until the silane and solvents are completely dispersed (approximately 10 minutes). add 900 g of 40 micrometer silica gel to the mixture, gently swirling until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. the mixture is then brought to a gentle reflux for six hours. the mixture is cooled and washed three times with 2 liters of toluene. the bonded phase is then decanted onto a sintered glass funnel and washed with 2 liters of methanol. the phase is then dried under reduced pressure at approximately 70.degree. c. the bonding process can be summarized as follows: a. mix toluene, a 50% solution of 2-(triethoxysilyl)-hexylsulfonylazide in methylene chloride and silica gel. b. gently reflux the mixture for 4 to 24 hours. c. cool the reaction product to room temperature. d. wash the reaction product with toluene. e. wash the reaction product with methanol. f. dry the reaction product under reduced pressure at a temperature not exceeding 70.degree. c. the dried bonded phase product is now ready to be packed in a solid phase extraction tube and used for the extraction of thc-cooh from urine. example 2 to 100 g of 40 micrometer silica gel was added 600 ml of toluene and 70 ml of 50% 2-(trimethoxysilyl)ethylphenyl sulfonylazide in methylene chloride. the mixture was suspended by shaking and refluxed for 7 hours. the mixture was cooled, filtered and washed three times with 200 ml of toluene followed by three 500 ml washes with methanol. the resulting bonded phase was oven dried at a temperature no greater than 70.degree. c. the bonding process can be summarized as follows: a. mix silica gel, toluene and a 50% mixture of 2-(trimethoxysilyl)ethylphenylsulfonylazide. b. gently reflux the mixture for 4 to 24 hours. c. cool the reaction product to room temperature. d. wash the reaction product with toluene. e. wash the reaction product with methanol. f. dry the reaction product at reduced pressure at a temperature not exceeding 70.degree. c. the dried bonded phase product is now ready to be packed in a solid phase extraction tube and used for the extraction of thc-cooh from urine. as exemplary of the use of the bonded phase products of this invention in the cleanup of urine samples for analysis of cannabinoids, reference may be made to the following example. in the following example the urine sample is first hydrolyzed to convert all of the conjugated metabolite to the free acid form for chromatographic processing according to this invention. typically such hydrolysis of a urine sample is conducted in the following manner. five milliliters of urine, 5 ml of deionized water and 500 .mu.l of 10 m koh are placed in a silanized glass container. the sealed container is then heated for 15 minutes at 60.degree. c. in a hot water bath. the solution is then cooled and the ph of the solution adjusted between 4 and 5 with glacial acetic acid. urine samples treated in this manner will henceforth be referred to as hydrolyzed samples. example 3 a standard 3 ml size polypropylene (serological grade) solid phase extraction tube with polyethylene frits (20 micrometer pores) is packed with 100 mg of either the bonded phase described in example 1 or 100 mg of the bonded phase described in example 2. the tube is then conditioned with 2 ml of methanol followed by 1 ml of an aqueous 1% acetic acid solution to adjust the ph of the packing for complete retention of the metabolite (care must be taken not to let the column dry out prior to sample addition). two ml of the hydrolyzed sample is then added to the tube. the rest of the hydrolyzed sample is added to a reservoir attached to the tube using an adaptor. the sample is then passed through the tube at a slow, dropwise flow rate (approximately 500 .mu.l/min.). the reservoir and adaptor are then removed and the tube washed with two 1 ml aliquots of an aqueous 20% acetone solution to remove polar impurities from the packing. the tube is then washed with 1.5 ml of an aqueous 0.01 m kh.sub.2 po.sub.4 solution. the bonded phase is then washed with 500 .mu.l of an aqueous 0.01 m na.sub.2 hpo.sub.4 solution to remove ionic impurities from the packing. the final wash is 500 .mu.l of an aqueous 1% acetic acid solution used to orient the ph of the packing in the proper range for complete removal of the metabolite. the metabolite is eluted from the tube using 1 ml of methanol and collected in a silanized glass vial. the extraction process can be summarized as follows: a. condition the bonded phase with methanol. b. condition the bonded phase with an aqueous solution of acetic acid. c. pass the hydrolyzed sample through the bonded phase at a slow dropwise rate. d. wash the bonded phase with an aqueous solution containing acetone. e. wash the bonded phase with an aqueous solution of potassium phosphate (monobasic). f. wash the bonded phase with an aqueous solution of sodium phosphate (dibasic). g. wash the bonded phase with an aqueous solution of acetic acid. h. thoroughly dry the bonded phase. i. elute the thc-cooh from the bonded phase with methanol. the methanol is then evaporated under nitrogen. the sample is then reconstituted in mobile phase for hplc or tlc analysis or derivatized for gc analysis. several different derivatives can be prepared for gc analysis. pentafluoro derivatives are typically used for gc analysis with electron capture detection. methylated or trimethylsilyl derivatives of the drug metabolite are typically formed for gc analysis where flame ionization or mass selective detection are used. a trimethylsilyl derivative of the acid metabolite is easily formed by reconstituting the evaporated sample extract in 25 .mu.l of bis(trimethylsilyl)-trifluoroacetamide (bstfa) and heating the solution for 10 minutes at 70.degree. c. there are numerous chromatographic supports and analytical conditions sited in the technical literature for the analysis of thc-cooh. however, nida and other government agencies require that gc-ms be used for the confirmation of the presence of thc-cooh in urine. examples of three analytical techniques are shown in figs. 1 through 9. figs. 1 through 3 show detection of thc-cooh in its trimethylsilyl derivatized form using a 30 m.times.0.25 mm i.d. (0.25 micrometer df) spb-35 capillary gas chromatography column with flame ionization detection. the analytical conditions for this column were a helium carrier gas at a flow rate of 32.7 cm/sec, 1 .mu.l injection volume, splitless injection with a 30 second hold, an injector temperature of 260.degree. c., a detector temperature of 290.degree. c. and a detector sensitivity of 2.times.10.sup.-11 afs. the temperature program used with the column started with a 2 minute hold at 220.degree. c. followed by a linear temperature ramp to 290.degree. c. at 10.degree. c./min with a hold at 290.degree. c. for 12 minutes. figs. 1 through 3 represent typical chromatograms obtained from a thc-cooh standard, an extracted urine sample originally containing 50 ng/ml of thc-cooh and an extracted urine blank using the described conditions. table 1 shows typical recoveries of derivatized thc-cooh obtained from urine samples extracted using this invention as determined by gc with flame ionization detection. the bonded phase used for these extractions is described in example 1. table 1 ______________________________________ absolute recovery of thc-cooh from urine using the bonded phase of example 1 as determined by 35 gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. absolute recovery trial 50 ng/ml 250 ng/ml ______________________________________ 1 83.7 89.0 2 86.9 92.2 3 85.6 86.4 4 87.2 88.3 5 84.6 87.7 avg .+-. s.d. 85.6 .+-. 1.5 88.7 .+-. 2.2 ______________________________________ table 2 shows typical recoveries of derivatized thc-cooh obtained from urine samples extracted using this invention as determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. the bonded phase used for these extractions is described in example 2. table 2 ______________________________________ absolute recovery of tmc-cooh from uring using the bonded phase of example 2 as determined by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. trial recovery from 50 ng/ml urine sample ______________________________________ 1 82.3 2 67.4 3 79.2 4 91.0 5 73.4 avg. .+-. s.d. 78.7 .+-. 8.9 ______________________________________ figs. 4 through 6 show the detection of thc-cooh in its trimethylsilyl derivatized form using a 15 m.times.0.25 mm i.d. (0.25 micrometer df) spb-5 capillary gas chromatography column with a mass spectrometer used as the detector. the analytical conditions used with this column were a helium carrier gas at a flow rate of 29.8 cm/sec, 1 .mu.l injection volume, splitless injection with a 30 second delay and an injector temperature of 260.degree. c. the temperature program started with an initial 2 minute hold at 220.degree. c. followed by a linear temperature ramp to 290.degree. c. at a rate of 10.degree. c./min and a hold of 10 minutes at the final temperature. the mass spectrometer was programmed for selected ion monitoring over the ranges of m/z 364.610 to m/z 376.613 and m/z 471.642 to m/z 492.648. the scan rate over the two ranges was 0.518 scans per second. figs. 4 and 5 represent typical chromatograms obtained from a thc-cooh standard and an extracted urine sample originally containing 50 ng/ml of thc-cooh using the described conditions. fig. 6 shows the mass spectrum obtained from trimethylsilyl derivatized thc-cooh extracted from a urine sample originally containing 50 ng/ml of thc-cooh. the derivatized thc-cooh is identified by the m/z 488 peak representing the parent ion, m/z 473 peak representing the loss of a methyl group from the parent ion and the m/z 371 peak representing the loss of an oxygen-trimethylsilyl linkage from the parent ion. table 3 shows typical recoveries of derivatized thc-cooh obtained from urine samples extracted using this invention as determined by gc-ms. the bonded phase used for these extractions is described in example 1. table 3 ______________________________________ absolute and relative recovery of thc-cooh from urine using the bonded phase of example 1 as deteremined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. trial 5 ng/ml 50 ng/ml 250 ng/ml ______________________________________ absolute recovery 1 108 96.2 112 2 87.9 79.2 110 3 103 97.0 113 4 83.1 115 97.7 5 89.4 121 113 avg .+-. s.d. 94.3 .+-. 10.6 102 .+-. 16.4 109 .+-. 6.5 relative recovery 1 86.8 98.8 92.8 2 109 84.9 95.5 3 99.8 85.9 103 4 89.2 93.8 91.8 5 102 97.2 92.6 avg .+-. s.d. 97.4 .+-. 9.2 92.1 .+-. 6.4 95.1 .+-. 4.6 ______________________________________ table 4 shows typical recoveries of derivatized thc-cooh obtained from urine samples extracted using this invention as determined by gc-ms. the bonded phase used for these extractions is described in example 2. table 4 ______________________________________ absolute and relative recovery of thc-cooh from urine using the bonded phase of example 1 as deteremined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. trial absolute recovery relative recovery ______________________________________ 1 78.3 90.1 2 88.9 95.3 3 82.6 89.3 4 66.5 92.9 5 77.4 92.2 avg. .+-. s.d. 78.7 .+-. 8.2 92.0 .+-. 2.4 ______________________________________ figs. 7 through 9 show the detection of non-derivatized thc-cooh using a 25 cm.times.4.6 mm i.d. (5 micrometer packing) octyldecylsilane hplc column with ultraviolet detection. the analytical conditions used with this column were a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile and 2% acetic acid in deionized water (55:45), a flow rate of 2.5 ml/min, column temperature of 30.degree. c., an injection volume of 100 .mu.l, a detector wavelength of 280 nm and a detector sensitivity of 0.004 aufs. figs. 7 through 9 show typical chromatograms obtained from a thc-cooh standard, an extracted urine sample originally containing 250 ng/ml and an extracted urine blank. table 5 shows typical recoveries of thc-cooh obtained from urine samples extracted using this invention as determined by hplc with ultraviolet detection. the bonded phase used in these extractions is described in example 1. table 5 ______________________________________ absolute recovery of thc-cooh from urine using the bonded phase of example 1 as determined by high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. absolute recovery trial 25 ng/ml 50 ng/ml 250 ng/ml ______________________________________ 1 98.2 109 86.3 2 110 100 88.7 3 86.0 110 84.8 4 93.6 98.3 89.9 5 89.2 110 82.7 avg. .+-. s.d. 95.4 .+-. 9.4 105 .+-. 5.8 86.5 .+-. 2.9 ______________________________________ the bonded phases and cleanup procedure of this invention provides a much faster, simpler and more efficient isolation and concentration of thc-cooh in urine samples than is possible with currently available phases. figs. 10 through 12 show typical gc-fid chromatograms of trimethylsilated thc-cooh obtained from the analytichem international thc solid phase extraction tube fig. 10, j. t. baker narc-1 solid phase extraction tube (fig. 11) and this invention (fig. 12). the original concentration of thc-cooh in the urine samples used for each extraction was 50 ng/ml. the samples extracted using the j. t. baker narc-1 solid phase extraction tube were extracted following the instructions enclosed with the tubes at the time of purchase. the samples extracted using the analytichem international thc solid phase extraction tube were extracted using a procedure published in the journal of analytical toxicology. no instructions were included with the tubes at the time of purchase. customers were instead referred to the paper by elsohly et. al.. recovery of derivatized thc-cooh as determined by gc-ms from each procedure is summarized in table 6. the bonded phase invention used in the comparison is described in example 1. table 6 ______________________________________ comparison of recoveries of thc-cooh from urine using currently available extraction products and the bonded phase of example 1 as determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. trial analytichem j. t. baker invention ______________________________________ absolute recovery 1 -- 11.7 86.4 2 -- 2.6 83.2 3 33.2 2.3 80.8 4 4.6 0.9 83.3 5 34.7 7.1 94.8 avg. .+-. s.d. 24.2 .+-. 17.0 4.9 .+-. 4.4 85.7 .+-. 5.5 relative recovery 1 -- 78.3 103 2 -- 67.3 94.1 3 74.0 50.0 99.5 4 52.6 72.3 95.8 5 105 85.0 95.9 avg. .+-. s.d. 77.2 .+-. 26.3 70.6 .+-. 13.3 97.7 .+-. 3.6 ______________________________________ recovery of thc-cooh using this invention is greater than twice the recovery obtained from currently available methods indicating that this invention provides a much more efficient extraction of thc-cooh from urine. as a result of this increased efficiency, use of this invention allows for lower detection limits of thc-cooh in urine and more reliable quantitation of thc-cooh in urine.
|
188-879-869-606-550
|
NO
|
[
"NO",
"JP",
"EP",
"DE",
"WO",
"BR",
"AU"
] |
B60G7/00,B60G9/00,F16B3/04,F16B21/18,F16C11/06,F16D1/033
| 1997-12-02T00:00:00 |
1997
|
[
"B60",
"F16"
] |
device for holding two objects together
|
device for axial retention of a pin (2) in a hole (4). in the wall of the hole (4) there is a groove (8) wherein it is inserted a stopper (10). the pin (2) and an element (20) which may be tightened or pressed axially against an end portion of the pin (2), are near the hole wall provided with mutually opposing edge areas, which are arranged to retain a portion of the stopper which is protruding away from the groove (8) and into the hole (4).
|
use of a device comprising a first and a second object, - wherein the first object has a pin (2;40;56;90), whose free end section projects into a hole (4;98) of the second object, and the device impedes axial relative movement of the pin (2;40;56;90) in the hole (4;98), where there is provided in the hole wall a groove (8;32;54) which extends along a transverse plane in relation to the hole's (4;98) longitudinal axis and is tapered in the direction away from the hole (98), in which groove there is inserted a stopper (10;30;50) with a first section (12;34) which projects into the groove (8;32;54), and a second section (16;44) which projects away from the groove (8;32;54) and into the hole (4;98), and the first object further comprises an element (20;42;58) which may be tightened axially towards the end section, and the pin (2;40;56;90) and the element (20;42;58) near the hole wall have mutually opposing edge areas, which are arranged to abut against the stopper and, by drawing together the element (20;42;58) and the pin (2;40;56;90), to securely clamp between them the second section (16;44) of the stopper (10;30;50), at least one of the edge areas being chamfered in such a manner that it extends away from the opposite edge area and towards the hole wall, when the pin (40;56;90) and the element (42;58) are disposed in the hole, - wherein the said objects are components of a first, inner joint member of a universal joint (80) connecting arms (74,76) which are connected to a chassis (70;72) of a vehicle, with a wheel axle (82) of the vehicle for lateral securing of the axle (82) relative to the chassis (70;72), where the outer surface of the second object is convex and is in the form of a portion of a ball surface (96).
|
the invention relates to use of a device comprising a first and second object, wherein the first object has a pin, whose free end section projects into a hole of the second object, and the device impedes axial relative movement of the pin in the hole, where there is provided in the hole wall a groove which extends along a transverse plane in relation to the hole's longitudinal axis and is tapered in the direction away from the hole, in which groove there is inserted a stopper with a first section which projects into the groove and a second section which projects away from the groove and into the hole, and the first object further comprises an element which may be tightened axially towards the end section, and the pin and the element near the hole wall have mutually opposing edge areas, which are arranged to abut against and by drawing together the element and the pin, to securely clamp between them the second section of the stopper, at least one of the edge areas being chamfered in such a manner that it extends away from the opposite edge area and towards the hole wall, when the pin and the element are disposed in the hole. in us-a-4225263 it is disclosed a device for holding together two objects where a first object comprises a pin projecting into a hole in the second object, a groove in the wall of the hole receiving a stop member. the groove tapers and the stop member is clamped between edge areas of the pin and an element, at least one of the edge areas being chamfered. a similar device is disclosed in us-a-3374015. from the prior art there are known universal joints with two mutually cooperating joint members, where one joint member comprises a pin which extends into a cylindrical boring of a first, convexly ball-shaped bearing member or cup of this joint member. the second joint member comprises a second, concavely ball-shaped bearing member or cup which is arranged on the outside of the first bearing cup, and which can slide thereon. the first bearing cup is hereby axially secured on the pin via two spring rings, each of which is arranged in its groove in the pin. on account of the large tolerances required as a result of mounting two spring rings, in this universal joint an axial clearance or play is obtained between the first bearing cup and the pin and thereby impacts between these components, whereby due to the unavoidable wear the play becomes greater. furthermore, this bearing cup may rotate on the pin, which is usually unintentional, no sliding surface being provided between these parts. a radial wear may thereby also be incurred on cylinder sections of these parts. it is further known from the prior art that a wheel axle housing for a vehicle can be secured laterally in a chassis of the vehicle by means of a similar universal joint, where a first joint member of the universal joint is securely connected to a section of the axle housing between the wheel and the vehicle, and comprises a pin and a convexly ball-shaped sleeve into which the pin is passed. the universal joint's second joint member is connected to one end section of two arms, each of which extends substantially horizontally and slantingly in its own direction relative to the chassis's longitudinal direction, and whose second end sections are connected to respective, longitudinal chassis beams of the vehicle. to avoid play between the pin and the sleeve, the pin and the sleeve have conical surfaces and tension elements which are designed complementarily to each other whereby the pin and the sleeve are kept axially pressed together. however, pins and sleeves designed in this manner are expensive and do not exist in the trade as standardised products. the object of the invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned in the introduction which can be used for the above-mentioned purpose, but which is not encumbered with the above-mentioned drawbacks. the invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawing which schematically illustrates embodiments of a device used according to the invention as defined in claim 1. fig. 1 is a longitudinal section through a pin and a sleeve according to a first embodiment of the device according to the invention in its most general form. fig. 2 is an enlarged section of an area corresponding to that which is defined by a circle with broken lines in fig. 1, but which illustrates a second embodiment of the device according to the invention. fig. 3 is a longitudinal section resembling that shown in fig. 2, but illustrating a third embodiment of the device according to the invention. fig. 4 is a perspective view of a section of a vehicle chassis with a universal joint for lateral securing of a wheel axle. fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through a universal joint which is illustrated in fig. 4. as illustrated in fig. 1, a pin 2 is inserted in a boring 4 of a sleeve 6 from one end of the boring 4. in a groove 8 in the boring 4 there is inserted a stopper 10 which may be in the form of a short rod which is rectangular in cross section and which may be slightly curved. a first side section 12 of the stopper 10 projects into the groove 8, whereby between the groove 8 and the stopper there may be, e.g., a very snug fit or a tight fit, with the result that there is no clearance between them. in the pin 2 there is provided a central hole 14 which is provided with screw threads. from the second end of the boring 4 a tension element 20 is inserted therein which is in the form of a plate with a contour corresponding, e.g., to the contour of the pin 2, viewed in the boring's longitudinal direction. through a central section of the tension element 20 there is provided a boring 22. at opposite edge areas of the tension element 20 and the pin 2 respectively there is provided a recess 24, 26, which together partly engage a second side section 16 of the stopper 10, i.e. the section thereof which projects out of the groove 8 and into the boring 4. between the tension element 20 and the pin 2 there exists a small clearance a when the pin 2 and the tension element 20 abut against the stopper 10 and its second section 16 is received in the recesses 24 and 26. through the tension element's boring 22 there is passed a screw 28 which is screwed into the hole 14 of the pin 2, and which is tightened in such a manner that the tension element 20 is pulled forcefully towards the pin 2, and in such a manner that the stopper 10 is firmly secured between them. when mounting the pin 2 in the sleeve 6 the stopper 10 is first placed in the groove 8. the pin 2 is then inserted in the hole 4 from one end thereof, the second section 16 of the stopper 10 which projects into the hole 4 coming into abutment against the pin 2 in its recess 26. the tension element 20 is then inserted in the hole 4 from the second end and in such a manner that the stopper's second section 16 comes into abutment against the tension element 20 in its recess 24. thereafter the screw 28 is passed through the boring 22 of the tension element 20 and screwed into the hole 14 of the pin 2 and tightened, with the result that the tension element 20 and the pin 2 come into forceful abutment against the stopper 10. an axial securing of the pin 2 in the sleeve 6 is thereby achieved without play. a relative rotation of the pin and the sleeve can hereby be prevented since the stopper comes into abutment against the end sections of the groove and the recesses. in fig. 2 a second embodiment of a stopper 30 is illustrated, this too being in the form of a short rod. in this case, however, the groove 32 extends taperingly into the sleeve 6 and the first section 34 of the rod's cross section is formed in a corresponding complementarily tapering fashion. moreover, recesses 36, 38 of the pin 40 and the tension element 42 are provided as chamfers which extend towards each other and towards the pin's and the tension element's central section. the second side section 44 of the stopper 30 is formed in such a manner that surface sections thereof remaining lying flat against the respective chamfers 36, 38. moreover, in this case a screw is also provided for drawing the tension element and the pin together. in this second embodiment of the device according to the invention, the stopper is pushed radially outwards, i.e. into the groove 32 when the tension element 42 is forcefully pushed towards the pin 40. the pin 40 is thereby very well secured axially relative to the sleeve, without the need thereby to prepare the groove 32 and the stopper 34 in order to obtain a snug relative fit. furthermore, a relative rotation of the sleeve on the pin is thereby prevented, without play. fig. 3 illustrates a third embodiment of the device according to the invention, wherein there is provided a stopper 50 which is circular in cross section. in the sleeve 52 there is provided a groove 54 with a cross section approximately corresponding to a semi-circle, and in a pin 56 and a tension element 58 there are provided recesses 60 and 62 respectively, whose opposite surfaces in cross section are in the form of circular arcs. the diameter of the circle for the groove's cross section may be slightly larger than the diameter of the stopper 50. it will be understood that features from the above-described embodiments may be combined and that the grooves and the stoppers may also be designed differently without deviating from the concept of the invention. for example, when using a stopper 50 which is circular in cross section according to the third embodiment of the invention, a groove with slanting surfaces may be provided similar to the groove 32 in the second embodiment of the invention, instead of a groove 54 which is semi-circular in cross section. even though it is stated above that the groove in the sleeve is short and the stopper is in the form of a corresponding short rod, it will be understood that the groove may be longer and may, e.g., be circumferential, extending in a plane which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boring 4 in the sleeve 6. the stopper may be designed correspondingly long and possibly as a ring which is split axially, i.e. parallel to an axis which is perpendicular to the plane in which the ring extends. in order for the ring in the latter case to be inserted into the groove, the ring must not be so long that its ends come into mutual abutment when it is inserted into the groove 8, 32, 54. when the annular stopper is extended between the pin and the tension element, it is expanded and pushed radially outwards in the groove. fig. 4 is a perspective view of a section of a chassis of a vehicle. two u-beams 70, 72 of the chassis extend parallel to each other in the vehicle's longitudinal direction. two arms 74, 76 are each linked by one end section to a beam 70, 72. the arms extend slantingly in relation to the beams and their second end section is securely connected to a joint member of a universal joint 80. the universal joint's second joint member is securely connected to a central section of a wheel axle housing 82 which supports wheels 84. the invention as defined in claim 1 is specially designed with a view to use in connection with such a universal joint, and an embodiment of this is illustrated in fig. 5. as illustrated in fig. 5 a pin 90 is made in one piece with a flange 92 via which the pin 90 can be securely connected to the wheel axle housing 82 illustrated in fig. 4, e.g. by means of screws (not shown) which can be passed through holes 100. the pin 90 is inserted into a boring 98 of a sleeve-shaped, inner bearing cup 94 with an outer surface 96 which is designed as a section of a surface of a ball. in the boring 98 there is provided a circumferential groove, which is approximately semi-circular in cross section, in which there is inserted a wire ring, whose wire cross section is approximately correspondingly circular. a tension element 102 is tightened or pressed towards this by means of a screw 104 which is screwed into a hole in the pin 90. the wire ring is thereby clamped between the pin and the tension element and hereby forced radially outwards relative to the boring 98 and into the groove, thus preventing an axial movement of the bearing cup 94 relative to the pin 90 as well as a relative rotation of these parts. radially outside the bearing cup 94 there is provided an outer bearing cup 106 complementarily formed in relation thereto, which cup is axially secured in an associated housing 108 which in turn is connected to the second end sections of the arms 74, 76. thus with this universal joint no shoulders, rings or the like require to be provided on the pin against which the housing 108 can abut when it is tilted relative to the pin 90, with the result that the housing's maximum tilting angle can be large. moreover, the transitional section between the cylindrical pin section and the flange 92 can be without notch-forming sections, thus avoiding tension concentrations which can easily lead to cracks in the pin. since the device permits the use of an inner bearing cup with a cylindrical boring, cheap, standardised ball joints which exist in the trade can be employed.
|
189-171-764-941-830
|
CH
|
[
"CA",
"EP",
"JP",
"CN",
"CH",
"US"
] |
A41D13/018,A62B35/04,A44B11/25,A61B1/00,A61B5/11,G01P15/00,A41D13/05
| 2018-04-26T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"A41",
"A62",
"A44",
"A61",
"G01"
] |
airbag safety device
|
a safety device for preventing injuries, in particular hip injuries, by inflating an airbag suitable for a wearer (6), comprises: a portable inflatable (1) bag; a source (2) of releasable gas coupled to the bag (1); a belt loop (3, 4) wherein a plurality of sensors are arranged, one of which measures the ambient temperature and the other, which is a heat sensor (5), measures the body temperature of a wearer (6) to enable the airbag to be released in the event of a fall only when the device is worn by a wearer.
|
1 . a safety device adapted to be worn by a wearer ( 6 ) for preventing injuries to the hips, the pelvis, the buttocks and the coccyx by airbag inflation said device comprising: a portable inflatable bag ( 1 ); at least one source ( 2 ) of releasable gas coupled to the bag ( 1 ); a belt buckle ( 3 , 4 ) in which a plurality of sensors are arranged, for determining the angular movement and the acceleration of a wearer ( 6 ) of the user during a fall of a wearer; a microcontroller adapted to analyze data received by different functional blocks in order to define the time to trigger the gas source; and means for discharging the source ( 2 ) of releasing the gas in the bag ( 1 ) according to a determination by the microcontroller that the wearer is falling; characterized in that two of the sensors arranged in the buckle are a first thermal sensor measuring the ambient temperature and a second thermal sensor ( 5 ) measuring the body temperature of a wearer ( 6 ), the first and second thermal sensors being arranged for triggering of the airbag in case of a fall only when the device is worn by a wearer, by measuring the temperature difference measured by the two thermal sensors thus ensuring the presence of a wearer of the device and in that a wireless communication module, for transmitting information relating to the position of the wearer and the triggering of the airbag to a person other than the wearer of said device. 2 . the device according to claim 1 , wherein the buckle ( 3 , 4 ) includes at least one magnet ( 7 , 11 ) for locking the buckle. 3 . the device according to claim 1 , including a piston contact for activating the device, once the belt is closed. 4 . the device according to claim 1 , including a rechargeable energy source through the buckle ( 3 ), in particular by a usb cable ( 9 ). 5 . the device according to claim 1 , including a six-axis inertial module for detecting the movements of a wearer ( 6 ), the inertial module including in particular an accelerometer coupled to a gyroscope. 6 . the device according to claim 1 , wherein the buckle ( 3 ) includes an opening ( 21 ) arranged to pass an electric wire ( 12 ) disposed to transmit an electrical pulse given by the microcontroller for triggering of the airbag in case of a fall. 7 . the device according to claim 1 , wherein the buckle is formed of two assemblable portions, a first portion ( 3 ) in the form of a rectangular housing containing electronics and a second portion ( 4 ), these two portions together including a cylindrical connection body ( 15 ) including a bayonet fastening device ( 16 ). 8 . the device according to claim 6 , wherein the outer sides of said portions ( 3 , 4 ) include openings ( 19 , 20 ) to be attached to the ends of the bag ( 1 ) forming a belt. 9 . the device according to claim 1 , including visual ( 21 ) and/or sound ( 22 ) means arranged to indicate the operating state of said device. 10 . the device according to claim 1 , including a buckle comprising: a first cylindrically shaped portion including a helical groove extending from one end of the first buckle portion, the groove being curved with a notch at the second end thereof, and a second portion including a protrusion arranged to slide in said groove and be engaged into said notch, each portion of the buckle including a magnet arranged to hold together the first and second buckle portions, the two said buckle portions being disengageable from each other by the angular displacement of a first buckle portion relative to the other buckle portion then by the sliding of the protrusion in the groove until the extraction thereof. 11 . (canceled) 12 . the device according to claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller stores an algorithm which distinguishes between sudden movements which correspond to falls and other movements which do not correspond to falls, in order to define the time to trigger the gas source only in case of a fall.
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the present invention relates to an airbag safety device for preventing injuries to the hips, the pelvis, the buttocks and the coccyx in case of a fall. us2015351666a1 describes a movement analysis system including at least one orientation sensor configured to detect movement of the torso in three dimensions over time, as well as an airbag triggered during a fall in order to cushion the body of the user. this device is restrictive and uncomfortable to the extent that a plurality of sensors is distributed over the system, including a sensor disposed on the user's neck. u.s. pat. no. 6,920,647b2 describes a device for protecting the hip for minimizing the risk of rupture of the hip during a fall. this device has a system for detecting the rate and the degree of change in the user's attitude, thus allowing the device to be switched on during a possible fall in order to inflate bags and dampen the fall. wo2017/151645 describes a protective device comprising an inflatable cushion assembly configured to extend at least partially around the waist or hips of an individual, a buckle fastened to the inflatable cushion assembly, the buckle comprising a first buckle half, and a second buckle half, the first and second buckle halves being attachable and detachable from each other. the device comprises an inflatable cushion actuator configured to actuate the inflatable cushion assembly. a part of the inflatable cushion actuator is disposed in the first buckle half or the second buckle half. a drawback of this implementation is that the device can be triggered unexpectedly even if it is not worn by a user around the belt but for example just carried by hand to be stored. the aim of the present invention is to propose an airbag safety device which is not very restrictive for the user and which is not triggered unexpectedly. the invention concerns a safety device adapted to be worn by a wearer, of the type for preventing injuries to the hips, the pelvis, the buttocks and the coccyx by airbag inflation, comprising: a portable inflatable bag, which can be coupled to a garment; at least one source of releasable gas coupled to the bag; a belt buckle in which a plurality of sensors are arranged, for determining the angular movement and the acceleration of a wearer during a fall; a microcontroller adapted to analyze the data received by different functional blocks in order to define the time for triggering the gas source; and means for releasing the gas from the source into the bag according to a determination by the microcontroller that the wearer is falling. according to the invention, two of the sensors arranged in the buckle are a first thermal sensor measuring the ambient temperature and a second thermal sensor measuring the body temperature of a wearer. the first and second thermal sensors are arranged for triggering of the airbag in case of a fall only when the device is worn by a wearer, in particular by measuring the temperature difference measured by the two thermal sensors thus ensuring the presence of a wearer. in one embodiment, the buckle includes at least one pair of magnets, preferably two pairs, for locking the buckle. in another embodiment, the buckle includes a piston contact for activating the device, once the belt is closed. in one embodiment, the device includes a rechargeable energy source through the buckle, in particular by a usb cable. in all embodiments, the device may include a six-axis inertial module for detecting the movements of a wearer, the inertial module including in particular an accelerometer coupled to a gyroscope. according to a particular embodiment, the buckle includes an opening arranged to pass an electric wire disposed to transmit an electrical pulse given by the microcontroller to enable triggering of the airbag in case of a fall. in one embodiment, visual and/or sound means are arranged to indicate the operating state of said device. preferably, the buckle comprises (a) a first cylindrically shaped portion including a helical groove extending from one end of the first buckle portion, the groove being slightly curved with a notch at the second end thereof, and (b) a second portion including a protrusion arranged to slide in said groove and be engaged into said notch. each portion of the buckle includes a magnet arranged to hold together the first and second buckle portions, the two said buckle portions being disengageable from each other by the angular displacement, notably by at least one eighth of a turn, of a first buckle portion relative to the other buckle portion, then by the sliding of the protrusion in the groove until it is fully extracted. such a buckle, provided or not with electronics, can easily be arranged on other forms of belts, in particular to facilitate the opening and closing of the buckle. in one embodiment, the buckle is in particular formed of two assemblable portions, a first portion in the form of a rectangular housing containing electronics and a second portion which is also rectangular, these two portions together including a cylindrical connection body including a bayonet fastening device. the outer sides of said portions of this buckle include openings to be attached to the ends of the bag forming a belt. in order to enhance the safety of the wearer, the device includes a wireless communication module, in particular by radio link, capable of transmitting information relating to the triggering of the airbag to a person other than the wearer of said device. the communication module also allows the geolocation of the wearer. the device can in particular provide, thanks to a corresponding supervision system, on the one hand, a state of the device that a third person, for example a doctor or a relative, can monitor at any time and in real time via the communication, and on the other hand, the geolocation of the wearer. preferably, the communication module is a low consumption module so as to minimize its power consumption. the communication module is capable of transmitting information relating to a state of the device corresponding to the presence or absence of a wearer and the triggering or not of the airbag. in one embodiment, the microcontroller stores an algorithm which records each movement which can be called a non-standard movement, that is to say, each movement which could correspond either to a fall or to a very sudden movement, but which is not a fall. thus, by accurately determining a movement corresponding to a fall, the microcontroller will be able to define, in an accurate and relevant manner, the time to trigger the gas source and release the gas from the source into the bag. at regular intervals, the microcontroller therefore reloads a new improved and optimized algorithm. preferably, this update of the software is carried out when the user connects his safety device to a computer. in a variant, the update of the software can be done remotely by a technician who would connect to the safety device. preferably, each time the airbag is triggered, the device is configured to send an alert signal, in particular an sms or an emergency telephone call to alert a third party. the safety device can be connected via a wireless internet connection to an application capable of relaying alerts by sms and/or e-mail associated with competent services. the safety device can also be connected to a cellular phone of a user that can relay alerts on the one hand, and the user's location on the other hand, by using a cellular connection and gps coordinates. in one embodiment, the safety device includes, on the buckle thereof, a control such as a push button configured to send an alert to a third person such as a caregiver. in order to enhance safety, the gas source can be arranged in a bag which retains it so that it cannot be propelled in case of triggering of the airbag (additional securing). the features of the invention will appear more clearly on reading the description of an embodiment given only by way of example, which is in no way limiting by referring to the schematic figures, in which: fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an airbag safety device worn by a wearer; fig. 2 is a perspective top view of a buckle of the airbag safety device; fig. 3 is a perspective bottom view of the buckle of the airbag safety device; fig. 4 is a side view of the buckle of the airbag safety device; fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the buckle of the airbag safety device; fig. 6 is a perspective view of another portion of the airbag safety device; and figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views of another version of the buckle of the airbag safety device. fig. 1 shows an airbag safety device according to the invention worn by a wearer 6 so as to prevent injuries to the hips, the pelvis, the buttocks and the coccyx by inflation of an airbag adapted to the hips of a wearer 6 . this device comprises a portable inflatable bag 1 that can be coupled around a garment of the wearer 6 . the inflatable bag 1 carries a source 2 of releasable gas coupled to the bag 1 . the inflatable bag 1 is carried by a belt buckle 3 , 4 in which a plurality of sensors are arranged, for determining the angular movement and the acceleration of a wearer during a fall. the buckle 3 , 4 also contains a microcontroller adapted to analyze data received by the different functional blocks in order to define the time to trigger the gas source 2 , as well as means for releasing the gas from the source 2 to fill the bag 1 according to a determination by the microcontroller that the wearer 6 is falling. the microcontroller constitutes the heart of the apparatus executing the detection algorithm and managing all other blocks. once all required conditions (belt closed, detected person, correct insertion direction), it is this component that will analyze the data from the inertial module in order to define the time to trigger the airbag. one of the sensors which are arranged in the portion 3 of the buckle is a thermal sensor 5 ( fig. 3 ) arranged on the inner side of this portion 3 in order to measure the body temperature of the wearer 6 coupled with an ambient temperature sensor arranged inside the housing of the buckle, and therefore not visible in the drawing, to provide a signal to enable triggering of the airbag in case of a fall only when the device is worn by a wearer 6 . the thermal sensor 5 is an infrared thermometer for measuring the temperature of a distant body in particular detecting the human heat of the wearer 6 . coupled with the measurement of the ambient temperature, the system indicates whether the belt is properly worn by a person rather than simply stored in the closed position. as illustrated in fig. 5 , the inner end of the portion 4 of the buckle includes two magnets 7 , 11 for locking the buckle and a spring-loaded piston contact 8 for activating the device, once the belt is closed. the electronics allows managing the switching on of the device. spring-loaded piston contacts 8 on each buckle portion make contact on each buckle portion to detect that the buckle of the belt is closed. fig. 6 illustrates a rechargeable energy source through the buckle portion 3 , in particular by a usb cable 9 . this allows an internal battery to be charged. this block can be simplified and a simple battery charger will be present. the device according to the invention typically includes six-axis inertial module for detecting the movements of a user, the inertial module including in particular an accelerometer coupled to a gyroscope. these elements are contained in the portion 3 of the buckle. this module allows detecting, in a known manner, the movements of the person and thus predicting the fall before the impact. the accelerometer coupled to the gyroscope allows differentiating a real fall from simple vibration or normal movements of the person. the portion 3 of the buckle includes an opening 21 ( fig. 1 ) in the side thereof, which is arranged to pass an electric wire 12 disposed to transmit an electrical pulse given by the microcontroller to enable triggering of the airbag in case of a fall. in this example, a led 10 ( fig. 2 ) and a buzzer, which is not illustrated, for informing the wearer of the operating state of the device, in particular by emitting a flashing of the led 10 in case of a malfunction and then the emission of several beeps if the wearer has not reacted to the signals emitted by the led 10 . the device can optionally include an auditory or light device for indicating to the user other situations than a malfunction. for example: when the activated belt is worn correctly: two high-pitched beeps; when the belt is worn but upside down: two low-pitched beeps; when the belt is removed, switching off of the device: low-pitched beep; low battery: four quick low-pitched beeps every fifteen minutes. as illustrated, the buckle is formed of two assemblable portions, a first portion 3 in the form of a rectangular housing containing electronics (in particular the sensors as well as the microcontroller), and a second recessed rectangular portion 4 . these two portions 3 , 4 together include a cylindrical connection body 15 including a bayonet fastening device 16 , i.e. a hollow cylindrical portion 17 on one side of the portion 3 which receives a solid cylindrical portion 18 on one side of the portion. 4 . the main surfaces of the portions 3 , 4 are flat, which is the case for the portion 3 , or slightly curved, which is the case for the portion 4 , in order to be able to be urged to press against the body of the wearer 6 . the outer sides of the portions 3 and 4 include elongated openings 19 , 20 to be attached to the ends of the bag 1 forming a belt. as illustrated in figs. 7 and 8 , the buckle is formed of two assemblable portions, a first portion 3 in the form of a rectangular housing containing electronics and a second recessed rectangular portion 4 . these two portions 3 , 4 together include a cylindrical connection body including a fastening device including two projections 30 facilitating the opening of the buckle. the outer sides of the portions 3 and 4 include elongated openings 19 , 20 to be attached to the ends of the bag forming a belt.
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189-756-907-476-002
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US
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[
"US"
] |
H05B47/105,F21L4/04,F21V23/04,F21W131/20,F21Y115/10,G02C5/02,G02C7/08,G02C11/04,H05B44/00,H05B45/20,H05B37/02
| 2014-12-16T00:00:00 |
2014
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[
"H05",
"F21",
"G02"
] |
cordless led headlight and control thereof
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a wireless headlight assembly for attachment to an eyewear frame is disclosed. the wireless headlight assembly comprises a battery pod containing a battery connected to an electronic circuit element, which controls the application of power from the battery to an attached headlight assembly containing a headlight, wherein control of the application of power to the headlight assembly is determined, in part, based on the stability of the headlight assembly.
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1. a headlight assembly comprising: a battery configured to output a voltage; a lighting element comprising a light source; an electronic circuit comprising; a sensing element; a motion detector; and a switch, wherein said electronic circuit is configured to: receive the voltage from the battery; receive, from said sensing element, an indication of a detection of a signal, receive, from said motion detector, an indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion is one of: motion and no motion, and control said switch to retain a current application of said voltage to said light source in response to said indication of motion being one of motion independent of said indication of said detection of said signal. 2. the headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the electronic circuit is configured to: alter a position of said switch in response to said indication of said detection of said signal when said indication of motion is one of no motion. 3. the headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein said detected signal represents a reflection of a signal transmitted by said sensing element. 4. the headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the light source comprises at least one of: a white led and a non-white led. 5. the headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the motion detector comprises a gyroscope, said gyroscope being configured to measure changes in an orientation in at least one axis of the headlight assembly. 6. the headlight assembly of claim 5 , wherein the gyroscope is configured to: compare outputs of corresponding ones of the at least one axis at different times; generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: no motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are substantially equal and motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are not substantially equal. 7. the headlight assembly of claim 5 , wherein the gyroscope is configured to: determine a magnitude of corresponding ones of said at least one axis; generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: no motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are within a known tolerance, wherein said known tolerance is specific to each of said at least one axis and motion when at least one output of a corresponding one of said at least one axis is outside said known tolerance. 8. the headlight assembly of claim 1 , wherein the motion detector comprises an accelerometer configured to measure changes in movement in at least one axis of said headlight assembly. 9. the headlight assembly of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is configured to: compare outputs of corresponding ones of the at least one axis at different times; generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: a condition of no motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are within a known tolerance, wherein said known tolerance is specific to each of said at least one axis and a condition of motion when said outputs of corresponding ones of said at least one axis are outside said known tolerance. 10. the headlight assembly of claim 8 , wherein the accelerometer is configured to: determine a magnitude of a combination of outputs of said at least one axis; generate said indication of motion, wherein said indication of motion indicates one of: no motion when said combination of outputs of said at least one axis is within a known tolerance and motion when said combination of outputs of said at least one axis is outside said known tolerance. 11. the headlight assembly of claim 3 , wherein said signal transmitted by said sensing element is one of: a radio frequency signal, an infra-red signal, a visible signal, an ultra-violet signal, an audio signal, and an ultra-sonic signal. 12. the headlight assembly of claim 11 , wherein said signal transmitted by said sensing element is transmitted in one of: along substantially horizontal axis and along a substantially vertical axis. 13. the headlight assembly of claim 1 , further comprising: a position detecting unit configured to: determine an orientation of the headlight assembly; output an orientation signal to the electronic circuit when the orientation of the headlight assembly is outside a desired range, wherein said electronic circuit is configured to: control said switch to remove said application of said voltage from said light source in response to receipt of said orientation signal. 14. a headlight assembly comprising: a battery pod comprising a battery configured to output a voltage; an electronic assembly attached to the battery pod, said electronic assembly comprising: a position detecting unit configured to: determine an orientation of the headlight assembly; a sensing element configured to: generate an indication of a detection of a signal; a motion detector configured to: determine a motion of said headlight assembly, and a processor configured to: receive at least one of: said determination of said orientation of said headlight assembly, said indication of said detection of said signal and said determination of said motion of said headlight assembly; and control an application of the voltage to a light source in response to said received at least one of: said detection of said signal, said determination of motion, and said orientation of said headlight assembly, wherein said application of said voltage to said light source is one of: removed from said light source in response to said determination of said orientation being outside a desired range, independent of said indication of motion and said indication of detection of said signal, retained in response to said determination of said motion independent of said indication of said detection of said signal, and altered in response to said indication of said detection of said signal. 15. the headlight assembly of claim 14 , wherein said sensing element is configured to: transmit said signal, wherein said signal is at least one of: an ir signal, a uv signal, an audio signal, and a visible light signal. 16. a headlight assembly comprising: a housing comprising: a light source; a battery configured to: provide a voltage to the light source; a sensing element comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit an ir signal; and a detector configured to detect a reflection of said transmitted ir signal, wherein said sensing element is configured to: generate an indication of the detection of the reflection of the transmitted ir signal; a motion detector configured to: determine a motion of said headlight assembly, and generate an indication of one of: motion and no-motion; and a processor configured to: receive said indication of said detection of said reflection of said transmitted ir signal; receive said indication of one of: motion and no-motion; and control an application of the voltage from the battery to the light source, wherein said application of said voltage to the light source is one of: retained in response to said received indication being one of motion, and altered in response to said indication of said detection of said transmitted ir signal and said received indication being of no motion. 17. the headlight assembly of claim 16 , wherein said motion detector is one of: a gyroscope and an accelerometer. 18. the headlight assembly of claim 16 , further comprising: a position detecting unit configured to: determine an orientation of the headlight assembly; output an orientation signal when the orientation of the headlight assembly is determined outside a desired range, wherein the processor is configured to: remove the application of the voltage to the light source in response to receiving the orientation signal.
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claim of priority this application claims, as a continuation application, pursuant to 35 usc 120, priority to, and the benefit of the earlier filing date of, that patent application filed on mar. 17, 2019 and afforded ser. no. 16/296,130 (u.s. pat. no. 10,465,892), which claimed as a continuation-in-part application, pursuant to 35 usc 120, priority to and the benefit of the earlier filing date of that patent application filed on sep. 28, 2018 and afforded ser. no. 16/146,601, which claimed as a continuation application, pursuant to 35 usc 120, priority to and the benefit of, the earlier filing date of that patent application filed on sep. 13, 2017, and afforded ser. no. 15/703,161 (now u.s. pat. no. 10,132,483), which claimed, as a continuation application, pursuant to 35 usc 120, priority to and the benefit of the earlier filing date of that patent application filed on nov. 9, 2016, and afforded ser. no. 15/347,759 (now u.s. pat. no. 9,791,138), which claimed, as a continuation-in-part application, pursuant to 35 usc 120, priority to and the benefit of the earlier filing date of that patent application filed on oct. 27, 2015 and afforded ser. no. 14/924,621 (u.s. pat. no. 10,240,769), which claimed pursuant to 35 usc 119, priority to and the benefit of the earlier filing date of, that patent application entitled “wireless led headlight,” filed on dec. 16, 2014 and afforded ser. no. 62/092,779, the contents of all of which are incorporated by reference, herein. this application is related to patent application ser. no. 16/209,902, filed on dec. 4, 2018, (u.s. pat. no. 10,473,314) and ser. no. 16/209,908, filed on dec. 4, 2018, (u.s. pat. no. 10,352,543), both of which claimed priority, as continuation applications, to patent application ser. no. 14/924,621. field of the invention the instant application relates to the field of optics and more particularly to a portable illuminating device for illumination designated area, particularly in a medical field. background of the invention professionals, such as operating doctors, dentists, hygienists, emt, etc., require a light to provide adequate illumination to the operating filed. having this light comes from the point of view of the user allows for shadow-free operation. the technology for providing the medical field, for example, this illumination is dominated by battery powered led headlights. for example, u.s. pat. no. 8,851,709, which is assigned to the assignee of the instant application, and whose contents are incorporated by reference, herein, discloses a headlight mounted illumination device comprising a user-worn battery pack that provides electrical energy to a surgical glass headlight (see figs. 3 and 4 , for example). this system incorporates a rechargeable battery pack with a power cord connected to a head or frame (temple) mounted led headlight. the power cord extends from the battery pack, which may be located on a belt or shirt, for example, up towards the frame and routed along the frame towards the headlight assembly. this current technology is cumbersome for the user as the battery pack is uncomfortable to wear and management of the power cord requires special care to avoid the cord catching on things in the working environment or interfering with the medical professionals' movement. hence, there is a need in the industry to provide a system that provides appropriate electrical energy to the head-mounted light while eliminating the burden that the power cord introduces. summary of the invention a device for providing adequate illumination to the operating field wherein the headlight is powered without the use of a power cord is disclosed. the device comprises a removable, rechargeable, battery (e.g., lithium-ion) placed in a battery pod connected to a mounted headlight (e.g., led). in one aspect of the invention, the connection between the battery pod and a printed circuit board (pcb) controlling a mounted headlight may be made by a mechanical connection, including but not limited to treads, quarter-turn fastener, magnets, ball plungers, expanding collar, cam lock. coiled springs, bayonet mounts, etc. to provide simple installation and removal for recharging the contained battery. the headlight may be activated (or deactivated) by making (or breaking) the mechanical connection to the pcb or by electrical means, wherein a switch may be controlled to electrically connect (or disconnect) the battery from the headlight. in one aspect of the invention, an electrical connection may be made (or broken) by one or more of an rf (radio frequency) remote control, an ir (infrared) remote control, a visible remote control or sonic motion sensing control, gesturing, physical switch, bluetooth, wi-fi, voice commands, etc. that is, an electrical connection may be made (or broken) in response to a request for a change in a status of the electrical connection based on receipt of one or more of a response received from an rf remote control, an ir remote control, a visible remote control, a sonic motion sensing control, gesturing, physical switch, bluetooth, wi-fi or voice command. in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a t-mount connection is made between the cordless headlight assembly and the headset or frame to which the cordless headlight assembly may be connected. in one aspect of the invention, the battery pod may be tilted at a backward angle to render a majority of the weight of the battery pod closer to the user. in accordance with the principles of the invention, the cordless headlight may be removably mounted (e.g., t-mount connection), or fixed, to a headset or frame. in one aspect of the invention, the orientation of the cordless headlight assembly (or battery pod assembly) may be determined by its relation to the t-mount connection. in another aspect of the invention, the orientation of the cordless headlight assembly (or battery pod assembly) may be adjusted through a pivot connection. in accordance with the principles of the invention, a headlight assembly may be connected to a battery pod assembly through a rotating hinge, mounted in a coaxial position. the rotating hinge provides for a pivotal adjustment of the headlight to adjust the light beam generated by the headlight while minimizing shadows cast by the light due to its close proximity to the user's line of sight. in accordance with the principles of the invention, the headlight may be mounted in a forward position to provide comfort to the user by maintaining the headlight at an appropriate distance from the user. in accordance with the principles of the invention, an internal connection between a battery in the battery pod and the headlight is advantageous as it provides more room for the user by keeping the headlight away from the user. in one aspect of the invention, a single or dual-bay smart charging cradle may be employed that provides for rapid recharging of one or more batteries. the use of smart charging cradle allows for the continuous use of headlight operation by swapping out (and recharging) spent batteries. in accordance with the principles of the invention a headlight assembly comprising a transmitter for transmitting a signal and a detector for detecting a reflection of the signal, is disclosed, wherein the detected reflection represents a control signal used to request a change or request an alteration of the application of a voltage to a light source within the headlamp assembly of the headlight assembly. in accordance with the principles of the invention, a motion sensor system may be incorporated into the headlight assembly, to determine whether the headlight assembly is in a stable or in a moving condition. the determination of the motion sensor system may be used to validate whether the detected reflection of the transmitted signal is to be used to change or alter the application of the voltage to the light. validation of the detection of the reflected signal is deemed when the motion sensor system determines the headlight assembly is in a stable condition. otherwise, the detection of the reflected signal is inhibited from altering or changing the application of the voltage to the light source. brief description of the figures for a better understanding of exemplary embodiments and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference is made to the accompanying drawings. it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example only and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. in this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. in the accompanying drawings: fig. 1 illustrates a front view of exemplary embodiment of a cordless powered headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 2 illustrates a side view of exemplary embodiment of a cordless powered headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 3 illustrates an exemplary application of an exemplary cordless powered headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 4 illustrates a side view of an exemplary application of an exemplary cordless powered headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 5 illustrates an exploded side view of a battery pod in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 6 illustrates a top view of the battery pod connector in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 8a illustrates an exploded perspective view of a second embodiment of the cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention fig. 8b illustrates a top view of the battery pod connector in accordance with the second embodiment of the cordless headlight assembly shown in fig. 8a . fig. 8c illustrates an exploded perspective view of the lower portion of the battery pod in accordance with the second embodiment of the cordless headlight assembly shown in fig. 8a . fig. 9 illustrates a side view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 10a illustrates a side view of a third embodiment of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 10b illustrates a front view of a third embodiment of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 10c illustrates a perspective view of a third embodiment of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 11 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary processing for controlling a light output of the wireless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 12 illustrates a side view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; fig. 13 illustrates a front view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 12 ; fig. 14 illustrates a top view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 12 ; fig. 15 illustrates a side view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention; fig. 16 illustrates a front view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 15 ; fig. 17 illustrates a top view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 15 ; fig. 18 illustrates a side view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention; fig. 19 illustrates a front view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 18 ; fig. 20 illustrates a top view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 18 ; and fig. 21 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary electronic circuit configuration in accordance with the principles of the invention; fig. 22a and fig. 22b illustrate an exemplary top view and bottom view of a printed circuit board in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 23 illustrates a side view of an exemplary acceptance angle range in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 24 illustrates a top view of a still further embodiment of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. figs. 25a and 25b illustrate an exemplary configuration of a light color changing cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 26 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram for determining the presence of a detected signal in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 27 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram for determining a direction of motion in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 28 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram for determining different operational functions in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 29 illustrates a cutaway top view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 30 illustrates a cross-section view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention. fig. 31 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 32 illustrates a flowchart of a second exemplary process in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 33 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a circuit configuration in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 34 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process for controlling the application of a light source in accordance with the principles of the invention. it is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention described herein have been simplified to illustrate the elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for purposes of clarity many other elements. however, because these omitted elements are well-known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such element is not provided herein. the disclosure herein is directed to also variations and modifications known to those skilled in the art. detailed description of the invention fig. 1 illustrates a front view of exemplary embodiment of a cordless powered headlight assembly 100 in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated embodiment, cordless headlight assembly 100 comprises a battery assembly 110 and a headlamp assembly 150 . battery assembly 110 is comprised of a battery pod 120 element and a lower housing or connector element 130 , wherein a first end of battery assembly 110 connects or contacts lower housing 130 . battery assembly 110 is connected (pivotally) to headlamp assembly 150 at (rotable) connector 145 . connection pin 140 , inserted into connector 145 , as will be further explained, provides for a pivotal rotation of headlamp assembly 150 with respect to battery assembly 110 . fig. 2 illustrates a side view of exemplary embodiment of a cordless powered headlight assembly shown in fig. 1 . in this illustrated embodiment, battery assembly 110 is shown connected to a distal end of headlamp assembly 150 by pin 140 , which is positioned transverse to the orientation of headlamp assembly 150 . pin 140 allows adjustment of headlamp assembly 150 with respect to battery assembly 110 . as would be appreciated, a set screw (not shown) or other similar retaining means may engage pin 140 through connector 145 to retain a desired orientation of headlamp assembly 150 with respect to battery assembly 110 . also shown is connector 210 , which may be used to connect cordless headlight assembly 100 to a frame or other mounting element (not shown) as will be further explained. in one aspect of the invention, connector 210 may be a t-slot connector (i.e., t-mount), which allows for the non-permanent attachment of cordless headlight assembly 100 to a frame or other mounting element. also shown is connector 220 . connector 220 extending from battery assembly 110 to a distal end of headlamp assembly 150 provides electrical energy to the lighting element (not shown) contained in headlamp assembly 150 . fig. 3 illustrates a front view of an application of the exemplary cordless powered headlight assembly shown in fig. 1 . in this illustrated embodiment, assembly 100 is attached to a frame 305 of an eyewear 300 specialized for the medical and/or dental industries. eyewear 300 comprises left and right lens 320 a , 320 b , respectively. left and right lens 320 a , 320 b may be ordinary glasswear or may be prescriptive glasswear or may be tinted to block or enhance desired light wavelengths. also illustrated are telescopic lens 310 a , 310 b attached to corresponding left and right lens, 320 a , 320 b , respectively. in one aspect of the invention, headlamp assembly 150 is oriented at a depression angle (with respect to a horizontal light through eyewear 300 ) similar to that of the angle of telescopic lens 310 a , 310 b in order to direct light to a point that is substantially convergent with a focal point of telescopic lens 310 a , 310 b. fig. 4 illustrates a side view of an exemplary application of the exemplary cordless powered headlight assembly shown in fig. 1 . in this illustrated embodiment, eyewear 300 includes frame 305 and temple 410 . temple 410 provides a conventional means for retaining eyewear 300 in place on a user's head. also, shown is mating connector 420 attached to frame 305 . mating connector 420 is positioned between lens 320 a , 320 b to retain cordless headlight assembly 100 substantially centered with regard to eyewear 300 . also shown is connector 210 , on cordless headlight assembly 100 , attached to mating connector 420 . as previously discussed connector 210 and mating connector 420 may be t-slot connectors that allow cordless headlight assembly to be removable from eyewear 300 . in another aspect of the invention, connector 210 and 420 may provide for a fixed attachment, wherein the connectors 210 and 420 are a single unit. headlamp assembly 150 is oriented at a substantially same depression angle (a) as telescopic lens 310 ( 310 a and 310 b ) with respect to horizontal axis 440 . furthermore, battery assembly 110 is shown oriented backward with respect to a line projecting substantially perpendicular 450 to horizontal axis 440 . the orientation of battery assembly 110 may be determined by the relationship between the t-mount connectors 210 and 420 . the angle of orientation of battery assembly 110 with respect to headlamp assembly 150 may be determined based, in part, to maintain an obtuse angle between the of headlamp assembly 150 and the battery assembly 110 . in a preferred embodiment the angle of orientation of battery assembly 110 with respect to the perpendicular line 450 is in a range of 5-25 degrees. fig. 5 illustrates an exploded side view of battery assembly 100 in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated embodiment, battery 530 is contained within battery pod 120 . battery pod 120 includes, at its second end, a dome spring cover 515 that covers spring 510 . dome spring cover 515 may be a flexible covering (e.g., rubber, thin metal or plastic) that allows for deformation of spring cover 515 . at the nadir of the deflection of spring cover 515 , cover 515 engages spring 510 . spring 510 may represent a conventional spring loaded on-off type switch which is rendered in a first position upon a first engagement with cover 515 and is rendered in a second position upon a second engagement with cover 515 . in this illustrated embodiment, spring 510 , which has a concave shape, operates as a switch to contact a first end of battery 530 contained within battery pod 120 when spring 510 is in a first position and may not contact the first end of battery 530 when spring 510 is in a second position. also illustrated are treads 520 circumscribing an end of battery pod 120 . treads 520 provide a means for battery pod 120 to engage housing or connector element 130 . threads 520 further are electrically connected to the first end of battery 530 when spring 510 is in a position to contact the first end of battery 530 . threads 520 may be electrically connected to first end of battery 530 by an electrical connector 565 that extends from spring 510 to threads 520 alongside battery 530 . in one aspect of the invention, a first depression of spring cover 515 causes spring 510 to engage the first end of battery 530 to provide an electrical path to threads 520 through connector 565 . wherein a second depression of spring cover 515 causes spring 510 to disengage the first end of battery 530 causing threads 520 to be electrically isolated from battery 530 . further illustrated is center electrode 540 of battery 530 located at a second end of battery 530 . as is understood in the conventional field of battery technology, the first end of battery 530 may represent a negative potential or charge and the center electrode 540 of the second end of battery 530 may represent a positive potential or charge. although, battery 530 is shown having a negative charged first end, it would be recognized that the orientation of battery 530 within battery pod 120 may be altered without altering the scope of the invention. in this case, a corresponding change in wiring provides for the proper electrical polarity to the lighting element (not shown). also shown is housing or connector element 130 and connector 145 . within, and transverse to, connector 145 is pass-through 550 . pass through 550 allows pin 140 to connect housing element 130 to headlamp assembly 150 , as previously discussed. rotation of headlamp assembly 150 about pin 140 provides for a change in orientation of headlamp assembly 150 with respect to housing element 130 and battery pod 110 . also shown, within housing element 130 are screw threads 525 . screw treads 525 engage threads 520 to connect battery pod 120 to housing element 130 . in addition, treads 525 provide an electrical connection between pod 120 (when treads 520 are negatively charged, for example) to allow electrical energy to flow through connectors 220 to headlamp assembly 150 (not shown). accordingly when cover 515 is depressed a first time, electrical energy is provided to the headlamp assembly 150 and a second depression of cover 515 removes electrical energy from the headlamp assembly 150 . in another aspect of the invention, spring 510 may be permanently retained in the first position wherein spring 510 engages one end battery 530 , such that connection of battery cover 120 through threads 520 and 525 cause electrical flow to headlamp assembly 150 . in a further aspect when battery cover 120 is composed of an electrically conductive material (e.g., aluminum) then battery cover 120 provides an electrical path for electrical to threads 520 . fig. 6 illustrates a top view of the housing element 130 in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrative embodiment, center electrical connector 640 represents a connection point that enables the electrical potential on center electrode 540 of battery 530 to pass through to a printed circuit board 610 . the printed circuit board 610 includes circuitry (hardware; dedicated or specialized) that controls the passage of electrical energy to the headlight (not shown) in headlamp assembly 150 . also shown are wire connectors 620 , through which electrical energy is passed from printed circuit board 610 to headlight housing 150 . fig. 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. as illustrated, battery pod 120 may engage housing element 130 by screwing pod 120 into housing element 130 . center connector 640 engages center probe 540 when pod 120 is completely screwed into housing element 130 . although it has been discussed that screw threads 520 engage screw threads 525 to connect pod 120 to housing element 130 , it would be recognized that the means to engage pod 120 with housing element 130 may be selected as one of: a bayonet connection, a quarter-turn locking connection, a snap-in connection, etc. in place of a screw thread connection illustrated. fig. 8a illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of the cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. in the illustrated embodiment shown in fig. 8a , battery pod 120 engages a housing or connector element 130 , as previously described. battery pod 120 may engage housing or connector element 130 by means of a screw thread attachment, a slip joint attachment, a bayonet attachment, etc., as previously discussed. fig. 8b illustrates a top view of the lower portion of the battery pod in accordance with the second embodiment of the cordless headlight assembly shown in fig. 8a . in this illustrated second embodiment, an inner positive ring or center contact 640 (as previously discussed) and an outer negative ring 825 are shown. positive ring or center contact 640 engages a positive terminal of a battery element (not shown but similar to battery 530 shown in fig. 5 ) and negative ring 825 engages a negative terminal of the battery element. in this case, battery element (not shown) is formed in a manner wherein the positive and negative terminals of the battery element are presented on one end of the battery element. the construction of battery element in this manner is similar to the construction of a conventional 9 volt battery, wherein the positive and negative terminals are contained on a single surface of the battery. fig. 8c illustrates an exploded perspective view of the connector 130 in accordance with the second embodiment of the cordless headlight assembly 100 shown in fig. 8a . in this illustrated embodiment, a metal ring 835 provides a capacitive touch switch assembly, to operate the headlight contained in headlamp assembly 150 . in this illustrated embodiment, metal ring 835 contacts the pcb 610 through a contact ring 910 (see fig. 8b ) when the battery pod 120 engages connector 130 in accordance with the principles of the invention, the pcb 610 monitors the metal ring 835 for a change in capacitance. in one aspect of the invention, when a change of capacitance is recognized (e.g., a finger touch to metal ring 835 ) power to the headlight in headlamp assembly 150 may be at a maximum (full light intensity). upon recognition of a next change in capacitance, the power applied to the headlight in headlamp assembly 150 may be reduced to provide a lower light intensity output. a further touch may cause the headlight to be turned off. (e.g., removal of the power from the headlight). fig. 9 illustrates a side view of the second embodiment of the wireless headlamp assembly 150 in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated embodiment, positive contact 640 and negative ring 825 contact respective positive terminal 540 and negative terminal 950 of battery element 530 . further illustrated is contact ring 835 engaging capacitive ring 910 engaging pcb 610 (not shown). further shown is dome spring 510 , previously described, and disk spring 965 . the use of one or both of dome spring 510 and disk spring 965 is advantageous as the flexible material of the springs (e.g., metal spring, resilient material) retains the positive and negative terminals, 540 , 950 , respectively, of battery element 530 in contact with corresponding positive terminal 640 and negative ring 825 . as would be appreciated, disc spring 965 may represent individual conductive or non-conductive elements positioned circularly between positive contact 640 and negative ring 825 . similarly disc spring 965 may represent a conductive or a non-conductive resilient material circular element positioned between the positive contact 640 and negative ring 825 . similarly, the disc spring 965 may be an conductive or non-conductive resilient material positioned outside of the negative ring 825 . fig. 10a illustrates a side view of a third embodiment of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. in the illustrated embodiment, which is similar to the embodiment shown in fig. 8a , a translucent window 1010 is created in metal ring 835 (or connector 130 ). translucent window 1010 allows for the output of a light (e.g., infra-red, visible), an audio signal and/or an radio frequency (rf) signal that may be used to provide for a contactless switching mechanism in a manner similar to that discussed in u.s. pat. no. 8,851,709, which is assigned to the owner of the instant application and incorporated by reference herein. fig. 10b illustrates a front view of a cordless headlight assembly shown in fig. 10a showing the translucent window 1010 . fig. 10c illustrates a perspective view of the cordless headlight assembly shown in fig. 10a , showing an axis 1030 of the outputted light (infra-red (ir), visible and/or ultra-violet (uv), audio and/or rf signals and an axis 1020 of headlamp assembly 150 . as shown the output of infra-red light, for example, through translucent window 1010 is essentially horizontal (see axis 440 , fig. 4 ). as discussed with regard to u.s. pat. no. 8,851,709, the light output of the headlight (not shown) in headlamp assembly 150 may be controlled by movement of a hand or object in front of translucent window 1010 . fig. 11 , herein, which corresponds to fig. 15 of u.s. pat. no. 8,851,709, illustrates an exemplary processing for controlling the application of electrical energy to cordless headlamp assembly 150 shown in fig. 10a-10c for example. as shown, at block 1510 , a determination is made whether a reflected light, for example, crosses a threshold value. if not, processing exits. however, if the reflected light is above the threshold value, then a determination is made whether the headlight is in an on condition or an off condition (block 1520 ). if in the on condition, then the headlight is turned off (block 1530 ) and if in the off condition then the headlight is turned on (block 1540 ). thus, the electrical energy may be applied to (or removed from) the headlight in stages. the number of stages is determined by a desired granularity of the application of the electrical energy. fig. 11 illustrates a coarse granularity of on and off. processing similar to that shown in figs. 16-18 of referred to u.s. pat. no. 8,851,709 are incorporated, by reference, into the headlight assembly disclosed, herein, to operate the headlight in the accordance with the principles of the invention. that is, the level of intensity granularity may be variable in the form of increasing or decreasing the output illumination by varying the application, or removal, of the battery provided voltage. in the illustrated figs. 16-18 , the battery voltage (and/or intensity) may be altered in a linear manner. fig. 12 illustrates a side view of a cordless headlight assembly 1200 in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. in accordance with this embodiment of a touchless headlight assembly 1200 , the headlight assembly 1200 comprises a battery assembly 110 , including battery pod 120 , that is removably attached to a housing (connector, lower assembly) 130 , as previously described with regard to fig. 10a . for example. as previously discussed, a battery (not shown) is incorporated into battery pod 120 . the battery may be a rechargeable battery, (e.g., lithium-ion) or an alkaline battery. similarly, a headlamp or headlight 150 is pivotally attached to the lower assembly 130 by connector 145 through connector pin 140 . as previously discussed, connection pin 140 , inserted into connector 145 provides for a pivotal rotation of headlamp assembly 150 with respect to battery assembly 110 (i.e. battery pod 120 and lower assembly 130 , see fig. 1 ). as would be appreciated, the orientation of the headlamp assembly 150 and the battery assembly 110 may be held in place by a locking screw (not shown). that is, in one aspect of the invention, connection pin 140 may be replaced with a locking nut/screw assembly that incorporates a threaded connection to allow the user to tighten the headlamp assembly 150 about connector 145 to retain the headlamp assembly 150 in a fixed position with respect to the lower assembly 130 . in this aspect of the invention, the nut may be retained in a sleeve, for example, to prevent rotation of the nut as the screw is rotated clockwise. thus, rotation of the screw applies a pressure on the connection 145 of the lower assembly 130 to retain the lower assembly 130 and the headlamp assembly 150 in a fixed position. in addition, in one aspect of the invention, the nut element used in the locking nut/screw assembly may be a reverse threaded nut. the use of a reverse thread (commonly referred to as a left hand thread) is advantageous to prevent accidental loosening of the screw by continuous counter clockwise rotation of the screw element. also shown is connector 210 , which may be used to connect cordless headlight assembly 1200 to a frame or other mounting element (not shown) as will be further explained. in one aspect of the invention, connector 210 may be a t-slot connector (i.e., t-mount), which allows for the non-permanent attachment of cordless headlight assembly 1200 to a frame or other mounting element. battery pod 120 may be connected to the lower assembly 130 , as previously described with regard to figs. 5-9 and need not be repeated herein. similarly, a voltage from the battery (similarly to battery 530 , fig. 5 ) included within the battery pod 120 may be provided through a printed circuit board (see fig. 6, 610 ) in lower assembly 130 containing the electronic circuit (or system) 2130 . the printed circuit board 610 includes circuitry (hardware; dedicated or specialized) that controls the passage of electrical energy (i.e., power, voltage or current) to the light source (not shown) in headlamp assembly 150 . further shown is ledge 1220 that extends from the lower assembly 130 . ledge 1220 provides an area for the placement of a sensing device 1210 that may be used to control the application of a voltage from the battery when the battery pod 120 is engaged with the lower assembly 130 . that is, the ledge 1220 provides for the placement of the sensing unit at an orientation in a non-conventional manner (i.e., pointing upward). sensing device 1210 operates as a switch in the electronic circuit that allows for the application, or the removal, of the battery provided voltage to the light source within the headlamp assembly 150 of headlight assembly 100 . alternatively, the sensing unit 1210 may generate a signal, which when received by the electronic circuit operates a switch that allows for the application, the removal, of the battery provided voltage to the light source within the headlamp assembly 150 of headlight assembly, and/or the gradual application/reduction of the battery provided voltage to the light source. as would be appreciated, the gradual application of the battery provided voltage increases the illumination output of the light source (or element), while the gradual removal or reduction of the battery provided voltage decreases the illumination output of the light source. in one aspect of the invention, a first detection of a reflected signal may turn the at least one lighting element to an “on” state, wherein a full voltage of the battery is applied to the lighting element so that a maximum illumination is achieved. in a second detection of a reflected signal, the voltage applied to the at least one lighting element may be reduced to a known value (e.g., 50% maximum voltage) in order to dim the illumination output. and a third detection of a reflected signal may cause the voltage from the battery to be removed from the at the least one lighting element. in this case, the light element is set to an “off” state. sensing device 1210 comprises a transmitter 1212 that is configured to transmit a signal with respect to an axis (see fig. 4 ) of the battery pod 120 . for example, as previously discussed, the battery pod may be oriented between a range of 5 to 25 degrees with respect of a substantially vertical axis. in one aspect of the invention, the angle of the sensing device 1210 is determined based on the relationship of the ledge to the axis of the battery pod 120 . thus, the sensing device 1210 may transmit a signal that is substantially parallel to the axis of the battery pod or at a second angle (e.g., vertically) taken with respect to the axis of the battery pod. shown in fig. 12 is an exemplary axis 1232 of the outputted light (infra-red (ir), visible and/or ultra-violet (uv), audio and/or rf signals. sensing device 1210 further comprises a receiver (or detector) 1214 configured to receive (or detect) a reflection of the transmitted signal. the reflection of the transmitted signal may be caused by an object moving across the path of the transmitted signal. as discussed with regard to fig. 11 , for example, the detection of a reflection of the transmitted signal may be used to alter the state of the light source contained within the headlamp assembly 150 . for example, a detection of a reflection of the transmitted signal by the detector may be used to turn the light source off (i.e., remove the applied battery voltage from the light source) when the light is on or may be used to turn the light source on (i.e., allow the battery voltage to be applied to the light source) when the light is off. sensing device 1210 may be placed on top of the area defined by the extension or ledge 1220 . alternatively, sensing device 1210 may be incorporated into ledge 1220 wherein the transmitter 1212 transmits and the receiver 1214 receives signals through a translucent or clear window (i.e., optically transparent). containing the sensing device 1210 within the lower assembly is advantageous as it prevents damage to the transmitting and receiving elements. fig. 13 illustrates a front view of a cordless headlight assembly 1200 in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated view, the light source 1230 is shown positioned with the headlamp assembly 150 . although a single led 1230 is shown, it would be appreciated that the led 1230 may comprise one or more leds. for example, the led 1230 may represent a plurality of leds arranged in an array or in a circular arrangement, for example. fig. 14 illustrates a top view of a cordless headlight assembly 1200 in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated view, the transmitter 1212 and the receiver 1214 within sensing element 1210 are depicted. the sensing element 1210 is positioned within area 1220 , which causes the signal transmitted by transmitter 1212 to travel along axis 1232 , which in this exemplary illustration is shown to be substantially parallel to the battery pod 120 . detector (i.e., receiver) 1214 is configured to detect a reflection of the signal transmitted by the transmitter 1212 caused by an object moving across the path of the transmitted signal. as would be appreciated, the strength of the reflected signal is based on the strength of the transmitted signal and a distance of the object from the transmitter. thus, to avoid errors in determining whether a detected signal is a valid signal, a magnitude of the detected signal may be compared to a threshold value. if the magnitude of the detected signal is greater than the threshold value, the detected signal is considered valid and the voltage to the battery may be altered in response to the detected signal. otherwise, if the magnitude of the detected signal is less than the threshold voltage, no action is taken (see fig. 11 , for example). the threshold value may be determined based on an expected transmitting signal power and an allowable distance from the sensing element 1210 . that is a greater transmitting signal power allows for a greater allowable distance. in another aspect of the invention, a second magnitude threshold may be incorporated. in this case, when the magnitude of the detected signal is greater than the second threshold, the detected signal is determined to be invalid, as the distance of the object to the transmitter is too close. in this aspect of the invention, the object causing the reflection of the transmitted signal is required to be within a distance range from the transmitter that causes the magnitude to the detected signal to be within a range (or window) determined by the first threshold and second thresholds. in a preferred embodiment the distance range is approximately three (3) to six (6) inches from the transmitter 1212 of acceptable signals. as would be recognized the threshold values may be determined based on the transmitted power and the expected power of the detected signal to be received from an object within an acceptable distance range. in another aspect of the invention, the threshold value may be determined as a time difference between a time of the transmitted signal and a time of the detected reflection of the signal. in this case, if the time difference is less than the threshold value, the detected signal is deemed valid; whereas, if the time difference is greater than the threshold value, the detected signal is deemed invalid and no action is taken as previously discussed. in another aspect of the invention, the threshold value may comprise a magnitude and a time difference, wherein a time difference between the transmission of the signal and the detection of the signal is greater than a first time threshold and greater than a magnitude threshold value, the detected signal may be deemed valid and an alteration of the voltage applied to the light source 1230 is performed. figs. 15-17 illustrates a side view, a front view and a top view, respectively, of a cordless headlight assembly 1500 in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention. fig. 15 illustrates a side view of the cordless headlight assembly 1500 which is similar to the assembly 1200 shown in fig. 12 in this illustrated case, sensing unit 1210 is positioned to a side of battery pod assembly 120 . fig. 16 illustrates a front view of the cordless headlight assembly 1500 which is similar to the assembly 1200 shown in fig. 12 . in this illustrated view an extension or projection 1595 along a side of the lower assembly 130 is shown. further illustrated is sensing element 1210 positioned on a surface of the projection or ledge 1595 wherein a direction 1532 of the outputted light (infra-red (ir), visible and/or ultra-violet (uv), audio and/or rf signals is also shown. fig. 17 illustrates a top view of the cordless headlight assembly 1500 showing sensing unit 1210 , including transmitter 1212 and receiver 1214 positioned within the projection 1595 . the elements of figs. 15, 16 and 17 are similar to the elements of figs. 12, 13 and 14 , respectively, and need not be discussed in detail again. rather, one skilled in the art would understand operation of the embodiment shown in figs. 15, 16, and 17 in view of the disclosure provided from figs. 12, 13 and 14 . figs. 18, 19 and 20 illustrate a side view, a front view and a top view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with a still further embodiment of the invention; fig. 18 illustrates a side view of a cordless headlight assembly 1800 which is similar to the headlight assembly shown in fig. 15 . hence, the details regarding the operation of the embodiment shown in fig. 18 is similar to that of figs. 12 and 15 and it would be within the skill of the practitioners in the art to understand the operation of the embodiment shown in fig. 18 with reference to the discussion provide with regard to fig. 12 , for example. in this illustrated embodiment, the projection or ledge 1695 containing the sensing unit 1210 may be rotated about a rotary hinge 1910 (see fig. 19 ) so as to position the sensing unit 1210 in a desired position. also shown is an axis 1832 of the outputted light (infra-red (ir), visible and/or ultra-violet (uv), audio and/or rf signals transmitted by transmitter 1212 . fig. 20 illustrates a top view of a cordless headlight assembly in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention. in this illustrate case, the transmitter 1212 and the receiver 1214 are shown in a position similar to that of fig. 17 . however, it would be recognized that in this embodiment, the orientation of the transmitter 1212 and the receiver 1214 may be rotated from one of transmission of a single substantially parallel to an axis of the battery pod assembly to one of substantially perpendicular to an axis of the battery pod assembly. although not shown, it would be recognized that the rotatable hinge 1910 may include a plurality of fixed positions to which the sensing unit 1210 may be set. the fixed positions may be established by one or more detents. for example, the detents may comprise a ball on one side of the rotatable joint 1910 and a plurality of cups on the other side of the rotatable joint 1910 . the retention of the ball in one of the plurality of cups retains the sensing unit in the corresponding position. the ability to rotate the sensing element 1210 is advantageous as it allows the user to position the sensing unit to avoid high levels of background lighting caused by overhead lighting while avoiding false detects as a user approaches an object. fig. 21 illustrates a block diagram of a first embodiment of the invention claimed, wherein the battery assembly 110 includes a battery 530 (see fig. 5 ) that is removably attached to a lower assembly 130 , which includes pcb 610 (see, e.g., fig. 6 ) including electronic circuit 2130 . electronic circuit 2130 receives power (or voltage) from the battery 530 when the battery pod 120 is attached to the lower assembly 130 , as previously discussed. further shown is the sensing unit (e.g., 1210 ) including a detector (receiver, dec) and a transmitter (xmit). the transmitter, as previously discussed may generate and output a signal with a relatively significant power, whereas the detector may receive a significantly reduced power reflected signal. the power (or amplitude) of the detected signal is dependent upon the output power of the transmitted signal and a distance an object crossing the path of the transmitted signal is from the transmitter. in response to the detection of the reflected signal, which may be further validated, a control signal (represented as a thin line, wherein the arrow head shows the direction of the communication flow) may be provided to electronic circuit 2130 . also illustrated is switch 2110 , which may be incorporated into electronic circuit 2130 or may be a separate element. switch 2110 receives power (represented by a broad line) through the electronic circuit 2130 , for example, through a by-pass circuit, wherein the voltage of the battery 530 is available at an input of the switch 2110 . switch 2110 further receives a control signal (represented by a thin line), which controls the position of the switch 2110 . in one aspect, electronic circuit 2130 , in response to a control signal from the detector may output a control signal to switch 2110 to direct power to be provided to the led in headlamp assembly 150 . alternatively, the control signal output to switch 2110 may direct switch 2110 to inhibit power from being provided to the led. that is, remove power from the led contained within the headlamp assembly 150 . in a further refinement of the processing of the electronic circuit 2130 , a degree of illumination may be achieved by the variation of the power to led. for example, electronic circuit 2130 may determine a magnitude of the received reflected signal and output a different power level to led so as to change the output illumination of the led. in another aspect, the electronic circuit 2130 may determine a change in magnitude of the reflected signal. for example, increasing magnitude as the object reflecting the transmitted signal moves closer to the transmitter. in this case, the power output to the led may be varied based on the increased reflected signal magnitude to increase the output illumination of the led. similarly, the output illumination of the led may be decreased as the object moves away from the transmitter. in still another aspect of the invention, the power output level to the led may be varied based on a length of time the reflected signal is determined to be present. that is, the output illumination of the led may be increased (by increasing the power output to the led) based on a length of time the reflected signal is present. in still another aspect of the invention, a color output of the led may be varied when the length of time the reflected signal is present is greater than a threshold value. for example, the led may be composed of a plurality of nominally white leds and nominally non-white (e.g., yellow, blue, green, red) leds. in one aspect of the invention, power may be applied only to those leds having a nominally white light output. however, if the reflected signal is determined to be present for at least a predetermined time (i.e., greater than a threshold value), then power is removed from the white leds and applied only to the non-white leds. in this configuration a dentist, for example, may use the white leds for examination purposes and the non-white leds for curing purposes. in an alternative embodiment of the invention claimed, the switch, referred to now as 2120 ) may be incorporated into the sensing unit. in this case, power (represented by the thick arrow headed line) is provided through the electronic circuit 2310 and an indication of the detection of a reflected signal, by the detector, is provided to the switch 2120 . in this case, power to the led may be provided through switch 2120 or removed from led (or varied) with each occurrence of a detection of a reflected signal, as previously discussed. figs. 22a and 22b illustrate an exemplary doubled-sided configuration printed circuit board 610 in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 22a illustrates a top view 2200 a of an exemplary printed circuit board 610 containing the electronic circuit 2130 , wherein numerous well-known electronic components (e.g., resistors, capacitors and transistors) are shown. also shown are positive and negative electrical contacts positioned on the top side 2200 a of the printed circuit board 610 . the positive and negative electrical contacts are similar to positive contact 640 ( fig. 6 ) and negative contact 825 ( fig. 8 ). also, shown is sensing device 1210 , which includes transmitter 1212 and receiver 1214 as previously discussed. in this illustrated configuration the sensing device 1210 is positioned in accordance with the configuration shown in figs. 12-14 . as would be recognized the printed circuit board 610 associated with the embodiments shown in figs. 15-20 would be shaped to match the configuration of the lower assembly 130 shown in figs. 15-20 . fig. 22b illustrates a bottom view 2200 b of the exemplary printed circuit board 610 , wherein numerous well-known resistors, capacitors and/or transistors are shown. also shown are electronic circuit 2130 and position detecting device (pdd) 2230 . pdd 2230 is suitable for measuring the relative x, y and z positions, and the orientation, of the printed circuit board (pcb) the pdd 2230 provides a signal to one of the receiving unit (i.e., detector) and the electronic circuit 2130 to effect the presentation of the battery voltage to the at least one lighting element. in one aspect of the invention, the pdd 2230 differentiates between a nominal desired orientation of the pdd 2230 (and consequently the pcb 610 ) and an undesired orientation of pdd 2230 . such determination is desirable to prevent inadvertent operation of the headlamp assembly 150 , as will be discussed. a nominal and customary orientation of the eyeglass shown and described herein, is one where the eyeglass is in an essentially horizontal position. that is, nominal position of the eyeglass is on a user's face, wherein the temples are extended over the ear. in this position or orientation, the at least one light source 1230 is aimed in a downward direction. furthermore, the transmitter 1212 and detector 1214 are positioned in an upward direction (see figs. 12-14 ), for example. thus, there is little chance of the detector 1214 receiving inadvertent reflections of the transmitted signal. thus, the at least one light element remains in its intended state. however, when the eyeglass is outside of its nominal orientation, e.g., hanging downward by a neck-chain or positioned upside down on a plane surface, then pdd 2230 determines the eyewear is in an undesired orientation and inhibits any detection of a transmitted signal from altering a current state of the at least on light element. that is, the output of the pdd 2230 effects the control of a presentation of the battery voltage to the at least one lighting element. in this aspect of the invention, the control signal of the detector may be a first input to an and gate while an orientation signal from pdd 2230 may be a second input of the and gate. in this exemplary configuration, an output of the and gate is true when both the detector 1214 detects an appropriate reflected signal and pdd 2230 is determined to be in a nominal position. alternatively, the signal from pdd 2230 and the output of the detector 1214 may be provided to electronic circuit 2130 , wherein the electronic circuit 2130 may determine the control of the presentation of the battery output voltage to the at least one lighting element. electronic circuit 2130 may comprise hardware 2235 such as general purpose processor programed to respond to the provided inputs, or an embedded processor, such as an asic (application specific integrated circuit) or fpga (field programmable gate array) that are programmed to respond to inputs in a desired manner. as would be recognized, the bounds of nominal orientation of the position detecting unit may be established as an angular value about a nominal axis (e.g., horizontal axis or a known depression angle from the horizontal axis). thus, when pdd 2230 is within a known angular range from the nominal axis, pdd 2230 provides a positive output. however, outside the known or desired angular range, then the output of pdd 2230 is a negative value. in another aspect of the invention, the determination of the orientation of pdd 2230 may be determined based on the orientation of pdd 2230 over a period of time. for example, a plurality of orientation samples may be taken over time to determine an erratic or a non-uniform movement of the eyeglass wear. in this case, the erratic movement of the eyeglass wear may indicate that the eyeglass wear is hanging and not fixed to the user. fig. 23 , which is comparable to the side-view of the eyewear shown in fig. 4 and uses similar reference labelling, illustrates an exemplary configuration of a window of acceptance with regard to operation of the headlamp in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated case, a window of acceptance is taken with respect to a selected axis (in this case the angle of the depression of the headlamp assembly 150 , which is substantially similar to the angle of depression of the illustrated magnification lens 310 b ). the window of acceptance is further illustrated as being a known number of degrees (represented by b 1 ) below the selected axis and a second known number of degrees (represented by b 2 ) above the selected axis. although b 1 and b 2 are shown to be of a different number of degrees it would be recognized that the values of b 1 and b 2 may be the same or different, as illustrated. furthermore, while the selected axis is illustrated as being comparable to the angle of depression of the headlamp assembly 150 , it would be recognized that the selected angle may also represent the horizontal axis from which the angle of depression of the headlamp assembly 150 is measured. in this case, the values of b 1 and b 2 are adjusted to compensate for the orientation of the selected axis. fig. 24 illustrates a top view of a cordless headlight assembly 2400 in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the invention. in this illustrated embodiment, which is similar to the embodiment shown and discussed with regard to figs. 17-20 , the cordless headlight assembly, comprises a battery pod 120 , a lower assembly 130 , a headlamp 150 and a first and second sensing unit 1210 a and 1210 b , respectively. sensing units 1210 a and 1210 b are similar to sensing unit 1210 and are designated with the sub-labels “a” and “b” to distinguish these elements to provide clarity. sensing units 1210 a and 1210 b contain corresponding transmitting elements 1212 a , 1212 b and receiving elements 1214 a , 1214 b . transmitting elements 1212 a , 1212 b operate in a manner similar to transmitting element 1212 and receiving elements 1214 a , 1214 b operate in a manner similar to receiving element 1214 . thus, the details of the operation of the transmitting and receiving elements would be understood from the prior discussion of these elements and it would be within the skill of the practitioners in the art to understand the operation of the embodiment shown in fig. 24 with reference to the discussion provide with regard to fig. 12 . for example. the embodiment shown in fig. 24 is advantageous as it provides for the determination of a direction of movement of an object passing through the path of the transmitted beams. for example, when a reflection of a transmitted beam associated with transmitter 1212 a is detected before a reflection of a transmitted beam associated with transmitter 1212 b , then a direction of motion may be deemed to be from right to left. similar detection of a transmitted signal (or beam) from transmitter 1212 b is received before the detection of a transmitted signal (or beam) from transmitter 1212 a , a direction of motion may be deemed to be left to right. determination of a direction of motion may be advantageous in operating headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. for example, if motion is determined to be associated with degree of intensity granularity, then right to left motion may be associated with increasing output illumination in stages, wherein left to right motion may be associated with decreasing output illumination in stages. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, if motion is determined to be associated with an output light color then right to left motion may be associated with outputting a white light, using white leds, while left to right motion may be associated with outputting a non-white light, using one or more colored leds. similarly, the output color may be varied between white and colored lights based on a number of determined motions. for example, a first motion (assuming right to left) may cause only white leds to operate, whereas a second determined motion (same direction) may cause only blue leds to operate and a third determined motion (same direction) may cause only red leds to operate. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, different numbers of white, blue and red leds may be operated with each determined motion (same direction) to produce different combinations of colors. it would be recognized that the color change described with regard to the exemplary right to left motion may be reversed with a determination of an intervening left to right motion. figs. 25a and 25b illustrate an exemplary application of the use of motion in altering a color output of the at least one led contained in headlamp assembly 150 . fig. 25a illustrates an exemplary application of the use of detected motion to determine a color output of the at least one led contained in the headlamp assembly 150 . fig. 25a illustrates a printed circuit board 2500 within headlamp assembly 150 containing a first set of leds 1230 a and a second set of leds 1230 b . the first set of leds 1230 a having a different light color output than the second set of leds 1230 b . in this exemplary configuration, the first set of leds are aligned with the optical axis of the headlamp assembly 150 (as represented by the intersection of the vertical 2595 and horizontal 2590 dotted lines). further shown is permanent magnet 2510 positioned along an edge of pcb 2500 and an electro-magnetic 2520 positioned on the pcb 2500 . in this illustrated embodiment, a voltage is applied to electro-magnetic 2520 , which causes a polarity of the electro-magnetic 2520 to be attached to permanent magnetic 2510 and leds 1230 a to be aligned to the optical axis of the headlamp 150 . furthermore, in this configuration, power is applied to the first set of at least one leds, and reduced or removed from the second set of at least one leds such that only the first set of leds are activated to output light. the color of the outputted light is associated with that of the first set of leds. fig. 25b illustrates the use of motion wherein a determined motion (e.g., right to left) of an object transitioning through the light beams transmitted in the exemplary shown in fig. 24 , causes a second light color of the leds to be outputted. in this case, the determination of a motion (e.g., right to left) causes the voltage applied to the electro-magnetic 2520 to be such that the electro-magnetic 2520 is repealed from permanent magnetic 2510 . as pcb 2500 is mounted onto or attached to rails, pcb 2500 slides along rails (not shown) such that the second set of leds 1230 b is aligned with the optical axis of the headlamp assembly 150 . in this case, power is applied to the second set of leds while power is removed from the first set of leds. thus, only a light have a color associated with the second leds is outputted. as would be appreciated, when a determined motion is left to right, the voltage applied to the electro-magnetic 2520 is such that electro-magnetic 2520 is attracted to permanent magnetic 2510 . in this case, the pcb 2500 slides along the rails (not shown) to return to the position shown in fig. 25a such that the first set of leds is positioned at the optical axis of the headlamp 150 . as previously discussed, power is concurrently applied to the first set of leds and removed from the second set of leds. figs. 26-28 illustrate exemplary timing diagrams in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 26 illustrates an example of determining a time of detection of a reflected signal in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated example, the vertical axis represents a magnitude of a signal detected by receiver 1214 , for example. t 1 represents a first threshold, which as previously discussed represents a magnitude above which a detected signal is considered valid. tmax represents a second threshold, which as previously discussed represents a magnitude above which a detected signal is considered invalid (i.e., too close). t 2 represents a magnitude below which the magnitude of the received signal is considered ended. although t 1 and t 2 are shown as different values, it would be recognized that t 1 and t 2 may be the same value or t 2 may be greater or less than t 1 . the horizontal axis represents a time, wherein t 1 represents a time that the magnitude of a received signal exceeds the threshold t 1 and t 2 represents a time that the magnitude of the received signal falls below the threshold t 2 . further shown are time values ta and tb, which represent time values associated with an expected distance of an object traversing a path of a transmitted signal. in accordance with the principles of the invention, when the magnitude of a received signal crosses threshold t 1 , at time t 1 , a first indication is generated. when the magnitude of the received signal falls below threshold t 2 , at time t 2 , a second indication is generated. a difference between the second indication and the first indication may be determined and the determined difference is compared to the range of times represented by ta and tb. if the difference in time of the magnitude of the received signal is within the range represented by ta to tb, the received signal is considered valid (both in magnitude) and in time. an indication of the valid signal is then provided to the electronic circuit 2130 to alter the state of the at least one light source 1230 in the headlamp assembly 150 . thus, in accordance with the illustrated magnitude/timing diagram shown, received signals that are too low (below t 1 ) or too high (greater than tmax) are deemed invalid even if the time length of time is within the range ta to tb. similarly signals that are within the range of thresholds t 1 and tmax whose durations are too short (i.e., less than ta) or too long (i.e., greater than tb) are determined to be invalid. as previously discussed reflected signals that are deemed invalid fail to cause any change in the state of the at least one led in headlamp assembly 150 . fig. 27 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram in accordance with the embodiment of the invention shown in fig. 24 , wherein a determination of motion may be made based on a relative timing between the detection of signals from each receiver or detector ( 1214 a , 1214 b ) of the first sensing unit 1210 a and the second sensing unit 1210 b ) (see fig. 24 ). figs. 27a and 27b illustrate timing diagrams similar to that shown in and described with regard to fig. 26 , wherein each of the first sensing unit and the second sensing unit independently detect a reflection of a corresponding transmitted signal. in this illustrated example, a reflected signal (above threshold t 1 ) is first detected by receiver 1214 a , for example, at time t 1 a and has a duration extending to time t 2 a . similarly, a reflected signal (above threshold t 1 ) is detected by receiver 1214 b , for example, at time t 1 b and has a duration represented by the difference between t 2 b and t 2 a. in this case, as t 1 a is earlier than t 1 b , a motion of an object traversing the transmitted beams of transmitters 1212 a , 1212 b , respectively, may be determined to be from right to left. similarly, if t 1 b is earlier than t 1 a , then motion may be determined to be from left to right. as would be recognized, the determination of motion may provide for different functionality, such as increase intensity in steps. for example, an increase in illumination intensity (i.e., increase of battery voltage/current to the at least one lighting source) may be performed in a number of steps so as to increase the intensity from zero intensity to a maximum intensity, wherein the number of steps may be prefixed and/or programmable. in one example, the level of intensity granularity may be limited to one (i.e., turn on from a turned off state). in another example, the level of granularity may be two, wherein a first detection of a reflected signal in a first direction may increase the illumination intensity such that the light output is at one-half (½) maximum, while a second pass in a same direction may increase the voltage to the lighting unit to a maximum value. in this case, the illumination output is at a maximum. while only one and two levels of intensity granularity are discussed, it would be recognized that the number of steps may be increased further without altering the scope of the invention. in another aspect, the degree of illumination intensity may be decreased in a manner similar to increasing the intensity based on the determined direction of motion. in another aspect of the invention, a color of the light output may be affected by the determined direction of motion. for example, a first determined direction of motion may provide power to only a first set of leds, wherein a second determined direction of motion, different than the first determined direction of motion, may provide power to only a second set of leds. in another aspect of the invention, repeated determination of a same direction of motion may vary the power between a first set and a second set of leds such that different colors of light output may be generated. furthermore, as discussed with regard to figs. 25a and 25 b, the direction of motion may be used to position either the first set of leds or the second set of leds to the optical axis of the housing 150 . for example, a first direction of motion may cause electrical energy to be applied to the electro-magnet such that a first set of leds is positioned at the optical axis of housing 150 . alternative, a second direction of motion, opposite that of the first direction of motion, may cause electrical energy to be removed from the electro-magnet such that a second set of leds is positioned at the optical axis of housing 150 . fig. 28 illustrates an exemplary timing diagram in accordance with the principles of the invention. in this illustrated embodiment, a plurality of timing ranges (two being shown) are identified. the first timing range (from ta to tb) is similar to that shown in fig. 26 , wherein a valid signal is one that has a magnitude between t 1 and tmax and a duration between ta and tb. also, shown is second timing range (from tb to tc) wherein a detected reflected signal having a duration from t 1 to t 2 , which is within the second timing range, may cause a different operation of the light source within the headlamp 150 . for example, a reflected signal having a duration between ta and tb, may alter the state of the at least one lighting source of element (e.g., on/off or off/on). whereas a reflected signal having a duration that falls within the second timing range (tb to tc) may alter the voltage applied from one set of leds to a second set of leds, as discussed with regard to figs. 25a and 25b . hence, a reflected signal having a duration within the second timing range may cause the color output of the headlamp assembly 150 to change from one color to a second color. returning to fig. 22a , an ambient light sensor 2240 may be incorporated onto the upper surface 2200 a of pcb 610 . ambient light sensor 2240 is configured to measure a level of a surrounding light and, in one aspect of the invention, set the threshold values based on the determined ambient light level. in this exemplary embodiment, the threshold values may be adjusted, for example, from preset threshold levels when a high ambient light level is determined. in another aspect of the invention, the ambient light sensor 2240 , may determine whether a frequency (or wavelength) of light corresponding to the transmitted light of the transmitter 1212 exists in a surrounding light and/or measure a level of the frequency/wavelength of light corresponding to the transmitted light of the transmitter 1212 in the ambient light. the ambient sensor 2240 may then, based on at least one of the determined existence, or the level, of a frequency/wavelength of light corresponding to the transmitted light of the transmitter 1212 , raise or adjust the threshold values from their preset values. hence, in a high ambient light condition, wherein a wavelength of the transmitted light of transmitter 1212 is found in the surrounding ambient light, then the threshold values may be increased such that the surrounding ambient light is not considered as part of any reflected light. fig. 29 illustrates a top cutaway view of the locking mechanism of the headlamp assembly showing the retaining screw/nut which was discussed with regard to fig. 12 . in this illustrated aspect of the invention, a screw 2910 is inserted into pass through (i.e., passageway) 550 which is used to attach headlamp assembly 150 to the lower assembly (not shown). in this exemplary aspect of the invention, screw 2910 enters passage way 550 , at a first end of the connection passage way 550 and engages a nut 2930 positioned at a second, and opposite, end of connection passage way 550 . further shown are threads 2920 contained within passage way 550 . threads 2920 engage corresponding threads on screw 2910 . in one aspect of the invention, clockwise rotation of screw 2910 causes end portions of the headlamp assembly 150 to tighten about connector (extension) 145 of the lower assembly (not shown) that is contained between the end portions of the headlamp assembly 150 . as the end portions of the headlamp assembly 150 tighten about the extension 145 of lower assembly, headlamp assembly 150 retained in a desired position. as would be recognized, when the screw 2910 is rotated counterclockwise, there is a possibility to remove the screw 2910 from passage way 550 , resulting in the possibility of the screw 2910 becoming a loose element, which may be lost or dropped at an inappropriate time. in order to avoid the possibility of removing the screw 2910 completely, nut 2930 captures an end of screw 2910 extending from passageway 550 . furthermore, nut 2930 includes a left hand thread 2940 , which matches a similar thread configuration on the end of screw 2910 . in this exemplary embodiment of the invention, screw 2910 cannot be detached from nut 2930 as screw 2910 is continually turned counterclockwise. rather, additional counterclockwise rotation of screw 2910 causes a tightening of the end portions of the headlamp assembly 150 about the extension 145 . as described herein, a screw/nut configuration is disclosed to retain headlamp assembly 150 to lower assembly 130 , it would be recognized, the means for retaining a fixed configuration between assembly 150 and assembly 130 , may further comprise a plurality of passageways 550 a - 550 x (not shown) through which pin 140 may be inserted. passageways 550 a - 550 x represent individual passageways or passthroughs that offset from one another so that the plurality of passageways represent a plurality of fixed orientations of assembly 150 and assembly 130 . furthermore, although the screw/nut configuration has been described with regard to a conventional right-hand/left-hand thread configuration, it would be recognized the screw/nut configuration may also employ a left-hand/right-hand thread configuration without altering the scope of the invention. fig. 30 illustrates still another embodiment of a cordless wireless headlight assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention. fig. 30 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a cordless wireless headlight assembly, similar to the cross-sectional view shown in fig. 5 . as described with regard to fig. 5 , battery 530 is contained within battery pod 120 . battery pod 120 includes, at its second end, a dome cover 515 , which in this illustrated embodiment includes a sensing unit 3010 , which is similar to sensing unit 1210 described with regard to figs. 10 and 12 . sensing unit 3010 includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver (not shown), similar to transmitters 1212 and receivers 1214 , also described with regard to fig. 12 . the transmitter and receiver contained within sensing unit 3010 operate in a manner described with regard to figs. 12-14 , for example, and it would be within the skill of the practitioners in the art to understand the operation of the embodiment shown in fig. 30 with reference to the discussion provide with regard to fig. 12 . also illustrated are treads 520 circumscribing an end of battery pod 120 . treads 520 provide a means for battery pod 120 to engage housing or connector element or assembly 130 . also shown is housing or connector element 130 and connector 145 . within, and transverse to, connector 145 is pass-through 550 . pass through 550 allows pin 140 to connect housing element 130 to headlamp assembly 150 , as previously discussed. rotation of headlamp assembly 150 about pin 140 provides for a change in orientation of headlamp assembly 150 with respect to housing element 130 and battery pod 110 . also shown, within housing element 130 are screw threads 525 . screw treads 525 engage threads 520 to connect battery pod 120 to housing element 130 . further shown are electrical connections 3065 , 3070 , which extend from the electronic circuit (not shown) in the lower assembly 130 to the sensing unit 3010 . electrical connection 3065 , for example, provides power to sensor unit 3010 to power the contained transmitter and receiver. connector 3070 represents an electrical conduit (or connection) through which an indication of a detection of a reflection of a signal transmitted by the transmitter. the embodiment of the cordless headlight shown in fig. 30 operates in a manner similar to that shown in figs. 12-20 , wherein the transmitter transmits a signal or beam of energy (rf, ir, audio) and the receiver detects a reflection of the transmitted signal or beam. an indication of the detection of the reflection of the transmitted signal is provide to the electronic circuitry (not shown, but similar to that shown in figs. 22a, 22b ), which may determine at least one of a magnitude and a duration of the detected signal (see fig. 26 ). further the electronic circuitry (not shown) may determine a function to be performed by the at least one lighting element within the housing 150 , based on a duration of the detected signal (see fig. 26, 28 ). although not shown, it would be appreciated that at least two sensing units 3010 may be incorporated onto, or within, the top portion of battery pod 120 , such that motion may be determined, as described with regard to fig. 27 . in summary a self-contained headlight assembly comprising a battery and lamp has been disclosed wherein the headlight assembly, which may be removably attached to one of a headwear, a headset, an eyeglass frame, provides for the touchless alteration of a voltage applied to at least one light source 1230 to turn the light source 1230 on/off and/or change the color of the output light and/or adjust the level of intensity (i.e., granulation) of the at least one outputted light. further disclosed is a means for determining a direction of motion of an object traversing at least one light beam emanating from at least one sensor generating and receiving a signal wherein the determined direction of motion may be used to provide further functionality. further disclosed is a means for positioning the sensor units to avoid spuriously or inadvertent detections of the reflected signals. to provide further reliability of the operation of the headlight assembly disclosed and to avoid the detection of inadvertent reflections (false triggering) of a transmitted signal (e.g., an ir signal), as discussed with regard to figs. 22a and 22b and pdd 2330 , a further processing may be incorporated into the headlight assembly 100 to insure operation of the light source 1230 is when desired and not by a false trigger. as previously discussed, inadvertent operation of the light source 1230 may occur by a change of position of the headlight assembly, such that it is near an object from which detections may be received (e.g., hanging downward). however, while the operation of pdd 2230 is disclosed with regard to positioning of the headlight assembly 100 being outside a nominal range, false triggering of the operation of the light source 1230 may also occur when the headlight assembly 100 is within a nominal range and the user moves the headlight assembly 100 (e.g., by turning their head) and the outputted signal is reflected back by a neighboring object. the detected reflected signal may be sufficient to cause the operation of the light source 1230 to change or alter its state (e.g., turn off). thus, the light outputted by the light source 1230 may be turned on or turned off when the user does not desire such a turn-on or a turn-off to occur. thus, the inadvertent operation of the light source 1230 by false triggering becomes a nuance to the user as the user must perform an action to return the light source 1230 to a desired condition. to avoid false triggering and the inadvertent operation of the light source 1230 caused by reflection from an unwanted reflecting object, motion sensing circuitry 2250 is incorporated onto pcb 610 ( figs. 6, 22a, 22b ) to provide signals to electronic circuitry 2130 on pcb 610 ( fig. 22b ) to further control the activation/deactivation of the light source 1230 within the headlamp assembly 150 of headlight assembly 100 . specifically, the motion sensing circuitry 2250 employees one or more sensing elements (e.g., accelerometers) for determining and monitoring movement of the headlight assembly 100 to determine whether the headlight assembly 100 is in motion or in a non-motion (stable) condition. when a stable state condition (i.e., substantially non-movement) is determined, the motion sensing circuitry 2250 provides a motion stable signal to the electronic circuitry 2130 on pcb 610 in order to control switch 2110 (or switch 2120 , fig. 21 ) to allow the transition of the light output of headlight assembly 100 from one state to another state. while the transition of the light source 1230 within the headlamp assembly 150 from one state to another state is discussed with regard to applying a voltage/current (to turn on a light source 1230 ) or remove a voltage/current (to turn off a light source 1230 ), it would be recognized that this discussion regarding a binary transition is merely to describe the invention claimed. it would be appreciated that the granularity of the application (or removal) of the voltage/current from the light source 1230 may be in a plurality of steps, wherein transition of the application of a voltage to light source 1230 may progressive increase, for example, for each determination of a valid detection of a reflected signal. the application of the voltage/current may, after a maximum voltage has been applied, may be progressively reduced for each determination of a valid detection of a reflected signal. thus, progression of an application of a voltage/current to the light source may continue from a minimum applied voltage to a maximum applied voltage to a minimum (e.g. zero volts) in a plurality steps (two or more). in accordance with the principles of the invention, electronic circuitry 2130 on pcb 610 receiving both a motion stable signal from the motion sensing circuitry 2250 and the reflection of the transmitted signal, provides an indication that the detection of the reflection is valid and allows a change of state of the light. that is, circuitry 2130 on pcb 610 requires a validation of the received reflection by a determination of a non-motion or stable status of the light source 1230 within the headlamp assembly 150 of headlight assembly 100 . in accordance with the principles of the invention, motion of the headlight assembly 100 may be determined using an inertial measurement unit (imu) integrated into electronic circuitry 2130 on pcb 610 or may be a separated unit 2250 . in one aspect of the invention the imu 2250 may be one of a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, or a 6-axis combination of the two. motion detection may also be performed using a 1-axis imu, utilizing pdd 2230 wherein positional measurements may be taken over time to determine whether there is a substantial positional change in one or more of the x, y, and z axis. similarly, motion detection may be performed with 9 axes of motion or more (by adding a gps system, magnetometer, etc.). in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention, a 3-axis accelerometer may be incorporated, as imu 2250 , into the headlight assembly 100 to measure movement or stability of the headlight assembly 100 . a 3-axis accelerometer determines changes in position along corresponding ones of an x axis, a y axis and a z axis (which represents a conventional cartesian coordinate system), wherein the z axis, arranged to point towards the center of the earth experiences an acceleration vector with a magnitude of approximately 1 g (1 gravity) acting on the device. accordingly, the imu (i.e., accelerometer) 2250 and headlight assembly 100 , the magnitude of the acceleration vector along the z-axis is substantially 1 g when the device is not moving to provide a reference regarding movement, in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the imu (i.e., 3-axis accelerometer) 2250 is mounted such that the z-axis of the accelerometer is directly up when the headlamp assembly 150 ( fig. 1 ) is pointed straight forward, the x-axis is axial to, and in the direction of, the light outputted by the headlamp assembly 150 , and the y-axis is pointed to the user's left. in this exemplary embodiment, when the headlight assembly 1 —is pointing straight forward, the system will read 0 g in the x and y directions, and +1 g in the z direction. in accordance with the principles of the invention, a determination of no motion may be made when a difference between two successive readings of imu 2250 (i.e., accelerometer), taken at a known rate, is substantially zero. that is, the readings of the accelerometer outputs are substantially identical at two different measured times. this may be expressed, in the c programming language, as: if(( x [0]== x [−1])&&( y [0]== y [−1])&&( z [0]== z [−1]))moving=false; that is, if the reading at current time (e.g., x[0]) is the same (symbol ==) as, or substantially equal to, a reading at another time (e.g., x[−1]) then no motion is deemed to have been detected and similar determinations (symbol &&) are made along a “y” axis and a “z” axis, then imu (i.e., accelerometer)r 2250 is determined to be stable—i.e., no motion. in accordance with the principles of the invention, the determination of stability or no motion may be extended to the readings of a corresponding axis being substantially the same for several samples (i.e., x[0], x[−1], x[−2], x[−3] . . . ) before deciding that the device is stationary or not in a state of motion. in addition, the several samples may be summed together to form an average sample value, which may then be compared to a current sample value. if the average sample value is within a tolerance (e.g., 1%) of the current sample value, then a determination of non-motion may be indicated. fig. 31 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary processing 3100 in accordance for determining motion in accordance with the principles of the invention. in the illustrated embodiment, samples are collected from accelerometer 2250 for each of the axises at step 3110 . at step 3120 , the collected sample on a first axis is compared to a prior sample. if the values are substantially equal or substantially the same, then processing continues to step 3130 wherein the collected sample on a second axis is comparable to a prior sample of a second axis. if the values are substantially equal or substantially the same, then processing continues to step 3140 . at step 3140 , the collected sample on a third axis is compared to a prior sample on the third axis. if the values are substantially equal or substantially the same, then processing continues to step 3150 wherein an indication of stable (non-motion) is outputted. however in any of the first, the second and the third samples of a current time fail to substantially match a prior sample, then processing continues to step 3160 , wherein an indication of “not stable,” or “motion” is outputted. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, it may be determined that a user or the headlight 100 is moving when a combination of the readings of the three axes causes the combined magnitude to be different than 1 g, assuming the magnitude of the acceleration vector should be substantially 1 g when the system is stationary. that is, the motion in the x-direction and the y-direction is substantially zero, while the motion in the z-direction is measured as +1. in accordance with the principles of the invention a magnitude of the readings of the three axis may be joined together to determine a magnitude and angle (i.e., a vector measure). the vector measure may be compared to a known range to determine whether a motion has occurred, or the headlight assembly 100 is stationary (stable, non-movement). this may be expressed as: magnitude 2 =x 2 +y 2 +z 2 ; if(low threshold<magnitude 2 <high threshold)moving=false; fig. 32 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary processing 3200 in accordance with the principles of the invention for determining motion in accordance with the principles of the invention. in the illustrated embodiment, samples are collected from accelerometer 2250 for each of the axises at step 3210 . at block 3220 a vector is formed based on the collected samples. at block 3230 a determination is made whether the magnitude of the resultant vector is substantially different than 1 (i.e., 1 g). if the vector magnitude is not substantially different than 1, (i.e., the vector magnitude is within a tolerance about the nominal 1 g reference), the processing continues to step 3240 , wherein the accelerometer 2250 is marked as stable. otherwise, processing continues at block 3250 indicating the accelerometer 2250 is in movement or not stable. in another embodiment of the invention, a 3-axis gyroscope (not shown) may be utilized as imu 2250 and incorporated onto the pcb 610 . in this exemplary embodiment, the user is deemed stationary when the reading on all gyroscope channels are, or substantially near, zero (0). in accordance with one aspect of the embodiment, a gyroscope (not shown) may be mounted such that the x axis represents pitch of the headlight (forward and backward motion), the y axis represents roll of the headlight (tilting left and right), and the z axis represents the yaw of the headlight (rotating left and right). in accordance with the principles of the invention, the absolute output values of the x, y, and z axises may be used to determine a magnitude, which may be compared to a threshold value. when the magnitude is less than the threshold value, the headlight assembly 100 is deemed to be stable (i.e., no motion). in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a plurality of measured magnitude values may be passed through a low pass filter before comparing the magnitude to the threshold value. in accordance another aspect of the invention, a plurality measurements from each of the x, y, and z axises may be separately processed through a corresponding low pass filter, wherein each low pass filter may have the same or different threshold values. the resultant measurements may then be combined to determine a magnitude value from which a determination of stability or motion may be made. in accordance with this aspect of the invention, a large movement in a single axis of the motion detector 2250 , or smaller movements in multiple axes, may result in an indication of motion. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, instead of the sum of the gyroscope readings being made, a magnitude of the rotation of the 3-axis gyroscope may be used to determine stability/motion. in accordance with another aspect of the invention, a more accurate determination of stability/motion by be obtained by combining data from an accelerometer and a gyroscope. in this case, the data from the accelerometer and the gyroscope may be processed separately and confirmation of no-motion being made when the results of both measurements indicate no-motion. alternatively, the resultant data from the accelerometer and the gyroscope may be combined to determine stability/motion. in this case, as information received from the accelerometer or the gyroscope (not shown) may be redundant, a more advanced filter may combine the information from the two sources to produce a more accurate determination of stability/motion. in one aspect of the invention, the data from multiple sources may be applied to a kalman filter, wherein a model may be developed for the variables involved and the kalman filter proportionally applies readings from the various sources based on estimates as to the source accuracy. using a kalman filter, an estimation of device speed and rotational magnitude may be produced for determining motion. in accordance with the principles of the invention, information regarding motion of the headlight assembly 100 may be obtained from a plurality of other sources. for example, gps receivers, are capable of providing position and velocity information, and magnetometers, provide information regarding orientation relative to earth's magnetic field. fig. 33 illustrates a block diagram 3300 of an exemplary configuration for controlling the output of a light source 1230 incorporated into headlamp assembly 150 . as illustrated, the output of motion detector 2250 may be applied to a processing circuit 3310 (which as previously discussed may be dedicated or programmable hardware or a special purpose processor). the output, as discussed, may be one of “stable,” and “not stable” (i.e., movement, motion). further illustrated is sensor 1210 , which provides an output upon the detection of a transmitted signal, as previously discussed (see fig. 21 ). the output of sensor 1210 , is provided to processor 3310 , wherein processor 3310 validates a transition of the state of the light source 1230 in headlamp assembly 150 , when the headlight assembly is indicated as being stable and a reflection is detected. otherwise, the state of the light source 1230 in headlamp assembly 150 remains unchanged. thus, a voltage applied to the light source 1230 in headlamp assembly 150 is changed only when the condition of stability and reflection are satisfied. further illustrated is pdd 2230 (see fig. 22b ) providing an input to processor 3310 . pdd 2230 , as previously discussed, determines an orientation of headlight assembly 100 . in this illustrated example, the output of pdd 2230 may further provide information regarding transitioning the light source 1230 in headlamp assembly 150 from one state to another. for example, voltage may be applied to the light source 1230 , when a stable (non-moving) headlamp 100 (as determined by motion detector 2250 ) is in an correct orientation (as determined by pdd 2230 ) and a reflection is detected (as determined by sensor 1210 ). in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the voltage may be removed from the light source 1230 when a reflection is detected by a headlight assembly that is in the correct orientation and in a stable condition. alternatively, the signal provided by pdd 2230 may be a singular event, which causes the voltage to be removed from the light source 1230 when pdd 2230 indicates headlight assembly is operating outside of the nominal limits. fig. 34 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process 3400 for controlling the application of a light source 1230 in accordance with the principles of the invention. at step 3410 , a determination is made whether motion (or non-motion) of the headlight assembly 100 exists. if no motion is determined, processing continues to step 3420 , wherein a determination of the detection of a reflected signal is made. if a reflected signal is detected, then processing continues to step 3430 , wherein a determination is made that the headlight assembly is within a nominal (or desired) orientation. if the orientation is within the nominal or desired orientation, processing continues to step 3440 , wherein the output of the light source 1230 is altered. that is, at step 3440 , the voltage applied to the light source 1230 may be changed, such that the light source 1230 may be turned on (i.e., voltage applied) or turned off (i.e., voltage removed). alternatively, the voltage to the light source 1230 may be incrementally increased or incrementally decreased. however, if the orientation of the headlight assembly 100 is not within the nominal or desired range, then processing proceeds to step 3460 , wherein the voltage applied to the light source 1230 is removed to turn off the light source 1230 . returning to step 3410 , if motion is determined, then processing continues to step 3450 , wherein a determination is made whether headlight assembly is within a nominal (or desired) orientation (similar to step 3430 ). if the orientation is within the nominal or desired orientation, processing continues to step 3470 , wherein the output of the light source 1230 is retained in its current state. that is, a voltage applied to the light source 1230 is not changed. however, if the orientation of the headlight assembly 100 is not within the nominal or desired range, then processing proceeds to step 3460 , wherein the voltage applied to the light source 1230 is removed to turn off the light source 1230 . returning to step 3420 , if no reflection is detected then processing continues at step 3450 to determine whether to turn the light source 1230 off or to retain the light in its current position, as previously discussed. although the processing shown in fig. 34 illustrates a particular sequence of testing, it would be understood that that the processing may be performed in a different sequential order or in parallel, without altering the scope of the invention. in addition, the processing shown in fig. 34 may be initiated by the generation of an “interrupt” caused by the detection of one or more of: a change in motion of the headlight assembly, the detection of a reflection and a change in the orientation of the headlight assembly. for example, processing for the control of the application of a voltage/current to a light source may alternative comprise the steps of determining an orientation of the headlight assembly 100 , using pdd 2230 and if outside a desired orientation then turn off the light. otherwise, determination whether motion is detected. if motion is detected, then retain the current status of the application of a voltage/current to the light source. if motion is not detected, then determine whether a reflection has been detected. if not then retain the current status of the application of a voltage/current to the light source. however, if a reflection is detected, then alter the status of the application of a voltage/current to the light source. in accordance with the principles of the invention, a headlight assembly is disclosed for providing reliable control of a user wearable light. the headlight assembly disclosed herein comprises a transmitter for transmitting a signal and a detector for detecting a reflection of the signal, wherein the detected reflection represents a control signal used to change or alter the application of a voltage to a light source within the headlamp assembly. further disclosed is a motion sensor system configured to determine whether the headlight assembly is in a stable or in a moving condition. the determination of the motion sensor system is used to validate whether the detected reflection of the transmitted signal is to be used to change or alter the application of the voltage to the light. validation of the detection of the reflected signal is deemed when the motion sensor system determines the headlight assembly is in a stable condition. otherwise, the detection of the reflected signal is inhibited from altering or changing the application of the voltage to the light source 1230 . although the present invention has been described with regard to an eyeglass configuration, it would be recognized that the cordless headlight assembly described herein may be applied to other types of headwear configurations. for example, a headband including one or more lens or a monocular assembly (which are referred to herein as eyewear) may incorporate the cordless headlight assembly described herein. furthermore, although an led type light is contemplated and discussed with the cordless headlight assembly described herein, it would be recognized that other types of lighting elements may be utilized without altering the scope of the invention claimed. the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments. one of ordinary skill in the art, however, appreciates that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. accordingly, the specification is to be regarded in an illustrative manner, rather than with a restrictive view, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention. benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. the benefits, advantages, and solutions to problems, and any element(s) that may cause any benefits, advantages, or solutions to occur or become more pronounced, are not to be construed as a critical, required, or an essential feature or element of any or all of the claims. as used herein, the terms “comprises”, “comprising”, “includes”, “including”, “has”, “having”, or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. for example, a process, method, article or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. in addition, unless expressly stated to the contrary, the term “of’ refers to an inclusive “or” and not to an exclusive “or”. for example, a condition a or b is satisfied by any one of the following: a is true (or present) and b is false (or not present); a is false (or not present) and b is true (or present); and both a and b are true (or present). the terms “a” or “an” as used herein are to describe elements and components of the invention. this is done for convenience to the reader and to provide a general sense of the invention. the use of these terms in the description herein should be read and understood to include one or at least one. in addition, the singular also includes the plural unless indicated to the contrary. for example, reference to a composition containing “a compound” includes one or more compounds. as used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. all numeric values are herein assumed to be modified by the term “about,” whether or not explicitly indicated. the term “about” generally refers to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited value (i.e., having the same function or result). in any instances, the terms “about” may include numbers that are rounded (or lowered) to the nearest significant figure. it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements that perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results are within the scope of the invention. substitutions of elements from one described embodiment to another are also fully intended and contemplated.
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190-824-501-607-671
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JP
|
[
"US",
"JP"
] |
H01L31/062,H01L27/148,H01L29/74,H01L29/747,H01L29/768,H01L31/06,H01L31/113,H04N5/335,H04N5/372,H01L21/00,H01L21/66,H01L21/302,H01L21/8238,H01L21/98
| 2005-08-09T00:00:00 |
2005
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[
"H01",
"H04"
] |
solid-state imaging device and method for producing the same
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in the solid-state imaging device of the present invention having a photoelectric conversion section and a charge transfer section equipped with a charge transfer electrode for transferring an electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section, the charge transfer electrode has an alternate arrangement of a first layer electrode including a first layer electrically conducting film and a second layer electrode including a second layer electrically conducting film, which are formed on a gate oxide film including a laminate film consisting of a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film, and the first layer electrode and the second layer electrode are separated by insulation with an interelectrode insulating film including a sidewall insulating film formed by a cvd process to cover the lateral wall of the first layer electrode.
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1. a solid-state imaging device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a photoelectric conversion section; a gate oxide film comprising a two-layer film containing a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film; a charge transfer section comprising a charge transfer electrode for transferring an electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section, the charge transfer electrode comprising: a first electrode comprising a first conductive film; and a second electrode comprising a second conductive film, the first electrode and the second electrode being disposed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate through the gate oxide film and alternatively arranged; and an interelectrode insulating film which is a sidewall insulating film covering the lateral wall of the first electrode, the interelectrode insulating film separating and insulating the first electrode from the second electrode, wherein the interelectrode insulating film does not extend over the first electrode or over the second electrode. 2. the solid-state imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the metal oxide thin film has high dielectric constant. 3. the solid-state imaging device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the metal oxide thin film comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of al, ti, hf, zr, la and y. 4. the solid-state imaging device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the metal oxide thin film has low dielectric constant. 5. the solid-state imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the silicon oxide film comprises a silicon oxide film formed by a chemical vapor deposition method. 6. the solid-state imaging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the silicon oxide film comprises a hto (high-temperature oxide) film.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a solid-state imaging device and a production method thereof, more specifically, the present invention relates to the formation of an interelectrode insulating film of a solid-state imaging device. 2. background art the solid-state imaging device utilizing ccd (charge-coupled device) used for an area sensor and the like has a photoelectric conversion section comprising a photodiode or the like and a charge transfer section equipped with a charge transfer electrode for transferring a signal charge from the photoelectric conversion section. as for the charge transfer electrode, plural charge transfer electrodes are adjacently disposed on a charge transfer path formed on a semiconductor substrate and sequentially driven. with recent development of ccd having a large number of pixels, demands for high resolution and high sensitivity of a solid-state imaging device are more and more increasing, and the number of imaging pixels has been increased to giga-pixels or more. under these circumstances, since reduction of the light-receiving area must be avoided to ensure high sensitivity, it is obliged to reduce the occupation area of the charge transfer electrode. incidentally, the interelectrode insulating film provided between charge transfer electrodes can be thinly formed by the oxidation (900 to 950° c.) of an electrode material. however, in order to form a thin and good-quality oxide film, the oxidation temperature needs to be high of 900° c. or more as described above and impurity diffusion on the substrate side proceeds due to heat history by oxidation, incurring various problems such as deterioration of transfer efficiency and reduction of sensitivity. in this way, the formation of an interelectrode insulating film by using thermal oxidation is a big obstacle standing in the way of developing a fine (high-quality) solid-state imaging device with a large number of pixels. as described in jp-a-2003-197896 (the term “jp-a” as used herein means an “unexamined published japanese patent application”), a charge transfer electrode having a multilayer structure where the interelectrode insulting film is formed by a cvd (chemical vapor deposition) process has been proposed with an attempt to reduce the temperature at the formation of the interelectrode insulating film. in the case of a charge transfer electrode having a single-layer electrode structure, when the formation of an interelectrode gap and the embedding of an insulating film therein are performed by a one-time photolithography process, a fine pattern exceeding the resolution limit can be hardly formed and moreover, the embedding of an insulting film in the interelectrode gap having a high aspect ratio is extremely difficult. by taking account of such situation, there has been proposed a structure where a sidewall is formed as an interelectrode insulating film on the lateral wall of a first layer electrode formed alternately and a second layer electrode is formed through the sidewall (refer to jp-a-5-129583). in such circumstances, for the purpose of high integration, the present inventors have proposed a solid-state imaging device where a sidewall comprising a silicon oxide film formed by a low-temperature cvd process is used for one lateral wall of adjacent charge transfer electrodes (refer to japanese patent application no. 2004-281721). such a sidewall structure is an excellent structure requiring no photolithography process and being self-alignedly formable by anisotropic etching. in many cases, the gate oxide film has been conventionally constituted by a three-layer structure comprising a 25 nm-thick silicon oxide film (bottom oxide film), a 50 nm-thick silicon nitride film, and a 10 nm-thick silicon oxide film (top oxide film). at the anisotropic etching, the silicon nitride film of the three-layer structure gate oxide film works as a stopper, and the film loss of the gate oxide film is allowed to occur only in the top oxide film. accordingly, the anisotropic etching enables efficient formation of a charge transfer electrode with high reliability. in this way, in the production of a solid-state imaging device, it is demanded to avoid a process at a temperature as high as incurring extension of the diffusion length of an already doped impurity, for ensuring a finer fabrication tolerance, prevent deterioration of the charge transfer efficiency, and realize high-speed driving and high-quality image output. to cope with these requirements, a cvd process, particularly, a cvd process performed at a low temperature of 700 to 850° c., has been introduced. on the other hand, the structure using an ono film for the gate oxide film has a problem that an electric charge is readily trapped into the silicon nitride film to cause voltage shift due to depletion particularly in the read-out section to which a high voltage is applied, and a malfunction may occur. from this reason, the fine fabrication of a solid-state imaging device is associated with a demand for a structure not containing silicon nitride in the gate oxide film, further a structure equipped with a thin gate oxide film having high withstand voltage. summary of the invention an object of the invention is to provide a solid-state imaging device free from characteristic deterioration by preventing charge trapping into the gate oxide film and assured of high reliability by using a high-quality interelectrode insulating film which is easily microfabricated. (1) a solid-state imaging device comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a photoelectric conversion section; a gate oxide film comprising a two-layer film containing a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film; a charge transfer section comprising a charge transfer electrode for transferring an electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section, the charge transfer electrode comprising: a first electrode comprising a first conductive film; and a second electrode comprising a second conductive film, the first electrode and the second electrode being disposed on a surface of the semiconductor substrate through the gate oxide film and alternatively arranged; and an interelectrode insulating film comprising a sidewall insulating film covering the lateral wall of the first electrode, the interelectrode insulating film separating and insulating the first electrode from the second electrode. according to this constitution, the gate oxide film is composed of a two-layer film consisting of a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film, so that the withstand voltage can be elevated and a highly reliable solid-state imaging device can be provided. furthermore, since a highly reliable structure can be formed even when the gate oxide film does not contain a silicon nitride film, the gate oxide film can be composed of a silicon oxide film and charge trapping thereinto can be prevented. (2) the solid-state imaging device as described in the item (1), wherein the metal oxide thin film has high dielectric constant. according to this constitution, the metal oxide thin film is composed of a high dielectric thin film such as aluminum oxide, so that satisfactory etching selectivity can be ensured at the anisotropic etching of the silicon oxide film for forming a sidewall insulating film and a highly reliable electrode structure can be formed without causing film loss of the gate oxide film. furthermore, even in the case where the metal oxide thin film is caused to remain as it is, this constitutes a part of the gate oxide film below the second layer electrode, so that a thin charge transfer electrode structure with high withstand voltage can be obtained. here, the metal oxide thin film acts as an etching stopper layer at the etching of silicon oxide. (3) the solid-state imaging device as described in the item (2), wherein the metal oxide thin film comprises at least one element selected from the group consisting of al, ti, hf, zr, la and y. according to this constitution, even when the metal oxide thin film is caused to remain as the gate oxide film of the second layer electrode, a dense and highly reliable gate oxide film can be obtained. also, the gate oxide film below the first layer electrode and the gate oxide film below the second layer electrode can have the same composition, and the characteristic properties can be uniformized. furthermore, by virtue of good etching selectivity to silicon oxide, a dense interelectrode insulating film with high withstand voltage can obtained. in addition, the threshold voltage can be controlled by adjusting the al concentration in the hf oxide, and a structure where the dielectric constant is increased by decreasing the al concentration in the read-out region is also effective. (4) the solid-state imaging device as described in the item (2), wherein the metal oxide thin film has low dielectric constant. according to this constitution, the gate oxide film can have a low dielectric constant, and a solid-state imaging device capable of driving at a higher speed can be fabricated. (5) the solid-state imaging device as described in the item (1), wherein the silicon oxide film comprises a silicon oxide film formed by a chemical vapor deposition method. (6) the solid-state imaging device as described in the item (1), wherein the silicon oxide film comprises a hto (high-temperature oxide) film. according to this constitution, the film quality can be enhanced and a highly reliable interelectrode insulating film can be formed. the hto film can be formed at a low temperature and has a dense and good film quality, so that a high-quality sidewall insulating film can be formed. as for the film-forming conditions of the hto film, the film is preferably formed at a substrate temperature of 700 to 850° c. in addition, when the first layer electrically conducting film and the second layer electrically conducting film are composed of a silicon-based electrically conducting film, the single-layer fabrication can be easily attained by cmp or etchback and therefore, the processing is facilitated. in the case of constructing a two-layer electrode structure, when the first layer electrically conducting film and the second layer electrically conducting film are composed of a polymetal, flattening is possible and the resistance is low, so that both thickness reduction and high-speed driving can be realized and in turn, a high-sensitivity highly reliable solid-state imaging device capable of microfabrication can be obtained. this constitution is effective particularly in the fabrication of a solid-state imaging device having a microfine structure where the interelectrode distance between the first and second electrodes, that is, the thickness of the interelectrode insulating film, is 0.1 μm or less. when the interelectrode distance is 0.1 μm or less, pattern formation is difficult, but according to this method, the pattern can be easily formed by a lateral wall leaving technique utilizing cvd or anisotropic etching of an oxide film. furthermore, by virtue of the two-layer structure, withstand voltage can be ensured despite small film thickness and a fine pattern can be easily formed. (7) a method for producing a solid-state imaging device, the solid-state imaging device containing: a photoelectric conversion section; and a charge transfer section having a charge transfer electrode for transferring an electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section, comprising: sequentially laminating a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film on a semiconductor substrate; forming a first electrode comprising a first conductive film; forming a silicon oxide film on the top of the first electrode; anisotropically etching the silicon oxide film by using the metal oxide thin film as an etching stopper to form a sidewall insulating film on the lateral wall of the first electrode; and forming a second electrode comprising a second conductive film through the sidewall insulating film so as to be insulated and separated from the first electrode. according to this constitution, the top side of the gate oxide film is composed of a metal oxide thin film and by using this as an etching stopper, a sidewall can be successfully formed, so that unlike silicon nitride, charge trapping can be prevented and a compact and highly reliable solid-state imaging device can be fabricated. (8) the method for producing a solid-state imaging device as described in the item (7), which comprises: removing the metal oxide thin film on the gate oxide film after the forming of the sidewall insulating film, the first insulating film being exposed from the sidewall insulating film. according to this constitution, if desired, the gate oxide film in the second layer electrode forming region may be constructed not to contain a metal oxide thin film. (9) the method for producing a solid-state imaging device as described in the item (8), wherein the second electrode is formed by removing and flattening the second conductive film on the first electrode to separate the second conductive film so that the second electrode can be formed between the first electrodes. according to this constitution, a single-layer electrode structure can be efficiently obtained. in method for producing a solid-state imaging device of the present invention, the step of forming a sidewall insulating film comprises a step of forming an hto film by a cvd process. according to this constitution, a highly reliable solid-state imaging device can be obtained without passing through a high-temperature process. (10) the method for producing a solid-state imaging device as described in the item (8), wherein the forming of the first electrode comprises: forming the first conductive film; forming a hard mask comprising an insulting film on the first conductive film; and selectively removing the first conductive film by using the hard mask. according to this method, a first layer electrode pattern with high precision and high reliability can be formed. also, this hardmask acts as a removal-suppressing layer (stopper layer) of suppressing the removal of the first layer electrode at the time of flattening the second layer electrically conducting film, so that a flat surface can be efficiently formed without bringing about film loss. the present invention includes the above-described method for producing a solid-state imaging device, wherein the hardmask is a single-layer film comprising a silicon oxide film, and the second layer electrically conducting film is laminated on the hardmask. (11) the method for producing a solid-state imaging device as described in the item (10), wherein the hard mask comprises a two-layer film containing the silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film, and the first insulating film is laminated on the hard mask. according to this method, the first layer electrically conducting film constituting the first layer electrode can be prevented from contamination at the resist ashing. furthermore, the hardmask successfully acts as a removal-suppressing layer for the first layer electrode in the patterning process of the second layer electrically conducting film and also successfully acts as a removal-suppressing layer on the first layer electrode at the time of forming a sidewall insulating film by anisotropic etching after the patterning of the first layer electrically conducting film. in the case of forming a single-layer electrode structure by performing flattening with use of chemical mechanical polishing (cmp) or a resist etchback process after the second layer electrically conducting film is formed, the hard mask successfully acts as a removal-suppressing layer for the first layer electrode. according to the present invention, the gate oxide film is composed of a two-layer film consisting of a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film, so that even when the gate oxide film does not contain a silicon nitride film, high withstand voltage can be obtained. furthermore, the metal oxide thin film acts as an etching stopper layer at the formation of a sidewall insulting film, so that a highly reliable solid-state imaging device assured of easy production can be provided. brief description of the drawings the invention disclosed herein will be understood better with reference to the following drawings of which: fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates the solid-state imaging device in embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 2 is a top view that illustrates the solid-state imaging device in embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 3 is a view that illustrates the production process of the solid-state imaging device in embodiment 1 of the present invention; fig. 4 is a view that illustrates the production process of the solid-state imaging device in embodiment 1 of the present invention; and fig. 5 is a view that illustrates the production process of the solid-state imaging device in embodiment 1 of the present invention. detailed description of the invention exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described below by referring to the drawings. embodiment 1 this solid-state imaging device is characterized in that, as illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 , the gate oxide film 2 comprises a two-layer film consisting of a silicon oxide film 2 a and a hafnium oxide layer 2 s. this hafnium oxide layer 2 s has a role of acting as an etching stopper layer in the anisotropic etching process at the formation of a sidewall insulating film and at the same time, preventing charge trapping. although the solid-state imaging device has the structure of a normal solid-state imaging device except for this, a first layer electrode 3 a comprising a polycrystalline silicon layer as the first layer electrically conducting film and a second layer electrode 3 b comprising a polycrystalline silicon layer as the second layer electrically conducting film are alternately juxtaposed on the gate oxide film 2 , and the interelectrode insulating film is composed of a sidewall insulating film 5 comprising an hto film (silicon oxide film) formed by a cvd process. the numeral 6 is a silicon oxide film. fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view, and fig. 2 is a plan view. fig. 1 is an a-a cross-sectional view of fig. 2 . according to this constitution, the gate oxide film is composed of a two-layer film consisting of a silicon oxide film 2 a and a hafnium oxide film 2 s, so that even at the formation of a sidewall insulating film comprising an hto film, a high-quality sidewall insulating film with high withstand voltage can be formed at a low temperature without causing film loss of the gate oxide film and the extension of the diffusion length can be prevented. furthermore, according to this constitution, a first layer electrode 3 a and a second layer electrode 3 b are alternately juxtaposed, so that a single-layer electrode structure having a flat surface can be easily formed. other structures are the same as those of the conventional solid-state imaging device. that is, the solid-state imaging device is characterized by: comprising a photoelectric conversion section 30 and a charge transfer section 40 equipped with a charge transfer electrode for transferring an electric charge generated in the photoelectric conversion section 30 ; comprising an intermediate layer 70 including, for example, a light-shielding film (not illustrated) formed to have an opening in the photoelectric conversion section and a flattening film comprising a bpsg (borophosphosilicate glass) film filled in the photoelectric conversion section to give a nearly flat surface; and further forming a filter 50 and a lens 60 on the intermediate layer. by virtue of such a constitution, an interelectrode insulating film can be easily formed without deterioration of the gate oxide film, and good flattening of the surface and great reduction in the thickness can be attained. on the silicon substrate 1 , a plurality of photodiode regions 30 are formed, and a charge transfer section 40 for transferring a signal charge detected in the photodiode region 30 is formed between photodiode regions 30 . the charge transfer channel allowing for travelling of the signal charge transferred by the charge transfer electrode is not illustrated in fig. 2 but is formed in the direction intersecting with the direction to which the charge transfer section 40 is extending. as for the interelectrode insulating film, those formed in the vicinity of the boundary between the photodiode region 30 and the charge transfer section 40 are omitted in fig. 2 . as illustrated in fig. 1 , in the silicon substrate 1 , a photodiode 30 , a charge transfer channel 33 , a channel stop region 32 and a charge read-out region 34 are formed, and on the surface of the silicon substrate 1 , a gate oxide film 2 is formed. on the surface of the gate oxide film 2 , charge transfer electrodes (a first layer electrode comprising a first layer electrically conducting film 3 a and a second layer electrode comprising a second layer electrically conducting film 3 b ) are formed and juxtaposed with intervention of an interelectrode insulating film 5 comprising a sidewall insulating film formed on the lateral wall of the first layer electrode, whereby a single-layer electrode structure is constructed. the charge transfer section 40 is as described above, but as illustrated in fig. 1 , an intermediate layer 70 is formed on the top of the charge transfer electrode of the charge transfer section 40 . more specifically, an antireflection layer 7 comprising a silicon nitride film is formed, a light-shielding film 71 is provided in the portion excluding the photodiode region 30 (photoelectric conversion section), and a flattening film 72 comprising a bpsg film is formed in the recess part. furthermore, as upper layers, a passivation film 73 comprising a transparent resin film and a flattening layer 74 under filter are provided. on the top of the intermediate layer 70 , a color filter 50 ( 50 b, 50 g) and a microlens 60 are provided. if desired, a flattening layer 61 comprising an insulating transparent resin or the like may be filled between the color filter 50 and the microlens 60 . in this example, a solid-state imaging device having a so-called honeycomb structure is described, but the same is of course applicable also to a square lattice-type solid-state imaging device. the production process of this solid-state imaging device is described in detail below by referring to figs. 3 and 4 . first, a gate oxide film 2 comprising a silicon oxide film having a film thickness of 50 nm and a hafnium oxide layer 2 s having a film thickness of 50 nm is formed on the surface of an n-type silicon substrate 1 having an impurity concentration of about 1.0×10 6 cm −3 . subsequently, a first layer polycrystalline silicon film as a first layer electrically conducting film ( 3 a ) having a film thickness of 50 to 300 nm is formed on the gate oxide film 2 by a reduced-pressure cvd process. the substrate temperature here is set to 500 to 600° c. on this layer, an hto film 4 having a film thickness of 50 to 300 nm is sequentially laminated by a cvd process at a substrate temperature of 850° c. (from 700 to 850° c.) ( fig. 3( b )). thereafter, a resist pattern r 1 is formed by photolithography ( fig. 3 ( c )) and through this pattern as the mask, the hto film 4 is etched by reactive ion etching using chf 3 , c 2 f 6 , o 2 and he. then, the resist pattern is removed by ashing to form a hardmask comprising the hto film 4 . by using the thus-obtained hardmask comprising the hto film 4 , the first layer electrically conducting film 3 a is etched ( fig. 4 ( a )). at the etching, reactive ion etching using a mixed gas of hbr and o 2 is performed to form a first layer electrode and wiring of peripheral circuits. here, an etching apparatus such as ecr (electron cyclotron resonance) system or icp (inductively coupled plasma) system is preferably used. on this layer, an hto film 5 having a film thickness of 30 to 200 nm is formed by a reduced-pressure cvd process at a high temperature ( fig. 4( b )). then, the hto film 5 accumulated in the horizontal portions is removed by reactive ion etching and allowed to remain on the lateral wall, thereby forming a sidewall (insulating film) ( fig. 4 ( c )). at this time, the hafnium oxide layer 2 s acts as an etching stopper. subsequently, a polycrystalline silicon film as the second layer electrically conducting film 3 b is formed thereon by a reduced-pressure cvd process to a thickness larger than the height of the first layer electrically conducting film 3 a . at this time, the substrate temperature is set to 500 to 600° c. ( fig. 5( a )). furthermore, the second layer electrically conducting film 3 b in the projected portions is removed by an etchback process to flatten the surface ( fig. 5( b )). in this way, the charge transfer section is formed. thereafter, an hto film 6 having a film thickness up to 50 nm and a silicon nitride film 7 as an antireflection film are formed by a reduced-pressure cvd process (see, fig. 1 ). subsequently, patterning of the second layer electrode (second layer electrically conducting film) is performed by photolithography, thereby opening a window in the photoelectric conversion section. after forming an intermediate layer 70 such as antireflection film, light-shielding layer and flattening layer, a color filter 50 , a microlens 60 and the like are formed to obtain a solid-state imaging device illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 . according to this solid-state imaging device, the gate oxide film is composed of a silicon oxide film 2 a and a hafnium oxide layer 2 s, and the sidewall can be successfully formed by anisotropic etching using the hafnium oxide layer 2 s as an etching stopper, so that a compact and highly reliable solid-state imaging device can be fabricated. furthermore, the side wall is composed of an hto film, and a low-resistance single-layer structure electrode is constructed at a low temperature, so that a high-precision fine solid-state imaging device can be fabricated without extension of diffusion length and high-speed driving and microfabrication can be realized according to this method, a fine structure having an interelectrode distance of about 0.1 μm or less can be formed. incidentally, the etching stopper layer used at the anisotropic etching for forming the sidewall is the first insulating film 5 a and therefore, film loss due to overpolishing of the gate oxide film can be prevented. embodiment 2 in embodiment 1, a laminate film consisting of a silicon oxide film and a hafnium oxide layer is used as the gate oxide film, but in place of the high dielectric thin film such as hafnium oxide layer, a low dielectric thin film having etching resistance may be used at the etching of silicon oxide. according to this constitution, a thin and highly reliable gate oxide film can be formed because of its high etching selectivity and low dielectric constant, so that finer fabrication can be attained. embodiment 3 the patterning of the first layer electrode sometimes brings about film loss of the gate oxide film, but in this embodiment, the film loss may be supplemented by forming the silicon oxide film by a cvd process. in the embodiments above, a charge transfer electrode having a single-layer electrode structure is described, but the same is applicable also to a charge transfer electrode having a two-layer electrode structure. at this time, a mask needs to be used at the patterning of not only the first layer electrode but also the second layer electrode. in the patterning of these first and second layer electrodes, a two-layer film consisting of a silicon oxide film and a silicon nitride film may be used as the hardmask. by virtue of constructing the hardmask by a two-layer film, not only the pattern precision but also the reliability as an insulating film are enhanced. moreover, in the flattening step by cmp or resist etchback, where separation of the electrode is also effected, the film acts as a removal-preventing layer (etching stopper) and therefore, the yield can be more enhanced. the metal constituting the silicide is not limited to tungsten but may be appropriately changed to titanium (ti), cobalt (co), nickel (ni) or the like. also, the silicon layer is not limited to the polycrystalline silicon but may be appropriately changed to an amorphous silicon layer, a microcrystalline silicon layer or the like. furthermore, the production method is not limited to the above-described embodiments but may be appropriately changed. as described in the foregoing pages, according to the present invention, the gate oxide film is constituted by a two-layer structure consisting of a silicon oxide film and a metal oxide thin film, so that a highly reliable charge transfer electrode with high withstand voltage can be formed. also, the interelectrode insulating film can be thinned and therefore, the present invention is effective for the fabrication of a fine and high-sensitivity solid-state imaging device such as compact camera. the present application claims foreign priority based on japanese patent application (jp2005-231010) filed aug. 9, 2005, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference.
|
192-670-314-193-50X
|
DE
|
[
"EP",
"AT",
"ES",
"JP",
"US",
"DE",
"CA"
] |
A61F2/30,A61F2/28,A61F2/32,A61F2/36,A61F2/42
| 1988-04-27T00:00:00 |
1988
|
[
"A61"
] |
shaft for a prosthesis.
|
in order to anchor a prosthesis in a bone using a bone cement (32), the prosthesis shaft has a surface which is made up of the surfaces of several balls (23...25) partially penetrating through one another and with a radius decreasing from the proximal end to the distal end of the shaft. the transitions between each of the adjacent ball surfaces (23...25) are rounded in a concave manner. such a design is particularly suitable when using glass ionomer bone cement, since it is essentially only compressive stresses which are exerted on the cement by the shaft, whereas tensile and notch stresses, to which this type of cement has little resistance, are substantially avoided. <image>
|
1. a prosthesis shaft shaped as a massive moulded part, the outer surface of which includes surface portions extending perpendicular to the direction of the pressure force and verging into each other through concavely rounded transitional zones (26...29), characterised in that the shaft surface is formed by the surfaces of a plurality of partially intersecting spheres (23...25) which have their centers arranged along the center line of the shaft, said concavely rounded transitional zones (26...29) being formed between respective adjacent spherical surfaces. 2. the prosthesis shaft of claim 1, characterised in that the centers of respective adjacent spheres (23...25) are disposed outside the respective region of intersection. 3. the prosthesis shaft of claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the spheres (23...25) have radii decreasing from the proximal to the distal end of the shaft. 4. the prosthesis shaft of any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the spheres (23...25) are formed with the largest radii possible within the cavity (33) available in the bone. 5. the prosthesis shaft of any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that a region (24) of non-circular cross-section is provided in the middle part of the shaft length.
|
background of the invention this invention relates to a prosthesis shaft for the implantation of a prosthesis, especially a part of an artificial hip, knee or finger joint by means of a bone cement. with conventional prostheses, the shaft which is to be anchored within the bone has a substantially smooth surface of conical configuration. figs. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically by way of a hip prosthesis the retaining forces which occur on the surface of the shaft 10 when a force p acts on the articular head 11. these retaining forces can be resolved into forces of pressure (+) and tension (-) resulting from the bonding moment of the force p multiplied by the distance e of the direction of the force from the shaft axis, and transverse or shearing forces (.uparw..dwnarw.) resulting from the axial force p and acting parallel to the shaft surface. the actual load on the bone cement anchoring the shaft results from a superposition of these compressive, tensile and shearing forces. it is known from ep-a-no. 0,212,084 to anchor a prosthesis shaft of overall conical design by means of bone cement, the shaft surface being additionally provided with cylindrical recesses. known bone cements are able to transmit forces of pressure and tension equally well and can also accommodate shearing forces relatively easily. but it is a significant drawback of the known bone cements that they attack the bone with the result that the life of the anchoring bond is limited and that a later re-anchoring is hardly possible because the bone is then partly destroyed. for this reason, it has frequently been attempted to anchor prostheses in the bones without any cement. de-a-no. 2,461,339 discloses such a prosthesis the shaft of which is substantially formed of a flat metal plate having its narrow sides provided with rounded steps within the bone. these steps are configured so that each one has an edge face directed perpendicularly to the trajectorially oriented spongiosa structure for direct transmission of the local forces of pressure and tension. the thus produced approximately sawtooth-like design of the edge faces is also intended to increase the overall area of engagement between the shaft and the bony tissue, thereby reducing the pressures acting on that area. however, the cement-free bonding attempted with such a shaft requires good growth of the bony tissue so that the sawtooth-like shaft faces are securely embedded in the required way. even if this requirement is initially met, there will always be a risk of the cement-free anchoring to loosen in the course of time. de-a-no. 3,445,738 further discloses a generally hollow-cylindrical bone peg having an internal thread for receiving a bone screw and an external surface which is formed by a plurality of large spherical surfaces partially penetrating each other and being provided with axial and/or transverse slots and an additional relief, notably in the form of small spheres. this shape is intended to achieve an intimate bond with the bony tissue retained so that the cement-free anchored prosthetical part may be embedded by natural growth. thus, a sufficient growth of the bone is again a prerequisite, and there is still the risk of the prosthetical part loosening later on. recently, it has been considered to use glass ionomers as bone cements, since glass ionomers are bio-inert and will thus, contrary to the conventional cements, not affect the bony tissue. though glass ionomer-type bone cements exhibit very good compressive strength, they have little tensile strength and exhibit significant brittle fracture behaviour. summary of the invention it is an object of the present invention to provide a prosthesis shaft which may be securely and permanently anchored within the bone by the use of a glass ionomer-type bone cement. in view of this object, the prosthesis shaft of this invention is formed as a massive body and has an outer surface formed by the surfaces of a plurality of spheres partially intersecting each other and transitional zones between respective adjacent spherical surfaces being concavely rounded. thus, the shaft surface is configured in such a way that it is exposed substantially only to pressure, and tensile forces are substantially avoided. at the same time, edges and corners, which might lead to notch stresses and consequently to brittle fractures of the bone cement, are avoided. further features of the invention relate to a highly reliable interlocking anchoring and to avoiding such zones where tensile or notch stresses could occur. brief description of the figures embodiments of the invention will be described in detail below with reference to the remaining drawings, in which figs. 1 and 2 illustrate schematically, in connection with a hip prosthesis, the retaining forces produced, fig. 3 shows a hip-joint prosthesis, fig. 4 shows a finger-joint prosthesis, fig. 5 is a schematic illustration similar to fig. 3, and fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line a--a of fig. 5. detailed description of the preferred embodiments fig. 3 shows a metallic hip-joint prosthesis having an articular head 20 joined by means of a leg 21 to a shaft generally indicated at 22. the articular head 20, the leg 21 and the shaft 22 may be formed integrally or may be assembled, for instance by screwing, from individual parts. the upper portion of the shaft surface is composed of plural spherical surfaces 23, 24, 25 intersecting each other. the transition zones 26, 27, 28, 29 between the individual spherical surfaces 23 . . . 25, between the uppermost spherical surface 23 and the proximal shaft portion 30 joined to the leg 21, and between the lowermost spherical surface 25 and the slightly conically shaped distal shaft portion 31 are designed as concavely rounded annular surfaces. the shape of the shaft is based on the finding that when a sphere is pressed into a viscous material only radial compressive forces will occur. this holds even if several such spheres are arranged in series along the shaft axis. as indicated by the symbols (+) in the schematic illustration of fig. 5, with such an arrangement of a plurality of spheres, only compressive forces will occur at practically all locations in the bone cement 32. when the force p shown in fig. 5 acts on the articular ball 20, the lower half of each sphere of the shaft will exclusively produce forces of pressure. furthermore, each upper sphere bears on the adjacent lower sphere via the bone cement 32 so that compressive forces will exist also in the region between the spheres. as is furthermore apparent from the schematic illustration of fig. 5, the spheres or spherical surfaces 23 . . . 25 have radii which decrease from the proximal to the distal shaft end, and they intersect each other only to such an extent that the centres of adjacent spheres are outside the intersecting zone. moreover it is preferable for each sphere to have a maximum radius as far as this is permitted by the cavity 33 available within the bone. this cavity 33 is constituted substantially by the natural cavity from which the marrow has been removed. the inner surface of this cavity may be abraded so as to achieve an intimate bond with the bone cement 32. in order to prevent the prosthesis from rotating about the shaft axis relative to the bone, at least one of the spheres is flattened to an ellipsoid shape or formed otherwise unsymmetrically in its cross-section as illustrated in fig. 6. to ensure the forces introduced from the torsional moments to be reliably accommodated, this flattened body is disposed in the middle of the shaft. in this area, additional forces are most readily accommodated without the risk of fractures. as shown by the sectional line a--a, the flattened body is the central sphere 24 in the embodiment of fig. 5. fig. 4 shows an example of a design of a prosthesis shaft 35 for a finger joint. the shaft 35 itself is designed substantially analogous to the shaft 22 of the hip-joint prosthesis of fig. 3 with a corresponding reduction in size, due to the reduced bone length available and the smaller forces occurring in this case, the distal shaft portion 31 illustrated in fig. 3 has been omitted. the proximal joint portion 36 which starts from the shaft is designed in accordance with the natural joint socket.
|
193-345-520-478-589
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO"
] |
B01D53/14,B01D53/52,B01D53/48,C08G12/12,C08L61/24,C09J161/24,C09K8/532
| 2017-05-30T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"B01",
"C08",
"C09"
] |
scavengers
|
the implementations described herein generally relate to methods and chemical compositions for scavenging sulfur-containing compounds, and more particularly to methods and compositions for scavenging, for example, h 2 s and mercaptans from sulfur-containing streams. in one implementation, a method for scavenging a sulfur-containing compound from a sulfur-containing stream is provided. the method comprises contacting the sulfur-containing stream with a scavenging system for scavenging the sulfur-containing compound, wherein the scavenging system comprises urea formaldehyde reaction products.
|
1 . a method for scavenging a sulfur-containing compound from a sulfur-containing stream comprising: contacting the sulfur-containing stream with a scavenging system for scavenging the sulfur-containing compound, wherein the scavenging system comprises urea formaldehyde reaction products. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the scavenging system further comprises buffers, inorganic base additives selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof, and combinations thereof. 3 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the scavenging system has a ph from 5 to 13. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products have a formaldehyde to urea mole ratio from 0.5:1 to 20:1. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting the sulfur-containing stream with the scavenging system comprises contacting at a temperature range from about −50° c. to about 180° c. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products have a free formaldehyde content from 0% to 70%. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the scavenging system further comprises one or more additives selected from the group consisting of non-water solvents, dispersants, foam control agents, scale inhibitors, and combinations thereof. 8 . the method of claim 7 , wherein the solvents comprise alcohol and/or polyalcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations thereof. 9 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products are selected from the group consisting of monomethylolurea, polyhydroxymethylureas, condensation products of monomethylolurea, condensation products of polyhydroxymethylureas, and combinations thereof. 10 . the method of claim 9 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products are selected from the group consisting of monomethylolurea, dimethylolurea, trimethylolurea, tetramethylolurea, dimethylolruron, and combinations thereof. 11 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the scavenging system further comprises water, wherein the water is from about 10 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the scavenging system. 12 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products comprise up to 95 wt. % of the scavenging system. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products are obtained by the reaction of urea with formaldehyde. 14 . the method of claim 13 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products are obtained by the reaction of 25% urea with 60% formaldehyde. 15 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the urea formaldehyde reaction products are obtained by reaction of methanol, air and urea in the presence of a catalyst. 16 . the method of claim 1 , wherein contacting the sulfur-containing stream with a scavenging system occurs at temperatures up to 180° c. 17 . a treated stream comprising: a sulfur-containing stream; a sulfur-containing contaminant; and a scavenging system scavenging system comprises urea formaldehyde reaction products in an amount effective to at least partially remove the sulfur-containing contaminant from the sulfur-containing stream.
|
related application data this application claims benefit to u.s. provisional application no. 62/512,512, filed may 30, 2017, of which the entire contents of the application are incorporated by reference herein. field the implementations described herein generally relate to methods and chemical compositions for scavenging sulfur-containing compounds, and more particularly to methods and compositions for scavenging, for example, sulfur-containing compounds such as h 2 s and mercaptans from sulfur-containing streams. background produced crude oil often contains hydrogen sulfide (h 2 s) as a contaminant from various sources in different crude oil reservoirs. h 2 s is a highly undesirable gas contaminant in crude oil due to its toxicity as well as corrosive nature. h 2 s is soluble in oil and water, but is released into the gas phase due to its high vapor pressure. it accumulates quickly and is present in high concentration in the gas phase, which is a hazard to operational personnel as well as any metal containment such as pipelines, process and storage equipment. the h 2 s concentration can be reduced by processing crude oil in a dedicated amine plant or by chemical reaction with a h 2 s scavenger additive. mono-ethanolamine based mea-triazine has been the most prevalent h 2 s scavenger in use today, with mono-methyl amine, mma-triazine to a lesser extent. mea-triazine is very effective, economical and fast reacting scavenger, although solids can be formed under certain conditions, to restrict flow in valves and pipelines. polysulfide solids formation can be avoided by careful operational control and mma-triazine seems to have a much lower tendency to form these undesirable solids. however, both triazines have low thermal stabilities and can easily be decomposed at higher temperatures. the use of these scavengers is limited to lower temperature operations and storage below 50° c. is often recommended. however, some scavenger applications require operational temperatures as high as 180° c. where the traditional scavengers fail to function. in one embodiment, the scavenger system may be used as temperatures from greater than 50° c. to 180° c., for example, from greater than 50° c. to 120° c. it would be desirable if methods and compositions could be devised that would remove, reduce, eliminate, take out or otherwise remove such contaminants. summary the implementations described herein generally relate to methods and chemical compositions for scavenging sulfur-containing compounds, and more particularly to methods and compositions for scavenging, for example, sulfur-containing compounds such as h 2 s and mercaptans from sulfur-containing streams. in one implementation, a method for scavenging a sulfur-containing compound from a sulfur-containing stream is provided. the method comprises contacting the sulfur-containing stream with a scavenging system for scavenging the sulfur-containing compound, wherein the scavenging system comprises urea formaldehyde reaction products. in yet another implementation, a treated stream is provided. the treated stream comprises a sulfur-containing stream, a sulfur-containing contaminant, and a multi-component scavenging system in an amount effective to at least partially remove the sulfur-containing contaminant from the sulfur-containing stream. the multi-component scavenging system urea formaldehyde reaction products. the features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed can be achieved independently in various implementations or may be combined in yet other implementations, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings. brief description of illustrations so that the manner in which the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the disclosure briefly summarized above may be had by reference to implementations, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. it is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical implementations of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosure may admit to other equally effective implementations. fig. 1 is a graph illustrating the comparison of scavenger performance at ambient temperature and pressure for sulfur content of h 2 s equivalent (g/l) in the scavenging system by combustion gc analysis of the prior art monoethanolamine-triazine (“mea-triazine”) and the scavenger system of the present invention; and fig. 2 is an isothermal dsc scan at 120° c. comparing mea-triazine with and the scavenger system of the present invention. to facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, wherever possible, to designate identical elements that are common to the figures. additionally, elements of one implementation may be advantageously adapted for utilization in other implementations described herein. detailed description the following disclosure describes processes and compositions for the removal of sulfur-containing compounds from sulfur-containing streams, such as gaseous or liquid sulfur-containing hydrocarbon streams, and devices for carrying out the aforementioned process. certain details are set forth in the following description and in figs. 1-2 to provide a thorough understanding of various implementations of the disclosure. other details describing well-known methods and systems often associated with the removal of sulfur-containing compounds are not set forth in the following disclosure to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the description of the various implementations. many of the details, components and other features described herein are merely illustrative of particular implementations. accordingly, other implementations can have other details, components, and features without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. in addition, further implementations of the disclosure can be practiced without several of the details described below. as used herein, the following terms have the meaning set forth below unless otherwise stated or clear from the context of their use. when introducing elements of the present disclosure or exemplary aspects or implementation(s) thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. the terms “comprising,” “including” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. the term “scavenger system” encompasses a combination of components or additives, whether added to a stream separately or together, that scavenge one or more of the contaminants noted herein. the term “urea formaldehyde reaction products” refers to one or more compounds made from the reaction of urea with formaldehyde or to one or more compounds made from the reaction of methanol, air and urea in the presence of a catalyst, or a combination of both. all percentages, preferred amounts or measurements, ranges and endpoints thereof herein are inclusive, that is, “less than about 10” includes about 10. “at least” is, thus, equivalent to “greater than or equal to,” and “at most” is, thus, equivalent “to less than or equal to.” numbers herein have no more precision than stated. thus, “105” includes at least from 104.5 to 105.49. furthermore, all lists are inclusive of combinations of two or more members of the list. all ranges from a parameter described as “at least,” “greater than,” “greater than or equal to” or similarly, to a parameter described as “at most,” “up to,” “less than,” “less than or equal to” or similarly are preferred ranges regardless of the relative degree of preference indicated for each parameter. thus a range that has an advantageous lower limit combined with a most preferred upper limit is preferred for the practice of the implementations described herein. all amounts, ratios, proportions and other measurements are by weight unless stated otherwise. all percentages refer to weight percent (wt. %) based on total composition according to the practice of the invention unless stated otherwise. in some implementations, the sulfur-containing stream to be treated is a sulfur-containing hydrocarbon stream, especially a natural gas stream, an associated gas stream, or a refinery gas stream. natural gas is a general term that is applied to mixtures of inert and light hydrocarbon components that are derived from natural gas wells. the main component of natural gas is methane. further, often ethane, propane and butane are present. in some cases (small) amounts of higher hydrocarbons may be present, often indicated as natural gas liquids or condensates. inert compounds may be present, especially nitrogen, carbon dioxide and, occasionally, helium. when produced together with oil, the natural gas is usually indicated as associated gas. sulfur-containing compounds, for example, hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, sulfides, disulfides, thiophenes and aromatic mercaptans may be present in natural gas in varying amounts. refinery streams concern crude oil derived sulfur-containing streams containing smaller or larger amounts of sulfur compounds. also recycle streams and bleed streams of hydrotreatment processes, especially hydrodesulfurization processes, may be treated by the process according to the present disclosure. the sulfur-containing compounds which may be removed by the processes of the present disclosure are in principle all compounds which are removed by scavengers. usually the sulfur-containing compounds include, for example, hydrogen sulfide, carbonyl sulfide, mercaptans, organic sulfides, organic disulfides, thiophene compounds, aromatic mercaptans, or mixtures thereof. suitable mercaptans include c 1 -c 6 mercaptans, such as c 1 -c 4 mercaptans. suitable organic sulfides include di-c 1 -c 4 -alkyl sulfides. suitable organic disulfides include di-c 1 -c 4 -alkyl disulfides. suitable aromatic mercaptans include phenyl mercaptan. in some implementations, the sulfur-containing stream can be a dry gaseous sulfur-containing stream. the dry gaseous sulfur-containing stream may have an amount of water less than or equal to 10 ppmv; an amount of water less than or equal to 5 ppmv; an amount of water less than or equal to 1 ppmv. the dry gaseous sulfur-containing stream may have an amount of water between 0.01 ppmv and 10 ppmv; an amount of water between 1 ppmv and 10 ppmv; an amount of water between 1 ppmv and 5 ppmv; an amount of water between 5 ppmv and 10 ppmv. in some implementations, the sulfur-containing stream, may contain a certain amount of water, preferably up to 50% mol and more preferably less than or equal to 10,000 ppm mol. in one implementation, a scavenger system for removing sulfur-containing compounds is provided. the scavenger system comprises urea formaldehyde reaction products. the scavenging system may further include water. the scavenging system may further include buffers, inorganic base additives selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof, and combinations thereof. the scavenging system may further include one or more additives selected from the group consisting of solvents, dispersants, foam control agents, scale inhibitors, and combinations thereof. these components may be added to the sulfur-containing stream separately in any order or together as a combination or package or blend. it is expected that in most cases, the components will be added as a package for convenience. the scavenger “scavenges” or otherwise removes or partially removes, sulfur-containing compounds from sulfur-containing hydrocarbon streams, such as crude oil streams or other hydrocarbon streams where the sulfur-containing contaminants may be present from any source. in some implementations, the scavenger includes urea formaldehyde reaction products derivable by reaction of urea with formaldehyde or derivable by reaction of methanol, air and urea in the presence of a catalyst, or a combination of products derived from both reactions. preferably, such reactions are performed under non-acidic conditions. in implementation where the scavenger includes urea formaldehyde reaction products derivable by reaction of urea with formaldehyde, the formaldehyde:urea mole ratio is from about 0.5:1 to about 20:1, such as from about 1:1 to about 20:1, for example from about 2:1 to about 10:1. preferably, an excess molar amount of formaldehyde is used for the reaction. with the use of an excess molar amount of formaldehyde, free formaldehyde may be present in the urea formaldehyde reaction products. in such implementations, the free formaldehyde content may be from greater than 0% to about 70%, such as from about 10% to about 40% of the urea formaldehyde reaction products. the free formaldehyde in the urea formaldehyde reaction products could exist in as is, or exist in an acetal or hemiacetal form with water, such as methylene glycol (cas #463-57-0) as well as with alcohols and/or polyalcohols. in one implementation, the urea formaldehyde reaction products contain a distribution of products with primary components including, and not limited to, monomethylolurea (cas 140-95-4) and polyhydroxymethylureas such as dimethylolurea (cas 140-95-4), trimethylolurea (cas 13329-70-9), tetramethylolurea (cas 2787-01-1), and condensation products of these, such as dimethylolruron (cas 7327-69-7). in one implementation, the urea formaldehyde reaction products are selected from the group consisting of monomethylolurea, polyhydroxymethylureas, condensation products of monomethylolurea, condensation products of polyhydroxymethylureas, and combinations thereof. the urea formaldehyde reaction products may also include unreacted urea, formaldehyde, methanol, and combinations thereof, depending on the formation reaction. the urea formaldehyde reaction products may be present in an effective amount for removing desired amounts of the sulfur-containing compound from the sulfur-containing stream to be treated. the urea formaldehyde reaction products be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 10% to about 90%, by weight (wt. %). for example, the urea formaldehyde reaction products be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 40% to about 70%, by weight (wt. %). alternatively, the urea formaldehyde reaction products are in the form of a concentrate as high as 95 wt. %, such as about 85 wt. %. such concentrated urea formaldehyde reaction products can be diluted, or further formulated, at another location. in one implementation, the urea formaldehyde reaction products based on a concentrate is made from 60% formaldehyde and 25% urea. this reaction can occur under alkaline conditions. commercial examples of suitable urea formaldehyde reaction products based on concentrates include ufc-85 and casco™ uf85 concentrate, all commercially available from hexion inc. of columbus, ohio. the urea formaldehyde reaction products' chemical reactions may be performed under non-acidic conditions, with ph control by base and/or buffer addition. in specific applications to remove h 2 s from crude oil or other fluid, an effective amount of the urea formaldehyde reaction products, ranging from about 1 to about 100,000 ppm may be introduced into the sulfur-containing stream to be treated. typical applications of the urea formaldehyde reaction products scavenger system may involve the addition of between about 1 to about 10,000 ppm (by volume); from about 10 to about 10,000 ppm; from about 50 to about 5,000 ppm; from about 100 to about 200 ppm introduced or injected into the sulfur-containing stream to be treated. alternatively, the addition of the urea formaldehyde reaction products scavenger system may be at a rate of up to about 10 times the amount of contaminant present in the stream, in another non-limiting implementation, at a rate of up to about 5 times the amount of contaminant present. in any event, sufficient time, conditions, or both, should be permitted so that the urea formaldehyde reaction products scavenger system reacts with substantially all of the contaminant present. by “substantially all” is meant that no significant corrosion, odor, reactant problems, or a combination occur due to the presence of the contaminant(s). it will be understood that the complete elimination of corrosion, odor or other problems or complete removal of the sulfur-containing contaminants is not required for successful practice of the method. all that is necessary for the method to be considered successful is for the treated sulfur-containing stream to have reduced amounts of the sulfur-containing contaminants as compared to an otherwise identical sulfur-containing hydrocarbon stream, sulfur-containing aqueous stream, or both, having no multi-component scavenger, and optionally, a reduced corrosion capability as compared to an otherwise identical sulfur-containing hydrocarbon stream having an absence of multi-component scavenger. of course, complete removal of a contaminant is acceptable. the scavenger system may also contain other additives to facilitate handling, enhance solubility of the urea formaldehyde reaction products, and avoid operational problems such as foaming and the like. the scavenger system may further comprise one or more materials selected from the group consisting of water; buffers, inorganic base additives selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and combinations thereof, and combinations thereof; solvents, surfactants, foam control agents, scale inhibitors, and combinations thereof; and combinations thereof. in some implementations the scavenger system further comprises water. the water may be added as part of the other components of the scavenger system or may be added as a separate component. water may be present in an effective amount for removing desired amounts of the sulfur-containing compound from the sulfur-containing stream to be treated. water may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 10 wt. % to about 90 wt. %, such as from about 30 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of the scavenger system. alternatively, for urea formaldehyde reaction products concentrates, the water present may be as low as 5 wt. %. in some implementations, the scavenger system further comprises buffers. suitable buffers include, but not limited to inorganic buffers such as sodium tetraborate and sodium phosphate as well as organic buffers such as tricine and diglycine; and combinations thereof. the buffers may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 0.1 wt. % to about 10 wt. %, such as from about 0.5 wt. % to about 5 wt. % of the scavenger system. in some implementations, the scavenger system further comprises inorganic base additives. suitable inorganic base additives include, but not limited to sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide or combinations thereof the inorganic base additives may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 0.001 wt. % to about 5 wt. %, such as from about 0.01 wt. % to about 0.1 wt. % of the scavenger system. the scavenger system may have a ph from about 5 to about 13, such as from about 5.5 to about 11, including from about 5.5 to about 8.5, for example, from about 7 to about 8.5 or from about 6.5 to about 7.5. a neutral ph of 7 is most preferred. the ph may be maintained by the present of buffers, the inorganic base additives, and combinations thereof, which may be added with the reactants or afterwards to maintain the ph. alternatively, the buffers, the inorganic base additives, and combinations thereof, may be added to achieve and/or maintain the ph levels described herein. it is believed that a neutral ph or ph around neutral of this scavenger system minimizes scale formation as compared to the alternative high alkalinity mea triazines (even in the presence of scale inhibitors), which has been observed to enhance scale formation. it particular, it has been observed that that calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate precipitate at alkaline ph and not at a neutral ph. it is believed that the neutral ph of this invention, including from about 5.5 to about 8.5, and such as from about 6.5 to about 7.5, significantly reduce the risk of scale formation by using this product in applications involving high salinity brines. in some implementations, the scavenger system further comprises a non-water solvent. suitable non-water solvents include organic solvents that will decrease the freezing point of the scavenger system, which organic solvents are known as freeze point depressors. suitable organic solvents for the scavenger system include, but are not necessarily limited to, formamide, propylene carbonate, tetrahydrofuran, alcohols, polyalcohols (glycols), and mixtures thereof alone or without water. suitable alcohols and glycols include methanol, ethanol, propanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerol, and combinations thereof. the non-water solvent may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 0.1 wt. % to about 60 wt. %, such as from about 1 wt. % to about 30 wt. % of the scavenger system. in some implementations, the scavenger system further comprises a surfactant. the surfactants may help disperse the scavenger into the treated gas stream. suitable non-nitrogen-containing surfactants include, but are not necessarily limited to, alkoxylated alkyl alcohols and salts thereof and alkoxylated alkyl phenols and salts thereof, alkyl and aryl sulfonates, sulfates, phosphates, carboxylates, polyoxyalkyl glycols, fatty alcohols, polyoxyethylene glycol sorbitan alkyl esters, sorbitan alkyl esters, polysorbates, glucosides, and the like, and combinations thereof. other suitable surfactants may include, but are not necessarily limited to, quaternary amine compounds, quaternary ammonium compounds, amine oxide surfactants, silicone based surfactants, and the like. these surfactants can be ionic, such as cationic surfactants such as quaternary alkyl amines or salts such as tetrabutylammomium acetate, tetrabutylammonium bromide, tetrabutylammonium nitrate, etc.; anionic surfactants such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium lauryl ether sulfate, or non-ionic surfactants such as polymers or copolymers based on ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and alkoxylates based on substrates such as alkylphenol or alkylphenol based resins, polyamines, other polyols, or mixtures thereof. exemplary quaternary ammonium based surfactants include alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, didecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, alkyl dimethyl ethyl benzyl ammonium chloride, and combinations thereof. the surfactant families can also include members from the amphoteric class, such as amine oxides, betaines, etc. exemplary silicone based surfactants include polyether-functional siloxanes, which could be linear, branched or cyclic in configuration, with oxyalkylate pendant groups based on homopolymers, block-co-polymers or random polymers based on ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, butylene oxide or higher molecular mass epoxides, such as the tegostab® family of silicone surfactants. the surfactant may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 0.001 wt. % to about 5 wt. %, such as from about 0.01 wt. % to about 1 wt. % of the scavenger system. in some implementations, the scavenger system further comprises foam control agents. suitable foam control agents include, but not limited to copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide, alkyl poly acrylates, fatty alcohol derivatives, fatty acid derivatives, silicone based products (such as polydimethylsiloxane emulsions), or combinations thereof. the foam control agents may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 0.1 ppm to about 1,000 ppm, such as from about 1 ppm to about 100 ppm of the scavenger system. in some implementations, the scavenger system further comprises a scale inhibitor. scale inhibitors are added to produced waters from oil fields and gas fields to mitigate precipitation of minerals, especially sparingly soluble salts, present in the produced water that would occur during production and downstream processing of the water. generally the compounds subject to producing scale are referenced as scale farmers. those compounds include but are not limited to: hardness, metals, alkalinity (including but not limited to carbonates), sulfates, silica, and combinations thereof. such precipitation (scaling) leads to fouling and plugging of piping, valves, process equipment, and the oil-bearing formation. suitable scale inhibitors are typically formed from organophosphates, polyacrylic acid, polymaleic acid, hydrolyzed water-soluble copolymers of maleic anhydride, polycarboxylates, phosphonates, phosphates, sulfonates and polyamides, along with the use of polyaspartic acids, and their mixtures with surfactants and emulsifiers for inhibiting or delaying precipitation of scale forming compounds. other suitable scale inhibitors include, but are not necessarily limited to, phosphate esters, acetylenic alcohols, fatty acids, alkyl-substituted carboxylic acids and anhydrides, polyacrylic acids, quaternary amines, sulfur-oxygen phosphates, polyphosphate esters, and combinations thereof. the at least one scale inhibitor may be present in an effective amount for mitigating precipitation of minerals occurring during production. the scale inhibitor may be present in the scavenger system in an amount from about 0.01 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, such as from about 1 wt. % to about 10 wt. % of the scavenger system. it will be understood herein that the respective amounts of the aforementioned components and any optional components used in the detectable composition will total 100 weight percent and amounts of the above stated ranges will be adjusted if necessary to achieve the same. in another implementation the methods described herein can use the same composition amounts described above for the composition. in one implementation, the scavenger system may include: from about 10 wt. % to about 95 wt. % of urea-formaldehyde reaction products, from about 10 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of water, if present, 0.1 wt. % to about 10 wt. % of buffer, if present, from about 0.001 wt. % to about 5 wt. % of inorganic base additives, if present, from about 0.1 wt. % to about 60 wt. % of non-water solvent, if present, from about 0.001 wt. % to about 5 wt. % of surfactant, if present, from about 0.1 ppm to about 1,000 ppm of foam control agent, and if present, from about 0.01 wt. % to about 20 wt. %, of scale inhibitor, where the respective amounts of the aforementioned components and any optional components used in the detectable composition will total 100 weight percent and amounts of the above stated ranges will be adjusted if necessary to achieve the same in accordance with the processes of the present disclosure, the scavenger system is contacted with the sulfur-containing stream containing the sulfur-containing compounds, especially hydrogen sulfide. the contacting can be effected in any convenient manner such as by injection of the multi-component scavenger composition into a process or transport line; passing the sulfur-containing stream such as a sulfur-containing hydrocarbon stream, for example, a sulfur-containing natural gas stream through a stirred or non-stirred vessel that contains the multi-component scavenger composition; or spraying or otherwise introducing the scavenger composition for contact with the hydrocarbon stream. in one implementation, contacting the (liquid and/or gaseous) sulfur-containing stream with the scavenger system may be achieved by liquid injection of the scavenger system into a sulfur-containing liquid stream or sprayed as a mist into a sulfur-containing gaseous stream. in some instances, the scavenger composition can be introduced into a well hole. the hydrocarbon stream may contain other components depending upon source. especially for natural gas streams, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water are often present. one advantage of the multi-component scavenging system of the present disclosure is that the compositions are sufficiently robust to tolerate presence of other components in the hydrocarbon stream while still scavenging sulfur-containing compounds. the gaseous sulfur-containing streams to be treated in accordance with the present disclosure may contain from about 10 to about 100,000 ppmv of the sulfur-containing compound. in one implementation, contacting the (liquid and/or gaseous) sulfur-containing stream with the scavenger system may be achieved by direct injection into an oil well or reservoir; directly injected into a production system, such as a production line; directly into bulk transport systems such as ships, railcars or trucks, as well as storage systems such as tanks or other storage containers. the duration of the contact between the sulfur-containing stream and the scavenger system is sufficient to provide a treated hydrocarbon stream substantially devoid of hydrogen sulfide. a treated hydrocarbon stream substantially devoid of hydrogen sulfide may contain, for example, less than about 1 ppmv of hydrogen sulfide, such as less than about 0.01 ppmv of hydrogen sulfide. in most operations, the scavenger system is used until an undesired breakthrough of hydrogen sulfide occurs in the treated hydrocarbon stream. the temperature of the contacting can vary over a wide range and will often be determined by the temperature of the environment and the incoming hydrocarbon stream to be treated. in some implementations, the temperature is from −50 degrees celsius and 180 degrees celsius; such as from about 50 degrees celsius to 140 degrees celsius. when the method scavenges sulfur-containing compounds from a gaseous phase, the method may be practiced by contacting the gaseous phase with droplets of the scavenger system. in one implementation, the multi-component scavenging system is sprayed into the gas stream via atomizing nozzles. rapid and homogenous distribution of the multi-component oxygen scavenger may be achieved by the multi-component scavenger being sprayed into the gas stream (hydrocarbon stream) via atomizing nozzles. the atomized droplets may have a droplet size, for example, between 5 to 50 micrometers, such as 10 to 20 micrometers. a suitable atomizing nozzle is any nozzle form known to those skilled in the art. the atomization is performed either due to high velocity of the liquid to be atomized, the high velocity being generated, for example, by a corresponding cross-sectional area constriction of the nozzle, or else via rapidly rotating nozzle components. such nozzles having rapidly rotating nozzle components are, for example, high-speed rotary bells. a further possibility for atomizing the liquid is passing in addition to the liquid a gas stream through the atomizing nozzle. the liquid is entrained by the gas stream and as a result atomized into fine droplets. for very fine atomization, suitable nozzles are, in particular, atomizing nozzles in which the liquid is atomized by a gas stream, or nozzles having a relatively small bore which require a correspondingly high liquid pressure. in an alternative embodiment, the scavenger system described herein may include a pour point modifier, for example methanol. the pour point modifier may provide a pour point below −40° c. in an alternative embodiment, the scavenger system described herein may include a diluent, for example water. sufficient diluent is added to produce aqueous solutions containing 50 mass % or 50 wt. % of the scavenger system. the diluent reduces the scavenger's system viscosity for ease of handling, such as pumping, and for improved diffusion and mixing of hydrogen sulfide and the scavenger system. in one embodiment, the scavenger system herein may be diluted with water to give a pour point below −40° c. at 50% mass % (or 50 wt. %), while the flash point of an 85% solution is 75° c. as the lower limit of this product. this scavenger system may be made free of alcohols such as methanol and free of anti-freezing agents. this scavenger system has been observed to be non-flammable. it is believed that using water to further increase the flash point, while reducing the pour point, is a much more economical option compared to using methanol. examples aspects and advantages of the implementations described herein are further illustrated by the following examples. the particular materials and amounts thereof, as well as other conditions and details, recited in these examples should not be used to limit the implementations described herein. all parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated. example 1 1371.0 g of a 50% formaldehyde aqueous solution at 65° c. was measured into a 2 liter jacketed reactor equipped with agitator and connected to a circulating bath for temperature control of the reactor at a constant 80° c. 0.5 g of 50% sodium hydroxide was charged to adjust the ph to 8.5-9.0. 274.3 g of urea was added portion wise to the reactor to allow exotherm to raise temperature to 75-85° c. then the rest of urea was added more slowly at regular intervals to avoid temperature excursions above 85° c. due to the strong exothermic nature of the reaction. the reaction was continued under agitation at a constant temperature of 75-85° c. for an additional 30 minutes after the last urea addition to ensure completion while ph was checked every 10 minutes. ph was adjusted with sodium hydroxide 50% to keep ph above 7.2. the reactor content was cooled down to 40-45° c. then the product was transferred to a 2 l-rotovap and was distilled: 145.8 g water was extracted. the product was then cooled to 20-25° c. 1500 g product was retrieved as a clear single aqueous phase of urea-formaldehyde concentrate at 60% solid content. the 60% mass % product was used for subsequent scavenger performance testing. the reaction product is a mixture of low molecular mass oligomers of urea-formaldehyde reaction products, with some branching and ether linkages. at least the following chemical were identified from the reaction: monomethylolurea, dimethylolurea, trimethylolurea, tetramethylolurea, and dimethylolruron. example 2 h 2 s gas was bubbled through an aqueous scavenger solution, with analysis of the sulfur content of the solution at regular intervals. the scavenger testing was done at ambient temperature and pressure with h 2 s in a mixture of 18 mole % h 2 s in co 2 , fed at a controlled rate of 200 ml min −1 . the initial scavenger concentration was set at 60% active and the equivalent, cumulative h 2 s content of the solution was calculated from sulfur analysis data, as shown in fig. 1 (sulfur content of solution as h 2 s equivalent (g/l) by combustion gc analysis). it was noted that the urea-formaldehyde based scavenger of this invention performed very similar to mea-triazine, with almost identical scavenging rate demonstrated by the two parallel slopes in sulfur uptake or scavenging. mea-triazine is the workhorse compound use for h 2 s scavenging in many different applications. however, it is limited in the temperature range of the application and thermal composition of the triazine can start to impact efficiency at temperatures above 60° c. urea formaldehyde concentrate, in contrast shows practical thermal stability at temperatures as high as 140° c. formulation of urea formaldehyde concentrate with winterizing components such as methanol will allow operational use of the product of this invention at temperatures as low as −40° c. fig. 2 shows an isothermal differential scanning calorimetry plot of heat flow at 120° c. as an indication of decomposition reaction, comparing urea formaldehyde concentrate (ufc-85) based scavenger with mea-triazine at the same mass percent (activity level). no decomposition reaction was detected in the case of the urea formaldehyde based scavenger, compared to the exotherm noted for mea-triazine equivalent under identical conditions. the device used for the plot was universal v4.5a ta instruments. although the implementations described herein are typically used for scavenging sulfur-containing compounds from sulfur-containing streams, it should understood that some implementations described herein are also applicable to applications where droplets of water or water based additive are atomized/misted into a system. while the foregoing is directed to implementations of the present disclosure, other and further implementations of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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194-750-318-954-145
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H04W64/00,G05B21/00,G01S5/16,H05B37/02
| 2010-09-02T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"H04",
"G05",
"G01",
"H05"
] |
tracking locations of a computing device and recording locations of sensor units
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systems, methods and apparatuses of tracking locations of a computing device and recording locations of sensor units are disclosed. one method includes tracking a location of a computing device within the area, coupling the computing device with a least one of a plurality of sensor units, and identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units.
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1 . a method of commissioning sensor units within an area, comprising: tracking a location of a computing device within the area; coupling the computing device with a least one of a plurality of sensor units; and identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the computing device includes establishing radio frequency (rf) communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein coupling the computing device includes establishing communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units through a sensor of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the computing device receives the identifier directly from the least one of a plurality of sensor units. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein a backend server receives the identifier from the least one of a plurality of sensor units through a network connection. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein tracking the location of the computing device comprises: establishing a reference location of the computing device; sensing, by a plurality of accelerometers of the computing device, acceleration of the of the computing device; and tracking the location of the computing device based on the reference location and the sensed acceleration of the computing device. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein tracking the location of the computing device comprises: determining a first reference position and a second reference position of a path to be traveled by the computing device; and straight line approximating the path of the computing device between the first reference position and the second reference position. 8 . the method of claim 7 , wherein a directional antenna is associated with the computing device, and a further comprising approximating a location of the computing device along the straight line path based on a receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units. 9 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising compensating for drift of drift of location estimation of the computing device by re-referencing the location estimation based upon a reflected ceiling plan that includes the plurality of sensors, and the straight line approximation and the location approximation of the receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units. 10 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the location of the computing device is tracked by sensing a direction of wheels of a cart associated with the computing device, and measuring rotations of wheels of the cart. 11 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising downloading a reflected ceiling plan of the area to the computing device, and displaying the reflected ceiling plan of the area of a user of the computing device. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the reflected ceiling plan includes locations of the sensor units but not identifications of at least some of the sensor units. 13 . the method of claim 11 , wherein the tracked location of the computing device is displayed on the computing device over the reflected ceiling plan, thereby allowing the user to identify when the tracked location of the computing device deviates relative to known locations of the sensor units of the reflected ceiling plan. 14 . the method of claim 13 , further comprising receiving one or more location reference resets from the user during the tracking of the location of the computing device. 15 . the method of claim 14 , wherein the tracking of the location of a computing device within the area is further based on the location reference resets and the sensed acceleration of the computing device. 16 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the identified and recorded location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units is uploaded to a central server. 17 . the method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises receiving one or more electromagnetic signals that include sensor unit identifiers from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor units, and selecting that at least one of the plurality of sensor units from the plurality of sensor units based on a received signal strength indicator (rssi) of the received one or more electromagnetic signals. 18 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the identification of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units is included within a mac (media access control) address included within the received one or more electromagnetic signals. 19 . the method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises receiving an identification of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units from an operator of the computing device who visually reads and inputs the identification. 20 . a computing apparatus, the computing apparatus operative to: track a plurality of locations of the computing apparatus while the computing apparatus is traveling within an area; couple with at least one of a plurality of sensor units; receive an identifier from the at least one of the plurality of sensor units after coupling with the at least one of a plurality of sensor units; identify and record a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked plurality of locations of the computing apparatus and the identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. 21 . the computing apparatus of claim 20 , wherein coupling the computing apparatus includes establishing radio frequency (rf) communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. 22 . the computing apparatus of claim 20 , wherein coupling the computing apparatus includes establishing communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units through a sensor of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. 23 . the computing apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the computing apparatus receives the identifier directly from the least one of a plurality of sensor units. 24 . the computing apparatus of claim 20 , wherein a backend server receives the identifier from the least one of a plurality of sensor units through a network connection, and the backend server communicates the identifier to the computing apparatus.
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related applications this patent application is a continuation-in-part (cip) of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/040,640, filed sep. 28, 2013, which claims priority to u.s. provisional patent application no. 61/790,037, filed mar. 15, 2013, and which is a continuation-in-part (cip) of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/874,331, filed sep. 2, 2010. field of the embodiments the described embodiments relate generally to a structure plan of a structure. more particularly, the described embodiments relate to apparatuses, methods and systems for tracking locations of a computing device and recording locations of sensor units. background lighting control can be used to automatically control lighting under certain conditions, thereby conserving power. however, lighting control, specifically advanced lighting controls have not been widely adopted in the general commercial market because the installation, setup related costs and complexity have made these lighting systems prohibitively expensive for many commercial customers. to improve installation productivity and accuracy, it is desirable to have methods, systems and apparatuses for tracking locations of a computing device and recording locations of sensor units. summary an embodiment includes a method of commissioning sensor units within an area. the method includes tracking a location of a computing device within the area, coupling the computing device with a least one of a plurality of sensor units, and identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. another embodiment includes a computing apparatus. the computing apparatus is operative to track a plurality of locations of the computing apparatus while the computing apparatus is traveling within an area, couple with at least one of a plurality of sensor units, receive an identifier from the at least one of the plurality of sensor units after coupling with the at least one of a plurality of sensor units, identify and record a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked plurality of locations of the computing apparatus and the identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. other aspects and advantages of the described embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the described embodiments. brief description of the drawings fig. 1a shows a mobile computing device downloading a plan of a structure, according to an embodiment. fig. 1b shows a mobile computing device collecting information about devices (sensor units) within a structure including identifying and recording locations of the devices, according to an embodiment. fig. 2 shows a mobile computing device traveling path along rows of fixtures, and recording locations of identified devices, according to an embodiment. fig. 3a shows a path of a mobile computing device between devices or sensors that are designated as reference devices, according to an embodiment. fig. 3b shows mobile computing device that includes a directional antenna, according to an embodiment. fig. 3c shows a path of a mobile computing device as the mobile computing device travels along a path of multiple devices (sensor units), according to an embodiment. fig. 4 shows a central server communicating the mobile computing device and with the devices of the structure while the mobile computing device travels along a path, according to an embodiment. fig. 5 is a flow chart that includes steps of a method of commissioning sensor units (devices and/or fixtures) within an area, according to an embodiment. fig. 6 is a flow chart that includes steps of a method of configuring a set of devices of a structure, according to an embodiment. fig. 7 shows a lighting device, according to an embodiment. fig. 8 shows a user interface of a mobile computing device that facilitates placements of the devices on the plan, according to an embodiment. detailed description the described embodiments are embodied in an apparatuses, systems and methods of tracking locations of a mobile computing device as the mobile computing device travels amongst devices (such as, lighting fixtures, temperature control devices, or other types of sensor units) of an area. further, for the described embodiments, the mobile computing device receives identification information of the devices (sensor units), and records locations of the devices based on the received identification information of the devices, and the tracked locations of the mobile computing device. fig. 1a shows a mobile computing device 112 downloading a plan of a structure from a central server 110 , according to an embodiment. the structure can include, for example, a building, a parking lot, or any other structure that might include lighting devices or any other devices, such as, temperature and environmental control units. for an embodiment, the plan provides for placement of the devices, but may not include exact or precise knowledge of which devices are placed at which location within the structure. that is, for example, the plan may provide approximate location of a device, but may not include information of which device is at which approximate location. the mobile computing device can use this information as a first data point in determining the precise locations of each of the devices within the structure. fig. 1b shows a mobile computing device 112 collecting information about devices within a structure including identifying and recording locations of the devices, according to an embodiment. the mobile computing device 112 can include, for example, a smart mobile phone (such as an iphone) or a laptop personal computer (which possibly include gps capability). the mobile device can be used to communicate information from the mobile device to a sensor device using radio technology or other means of communications. this is, for example, to specify the location of the sensor, give a command to a sensor, and associate two or more sensors. additionally, the mobile device can receive communications from a sensor device using radio technology or other means of communications. this allows a sensor device to be identified (and location recorded), give commands (such as direct motion), and provide results from an operation. as shown, a structure 100 includes sensor units or devices (such as fixtures 121 - 129 ) that are located within or around the structure. while generally described as devices, for at least some embodiments, the devices include a variety of types of devices or sensor units, such as, but not limited to, a lighting fixture, a power receptacle, a power junction box, an environmental control unit, and/or a sensor unit utilized for lighting or environmental control. a general plan or floor plan of the structure may provide approximate placement of the devices within the structure. for an embodiment, the mobile computing device 112 is transported around the structure. one exemplary path of travel is shown. as the mobile computing device 112 travels around the structure 100 , for at least some embodiments, the mobile computing device 112 communicates with one or more of the devices 121 - 129 . for an embodiment, the mobile computing device 112 includes a radio that allows the mobile computing device to communicate with each of the devices 121 - 129 through a communications channel utilized by, for example, the central server 110 , or gateways associated with the central server 110 to communicate with the devices 121 - 129 . for at least some other embodiments, the mobile computing device 112 communicates with one or more of the devices 121 - 129 by stimulating a sensor of the one or more devices, rather than communicating through the communications channel. for at least some other embodiments, the mobile computing device communicates with one or more of the devices by stimulating a power load sensor (by, for example, loading the power load sensor with a specified load) of the one or more devices, rather than communicating through the communications channel. for an embodiment, as the mobile computing device 112 moves within the structure, the mobile computing device 112 transmits a communications signal (or sensor stimulus) that is received by one or more of the devices 121 - 129 . for an embodiment, the devices 121 - 129 respond to the communication or communications signal from the mobile computing device with a device identifier. for an embodiment, the response includes communication of the device identifier to at least one of the mobile computing device and/or central server (alternatively referred to as a backend server) 110 . for an embodiment, the devices 121 - 129 respond to the communications signal with a device identifier and proximity dependent information. for an embodiment, the device identifier includes a mac (media access control) address of the device. for an embodiment, the proximity dependent information includes a link quality indicator (lqi) of the received communication signal (as will be described, the communication signal may be an rf (radio frequency signals or a light signal). the lqi includes, for example, a received signal strength indicator (rssi) that provides an indication of how close the mobile computing device is to the particular device. for an embodiment, the proximity dependent information is communicated from the mobile computing device. that is, owing to the fact that the mobile computing device has just stimulated the sensor of one or more devices, the mobile computing device is proximate to the one or more devices, and therefore, can provide an approximate location of the simulated device or sensor unit. for an embodiment, the proximity dependent information includes an ambient light level. for an embodiment, a current ambient light level is included within the lqi (link quality indicator). for an embodiment, the user or operator of, for example, the mobile device illuminates the sensor device with a beam of light. the sensor device senses the intensity of the beam of light, which can also server as the communication between the mobile device and the sensor device. further, a light sensor of the sensor device senses an intensity of the received beam of light. in this use case, the operator could illuminate the sensor and immediately see which sensor is targeted in a user interface (ui) of the mobile device. further, for an embodiment in which a known load is applied to the sensor device (through, for example, a plug load device) the sensor device reports, for example, in the lqi data stream that it is being targeted, and therefore is immediately identified in the mobile device ui. such described embodiments include approximating the location of the device based on the location of the mobile computing device. for at least some embodiments, the transmit power of the mobile device is varied which adjusts, the size of the set of responding devices. for example, by sufficiently reducing the transmit power of the mobile device, only the nearest device or devices (to the mobile device) will respond, a procedure which may further augment the process of locating a device on a floor plan. that is, for example, by varying the transmit power an lqi list generated by the responding devices can be adjusted in length (that is, the number of responding devices is adjusted). further, at least some embodiments include adjusting the timing of the response of the devices. by adjusting the timing of the response of the devices, congestion due to near simultaneous responses can be alleviated. for an embodiment, the response times of the devices is randomly selected. for an embodiment, the response time of each device is selected based at least in part on a mac (media access control) address of the device. for example, the response time of each device can be selected based on the last bit or byte of the mac address of the device. typically, a user that is operating the mobile computing device has a visual of the devices the mobile computing device is communicating with, but this is not required. upon receiving responses back from one or more of the devices, the mobile computing device can attempt to place each of the devices on the plan or floor plan based on the proximity dependent information. for example, typically the device responding with the highest or best lqi is the device located most proximate to the mobile computing device. therefore, the mobile computing device can place the device on the plan based on this information. for an embodiment, the mobile computing device (or a user of the mobile computing device) can confirm the placement by sending a message to a specifically placed device using the device identification (such as, mac address). the message indicates to the specific device to provide a user observable indicator. a user observable indicator can be visual, audible or any other means that allows for the mobile computing device or a user of the mobile computing device to confirm the indicator. once the indicator has been received, the mobile computing device can confirm the placement of the device on the plan or floor plan. many different embodiments for device identification and placement are possible. one embodiment includes sending a command to the target device to identify itself, after which the device responds with a visual or audio or other signal. to facilitate mass verification of device identity and placement, an embodiment includes a bulk process that includes instructing each device in a floor plan, selected in an order (for an embodiment, the order includes a serpentine order), to respond and identify itself. for an embodiment, the serpentine order proceeds down one row of devices, verifying each device at a time, and when the last device in the row is processed, the last device on the next row is selected. this procedure ensures that the next device to be verified is physically close to the prior device. the process continues automatically and un-attended until all devices have been verified. to further speed up the verification and identification process (and verifying that radio communications is established with each device), at least some embodiment include capabilities to issue wireless commands to all devices to turn off/on the light simultaneously, or selected devices from the software user interface to do the same. fig. 2 shows a mobile computing device traveling path along rows of fixtures, and recording locations of identified devices, according to an embodiment. by tracking the location(s) of the computing device 242 as the computing device travels proximate to the devices 121 - 129 (fixtures or sensor units), locations of the 121 - 129 devices (fixtures or sensor units) can be determined and recorded. that is, the computing device 242 is operative to track a location of the computing device within the area that includes the devices 121 - 129 (fixtures or sensor units). as the computing device 242 travels, the computing device 242 is operative to couple with a least one of a plurality of sensor units. in response to the coupling with a sensor unit, the sensor unit responds with an identifier, that uniquely identifies the sensor unit. based on the responded identifier, either the computing device, or a central or backend server (such as, central server 110 ) identifies and records a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. for an embodiment, the computing device receives the identifier directly from the least one of a plurality of sensor units. for an embodiment, the backend server receives the identifier from the least one of a plurality of sensor units through a network connection. tracking the location(s) of the computing device for at least some embodiments, tracking the location of the computing device includes establishing a reference location of the computing device, sensing, by a plurality of accelerometers of the computing device, acceleration of the of the computing device, and tracking the location of the computing device based on the reference location and the sensed acceleration of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, the location of the computing device is tracked by sensing a direction of wheels of a cart associated with the computing device, and measuring rotations of wheels of the cart. for at least some embodiments, the location of the computing device is tracked using optical signals, similar to optical mouse technology to track location of computing device. at least some embodiments further include downloading a reflected ceiling plan of the area to the computing device, and displaying the reflected ceiling plan of the area of a user of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, the reflected ceiling plan includes locations of the sensor units but not identifications of at least some of the sensor units. for at least some embodiments, the tracked location of the computing device is displayed on the computing device over the reflected ceiling plan, thereby allowing the user to identify when the tracked location of the computing device deviates relative to known locations of the sensor units of the reflected ceiling plan. at least some embodiments further include receiving one or more location reference resets from the user during the tracking of the location of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, the tracking of the location of a computing device within the area is further based on the location reference resets and the sensed acceleration of the computing device. fig. 3a shows a path of a mobile computing device between devices or sensors that are designated as reference devices, according to an embodiment. as shown, the computing device travels between a first reference 1 (sensor unit 1 ) and a second reference 2 (sensor unit 2 ). if within an open area, the operator of the computing device can maintain a near straight line between the references (reference 1 and reference 2 ). the references designate sensor units in which the location of the sensor units is precisely known. therefore, based on these references, the computing device can estimate locations between the references base on the references, and sensed motion of the computing device. assuming the operator travels a near-straight line between the references, the deviation from the path errors as depicted by the arrow 302 can be assume to be small. therefore, the focus of the location tracking can be on the errors along the path as depicted by the arrow 304 . for at least some embodiments, tracking the location of the computing device includes determining a first reference position and a second reference position of a path to be traveled by the computing device, and straight line approximating the path of the computing device between the first reference position and the second reference position. fig. 3b shows mobile computing device 310 that includes a directional antenna 320 , according to an embodiment. the directional antenna advantageously provides focused communication between the computing device 310 , and a sensor unit that is, for example, directly above the computing device 310 . that is, for example, radio frequency (rf) signals communicated from the computing device 310 are received with a strongest signal strength by the sensor unit directly in the path or focus of the directional antenna. therefore, neighboring sensor units not directly in the path of the signal transmitted from the directional antenna will receive a much weaker rf signal than the sensor unit that is in the direction of the directional antenna. this is desirable because only the sensor unit in the path of the directional antenna will respond with the identifier, and the location of the responding sensor unit can be correctly identified and recorded. for at least some embodiments, a directional antenna is associated with the computing device 310 , and a further comprising approximating a location of the computing device 310 along the straight line path based on a receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units. that is, as described above, when the computing device 310 is following a straight line path between, for example, to references, the greatest possibility for error is in errors along the path as depicted by the arrow 304 . the directional antenna provides for high signal strength of a communication signal received from a sensor unit, when the sensor unit is within the direction of the directional antenna of the computing device 310 . that is, the computing device is able to determine, for example, that the computing device 310 is directly under the sensor unit that the communications signal is being received from. at least some embodiments further include compensating for drift of location estimation of the computing device 310 by re-referencing the location estimation based upon a reflected ceiling plan that includes the plurality of sensors, and the straight line approximation and the location approximation of the receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units. fig. 3c shows a path of a mobile computing device as the mobile computing device travels along a path of multiple devices (sensor units), according to an embodiment. as shown, the path traveled by the computing device is proximate to a series of sensor units that is near-linear. as the computing device travels between references sensor units, the signal strength of signals received from the sensor units is used to accurately estimate when the computing device is proximate or just under a particular sensor unit. that is, peaks of signals received by the directional antenna of the computing device are used to aid in the determination of the location(s) of the sensor units. fig. 4 shows a central server 110 communicating with the devices 121 - 129 of the structure 110 after the devices 121 - 129 have been placed in the structure, according to an embodiment. for an embodiment, the central server 110 is network connected to gateways 240 , 242 . the gateways 240 , 242 then communicate with the devices 121 - 129 . some of the devices 121 - 129 will naturally be located farther away, or otherwise have inferior quality links to the gateways 240 , 242 . accordingly, for an embodiment, certain of the devices are designated as repeater devices. for an embodiment, certain of the devices are designated as repeater devices based on the proximity of the devices to gateways and other device as determined by the placement of the devices and gateways on the plan or floor plan. for example, in fig. 4 , device 128 is designated as a repeater device. when, for example, gateway 240 communicates with device 123 , the gateway 240 communicated through the repeater device 128 to the device 123 . as shown, for an embodiment, the central server 110 communication over a first channel (chan 1 ) to the devices (fixtures or sensor units) 121 - 129 (which can be through the gateways 240 , 242 ). further, for an embodiment, the communication from the mobile device 112 to a particular sensor unit (device or fixture) 122 is over the same channel (chan 1 ). further, for an embodiment, the sensor unit (device or fixture) 122 communicates back to the mobile device 112 through a second channel (chan 2 ). further, for an embodiment, the sensor unit (device or fixture) 122 provides an observable feedback (such as, a light or audible sound) to the user of the mobile device 112 , thereby allowing the user to observer that the communication from the mobile device 112 to the sensor unit 122 has been successfully completed. as previously stated, the identifier that uniquely identifies the sensor unit 122 that is transmitted by the sensor unit 122 can be communicated back to the central controller 110 or directly back to the mobile device 112 . fig. 5 is a flow chart that includes steps of a method of commissioning sensor units (devices) within an area, according to an embodiment. a first step 510 includes tracking a location of a computing device within the area. a second step 520 includes coupling the computing device with a least one of a plurality of sensor units. a third step 530 includes identifying and recording a location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units based on a tracked location of the computing device and an identifier of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. for at least some embodiments, coupling the computing device includes establishing radio frequency (rf) communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. for at least some embodiments, coupling the computing device includes establishing communication with the at least one of the plurality of sensor units through a sensor of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units. for at least some embodiments, the computing device receives the identifier directly from the least one of a plurality of sensor units. for at least some embodiments, a backend server receives the identifier from the least one of a plurality of sensor units through a network connection. for at least some embodiments, the backend server communicates the identifier from the least one of a plurality of sensor units to the computing device. for at least some embodiments, tracking the location of the computing device includes establishing a reference location of the computing device, sensing, by a plurality of accelerometers of the computing device, acceleration of the of the computing device, and tracking the location of the computing device based on the reference location and the sensed acceleration of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, tracking the location of the computing device includes determining a first reference position and a second reference position of a path to be traveled by the computing device, and straight line approximating the path of the computing device between the first reference position and the second reference position. for at least some embodiments, a directional antenna is associated with the computing device, and a further comprising approximating a location of the computing device along the straight line path based on a receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units. at least some embodiments further include compensating for drift of drift of location estimation of the computing device by re-referencing the location estimation based upon a reflected ceiling plan that includes the plurality of sensors, and the straight line approximation and the location approximation of the receive signal strength of signals received from one or more of the plurality of sensor units. for at least some embodiments, the location of the computing device is tracked by sensing a direction of wheels of a cart associated with the computing device, and measuring rotations of wheels of the cart. for at least some embodiments, the location of the computing device is tracked using optical signals, similar to optical mouse technology to track location of computing device. at least some embodiments further include downloading a reflected ceiling plan of the area to the computing device, and displaying the reflected ceiling plan of the area of a user of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, the reflected ceiling plan includes locations of the sensor units but not identifications of at least some of the sensor units. for at least some embodiments, the tracked location of the computing device is displayed on the computing device over the reflected ceiling plan, thereby allowing the user to identify when the tracked location of the computing device deviates relative to known locations of the sensor units of the reflected ceiling plan. at least some embodiments further include receiving one or more location reference resets from the user during the tracking of the location of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, the tracking of the location of a computing device within the area is further based on the location reference resets and the sensed acceleration of the computing device. for at least some embodiments, the identified and recorded location of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units is uploaded to a central server. for at least some embodiments, identifying the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises receiving one or more electromagnetic signals that include sensor unit identifiers from at least a subset of the plurality of sensor units, and selecting that at least one of the plurality of sensor units from the plurality of sensor units based on a received signal strength indicator (rssi) of the received one or more electromagnetic signals. for at least some embodiments, the identification of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units is included within a mac (media access control) address included within the received one or more electromagnetic signals. for at least some embodiments, identifying the at least one of the plurality of sensor units comprises receiving an identification of the at least one of the plurality of sensor units from an operator of the computing device who visually reads and inputs the identification. fig. 6 is a flow chart that includes steps of a method of configuring a set of devices of a structure, according to an embodiment. a first step 610 includes loading a structure plan to a mobile computing device, wherein the structure plan is associated with the structure. a second step 620 includes communicating, by the mobile computing device, with one or more of the set of devices. a third step 660 includes communicating, by each of the one or more of the set of devices, a device identifier and proximity dependent information the device back to the mobile computing device, wherein the proximity dependent information allows the mobile computing device to estimate a proximate location of the device. a fourth step 640 includes placing, by the mobile computing device, each of the one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan based at least in part on the proximity dependent information. an embodiment further includes each of the one or more of the set of devices, communicating an observable feedback to an operator of the mobile computing device. as previously describe, the observable feedback can be visual, audible, or any other means of feedback that the user of the mobile computing device, or the mobile computing device itself can receive, and therefore, confirm placement of the device providing the observable feedback. for an embodiment, the mobile computing device includes a user interface that more readily allows the user of the mobile computing device to confirm locations of each of the devices. for an embodiment, the user interface of the mobile computing device provides an in-range list of devices. the in-range list includes the devices that are within the communication range of, for example, wireless communication from the mobile computing device to the devices. for an embodiment, the list of devices of the in-range list, are listed in an estimated order of proximity to the mobile computing device. the proximity can be estimated, for example, based on the link quality between the mobile computing device and each of the devices. for an embodiment, the user interface allows the user to select a device from the list, and further, communicate a command to the device, wherein the device provides a user-observable feedback in response to being selected. further, the user interface can easily allow the user to then select the next device of the list for placement confirmation. for an embodiment, once the mobile computing device has placed each of the devices on the plan, the mobile computing device then uploads the placement of each of the one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan to a central server. an embodiment can further include the central server confirming or supplementing the placements of one or more of the set of devices on the structure floor plan through activation of a user-selected device of the one or more of the set of device. an embodiment further includes providing a user-interface that depicts at least a portion of the structure floor plan and at least a portion of the set of devices, and further depicts the user-selected device, and further facilitates communication to the user-selected device. an embodiment further includes providing a capability to record meta data and other information (such as diagnostic data) about each device on a floorplan, either in the mobile computing device or central server or both. this capability enables, for example, a “punchlist” (a list of diagnostic problems) of the sensor devices to be created and maintained, which will simplify the repair process and overall maintenance of the sensor devices. that is, the responses of the devices to the communication by the mobile computing device can include information related to the operating condition and health of the device. the operating condition and health information of each device can be used by a system operator to schedule maintenance of the devices. the operating condition and health information of each device can be used to identify problem conditions associated with the devices. for an embodiment, the mobile computing device communicates with the one or more of the set of devices through a wireless channel that a central server or a gateway uses to communicate with each of the set of devices. this saves resources because each of the devices already has the electronics required to communicate with the central server or gateways connected to the central server. that is, an extra channel for communication between the mobile computing device and each device is not required. an existing communication channel is utilized. as previously described, and embodiment further includes physically transporting the mobile computing device about the structure, and the mobile computing device communicating with one or more of the set of devices. as previously described, the mobile computing device receives a device identifier and proximity dependent information back from the devices. for an embodiment, the proximity dependent information includes a received signal strength of communication received by the device. for an embodiment, the proximity dependent information includes a link quality indicator of communication received by the device. for an embodiment, the device identifier includes a mac address of the device. as previously described, an embodiment further includes designating at least a portion of the set of devices as repeater devices, wherein repeater devices receive communication signals from either a gateway or another repeater device, and transmit the communication signals to another device. for an embodiment, the gateway device is located on the floor plan, and the portion of the set of devices are designated as repeater devices based on a proximity of the portion of the set of devices relative to the gateway. while the devices have been described generally, for an embodiment, the devices are lighting fixtures that are controllable, for example, by the central server. further, for at least some embodiment, the lighting fixtures include sensors. an embodiment further includes a network setup being executed after the placement of the devices on the floor plan has been completed. the network setup can include associating certain devices with particular gateways, thereby establishing groups of devices. as described, the central controller can then communication with particular groups through corresponding gateways. an embodiment further includes the central controller initiating or causing the devices to provide a sequential user observable feedback after all of the devices have been placed. that is, each device sequentially generates a user observable feedback that allows a user to confirm the placement of the devices. for example, the lighting of lighting devices can be sequentially performed to allow the user to confirm that each device has been properly placed on a floor plan of a building. fig. 7 shows a lighting device (lighting fixture 700 ), according to an embodiment. as shown, this embodiment includes a light 710 , a light intensity controller 720 , a controller 730 , and a communications interface 750 . the intensity of light emitted from the light is controlled by the light intensity controller 720 which can be of different forms depending, for example, if the light 710 is an led (light emitting diode) or florescent light. for at least some embodiments, the controller 730 is operative to communicate with external devices (such as, a gateway or the mobile computing device) through the communications interface 750 . for an embodiment, the communications interface 750 includes a wireless communication interface. the controller 730 is further operative to receive commands and react accordingly. for an embodiment, when the controller 730 receives a first command from the mobile computing device, the controller 730 transmits back to the mobile computing device the device identifies and proximity dependent information of the lighting fixture 700 . further the controller 730 can provide user observable feedback, thereby indicating to a user that the lighting fixture has received the first command. for an embodiment, the controller 730 is further operative to provide the user-observable feedback to the mobile computing device upon receiving communication specifically for the lighting fixture as identified by the device identifier (for example, mac address). as described, the user-observable feedback can take one of many different forms, but one form includes controlling the intensity of emitted light, which can be observer by the user of the mobile computing device. fig. 8 shows a user interface 810 of a mobile computing device that facilitates placements of the devices on the plan, according to an embodiment. there are many different forms that the user interface can take. for an embodiment, the user interface includes at least a portion of a floor plan of a building (structure) in which placement of devices is being performed. the user interface can provide a visual depiction of the placed devices and their corresponding mac addresses. the user can then select a device, and the mobile computing device sends the selected device a command. upon receiving the command, the device provides the user observable feedback. for an embodiment, the user interface includes a device in-range list. for an embodiment, the device in-range list orders the devices according to the signal quality of the communication signal receive from the mobile computing device. it can be inferred that the devices having the best link quality are the closest or most proximate to the mobile computing device. the user of the mobile computing device can then select a device from the device in-range list for confirmation of placement. once confirmation of a device has been made, the list can then move to the next device on the list for confirmation. as previously described, the in-range list can be varies or adjusted by varying or adjusting the transmit power of the mobile computing device. that is, by varying the transmit power of the mobile computing device, the number of devices that receive the communication from the mobile computing device is adjusted. accordingly, the size of number of devices of the in-range list can by controllably adjusted. further, the response times of the devices can be adjusted. although specific embodiments have been described and illustrated, the described embodiments are not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. the embodiments are limited only by the appended claims.
|
195-000-191-089-45X
|
CA
|
[
"WO",
"CA",
"AU",
"US",
"EP"
] |
B27N3/02,B27N3/08
| 1998-01-07T00:00:00 |
1998
|
[
"B27"
] |
molding finely powdered lignocellulosic fibers into high density materials
|
a molded fiber product is made from plant fibers containing lignin. plant fibers ranging in size below 0.5 mm are used. binding agents and other additives may be mixed with the fibers to enhance product or process performance. the plant fiber mixture of fibers and additives are heated at temperatures between 40 degrees c and 300 degrees c. the heated fibers are compressed in a mold to an average density of at least 960 kg/m3. compression pressures of at least 3.4 mpa are used. the compressed fiber product is released from the mold and the mold may be reused. a thermoset molded plant fiber product is provided having characteristics and qualities similar to engineering grade thermoplastics and thermoset plastics.
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i claim: 1. a method of manufacturing a high density plant material comprising the steps of: (a) introducing into a mold a mixture comprising powdered plant fiber particles of less than 500 microns, thermoset binding agent between at least 0.1 per cent and 50 per cent by weight of the plant fiber particles; (b) operating the mold at a temperature between 40 degrees c to 300 degrees c; (c) applying a pressure of at least 500 psi to the contents of the mold; (d) compressing the contents of the mold to an average density of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot; and (e) removing the contents from the mold. 2. the method of claim 1 wherein the thermoset binding agent is one of the group of agents having unsaturated polyester resin, polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocyante, methane di-isocyante, melamine, urea, phenolic formaldehydes and ester containing compounds. 3. the method of claim 2 wherein the concentration of thermoset binding agent is more than 1 per cent and less than 25 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 4. the method of claim 2 wherein the concentration of thermoset binding agent is less than 10 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 5. the method of claim 2 wherein the concentration of thermoset binding agent is between 10 per cent and 25 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 6. the method of claim 1 , 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the plant fiber particles are less than 250 microns. 7. the method of claim 6 wherein the plant fibers are between 50 and 250 microns. 8. the method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the pressure is more than 1000 psi. 9. the method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the pressure is more than 2000 psi. 10. the method of claim 1 or 2 wherein the pressure is more than 3000 psi. 11. the method of claim 8, 9 or 10 wherein the contents of the mold are compressed to an average density of more than 80 pounds per cubic foot. 12. the method of claim 8, 9, or 10 wherein the contents of the mold are compressed to an average density of more than 90 pounds per cubic foot. 13. the method of claim 1 wherein the mixture of plant fibers and other additives further comprises one or more mineral additives and non-mineral additives in a concentration of between 2 per cent to 50 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 14. the method of claim 1 wherein the mixture of plant fibers and other additives further comprises mineral additives in a concentration of up to 30 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 15. the method of claim 1 wherein the mixture of plant fibers and other additives further comprises mineral additives in a concentration of up to 25 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 16. the method of claim 1 wherein the mixture of plant fibers and other additives further comprises mineral additives in a concentration of up to 10 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 17. the method of claim 13, 14, 15 or 16, wherein the mixture further comprises a coupling agent. 18. the method of claim 16 wherein the concentration of coupling agent is less than 0.5 per cent by weight of the mineral additives. 19. the method of claim 17 wherein the coupling agent is silane. 20. the method of claim 13, 14, 15, or 16, wherein the mineral additives are one or more of the group of silicates, silica, silica sand, and glass particles. 21. a method of forming a high density plant fiber product comprising the steps of: (a) a step of mixing one or both of (i) a first amount of powdered plant fiber of less than 500 microns and a thermoset resin and (ii) a second amount of powdered plant fiber of less than 500 microns and one or more additives; (b) preparing a plant fiber mixture containing thermoset resin in a concentration of between 0.1 per cent and 50 percent by weight of powdered plant fiber comprising mixing one or both of the first and second amounts with other additives; (c) introducing the mixture of plant fibers and additives into the cavity of a mold; (d) compressing the mixture by applying a pressure of at least 500 psi to the surface of the mixture; (e) heating the mold cavity to between 40 degrees c to 300 degrees c; (f) compressing the contents of the mold to a density of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot; and (g) removing the compressed contents from the mold. 22. the method of claim 21 wherein the plant fibers are less than 250 microns. 23. the method of claim 22 wherein the pressure is more than 1000 psi and the contents of the mold are compressed to an average density of more than 80 pounds per cubic foot. 24. the method of claim 21 , 22, or 23 wherein the thermoset resin is one of the group of resins containing unsaturated polyester resin, polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocyante, methane di-isocynate, melamine, urea, phenolic formaldehydes, and ester containing compounds. 25. the method of claim 24 wherein the concentration of thermoset resin is between 10 per cent and 25 per cent by weight of powdered plant fiber. 26. the method of claim 24 or 25 wherein the release agent is a metallic stearate. 27. the method of claim 24 or 25 wherein the release agent comprises a mixture of zinc stearate and calcium stearate. 28. the method of claim 27 wherein the release agent further comprises magnesium stearate. 29. the method of claim 22 comprising the step of mixing the release agent with a predetermined amount of powdered plant fibers of less than 250 microns. 30. a plant fiber product compressed to an average density of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot made substantially from powdered plant fibers containing protolignin, the fibers having a diameter of less than 500 microns, and a thermoset binding agent in a concentration of between about 0.1 per cent and 50 per cent by weight of plant fiber. 31. the product of claim 30 wherein the average density is at least 80 pounds per cubic foot. 32. the product of claim 30 having an average density of at least 90 pounds per cubic foot. 33. the product of claim 31 or 32 wherein the diameter of the plant fibers is less than 250 microns. 34. the product of claim 33 wherein the concentration of thermoset binding agent is less than 25 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 35. the product of claim 33 wherein the concentration of thermoset binding agent is between 10 per cent and 25 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 36. the product of claim 34 or 35 comprising mineral additives in a concentration of less than 50 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 37. the product of claim 34 or 35 comprising mineral additives in a concentration of less than 25 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 38. the product of claim 34 or 35 comprising mineral additives in a concentration of less than 10 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 39. the product of claim 36, 37, or 38 comprising a coupling agent. 40. a plant fiber product mixture comprising protolignin containing plant fibers of between 20 and 500 microns in size, a release agent, and a concentration of binding agent of less than 50 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 41. a product of any of the methods of claims 1 to 29. 42. the product mixture of claim 40 comprising mineral additives in a concentration between 1 per cent and 50 per cent by weight of plant fibers and a coupling agent. 43. the product mixture of claim 42 wherein the concentration of mineral additives is more than 2 per cent by weight of plant fibers. 44. the product mixture of claim 43 wherein the coupling agent is silane. 45. the product mixture of claim 42, 43 or 44 wherein the plant fibers are less than 250 microns in size. 46. the product of claim 36, 37, 38, 42 or 43 wherein the mineral additives are metallic particles, silicates, silica, silica sand or glass particles.
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molding finely powdered lignocellulosic fibers into high density materials background of the invention this invention relates to the manufacture of molded materials from finely powdered plant materials containing lignin. in particular, the invention provides a method of making a high density molded thermoset powdered plant material with characteristics and qualities similar to engineering grade thermoplastics and thermoset materials. plant fibers of less than 500 microns in size are compressed into resilient, molded materials. products manufactured by using the method of the invention are also described. related art in the systems of the prior art, long strands, fibers, flakes or chips of wood are commonly used to manufacture low and medium density boards, felts or other materials for building and other uses. however, this conventional technology has focussed on physically bonding such pieces into agglomerations forming the boards, felts and other materials. the strength characteristics of the final products were ultimately limited by the strength of the individual fibers that had been bonded or glued together and the interfacial bonds between the fibers and the glue. typically, wood fibers, chips, and flakes much larger than 3000 microns were used as a raw material source for these conventional manufacturing techniques. furthermore, prior art systems typically employed multiple stages to form the desired products. for example, intermediate felts and other shapes would be formed and would then be subjected to additional chemical or physical treatments including calendaring, pressing, dewatering or other processes. in general, wood treatment related technologies have developed separately from efforts to utilize other naturally occurring plant materials. whether in the field of wood processing technology or in the processing of other plant materials, those efforts have taught and advanced the use of larger raw material particles of sizes averaging well above 3000 microns. one attempt at physically bonding somewhat smaller particles of straw is briefly described in uk patent application number gb 2 265 150 a, dated september 22, 1993 by brian harmer (hereafter called "harmer"). however, that reference teaches the use of straw fibers within a broad range of fiber sizes, all of which are much larger than the plant fibers of the present invention. indeed, harmer, teaches the use of a different process using much larger straw fibers of various sizes within a broad range of more than 500 microns and up to about 3000 microns. harmer teaches that straw particles within a range of 500 microns to 2000 microns are preferred. harmer, like many references in the area of wood fiber technology, teaches away from the use of very fine powders of less than 500 microns in diameter. further, harmer teaches the use of styrene to form a protective outer skin on the resulting product to inhibit water absorption. in addition, the use of a broad range of particle sizes of up to 3000 microns in that process will result in a final product with a highly textured surface having discreet particles which are clearly visible to the naked eye. in part, the use of larger straw particles was taught by harmer as a means of avoiding difficulties associated with that process, including the use of a two stage phenolic resin and hexamine as a cross linking agent. the phenolic glue system, once polymerized, produces a physical bond between the fibers and the glue. to reinforce this physical bond, harmer uses hexamine as a crosslinking agent to enhance the physical bonding characteristics. also, harmer does not teach how to avoid problems associated with the application of conventional mixing techniques to satisfactorily combine a powdered two stage phenolic resin including hexamine with very finely powdered straw fibers of sizes below 500 microns. harmer also does not teach how to avoid premature reactions of liquid additives or other powdered additives which may be included in a plant fiber formulation. description of the present invention in the present invention, very finely powdered lignocellulosic plant fibers of below 500 microns are used. typically, such fibers will have a maximum length of 500 microns, with particle diameters ranging between about 20 to 50 microns. it is understood that such particles are irregularly shaped, within a broad range of sizes of up to 500 microns in effective size. in many applications, plant fibers of less than 250 microns will be preferred. it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the size of such particles will typically fail within a range of particle sizes characterized by screening or other suitable grading techniques. in some instances, the size of such particles is referred to as an effective diameter, or effective size however, the actual size of a given irregularly shaped particle will not necessarily correspond to the effective size of the particle. rather, the effective size will relate to the tendency of the particle to pass through a sieve or other screening or grading device. plant fiber particles containing lignin are desired to enhance the binding characteristics of the thermoset binding agents described further below. finely powdered wood fibers derived from hardwoods and softwoods may be used provided they have not been pretreated to remove significant amounts of lignin and related naturally occurring components of wood. other suitable lignocellulosic materials include finely powdered flax, hemp, grasses, jute, and various agricultural products and waste plant materials containing lignin. the finely powdered plant fibers are preferred to have a moisture content of less than about 50 per cent by weight and more preferably, between about 5 per cent to about 20 per cent by weight. for example, in processes utilizing polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocyanate, substantial concentrations of moisture in the plant fibers will enhance bonding within the plant fiber mixture. according to the method of the present invention, the finely powdered plant fibers are mixed with a thermoset binding agent, and preferably, a release agent. the plant fiber and additive mixture is introduced to a heated mold operating between 40 degrees c and 300 degrees c. in certain systems, lower reaction temperatures of about 40 degrees c will be effective at relatively higher pressures. for example, binding agents such as polyester resin in plant fiber may be mixed with organic peroxide in plant fiber at about 40 degrees c. in heat sensitive binding agent systems, operating temperatures of up to 300 degrees c may be applied for relatively short pressing cycles. in such cases, some degree of surface charring or other imperfections may arise. such imperfections may be removed by subsequent operations, or may remain if they will not detrimentally affect the product's expected performance. preferred operating temperatures range between 100 degrees c and 220 degrees c, and more preferably between 160 degrees c and 220 degrees c. the contents of the mold are heated and compressed under pressures of at least 500 psi, with preferred operating pressures greater than 1000 psi and higher. the resulting products have average densities of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot. higher average product densities of more than 80 pounds per cubic foot and more than 90 pounds per cubic foot are also provided. higher product densities will in many instances provide for enhanced physical and mechanical characteristics. such characteristics will correspond to specific formulations and may include one or more of such properties as increased strength, impact and wear resistance, decreased water absorption, and increased dimensional stability. in one embodiment of this invention, a high density plant material is manufactured by a method comprising the steps of: (a) introducing into a mold a mixture comprising powdered plant fiber particles of less than 500 microns, thermoset binding agent between at least 0.1 per cent and 50 per cent by weight of the plant fiber particles; (b) operating the mold at a temperature between 40 degrees c to 300 degrees c; (c) applying a pressure of at least 500 psi to the contents of the mold; (d) compressing the contents of the mold to an average density of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot; and (e) releasing the contents from the mold. internal or external mold release agents may be used in those applications requiring a release additive. an external mold release agent may be introduced to the mold separately from the plant fiber mixture. alternatively, mold release additives may be added to the plant fiber mixture to be compressed within the mold. although a mold release may be desirable in many instances, such additives may not be required in all applications. in another embodiment of this invention, a high density plant fiber product is formed by using a method comprising the steps of: (a) mixing one or both of (i) a first amount of powdered plant fiber of less than 500 microns and a thermoset resin and (ii) a second amount of powdered plant fiber of less than 500 microns and one or more additives; (b) preparing a plant fiber mixture containing thermoset resin in a concentration of between 0.1 per cent and 50 percent by weight of powdered plant fiber comprising mixing one or both of the first and second amounts with other additives; (c) introducing the mixture of plant fibers and additives into the cavity of a mold; (d) compressing the mixture by applying a pressure of at least 500 psi to the surface of the mixture; (e) heating the mold cavity to between 40 degrees c to 300 degrees c; (f) compressing the contents of the mold to a density of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot; and (g) removing the compressed contents from the mold. a combination of one or more of mineral and non-mineral additives may be provided to enhance the process or the performance characteristics of the final products. by way of example, such additives may include one or more synthetic additives including, synthetic catalysts and synthetic pigments, glass microspheres, glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramid fibers, metallic particles and other compatible additives. the use of these additives may provide enhanced product strength, impact resistance, wear resistance, dimensional stability and other favourable product qualities. concentrations of additives in plant fiber mixtures of up to 50 per cent by weight of fiber are provided. in one aspect of this invention, mineral additives, including silicate additives, silica or silica sand, in concentrations up to 50 percent by weight of plant fiber, are provided. coupling agents may be added to improve the bonding of the inert mineral and non-mineral additives within the final product. in another aspect of this invention, a plant fiber product is formed by molding a desired shape to an average density of at least 60 pounds per cubic foot. the product is made substantially from powdered plant fibers containing protolignin, a thermoset binding agent in a concentration of between about 0.1 per cent and 50 per cent by weight of plant fiber, and a release agent. the fibers have an effective size of less than 500 microns, in another aspect, the invention includes a plant fiber product mixture comprising protolignin containing plant fibers of between 20 and 500 microns in size, a release agent, and a concentration of binding agent of less than 50 per cent by weight of plant fibers. figure 1 is a graphic representation of the typical stress-strain relationship in a product of the present invention made from finely powdered natural fibers mixed with a binding agent and compressed in accordance with the method. detailed description of the invention in accordance with the present invention, thermoset binding agents are used to react with and bind together finely powdered lignocellulosic plant fibers. the binding agents include unsaturated polyester resin, polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocyante, methane di-isocyante, melamine, urea, phenolic formaldehydes, and ester containing compounds. traditionally, phenolic formaldehyde resins have presented environmental and health concerns in certain applications. accordingly, polyester and pmdi resin systems are preferred in those applications where such issues may arise. thermoset binding agents are desirable to provide products that are stable under a broad range of heating and temperature conditions. the particular binding agent may be selected to achieve the most desirable process conditions and product characteristics for certain applications. for example, polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocynate (pmdi) is desirable in many applications using plant fibers having some residual water content. the presence of moisture within the range of about 5 to 50 per cent by weight of plant fiber is acceptable, with a preferred moisture content between about 5 per cent and 20 per cent by weight of fiber. the presence of moisture in the fibers permits or causes the cross linking and other reaction mechanisms which occur during the compression of the fiber mixtures under elevated temperatures and pressures of the method of this invention. it is noted that the specific reaction mechanism which may be involved is not claimed or considered to be an essential element of the present invention. in one preferred aspect of the invention a thermoset resin, in particular, polymeric diphenyl methane di-isocynate (pmdi) is added to finely powdered plant fibers of less than 250 microns. pmdi concentrations ranging between 0.1 per cent and 50 per cent by weight of plant fiber can be used. pmdi concentrations of between 1 per cent and 25 per cent by weight are preferred in certain instances where other suitable additives are also included in the plant fiber mixture to be compressed. other useful mixture formulations using relatively small concentrations of binding agents such as pmdi are also within the scope of this invention. if one or more reactive additives will be included in the plant fiber mix to be molded into a product, sequential dilution or mixing of the ingredients may be used to inhibit premature reaction of the mixture ingredients. similarly, if small concentrations of additives will be utilized, and it would be difficult to accurately disperse those additives in one mixing step, two or more sequential mixing steps or dilution steps may be used to more accurately and precisely regulate the final mixture concentrations. in one example, an additive such as a catalyst or release agent is to be added in concentrations of about 1 per cent to a relatively small batch of plant fiber mixture. a predetermined amount of the additive may be added to a first batch of powdered plant particles, also provided in a predetermined amount. the initial mixing ratios may be calculated according to the technical specifications or limitations of the weight measuring and mixing equipment to be used in the process. if the available equipment is satisfactory for measuring and mixing a batch of 10 per cent weight by weight concentration of additive in wood fiber, 10 parts by weight of additive may be mixed with 100 parts of wood fiber to give a first batch of plant fiber mixture a. thereafter, if the target concentration of additive is 1 per cent by weight of wood fiber in the final plant fiber mixture b which is to be compressed, a portion of the first batch a may be measured, diluted and mixed a second time based on a final mixture of 10 parts by weight of the first batch a and 100 parts by weight of powdered wood fibers. it will be appreciated that this example is based on three steps of measuring, diluting, and mixing additives to the plant fibers based on mixture ratios of 1 to 10 in both instances. however, it will be understood that a different number of sequential dilution steps may be used where it is necessary or desirable to do so, and that different dilution ratios may be used to achieve the target concentrations of thermoset resin, additives, including release agent, in the intermediate and final plant fiber mixtures. by way of further example, in some instances, it may desirable to sequentially mix only one ingredient with the plant fiber material and then mix an amount of that intermediate mixture with the remaining ingredients, and if necessary, additional plant fibers, to yield the desired concentrations of thermoset resin, additives and release agent. the resulting mixture may then be compressed within the mold. it will also be understood that although this example referred to mixing batches of plant fiber mixtures, this process may also be adapted to continuous mixing operations. in many instances it will be very desirable, but not necessary, to include release agents within the plant fiber mixture to be compressed. release agents will enhance the ability to successfully remove the pressed product part from the mold after completion of the compression step. for example, relatively small concentrations of stearates have been found to be useful release agents in applications including thermoset binders including pmdi. metallic stearate may be included in formulations including pmdi and plant fiber mixtures to enhance the release mechanism of the mixture within the mold. for example, zinc stearate, calcium stearate and magnesium stearate concentrations of between about 0.01 per cent and about 5 per cent by weight of plant fiber were useful. metallic stearate additives provide for improved product characteristics including moisture resistance and material flow. other examples of acceptable release agents to be used in pmdi and plant fiber mixtures include potassium oleate, or silicone based or wax based release agents. again, the selection of the desirable agent will depend upon a number of process parameters and product qualities desired to be achieved in particular applications. in another aspect of this invention, substantial quantities of mineral and non- mineral additives may be added to the plant fiber formulations to impart beneficial physical and mechanical characteristics. for example, the introduction of silicates, silica, silica sand, or other additives into the plant fiber formulations can also inhibit surface abrasion and wear of the finished products. concentrations of silicates, silica or silica sand of less than 50 per cent by weight of plant fiber may be used to provide improved product performance in comparison to various conventional materials. concentrations of silicates of more than 2 per cent by weight of plant fiber are preferred. when using silicate, silica or sand based plant fiber formulations it may be desirable to include a coupling agent. for example, silane is a useful coupling agent in plant fiber mixtures including sand, pmdi and lignocellulosic plant fibers. in other aspects of this invention, it is possible to include synthetic and plant fiber materials having specific physical characteristics to impart other desirable product qualities. for example, synthetic fibers, carbon fibers, glass fibers and natural fibers may be added to the plant fiber mixture to be pressed. it is possible to use core materials such as compressed lignocellulosic plant fiber mixtures of the present invention as a base supporting added outer layers of carbon fiber laminates and glass fiber laminates. such laminates may be selected to provide improved dimensional stability or other qualities characterized by the final laminate product. in general, operating temperatures for the molding step range between 40 degrees c and 300 degrees c. temperature ranges between 100 degrees c and 220 degrees c are preferred. the mold will typically be operated within a relatively narrow temperature band to permit better control over process parameters and product consistency. compression pressures may be selected from at least 500 psi to a much higher range of compression pressures of 1000 psi, 2000 psi and more. the selection of specific temperature and pressure process variables will affect the in-mold pressing time and other parameters in the molding process. certain additives, including mineral and non-mineral additives, for example, silica or silica sand, may be added to reduce pressing cycle times by improving heat conductance of the plant fiber mixture. it will be understood that complex product formulations or geometries may significantly alter the actual in-mold residence time for a particular process application. other additives may be included in the plant fiber formulation, depending upon the final product characteristics which are sought. additives including fire retardants, colouring agents, surface agents to impart anti slip features or esthetic characteristics may also be used in certain plant fiber formulations. minute quantities of fine metallic particles or small multicoloured glass particles may be added at between about 0.1 per cent and about 10 per cent by weight of fiber to achieve desirable surface finishes and appearance. the use of finely powdered plant fibers also enhances the appearance of the outer surface of the final product. if colouring agents are used with fibers below 500 microns, it is possible to achieve far superior blending of colours and consistency in the outer appearance without any noticeable fiber-like texture in the final product. further, the use of finely powdered plant fibers enhances the uniformity of the appearance and texture throughout the product. it is possible to produce a product that has consistent colour and other textural characteristics that go beyond the outer surfaces. this characteristic is unique in that many other systems merely develop a product with a thin outer skin that would be unsuitable for sanding or other repair work when damaged, and in cases where colour differences arise, additional paint or other repairs may be required. the products of the present method exhibit exceptional performance characteristics including relatively little water absorption, increased tensile strength and impact resistance. the specifications of the final product may be designed to achieve particular features by, for example, adjusting the final average density of the product part. the present method may be used to impart densities which are significantly higher than the densities of the corresponding raw plant fiber material. indeed, many of the product formulations subjected to higher temperature and pressure treatments of this method result in products having specific gravities well in excess of 1.0 as compared with many of the prior art systems based on wood particles which resulted in significantly lower densities. the products of this process may be specifically designed to develop integral low density and high density zones. unlike many conventional materials, including plastics and metals, which necessarily exhibit a substantially uniform density after molding a part, the products of this invention may be designed to have distinct density zones, with each having its own desirable physical characteristics. accordingly, certain zones may be selected to experience a relatively higher degree of compression to achieve higher localized densities in comparison to other lower density zones which have been compressed to a lesser degree. for example, the high density zones may be desirable for added strength, durability characteristics and the lower density zones may be provided in localized areas to permit easier trimming, cutting, or fastening steps including drilling, or nailing or other working of the product material. table 1 shown below illustrates typical properties of products manufactured according to the present invention based on formulations of plant fibers and thermoplastic binding agents identified as formulations a to d inclusive. table 1 : mechanical and physical properties of examples of natural fiber compositions of the invention. table 2 illustrates typical properties of formulations e and f, described further below. table 2: properties of glass fibers and carbon fiber compositions table 3 and 4 below show the ingredients and process conditions used to produce multiple test samples of each formulation. concentrations of resin (pmdi) and other additives are given as per cent (w/w) of plant fiber. test data such as process temperature, pressure and cooking time are average values calculated for the tested samples for the various compositions. table 3: ingredients in compositions a to f (% w/w of wood fibers less than 250 microns) table 4: process conditions and resulting sample thickness table 5: a comparison of physical and mechanical properties of a sample product of the invention (composition b) with other materials. table 6: characteristics of natural fibers and synthetic fibers. figure 1 illustrates typical stress-strain behavior of a formulation made with natural fiber material. this example is illustrative of the typical stress-strain behavior exhibited by many product formulations manufactured in accordance with this invention. however, it will be understood that the specific data or values will vary according to the particular formulations and process parameters used in each case. further advantages of the present invention also include products with beneficial esthetic qualities including the smell of the final products. for example, finely powdered flax particles may be compressed under process conditions to yield a final product that is free from undesirable smells otherwise associated with processed flax. consequently, powdered flax may be included in formulations described herein to produce parts for use in a wide variety of industries, including the automotive, aviation and electronics industries without imparting such undesirable smells. further useful modifications of the methods and products disclosed herein may be made without departing from the scope of this invention. such useful modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to fall within the scope of the following claims. references: 1. john balantinecz and tony redpath on "progress in woodfiber-plastic composites. applications: from autoparts to composite lumber", ontario april 24, 1994. sponsored by university of toronto, ontario center for materials research, uir - university of wisconson & usda - forest service, forest products laboratory. 2. a.s. hermann and h. hanselka, institute of structural mechanics, german aerospace research establishment on "composites with biological fiber and matrix components". 3. durafiber specification sheet, cargill limited. 4. r.j. crawford, plastic engineering, 2e, pergamon press, u.k.
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195-862-251-912-428
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KR
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[
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G06Q30/06,G06Q50/00,G06Q50/30,G06F15/16,G06F13/00,G06Q30/02,G06Q/,G06Q30/00,G06Q50/10
| 2011-05-23T00:00:00 |
2011
|
[
"G06"
] |
social information management method and system adapted thereto
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a social information management method and system designate a plurality of mobile devices as a group list of mobile devices that share the information based on a social network; create social information in a mobile device, by registering an item selected or input to the mobile device while the mobile device operates a user function; and shares the social information with the mobile devices in the information sharing group list.
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1 . a social information management method comprising: designating a plurality of mobile devices as an information sharing group list of mobile devices that share social information based on a social network; creating the social information in at least one of the mobile devices, by registering at least one item selected or input using the at least one mobile device while the at least one mobile device operates a user function; and sharing the social information with the other mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices in the information sharing group list. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein sharing the social information comprises: transmitting social information from the at least one mobile device to a server, wherein the server allows the plurality of mobile devices to share their respective social information with each other in the information sharing group list; and transmitting the social information from the server to the other mobile devices in the information sharing group list, other than the at least one mobile device. 3 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: updating the social information; wherein the updating of the social information comprises at least one of the following: entering additional information associated with the at least one previously registered item; deleting the at least one previously registered item; correcting item information regarding the at least one previously registered item; and registering a new item in the social information. 4 . the method of claim 3 , further comprising: sharing the updated social information with the other mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices, so that the other mobile devices update their social information respectively. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein: the creating of the social information comprises: registering the at least one items, and the at least one item comprises at least one of the following: purchase information regarding an article of commerce or a service that the mobile device user wishes to purchase or has purchased; location information regarding a store selling the article of commerce or the service; reviews regarding the article of commerce or the service; event information; discount selling information; coupon information; and mileage information. 6 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising at least one step selected from the group consisting of: displaying the social information associated with the at least one item corresponding to the article of commerce or service; displaying the shared social information in a list; classifying the shared social information according to a plurality of features and displaying items corresponding to a selected feature from the plurality of features; displaying on a map the location information regarding the article of commerce or the service; and displaying, when the registered item is selected, details related to the selected item on a detailed information screen. 7 . the method of claim 5 , further comprising: receiving at least one of the discount selling information, the event information, the coupon information, and the advertisement information; filtering out any information not included in the discount selling information, the event information, the coupon information, and the advertisement information, related to items registered in the social information; and displaying the received information after being filtered. 8 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: registering, in the social information, card information regarding a plurality of cards to purchase the at least one item; and displaying, when purchasing the at least one item, one of the plurality of cards as a settlement of the purchase. 9 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the display of one of the plurality of cards comprises: setting an order of priority of the plurality of cards, based on payment histories, balances, available amounts, coupons related to the at least one item to be purchased, mileage accumulation when the at least one item is purchased, and mileages to be applied; determining a first card having a highest order of priority; and displaying the first card with the highest order of priority. 10 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising: requesting the at least one item, registered in the social information of a first mobile device, as a present from a second mobile device; and making a settlement for purchase of the at least one item, via at least one of the plurality of cards registered in the second mobile device, and presenting the completed settlement to the first mobile device. 11 . a social information management system comprising: a plurality of mobile devices that designate themselves as a social information group list of mobile devices that share social information based on a social network; that create the social information in at least one of the mobile devices, by registering at least one item selected or input using the at least one mobile device while the at least one mobile device operates a user function; and that share the social information with the other mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices in the information sharing group list; and a server operatively connected with the plurality of mobile devices for allowing the plurality of mobile devices to share their social information with each other in the information sharing group list, by transmitting the social information to each other. 12 . the system of claim 11 , wherein the at least one mobile device updates the social information created therein, by performing at least one update function selected from the group consisting of: entering additional information associated with a previously registered item, deleting existing information about a previously registered item, correcting the existing information regarding a previously registered item, and registering a new unregistered item in the social information. 13 . the system of claim 12 , wherein the server transmits the updated social information of the at least one mobile device to the other mobile devices, and allows the other mobile devices to share the social information. 14 . the system of claim 11 , wherein: the social information comprises: the at least one item, and the at least one item comprises at least one of the following: purchase information regarding an article of commerce or a service that the mobile device user wishes to purchase or has purchased; location information regarding a store selling the article of commerce or the service; reviews regarding the article of commerce or the service; event information; discount selling information; coupon information; and mileage information. 15 . the system of claim 14 , wherein: the at least one mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices comprises: a display unit, and the display unit displays at least one of the following: a screen for displaying the social information with at least one item corresponding to the article of commerce or service; a screen for displaying the shared social information in a displayed list; a screen for classifying the shared social information according to a plurality of features and displaying items corresponding to a selected feature from the plurality of features; a map information screen for displaying on a map the location information regarding the article of commerce or the service; and a detailed information screen for displaying, when the registered at least one item is selected, details related to the selected item. 16 . the system of claim 14 , wherein the at least one mobile device comprises: an rf communication unit for receiving at least one of the discount selling information, the event information, the coupon information, and the advertisement information, from outside the at least one mobile device; a controller for filtering out any information not included in the discount selling information, the event information, the coupon information, and the advertisement information, related to items registered in the social information; and a display unit for displaying the received information after being filtered. 17 . the system of claim 11 , wherein: the social information further comprises: card information regarding a plurality of cards to purchase the at least one item, and the at least one mobile device comprises: a controller for accessing card information associated with a first card of the plurality of cards for a settlement of the purchase when purchasing the at least one item; and a display unit for displaying a screen related to the settlement process and for displaying card information associated with the first card. 18 . the system of claim 17 , wherein the controller: sets an order of priority of the plurality of cards, based on payment histories, balances, available amounts, coupons related to the at least one item to be purchased, mileage accumulation when the at least one item is purchased, and mileages to be applied; determines the first card having a highest order of priority; and displays the first card with the highest order of priority for the settlement. 19 . a social information management system comprising: a social network; a plurality of mobile devices operatively connected to the social network and forming a social information group list of the mobile devices that share social information on the social network; that create the social information in a first mobile device by registering a first item selected or input using the first mobile device while the first mobile device operates a user function; and that share the social information with the other mobile devices of the plurality of mobile devices in the information sharing group list; and a server operatively connected with the plurality of mobile devices for allowing the plurality of mobile devices to share their social information with each other in the information sharing group list, by transmitting the social information to each other. 20 . the system of claim 19 , wherein: at least the first mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices comprises a display unit for displaying at least one of a plurality of screens, including: an item screen for displaying the social information of the first item corresponding to an article of commerce or service; a shared information screen for displaying the shared social information in a displayed list; a feature screen for classifying the shared social information according to a plurality of features and displaying items corresponding to a selected feature from the plurality of features; a map information screen for displaying on a map the location information regarding the article of commerce or the service; and a detailed information screen for displaying, when the registered first item is selected, details related to the selected first item.
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claim of priority this application claims priority under 35 u.s.c. §119(a) to korean patent application serial no. 10-2011-0048359, which was filed in the korean intellectual property office on may 23, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates to mobile devices, and more particularly, to a social information management method and system that provides user services with a variety of types and a higher level of reliability, by sharing social information and using the shared social information. 2. description of the related art mobile devices have been widely used because they can be easily carried and provide various types of functions as well as a voice call function. mobile devices operate in a variety of input modes to provide user functions. for example, conventional mobile devices are equipped with touch screens with touch panels and display units. when users select or execute an image or icon displayed on the display unit by touching the touch panel, the mobile device creates a touch event according to the user's touch, and controls the corresponding application program to provide a user function. conventional mobile devices can also provide internet services, so that the user can access information via the internet. for example, when conventional mobile devices allow for the installation of internet-based messenger application programs, it can support the messenger functions that users could use in real-time anytime and anywhere. in addition, conventional mobile devices can also allow the users to use a service related to the purchase of articles of commerce, for example, searching for reviews regarding an article of commerce and purchasing it. however, conventional internet-based service systems receive information with indiscreetness; that is, information from various sources may be received, including unreliable sources of information, and thus the users have difficulty choosing the proper information. for example, when users chose improper information from indiscreet information regarding an article of commerce or a service to purchase and then choose to complete the purchase, they may have complaints after purchase regarding the article or service, and they may further lose or fail to receive the article or service, and may lose their time spent to obtain the article or service. summary of the invention the invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a social information management method and system that can allow users to enjoy optimal service and to purchase articles of commerce, by sharing social information with a higher level of reliability and by using the shared social information. in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the invention provides a social information management method including: designating a plurality of mobile devices as a group list of mobile devices that share the social information based on a social network; creating social information in at least one of the mobile devices, by registering at least one item selected or inputted using the at least one mobile device while the at least one mobile device operates a user function; and sharing the social information with the mobile devices in the information sharing group list. in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the invention provides a social information management system including: a plurality of mobile devices that designate themselves as a group list of mobile devices that share the social information based on a social network; create social information in at least one of the mobile devices, by registering at least one item selected or inputted using the at least one mobile device while the at least one mobile device operates a user function, and shares the social information with the other mobile devices; and a server for allowing the mobile devices to share their social information with each other in the information sharing group list, by transmitting the social information to them. brief description of the drawings the features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 illustrates a schematic view of the concept of a social information management system according to an example embodiment of the invention; fig. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a mobile device shown in fig. 1 ; fig. 3 illustrates a detailed view of the controller in the mobile device shown in fig. 2 ; fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart showing, in detail, a settlement method of the social information management method according to an example embodiment of the invention; figs. 5a-5c illustrate screens displaying a social information interface on the display unit of a mobile device according to an example embodiment of the invention; figs. 6a-6d illustrate screens displaying items on the social information interface according to an example embodiment of the invention; figs. 7a-7c illustrate screens integrally displaying shared social information; figs. 8a-8i illustrate screens to describe an interface to which location-based social information is applied, according to an example embodiment of the invention; figs. 9a-9b illustrate screens displaying information related to multiple items and a screen showing details related to a particular item; fig. 10a-10b illustrate screens to set a reminder alarm time using location-based item information; figs. 11a-11c illustrate screens to describe the provision of mileages or coupons related to social information; figs. 12a-12c illustrate screens to describe a settlement function based on social information; figs. 13a-13b illustrates screen to describe a financial manager function based on social information; figs. 14a-14b illustrate screens to describe a card registration function based on social information; and fig. 15 illustrates screens to describe a screen interface switch based on social information. detailed description of preferred embodiments hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. this invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. detailed descriptions of well-known functions and structures incorporated herein may be omitted to avoid obscuring the subject matter of the invention. the terms or words described in the present description and the claims should not be limited by a general or lexical meaning, but instead should be analyzed as a meaning and a concept through which the inventor defines and describes the invention, to comply with the idea of the invention. therefore, one skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments disclosed in the description and configurations illustrated in the drawings are only preferred embodiments, and instead there may be various modifications, alterations, and equivalents thereof to replace the embodiments at the time of filing this application, so the terms should be understood on the basis of the disclosure throughout the specification. the principles and features of this invention may be employed in varied and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. furthermore, although the drawings represent exemplary embodiments of the invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated or omitted in order to more clearly illustrate and explain the present invention. among the terms set forth herein, a terminal refers to any kind of device capable of processing data which is transmitted or received to or from any external entity. the terminal may display icons or menus on a screen to which stored data and various executable functions are assigned or mapped. the terminal may include a computer, a notebook, a tablet pc, a mobile device, and the like. among the terms set forth herein, a screen refers to a display or other output devices which visually display information to the user, and which optionally are capable of receiving and electronically processing tactile inputs from a user using a stylo, a finger of the user, or other techniques for conveying a user selection from the user to the output devices. the above-described methods according to the present invention can be implemented in hardware, firmware or as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium such as a cd rom, an ram, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk or downloaded over a network and stored on a non-transitory machine readable medium, so that the methods described herein can be rendered in such software using a general purpose computer, or a special processor or in programmable or dedicated hardware, such as an asic or fpga. as would be understood in the art, the computer, the processor, microprocessor controller or the programmable hardware include memory components, e.g., ram, rom, flash, etc. that may store or receive software or computer code that when accessed and executed by the computer, processor or hardware implement the processing methods described herein. in addition, it would be recognized that when a general purpose computer accesses code for implementing the processing shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general purpose computer into a special purpose computer for executing the processing shown herein. fig. 1 illustrates a schematic view of the concept of a social information management system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. referring to fig. 1 , the social information management system 10 includes an information providing server 200 and a number of mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 . the social information management system 10 allows the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 to input personal/social information to a server 200 , to register such personal/social information in the server 200 , and to share such personal/social information with the other mobile devices in the group list (e.g., the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 ). the group list of mobile devices may be defined in a variety of ways. for example, if the users of the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 set the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 to share the social information with each other, the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 are grouped in one group. in the following description, for the sake of convenience, the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 are called first, second, third and fourth mobile devices respectively. when the first mobile device 101 , second mobile device 102 , third mobile device 103 and fourth mobile device 104 are formed as a social information sharing group, the information providing server 200 receives the social information from the respective mobile devices and stores the social information. the server 200 transmits the stored social information to the first mobile device 101 , second mobile device 102 , third mobile device 103 and fourth mobile device 104 , so that the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 can share the other parties' social information with each other. in addition, when the respective mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 update the social information, the server 200 transmits the updated social information to the other mobile devices in the same group, in real time or at a later point in time, such as when the mobile devices, having performed the social information updating process, make a request, so that all the mobile devices in the group can share the updated social information with each other. according to the settings of the respective mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 , the server 200 can allow the mobile devices to access social information inputted into the other mobile devices that can access the world wide web or the internet in general, and can also provide corresponding social information to a mobile device according to the request. such input social information may be entered into a particular mobile device through a keyboard or other input devices, for example, by a user associated with the particular mobile device. when social information regarding the respective mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 is altered as the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 use web services, the server 200 can update the social information and transmit the updated social information to the other mobile devices in the group. the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 can share the social information with each other, with respect to the information sharing server 200 as a base station. to this end, the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 write or otherwise receive and transmit the social information or other selections of information from users of the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , respectively, and provide information to set limits or restrictions regarding the other mobile devices with which each of the mobile devices will share the written, inputted, and/or selected social information to the information sharing server 200 . in that case, the server 200 supports a service where the social information can be shared between the mobile devices that allow for the inter-designation and sharing of such social information with other similarly designated mobile devices. when the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 are set to operate a particular user function, they can support a user function to which the shared social information is applied to. for example, the user of the first mobile device 101 can write first social information that includes purchase information regarding an article of commerce or service, and that may also include a reply or review of the article or service after using the article or service, based on the web access by the user. in that case, the first social information of the first mobile device 101 can be shared by the second mobile device 102 in the same group, based on information stored in the server 200 . therefore, when the user of the second mobile device 102 intends to purchase the same article of commerce or service that the user of the first mobile device 101 purchased, he/she can review the first social information and identify whether the article of commerce or service meets with his/her purpose or preference. as such, the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , and 104 can share the social information in a preset group, so that each user of a respective mobile device 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 can easily acquire information with a higher level of reliability and thus enjoy the best or optimal articles of commerce or services, since such articles of commerce or services are preferred or enjoyed by other users in the social network, in which the users of the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 are members. while the respective mobile device users designate a group to share the social information, they can recognize information regarding the other mobile device users who were grouped in the group. therefore, any new mobile device users can acquire social information with a higher level of reliability without additional efforts. in the following description, the method for sharing social information and the method for providing social information services will be described in detail based on one of the mobile devices, which is labeled generally by reference number 100 in fig. 2 , and which may include at least one of the mobile devices 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 . fig. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of each of the mobile devices shown in fig. 1 . referring to fig. 2 , the mobile device 100 includes an rf communication unit 110 , an input unit 120 , an audio processing unit 130 , a display unit 140 , a storage unit 150 , and a controller 160 . in particular, the display unit 140 and the input unit 120 may be implemented with a touch screen to create a signal for executing an icon altering function. the mobile device 100 supports the functions of: creating social information, sharing the social information with the other mobile devices in the same group, and managing user functions based on the shared social information. to this end, the mobile device 100 provides a social information management program 151 stored in the storage unit 150 and operated by the controller 160 , with the social information management program 151 being integrated with a program for creating social information, a program for allowing the created social information to be shared, and a program for performing function applications based on the shared social information. the operations of the components in the mobile device 100 are described in detail referring to the accompanying drawings. the rf communication unit 110 establishes a channel for making a voice or video call and a data communication channel for transmitting data, such as videos, messages, etc., under the control of the controller 160 . the rf communication unit 110 establishes a voice or video call channel or a data communication channel using an external mobile communication system. to this end, the rf communication unit 110 includes an rf transmitter for up-converting the frequency of signals to be transmitted and amplifying the signals and an rf receiver for low-noise amplifying received rf signals and down-converting the frequency of the received rf signals. in an example embodiment of the invention, the rf communication unit 110 establishes a data communication channel with internet-based services providing servers storing data, as well as the information sharing server 200 shown in fig. 1 . for example, when a user of a mobile device 100 writes, inputs, selects or otherwise enters the social information based on the mobile device function management, the mobile device 100 transmits the received social information to the server 200 via the data communication channel of the rf communication unit 110 . the rf communication unit 110 can also receive social information from the server 200 , written, inputted, selected or otherwise entered by the other mobile devices and registered in the server 200 . the social information is shared by only the mobile devices grouped as a group list in the server 200 . although the social information is shared in a group list of mobile devices, the social information may also be propagated to web-based cyber space or other remote memory locations and networks, according to the settings of a corresponding mobile device. the rf communication unit 110 may receive at least one of purchase information, sale information, event information, coupon information, advertisement information, etc. to this end, the rf communication unit 110 may be implemented with a short-range communication module for communicating with relatively close electronic devices, such as electronic kiosks and other sources of information and/or access to the internet or other communication and social networks. the input unit 120 includes input keys and function keys that allow the user of the mobile device 100 to input numbers or letter information and to set a variety of functions. the function keys include direction keys, side keys, shortcut keys, etc., which are set to perform specific functions. in addition, the input unit 120 creates key signals for setting user's options and for controlling functions of the mobile device 100 and transfers such options to the controller 160 . the input unit 120 can be implemented with a qwerty keypad, a 3×4 keypad, a 4×3 keypad, etc. the input unit 120 may also be implemented with a variety of key maps displayed on the display unit 140 , e.g., a qwerty key map, a 3×4 key map, a 4×3 key map, a menu map, a control key map, etc. the input unit 120 may also be implemented with only a side key on the side of the case of the mobile device 100 when the display unit 140 is a full touch screen 140 . in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the input unit 120 creates input signals for writing, inputting, selecting or otherwise entering the user's social information, an input signal for sharing the entered social information, an input signal for activating a particular user function based on the shared social information, and an input signal for managing the activated user function. the input unit 120 transmits the created signals to the controller 160 to support a variety of social information-based user services. referring again to fig. 2 , the audio processing unit 130 outputs, to the speaker (spk), audio data during a call, audio data included in a received message, or audio data created when audio files stored in the storage unit 150 are reproduced. the audio processing unit 130 also receives audio signals such as the user's voice via the microphone (mic). the audio processing unit 130 provides information regarding audio data required for the management of social information. in order to provide audio information regarding a user function to which social information is applied, the mobile device 100 can store preset audio information. the stored audio information is output, according to saved settings, when a corresponding user function is activated. when the mobile device 100 is equipped with a touch screen, the display unit 140 includes a display panel and a touch panel. in that case, the touch panel is installed in the front of the display panel. the size of the display unit 140 is determined by the size of the touch panel. the display panel displays menus for accessing and using the mobile device 100 , and also displays information input by the user or information provided to the user. the display panel provides various types of screens according to the operations of the mobile device 100 , such as an idle screen, menu screens, a message writing screen, a call screen, etc. the display panel may be implemented with a liquid crystal display (lcd), an organic light emitting diode (oled), etc. the display panel may be placed on or below the touch panel. in particular, the display panel can display a variety of screens corresponding to the operations of the mobile device, such as, writing social information, sharing social information, applying the social information to a function, etc. the screens will be described in detail later, referring to the accompanying drawings. the touch panel is placed on or below the display panel. the touch panel senses a touch event of an object such as the finger and transfers a signal corresponding to the touch event to the controller 160 . the touch panel includes a number of sensors that may be arrayed in a matrix form. the touch panel senses a touch event that occurred via the sensors and transfers, to the controller 160 , the location information regarding to the touch event and information regarding the type of touch event. in an example embodiment of the invention, the touch panel may be set to receive touch events in predetermined layouts or displayed screens to write social information, share it, and apply it to functions. the set touch panel senses user's touch events and transfers the corresponding signals to the controller 160 . the storage unit 150 stores application programs for executing functions according to the invention. the storage unit 150 also stores a key map, a menu map, or the like, to operate the display unit 140 . the key map and menu map can be implemented in various modes. for example, the key map may be a keyboard map, a 3×4 key map, a qwerty key map, etc. the key map may also be a control key map for controlling an application program that is currently activated. the menu map may be a map for displaying menus for controlling an application program that is currently activated. the storage unit 150 includes a program storage area and a data storage area. the program storage area stores an operating system (os) for booting the mobile device 100 and controlling the components of the mobile device 100 . the program storage area also stores application programs that are necessary for a variety of functions of the mobile device 100 , such as a call function, a web browser, an audio reproduction function (e.g., mp3 files), an image display function (e.g., photographs), a video reproduction function, etc. in particular, the program storage area stores a social information management program 151 . the social information management program 151 includes a number of routines, for example, for creating social information; for sharing the created social information; and for supporting the application of a shared social information based-function. the routine for creating social information includes a sub-routine for outputting a social information interface. the social information interface supports functions for selecting or registering items, such as data representing articles of commerce or services, as social information, for newly linking particular information to a corresponding item, and for correcting or deleting previously registered information. note a user can register at least one of item which are selected from a user interface of performing a particular function of the mobile device, as a social information. accordingly, the social information may be any item among a variety information generated by using the mobile device and selected by user. the routine for sharing the created social information includes a sub-routine for transmitting written, inputted, or selected social information to the information sharing server 200 , and a sub-routine for updating the other social information transmitted from the server 200 . the routine for supporting the application of the shared social information based-function includes a sub-routine for identifying one of the user functions, provided by the mobile device 100 , which needs the application of social information, and a sub-routine for applying the social information, previously stored in the storage unit 150 or provided by the server 200 , to a corresponding function. the data storage area stores data generated when the mobile device 100 is used, for example, phone book data, at least one icon associated with a widget function, and contents. the data storage area also stores a user's inputs via the touch panel. the data storage area stores social information that is registered by the mobile devices that are defined as a sharing group. the stored social information may be updated in real-time, periodically, or each time that the information sharing server 200 sends an instruction to update the stored social information. the controller 160 controls the supply of electric power to the components in the mobile device 100 and initializes them. the controller 160 controls the signals related to the operations for writing, inputting, or selecting social information, sharing such social information, and applying functions to the social information, such as filtering or editing such social information. to this end, the controller 160 includes components as shown in fig. 3 . fig. 3 illustrates a detailed view of the controller 160 in the mobile device shown in fig. 2 . referring to fig. 3 , the controller 160 includes a social information management unit 161 , a social information sharing unit 163 , and a social information application outputting unit 165 . the social information management unit 161 supports the output of a social information interface. the social information management unit 161 registers a user's selected items in social information and manages the selected items according to the user's control and choices. when the user describes information regarding a particular item, the social information management unit 161 links the information to the item and stores the item information. the social information management unit 161 can also store and manage social information of the other mobile devices that the social information sharing unit 163 receives from the information sharing server 200 . the social information management unit 161 can support a function for sharing information in the group of mobile devices. for example, a mobile device user can designate people registered in his/her phone book, e.g., family members, friends, etc., to a common group. in another example, when the user of the mobile device designates family members or friends to a common group, the social information management unit 161 transmits such designations to the server 200 . in that case, the server 200 transmits the information regarding the group designation to corresponding users, friends or family members, and may also transmit the user's written, inputted, or selected social information to the mobile devices of such users, friends, and family members designated in a common group. when the family members or friends agree with the group designation of the user of the mobile device 100 , that is, agree to include the user in their group, the server 200 transmits their written, inputted, or selected social information to the mobile device 100 of the user. as such, when the social/personal common group, designated by the user of the mobile device 100 , is configured, the users in the sharing group can share the social information with each other. the social information sharing unit 163 transmits social information, which has been created, managed or updated by the social information management unit 161 , to the information sharing server 200 . when the social information sharing unit 163 receives a request for updating social information of the other mobile devices from the server 200 , the social information sharing unit 163 receives the information and transfers such information to the social information management unit 161 . in that case, the social information management unit 161 updates the corresponding stored social information with the newly received social information. the social information sharing unit 163 may not open portions of the social information if the user sets certain portions or categories of social information as private information. the social information application outputting unit 165 displays, on the display unit 140 , social information stored therein or transmitted from the server 200 , according to the user's request. the social information application outputting unit 165 applies the stored social information to a particular user function and controls the screen output or audio output corresponding to the function. for example, when the user searches for corresponding information from web pages, etc., the social information application outputting unit 165 searches the stored social information for an item related to the corresponding information and displays the related item and the corresponding information on the display unit 140 . the information displayed on the display unit 140 may be information regarding an article of commerce or service, the purchase information, any reviews, the purchase location, etc. when a function for purchasing an article of commerce or service is activated, the social information application outputting unit 165 searches for the social information and selects a proper settlement method or mechanism based on the searched social information. to this end, the social information may include information regarding a financial card, such as a credit card, a debit card, a rewards card, and the like, of the user associated with the mobile device. although the card information of the user is registered in his/her social information, the user may set the card information as private information, so that such card information cannot be shared. fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart showing, in detail, a settlement method of the social information management method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. referring to fig. 4 , the social information-based settlement method is performed as follows. a user function based on social information is executed according to a user's request in step 401 . the user function may be a function related to performing a financial settlement, e.g., an article purchase function. the user operates the mobile device 100 and visits a web site selling articles of commerce or services. the controller 160 of the mobile device 100 downloads web pages including information regarding at least one article of commerce or service from the web site. the controller 160 displays the downloaded web pages on the display unit 140 . when the user selects one of the items, either an article of commerce or a service, from the web pages in order to register the item in his/her social information, the controller 160 can support a function so that the user can write, input, or select the social information including at least one selected item. after that, the controller 160 determines whether an event occurs to activate a settlement function for the article of commerce or service as the item registered in the social information in step 403 . that is, the controller 160 detects whether the user selects one of the articles of commerce or services as the items registered in the social information and then makes a settlement for the selected item via the mobile device 100 . when the controller 160 ascertains that an event for a settlement function for the article of commerce does not occur at step 403 , the controller 160 returns to step 401 and operates the activated user function or executes a function according to a corresponding event. using the functions described above, the user of the mobile device 100 can register a list of items, such as articles of commerce or services, that he/she wishes to purchase (i.e., a wish list) in the social information. however, when the controller 160 ascertains that an event for a settlement function for the item occurs at step 403 , the controller 160 identifies the settlement information via cards that the user has registered for settlement in the social information in step 405 . the controller 160 sets the order of settlement to the cards according to predetermined set conditions in step 407 . that is, the controller 160 accumulates and stores settlement information regarding the cards, detects information regarding the cards if they have a restricted condition, and sets a priority order of settlement to any cards that satisfy the restricted condition. examples of the restricted condition are: having to make a settlement exceeding a preset amount of money per month; having a discount rate when a particular article of commerce or service is purchased or if a purchase is made via a particular web site; using any accumulated mileage; accumulating mileage occurs when a purchase has been made of a corresponding article of commerce or service; etc. the controller 160 evaluates the cards associated with the user and based on the restricted conditions, and then sets the priority order of settlement to the cards. after step 407 , the controller 160 displays the information regarding the cards with the priority order of settlement on the display unit 140 , so that the user can make a selection for which card to use for settlement for his/her selected article of commerce or service. the controller 160 determines whether the user selects one of the cards in step 409 . when the controller 160 ascertains that the user selects one of the cards at step 409 , the controller 160 makes a settlement for the user's selected article of commerce or service via the selected card in step 411 . during this process, the controller 160 displays, on the display unit 140 , screens corresponding to the processes of inputting authentication information for settlement, transmitting the input authentication information, and making authentication, confirmation, and permission. however, when the controller 160 ascertains that the user does not select one of the cards at step 409 , the method returns to and proceeds with step 403 . after making a settlement at step 411 , the controller 160 determines whether an additional settlement is made in step 413 . when the controller 160 ascertains that an additional settlement is made at step 413 , the method returns to and proceeds with step 405 . however, when the controller 160 ascertains that an additional settlement has not been made at step 413 , the method returns to and proceeds with step 401 . when making a settlement, the controller 160 updates item information that is registered in the social information. that is, the controller 160 alters the information regarding an item to be purchased to become information regarding a purchased article in the social information, and so the social information is updated to reflect the purchase. although an item was purchased according to the user's setting, the item information may not be updated in the social information. when the controller 160 detects a review regarding use of an article or service as input by the user, the controller 160 may link the review to the item in the social information and store the review. when information regarding the purchase of an item is created, the purchase information is updated in the social information. the updated social information is transmitted to the server 200 , so that the updated social information can be shared with the other mobile devices in the group. when an item is registered in a list of items that the user wishes to purchase or to have in the social information, the controller 160 updates the social information and transmits the updated social information to the server 200 , thereby sharing the updated social information with the other users. when the user registers a new item based on social information or purchases the registered item, the mobile device 100 updates the social information and shares the updated social information with the other mobile devices in the group list. during the process, the controller 160 searches for the other social information stored in the storage unit 150 to detect information related to an item such as a product selected by the user. when the controller 160 detects information related to a user's selected item, the controller 160 displays the selection information on the display unit 140 . however, when the controller 160 does not detect information related to a user's selected item, the controller 160 displays a message showing that there is no information related thereto. the user can also ask the server 200 whether there is information related to a corresponding item, such as for a particular article of commerce or service, on the web other than those items currently registered in the social information of the share group list. when the server 200 ascertains that there is information related to a corresponding item on the web, the server 200 transmits the information to the mobile device 100 . as such, the user of the mobile device 100 can first search the share group list with a higher level of reliability for information related to a corresponding item, and may further search the web with a lower level of reliability for the same information, according to the user's selection. as described above, the social information management method and system can form a share group list of mobile devices and allow the users to write, input, or select respective social information including favorite and necessary information and share the respective social information of every user with each other in the group, so that any user can acquire information with a higher level of reliability. therefore, the user can easily acquire information related to an item written by the other mobile device users in the group, e.g., a purchase review, an opinion after use, a purchase place, price, etc. some users would consider it more important that their acquaintances purchased a corresponding item than know the sold number of the items, and in that case, the social information management method and system can allow such users to acquire information with a higher level of reliability, rather than with a statistical result. that is, the social information management method and system according to the invention can allow the users to share the social information with each other, so that such users can enjoy articles of commerce and services satisfying their preferences. the method and mobile device according to the invention can allow a specific user to use the considerations of other users in the group more systematically and efficiently while the specific user is purchasing articles of commerce or using services. although an example embodiment is described herein based on the purchase of an article of commerce as an item registered in the social information, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the example embodiment. for example, the embodiment may also be applied to the use of a place, a service provided in a place, etc. in the following description, the social information management will be explained referring the accompanying drawings. figs. 5a-5c illustrate screens displaying a social information interface on the display unit of a mobile device according to an example embodiment of the invention. a social information interface may be displayed on the display unit 140 via widget icons or menu icons. as shown in fig. 5a , when a widget icon or a menu icon is selected, the social information interface is displayed on the display unit 140 . alternatively, the social information interface may be displayed on a particular area that is previously allocated and fixed on the background screen, without the use of an additional widget icon or menu icon. the social information interface may include a user's selected items to be registered in the social information from among the items that are searched via a variety of paths, e.g., web search, location search, code search, etc. for example, as shown in fig. 5b , the user searches for a place via the mobile device 100 , e.g., a restaurant, and then registers the information in the social information. in addition, as shown in fig. 5c , the user searches for a cafeteria and a code, such as a street address or other numerical identifiers, via the mobile device 100 , and then registers information regarding the cafeteria and the code in the social information. to this end, the controller 160 can display a screen showing function keys for executing the registration of the social information. figs. 6a-6d illustrate screens displaying items of social information interface according to an example embodiment of the invention. as shown in fig. 6a , the controller 160 displays information regarding the number of the user's registered social information items on the display unit 140 when configuring social information interfaces, including a list of summarized information regarding the respective items. using a location identifying service of a mobile device 100 , the controller 160 can respectively display distance information from the current location to a store where the user can buy corresponding items or a place where the user can enjoy a service for corresponding items; price information regarding corresponding items; and information as to whether there is feedback information related to a corresponding item. for example, regarding an item, such as an “ipad”, an electronic device commercially available from “apple corporation”, the controller 160 displays the distance information, for example, 300 m., and price information, for example, 499 usd, as well as three pieces of feedback information, on the display unit 140 of the mobile device 100 . the feedback information is registered by the other mobile device users who are designated by the user of the mobile device 100 and in the share group list. the feedback information may vary according to the levels of reliability adjusted by the users. for example, if the user sets the reliability with the highest level, only the information registered in the designated share group list can be linked to a corresponding item as feedback information. when the user adjusts the level of reliability, information related to a corresponding item, provided by a designated web server, etc. other than the share group list, can be registered as feedback information, together with the information registered in the share group list. as shown in fig. 6b , the social information interfaces can be sorted according to various features, such as by topic, and displayed on the display unit 140 . when the social information interface includes icons labeled ‘all,’ ‘gourmet,’ ‘fashion,’ and ‘feeds,’ and one of the displayed icons is selected, the controller 160 displays the information related to the selected icon on the display unit 140 . for example, if an icon labeled ‘gourmet’ in fig. 6b is selected, the controller 160 displays, on the display unit 140 , a corresponding map and location information regarding the items, such as articles of commerce or services corresponding to the selected icon ‘gourmet’ registered in the social information according to the regions. likewise, if an icon labeled ‘feeds’ in fig. 6c is selected, the controller 160 displays, on the display unit 140 , a list of items associated with the labeled icon ‘feeds’ is linked with feedback information in the social information. in addition, if the user selects an icon labeled ‘price’ as shown in fig. 6d , the controller 160 shows details regarding an item, e.g., the price information associated with the icon labeled ‘price’. the social information may be limited to personal/social information written, inputted, or selected by a particular user according to a user's settings. in that case, the controller 160 displays, on the display unit 140 , only the items included in corresponding social information, according to the method described above. alternatively, the controller 160 displays, on the display unit 140 , items included in the entire social information shared in the group, according to a user's settings, via the method described above. a user can view his/her written, inputted, or selected social information and the other users' written, inputted, or selected social information in the sharing group, and can also search for details of a particular item included in the other users' social information. to this end, the controller 160 registers an item, linking with the related details, and stores the item. in addition, the user can register an item as a private item in the social information, and in that case, the information related to the item is not shared with the group. the details of an item, such as an article of commerce or service, may include a specification, comparison information, information shared via a social network, a list of friends who purchased the item, information regarding on-line or off-line stores that sell the item, the lowest price, price variation, information regarding compared prices between stores, a personally written memo regarding the item, web information related to the item, events or advertisements related to items that users' are concerned about and which have been registered, a date when a pertinent item is registered, a location, a schedule, any search information regarding similar articles of commerce and services, social search information related to a corresponding article and service, etc. when the user selects an item from the social information list and requests a view of details regarding the item, the controller 160 displays a screen showing details regarding the item (i.e., a detailed information screen). the detailed information screen displays details regarding the selected item in the format of tabs. for example, when the user selects a tab or icon labeled ‘feeds’ shown in fig. 6c , the controller 160 alters the detailed information screen to display details in a simple view format of feedback information as shown in fig. 6c . to this end, the controller 160 searches for whether feedback information related to a corresponding item is included in the shared social information and then configures the detailed information screen with the searched feedback information. as shown in fig. 6d , if the user selects an icon labeled ‘price,’ the controller 160 displays a detailed information screen that displays details such as price information. to this end, the controller 160 performs a web search based on information regarding a corresponding item, e.g., name information, and configures a detailed information screen based on price information searched over the web. figs. 7a-7c illustrate screens integrally displaying shared social information. in the following description of an example embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that a sharing group is formed with six mobile device users who share their social information with each other. in that case, as shown in fig. 7a , the controller 160 provides a social information integrating interface 30 so that a given user can integrally view the shared social information. the social information integrating interface 30 displays individual information associated with the users and item information registered by the users. an example of the individual information may be photograph information registered and associated with the users. an example of the item information may be icon information related to the items. the arrangement of the social information icons on the social information integrating interface 30 is determined when the social information is updated or according to the user's settings. alternatively, the arrangement may be determined according to a device state such as whether the mobile device is connected to a social network or connection at random to other networks. when the user designates an item that one of the other mobile device users registers in the social information list, on the screen as shown in fig. 7a , the controller 160 displays the detailed information screen for displaying details regarding the item on the display unit 140 as shown in fig. 7b . the detailed information screen can display a variety of tabs as shown in figs. 6a to 6d . when one of the tabs is selected, the controller 160 controls the display unit 140 to display information related to the selected tab on the detailed information screen. the mobile device 100 of the social information management system 10 can support a present or gift providing function as shown in fig. 7c . a first user of the mobile device 100 makes a settlement for an item, for example, by completing payment of the item, that a particular user has registered to purchase in the shared social information, and then the first user presents the item to the particular user. to this end, when the first user selects an item in the particular user's social information and then selects a function for making a settlement for the item, the controller 160 supports the function for making a settlement as described above. after making a settlement, the controller 160 transmits a present providing message regarding the item to the particular user's mobile device. in that case, the particular user's mobile device displays the received message on the display unit. in addition, a first mobile device user may request for a present request of an item from a second mobile device user. that is, a first mobile device user can ask the second mobile device user to present an item registered in the first mobile device user's social information to himself/herself. to this end, the first mobile device user can drag and drop an icon corresponding to his/her registered item to the list of the second mobile device user, on the social information integral interface of the first user's mobile device. in that case, the controller 160 of the first user's mobile device detects the creation of a present request signal, writes or otherwise inputs a present request message for the item, and then transmits the present request message to the second user's mobile device. the second user's mobile device displays the received message on the display unit as shown in fig. 7c . when the second mobile device user accepts to receive the item in the message, the settlement process is performed as described above. after completing the settlement for the item, the message showing that the item is ready to be a present may also be transmitted to the first user's mobile device. as described above, the social information sharing function can support a variety of functions: for allowing the users in the sharing group to view the registered items each other; for sharing information related to a particular item via feedback; for searching for a user who registered the item in his/her wish list or purchased the item; for providing a reminder alarm regarding social feedback; for surveying the preferences of the other users regarding the registered item; for extending or sharing information regarding an item via other social networking services (sns) cooperating with the current social information management system; for performing a statistical function based on the information, e.g., the number of users' connections to a corresponding social network; for inviting new users into the sharing group, based on an item search, etc. figs. 8a-8i illustrate screens to describe an interface to which location-based social information is applied, according to an example embodiment of the invention. figs. 9a-9b illustrate screens displaying information related to multiple items and a detailed information screen that displays details related to a particular item. figs. 10a-10b illustrate screens to set a reminder alarm time using location-based item information. referring to figs. 8a to 10b , the controller 160 determines whether items of social information include the location information. when the controller 160 ascertains that items include the location information, the controller 160 displays information related to the item on a map, showing various features pertaining to the item. for example, when the controller 160 displays information related to an item, the controller 160 may display different types of identification information, such as users' reviews, places registered in the social information of the user of the mobile device or the other users, events related to the items, the ownership of a corresponding item, sales information, any personal memos, locations providing registered services, stores selling registered items, etc., as shown in figs. 8a-8i . the location information regarding the item can be acquired when the item is registered in the social information. for example, if the item is an article of commerce, the address of the store is registered, as location information, in the social information. in addition, if the item is a personal memo, the current location regarding the mobile device is acquired based on a global positioning system (gps), etc. when the memo is registered as social information, and may also be linked with the location information regarding the memo. when stores provide information regarding items provided for sale by such stores, item related events or item selling information may be provided together with the location information. when the controller 160 receives the information, the controller 160 links the location information to items and registers the location information as social information, according to the user's control, such as input selections and settings. as shown in fig. 9a , the controller 160 provides respective identification information regarding a number of items on one map on the screen. the controller 160 also displays classification tabs on one side of the screen. the controller 160 may display, on the map, only a user control tab or identification information related to items corresponding to tabs selected by default. when the user of the mobile device selects the identification information indicating an item, the controller 160 displays the details of the identification information on the detailed information screen, as shown in fig. 9b . the detailed information screen displays a corresponding item and information related to the users registered in a first user's social information, for example, photo information. the controller 160 of the mobile device supports a reminder alarm function according to locations based on the social information. when the user has registered items in the social information, the controller 160 identifies the location where the mobile device is currently located and sets a reminder alarm when an item corresponding to previously registered information is within a preset distance from the current location of the mobile device as shown in fig. 10a . the user can view the item on the reminder alarm screen. if the user needs to view the details of the item, he/she inputs a signal or a user selection to the mobile device. the controller 160 displays the details on the screen of the display unit as shown in fig. 10b . the user can visit the offline store near his/her current location and purchase the item off-line; that is, in person as opposed to purchasing the item online via the internet. as such, if the user has registered his/her wish-list items in the social information and roams places related to the items or services, the social information management system provides reminders for the corresponding item or service of the user, so that the user can purchase or enjoy the item or service at a proper time and at a proper store, such as a sales event occurring at a specific store in a specific range of time. the reminding method is implemented using an alarm sound mode or a vibration mode. the reminding mode is set with the mobile device in such a way that, in an example embodiment, a bar shape indicator is small and displayed on one side of the screen as shown in fig. 10 b. figs. 11a-11c illustrate screens to describe the provision of mileages or coupons related to social information. when a user carries the mobile device 100 and reaches a location, the mobile device 100 receives information related to coupons, mileages, etc. provided at the location. the user may accept the coupons and mileage rewards via the mobile device 100 . the controller 160 of the mobile device 100 determines whether the received information is related to items that the user has previously registered in the social information. when the controller 160 ascertains that the received information is related to the user's registered items, the controller 160 displays a screen for providing any coupon or mileage information on the display unit. for example, if the user carries the mobile device 100 and enters a particular store, the controller 160 detects information related to coupons or mileage rewards provided by the store. the controller 160 determines whether the user's credit card information related to the received coupons or mileage rewards is registered in the social information. when the controller 160 ascertains that the user's credit card information related to the received coupons or mileage rewards is registered in the social information, the controller 160 displays a coupon information area 11 and a credit card information area 12 to be applied to corresponding coupon information on the screen as shown in fig. 11a . in that case, the user can easily identify the coupon or mileage information, provided by the store, via only the mobile device 100 , without performing an additional checking process of the coupon information and the credit card information. in addition, the user can easily use the credit card during the application of the coupon or mileage rewards. for example, as shown in fig. 11b , the user can drag and drop the credit card image from the credit card information area 12 to the coupon information area 11 , thereby making a settlement with the application of the coupon or mileage rewards. when the user makes a gesture to create a signal or to indicate a selection for applying coupons based on the credit card displayed on the credit card information area 12 as shown in fig. 11b , the controller 160 displays a settlement acknowledgement screen for showing that the settlement has been made via the credit card with the application of the coupon as shown in fig. 11c . likewise, if the process above is performed via mileage rewards, the controller 160 may display a screen showing that mileages have been applied on the display unit. to support the functions described above, short-range communication modules, e.g., near field communication (nfc) modules, etc. may be installed in the mobile device 100 and in the stores. figs. 12a-12c illustrate screens to describe a settlement function based on social information. the user may register information regarding credit cards in the social information to make a settlement for articles of commerce or services during the purchase. the credit card information is registered in a private mode for security. if the user has registered information regarding a number of credit cards in the social information and executes a settlement function via the credit cards in the mobile device, the controller 160 detects the histories or limited conditions of the credit cards to make a settlement with an economically available credit card. when the user has designated one of the credit cards as a settlement method, the controller 160 selects the designated credit card with the highest priority during the settlement. alternatively, the controller 160 may recommend a credit card to the user during the settlement, based on the results after referring to the histories or limited conditions of the credit cards. for example, the controller 160 identifies events or coupons provided by a store and detects whether the user owns a credit card related to that store, which may offer additional savings or rewards for use of the store-related credit card. when the controller 160 ascertains that the user has a credit card related to events or coupons, the controller 160 recommends such an event-related credit card or a coupon-related credit card to the user during the settlement. in addition, the controller 160 may recommend to the user one of the credit cards that had made a settlement in a store or one of the settlement methods that provides a higher value, such as reward points or mileages, than the others, as shown in figs. 12a-12c . the controller 160 identifies the balances, credit limits, user frequency of the credit cards, etc. and recommends to the user one of the credit cards as a settlement method, based on the results of such identification by the controller 160 . alternatively, the controller 160 sums up the points assigned to a variety of factors for a settlement method and then displays the points in an order of recommendations. the controller 160 can provide integral information regarding the amount of settlements with respect to the entire credit card that the user has owned. when the user has registered a number of credit cards in the social information, the controller 160 accumulates the amount of settlements via the credit cards and provides a total settlement amount. in addition, the controller 160 accumulates the amount of settlements via the credit cards, respectively, and provides the total settlement amounts of the respective credit cards. the controller 160 can also provide points or mileages of the respective credit cards. when the user makes a settlement using points, the controller 160 provides the remaining points after the reduction in points due to the settlement. although the embodiment is implemented in such a way that the controller 160 controls the display unit 140 to display one screen showing information regarding one credit card, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the example embodiment. for example, the controller 160 can also control the display unit 140 to display a number of reduced screens for showing information regarding a number of credit cards respectively. the system can also support a function for searching for information regarding the other credit cards that are not displayed on the display unit, according to the user's input signals. figs. 13a-13b illustrate screens to describe a financial manager function based on social information. when the user has registered credit cards in the social information and creates an input signal for checking the payment history of one of the credit cards, the controller 160 of the mobile device displays the payment history of the first credit card on the display unit 140 as shown in fig. 13a . if the user designates another credit card to check the payment history, the controller 160 may display the payment history of the other credit card on the display unit 140 . in that case, the controller 160 provides classification tabs on the top of the screen. when the user selects a tab related to a payment history, the controller 160 displays a payment history screen regarding a credit card on the display unit as shown in fig. 13a . when the user selects a tab labeled ‘card,’ the controller 160 displays information regarding a number of credit cards, registered in the social information, on the display unit as shown in fig. 13b . in addition, when the user selects a tab labeled ‘reward,’ the controller 160 may display information regarding coupons or mileages on the display unit. during this process, although the user selects a tab labeled ‘card,’ if the number of registered credit cards is less than a preset number, the controller 160 may display, on the display unit 140 , part of the credit card information related to the tab labeled ‘reward’ as well as items related to the tab labeled ‘card.’ when displaying credit card information, the controller 160 can also display the balance, the available amount, the accumulated points of the credit card, etc., in the list. figs. 14a-14b illustrate screens to describe a card registration function based on social information. when the user needs to register a new card or a membership card of a store, the mobile device 100 can receive information regarding the card application or a registration form from the store. as shown in fig. 14a , the controller 160 displays the received card form in a card form area 21 on the display unit 140 , and the user information, required for the registration of the card, is displayed in a user information area 22 . the user drags and drops the user information image from the user information area 22 to the card form area 21 , thereby registering the card in the social information as shown in fig. 14b . to this end, the controller 160 establishes a communication channel with a card issuing machine of the store to receive the card form information therefrom and to transmit the user information thereto, based on the user's actions and control. it should be understood that the controller 160 transmits only information from the user information, required for the issuance of a corresponding card, to the card issuance system, for securing the user's information. therefore, the card registration process makes a corresponding card to be automatically registered in the user's social information. fig. 15 illustrates screens and the relationships between such screens to describe a screen interface switching process based on social information. as shown in screen 1501 , the mobile device 100 provides a screen interface so that the user can easily use the social information via application programs or widgets. when the user creates a signal or inputs selections into a mobile device 100 for searching for social information, the controller 160 of the mobile device 100 displays an integral screen interface showing shared social information on the screen 1503 . when the user selects a list of social information on the screen 1503 , the controller 160 displays a list of items included in the selected social information as shown in screen 1505 . when the user selects a view of details regarding an item on the screen 1505 , the controller 160 displays a detailed information screen 1507 . the detailed information screen 1507 provides screens with a number of classification tabs. for example, the detailed information screen 1507 provides screens that can be classified according to the features from among the information included in the social information. the screens may be: a screen for searching for items based on locations; a screen for filtering social information-based advertisements; a screen with a personal memo, i.e., feedback information; a screen for showing details regarding articles of commerce; a screen for showing additionally searched information; etc. in particular, the social information-based advertisement filtering screen displays only selling information, events or advertisements related to items included in a user's composed social information. for example, when the user with a mobile device is located in a place or if the user moves, the mobile device may wirelessly receive selling information, events, or advertisements from stores near the user. the controller 160 receives information related to only the items registered in the social information, filtering out the other information, and provides the filtered information to the user. that is, the user can receive customized information. the controller 160 performs the filtering operation based on the entire social information shared by the group list. when the user registers the card information in the social information, the controller 160 can also display a screen 1509 for supporting a financial manager function. that is, the controller 160 can display, on the display unit 140 , according to the user's selections, a screen for showing a payment history of various cards, a card information screen for showing a variety of cards registered in the social information, a reward card information screen for showing a variety of membership cards, etc. as described above, the social information management method and system according to the invention can easily recognize information based on the graded levels of reliability, so that the users can enjoy a higher level of services and satisfaction with such services and with articles of commerce. although it is not shown in the drawings, the mobile device may selectively further include various types of components, for example: a short-range communication module for short-range communication; a camera module for acquiring still images/videos; an interface for transmitting/receiving data in a wireless or weird mode; an internet communication module; and a digital broadcast module for receiving and reproducing broadcasts. with the spread of digital convergence, although the inclusion of various features and modifications of a mobile device are too various to list in this description, it will be easily appreciated to those skilled in the art that the other components equivalent to the above-listed components may be further included to the mobile device according to the invention. also, it will be appreciated that, according to the purposes in which a mobile device is to be used, the mobile device may be implemented by omitting a particular component or replacing it with other components. the mobile device according to the invention includes all information communication devices, multimedia devices, and their applications, which can create social information and share the information and can be operated according to communication protocols corresponding to various types of communication systems. for example, the mobile device can be applied to mobile communication terminals, portable multimedia players (pmps), digital broadcast players, personal digital assistants (pdas), audio players (e.g., mp3 players), mobile game players, smartphones, laptop computers, hand-held pc, etc. the above-described methods according to the present invention can be implemented in hardware, firmware or as software or computer code that can be stored in a recording medium such as a cd rom, an ram, a floppy disk, a hard disk, or a magneto-optical disk or computer code downloaded over a network originally stored on a remote recording medium or a non-transitory machine readable medium and to be stored on a local recording medium, so that the methods described herein can be rendered in such software that is stored on a recording medium using a general purpose computer, or a special processor or in programmable or dedicated hardware, such as an asic or fpga. as would be understood in the art, the computer, the processor, microprocessor controller or the programmable hardware include memory components, e.g., ram, rom, flash, etc. that may store or receive software or computer code that when accessed and executed by the computer, processor or hardware implement the processing methods described herein. in addition, it would be recognized that when a general purpose computer accesses code for implementing the processing shown herein, the execution of the code transforms the general purpose computer into a special purpose computer for executing the processing shown herein. although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it should be understood that many variations and modifications of the basic inventive concept herein described, which may be apparent to those skilled in the art, will still fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
|
196-457-524-228-929
|
DE
|
[
"US",
"CN",
"DE"
] |
G01S7/4865,G01S7/487,G01S17/26,G01S17/89,G01S17/08,G01S7/481,G01S7/483,G01S17/894
| 2021-09-14T00:00:00 |
2021
|
[
"G01"
] |
apparatus and method for time-of-flight sensing of a scene
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a method for time-of-flight (tof) sensing of a scene is provided. the method includes performing, by a tof sensor including at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values. a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor. the method further includes determining a distance to an object in the scene based on the first measurement values. performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by incident light. in addition, performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages.
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1 . a method for time-of-flight (tof) sensing of a scene, the method comprising: performing, by a tof sensor comprising a photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values, wherein a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor; and determining a distance to an object located in the scene based on the first measurement values, wherein performing the plurality of first tof measurements comprises, for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to: selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a first part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel by incident light during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements; and selectively prevent a second part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is configured to provide a respective integration state for each of the least two charge storages during which charge carriers of the first part of the charge carriers are being stored in a corresponding charge storage, wherein the photo-sensitive sensor pixel further provides a drain state during which the second part of the charge carriers are prevented from reaching the at least two charge storages, and wherein performing the plurality of first tof measurements comprises, for at least the one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to operate according to a state pattern, the state pattern comprising first the drain state, followed by a sequence of integration states during which the charge carriers of the first part of the charge carriers are alternatingly stored in the least two charge storages. 3 . the method of claim 2 , wherein performing the plurality of first tof measurements comprises, for at least the one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to continuously and repeatedly operate according to the state pattern over time, wherein each two subsequent sequences of integration states are separated by the drain state. 4 . the method of claim 3 , wherein the two subsequent sequences of integration states comprise a first sequence of integration states and a second sequence of integration states being different from each other. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states have integration states of different durations. 6 . the method of claim 4 , wherein the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states have different respective numbers of integration states. 7 . the method of claim 6 , wherein the integration states within a respective one of the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states have a same duration. 8 . the method of claim 2 , wherein a duration of the drain state is selected to reach a predetermined amount of charge carriers being integrated into the at least two charge storages during the sequence of integration states. 9 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the tof sensor further comprises an illumination element, and wherein performing the plurality of first tof measurements comprises, for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the illumination element to emit light pulses in groups of light pulses, wherein each group of light pulses comprises at least two light pulses. 10 . the method of claim 9 , wherein a longest duration separating two subsequent light pulses within each of the groups of light pulses is shorter than a duration separating two subsequent ones of the groups of light pulses. 11 . the method of claim 1 , wherein only the first part of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages during a respective first tof measurement contribute to the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements. 12 . the method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store the first part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements in the at least two charge storages comprises: controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to increase a ratio of the first part of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages with increasing distance of the tof sensor to the object located in the scene causing the incident light. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein different time offsets are used respectively for the plurality of first tof measurements between a respective sequence of modulated light pulses emitted to the scene during a respective first tof measurement and one or more respective drive signals used to drive the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the respective first tof measurement. 14 . the method of claim 13 , wherein the different time offsets used for the plurality of first tof measurements are integer multiples of a fraction of a period length given by an inverse of the first modulation frequency. 15 . the method of claim 1 , wherein, for a first one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the first part of the charge carriers generated during the first one of the plurality of first tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a first storage order, and wherein, for a second one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the first part of the charge carriers generated during the second one of the plurality of first tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a second storage order, the second storage order being inverted with respect to the first storage order. 16 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements provides a distance-dependent correlation of the incident light with one or more respective drive signals without considering an intensity of the incident light, the photo-sensitive pixel being driven based on the one or more respective drive signals during a respective first tof measurement. 17 . the method of claim 1 , wherein controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent the second part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages comprises controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively drain, via a drain terminal of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, the second part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements. 18 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising: performing, by the tof sensor, a plurality of second tof measurements using a second modulation frequency in order to obtain second measurement values, wherein a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor, wherein determining the distance to the object located in the scene is further based on the second measurement values, and wherein performing the plurality of second tof measurements comprises, for at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to: selectively store, in the at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a third part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel by incident light during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements; and selectively prevent a fourth part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. 19 . the method of claim 18 , wherein only the charge carriers of the third part of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages during a respective second tof measurement contribute to the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements. 20 . the method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store the third part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages comprises: controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to increase a ratio of the charge carriers of the third part of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages with increasing distance of the tof sensor to the object located in the scene causing the incident light. 21 . the method of claim 18 , wherein different time offsets are used respectively for the plurality of second tof measurements between a respective sequence of modulated light pulses emitted to the scene during a respective second tof measurement and one or more respective drive signals used to drive the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the respective second tof measurement. 22 . the method of claim 21 , wherein the different time offsets used for the plurality of second tof measurements are integer multiples of a fraction of a period length given by an inverse of the second modulation frequency. 23 . the method of claim 18 , wherein, for a first one of the plurality of second tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the third part of the charge carriers generated during the one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a first storage order, and wherein, for a second one of the plurality of second tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the third part of the charge carriers generated during the second one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a second storage order, the second storage order being inverted with respect to the first storage order. 24 . the method of claim 18 , wherein the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements gives a distance-dependent correlation of the incident light with one or more respective drive signals without considering an intensity of the incident light, the photo-sensitive pixel being driven based on the one or more respective drive signals during a respective second tof measurement. 25 . the method of claim 18 , wherein controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent the second part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages comprises controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively drain, via a drain terminal of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, the second part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements. 26 . the method of claim 18 , wherein determining the distance to the object located in the scene comprises: determining a first distance estimate based on the first measurement values; determining a second distance estimate based on the second measurement values; and determining the distance to the object located in the scene based on the first distance estimate and the second distance estimate. 27 . the method of claim 1 , wherein a trajectory of a ratio of the respective correlation function of any two of the first tof measurements is strictly monotonic decreasing or strictly monotonic increasing in the measurement range of the tof sensor. 28 . an apparatus for time-of-flight (tof) sensing of a scene, the apparatus comprising: a tof sensor configured to perform a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values, wherein a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor; and a processing circuit configured to determine a distance to an object located in the scene based on the first measurement values, wherein the tof sensor comprises a photo-sensitive sensor pixel, and wherein, for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to: selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a first part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel by incident light during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements; and selectively prevent a second part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. 29 . the apparatus of claim 28 , wherein, for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent the second part of the charge carriers from reaching the at least two charge storages by selectively draining the second part of the charge carriers via a drain terminal of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel.
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cross reference to related application this application claims priority to german patent application no. 102021123666.5 filed on sep. 14, 2021, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. technical field the present disclosure relates to time-of-flight (tof) sensing. in particular, examples relate to an apparatus and a method for tof sensing of a scene. background close objects reflect more light in a tof measurement since the light is less diluted. this may conventionally cause pixels of a tof sensor to saturate. accordingly, a dynamic range of the tof measurement may be limited. further, closer (and, hence, brighter) objects also cause stray light. the stray light propagates inside a lens of the tof sensor and between the lens and a pixel array of the tof sensor. the propagating stray light may impair the tof measurement. hence, there may be a demand for improved tof sensing. summary the demand may be satisfied by the subject-matter of the appended claims. an example relates to a method for tof sensing of a scene. the method includes performing, by a tof sensor including at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values. a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor. the method further includes determining a distance to an object in the scene based on the first measurement values. performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by incident light. in addition, performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. another example relates to an apparatus for tof sensing of a scene. the apparatus includes a tof sensor configured to perform a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values. a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor. the apparatus additionally includes a processing circuit configured to determine a distance to an object in the scene based on the first measurement values. the tof sensor includes at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel. for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by incident light. further, for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. brief description of the drawings some examples of apparatuses and/or methods will be described in the following by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which fig. 1 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a method for tof sensing of a scene; fig. 2 illustrates an example of an apparatus for tof sensing of a scene; fig. 3 illustrates example correlation functions; fig. 4 illustrates an example of a photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel; and fig. 5 illustrates an example correlation signal together with example light and state signals for a photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel. detailed description some examples are now described in more detail with reference to the enclosed figures. however, other possible examples are not limited to the features of these implementations described in detail. other examples may include modifications of the features as well as equivalents and alternatives to the features. furthermore, the terminology used herein to describe certain examples should not be restrictive of further possible examples. throughout the description of the figures same or similar reference numerals refer to same or similar elements and/or features, which may be identical or implemented in a modified form while providing the same or a similar function. the thickness of lines, layers and/or areas in the figures may also be exaggerated for clarification. when two elements a and b are combined using an “or”, this is to be understood as disclosing all possible combinations, e.g. only a, only b as well as a and b, unless expressly defined otherwise in the individual case. as an alternative wording for the same combinations, “at least one of a and b” or “a and/or b” may be used. this applies equivalently to combinations of more than two elements. if a singular form, such as “a”, “an” and “the” is used and the use of only a single element is not defined as mandatory either explicitly or implicitly, further examples may also use several elements to implement the same function. if a function is described below as implemented using multiple elements, further examples may implement the same function using a single element or a single processing entity. it is further understood that the terms “include”, “including”, “comprise” and/or “comprising”, when used, describe the presence of the specified features, integers, steps, operations, processes, elements, components and/or a group thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, processes, elements, components and/or a group thereof. fig. 1 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a method 100 for tof sensing of a scene. the method 100 will be described in the following further with reference to fig. 2 which illustrates an example apparatus 200 for tof sensing of a scene. the apparatus 200 comprises a tof sensor 210 . the tof sensor 200 comprises an illumination element (circuitry, device) 230 for emitting modulated light pulses (e.g. modulated light) 202 to the scene. an object 201 is located in the scene and reflects the emitted light pulses 202 . the tof sensor 200 additionally comprises a light capturing element (circuitry, device) 220 for capturing light 203 received from the scene. the incident light 203 includes the reflections of the emitted light pulses 202 by the object 201 . the illumination element 230 generates the modulated light pulses 202 . the illumination element 230 may comprise any number of light sources. the illumination element 230 may, e.g., comprise one or more light-emitting diode (led) and/or one or more laser diode (e.g. one or more vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser, vcsel) which is fired based on one or more illumination signal. the light capturing element 220 may comprise various components such as e.g. optics (e.g. one or more lens) and electronic circuitry. in particular, the electronic circuitry comprises an image sensor comprising at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel (e.g. comprising a photonic mixer device, pmd, or a charge-coupled device, ccd). for example, the image sensor may comprise a plurality of photo-sensitive sensor elements or pixels. the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel is driven based on one or more drive (reference) signal. the method 100 comprises performing 102 , by the tof sensor 210 , a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values. the illumination element 230 emits a respective sequence of modulated light pulses to the scene during the respective first tof measurement. further, one or more respective drive signal is used to drive the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 during the respective first tof measurement. parameters of the tof sensor 210 are adjusted such that a respective (light-intensity-independent) correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a (target) measurement range of the tof sensor. the respective (light-intensity-independent) correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements gives the photo-sensitive sensor pixel's distance-dependent correlation of the respective incident light 203 with the one or more respective drive signal used for the respective first tof measurement and without considering (e.g. ignoring, not taking into account) the intensity of the incident light 203 . in other words, the respective (light-intensity-independent) correlation function only describes the distance-dependency of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel's output but not the dependency of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel's output on the intensity of the incident light 203 . the (target) measurement range of the tof sensor 210 is a distance range in which a distance to one or more object such as the object 201 is to be measured by the tof sensor 210 . for example, the correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements may exhibit a strictly monotonically increasing amplitude over distance within the (target) measurement range of the tof sensor. in other examples, the respective amplitude of the correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements may increase from a near end to a far end of the (target) measurement range of the tof sensor (e.g. increase of distance) but exhibit one or more short range in which the amplitude remains constant or even (slightly) declines. the first modulation frequency f mod1 is defined by the speed of light c and the period length d period1 of the (light-intensity-independent) correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements: fig. 3 illustrates two example (light-intensity-independent) correlation functions 310 and 320 of two first tof measurements by the tof sensor 210 . the abscissa of fig. 3 denotes the distance between the tof sensor 210 and the object 201 . the ordinate denotes the value of the respective correlation function. further illustrated in fig. 3 is an example measurement range 330 of the tof sensor 210 . both correlation functions 310 and 320 exhibit a periodic triangular course (shape) with increasing amplitudes of the triangles over distance within the measurement range 330 of the tof sensor 210 . however, it is to be noted that correlation functions according to the proposed technique need not exhibit a periodic triangular course with increasing amplitudes of the triangles over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . in general, the correlation functions may exhibit any type of periodic course with increasing amplitude over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . for example, the correlations functions may alternatively exhibit a sinusoidal course with increasing amplitude over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . the correlation functions 310 and 320 exhibit the same period length. further, it is to be noted that the measurement range 330 is selected for illustrative purposes only. in other examples, the measurement range may, e.g., range from 0 to 2. due to the increasing amplitude of the correlation functions 310 and 320 within the measurement range 330 of the tof sensor 210 , the first tof measurements are less sensitive to incident light 203 coming from the close proximity of the tof sensor 210 . in other words, the correlation functions 310 and 320 are shaped such that more correlation strength is given to distances (regions) further away from the tof sensor 210 . as a consequence, near distances (regions) get less correlation and far distances (regions) get higher correlation. the light strength of reflections received from the object 201 in the scene is decreasing over the distance between the tof sensor 210 and the object 201 . for example, it may be assumed that the light strength decreases according to the inverse square law. that is, the distance-dependent light strength of the incident light 203 received at the tof sensor 210 may be assumed as follows: with i denoting the light strength of the light received at the tof sensor 210 and d denoting distance between the tof sensor 210 and the object 201 reflecting the emitted light pulses 202 back to the tof sensor 210 . as the sensitivity of the tof sensor 210 for light from the close proximity of the tof sensor 210 is reduced, saturation of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 due to strong reflections from the close proximity of the tof sensor 210 may be avoided. additionally, glare effects or stray light effects caused by reflections of the emitted light pulses 202 by an object in the close proximity of the tof sensor 210 may be omitted or at least reduced. the output of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel for a tof measurement scales with the light strength of reflections received from the object 201 . for example, the first measurement value output by the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel for one of the plurality of first tof measurements may be determined by the product of the light strength of the reflections received from the object 201 during this tof measurement and the value of the tof measurement's (light-intensity-independent) correlation function at the distance of the object 201 causing the received reflections. further, the periodic course of the correlation functions allows to determine the distance between the tof sensor 210 and the object 201 according to standard approaches. referring back to fig. 1 , the method 100 further comprises determining 104 a distance to the object 201 in the scene based on the first measurement values. in particular, the first measurement values allow to determine a respective phase shift between the one or more respective drive (reference) signal used for driving the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 during the respective first tof measurement and the respective incident light 203 (e.g. the reflections of the emitted light pulses 202 caused by the object 201 ) received from the scene by the light capture element 230 during the respective first tof measurement. for example, in case two first tof measurements are performed, the phase shift φ may be determined as follows: with c 1 and c 2 denoting the first measurement values of the two first tof measurements. in case four first tof measurements are performed, the phase shift φ may be determined as follows: with c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 denoting the first measurement values of the four first tof measurements. it is to be noted that different time offsets are used respectively for the plurality of first tof measurements between the respective sequence of modulated light pulses 202 emitted to the scene during the respective first tof measurement and the one or more respective drive (reference) signal used to drive the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 during the respective first tof measurement. the time offsets used for the first tof measurements are integer multiples of a fraction of a first period length t 1 given by the inverse of the first modulation frequency f mod1 , that is: for example, time offsets n·t 1 /4 with n=0, 1 may be used in case two first tof measurements are performed. similarly, time offsets n·t 1 /4 with n=0, 1, 2, 3 may be used in case four first tof measurements are performed. the sequences of modulated light pulses 202 emitted to the scene during the first tof measurements may be identical. accordingly, there may be a time shift of n·t 1 /4 between the one or more respective drive (reference) signal of the different first tof measurements. the first measurement values c i are related to the parameter n as follows: i=n +1 (6) performing four first tof measurements instead of two first tof measurements may allow to reject errors related to the least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 . for example, gain errors or errors due to background light may be compensated for. the error compensation is possible as two pairs of tof measurements are performed with inverted storage behavior of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel (the storage behavior of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel for n=0, 2 is inverted and the storage behavior of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel for n=1, 3 is inverted) such that the differences c 2 −c 4 and c 1 −c 3 cancel out these errors. however, it is to be noted that the present technology is not limited to performing two or four first tof measurements. in general, any number l≥2 of tof measurements may be performed. the distance d of the tof sensor 210 to the object 201 may be determined based on the phase shift φ as follows: the apparatus 200 comprises an accordingly configured processing circuit 240 , which is coupled to the tof sensor 210 . for example, the processing circuit 240 may be a single dedicated processor, a single shared processor, or a plurality of individual processors, some of which or all of which may be shared, a digital signal processor (dsp) hardware, an application specific integrated circuit (asic) or a field programmable gate array (fpga). the processing circuit 240 may optionally be coupled to, e.g., read only memory (rom) for storing software, random access memory (ram) and/or non-volatile memory. the processing circuit 240 is configured to determine the distance to the object 201 in the scene based on the first measurement values. for example, the processing circuit 240 may further output data indicative of the distance to the object 201 (e.g. a two-dimensional depth image or a three-dimensional point cloud). the apparatus 200 may comprise further hardware-conventional and/or custom. the method 100 as well as the apparatus 200 may allow to determine the distance to the object 201 in the scene while omitting stray light effects, glare effects and saturation of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 . further, an improved dynamic range of the tof sensor 210 may be achieved. in other words, the method 100 and the apparatus 200 may allow improved tof sensing. the course (shape) of the (light-intensity-independent) correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements is adjusted by controlling the flow of charge carriers inside the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel. this will be explained in the following with reference to fig. 4 illustrating an example photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 comprises a semiconductor material/substrate 222 (e.g. silicon). the incident light 203 (including the reflections from the object 201 ) penetrates the semiconductor material 222 and causes generation of charge carriers (e.g. electrons or holes) in the semiconductor material 222 . the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 further comprises two charge storages 223 and 224 . for example, the two charge storages 223 and 224 may be capacitors or potential wells formed in the semiconductor material 222 of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . it is to be noted that the charge storages 223 and 224 are illustrated as separate elements in fig. 4 for illustrative purposes only. the two charge storages are part of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . the two charge storages allow to selectively store the generated charge carriers. although exactly two charge storages are illustrated in fig. 4 for photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 , it is to be noted that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. in general any number m≥2 of charge storages may be used per photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel. when performing the plurality of first tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlled to selectively store, in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 , part of the charge carriers generated in the semiconductor material 222 of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by the incident light 203 . additionally, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 comprises a drain terminal 225 . the drain terminal 225 is a terminal that allows to selectively drain the generated charge carriers from the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . in order to adjust the above described course (shape) of the (light-intensity-independent) correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlled to selectively store part (a first fraction/share) of the charge carriers, which are generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by the incident light 203 , in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 and to selectively drain another part (a second fraction/share) of these charge carriers via the drain terminal 225 . in other words, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlled to selectively prevent the other part of the charge carriers from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . only the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 during the respective first tof measurement contribute to the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements. accordingly, by selectively preventing some of the generated charge carriers from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 , the course of the respective correlation function may be shaped. fig. 5 illustrates in subfigure (a) an example correlation function 510 of one of the plurality of first tof measurements of the tof sensor 210 . the abscissa of subfigure (a) denotes the distance between the tof sensor 210 and the object 201 . the ordinate denotes the value of the respective correlation function. in the example of fig. 5 , the (target) measurement range 511 of the tof sensor 210 ranges from approx. 0.7 to approx. 2.9. similar to the example of fig. 3 , the correlation function 510 exhibits a periodic triangular course (shape) with increasing amplitudes of the triangles over distance within the measurement range 511 of the tof sensor 210 . subfigure (b) of fig. 5 illustrates an example sequence of light pulses 520 that are received from the scene. the light pulses 520 are previously emitted to scene by the light emitting element 230 for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements and are reflected back to the tof sensor 210 by an object in the scene. the abscissa of subfigure (b) denotes time. the ordinate denotes the amplitude of the light pulses 520 . as can be seen from subfigure (b), the light pulses are emitted in groups by the light emitting element 230 . two example groups of light pulses 521 and 522 are illustrated in the example of fig. 5 . however, it is to be noted that any other number g≥2 of groups of light pulses may be emitted during the one of the plurality of first tof measurements. each group 521 , 522 comprises at least two light pulses. the (time) duration (spacing, time delay) between the groups of light pulses may vary during the exposure for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements. in other examples, the (time) duration between the groups of light pulses may be constant during the exposure for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements. the (time) duration (spacing, time delay) between two (immediately) subsequent light pulses in each of the groups may be constant. however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. each of the (time) duration separating two (immediately) subsequent light pulses in the group 521 and the (time) duration separating two (immediately) subsequent light pulses in the group 522 is shorter than the (time) duration separating the two subsequent groups 521 and 522 . in general (e.g. independent of the number of groups of light pulses and the number of light pulses within each group), a longest duration separating two (immediately) subsequent light pulses within each of the groups of light pulses may be shorter than a duration separating two (immediately) subsequent ones of the groups of light pulses. subfigure (c) of fig. 5 illustrates an example temporal course 530 of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 's state during the one of the plurality of first tof measurements. the abscissa of subfigure (c) denotes time. the ordinate denotes the state of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . as indicated in subfigure (c) of fig. 5 , three states are possible. while the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is in state “a”, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 selectively stores the charge carriers, which are generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by the incident light 203 , in the charge storage 223 (but not in the charge storage 224 ). while the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is in state “b”, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 selectively stores the charge carriers, which are generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by the incident light 203 , in the charge storage 224 (but not in the charge storage 223 ). while the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is in state “drain”, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 selectively drains the charge carriers, which are generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by the incident light 203 , via the drain terminal 225 . no charge carriers are stored in the charge storages 223 and 224 while the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is in the state “drain”. the states “a” and “b” may each be understood as an integration state for the respective one of the charge storages 223 and 224 . in other words, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 provides a respective integration state for each of the least two charge storages 223 and 224 during which the charge carriers are being stored in the corresponding (respective) charge storage. the state “drain” may be understood as a drain (non-integrating) state of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . in other words, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 further provides a drain (non-integrating) state during which the charge carriers are prevented from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . as can be seen from subfigure (c), the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is controlled to operate according to a state pattern during the one of the plurality of first tof measurements. the state pattern comprises first the drain state, followed by a sequence of integration states during which the charge carriers are alternatingly stored in the least two charge storages 223 and 224 . in the example of fig. 5 , the state pattern is repeated two times. however, it is to be noted that in general any number p≥1 of state patterns may be used for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements. the first state pattern comprises the drain state 531 followed by the sequence 533 of integration states during which the charge carriers are alternatingly stored in the least two charge storages 223 and 224 . the second state pattern comprises the drain state 532 followed by the sequence 534 of integration states during which the charge carriers are alternatingly stored in the least two charge storages 223 and 224 . the respective sequence of integration states may comprise an even as well as an odd number of integration states. for example, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be controlled for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements to (e.g. continuously and) repeatedly operate according to the state pattern over time. as illustrated in subfigure (c) for the sequences 533 and 534 , each two subsequent sequences of integration states are separated by a drain state in case the state pattern is repeated over time. in the example of fig. 5 , the sequences 533 and 534 are identical, e.g. the integration states in each sequence of integration states are of the same duration and each sequence of integration states comprises the same number of integration states. in other words, the integration states within a respective one of the first sequence of integration states 533 and the second sequence of integration states 534 may have a same duration. as illustrated in subfigure (c), the duration of each state “a” in the sequences of integration states 533 , 534 is equal to the duration of each state “b” in the sequences of integration states 533 , 534 . in other examples, a duration of the first integration state (e.g. state “a” or state “b”) may be short or longer than a respective duration of the other integration states in a respective sequence of integration states (e.g. the duration of the first state “a” in the sequence 533 may be longer or short than the durations of the other states “a” and “b” in the sequence 533 ). however, the present disclosure is not limited to identical sequences. in other examples, the sequences of integration states may be different. in case, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is controlled for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements to operate two or more times according to the state pattern over time, two or more sequences of integration states are used. accordingly, a first sequence of the two or more sequences of integration states may be different from a second sequence of the two or more sequences of integration states. for example, the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states may have (exhibit) integration states of different durations. alternatively or additionally, the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states may have (exhibit) different respective numbers of integration states. subfigure (d) of fig. 5 illustrates an example distance dependent ratio 540 of the generated charge carriers selectively drained via the drain terminal 225 . the abscissa of subfigure (d) denotes the distance between the tof sensor 210 and the object 201 . the ordinate denotes the ratio of drained charged carriers. as can be seen from subfigure (d), the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is controlled to decrease the ratio of drained charged carriers with increasing distance of the object 201 (causing the incident light 203 ) to the tof sensor 210 . in other words, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is controlled to increase a ratio of the generated charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 with increasing distance of the tof sensor 210 to the object 201 causing the incident light 203 . as can be seen from subfigure (d), only a portion of the charge carriers generated by light reflections coming from the start of the measurement range gets stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . the stored charge carriers contribute to the correlation function 510 illustrated in subfigure (a). the rest of the charge carriers is removed (drained) from the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 via the drain terminal 225 and, hence, not stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . this is achieved as the incident light 203 causing these charge carriers arrives while the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is in the state “drain”, e.g. the respective drain state 531 , 533 of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . a respective duration of the drain state 531 , 533 is chosen to reach a predetermined amount of charge carriers being integrated into the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 during the subsequent sequence of integration states, e.g., the sequences 533 and 534 illustrated in subfigure (c). charge carriers caused by incident light 203 from the far end of the measurement range are substantially completely stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 and, hence, contribute more to the correlation function 510 illustrated in subfigure (a). in other words, the reflected groups of light pulses increasingly overlap with the sequence of integration states over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . accordingly, the amplitude of the correlation function 510 increase over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . the increase of the correlation may be adjusted to the application. for example, only a certain portion of the measurement range may be partly drained, while the rest is completely captured. for example, the longest sequence of integration states used for the one of the plurality of first tof measurements may have (exhibit) a number of integration states that is equal to or greater than a number of peaks of the correlation function within the (target) measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . accordingly, no light is wasted. optionally, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may comprise one or more further elements such as control gates for controlling the flow of the generated charge carriers inside the photo-sensitive sensor pixel (e.g. two or more modulation gates and/or one or more drain gates) or read-out terminals for reading out the at least two charge storages. for example, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be a pmd or a ccd. according to examples, more than one (e.g. all) of the plurality of photo-sensitive sensor element or pixels of the tof sensor may be formed and operated like the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . the operation of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is controlled based on the one or more drive (reference) signal. in the example of fig. 4 , the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 comprises the drain gate 225 for draining and, hence, preventing part of the generated charge carriers from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . however, it is to be noted that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. in other examples, the drain gate 225 may be omitted and the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be configured to electrically decouple (isolate) the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 from the semiconductor material 222 such that the generated charge carriers cannot reach the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . in general, any technique may be used for preventing part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . there are various, substantially infinite ways on how to configure (shape) the one or more reference (drive) signal driving the respective photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capturing element 220 and the one or more illumination signal for driving the illumination element 230 in order to create correlation functions that behave like in the above described examples of fig. 3 and fig. 5 . therefore, it is to be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configuration (shape) of the one or more reference (drive) signal and the one or more illumination signal. the signal structures illustrated in fig. 5 are, hence, merely for illustration. in general, the one or more reference (drive) signal and the one or more illumination signal are chosen such that charge carriers caused by incident light 203 from closer ranges are drained to a certain extent in order to cause the respective correlation function to increase over distance. as described above, the storage behavior of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel may be inverted between pairs of the plurality of first tof measurements in order to compensate for errors such as gain errors or errors due to background light. for example, for the first tof measurement illustrated in subfigure (c) of fig. 5 , the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 is controlled to selectively store the charge carriers generated during the first tof measurement in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 according to the first storage order abababab (when neglecting the drain intervals), wherein “a” denotes that the charges are stored in the charge storage 223 and “b” denotes that the charges are stored in the charge storage 224 . in another one of the plurality of tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be controlled to selectively store the charge carriers generated during the other first tof measurement in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 according to the second storage order babababa (assuming the same drain intervals in both first tof measurements). the second storage order is inverted with respect to the first storage order. this effect may, e.g., be achieved if the two time offsets between the respective sequence of emitted modulated light pulses 202 and the one or more respective drive (reference) signal differ by a time shift of 2·t 1 /4 for the two first tof measurements. it is to be noted that the aspects described above for the one of the first tof measurements may be used as well for the other first tof measurements. another aspect for tof sensing is the ambiguity of the tof measurement. the maximum unambiguous distance range d u of a tof measurement is inversely proportional to the modulation frequency f mod : objects measured beyond this distance are wrapped around to fall in the range [0,d u ), appearing much closer than they actually are. lowering the modulation frequency f mod would allow to extend the unambiguous distance range d u , results however in reduced precision of the distance measurement. the ambiguity of the distance measurement may be overcome by performing additional tof measurements at a different second modulation frequency. referring back to figs. 1 and 2 , the method 100 may optionally further comprise performing 106 , by the tof sensor 210 , a plurality of second tof measurements using a second modulation frequency in order to obtain second measurement values. the second modulation frequency is different from the first modulation frequency (e.g. higher or lower). similar to what is described above for the first tof measurements, a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . analogously to what is described above for the correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements, the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements gives the photo-sensitive sensor pixel 221 's distance-dependent correlation of the respective incident light 203 with the one or more respective drive signal used for the respective second tof measurement and without considering (e.g. ignoring, not taking into account) the intensity of the incident light 203 . in other words, the respective (light-intensity-independent) correlation function only describes the distance-dependency of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel 221 's output but not the dependency of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel 221 's output on the intensity of the incident light 203 . the step of determining 104 the distance of the tof sensor 210 to the object 201 in the scene is then further based on the second measurement values. analogously to above mathematical expression (1), the second modulation frequency f mod2 may be defined by the speed of light c and the period length d period2 of the (light-intensity-independent) correlation functions of the plurality of second tof measurements: analogously to what is described above for the plurality of first tof measurements, different time offsets are used respectively for the plurality of second tof measurements between the respective sequence of modulated light pulses 202 emitted to the scene during the respective second tof measurement and the one or more respective drive (reference) signal used to drive the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel of the light capture element 220 during the respective second tof measurement. the time offsets used for the second tof measurements are integer multiples of a fraction of a second period length t 2 given by the inverse of the second modulation frequency f mod2 , that is: for example, time offsets n·t 2 /4 with n=0, 1 may be used in case two second tof measurements are performed. similarly, time offsets n·t 2 /4 with n=0, 1, 2, 3 may be used in case four second tof measurements are performed. the sequences of modulated light pulses 202 emitted to the scene during the second tof measurements may be identical. accordingly, there may be a time shift of n·t 2 /4 between the one or more respective drive (reference) signal of the different second tof measurements. as described above, if the object 201 is located beyond the unambiguous distance d u1 of the first tof measurements, it is wrapped around to fall in the unambiguous distance range [0,d u1 ) of the first tof measurements. analogously, if the object 201 is located beyond the unambiguous distance d u2 of the second tof measurements, it is wrapped around to fall in the unambiguous distance range [0,d u2 ) of the second tof measurements. accordingly, the object 201 appears much closer than it actually is. in other words, the plurality of first tof measurements as well as the plurality of second tof measurements each give a few possible distances for the object 201 . the possible distances of the object 201 to the tof sensor 210 for the first tof measurements is given by: φ 1 denotes the phase value determined from the first measurement values according to, e.g., one of mathematical expressions (3) and (4). the first term of mathematical expression (11) corresponds to above mathematical expression (7). the second term of mathematical expression (11) is based on above mathematical expression (8) and describes that actual distance of the object 201 may be k 1 times the unambiguous distance d u1 of the first tof measurements greater than the distance determined according to mathematical expression (7) due to the phase wrapping, wherein k 1 =0,1,2, . . . analogously, the possible distances of the object 201 to the tof sensor 210 for the second tof measurements is given by: φ 2 denotes the phase value determined from the second measurement values according to, e.g., one of mathematical expressions (3) and (4). the first term of mathematical expression (12) corresponds to above mathematical expression (7). the second term of mathematical expression (12) is based on above mathematical expression (8) and describes that actual distance of the object 201 may be k 2 times the unambiguous distance d u2 of the second tof measurements larger than the distance determined according to mathematical expression (7), wherein k 2 =0,1,2, . . . the mathematical expressions (11) and (12) are only for one specific distance, e.g., for one specific value pair for the parameters k 1 and k 2 in agreement. for example, it may be determined for which integer values of the parameters k 1 and k 2 the distances d 1 and d 2 according to the mathematical expressions (11) and (12) are identical to each other or differ from each other by less than a threshold value (to account for the limited measurement precision). accordingly, a first distance estimate d 1 may be determined according to mathematical expression (11) based on the first measurement values. analogously, a second distance estimate d 2 may be determined according to mathematical expression (12) based on the second measurement values. the distance d to the object 201 may be determined based on the first distance estimate d 1 and the second distance estimate d 2 . for example, both distance estimates may be averaged to account for measurement errors of the plurality of first tof measurements and the plurality of second tof measurements: in other examples, weighted averaging may be used: d=w 1 ·d 1 +w 2 ·d 2 (14) the weights w 1 and w 2 may be based on various parameters such as the first and second modulation frequencies or the amplitudes of the first and second measurement values. the course (shape) of the (light-intensity-independent) correlation functions of the plurality of second tof measurements may be adjusted analogously to what is described for the correlation functions of the plurality of tof first measurements by controlling the flow of charge carriers inside the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 . this will be described in the following for one of the second tof measurements. it is to be noted that the aspects described in the following may be used as well for the other second tof measurements. analogously to what is described above for the first tof measurements, performing the plurality of second tof measurements comprises for at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 to selectively store, in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 of the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 , part of the charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements by the incident light 203 . further, performing the plurality of second tof measurements comprises for the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 to selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements by the incident light 203 from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 . for example, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be controlled to selectively drain part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements by the incident light 203 via the drain terminal 225 . only the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 during the respective second tof measurement contribute to the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements. accordingly, by selectively preventing some of the charge carriers from reaching the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 , the course of the respective correlation function may be shaped. for example, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be controlled to increase a ratio of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages 223 and 224 during the respective second tof measurement with increasing distance of the tof sensor 210 to the object 201 causing the incident light 203 . in other words, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel 221 may be controlled to decrease the ratio of drained charged carriers in the respective second tof measurement with increasing distance of the object 201 (causing the incident light 203 ) to the tof sensor 210 . analogously to what is described above for the first tof measurements, the storage behavior of the at least one photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel may be inverted between pairs of the plurality of second tof measurements in order to compensate for errors such as gain errors or errors due to background light. for example, for one of the plurality of second tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel may be controlled to selectively store part of the charge carriers generated during the one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a third storage order. for another one of the plurality of second tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor element or pixel may be controlled to selectively store part of the charge carriers generated during the other one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a fourth storage order. the fourth storage order is inverted with respect to the third storage order. it may be beneficial for the above described phase unwrapping to have the highest amplitudes of the correlation functions of both the first tof measurements and the second tof measurements in substantially the same distance region. for example, the correlation functions of the plurality of first tof measurements may exhibit their respective maximum amplitude at first distances and the correlation functions of the plurality of second tof measurements may exhibit their respective maximum amplitude at second distances such that the first distances differ by less than 20%, 10% or 5% from the second distances. according to some examples, a course of a ratio of the correlation functions of any two of the first tof measurements may be strictly monotonic decreasing or strictly monotonic increasing (over distance) in the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . analogously, a course of a ratio of the correlation functions of any two of the second tof measurements may be strictly monotonic decreasing or strictly monotonic increasing (over distance) in the measurement range of the tof sensor 210 . a strictly monotonic decreasing or increasing ratio may enable unambiguous tof measurements. aspects the aspects as described herein may be summarized as follows: aspects relate to a method for tof sensing of a scene. the method includes performing, by a tof sensor including at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel, a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values. a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor. the method further includes determining a distance to an object in the scene based on the first measurement values. performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by incident light. in addition, performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. according to some aspects, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel provides a respective integration state for each of the least two charge storages during which the charge carriers are being stored in the corresponding charge storage, wherein the photo-sensitive sensor pixel further provides a drain state during which the charge carriers are prevented from reaching the at least two charge storages, and wherein performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes, for at least the one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to operate according to a state pattern, the state pattern including first the drain state, followed by a sequence of integration states during which the charge carriers are alternatingly stored in the least two charge storages. in some aspects, performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes, for at least the one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to continuously and repeatedly operate according to the state pattern over time, wherein each two subsequent sequences of integration states are separated by a drain state. according to some aspects, the two sequences of integration states include a first sequence of integration states and a second sequence of integration states being different from each other. in some aspects, the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states have integration states of different durations. in some aspects, the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states have different respective numbers of integration states. according to some aspects, the integration states within a respective one of the first sequence of integration states and the second sequence of integration states have a same duration. in some aspects, a duration of the drain state is chosen to reach a predetermined amount of charge carriers being integrated into the at least two charge storages during the subsequent sequence of integration states. according to some aspects, the tof sensor further includes an illumination element, and wherein performing the plurality of first tof measurements includes, for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, controlling the illumination element to emit light pulses in groups, wherein each group includes at least two light pulses. in some aspects, a longest duration separating two subsequent light pulses within each of the groups of light pulses is shorter than a duration separating two subsequent ones of the groups of light pulses. according to some aspects, only the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages during the respective first tof measurement contribute to the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements. in some aspects, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store the part of charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements in the at least two charge storages includes controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to increase a ratio of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages with increasing distance of the tof sensor to an object in the scene causing the incident light. according to some aspects, different time offsets are used respectively for the plurality of first tof measurements between a respective sequence of modulated light pulses emitted to the scene during the respective first tof measurement and one or more respective drive signal used to drive the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the respective first tof measurement. in some aspects, the time offsets used for the first tof measurements are integer multiples of a fraction of a first period length given by the inverse of the first modulation frequency. according to some aspects, for one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the charge carriers generated during the one of the plurality of first tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a first storage order, wherein, for another one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the charge carriers generated during the other one of the plurality of first tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a second storage order, the second storage order being inverted with respect to the first storage order. in some aspects, the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements gives the photo-sensitive sensor pixel's distance-dependent correlation of the incident light with one or more respective drive signal and without considering the intensity of the light, the photo-sensitive pixel being driven based on the one or more respective drive signal during the respective first tof measurement. in some aspects, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent the other part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages includes controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively drain, via a drain terminal of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, the other part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements. according to some aspects, the method further includes performing, by the tof sensor, a plurality of second tof measurements using a second modulation frequency in order to obtain second measurement values, wherein a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within the measurement range of the tof sensor wherein determining the distance to the object in the scene is further based on the second measurement values, and wherein performing the plurality of second tof measurements includes for at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to: selectively store, in the at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements by incident light; and selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. in some aspects, only the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages during the respective second tof measurement contribute to the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements. according to some aspects, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store the part of charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages includes controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to increase a ratio of the charge carriers selectively stored in the at least two charge storages with increasing distance of the tof sensor to an object in the scene causing the incident light. in some aspects, different time offsets are used respectively for the plurality of second tof measurements between a respective sequence of modulated light pulses emitted to the scene during the respective second tof measurement and one or more respective drive signal used to drive the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the respective second tof measurement. according to some aspects, the time offsets used for the second tof measurements are integer multiples of a fraction of a second period length given by the inverse of the second modulation frequency. in some aspects, for one of the plurality of second tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the charge carriers generated during the one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a third storage order, wherein, for another one of the plurality of second tof measurements, the photo-sensitive sensor pixel is controlled to selectively store part of the charge carriers generated during the other one of the plurality of second tof measurements in the at least two charge storages according to a fourth storage order, the fourth storage order being inverted with respect to the third storage order. according to some aspects, the respective correlation function of each of the plurality of second tof measurements gives the photo-sensitive sensor pixel's distance-dependent correlation of the incident light with one or more respective drive signal and without considering the intensity of the light, the photo-sensitive pixel being driven based on the one or more respective drive signal during the respective second tof measurement. in some aspects, controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent the other part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages includes controlling the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively drain, via a drain terminal of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, the other part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of second tof measurements. in some aspects, determining the distance to the object in the scene includes: determining a first distance estimate based on the first measurement values; determining a second distance estimate based on the second measurement values; and determining the distance to the object in the scene based on the first distance estimate and the second distance estimate. according to some aspects, a course of a ratio of the correlation function of any two of the first tof measurements is strictly monotonic decreasing or strictly monotonic increasing in the measurement range of the tof sensor. other aspects relate to an apparatus for tof sensing of a scene. the apparatus includes a tof sensor configured to perform a plurality of first tof measurements using a first modulation frequency in order to obtain first measurement values. a respective correlation function of each of the plurality of first tof measurements is periodic and exhibits an increasing amplitude over distance within a measurement range of the tof sensor. the apparatus additionally includes a processing circuit configured to determine a distance to an object in the scene based on the first measurement values. the tof sensor includes at least one photo-sensitive sensor pixel. for at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively store, in at least two charge storages of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel, part of charge carriers generated in the photo-sensitive sensor pixel during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements by incident light. further, for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent another part of the charge carriers generated during the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements from reaching the at least two charge storages. in some aspects, for the at least one of the plurality of first tof measurements, the tof sensor is configured to control the photo-sensitive sensor pixel to selectively prevent the other part of the charge carriers from reaching the at least two charge storages by selectively draining the other part of the charge carriers via a drain terminal of the photo-sensitive sensor pixel. aspects of the present disclosure may provide a tof depth sensing method with high dynamic range and without the need of capturing additional images. for example, high dynamic range tof sensing may be enabled by pixel drainage. the aspects and features described in relation to a particular one of the previous aspects may also be combined with one or more of the further aspects to replace an identical or similar feature of that further aspect or to additionally introduce the features into the further aspect. it is further understood that the disclosure of several steps, processes, operations or functions disclosed in the description or claims shall not be construed to imply that these operations are necessarily dependent on the order described, unless explicitly stated in the individual case or necessary for technical reasons. therefore, the previous description does not limit the execution of several steps or functions to a certain order. furthermore, in further aspects, a single step, function, process or operation may include and/or be broken up into several sub-steps, -functions, -processes or -operations. if some aspects have been described in relation to a device or system, these aspects should also be understood as a description of the corresponding method. for example, a block, device or functional aspect of the device or system may correspond to a feature, such as a method step, of the corresponding method. accordingly, aspects described in relation to a method shall also be understood as a description of a corresponding block, a corresponding element, a property or a functional feature of a corresponding device or a corresponding system. the following claims are hereby incorporated in the detailed description, wherein each claim may stand on its own as a separate aspect. it should also be noted that although in the claims a dependent claim refers to a particular combination with one or more other claims, other aspects may also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent claim. such combinations are hereby explicitly proposed, unless it is stated in the individual case that a particular combination is not intended. furthermore, features of a claim should also be included for any other independent claim, even if that claim is not directly defined as dependent on that other independent claim.
|
197-122-766-379-908
|
US
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"WO",
"JP"
] |
H04W76/27,H04W8/00,H04W48/10,H04W48/12,H04W52/04,H04W52/38,H04W72/04,H04W76/10,H04W76/14,H04W92/18,H04W76/02,H04W52/36,H04W72/08,H04W88/06,H04W88/10,H04W52/18,H04W72/02
| 2013-02-19T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"H04"
] |
mobile communication system, user terminal, and base station
|
a user equipment, method, and chipset receive system information block (sib) broadcasted from a base station, and while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib is used to control the d2d communication. data is transmitted to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode. the sib includes resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication and power information used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication. the transmitting comprises determinations of radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information and transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information, and transmitting the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power.
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1 . a user equipment having a function of device-to-device (d2d) communication, comprising: a receiver configured to receive a system information block (sib) broadcasted by a base station, and while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib is used to control the d2d communication; a transmitter configured to transmit data to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib, while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode; and a controller, wherein the sib includes resource information and power information, the resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication, the power information being used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication, the controller determines radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information, the controller determines transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information, and the transmitter transmits the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power. 2 . a method applied to a user equipment having a function of device-to-device (d2d) communication, the method comprising: receiving a system information block (sib) broadcasted from a base station, and while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib is used to control the d2d communication; and transmitting data to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib, while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode, wherein the sib includes resource information and power information, the resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication, the power information being used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication, the transmitting comprises: determining radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information, determining transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information, and transmitting the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power. 3 . a chipset included in a first communication apparatus that performs relay transmission between a network and a second communication apparatus, comprising: a processor and a memory coupled to the processor, the processor configured to perform processes of: receiving a system information block (sib) broadcasted from a base station, and while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib is used to control the d2d communication; and transmitting data to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib, while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode, wherein the sib includes resource information and power information, the resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication, the power information being used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication, in the process of the transmitting, the processor configured to perform processes of: determining radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information, determining transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information, and transmitting the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is a continuation application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/183,084 filed nov. 7, 2018, which is a continuation application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/886,403 filed feb. 1, 2018, which is a continuation application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/673,949 filed aug. 10, 2017, which is a continuation application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/167,525 filed may 27, 2016, which is a continuation application of u.s. patent application ser. no. 14/769,007 filed aug. 19, 2015, which is the u.s. national phase application of international patent application no. pct/jp2014/053742 filed feb. 18, 2014, which claims benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 61/766,548 filed feb. 19, 2013, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. technical field the present disclosure relates to a mobile communication system, a user terminal, and a base station which support d2d communication. background art in 3gpp (3rd generation partnership project) which is a project aiming to standardize a mobile communication system, it is considered to introduce communication between devices (device to device: d2d) as a new function to be specified in release 12 or subsequent versions (see non patent literature 1). in the d2d communication, a plurality of neighboring user terminals perform a direct communication without passing through a network. that is, a data path of the d2d communication does not pass through the network. on the other hand, a data path of a normal communication (cellular communication) of a mobile communication system passes through the network. citation list non patent literature [non patent literature 1] 3gpp technical report “tr 22.803 v2.0.0” november 2012 summary the d2d communication is assumed to be controlled at the initiative of the network. thus, a user terminal is considered to perform the d2d communication in a state (a connected state) in which a connection with the network has been established. however, such a method has a problem of an increase in load and signaling of the network caused by the control of the d2d communication. therefore, the present disclosure provides a mobile communication system capable of suppressing an increase in load and signaling of a network caused by the control of d2d communication. a user equipment according to this disclosure has a function of device-to-device (d2d) communication and comprises a receiver configured to receive a system information block (sib) broadcasted by a base station. while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib used to control the d2d communication. the user equipment comprises a transmitter configured to transmit data to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode, and a controller. the sib includes resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication and power information used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication. the controller determines radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information, and transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information. the transmitter transmits the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power. a method according to the this disclosure is applied to a user equipment having a function of device-to-device (d2d) communication. the method comprises receiving a system information block (sib) broadcasted from a base station, and while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib used to control the d2d communication. the method comprises transmitting data to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode. the sib includes resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication and power information used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication. the transmitting comprises determining radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information, determining transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information, and transmitting the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power. a chipset according to this disclosure is included in a first communication apparatus that performs relay transmission between a network and a second communication apparatus. the chipset comprises a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. the processor is configured to perform processes of receiving a system information block (sib) broadcasted from a base station, and while the user equipment is in a radio resource control (rrc) idle mode in which no rrc connection is established between the use equipment and the base station, the sib used to control the d2d communication. the processor is configured to transmit data to other user equipment by the d2d communication based on the sib while the user equipment is in the rrc idle mode. the sib includes resource information indicating usable radio resources for the d2d communication and power information used for controlling transmission power in the d2d communication. in the process of the transmitting, the processor configured to perform processes of determining radio resources used to transmit the data based on the resource information, determining transmission power used in transmitting the data based on the power information, and transmitting the data using the determined radio resources and the determined transmission power. brief description of drawings fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an lte system. fig. 2 is a block diagram of the ue. fig. 3 is a block diagram of the enb. fig. 4 is a protocol stack diagram of a radio interface in the lte system. fig. 5 is a configuration diagram of a radio frame used in the lte system. fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation environment according to a first embodiment. fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a d2d radio resource according to the first embodiment. fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a specific example 1 of an interference avoidance operation pattern 2 . fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example 2 of an interference avoidance operation pattern 2 . fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of a candidate of a hopping pattern. description of embodiments overview of embodiment a mobile communication system according to a first embodiment and a second embodiment supports a cellular communication in which a data path passes through a network, and a d2d communication that is a direct device-to-device communication in which a data path does not pass through the network. the mobile communication system includes a base station included in the network and configured to transmit broadcast information, and a user terminal configured to receive the broadcast information from the base station and then performs the d2d communication. the broadcast information is information that enables the d2d communication even in a specific state in which the user terminal does not establish a connection with the network. the user terminal performs the d2d communication in the specific state on the basis of the broadcast information. in the first embodiment, the specific state is an idle state indicating a state in which the user terminal does not establish the connection in a coverage of the network. in the second embodiment, the specific state is a state in which the user terminal exists out of the coverage of the network. in the second embodiment, the base station is a base station that manages a termination cell included in a termination area of the coverage. in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the broadcast information includes resource information indicating a radio resource permitted to be used in one of the d2d communication and a terminal discovery process for starting the d2d communication. in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the broadcast information includes power information indicating a maximum transmission power permitted in one of the d2d communication and a terminal discovery process for starting the d2d communication. in the first embodiment, the base station does not use the radio resource permitted to be used in one of the d2d communication and the terminal discovery process, in the cellular communication. in the first embodiment, in the case of establishing the connection before performing the d2d communication, the user terminal performs the d2d communication after disconnecting the connection on the basis of the broadcast information. in the first embodiment, in response to the detection of interference to the d2d communication from another user terminal, the user terminal performing the d2d communication transmits, to the network, information indicating a request to avoid the interference after establishing the connection or in the process of establishing the connection. in the second embodiment, in response to the detection of interference to the d2d communication from another user terminal, the user terminal performing the d2d communication determines to stop the d2d communication and transmits information indicating the stop of the d2d communication to a terminal with which the user terminal communicates. in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, in response to the detection of interference to the d2d communication from another user terminal, the user terminal performing the d2d communication performs negotiation between terminals such that a radio resource used in a d2d terminal group including the user terminal is different from a radio resource used in a d2d terminal group including the another user terminal in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, in response to the detection of interference to the d2d communication from another user terminal, the user terminal performing the d2d communication changes a radio resource used in the d2d communication to another radio resource. in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the user terminal, which changes the radio resource used in the d2d communication to the another radio resource, broadcasts change information indicating a change to the another radio resource by using the another radio resource. in the second embodiment, when another user terminal, which belongs to a d2d terminal group different from the d2d terminal group including the user terminal, receives the change information during the use of the another radio resource, the another user terminal notifies a serving cell of the another user terminal of the reception of the change information. in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, when another user terminal, which belongs to a d2d terminal group different from the d2d terminal group including the user terminal, receives the change information during the use of the another radio resource, the another user terminal notifies the user terminal of the fact that the another radio resource is being used. in a modification of the second embodiment, the user terminal performs the d2d communication by using a frequency hopping scheme. the broadcast information includes information indicating a hopping pattern permitted to be used in the d2d communication. a user terminal according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment is used in a mobile communication system that supports a cellular communication in which a data path passes through a network, and a d2d communication that is a direct device-to-device communication in which a data path does not pass through the network. the user terminal includes a receiver configured to receive broadcast information from a base station included in the network, and a controller configured to perform the d2d communication after the receiver receives the broadcast information. the broadcast information is information that enables the d2d communication even in a specific state in which the user terminal does not establish a connection with the network. the controller performs the d2d communication in the specific state on the basis of the broadcast information. a base station according to the first embodiment and the second embodiment is included in a network in a mobile communication system that supports a cellular communication in which a data path passes through a network, and a d2d communication that is a direct device-to-device communication in which a data path does not pass through the network. the base station includes a transmitter configured to transmit broadcast information that enables the d2d communication even in a specific state in which a user terminal does not establish a connection with the network. first embodiment hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a description will be provided for an embodiment in a case where d2d communication is introduced to an lte system which is one of mobile communication systems configured based on the 3gpp standards. (lte system) fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an lte system according to the first embodiment. as illustrated in fig. 1 , the lte system includes a plurality of ues (user equipment) 100 , e-utran (evolved-umts terrestrial radio access network) 10 , and epc (evolved packet core) 20 . the e-utran 10 corresponds to a radio access network and the epc 20 corresponds to a core network. the e-utran 10 and the epc 20 configure a network of the lte system. the ue 100 is a mobile communication device and performs radio communication with a cell (a serving cell) with which a connection is established. the ue 100 corresponds to the user terminal. the e-utran 10 includes a plurality of enbs 200 (evolved node-b). the enb 200 corresponds to a base station. the enb 200 manages one or a plurality of cells and performs radio communication with the ue 100 which establishes a connection with the cell of the enb 200 . it is noted that the “cell” is used as a term indicating a minimum unit of a radio communication area, and is also used as a term indicating a function of performing radio communication with the ue 100 . the enb 200 , for example, has a radio resource management (rrm) function, a function of routing user data, and a measurement control function for mobility control and scheduling. the epc 20 includes a plurality of mme (mobility management entity)/s-gw (serving-gateway) 300 . the mme is a network node for performing various mobility controls and the like for the ue 100 and corresponds to a controller. the s-gw is a network node that performs control to transfer user data and corresponds to a mobile switching center. the epc 20 including the mme/s-gw 300 accommodates the enb 200 . the enbs 200 are connected mutually via an x2 interface. furthermore, the enb 200 is connected to the mme/s-gw 300 via an 51 interface. next, the configurations of the ue 100 and the enb 200 will be described. fig. 2 is a block diagram of the ue 100 . as illustrated in fig. 2 , the ue 100 includes an antenna 101 , a radio transceiver 110 , a user interface 120 , a gnss (global navigation satellite system) receiver 130 , a battery 140 , a memory 150 , and a processor 160 . the memory 150 and the processor 160 configure a controller. the ue 100 may not have the gnss receiver 130 . furthermore, the memory 150 may be integrally formed with the processor 160 , and this set (that is, a chip set) may be called a processor 160 ′. the antenna 101 and the radio transceiver 110 are used to transmit and receive a radio signal. the antenna 101 includes a plurality of antenna elements. the radio transceiver 110 converts a baseband signal output from the processor 160 into the radio signal, and transmits the radio signal from the antenna 101 . furthermore, the radio transceiver 110 converts the radio signal received by the antenna 101 into the baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 160 . the user interface 120 is an interface with a user carrying the ue 100 , and includes, for example, a display, a microphone, a speaker, various buttons and the like. the user interface 120 receives an operation from a user and outputs a signal indicating the content of the operation to the processor 160 . the gnss receiver 130 receives a gnss signal in order to obtain location information indicating a geographical location of the ue 100 , and outputs the received signal to the processor 160 . the battery 140 accumulates a power to be supplied to each block of the ue 100 . the memory 150 stores a program to be executed by the processor 160 and information to be used for a process by the processor 160 . the processor 160 includes a baseband processor that performs modulation and demodulation, encoding and decoding and the like on the baseband signal, and a cpu (central processing unit) that performs various processes by executing the program stored in the memory 150 . the processor 160 may further include a codec that performs encoding and decoding on sound and video signals. the processor 160 executes various processes and various communication protocols which will be described later. fig. 3 is a block diagram of the enb 200 . as illustrated in fig. 3 , the enb 200 includes an antenna 201 , a radio transceiver 210 , a network interface 220 , a memory 230 , and a processor 240 . the memory 230 and the processor 240 constitute a controller. the antenna 201 and the radio transceiver 210 are used to transmit and receive a radio signal. the antenna 201 includes a plurality of antenna elements. the radio transceiver 210 converts the baseband signal output from the processor 240 into the radio signal, and transmits the radio signal from the antenna 201 . furthermore, the radio transceiver 210 converts the radio signal received by the antenna 201 into the baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 240 . the network interface 220 is connected to the neighboring enb 200 via the x2 interface and is connected to the mme/s-gw 300 via the s1 interface. the network interface 220 is used in communication performed on the x2 interface and communication performed on the s1 interface. the memory 230 stores a program to be executed by the processor 240 and information to be used for a process by the processor 240 . the processor 240 includes the baseband processor that performs modulation and demodulation, encoding and decoding and the like on the baseband signal and a cpu that performs various processes by executing the program stored in the memory 230 . the processor 240 executes various processes and various communication protocols described later. fig. 4 is a protocol stack diagram of a radio interface in the lte system. as illustrated in fig. 4 , the radio interface protocol is classified into a layer 1 to a layer 3 of an osi reference model, wherein the layer 1 is a physical (phy) layer. the layer 2 includes a mac (media access control) layer, an rlc (radio link control) layer, and a pdcp (packet data convergence protocol) layer. the layer 3 includes an rrc (radio resource control) layer. the phy layer performs encoding and decoding, modulation and demodulation, antenna mapping and demapping, and resource mapping and demapping. between the phy layer of the ue 100 and the phy layer of the enb 200 , data is transmitted via the physical channel. the mac layer performs priority control of data, and a retransmission process and the like by hybrid arq (harq). between the mac layer of the ue 100 and the mac layer of the enb 200 , data is transmitted via a transport channel. the mac layer of the enb 200 includes a transport format of an uplink and a downlink (a transport block size and a modulation and coding scheme (mcs)) and a scheduler for determining a resource block to be assigned. the rlc layer transmits data to an rlc layer of a reception side by using the functions of the mac layer and the phy layer. between the rlc layer of the ue 100 and the rlc layer of the enb 200 , data is transmitted via a logical channel. the pdcp layer performs header compression and decompression, and encryption and decryption. the rrc layer is defined only in a control plane. between the rrc layer of the ue 100 and the rrc layer of the enb 200 , a control message (an rrc message) for various types of setting is transmitted. the rrc layer controls the logical channel, the transport channel, and the physical channel in response to establishment, re-establishment, and release of a radio bearer. when there is an rrc connection between the rrc of the ue 100 and the rrc of the enb 200 , the ue 100 is in a connected state (an rrc connected state), and when there is no rrc connection, the ue 100 is in an idle state (an rrc idle state). a nas (non-access stratum) layer positioned above the rrc layer performs session management, mobility management and the like. fig. 5 is a configuration diagram of a radio frame used in the lte system. in the lte system, ofdma (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access) is applied to a downlink, and sc-fdma (single carrier frequency division multiple access) is applied to an uplink, respectively. as illustrated in fig. 5 , the radio frame is configured by 10 subframes arranged in a time direction, wherein each subframe is configured by two slots arranged in the time direction. each subframe has a length of 1 ms and each slot has a length of 0.5 ms. each subframe includes a plurality of resource blocks (rbs) in a frequency direction, and a plurality of symbols in the time direction. the resource block includes a plurality of subcarriers in the frequency direction. among radio resources assigned to the ue 100 , a frequency resource can be specified by a resource block and a time resource can be specified by a subframe (or slot). in the downlink, an interval of several symbols at the head of each subframe is a control region used as a physical downlink control channel (pdcch) for mainly transmitting a control signal. furthermore, the other interval of each subframe is a region available as a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch) for mainly transmitting user data. in the uplink, both ends in the frequency direction of each subframe are control regions used as a physical uplink control channel (pucch) for mainly transmitting a control signal. further, the central portion in the frequency direction of each subframe is a region mainly capable of being used as a physical uplink shared channel (pusch) for transmitting user data. (d2d communication) the lte system according to the first embodiment supports the d2d communication that is direct communication between ues. hereinafter, the d2d communication will be described in comparison with normal communication (cellular communication) of the lte system. in the cellular communication, a data path passes through the epc 20 that is a core network. the data path indicates a communication path of user data (a user plane). on the other hand, in the d2d communication, the data path set between the ues does not pass through the epc 20 . thus, it is possible to reduce traffic load of the epc 20 . the ue 100 discovers another ue 100 existing in the vicinity of the ue 100 by a neighboring ue discovery (discovery) process, and starts the d2d communication. the d2d communication, for example, is performed in a frequency band (a so-called licensed band) assigned to the lte system. the d2d communication includes a direct communication mode and a locally routed mode. in the direct communication mode, a data path does not pass through the enb 200 . a ue group (a d2d ue group) including a plurality of ues 100 adjacent to one another directly perform radio communication with low transmission power in a cell of the enb 200 . thus, a merit including reduction of power consumption of the ue 100 and decrease of interference to a neighboring cell can be obtained. on the other hand, in the locally routed mode, a data path passes through the enb 200 , however, not the epc 20 . the locally routed mode is able to reduce traffic load of the epc 20 , however, has a smaller merit as compared with the direct communication mode. thus, in the first embodiment, the direct communication mode is mainly assumed. (operation according to first embodiment) next, an operation according to the first embodiment will be described. fig. 6 is a diagram for describing an operation environment according to the first embodiment. as shown in fig. 6 , ue 100 - 1 d, ue 100 - 2 d, and ue 100 -c exist in the cell of the enb 200 . in the first embodiment, the ue 100 - 1 d and the ue 100 - 2 d perform d2d communication in the cell of the enb 200 . the ue 100 -c performs cellular communication in the cell of the enb 200 . hereinafter, a description will be provided for an operation in which the ue 100 - 1 d and the ue 100 - 2 d perform the d2d communication. in addition, hereinafter, the ue 100 - 1 d and the ue 100 - 2 d are simply written as “ue 100 -d” when they are not particularly distinguished from each other. firstly, the enb 200 secures a radio resource (hereinafter, a “d2d radio resource”) permitted to be used in the d2d communication. the d2d radio resource is designated by a time resource and/or a frequency resource. the time resource, for example, is a subframe. the frequency resource, for example, is a resource block and/or a frequency band. in the first embodiment, the d2d radio resource is a dedicated radio resource that is not commonly used together with a cellular radio resource for the cellular communication. fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a d2d radio resource according to the first embodiment. as shown in fig. 7 , among radio resources corresponding to three subframes, several resource blocks positioned at the center in the central subframe are secured as the d2d radio resource. that is, the enb 200 does not use the d2d radio resource in the cellular communication. secondly, the enb 200 transmits broadcast information (hereinafter, d2d broadcast information) that enables the d2d communication even in a specific state in which the ue 100 -d does not establish an rrc connection with the network. in the first embodiment, the specific state is an idle state indicating a state in which the ue 100 -d does not establish the rrc connection in a coverage of the network. the enb 200 may periodically transmit the d2d broadcast information, or may transmit the d2d broadcast information when detecting a predetermined trigger. the d2d broadcast information may be included in a system information block (sib) or a master information block (mib). the sib or the mib is information receivable in ue 100 in an idle state. the d2d broadcast information includes resource information indicating the d2d radio resource and power information indicating maximum transmission power permitted in the d2d communication. the d2d broadcast information may also include information on a signal transmitted and received in the discovery process (details will be described later). thirdly, the ue 100 -d in a connected state or an idle state in the cell of the enb 200 receives the d2d broadcast information from the enb 200 , and acquires the resource information and the power information included in the d2d broadcast information. the ue 100 -d may receive the d2d broadcast information before the discovery process, or receive the d2d broadcast information after the discovery process. fourthly, the ue 100 -d in an idle state starts the d2d communication on the basis of the d2d broadcast information. when the ue 100 -d is in a connected state before performing the d2d communication, the ue 100 -d disconnects the rrc connection and then performs the d2d communication in an idle state according to an instruction from the enb 200 or voluntarily. the ue 100 -d decides a radio resource to be used in the d2d communication from among d2d radio resources indicated by the resource information, and performs the d2d communication by using the decided radio resource. furthermore, the ue 100 -d decides transmission power to be used in the d2d communication in a range of maximum transmission power indicated by the power information, and performs the d2d communication by using the decided transmission power. as described above, the ue 100 -d performs the d2d communication in an idle state, so that it is possible to suppress an increase in load and signaling of the network caused by the control of the d2d communication. however, during the d2d communication, the ue 100 -d may receive interference from ue 100 -x (a cellular ue or a d2d ue belonging to another d2d ue group) with which the ue 100 -d does not communicate. hereinafter, a description will be provided for operation patterns 1 to 3 for avoiding interference during the d2d communication. (1) interference avoidance operation pattern 1 the ue 100 -d performing the d2d communication detects interference (interference power) to the d2d communication from the ue 100 -x with which the ue 100 -d does not communicate. when the interference is detected, the ue 100 -d transmits, to the enb 200 , information indicating a request to avoid the interference after establishing the rrc connection or in the process of establishing the rrc connection. that is, the ue 100 -d transitions to a connected state and requests the enb 200 to perform a process for avoiding the interference. in the case of establishing the rrc connection only in order to request the process for avoiding the interference, the ue 100 -d may notify the enb 200 to that effect during the process for establishing the rrc connection. as the process for avoiding the interference, the enb 200 allows a radio resource used by the ue 100 -x to be different from a radio resource used by the ue 100 -d, for example. alternatively, the enb 200 reduces the transmission power of the ue 100 -x. (2) interference avoidance operation pattern 2 the ue 100 -d performing the d2d communication detects interference (interference power) to the d2d communication from the ue 100 -x with which the ue 100 -d does not communicate. when the interference is detected, the ue 100 -d performs negotiation between ues in order to avoid the interference while maintaining an idle state. for example, the ue 100 -d negotiates with the ue 100 -x such that a radio resource used by a d2d ue group including the ue 100 -d is different from a radio resource used by a d2d ue group including the ue 100 -x. (3) interference avoidance operation pattern 3 the ue 100 -d, which performs the d2d communication by using a radio resource (hereinafter, a “radio resource a”) included in the d2d radio resource, detects interference (interference power) to the d2d communication from the ue 100 -x with which the ue 100 -d does not communicate. when the interference is detected, the ue 100 -d changes a radio resource used in the d2d communication to another radio resource (hereinafter, a “radio resource b”) included in the d2d radio resource. then, the ue 100 -d broadcasts change information indicating a change to the radio resource b by using the radio resource b. in this case, when ue 100 -y using the radio resource b receives the change information, the ue 100 -y notifies a serving cell (the enb 200 ) of the ue 100 -y of the reception of the change information. furthermore, the ue 100 -y broadcasts in-use information, which indicates that the radio resource b is being used, by using the radio resource b. when the in-use information is received from the ue 100 -y, the ue 100 -d performs one of the following processes. the ue 100 -d stops a change to the radio resource b when the interference from the ue 100 -x is reduced, and uses the radio resource a.the ue 100 -d performs the process of the interference avoidance operation pattern 1 or 2 when the interference from the ue 100 -x is not reduced. meanwhile, when the in-use information is not received from the ue 100 -y, the ue 100 -d notifies ue with which the ue 100 -d communicates, of a change to the radio resource b. then, the ue 100 -d and the ue with which the ue 100 -d communicates perform the d2d communication by using the radio resource b. fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating a specific example 1 of the interference avoidance operation pattern 2 . in fig. 8 , a cell a is a cell belonging to a frequency band a included in the d2d radio resource, and a cell b is a cell belonging to a frequency band b included in the d2d radio resource. as shown in fig. 8(a) , ue 100 - 1 and ue 100 - 2 constitute a d2d ue group, and ue 100 - 3 and ue 100 - 4 constitute another d2d ue group. these two d2d ue groups are adjacent to each other and use the same frequency band, resulting in the occurrence of interference between the d2d communications. hereinafter, the case, in which the ue 100 - 4 detects interference from the ue 100 - 1 , is considered. as shown in fig. 8(b) , when interference is detected, the ue 100 - 4 changes a frequency band (a cell), in which d2d communication is performed, from the frequency band a (the cell a) to the frequency band b (the cell b). then, the ue 100 -d broadcasts change information, which indicates a change to the frequency band b (the cell b), in the frequency band b (the cell b). as shown in fig. 8(c) , since no in-use information is received, the ue 100 - 4 notifies the ue 100 - 3 of a change to the frequency band b (the cell b). then, the ue 100 - 3 and the ue 100 - 4 perform the d2d communication in the frequency band b (the cell b). fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a specific example 2 of the interference avoidance operation pattern 2 . hereinafter, the difference relative to the specific example 1 will be described. as shown in fig. 9(a) , the ue 100 - 4 detects interference from the ue 100 - 1 in the frequency band a (the cell a). meanwhile, the ue 100 - 3 and the ue 100 - 4 perform the d2d communication in the frequency band b (the cell b). as shown in fig. 9 (b), the ue 100 - 4 broadcasts change information, which indicates a change to the frequency band b (the cell b), in the frequency band b (the cell b). ue 100 - 6 receives the change information from the ue 100 - 4 , and broadcasts (or notifies) in-use information, which indicates that the frequency band b (the cell b) is being used, in the frequency band b (the cell b). the ue 100 - 4 receives the in-use information from the ue 100 - 6 . as shown in fig. 9(c) , since the interference from the ue 100 - 2 is not reduced, the ue 100 - 4 which has received the in-use information performs the process of the interference avoidance operation pattern 1 or 2 . second embodiment next, a second embodiment will be described. in the second embodiment, the specific state is a state (hereinafter, an “out-of-service state”) in which the ue 100 -d exists out of a coverage of the network. the coverage is not limited to a coverage of an lte network, and may be coverages of all networks operated by the same communication provider. furthermore, out-of-coverage indicates both an area in which radio waves from the network do not reach, and an area in which the radio waves from the network are severely weak. an area out of the coverage is called an “out-of-range area”. in the second embodiment, the enb 200 , which transmits d2d broadcast information, manages a termination cell included in a termination area of the coverage. in the termination cell, at least a part of a periphery thereof is the out-of-range area. that is, the enb 200 transmits the d2d broadcast information in the termination cell. the enb 200 may be notified of information regarding whether the cell of the enb 200 is the termination cell from the epc 20 . hereinafter, an operation according to the second embodiment will be explained while focusing on the difference relative to the first embodiment. the enb 200 transmits d2d broadcast information that enables d2d communication even though the ue 100 -d is in the out-of-service state. the d2d broadcast information includes information (termination cell information) indicating that the d2d communication is permitted in the out-of-range area, in addition to resource information indicating a d2d radio resource and power information indicating maximum transmission power permitted in the d2d communication. the ue 100 -d in a connected state or an idle state in the cell of the enb 200 receives the d2d broadcast information from the enb 200 . then, the ue 100 -d transitioned to the out-of-service state performs a discovery process on the basis of the d2d broadcast information, and then performs the d2d communication. as described above, the ue 100 -d performs the d2d communication in the out-of-service state, so that it is possible to effectively utilize the d2d communication and to enable communication even in the out-of-service state. furthermore, in the second embodiment, among the interference avoidance operations according to the first embodiment, an interference avoidance operation, other than the operation (that is, the interference avoidance operation pattern 1 ) to request the enb 200 to avoid the interference, is applicable. moreover, in the second embodiment, instead of the aforementioned interference avoidance operation pattern 1 , an operation for stopping the d2d communication may be performed. in this case, in response to the detection of interference to the d2d communication from the ue 100 -x, the ue 100 -d determines to stop the d2d communication and transmits information indicating the stop of the d2d communication to a communication destination. modification of second embodiment in the second embodiment, since it is difficult to request the enb 200 to avoid the interference, d2d communication may be performed using a frequency hopping scheme in order to attenuate the influence of interference. in the present modification, the d2d broadcast information includes information on a hopping pattern (candidates of the hopping pattern) permitted to be used in the d2d communication. however, the ue 100 -d may hold the candidates of the hopping pattern in advance. fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific example of the candidates of the hopping pattern. in fig. 10 , a horizontal axis denotes a time axis and indicates 10 subframes corresponding to one radio frame. a vertical axis denotes a frequency axis and indicates a bandwidth corresponding to six resource blocks. the ue 100 -d selects a hopping pattern to be used in the d2d communication from the candidates of the hopping pattern, and notifies a communication destination of the selected hopping pattern. the ue 100 -d performs the d2d communication by using the selected hopping pattern. when the ue 100 -d detects interference from the ue 100 -x using the same hopping pattern, the ue 100 -d may decide the right of use of the hopping pattern by negotiation between ues. when it is not possible to use the selected hopping pattern, the ue 100 -d reselects another hopping pattern from the candidates of the hopping pattern, and notifies the communication destination of the selected hopping pattern. the ue 100 -d performs the d2d communication by using the reselected hopping pattern. in addition, as well as the case of selecting (or reselecting) a hopping pattern from the candidates of the hopping pattern, the corresponding ue may hold a ue-specific hopping pattern and perform the d2d communication by using the ue-specific hopping pattern. the hopping pattern may be calculated from a ue-specific id, an id of a cell in which the ue exists, a temporary id (c-rnti) assigned from the corresponding cell to the ue, and so on. other embodiments in each of the aforementioned embodiments, the d2d broadcast information may include information on a signal (discovery signal) transmitted and received in the discovery process. the discovery signal is a signal for discovering neighboring ue or a signal for being discovered by the neighboring ue. the information on the discovery signal includes resource information indicating radio resources (discovery radio resources) permitted to be used in the discovery process, and power information indicating maximum transmission power (discovery maximum transmission power) permitted in the discovery process. in this case, the ue 100 -d decides a radio resource used in the transmission of the discovery signal from the discovery radio resources indicated by the resource information, and transmits the discovery signal by using the decided radio resource. furthermore, the ue 100 -d decides transmission power of the discovery signal in a range of the discovery maximum transmission power indicated by the power information, and transmits the discovery signal by using the decided transmission power. each the embodiments and the modification mentioned above may be performed separately and independently and may also be performed through a combination thereof. in the aforementioned second embodiment and the modification thereof, a parameter (a radio resource, maximum transmission power and so on) necessary for the d2d communication may be statically decided and the ue 100 -d may hold information (the parameter) thereof. in this case, the ue 100 -d can perform the d2d communication by using the held parameter regardless of the d2d broadcast information (and the termination cell information). each of the aforementioned embodiments has described an example in which the present disclosure is applied to the lte system. however, the present disclosure may also be applied to systems other than the lte system, as well as the lte system. thus, the present disclosure includes a variety of embodiments not described herein as a matter of course. further, it is possible to combine embodiments and modifications described above. therefore, the technical scope of the present disclosure is defined only by the matters according to claims based on the above description. industrial applicability according to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a mobile communication system, a user terminal, and a base station capable of suppressing an increase in load and signaling of a network caused by the control of d2d communication.
|
198-650-425-976-056
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
A61B17/04,A61B17/00,A61B17/06,A61F2/08
| 2006-09-29T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"A61"
] |
method for implanting soft tissue
|
a suture construction and method for forming a suture construction is disclosed. the construction utilizes a suture having an enlarged central body portion defining a longitudinal passage. first and second ends of the suture are passed through first and second apertures associated with the longitudinal passage to form a pair of loops. portions of the suture lay parallel to each other within the suture. application of tension onto the suture construction causes constriction of the longitudinal passage, thus preventing relative motions of the captured portions of the suture.
|
1. a treatment apparatus, comprising: an elongate bone engaging fastener; and an adjustable suture construct that extends down into the elongate bone engaging fastener through a trailing end of the elongate bone engaging fastener, around an interior portion of the elongate bone engaging fastener, and back out the elongate bone engaging fastener through the trailing end of the elongate bone engaging fastener to couple the adjustable suture construct to the elongate bone engaging fastener, wherein the adjustable suture construct includes a suture with a first free end and a second free end, wherein the suture further comprises a first aperture and a second aperture which are separate apertures in the suture and which occur successively along the suture such that, in a direction from the first free end to the second free end, the first aperture precedes the second aperture, wherein, within the adjustable suture construct, the first free end extends into the suture through the second aperture, longitudinally within the suture along a longitudinal passage in the suture between the second aperture and the first aperture, and out of the suture through the first aperture to form a self-locking adjustable loop, wherein the adjustable suture construct includes only a single self-locking adjustable loop which is said self-locking adjustable loop, wherein the adjustable suture construct being coupled to the elongate bone engaging fastener includes the longitudinal passage in the suture extending longitudinally within the elongate bone engaging fastener and further includes the second aperture in the suture being positioned within the elongate bone engaging fastener, and wherein at least a portion of the self-locking adjustable loop protrudes from the trailing end of the elongate bone engaging member. 2. the treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the suture is made to include: (i) a first portion including the longitudinal passage that has a first diameter; and (ii) a second portion including the first free end of the suture that has a second diameter, the first diameter greater than the second diameter. 3. the treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the suture comprises a braided body. 4. the treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the braided body is braided from 8 to 16 fibers. 5. the treatment apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the first aperture and the second aperture are formed during the braiding process as loose portions between fibers. 6. the treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the adjustable suture construct being coupled to the elongate bone engaging fastener further includes the first aperture in the suture positioned within the elongate bone engaging fastener. 7. the treatment apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the elongate bone engaging fastener is threaded. 8. a treatment apparatus, comprising: an elongate bone engaging fastener; and an adjustable suture construct coupled to the elongate bone engaging fastener, wherein the adjustable suture construct includes a suture with a first free end and a second free end, wherein the suture further comprises a first aperture and a second aperture which are separate apertures in the suture and which occur successively along the suture such that, in a direction from the first free end to the second free end, the first aperture precedes the second aperture, wherein, within the adjustable suture construct, the first free end extends into the suture through the second aperture, longitudinally within the suture along a longitudinal passage in the suture between the second aperture and the first aperture, and out of the suture through the first aperture to form a self-locking adjustable loop, wherein the adjustable suture construct being coupled to the elongate bone engaging fastener includes the longitudinal passage in the suture extending longitudinally within the elongate bone engaging fastener and further includes the second aperture in the suture being positioned within the elongate bone engaging fastener, and wherein at least a portion of the self-locking adjustable loop protrudes from the trailing end of the elongate bone engaging member. 9. the treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adjustable suture construct being coupled to the elongate bone engaging fastener includes the adjustable suture construct extending down into the elongate bone engaging fastener through a trailing end of the elongate bone engaging fastener, around an interior portion of the elongate bone engaging fastener, and back out the elongate bone engaging fastener through the trailing end of the elongate bone engaging fastener. 10. the treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adjustable suture construct includes only a single self-locking adjustable loop which is said self-locking adjustable loop. 11. the treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the adjustable suture construct being coupled to the elongate bone engaging fastener further includes the first aperture in the suture positioned within the elongate bone engaging fastener. 12. the treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the suture is made to include: (i) a first portion including the longitudinal passage that has a first diameter; and (ii) a second portion including the first free end of the suture that has a second diameter, the first diameter greater than the second diameter. 13. the treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the suture comprises a braided body. 14. the treatment apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the braided body is braided from 8 to 16 fibers. 15. the treatment apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first aperture and the second aperture are formed during the braiding process as loose portions between fibers. 16. the treatment apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the elongate bone engaging fastener is threaded.
|
field the present disclosure relates to suture loop constructions and, more particularly, to a locking suture loop construction and a method of its construction. background the statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. it is commonplace in arthroscopic procedures to employ sutures and anchors to secure soft tissues to bone. despite their widespread use, several improvements in the use of sutures and suture anchors can be made. for example, the procedure of tying knots can be very time consuming, thereby increasing the cost of the procedure and limiting the capacity of the surgeon. furthermore, the strength of the repair may be limited by the strength of the knot. this latter drawback may be of particular significance if the knot is tied improperly as the strength of the knot in such situations can be significantly lower than the tensile strength of the suture material. to overcome this problem, sutures having a single preformed loop have been provided. fig. 1 represents a prior art suture construction. as shown, one end of the suture is passed through a passage defined in the suture itself. the application of tension to the ends of the suture pulls a portion of the suture through the passage, causing a loop formed in the suture to close. unfortunately, relaxation of the system can allow a portion of the suture to translate back through the passage, thus relieving the desired tension. it is an object of the present teachings to provide an alternative device for anchoring sutures to bone and soft tissue. the device, which is relatively simple in design and structure, is highly effective for its intended purpose. summary to overcome the aforementioned deficiencies, a method for configuring a braided tubular suture and a suture configuration are disclosed. the method includes passing a first end of the suture through a first aperture into a passage defined by the suture and out a second aperture defined by the suture so as to place the first end outside of the passage. a second end of the suture is passed through the second aperture into the passage and out the first aperture so as to place the second end outside of the passage. in another embodiment, a method for configuring a braided suture is disclosed. the method includes passing a first end of the suture through the first aperture defined between the pair of fibers defining the suture and into a longitudinal passage defined by the suture. the first end of the suture is then passed through a second aperture defined between a second pair of fibers so as to place the first end outside of the longitudinal passage. a second end of the suture is passed through a third aperture defined between a third pair of fibers and into the longitudinal passage. the second end is passed through an aperture defined by a fourth pair of fibers so as to place the second end outside of the longitudinal passage. in another embodiment, a suture anchor construction is provided comprising a suture and a suture anchor defining a bore. the suture has first and second ends and defines an interior longitudinal passage portion, and first and second depending apertures disposed between the first and second ends. the first end is placed through the first and second apertures so as to place a first portion within the longitudinal passage portion, and the second end is placed through the second and first aperture so as to place a second portion within a first portion of the longitudinal passage portion. the first portion is at least partially disposed with the bore. the suture anchor can be one of a screw, a plate, and a cannulated member. in another embodiment, a suture construction is provided having a suture with first and second ends and an enlarged central portion defining an interior longitudinal passage. first and second passage depending apertures are disposed between the first and second ends. the first end being placed through the first and second apertures so as to place a first portion of the suture within the longitudinal passage. the second end being placed through the second and first aperture so as to place a second portion of the suture within the longitudinal passage. further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. it should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. drawings the drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. fig. 1 represents a prior art suture configuration; figs. 2a and 2b represent suture constructions according to the teachings; fig. 3 represents the formation of the suture configuration shown in fig. 2a ; figs. 4a and 4b represent alternate suture configurations; figs. 5-7 represent further alternate suture configurations; fig. 8 represents the suture construction according to fig. 5 coupled to a bone engaging fastener; figs. 9, 10, 11a, and 11b represent the coupling of the suture construction according to fig. 5 to a bone screw; figs. 12a-12e represent the coupling of a soft tissue to an acl replacement in a femoral/humeral reconstruction; and figs. 13a-13d represent a close-up view of the suture shown in figs. 1-11c . detailed description the following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. it should be understood that throughout the drawings, corresponding reference numerals indicate like or corresponding parts and features. fig. 2a represents a suture construction 20 according to the present teachings. shown is a suture 22 having a first end 24 and a second end 26 . the suture 22 is formed of a braided body 28 that defines a longitudinally formed hollow passage 30 therein. first and second apertures 32 and 34 are defined in the braided body 28 at first and second locations of the longitudinally formed passage 30 . briefly referring to fig. 3 , a first end 24 of the suture 22 is passed through the first aperture 32 and through longitudinal passage 30 formed by a passage portion, and out the second aperture 34 . the second end 26 is passed through the second aperture 34 , through the passage 30 and out the first aperture 32 . this forms two loops 46 and 46 ′. as seen in fig. 28 , the relationship of the first and second apertures 32 and 34 with respect to the first and second ends 24 and 26 can be modified so as to allow a bow-tie suture construction 36 . as described below, the longitudinal and parallel placement of first and second suture portions 38 and 40 of the suture 22 within the longitudinal passage 30 resists the reverse relative movement of the first and second portions 38 and 40 of the suture once it is tightened. the first and second apertures are formed during the braiding process as loose portions between pairs of fibers defining the suture. as further described below, the first and second ends 24 and 26 can be passed through the longitudinal passage 30 multiple times. it is envisioned that either a single or multiple apertures can be formed at the ends of the longitudinally formed passage. as best seen in figs. 4a and 4b , a portion of the braided body 28 of the suture defining the longitudinal passage 30 can be braided so as to have a diameter larger than the diameter of the first and second ends 24 and 26 . additionally shown are first through fourth apertures 32 , 34 , 42 , and 44 . these apertures can be formed in the braiding process or can be formed during the construction process. in this regard, the apertures 32 , 34 , 42 , and 44 are defined between adjacent fibers in the braided body 28 . as shown in fig. 4b , and described below, it is envisioned the sutures can be passed through other biomedically compatible structures. figs. 5-7 represent alternate constructions wherein a plurality of loops 46 a - d are formed by passing the first and second ends 24 and 26 through the longitudinal passage 30 multiple times. the first and second ends 24 and 26 can be passed through multiple or single apertures defined at the ends of the longitudinal passage 30 . the tensioning of the ends 24 and 26 cause relative translation of the sides of the suture with respect to each other. upon applying tension to the first and second ends 24 and 26 of the suture 22 , the size of the loops 46 a - d is reduced to a desired size or load. at this point, additional tension causes the body of the suture defining the longitudinal passage 30 to constrict about the parallel portions of the suture within the longitudinal passage 30 . this constriction reduces the diameter of the longitudinal passage 30 , thus forming a mechanical interface between the exterior surfaces of the first and second parallel portions as well as the interior surface of the longitudinal passage 30 . as seen in figs. 8-11 , the suture construction can be coupled to various biocompatible hardware. in this regard, the suture construction 20 can be coupled to an aperture 52 of the bone engaging fastener 54 . additionally, it is envisioned that soft tissue or bone engaging members 56 can be fastened to one or two loops 46 . after fixing the bone engaging fastener 54 , the members 56 can be used to repair, for instance, a meniscal tear. the first and second ends 24 , 26 are then pulled, setting the tension on the loops 46 , thus pulling the meniscus into place. additionally, upon application of tension, the longitudinal passage 30 is constricted, thus preventing the relaxation of the tension caused by relative movement of the first and second parallel portions 38 , 40 , within the longitudinal passage 30 . as seen in figs. 9-11b , the loops 46 can be used to fasten the suture construction 20 to multiple types of prosthetic devices. as described further below, the suture 22 can further be used to repair and couple soft tissues in an anatomically desired position. further, retraction of the first and second ends allows a physician to adjust the tension on the loops between the prosthetic devices. fig. 11b represents the coupling of the suture construction according to fig. 28 with a bone fastening member. coupled to a pair of loops 46 and 46 ′ are tissue fastening members 56 . the application of tension to either the first or second end 24 or 26 will tighten the loops 46 or 46 ′ separately. figs. 12a-12e represent potential uses of the suture constructions 20 in figs. 2a-7 in an acl repair. as can be seen in fig. 12a , the longitudinal passage portion 30 of suture construction 20 can be first coupled to a fixation member 60 . the member 60 can have a first profile which allows insertion of the member 60 through the tunnel and a second profile which allows engagement with a positive locking surface upon rotation. the longitudinal passage portion 30 of the suture construction 20 , member 60 , loops 46 and ends 24 , 26 can then be passed through a femoral and tibial tunnel 62 . the fixation member 60 is positioned or coupled to the femur. at this point, a natural or artificial acl 64 can be passed through a loop or loops 46 formed in the suture construction 20 . tensioning of the first and second ends 24 and 26 applies tension to the loops 46 , thus pulling the acl 64 into the tunnel. in this regard, the first and second ends are pulled through the femoral and tibial tunnel, thus constricting the loops 46 about the acl 64 (see fig. 12b ). as shown, the suture construction 20 allows for the application of force along an axis 61 defining the femoral tunnel. specifically, the orientation of the suture construction 20 and, more specifically, the orientation of the longitudinal passage portion 30 , the loops 46 , and ends 24 , 26 allow for tension to be applied to the construction 20 without applying non-seating forces to the fixation member 60 . as an example, should the loops 24 , 26 be positioned at the member 60 , application of forces to the ends 24 , 26 may reduce the seating force applied by the member 60 onto the bone. as best seen in fig. 12c , the body portion 28 and parallel portions 38 , 40 of the suture construction 20 remain disposed within to the fixation member 60 . further tension of the first ends draws the acl 64 up through the tibial component into the femoral component. in this way, suture ends can be used to apply appropriate tension onto the acl 64 component. the acl 64 is then fixed to the tibial component using a plug or screw as is known. after feeding the acl. 64 through the loops 46 , tensioning of the ends allows engagement of the acl with bearing surfaces defined on the loops. the tensioning pulls the acl 64 through a femoral and tibial tunnel. the acl 64 could be further coupled to the femur using a transverse pin or plug. as shown in fig. 12e , once the acl is fastened to the tibia, further tensioning can be applied to the first and second ends 24 , 26 placing a desired predetermined load on the acl. this tension can be measured using a force gauge. this load is maintained by the suture configuration. it is equally envisioned that the fixation member 60 can be placed on the tibial component 66 and the acl pulled into the tunnel through the femur. further, it is envisioned that bone cement or biological materials may be inserted into the tunnel 62 . figs. 13a-13d represent a close-up of a portion of the suture 20 . as can be seen, the portion of the suture defining the longitudinal passage 30 has a diameter d 1 which is larger than the diameter d 2 of the ends 24 and 26 . the first aperture 32 is formed between a pair of fiber members. as can be seen, the apertures 32 , 34 can be formed between two adjacent fiber pairs 68 , 70 . further, various shapes can be braided onto a surface of the longitudinal passage 30 . the sutures are typically braided of from 8 to 16 fibers. these fibers are made of nylon or other biocompatible material. ii is envisioned that the suture 22 can be formed of multiple type of biocompatible fibers having multiple coefficients of friction or size. further, the braiding can be accomplished so that different portions of the exterior surface of the suture can have different coefficients of friction or mechanical properties. the placement of a carrier fiber having a particular surface property can be modified along the length of the suture so as to place it at varying locations within the braided constructions. the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
|
199-073-465-341-652
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"KR",
"TW",
"CN",
"US"
] |
H01L21/336,G02F1/1368,H01L29/786,H01L51/50,H05B33/14,H01L21/8236,G09F9/30,H01L27/088,H01L27/32,H01L27/12,H01L21/477,H01L29/66,H01L21/02,G09G3/30,H05B33/22,G02F1/136,H01L33/08,H01L21/28,H01L29/24,H01L29/10,H01L29/12,G02F1/167,G02F1/17,G09F9/33,H01L29/423,H01L29/49,H01L21/00,H01L21/16,G02F1/166,G02F1/16757,G02F1/16766,H05B33/02,H01L21/77,H01L21/34,G09F9/00,H01L21/84,G02F1/165,H05B33/12
| 2009-07-03T00:00:00 |
2009
|
[
"H01",
"G02",
"H05",
"G09"
] |
semiconductor device
|
problem to be solved: to provide a display device which performs a stable operation by using a transistor having stable electrical characteristics.solution: in manufacturing of a display device by applying a transistor using an oxide semiconductor layer as a channel formation region, an additional gate electrode is arranged at least on a transistor applied to a drive circuit. in manufacturing of the transistor using the oxide semiconductor layer as the channel formation region, a heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer, an impurity such as moisture existing in an interface among a gate insulation layer and a protective insulation layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer is reduced.selected drawing: figure 11
|
1 . a method for manufacturing a display device comprising the steps of: forming a first gate electrode layer over a substrate having an insulating surface; forming a gate insulating layer over the first gate electrode layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer; performing dehydration or dehydrogenation on the oxide semiconductor layer; forming source and drain electrode layers over the oxide semiconductor layer on which the dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed; forming a protective layer over the gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrode layers, in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer; forming a planarizing layer over the protective layer; and forming a second gate electrode layer over the planarizing layer. 2 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display device includes a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. 3 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 1 , wherein the dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere or a rare gas atmosphere. 4 . a method for manufacturing a display device comprising the steps of: forming a first gate electrode layer over a substrate having an insulating surface; forming a gate insulating layer over the first gate electrode layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer; heating the oxide semiconductor layer under an inert atmosphere so that a carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer is increased; forming source and drain electrode layers over the oxide semiconductor layer on which dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed; forming a protective layer over the gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrode layers, in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer so that a carrier concentration of a portion of the oxide semiconductor layer which is in contact with the protective layer is decreased; forming a planarizing layer over the protective layer; and forming a second gate electrode layer over the planarizing layer. 5 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 4 , wherein the display device includes a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. 6 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 4 , wherein the increased carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer is 1×10 18 /cm 3 or more. 7 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 4 , wherein the decreased carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer is 1×10 14 /cm 3 or less. 8 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 4 , wherein the inert atmosphere is a nitrogen atmosphere or a rare gas atmosphere. 9 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 4 , wherein the step of heating the oxide semiconductor layer is performed at 400° c. or higher. 10 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 4 , after the step of heating the oxide semiconductor layer, further comprising the step of cooling the oxide semiconductor layer to greater than or equal to a room temperature and less than 100° c. 11 . a method for manufacturing a display device comprising the steps of: forming a first gate electrode layer over a substrate having an insulating surface; forming a gate insulating layer over the first gate electrode layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer; heating the oxide semiconductor layer under reduced pressure so that a carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer is increased; forming source and drain electrode layers over the oxide semiconductor layer on which dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed; forming a protective layer over the gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrode layers, in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer so that a carrier concentration of a portion of the oxide semiconductor layer which is in contact with the protective layer is decreased; forming a planarizing layer over the protective layer; and forming a second gate electrode layer over the planarizing layer. 12 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 11 , wherein the display device includes a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. 13 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 11 , wherein the increased carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer is 1×10 18 /cm 3 or more. 14 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 11 , wherein the decreased carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer is 1×10 14 /cm 3 or less. 15 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 11 , wherein the step of heating the oxide semiconductor layer is performed at 400° c. or higher. 16 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 11 , after the step of heating the oxide semiconductor layer, further comprising the step of cooling the oxide semiconductor layer to greater than or equal to a room temperature and less than 100° c. 17 . a method for manufacturing a display device comprising the steps of: forming a first gate electrode layer over a substrate having an insulating surface; forming a gate insulating layer over the first gate electrode layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer; heating the oxide semiconductor layer to lower a concentration of hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor layer; forming source and drain electrode layers over the oxide semiconductor layer on which dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed; forming a protective layer over the gate insulating layer, the oxide semiconductor layer and the source and drain electrode layers, in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer; forming a planarizing layer over the protective layer; and forming a second gate electrode layer over the planarizing layer. 18 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 17 , wherein the display device includes a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. 19 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 17 , wherein the step of heating the oxide semiconductor layer is performed at 400° c. or higher. 20 . the method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 17 , after the step of heating the oxide semiconductor layer, further comprising the step of cooling the oxide semiconductor layer to greater than or equal to a room temperature and less than 100° c.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a display device including a circuit formed with a transistor, and a method for manufacturing the display device. 2. description of the related art various metal oxides exist and are used for a variety of applications. indium oxide is a well-known material as a metal oxide and is used as a light-transmitting conductive material which is necessary for liquid crystal displays and the like. some metal oxides have semiconductor characteristics. as metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics, for example, there are tungsten oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, and the like, and a transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using such a metal oxide having semiconductor characteristics has been proposed (for example, see patent documents 1 to 4 and non-patent document 1). as metal oxides, multi-component oxides as well as single-component oxides are known. for example, ingao 3 (zno) m (m is a natural number) having a homologous series is known as a multi-component oxide semiconductor including in, ga, and zn (see non-patent documents 2 to 4). in addition, it has been confirmed that an oxide semiconductor layer including such an in—ga—zn-based oxide can be used as a channel layer of a transistor (see patent document 5, and non-patent documents 5 and 6). reference patent document [patent document 1] japanese published patent application no s60-198861[patent document 2] japanese published patent application no. h8-264794[patent document 3] japanese translation of pct international application no. h11-505377[patent document 4] japanese published patent application no. 2000-150900[patent document 5] japanese published patent application no. 2004-103957[non-patent document 1] m. w. prins, k. o. grosse-holz, g. muller, j. f. m. cillessen, j. b. giesbers, r. p. weening, and r. m. wolf, “a ferroelectric transparent thin-film transistor”, appl. phys. lett., 17 jun., 1996, vol. 68, pp. 3650-3652[non-patent document 2] m. nakamura, n. kimizuka, and t. mohri, “the phase relations in the in 2 o 3 —ga 2 zno 4 —zno system at 1350° c.”, j. solid state chem., 1991, vol. 93, pp. 298-315[non-patent document 3] n. kimizuka, m. isobe, and m. nakamura, “syntheses and single-crystal data of homologous compounds, in 2 o 3 (zno) m (m=3, 4, and 5), ingao 3 (zno) 3 , and ga 2 o 3 (zno) m (m=7, 8, 9, and 16) in the in 2 o 3 −znga 2 o 4 −zno system”, j. solid state chem., 1995, vol. 116, pp. 170-178[non-patent document 4] m. nakamura, n. kimizuka, t. mohri, and m. isobe, “syntheses and crystal structures of new homologous compounds, indium iron zinc oxides (infeo 3 (zno) m ) (m: natural number) and related compounds”, kotai butsuri ( solid state physics ), 1993, vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 317-327[non-patent document 5] k. nomura, h. ohta, k. ueda, t. kamiya, m. hirano, and h. hosono, “thin-film transistor fabricated in single-crystalline transparent oxide semiconductor”, science, 2003, vol. 300, pp. 1269-1272[non-patent document 6] k. nomura, h. ohta, a. takagi, t. kamiya, m. hirano, and h. hosono, “room-temperature fabrication of transparent flexible thin-film transistors using amorphous oxide semiconductors”, nature, 2004, vol. 432, pp. 488-492 summary of the invention an object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a transistor having favorable electric characteristics and high reliability, and a manufacturing method thereof. another object is to provide a display device to which the transistor is applied and which has favorable display quality and high reliability. one embodiment of the present invention is a display device in which a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer is provided. an active matrix substrate of the display device includes a pixel portion and a driver circuit portion. a gate electrode is provided to overlap with a back channel portion of a transistor in at least the driver circuit portion. in manufacture of the transistor, the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation. after the heat treatment, a protective insulating layer is formed using an insulating inorganic material containing oxygen so as to cover the oxide semiconductor layer. through the heat treatment, the carrier concentration is changed. a transistor having favorable electric characteristics can be manufactured. in particular, a transistor whose threshold voltage is not easily shifted even when it is used for a long term and which has high reliability can be manufactured. with use of such a transistor in at least a driver circuit portion, the reliability of a display device can be improved. brief description of the drawings figs. 1a to 1c are diagrams each illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 2a to 2d are diagrams illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an electric furnace that can be applied to the present invention. figs. 4a and 4b are diagrams each illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 5a to 5d are diagrams illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 6a and 6b are diagrams each illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 7a to 7d are diagrams illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 8a and 8b are diagrams each illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 9a to 9d are diagrams illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 10a and 10b are diagrams illustrating a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 11a and 11b are diagrams illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 13a and 13b are diagrams each illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 15 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 16 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 17 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 20 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 21 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 22a to 22c are diagrams each illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 23a and 23b are diagrams illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b are diagrams illustrating display devices which are one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 25 is a diagram illustrating a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 26a and 26b are diagrams each illustrating an electronic device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 27a and 27b are diagrams each illustrating an electronic device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 28a and 28b are diagrams each illustrating an electronic device which is one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 29a to 29c are graphs for description of example 1. figs. 30a to 30c are graphs for description of example 1. figs. 31a to 31c are graphs for description of example 1. figs. 32a to 32c are graphs for description of example 1. fig. 33 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 34 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 35 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 36 is a graph for description of example 2. figs. 37a to 37c are graphs for description of example 2. fig. 38 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 39 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 40 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 41 is a graph for description of example 2. fig. 42 is a graph for description of example 3. fig. 43 is a graph for description of example 3. detailed description of the invention embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. however, the present invention is not limited to the description below, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of modifications can be made to the modes and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. therefore, the present invention is not interpreted as being limited to the following description in the embodiments and examples. note that, in all the drawings for explaining the embodiments and examples, the same portions or portions having the same functions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be made only once. note that in embodiments 1 to 4 which are described below, a transistor which is provided in at least a driver circuit portion of a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention will be described. embodiment 1 in this embodiment, a transistor that can be applied to a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention and a manufacturing method thereof will be described. in a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention, the transistor of this embodiment is provided in at least a driver circuit portion. figs. 1a to 1c are cross-sectional views of transistors that can be applied to one embodiment of the present invention. a transistor 471 is a bottom-gate transistor, and includes a first gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , and source and drain electrode layers 405 which are provided over a substrate 400 . in addition, a first protective insulating layer 407 which is in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 is included, and a second gate electrode layer 409 which is provided over the first protective insulating layer 407 and overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is included. note that the first protective insulating layer 407 can be referred to as a second gate insulating layer. the oxide semiconductor layer 403 including a channel formation region may be formed using an oxide material having semiconductor characteristics. for example, an oxide semiconductor whose composition formula is represented by inmo 3 (zno) m (m>0) can be used, and particularly, an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor is preferably used. note that m represents one or more metal elements selected from ga, fe, ni, mn, or co. as an example, m may be ga or may include the above metal element in addition to ga; for example, m may be ga and ni or ga and fe. note that in the above oxide semiconductor, a transition metal element such as fe or ni or an oxide of the transition metal may be contained in addition to a metal element contained as m. in this specification, an oxide semiconductor including a material whose composition formula is represented by inmo 3 (zno) m (m>0) where at least ga is included as m is referred to as an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, and a thin film thereof is also referred to as an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film. as the oxide semiconductor applied to the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , any of the following oxide semiconductors can be applied in addition to the above: an in—sn—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; an in—al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; a sn—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; an al—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; a sn—al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; an in—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; a sn—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; an al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor; an in—o-based oxide semiconductor; a sn—o-based oxide semiconductor; and a zn—o-based oxide semiconductor. further, silicon oxide may be included in the above oxide semiconductor. the oxide semiconductor layer 403 can be formed in the following manner: at least after an oxide semiconductor film is formed, heat treatment (heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation) through which impurities such as moisture (h 2 o) are reduced is performed to reduce the resistance of the oxide semiconductor film (the carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor film is increased, preferably to 1×10 18 /cm 3 or more); and the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor film (or a processed oxide semiconductor layer) so that the resistance of the oxide semiconductor film is raised (the carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor film is decreased, preferably to less than 1×10 18 /cm 3 , more preferably to 1×10 14 /cm 3 or less). in such a manner, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 that can be used as the channel formation region can be formed. further, after the heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation is performed so that impurities such as moisture are eliminated, the oxide semiconductor layer is preferably slowly cooled (gradually cooled) under an inert atmosphere. after the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to heat treatment for dehydration or dehydrogenation and is slowly cooled, an insulating oxide film or the like is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer; thus, the carrier concentration of the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. in such a manner, the reliability of the transistor 471 can be improved. further, impurities such as moisture which are present not only in the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , but also in the gate insulating layer 402 , at an interface between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and a layer provided below and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (i.e., an interface between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the gate insulating layer 402 ), and at an interface between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and a layer provided over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (i.e., an interface between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the first protective insulating layer 407 ) are reduced. the oxide semiconductor layer 403 includes a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region at least in a region which is in contact with an inorganic insulating film, and the high-resistance oxide semiconductor region can serve as a channel formation region. note that an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film used for the oxide semiconductor layer 403 may be amorphous, microcrystalline, or polycrystalline. although the “in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film” is given, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 may be an in—ga—zn—o-based single crystal film instead. when the high-resistance oxide semiconductor region is used as a channel formation region, electric characteristics of the transistor can be stabilized and increase in off current or the like can be prevented. the source and drain electrode layers 405 which are in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 are preferably formed using a material including a metal with high oxygen affinity. it is preferable that the material including a metal with high oxygen affinity be one or more materials selected from titanium, aluminum, manganese, magnesium, zirconium, beryllium, or thorium. when heat treatment is performed while the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the metal layer with high oxygen affinity are in contact with each other, oxygen atoms move from the oxide semiconductor layer 403 to the metal layer, the carrier density in the vicinity of an interface is increased, and a low-resistance region is formed. the low-resistance region may be in a film shape having an interface. through the above steps, the transistor whose contact resistance is reduced and on current is increased can be manufactured. figs. 2a to 2d are cross-sectional views illustrating steps of manufacturing the transistor 471 . first, the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed over the substrate 400 having an insulating surface. as the substrate 400 having an insulating surface, any glass substrate used in the electronics industry (also called an alkali-free glass substrate) such as an aluminosilicate glass substrate, an aluminoborosilicate glass substrate, or a barium borosilicate glass substrate, a plastic substrate with heat resistance which can withstand a process temperature in this manufacturing process, or the like can be used. when the substrate 400 having an insulating surface is a mother glass, any of the following sizes of the substrate can be used; the first generation (320 mm×400 mm), the second generation (400 mm×500 mm), the third generation (550 mm×650 mm), the fourth generation (680 mm×880 mm or 730 mm×920 mm), the fifth generation (1000 mm×1200 mm or 1100 mm×1250 mm), the sixth generation (1500 mm×1800 mm), the seventh generation (1900 mm×2200 mm), the eighth generation (2160 mm×2460 mm), the ninth generation (2400 mm×2800 mm or 2450 mm×3050 mm), the tenth generation (2950 mm×3400 mm), and the like. alternatively, as illustrated in fig. 1c which will be described later, a base insulating layer may be formed between the substrate 400 and the first gate electrode layer 401 . the base insulating layer may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using an insulating film that can prevent an impurity element (such as sodium) from diffusing from the substrate 400 . for example, one or more films selected from a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride oxide film, or a silicon oxynitride film can be used. the first gate electrode layer 401 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a metal material such as molybdenum, titanium, chromium, tantalum, tungsten, aluminum, copper, neodymium, or scandium or an alloy material containing any of these materials as its main component. for example, as a two-layer structure of the first gate electrode layer 401 , the following structures are preferable: a two-layer structure of an aluminum layer and a molybdenum layer stacked thereover, a two-layer structure of a copper layer and a molybdenum layer stacked thereover, a two-layer structure of a copper layer and a titanium nitride layer or a tantalum nitride layer stacked thereover, and a two-layer structure of a titanium nitride layer and a molybdenum layer. as a three-layer structure, a stack of a tungsten layer or a tungsten nitride layer, a layer of an alloy of aluminum and silicon or an alloy of aluminum and titanium, and a titanium nitride layer or a titanium layer is preferable. after a conductive film is formed over the entire surface of the substrate 400 , a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the conductive film, and an unnecessary portion is removed by etching. in such a manner, the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed. the first gate electrode layer 401 serves as a wiring and an electrode (such as a gate wiring, a capacitor wiring, and a terminal electrode which include the first gate electrode layer 401 ). next, the gate insulating layer 402 is formed over the first gate electrode layer 401 . the gate insulating layer 402 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, or a silicon nitride oxide layer by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. for example, a silicon oxynitride layer may be formed using sih 4 and one or both of oxygen and nitrogen as a source gas by a plasma cvd method. alternatively, dinitrogen monoxide may be used instead of oxygen and nitrogen. next, an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 . note that before the oxide semiconductor film is formed by a sputtering method, dust or the like on a surface of the gate insulating layer 402 is preferably removed by reverse sputtering in which an argon gas is introduced and plasma is generated. the reverse sputtering refers to a method in which an rf power source is used for application of voltage to a substrate under an argon atmosphere and plasma is generated to expose an object to be processed (e.g., the substrate) to the plasma so that a surface of the object is modified. note that nitrogen, helium, or the like may be used instead of an argon atmosphere. alternatively, an argon atmosphere to which oxygen, dinitrogen monoxide, or the like is added may be used. further alternatively, an argon atmosphere to which chlorine, methane tetrafluoride, or the like is added may be used. the oxide semiconductor film is formed using an in—ga—zn—o-based metal oxide as a target by a sputtering method. the oxide semiconductor film can be formed by a sputtering method under a rare gas (e.g., argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or an atmosphere including a rare gas (e.g., argon) and oxygen. note that the gate insulating layer 402 and the oxide semiconductor film may be formed successively without exposure to air. by successive formation of the gate insulating layer 402 and the oxide semiconductor film without exposure to air, the interface between the gate insulating layer 402 and the oxide semiconductor film can be prevented from being contaminated by atmospheric components or impurities (such as moisture and hydrocarbon) floating in air, so that variation in characteristics of the transistors can be reduced. next, the oxide semiconductor film is processed into an island-shaped first oxide semiconductor layer 430 by a photolithography step (see fig. 2a ). the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is subjected to heat treatment under an inert gas (nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon) atmosphere or reduced pressure, and is slowly cooled under an inert atmosphere, whereby a second oxide semiconductor layer 431 is formed (see fig. 2b ). when the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is subjected to the heat treatment under the above atmosphere, impurities such as hydrogen and moisture contained in the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 can be removed, and the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 can be formed. it is preferable that impurities such as moisture and hydrogen be not contained in nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon in the heat treatment. alternatively, the purity of nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon introduced in a heat treatment apparatus is preferably 6 n (99.9999%) or higher, more preferably 7 n (99.99999%) or higher (that is, the concentration of the impurities is 1 ppm or lower, preferably 0.1 ppm or lower). for the heat treatment, a method in which an electric furnace is used, a gas rapid thermal anneal (grta) method in which a heated gas is used, an instantaneous heating method such as a lamp rapid thermal anneal (lrta) method in which lamp light is used, or the like can be used. here, the case where the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is subjected to heat treatment in which an electric furnace is used will be described with reference to fig. 3 . fig. 3 is a schematic view of an electric furnace 601 . the electric furnace 601 includes a chamber 602 and heaters 603 outside the chamber 602 . the heaters 603 are used for heating the chamber 602 . inside the chamber 602 , a susceptor 605 in which a substrate 604 is mounted is provided. the substrate 604 is transferred into/from the chamber 602 . the chamber 602 is provided with a gas supply means 606 and an evacuation means 607 . with the gas supply means 606 , a gas is introduced into the chamber 602 . the evacuation means 607 exhausts the inside of the chamber 602 or reduces the pressure in the chamber 602 . note that the electric furnace 601 preferably has a structure in which the temperature increases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 20° c./min and decreases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 15° c./min. the gas supply means 606 includes a gas supply source 611 , a pressure adjusting valve 612 , a mass flow controller 614 , and a stop valve 615 . in this embodiment, as illustrated in fig. 3 , it is preferable that a refining apparatus 613 be provided between the gas supply source 611 and the chamber 602 . the refining apparatus 613 can remove impurities such as moisture and hydrogen in a gas which is introduced from the gas supply source 611 into the chamber 602 ; thus, entry into the chamber 602 , of moisture, hydrogen, and the like, can be prevented by provision of the refining apparatus 613 . in this embodiment, nitrogen or a rare gas is introduced into the chamber 602 from the gas supply source 611 , so that the inside of the chamber 602 is in a nitrogen or a rare gas atmosphere. in the chamber 602 heated at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably, greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 formed over the substrate 604 (the substrate 400 in figs. 1a to 1c ) is heated, whereby the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated. alternatively, the chamber 602 in which the pressure is reduced by the evacuation means 607 is heated at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably, greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. in such a chamber 602 , the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 formed over the substrate 604 (the substrate 400 in figs. 1a to 1c ) is heated, whereby the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated. next, the heaters 603 are turned off, and the chamber 602 is slowly cooled (gradually cooled). by performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere or under reduced pressure, resistance of the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is reduced (i.e., the carrier concentration is increased, preferably to 1×10 18 /cm 3 or higher), so that a second oxide semiconductor layer 431 can be formed. through the heat treatment in the above-described manner, the reliability of the transistor formed later can be improved. note that in the case where heat treatment is performed under reduced pressure, an inert gas may be introduced into the chamber 602 after the heat treatment, so that the chamber 602 is to be under an atmospheric pressure, and then, cooling may be performed. after the substrate 604 in the chamber 602 of the heating apparatus is cooled to about 300° c., the substrate 604 may be transferred into an atmosphere at room temperature. as a result, the cooling time of the substrate 604 can be shortened. if the heating apparatus has a multi-chamber structure, heat treatment and cool treatment can be performed in chambers different from each other. for example, the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 over the substrate 604 (the substrate 400 in figs. 1a to 1c ) is heated in a first chamber which is filled with nitrogen or a rare gas and heated at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. next, the substrate subjected to the heat treatment is transferred, through a transfer chamber in which nitrogen or a rare gas is introduced, into a second chamber which is filled with nitrogen or a rare gas and heated at 100° c. or lower, preferably at room temperature, and then cooling treatment is performed therein. in such a manner, the heat treatment and the cooling treatment are performed in different chambers, whereby throughput can be increased. the heat treatment of the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 under an inert gas atmosphere or reduced pressure may be performed on the oxide semiconductor film which has not yet been processed into the island-shaped first oxide semiconductor layer 430 . in that case, after heat treatment of the oxide semiconductor film performed under an inert gas atmosphere or reduced pressure, slow cooling is performed to the temperature equal to or higher than room temperature and lower than 100° c. then, the substrate 604 (the substrate 400 in figs. 1a to 1c ) is taken out from the heating apparatus, and a photolithography step is performed. the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 which has been subjected to heat treatment under an inert gas atmosphere or reduced pressure is preferably in an amorphous state, but may be partly crystallized. next, a conductive film is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 and the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 . as a material for the conductive film, an element selected from aluminum, chromium, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, or tungsten; an alloy containing any of the above metal elements as its main component; an alloy containing the above metal elements in combination; and the like can be given. in the case where heat treatment is performed after formation of the conductive film, a conductive film having at least enough heat resistance to the heat treatment is used. for example, when the conductive film is formed using aluminum alone, there are disadvantages such as low resistance and a tendency to be corroded; therefore, the conductive film is formed using aluminum in combination with a conductive material having heat resistance. as the conductive material having heat resistance which is used in combination with aluminum, any of the following materials may be used: an element selected from titanium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, neodymium, or scandium, an alloy containing any of the above metal elements as its main component, an alloy containing the above elements in combination, and a nitride containing any of the above elements as its main component. the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 and the conductive film are etched, so that a third oxide semiconductor layer 432 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 (a source electrode 405 a and a drain electrode 405 b ) are formed (see fig. 2c ). note that part (a back channel portion) of the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 is etched so as to have a groove (a depressed portion). next, the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed in contact with the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 . moisture, hydrogen ions, oh − , and the like are reduced in the first protective insulating layer 407 , (that is, moisture, hydrogen ions, oh − , and the like are not included in the first protective insulating layer 407 , or almost none of them are included in the first protective insulating layer 407 ). the first protective insulating layer 407 can block entry of them from the outside. the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed using an insulating inorganic material containing oxygen, and specifically, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or silicon nitride oxide is preferably used. in this embodiment, as the first protective insulating layer 407 , a 300-nm-thick silicon oxide film is formed by a sputtering method. the substrate temperature in formation of the silicon oxide film may be from room temperature to 300° c. or lower and in this embodiment, is 100° c. the formation of the silicon oxide film by a sputtering method can be performed under a rare gas (e.g., argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or an atmosphere of a mixed gas of a rare gas (e.g., argon) and oxygen. as a target, a silicon oxide target or a silicon target may be used. for example, with use of a silicon target, a silicon oxide film can be formed by a sputtering method under an atmosphere containing oxygen. when the oxide semiconductor film is formed as the first protective insulating layer 407 by a sputtering method, a plasma cvd method, or the like to be in contact with the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 , in the low-resistance third oxide semiconductor layer 432 , at least a region in contact with the first protective insulating layer 407 has increased resistance ((i.e., the carrier concentration is reduced, preferably to lower than 1×10 18 /cm 3 ). thus, a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region can be formed. during a manufacture process of the transistor, it is important to increase and decrease the carrier concentration in the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 through performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere (or reduced pressure), formation of an insulating oxide, and the like. the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 becomes the oxide semiconductor layer 403 having a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region (see fig. 2d ). next, after a conductive film is formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 , a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the conductive film, and an unnecessary portion is removed by etching, so that the second gate electrode layer 409 (including a wiring or the like which is formed using the same layer) is formed. when the second gate electrode layer 409 is selectively etched so as to have a top surface having a desired shape, the first protective insulating layer 407 can function as an etching stopper. note that in the case where the second gate electrode layer 409 is connected to the first gate electrode layer 401 , an opening which exposes the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed in a predetermined portion of the first protective layer 407 before the conductive film which is to be the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed. for the conductive film formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 , a metal material (one or more of metal elements selected from aluminum, copper, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, neodymium, or scandium, or an alloy containing any of the elements as its main component) can be used. a film formed using any of them can have a light-blocking property when having a sufficient thickness. in such a manner, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 can be blocked from light. in fig. 1a , the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is larger than that of the first gate electrode layer 401 and larger than that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . as illustrated in fig. 1a , the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is made larger than that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 so that the second gate electrode layer 409 covers a top surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . in such a manner, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 can be blocked from light. a thin region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is not covered with the source and drain electrode layers 405 . therefore, there is a possibility that the electric characteristics of the transistor 471 are influenced by light irradiation. for example, an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film formed by a sputtering method has photosensitivity at a wavelength of 450 nm or less; therefore, in the case where an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film is used for the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , the second gate electrode layer 409 may be provided so that light having a wavelength of 450 nm or less can be particularly blocked. note that here, the transistor 471 may be subjected to heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere or an air atmosphere (in air). this heat treatment is preferably performed at a temperature of 300° c. or less, and the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is performed after an insulating film which is to be the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed. for example, heat treatment is performed at 350° c. for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere. if the heat treatment is performed, variation in electric characteristics of the transistor 471 can be reduced. through the above steps, the transistor 471 illustrated in fig. 1a can be formed. note that the transistor used in this embodiment is not limited to the one of fig. 1a . as illustrated in fig. 1b , a planarizing layer (for example, a resin layer) may be provided below a second gate electrode layer 409 b. fig. 1b illustrates a structure in which a resin layer 408 is formed between a second gate electrode layer 409 b and the first protective insulating layer 407 which covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 . by provision of the resin layer below the second gate electrode layer 409 b, surface unevenness due to structures formed therebelow can be reduced, and a surface on which the second gate electrode layer 409 b is formed can be planarized. the method for planarization is not limited to the formation of the resin layer, and another method (such as a spin coating method or a reflow method) by which the top surface can be planarized may be used. in fig. 1b , the same portions as those of fig. 1a other than different portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. the resin layer 408 covers the source and drain electrode layers 405 and the oxide semiconductor layer 403 having the thin region with the first protective insulating layer 407 provided therebetween. the resin layer 408 can be formed using, for example, a photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material to have a thickness of 0.5 μm to 3 μm. as the photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material used for the resin layer 408 , polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimideamide, resist, benzocyclobutene, or a stack of any of these materials is used. here, a layer of photosensitive polyimide is formed by a coating method as the resin layer 408 . after polyimide is applied to the entire surface, light exposure, development, and baking are performed, whereby the resin layer 408 of polyimide whose surface is plane and has a thickness of 1.5 μm is formed. by provision of the resin layer 408 , unevenness due to a structure of a transistor 471 b can be reduced and the surface on which the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed can be planarized. fig. 1c illustrates a structure in which a base insulating layer 410 is provided between a first gate electrode layer 401 c and the substrate 400 over which the transistor is provided and the relationship between the width of the first gate electrode layer 401 c and the width of a second gate electrode layer 409 c is different from that of fig. 1a . in fig. 1c , the same portions as those of fig. 1a other than different portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. the base insulating layer 410 is formed using a silicon oxynitride layer, a silicon nitride oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, or the like having a thickness of 50 nm to 200 nm. in the case where glass is used as the substrate 400 , the base insulating layer 410 can prevent an impurity element (such as sodium) in a glass substrate from diffusing into a transistor 471 c, in particular, can prevent such an impurity element from entering the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . in addition, in the case where the base insulating layer 410 is provided, the substrate 400 can be prevented from being etched in the etching step for forming the first gate electrode layer 401 c. note that in the transistor 471 c, the relationship between the width of a first gate electrode layer 401 c and that of a second gate electrode layer 409 c are different from the relationship between the width of the first gate electrode layer and the second gate electrode layer of the transistor 471 or the transistor 471 b. the length of the first gate electrode layer 401 c in a channel length direction of the transistor 471 c in fig. 1c is larger than that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 in the channel length direction. on the other hand, the length of the second gate electrode layer 409 c in the channel length direction of the transistor 471 c is smaller than that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 in the channel length direction. as illustrated in fig. 1c , the length of the second gate electrode layer 409 c in the channel length direction is larger than at least the length of the thin region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (i.e., the region in contact with the first protective insulating layer 407 ), and the second gate electrode layer 409 c overlaps with the thin region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . in such a manner, when the length of the second gate electrode layer 409 c is small, parasitic capacitance can be reduced. note that in figs. 1a to 1c , before the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed, an exposed thin region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 may be subjected to oxygen radical treatment. by the oxygen radical treatment, an exposed surface and its vicinity of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 can be modified into an oxygen-excess region, and can function as a high-resistance region. oxygen radicals may be supplied by a plasma generating apparatus using a gas including oxygen or an ozone generating apparatus. the surface of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (the surface of a back channel portion) can be modified by being exposed to the supplied oxygen radicals or oxygen. the radical treatment is not limited to one using oxygen radicals, and may be performed using argon and oxygen radicals. the treatment using argon and oxygen radicals is treatment in which an argon gas and an oxygen gas are introduced to generate plasma, thereby modifying a surface of a thin film. note that in figs. 1a to 1c , the second gate electrode layer can be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide (hereinafter referred to as ito), indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added. in figs. 1a to 1c , in the case where the second gate electrode layer is formed using a light-transmitting conductive material, the same material as a pixel electrode is used for the second gate electrode layer, so that the second gate electrode layer and the pixel electrode can be formed using the same photomask. when the second gate electrode layer and the pixel electrode are formed using the same material, the number of steps can be reduced. in the case where the second gate electrode layer is formed using a light-transmitting conductive material, a light-blocking layer for shielding the oxide semiconductor layer having the thin region from light is preferably separately formed at a position overlapping with the thin region of the oxide semiconductor layer. a material and the thickness of the light-blocking layer are determined such that the material has a light transmittance of at least less than 50%, preferably less than 20% at a wavelength of 400 nm to 450 nm. for example, as a material of the light-blocking layer, a metal such as chromium (chromium oxide or chromium nitride may alternatively be used) or titanium nitride, or a black resin can be used. in the case of using a black resin for blocking light, as the light intensity of light used for irradiation is higher, the light-blocking layer needs to be thicker. therefore, in the case where the light-blocking layer needs to be thin, a metal film which has a high light-blocking property and can be subjected to a fine etching process and can be thinned is preferably used. note that in the above description, an example in which a two-tone photomask is used in a photolithography step is shown. when a resist mask including regions having different thicknesses (for example, two different thicknesses of a two-tone mask) is used, the number of resist masks can be reduced, so that the process can be simplified and cost can be reduced. note that in this specification, a gray-tone photomask and a half-tone photomask are collectively referred to as a multi-tone mask, for convenience. note that the multi-tone mask is not limited to a three-tone mask, and a four-tone mask or a mask having five or more tones may be used. in the case of using a multi-tone mask, after the oxide semiconductor film and the conductive film are stacked, a resist mask including regions having different thicknesses is formed over the conductive film, and an oxide semiconductor layer having a thin region and source and drain electrode layers are formed with use of the resist mask. in this case, end portions of the source and drain electrode layers and end portions of the oxide semiconductor layer are generally aligned with each other, and side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer are exposed. therefore, in the case where the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed, the side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer and the region (the thin region) of the oxide semiconductor layer which does not overlap with the source and drain electrode layers are in contact with the first protective insulating layer 407 . the channel formation region in the semiconductor layer included in the transistor of this embodiment is a high-resistance region; thus, electric characteristics of the transistor are stabilized and increase in off current can be prevented. therefore, a display device including a transistor which has favorable electric characteristics and high reliability can be provided. note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of other embodiments described in this specification as appropriate. embodiment 2 in this embodiment, a transistor that can be applied to a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention and that is different from the transistor of embodiment 1 and a manufacturing method thereof will be described. in a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention, the transistor of this embodiment is provided in at least a driver circuit portion. figs. 4a and 4b each illustrate a cross-sectional view of a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. a transistor 472 is a bottom-gate transistor, and includes a first gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 , and source and drain electrode layers 405 which are provided over a substrate 400 . in addition, a first protective insulating layer 407 which is in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 is included, and a second gate electrode layer 409 which is provided over the first protective insulating layer 407 and overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is included. note that the first protective insulating layer 407 can be referred to as a second gate insulating layer. the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 having low resistance are provided between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 , whereby the transistor 472 can operate more stably. one example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 472 in fig. 4a will be described with reference to figs. 5a to 5d . note that steps in which the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed over the substrate 400 having an insulating surface, the gate insulating layer 402 covering the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed, and an oxide semiconductor film is formed are the same as those of embodiment 1. therefore, detailed description is omitted here and the same portions as those of fig. 1a are denoted by the same reference numerals. a first oxide semiconductor film 433 is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 as in embodiment 1. next, a first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 serving as source and drain regions is formed over the first oxide semiconductor film 433 (see fig. 5a ). the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 is formed using an oxide semiconductor film having lower resistance than the first oxide semiconductor film 433 . the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 may be formed using, for example, an oxynitride film containing indium, gallium, and zinc which is obtained by use of a metal oxide containing indium (in), gallium (ga), and zinc (zn) (in 2 o 3 :ga 2 o 3 :zno=1:1:1) by a sputtering method under an atmosphere containing a nitrogen gas, an al—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film, or an al—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film containing nitrogen, i.e., an al—zn—o—n-based non-single-crystal film (also referred to as an azon film). note that an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film used in this embodiment may be amorphous, microcrystalline, or polycrystalline. alternatively, it may be a single crystal. by change in the condition of film formation or composition ratio of a target in the above manner, crystalline states of the first oxide semiconductor film 433 and the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 can be changed. therefore, the crystalline states of the n-type oxide semiconductor layers which are to be source and drain regions and the oxide semiconductor layer 403 which forms a channel region may be different from each other depending on the condition of the formation of the oxide semiconductor film or the composition ratio of the target. for example, the n-type oxide semiconductor layers which are to be the source and drain regions may include micro crystals; the oxide semiconductor layer 403 may be amorphous; the n-type oxide semiconductor layers which are to be the source and drain regions may be amorphous; or the oxide semiconductor layer 403 may include micro crystals. note that the first oxide semiconductor film 433 and the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 may be formed successively without being exposed to air. successive film formation without being exposed to air makes it possible to obtain each interface between stacked layers, which is not contaminated by atmospheric components or an impurity element floating in air, such as moisture, hydrocarbon, or the like. therefore, variation in characteristics of the transistors can be reduced. note that the gate insulating layer 402 , the first oxide semiconductor film 433 , and the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 may be formed successively. next, as in embodiment 1, the first oxide semiconductor film 433 is subjected to heat treatment. by performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere or under reduced pressure, resistance of the first oxide semiconductor film 433 is reduced (i.e., the carrier concentration is increased, preferably to 1×10 18 /cm 3 or higher), so that a low-resistance oxide semiconductor film (a second n-type oxide semiconductor film) can be formed. the first oxide semiconductor film 433 is subjected to heat treatment under an inert gas (nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon) atmosphere or reduced pressure. by the heat treatment under the above atmosphere on the first oxide semiconductor film 433 , impurities such as hydrogen and moisture contained in the first oxide semiconductor film 433 can be removed. it is preferable that impurities such as moisture and hydrogen be not contained in nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon in the heat treatment. alternatively, the purity of nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon introduced in a heat treatment apparatus is preferably 6 n (99.9999%) or higher, more preferably 7 n (99.99999%) or higher (that is, the concentration of the impurities is 1 ppm or lower, preferably 0.1 ppm or lower). in this embodiment, an electric furnace has a structure in which the temperature increases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 20° c./min, the atmosphere in the chamber is a nitrogen atmosphere or a rare gas atmosphere, and the temperature is set at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. in such a manner, the first oxide semiconductor film 433 and the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 which are formed over the substrate are heated. alternatively, the pressure is reduced by an evacuation means, and the temperature is set at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. in such a manner, the first oxide semiconductor film 433 and the first n-type oxide semiconductor film 440 which are formed over the substrate are heated, so that a second oxide semiconductor film and a second n-type oxide semiconductor film are formed. after the heat treatment, the heaters of the electric furnace are turned off, so that the chamber is slowly cooled (gradually cooled). note that the electric furnace preferably has a structure in which the temperature decreases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 15° c./min. through the heat treatment in the above-described manner, the reliability of the transistor formed later can be improved. next, a resist mask (not shown) is formed over the second oxide semiconductor film and the second n-type oxide semiconductor film by a photolithography step, and the films are processed into an island-shaped second oxide semiconductor layer 431 and a second n-type oxide semiconductor layer 434 by an etching step (see fig. 5b ). note that here, the oxide semiconductor films are processed after the heat treatment; however, the heat treatment may be performed after the oxide semiconductor films are processed. next, after the resist mask is removed, a conductive film is formed over the second n-type oxide semiconductor layer 434 . as a material for the conductive film, an element selected from aluminum, chromium, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, or tungsten; an alloy containing any of the above metal elements as its component; an alloy containing the above metal elements in combination; and the like can be given. if heat treatment is performed after formation of the conductive film, a conductive film having at least enough heat resistance to the heat treatment is used. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the conductive film, and the conductive film is etched, whereby the source and drain electrode layers 405 are formed. note that the second n-type oxide semiconductor layer 434 in a region between source and drain electrodes which are formed by the source and drain electrode layers 405 (i.e., a back channel portion) is etched with use of the same resist mask, so that second n-type oxide semiconductor layers 437 which are to be source and drain regions are formed (see fig. 5c ). note that only part of the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 is etched to be a third oxide semiconductor layer 432 having a groove (a recessed portion). next, the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed using an inorganic insulating film containing oxygen, such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride oxide, in contact with the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 . here, as in embodiment 1, a silicon oxide film having a thickness of 300 nm is formed by a sputtering method as the first protective insulating layer 407 . when the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed by a sputtering method, a plasma cvd method, or the like to be in contact with the low-resistance first oxide semiconductor layer 432 with use of silicon oxide, in the low-resistance third oxide semiconductor layer 432 , at least a region in contact with the first protective insulating layer 407 has increased resistance (i.e., the carrier concentration is reduced, preferably to lower than 1×10 18 /cm 3 ). thus, a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region can be formed. during a manufacture process of the transistor, it is important to increase and decrease the carrier concentration in the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 through performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere (or reduced pressure), formation of an insulating oxide, and the like. the third oxide semiconductor layer 432 becomes the oxide semiconductor layer 403 having a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region (see fig. 5d ). note that steps after formation of the first protective insulating layer 407 are the same as those of embodiment 1. that is, the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 . note that a resin layer may be provided over the second gate electrode layer 409 . by provision of the resin layer over the second gate electrode layer 409 , unevenness due to a structure of the transistor 472 can be reduced and the element can be planarized. note that the transistor 472 may be subjected to heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere or an air atmosphere (in air). this heat treatment is preferably performed at a temperature of 300° c. or less, and the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is performed after an insulating film which is to be the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed. for example, heat treatment is performed at 350° c. for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere. if the heat treatment is performed, variation in electric characteristics of the transistor 472 can be reduced. through the above steps, the transistor 472 illustrated in fig. 4a can be formed. note that in the transistor 472 , the first protective insulating layer 407 functions as a second gate insulating layer. fig. 4b illustrates a structure in which a resin layer 408 is formed between the second gate electrode layer 409 and the first protective insulating layer 407 which covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 . a transistor 472 b in fig. 4b has a structure which is partly different from that of fig. 4a . in fig. 4b , the same portions as those of fig. 4a other than different portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. the resin layer 408 covers the source and drain electrode layers 405 and the oxide semiconductor layer 403 having the thin region with the first protective insulating layer 407 provided therebetween. the resin layer 408 can be formed using a photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material to have a thickness of 0.5 μm to 3 μm. as the photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material used for the resin layer 408 , polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimideamide, resist, benzocyclobutene, or a stack of any of these materials is used. here, a layer of photosensitive polyimide is formed by a coating method as the resin layer 408 . after polyimide is applied to the entire surface, light exposure, development, and baking are performed, whereby the resin layer 408 of polyimide whose surface is plane and has a thickness of 1.5 μm is formed. by provision of the resin layer 408 , unevenness due to a structure of the transistor 472 b can be reduced and the surface on which the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed can be planarized. note that as illustrated in fig. 4a , the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is made larger than that of the first gate electrode layer 401 and that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , whereby the oxide semiconductor layer 403 can be shielded from light by the second gate electrode layer 409 . gate voltage can be applied to the entire oxide semiconductor layer 403 from the second gate electrode layer 409 . note that even if the structure of fig. 4a or fig. 4b is employed, in the case where a portion in which the first protective insulating layer 407 and the resin layer 408 are stacked is thin, a problem of parasitic capacitance between the second gate electrode layer 409 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 arises in some cases. in the case where a problem of parasitic capacitance arises, the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is preferably made small so that the area where the second gate electrode layer 409 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 overlap with each other can be reduced. when the area where they overlap with each other is reduced, parasitic capacitance can be reduced. note that in the case where parasitic capacitance does not become a problem because the portion in which the resin layer 408 and the first protective insulating layer 407 are stacked is sufficiently thick, the second gate electrode may be used as a common gate electrode which covers a plurality of transistors in the driver circuit and may have an area substantially the same or larger than the area of the driver circuit. note that in the above description, an example in which a two-tone photomask is used in a photolithography step is shown. when a resist mask including regions having different thicknesses (for example, two different thicknesses of a two-tone mask) is used, the number of resist masks can be reduced, so that the process can be simplified and cost can be reduced. in the case of using a multi-tone mask, after the oxide semiconductor film of two stacked layers and the conductive film are stacked, a resist mask including regions having different thicknesses is formed over the conductive film, and an oxide semiconductor layer having a thin region and source and drain electrode layers are formed with use of the resist mask. in this case, end portions of the source and drain electrode layers and end portions of the oxide semiconductor layer are generally aligned with each other, and side surfaces of the oxide semiconductor layer are exposed. therefore, in the case where the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed, the side surfaces and the region (the thin region) which does not overlap with the source and drain electrode layers of the oxide semiconductor layer are in contact with the first protective insulating layer 407 . the channel formation region in the semiconductor layer included in the transistor of this embodiment is a high-resistance region; thus, electric characteristics of the transistor are stabilized and increase in off current can be prevented. therefore, a semiconductor device (a display device) including a transistor which has favorable electric characteristics and high reliability can be provided. note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of other embodiments described in this specification as appropriate. embodiment 3 in this embodiment, a transistor that can be applied to a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention and that is different from the transistors of embodiments 1 and 2 and a manufacturing method thereof will be described. in a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention, the transistor of this embodiment is provided in at least a driver circuit portion. figs. 6a and 6b each illustrate a cross-sectional view of a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. a transistor 473 is a bottom-gate transistor, and includes a first gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , source and drain electrode layers 405 (a source electrode 405 a and a drain electrode 405 b ), and a channel protective layer 406 which are provided over a substrate 400 . in addition, a first protective insulating layer 407 which is in contact with the channel protective layer 406 and covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 is included, and a second gate electrode layer 409 which is formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 and overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is included. that is, the transistor 473 described in this embodiment is a channel-stop-type transistor. one example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 473 in fig. 6a will be described with reference to figs. 7a to 7d . note that steps in which the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed over the substrate 400 having an insulating surface, the gate insulating layer 402 covering the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed, and an oxide semiconductor film is formed are the same as those of embodiment 1. therefore, detailed description is omitted here and the same portions as those of fig. 2a are denoted by the same reference numerals. a first oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 as in embodiment 1. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the first oxide semiconductor film, and the first oxide semiconductor film is etched, so that an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer 430 is formed. note that etching here is not limited to wet etching and may be dry etching (see fig. 7a ). next, as in embodiment 1, the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is subjected to heat treatment. by performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere or under reduced pressure, resistance of the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is reduced (i.e., the carrier concentration is increased, preferably to 1×10 18 /cm 3 or higher), so that a low-resistance second oxide semiconductor layer 431 can be formed. the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 is subjected to heat treatment under an inert gas (nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon) atmosphere or reduced pressure. by the heat treatment under the above atmosphere on the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 , impurities such as hydrogen and moisture contained in the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 can be removed. it is preferable that impurities such as moisture and hydrogen be not contained in nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon in the heat treatment. alternatively, the purity of nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon introduced in a heat treatment apparatus is preferably 6 n (99.9999%) or higher, more preferably 7 n (99.99999%) or higher (that is, the concentration of the impurities is 1 ppm or lower, preferably 0.1 ppm or lower). in this embodiment, an electric furnace has a structure in which the temperature increases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 20° c./min, the atmosphere in the chamber is a nitrogen atmosphere or a rare gas atmosphere, and the temperature is set at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. in such a manner, the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 which is formed over the substrate is heated in the heated chamber. alternatively, the pressure is reduced by an evacuation means, and the temperature is set at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. in such a manner, the first oxide semiconductor layer 430 which is formed over the substrate is heated, so that the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 is formed. after the heat treatment, the heaters of the electric furnace are turned off, so that the chamber is slowly cooled (gradually cooled). note that the electric furnace preferably has a structure in which the temperature decreases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 15° c./min. through the heat treatment in the above-described manner, the reliability of the transistor formed later can be improved. next, an insulating film which is to be a channel protective layer is formed in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 . moisture, hydrogen ions, oh − , and the like are reduced in the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer and is formed in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer, and are prevented from entering the insulating film from the outside. the insulating film is formed using an insulating inorganic material containing oxygen. specifically, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, or silicon nitride oxide is used. that is, the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer may be formed in a manner similar to formation of the first protective insulating layer 407 described in embodiment 1. in this embodiment, as the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer, a 300-nm-thick silicon oxide film is formed by a sputtering method. the substrate temperature in film formation may be from room temperature to 300° c. or lower and in this embodiment, is 100° c. the formation of the silicon oxide film by a sputtering method can be performed under a rare gas (e.g., argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or an atmosphere of a mixed gas of a rare gas (e.g., argon) and oxygen. as a target, a silicon oxide target or a silicon target may be used. for example, with use of a silicon target, a silicon oxide film can be formed by a sputtering method under an atmosphere containing oxygen. when the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer is formed by a sputtering method, a plasma cvd method, or the like to be in contact with the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 , in the low-resistance second oxide semiconductor layer 431 , at least a region in contact with the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer has increased resistance ((i.e., the carrier concentration is reduced, preferably to lower than 1×10 18 /cm 3 ). thus, a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region can be formed. during a manufacture process of the transistor, it is important to increase and decrease the carrier concentration in the third oxide semiconductor layer through performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere (or reduced pressure), formation of an insulating oxide, and the like. the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 becomes the oxide semiconductor layer 403 having a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the insulating film that is to be the channel protective layer, and an unnecessary portion is removed by etching, so that the channel protective layer 406 is formed. note that the width of the first gate electrode layer 401 is preferably larger than that of the channel protective layer 406 (i.e., the length of the channel protective layer 406 in the channel length direction) (see fig. 7b ). next, after the resist mask is removed, a conductive film is formed over the second oxide semiconductor layer 431 and the channel protective layer 406 . as a material for the conductive film, an element selected from aluminum, chromium, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, or tungsten; an alloy containing any of the above metal elements as its component; an alloy containing the above metal elements in combination; and the like can be given. if heat treatment is performed after formation of the conductive film, a conductive film having at least enough heat resistance to the heat treatment is used. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the conductive film, and the conductive film is etched, whereby the source and drain electrode layers 405 (the source electrode 405 a and a drain electrode 405 b ) are formed. in this etching, the channel protective layer 406 functions as an etching stopper of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . therefore, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is not etched. because of the structure in which the channel protective layer 406 is provided on and in contact with a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , damage to the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (for example, reduction in film thickness due to plasma or an etchant in etching, or oxidation) in the manufacturing process can be prevented. therefore, the reliability of the transistor 473 can be improved. next, the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed over the source and drain electrode layers 405 and the channel protective layer 406 . moisture, hydrogen ions, oh − , and the like are reduced in the first protective insulating layer 407 , and are prevented from entering the first protective insulating layer 407 from the outside. the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed using an insulating inorganic material containing oxygen. specifically, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, magnesium oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide can be given (see fig. 7d ). note that steps after formation of the first protective insulating layer 407 are the same as those of embodiment 1. that is, the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 . note that a resin layer may be provided over the second gate electrode layer 409 . by provision of the resin layer over the second gate electrode layer 409 , unevenness due to a structure of the transistor 473 can be reduced and the element can be planarized. note that the transistor 473 may be subjected to heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere or an air atmosphere (in air). this heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 300° c. or less, and the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is performed after the channel protective layer 406 is formed. for example, heat treatment is performed at 350° c. for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere. if the heat treatment is performed, variation in electric characteristics of the transistor 473 can be reduced. through the above steps, the transistor 473 illustrated in fig. 6a can be formed. note that in the transistor 473 , a portion in which the channel protective layer 406 and the first protective insulating layer 407 are stacked functions as a second gate insulating layer. a transistor 473 b in fig. 6b has a structure which is partly different from that of fig. 6a . in fig. 6b , the same portions as those of fig. 6a other than different portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. fig. 6b illustrates a structure in which a resin layer 408 is formed between the second gate electrode layer 409 the first protective insulating layer 407 which covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 . the resin layer 408 covers the source and drain electrode layers 405 and the channel protective layer 406 with the first protective insulating layer 407 provided therebetween. the resin layer 408 can be formed using a photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material to have a thickness of 0.5 μm to 3 μm. as the photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material used for the resin layer 408 , polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimideamide, resist, benzocyclobutene, or a stack of any of these materials is used. here, a layer of photosensitive polyimide is formed by a coating method as the resin layer 408 . after polyimide is applied to the entire surface, light exposure, development, and baking are performed, whereby the resin layer 408 of polyimide whose surface is plane and has a thickness of 1.5 μm can be formed. by provision of the resin layer 408 , unevenness due to a structure of the transistor 473 b can be reduced and the surface on which the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed can be planarized. note that as illustrated in fig. 6a , the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is made larger than that of the gate electrode layer 401 and that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , whereby gate voltage can be applied to the entire oxide semiconductor layer 403 from the second gate electrode layer 409 . note that even if the structure of fig. 6a or fig. 6b is employed, in the case where a portion in which the channel protective layer 406 , the first protective insulating layer 407 , and the resin layer 408 are stacked is thin, a problem of parasitic capacitance between the second gate electrode layer 409 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 arises in some cases. in the case where a problem of parasitic capacitance arises, the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is made smaller than that of the first gate electrode layer 401 , and the area where the second gate electrode layer 409 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 overlap with each other is preferably reduced. when the area where they overlap with each other is reduced, parasitic capacitance can be reduced. further, the width of the first gate electrode layer 401 may be set to be smaller than that of the channel protective layer 406 and the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 may be set to be smaller than that of the channel protective layer 406 so that the second gate electrode 409 does not overlap with the source and drain electrode layers 405 , whereby more parasitic capacitance may be reduced. note that in the case where parasitic capacitance does not become a problem because the portion in which the resin layer 408 and the first protective insulating layer 407 are stacked is sufficiently thick, the second gate electrode may be used as a common gate electrode which covers a plurality of transistors in the driver circuit and may have an area substantially the same or larger than the area of the driver circuit. the channel formation region in the semiconductor layer included in the transistor of this embodiment is a high-resistance region; thus, electric characteristics of the transistor are stabilized and increase in off current can be prevented. therefore, a semiconductor device (a display device) including a transistor which has favorable electric characteristics and high reliability can be provided. note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of other embodiments described in this specification as appropriate. embodiment 4 in this embodiment, a transistor that can be applied to a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention and that is different from the transistors of embodiments 1 to 3 and a manufacturing method thereof will be described. in a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention, the transistor of this embodiment is provided in at least a driver circuit portion. figs. 8a and 8b each illustrate a cross-sectional view of a transistor which is one embodiment of the present invention. a transistor 474 is a bottom-gate transistor, and includes a first gate electrode layer 401 , a gate insulating layer 402 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 a and 404 b , source and drain electrode layers 405 (a source electrode 405 a and a drain electrode 405 b ), and a channel protective layer 406 which are provided over a substrate 400 . in addition, a first protective insulating layer 407 which is in contact with the channel protective layer 406 and covers the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 a and 404 b , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 (the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b ) is included, and a second gate electrode layer 409 which is formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 and overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is included. that is, the transistor 474 described in this embodiment is a channel-stop-type transistor. one example of a method for manufacturing the transistor 474 in fig. 8a will be described with reference to figs. 9a to 9d . note that steps in which the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed over the substrate 400 having an insulating surface, the gate insulating layer 402 covering the first gate electrode layer 401 is formed, and an oxide semiconductor film is formed are the same as those of embodiment 3. therefore, detailed description is omitted here and the same portions as those of fig. 7a are denoted by the same reference numerals. a first oxide semiconductor film 433 is formed over the gate insulating layer 402 as in embodiment 1. next, as in embodiment 1, the first oxide semiconductor film 433 is subjected to heat treatment. by performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere or under reduced pressure, resistance of the first oxide semiconductor film 433 is reduced (i.e., the carrier concentration is increased, preferably to 1×10 18 /cm 3 or higher), so that a low-resistance second oxide semiconductor film can be formed. the first oxide semiconductor film 433 is subjected to heat treatment under an inert gas (nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon) atmosphere or reduced pressure. by the heat treatment under the above atmosphere on the first oxide semiconductor film 433 , impurities such as hydrogen and moisture contained in the first oxide semiconductor film 433 can be removed. it is preferable that impurities such as moisture and hydrogen be not contained in nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon in the heat treatment. alternatively, the purity of nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon introduced in a heat treatment apparatus is preferably 6 n (99.9999%) or higher, more preferably 7 n (99.99999%) or higher (that is, the concentration of the impurities is 1 ppm or lower, preferably 0.1 ppm or lower). in this embodiment, an electric furnace has a structure in which the temperature increases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 20° c./min, the atmosphere in the chamber is a nitrogen atmosphere or a rare gas atmosphere, and the temperature is set at greater than or equal to 200° c. and less than or equal to 600° c., preferably greater than or equal to 400° c. and less than or equal to 600° c. in such a manner, the first oxide semiconductor film 433 which is formed over the substrate is heated in the heated chamber. after the heat treatment, the heaters of the electric furnace are turned off, so that the chamber is slowly cooled (gradually cooled). note that the electric furnace preferably has a structure in which the temperature decreases at greater than or equal to 0.1° c./min and less than or equal to 15° c./min. through the heat treatment in the above-described manner, the reliability of the transistor formed later can be improved. next, an insulating film which is to be a channel protective layer is formed in contact with the second oxide semiconductor film. moisture, hydrogen ions, oh − , and the like are reduced in the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer and is formed in contact with the second oxide semiconductor film, and are prevented from entering the insulating film from the outside. the insulating film is formed using an insulating inorganic material containing oxygen. specifically, a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride oxide film is used. in this embodiment, as the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer, a 300-nm-thick silicon oxide film is formed by a sputtering method. the substrate temperature in film formation may be from room temperature to 300° c. or lower and in this embodiment, is 100° c. the formation of the silicon oxide film by a sputtering method can be performed under a rare gas (e.g., argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or an atmosphere of a mixed gas of a rare gas (e.g., argon) and oxygen. as a target, a silicon oxide target or a silicon target may be used. for example, with use of a silicon target, a silicon oxide film can be formed by a sputtering method under an atmosphere containing oxygen. when the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer is formed by a sputtering method, a plasma cvd method, or the like to be in contact with the second oxide semiconductor film, in the low-resistance second oxide semiconductor film, at least a region in contact with the insulating film which is to be the channel protective layer has increased resistance ((i.e., the carrier concentration is reduced, preferably to lower than 1×10 18 /cm 3 ). thus, a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region can be formed. during a manufacture process of the transistor, it is important to increase and decrease the carrier concentration in the oxide semiconductor layer through performance of heat treatment and slow cooling under an inert gas atmosphere (or reduced pressure), formation of an insulating oxide, and the like. the second oxide semiconductor film becomes the third oxide semiconductor film having a high-resistance oxide semiconductor region. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the insulating film that is to be the channel protective layer, and an unnecessary portion is removed by etching, so that the channel protective layer 406 is formed. note that the width of the first gate electrode layer 401 is preferably larger than that of the channel protective layer 406 (i.e., the length of the channel protective layer 406 in the channel length direction). next, an n-type oxide semiconductor film serving as source and drain regions is formed over the third oxide semiconductor film and the channel protective layer 406 . the n-type oxide semiconductor film is formed using an oxide semiconductor film having lower resistance than the third oxide semiconductor film. the n-type oxide semiconductor film may be formed using, for example, an oxynitride film containing indium, gallium, and zinc which is obtained by use of a metal oxide containing indium (in), gallium (ga), and zinc (zn) (in 2 o 3 :ga 2 o 3 :zno=1:1:1) by a sputtering method under an atmosphere containing a nitrogen gas, an al—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film, or an al—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film containing nitrogen, i.e., an al—zn—o—n-based non-single-crystal film (also referred to as an azon film). note that an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film used in this embodiment may be amorphous, microcrystalline, or polycrystalline. alternatively, the crystalline state is not limited thereto, and it may be a single crystal. by change in the condition of film formation or composition ratio of a target in the above manner, crystalline states of the third oxide semiconductor film and the n-type oxide semiconductor film can be changed. therefore, the crystalline states of the n-type oxide semiconductor film which is to be the source and drain regions and the third oxide semiconductor film which forms a channel region may be different from each other depending on the condition of the formation of the oxide semiconductor film or the composition ratio of the target. for example, the n-type oxide semiconductor film which is to be the source and drain regions may include micro crystals; the third oxide semiconductor film may be amorphous; the n-type oxide semiconductor film which is to be the source and drain regions may be amorphous; or the third oxide semiconductor film may include micro crystals. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the n-type oxide semiconductor film, and an unnecessary portion of the n-type oxide semiconductor film and the third oxide semiconductor film is removed by etching. in such a manner, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is formed (see fig. 9b ). note that the photolithography step is not particularly limited to the above description, and the following manner may be alternatively employed: a resist mask is formed over the insulating film that is to be a channel protective layer; an unnecessary portion of the insulating film that is to be the channel protective layer and the third oxide semiconductor film is removed by etching; the resist mask is reduced; and an unnecessary portion of the insulating film that is to be the channel protective layer is further removed by etching. in such a manner, the channel protective layer 406 may be formed. in this case, the resist mask which is formed first over the insulating film that is to be the channel protective layer is preferably a resist mask which is formed using a multi-tone mask and is provided with regions having different thicknesses. next, after the resist mask is removed, a conductive film is formed over the n-type oxide semiconductor film. as a material for the conductive film, an element selected from aluminum, chromium, tantalum, titanium, molybdenum, or tungsten; an alloy containing any of the above metal elements as its main component; an alloy containing the above metal elements in combination; and the like can be given. if heat treatment is performed after formation of the conductive film, a conductive film having at least enough heat resistance to the heat treatment is used. next, a photolithography step is performed. a resist mask is formed over the conductive film, and the conductive film is etched, whereby the source and drain electrode layers 405 are formed. then, a region of the n-type oxide semiconductor film, which is between the source electrode and the drain electrode formed from the source and drain electrode layers 405 , is removed by etching with use of the same resist mask, whereby the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 which are to be the source and drain regions are formed. the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 having low resistance are provided between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 , whereby the transistor 474 can operate more stably as compared with the case of using only metal wirings. in this etching, the channel protective layer 406 functions as an etching stopper of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . therefore, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is not etched. the channel protective layer 406 is provided, so that damage to the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 (for example, reduction in film thickness due to plasma or an etchant in etching, or oxidation) in the manufacturing process can be prevented. therefore, the reliability of the transistor 474 can be improved (see fig. 9c ). next, the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed over the source and drain electrode layers 405 and the channel protective layer 406 (see fig. 9d ). moisture, hydrogen ions, oh − , and the like are reduced in the first protective insulating layer 407 , and are prevented from entering the first protective insulating layer 407 from the outside. the first protective insulating layer 407 is formed using an insulating inorganic material containing oxygen. specifically, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, magnesium oxide, yttrium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide can be given. note that steps after formation of the first protective insulating layer 407 are the same as those of embodiment 1. that is, the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed over the first protective insulating layer 407 . note that a resin layer may be provided over the second gate electrode layer 409 . by provision of the resin layer over the second gate electrode layer 409 , unevenness due to a structure of the transistor 474 can be reduced and the element can be planarized. note that the transistor 474 may be subjected to heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere or an air atmosphere (in air). this heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 300° c. or less, and the timing of the heat treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is performed after the channel protective layer 406 is formed. for example, heat treatment is performed at 350° c. for one hour under a nitrogen atmosphere. if the heat treatment is performed, variation in electric characteristics of the transistor 474 can be reduced. through the above steps, the transistor 474 illustrated in fig. 8a can be formed. note that in the transistor 474 , a portion in which the channel protective layer 406 and the first protective insulating layer 407 are stacked functions as a second gate insulating layer. a transistor 474 b in fig. 8b has a structure which is partly different from that of fig. 8a . in fig. 8b , the same portions as those of fig. 8a other than different portions are denoted by the same reference numerals. fig. 8b illustrates a structure in which a resin layer 408 is formed between the second gate electrode layer 409 and the first protective insulating layer 407 which covers the transistor the first gate electrode layer 401 , the gate insulating layer 402 , the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 , and the source and drain electrode layers 405 . the resin layer 408 covers the source and drain electrode layers 405 and the channel protective layer 406 with the first protective insulating layer 407 provided therebetween. the resin layer 408 can be formed using a photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material to have a thickness of 0.5 μm to 3 μm. as the photosensitive or non-photosensitive organic material used for the resin layer 408 , polyimide, acrylic, polyamide, polyimideamide, resist, benzocyclobutene, or a stack of any of these materials is used. here, a layer of photosensitive polyimide is formed by a coating method as the resin layer 408 . after polyimide is applied to the entire surface, light exposure, development, and baking are performed, whereby the resin layer 408 of polyimide whose surface is plane and has a thickness of 1.5 μm can be formed. by provision of the resin layer 408 , unevenness due to a structure of a transistor 474 b can be reduced and the surface on which the second gate electrode layer 409 is formed can be planarized. note that as illustrated in fig. 8a , the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is made larger than that of the first gate electrode layer 401 and that of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , whereby gate voltage can be applied to the entire oxide semiconductor layer 403 from the second gate electrode layer 409 . note that even if the structure of fig. 8a or fig. 8b is employed, in the case where a portion in which the channel protective layer 406 , the first protective insulating layer 407 , and the resin layer 408 are stacked is thin, a problem of parasitic capacitance between the second gate electrode layer 409 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 arises in some cases. in the case where a problem of parasitic capacitance arises, the width of the second gate electrode layer 409 is made smaller than that of the first gate electrode layer 401 , and the area where the second gate electrode layer 409 and the source and drain electrode layers 405 overlap with each other is preferably reduced. when the area where they overlap with each other is reduced, parasitic capacitance can be reduced. further, the width of the first gate electrode layer 401 may be set to be smaller than that of the channel protective layer 406 and the width of the second gate electrode 409 may be set to be smaller than that of the channel protective layer 406 so that the second gate electrode layer 409 does not overlap with the source and drain electrode layers 405 , whereby more parasitic capacitance may be reduced. note that in the case where parasitic capacitance does not become a problem because the portion in which the resin layer 408 and the first protective insulating layer 407 are stacked is sufficiently thick, the second gate electrode may be used as a common gate electrode which covers a plurality of transistors in the driver circuit and may have an area substantially the same or larger than the area of the driver circuit. the channel formation region in the semiconductor layer included in the transistor of this embodiment is a high-resistance region; thus, electric characteristics of the transistor are stabilized and increase in off current can be prevented. therefore, a semiconductor device (a display device) including a transistor which has favorable electric characteristics and high reliability can be provided. note that this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of other embodiments described in this specification as appropriate. embodiment 5 in this embodiment, an example in which an inverter circuit in a driver circuit is formed using two n-channel transistors will be described. transistors in fig. 10a are the same as the transistor 471 in fig. 1a of embodiment 1 or the like, and thus the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. note that n-type oxide semiconductor layers 14 a and 14 b are similar to the n-type oxide semiconductor layers 404 in embodiment 2; a resin layer 17 is similar to the resin layer 408 in embodiment 1; a first protective insulating layer 18 is similar to the first protective insulating layer 407 in embodiment 1; and a second gate electrode layer 470 is similar to the second gate electrode layer 409 in embodiment 1. the driver circuit for driving a pixel portion is formed using an inverter circuit, a capacitor, a resistor, and the like. when two n-channel transistors are combined to form an inverter circuit, there are the following combinations: a combination of an enhancement type transistor and a depletion type transistor (hereinafter, a circuit formed by such a combination is referred to as an edmos circuit) and a combination of enhancement type transistors (hereinafter, a circuit formed by such a combination is referred to as an eemos circuit). fig. 10a illustrates a cross-sectional structure of the inverter circuit of the driver circuit. note that a transistor 20 and a second transistor 43 in figs. 10a and 10b are inverted staggered channel-etched transistors and exemplify a transistor in which a wiring is provided over an oxide semiconductor layer with a source region or a drain region interposed therebetween. in fig. 10a , a first gate electrode 11 and a third gate electrode 42 are provided over a substrate 10 . the first gate electrode 11 and the third gate electrode 42 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a metal material such as molybdenum, titanium, chromium, tantalum, tungsten, aluminum, copper, neodymium, or scandium, or an alloy material containing any of these materials as its main component. further, over a first gate insulating layer 13 covering the first gate electrode 11 and the third gate electrode 42 , an oxide semiconductor layer 16 and a second oxide semiconductor layer 47 are provided. an electrode layer serving as a first terminal (a source electrode layer 15 a ) and an electrode layer serving as a second terminal (a drain electrode layer 15 b ) are provided over the oxide semiconductor layer 16 . the electrode layer serving as the second terminal is directly connected to the third gate electrode 42 through a contact hole 44 formed in the first gate insulating layer 13 . in addition, an electrode layer serving as a third terminal 411 is provided over the second oxide semiconductor layer 47 . the transistor 20 includes the first gate electrode 11 , the first gate insulating layer 13 covering the first gate electrode 11 , and the oxide semiconductor layer 16 overlapping with the first gate electrode 11 with the first gate insulating layer 13 between the first gate electrode 11 and the oxide semiconductor layer 16 . the electrode layer serving as the first terminal (the source electrode layer 15 a ) is a power supply line to which negative voltage vdl is applied (a negative power supply line). this power supply line may be a power supply line with a ground potential (a ground potential power supply line). note that in the inverter circuit, the electrode layer serving as the first terminal is the drain electrode layer and the electrode layer serving as the second terminal is the source electrode layer in some cases, depending on a potential of a wiring connected to the electrode layer serving as the second terminal (the drain electrode layer 15 b ). the second transistor 43 includes the third gate electrode 42 and the second oxide semiconductor layer 47 overlapping with the third gate electrode 42 with the first gate insulating layer 13 between the third gate electrode 42 and the second oxide semiconductor layer 47 . the third terminal 411 is a power supply line to which positive voltage vdh is applied (a positive power supply line). note that in the inverter circuit, the electrode layer serving as the second terminal is the source electrode layer and the electrode layer serving as the third terminal 411 is the drain electrode layer in some cases, depending on a potential of a wiring connected to the electrode layer serving as the second terminal (the drain electrode layer 15 b ). here, a buffer layer 408 a (also referred to as a source region or a drain region) is provided between the second oxide semiconductor layer 47 and the drain electrode layer 15 b . a buffer layer 408 b (also referred to as a drain region or a source region) is provided between the second oxide semiconductor layer 47 and the third terminal 411 . fig. 10b is a top view of the inverter circuit of the driver circuit. in fig. 10b , a cross section taken along chain line z 1 -z 2 corresponds to fig. 10a . in this embodiment, in order that the transistor 20 can serve as an n-channel enhancement type transistor, a second gate insulating layer is provided over the oxide semiconductor layer 16 and a second gate electrode 19 is provided over the second gate insulating layer so that the threshold voltage of the transistor 20 is controlled by voltage applied to the second gate electrode 19 . note that the example in which the electrode layer serving as the second terminal (the drain electrode layer 15 b ) is directly connected to the third gate electrode 42 through the contact hole 44 formed in the first gate insulating layer 13 is illustrated in figs. 10a and 10b without particular limitations. the electrode layer serving as the second terminal (the drain electrode layer 15 b ) may be electrically connected to the third gate electrode 42 with a connection electrode separately provided. this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of embodiments 1 to 4 as appropriate. embodiment 6 in this embodiment, a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to a block diagram, a circuit diagram, a waveform diagram showing potential changes of signals, a top view (a layout diagram), and the like. an example of a block diagram of an active matrix liquid crystal display device is illustrated in fig. 11a . the liquid crystal display device illustrated in fig. 11a includes, over a substrate 800 , a pixel portion 801 including a plurality of pixels each provided with a display element, a scan line driver circuit 802 which controls potentials of scan lines connected to gate electrodes of the pixels, and a signal line driver circuit 803 which controls a video signal input to a selected pixel. each pixel is provided with a transistor 804 in fig. 11b . the transistor 804 is an element controlling electric current between an in terminal and an out terminal with a first control signal g 1 and a second control signal g 2 . note that a symbol of the transistor 804 in fig. 11b corresponds to the transistor described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4. note that although a mode in which the scan line driver circuit 802 and the signal line driver circuit 803 are formed over the substrate 800 is described here, part of the scan line driver circuit 802 may be mounted over an ic formed over another substrate. further, part of the signal line driver circuit 803 may be mounted over an ic formed over another substrate. still further, a plurality of scan line driver circuits 802 may be provided over the substrate 800 . fig. 12 illustrates a positional relationship of signal input terminals, scan lines, signal lines, protective circuits including non-linear elements, and a pixel portion in a display device. over a substrate 820 having an insulating surface, scan lines 823 a and control lines 823 b intersect with signal lines 824 in a pixel portion 827 . the pixel portion 827 corresponds to the pixel portion 801 in fig. 11 . note that the control lines 823 b may be arranged parallel to the signal line 824 . the pixel portion 827 includes a plurality of pixels 828 arranged in a matrix. the pixel 828 includes a pixel transistor 829 connected to the scan line 823 a, the control line 823 b, and the signal line 824 , a storage capacitor 830 , and a pixel electrode 831 . the pixel structure here illustrates a case where one electrode of the storage capacitor 830 is connected to the pixel transistor 829 and the other electrode of the storage capacitor 830 is connected to a capacitor line 832 . the pixel electrode 831 serves as one of electrodes which drive a display element (such as a liquid crystal element, a light-emitting element, or a contrast medium (electronic ink)). the other electrode (also referred to as a counter electrode) of the display element is connected to a common terminal 833 . from the common terminal, a common potential is applied to the counter electrode of the display element. the protective circuit 835 is provided between a wiring extended from the pixel portion 827 and the signal line input terminal 822 . the protective circuit 835 is also provided between the scan line driver circuit 802 and the pixel portion 827 . in this embodiment, the protective circuit 835 including a plurality of protective circuits is provided so that the pixel transistors 829 and the like are not broken when surge voltage due to static electricity or the like is applied to the scan line 823 a, the control line 823 b, the signal line 824 , or the capacitor line 832 . accordingly, the protective circuits 835 are formed so that charge can be released into a common wiring when surge voltage is applied. in this embodiment, an example in which one protective circuit is provided for each wiring in the vicinity of the signal line input terminals 822 is shown. however, the position of the protective circuits 835 and the number of protective circuits provided in the protective circuit 835 are not limited to the example. the use of the transistor described in any of embodiments 1 to 4 as the pixel transistor 829 allows the threshold voltage of the pixel transistor 829 to be controlled and/or on current of the transistor to be increased. fig. 13a is a waveform diagram schematically showing potential changes of signals supplied to the pixel 828 . here, operation of the pixel 828 will be described. fig. 13a shows a waveform of potentials of each of the scan line 823 a, the control line 823 b, the signal line 824 , and the capacitor line 832 which are connected to one pixel. in fig. 13a , a waveform g 1 schematically represents a potential change of the scan line 823 a, a waveform g 2 schematically represents a potential change of the control line 823 b, a waveform d schematically represents a potential change of the signal line 824 , and a waveform com schematically represents a potential change of the capacitor line 832 . changes in those waveforms over time are shown with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing potential. note that a high power supply potential of the waveform g 1 is denoted as v 1 and a low power supply potential of the waveform g 1 is denoted as v 2 . a potential of the waveform g 2 is denoted as v c . a high power supply potential of the waveform d is denoted as v d1 and a low power supply potential of the waveform d is denoted as v d2 . a potential of the waveform com is denoted as v com . as shown in figs. 13a and 13b , a period of time from when the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 , until the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 again after changing to v 2 corresponds to one frame period. further, as shown in figs. 13a and 13b , a period of time from when the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 until the waveform g 1 changes to v 2 corresponds to one gate selection period. in fig. 13a , in one gate selection period in one frame period, that is, in a period of time when the scan line 823 a has v 1 , the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 holds a potential of the signal line 824 in the range of from v d1 to v d2 . in fig. 13a , a period other than a gate selection period in one frame period, that is, in a period of time when the scan line 823 a has v 2 , the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 holds a potential input in one gate selection period regardless of the potential of the signal line 824 , which is in the range of from v d1 to v d2 . note that the waveform g 2 schematically representing a potential change of the control line 823 b is preferably kept at a fixed potential in the range in which the 823 b does not cause malfunction of the pixel transistor 829 which is controlled on or off by the scan line 823 a. by setting the potential v c of the control line 823 b at v d2 or lower, preferably in the range of from v 2 to v d2 , malfunction of the pixel transistor 829 which is controlled on or off by the scan line 823 a can be prevented. fig. 13b is another example of a waveform diagram schematically showing potential changes in the case where a potential of the signal line 824 is fixed at v d1 for a certain period of time. fig. 13b is different from fig. 13a in that the waveform d representing a potential change of the signal line 824 is specifically shown (in fig. 13a , the waveform d represents a given potential in the range of from v d2 to v d1 ), and that a waveform c pix representing a change of a potential held by the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 is shown. in fig. 13b , before the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 , the waveform d changes to v d1 from v d2 , and then the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 and a potential held by the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 , that is, a potential of the waveform c pix rises (see the first one gate selection period in fig. 13b ). in addition, in fig. 13b , before the waveform g 1 changes to v i , the waveform d changes to v d2 from v d1 , and then the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 and a potential of the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 , that is, a potential of the waveform c pix falls (see the second one gate selection period in fig. 13b ). if the waveform d changes to v d1 from v d2 or v d2 from v d1 before the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 , malfunction due to signal delay and the like can be reduced. note that in fig. 13b , although there is a period in which the waveform d and the waveform c pix are in the same potential, they are separately shown for the sake of clarity. as shown in figs. 13a and 13b , by provision of the control line 823 b, the threshold voltage of the pixel transistor 829 can be controlled while a similar effect of the transistor described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 is obtained. specifically, by setting a potential of the waveform g 2 of the control line 823 b at a fixed potential, a transistor with a stable threshold voltage can be obtained, which is preferable. note that the waveform diagrams in figs. 13a and 13b schematically showing potential changes of signals supplied to the pixel 828 are merely examples and may be combined with another driving method. as an example of another driving method, a driving method such as an inversion drive method (so-called inversion drive) may be employed, in which the polarity of a voltage applied to the pixel electrode is inverted every certain period or every frame or between pixels in accordance with the common potential of the common electrode. by the inversion drive, uneven display such as flickering of an image and deterioration of a display element (e.g., a liquid crystal material) can be suppressed. note that as an example of the inversion drive, source line inversion drive, gate line inversion drive, dot inversion drive, and the like can be given as well as frame inversion drive. note that as a display method, a progressive method, an interlace method, or the like can be employed. further, one pixel may include a plurality of subpixels. fig. 14 is an example of a layout diagram of the pixel 828 in fig. 12 . fig. 14 shows an example where a structure of a transistor is a channel-etch type described in embodiment 1. in fig. 14 , a cross section taken along chain line a-b corresponds to the cross-sectional view of fig. 1c . note that the layout diagram of pixels of fig. 14 shows an example of so-called stripe arrangement in which pixels of three colors, rgb (r is red, g is green, and b is blue), are arranged along the scan line 823 a; however, the arrangement is not limited thereto, and delta or bayer arrangement may alternatively be employed. note that without limitation to the three colors of rgb, more than three colors may be used. for example, rgbw (w is white) or rgb with one or more colors of yellow, cyan, or magenta may be used. note that areas of display regions in pixels may be different between color elements of rgb. fig. 14 illustrates a pixel circuit including a first conductive layer 1101 which serves as a wiring serving as the scan line 823 a and one electrode of the capacitor line 832 , an oxide semiconductor layer 1102 which forms a channel region of the pixel transistor 829 , a second conductive layer 1103 which serves as a wiring serving as the signal line 824 and the other electrode of the capacitor line 832 , a pixel electrode layer 1104 which serves as the pixel electrode 831 , a third conductive layer 1105 which serves as a wiring serving as the control line 823 b, and an opening 1106 (referred to as a contact hole) for connection between the second conductive layer 1103 and the pixel electrode 831 . although fig. 14 shows a structure in which the third conductive layer 1105 parallel to the first conductive layer 1101 is extended over the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 , a structure in fig. 15 in which the third conductive layer 1105 is provided to overlap with the first conductive layer 1101 and the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 may be employed. when the third conductive layer 1105 is formed from a light-blocking conductive material, the light-blocking property of the third conductive layer 1105 can be more improved in the structure in fig. 15 , than that in the layout diagram in fig. 14 . note that, in the layout diagram of fig. 14 or the like, the facing portion of source and drain regions in the transistor may have a u-like shape or a c-like shape. further, the first conductive layer 1101 serving as a first gate electrode may have a u-like shape or a c-like shape. note that the width in the channel length direction of the first conductive layer 1101 which serves as the first gate electrode may be larger than the width of the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 . in addition, the width in a channel length direction of the third conductive layer 1105 which serves as the second gate electrode is smaller than the width of the first conductive layer 1101 and the width of the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 . fig. 16 illustrates an example in which connection between the pixel transistors and the scan lines is different from that in fig. 12 . fig. 16 illustrates the case where the first gate electrode connected to the scan line and the second gate electrode connected to the control line are connected to each other and have the same potential with use of the transistor described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4. note that the same portions in fig. 16 as those in fig. 12 are not repeatedly described. fig. 16 illustrates a positional relationship of signal input terminals, scan lines, signal lines, protective circuits including non-linear elements, and a pixel portion in a display device. fig. 16 is different from fig. 12 in that the control line 823 b is not provided and the scan line 823 which corresponds to the scan line 823 a in fig. 12 is provided. as shown in fig. 16 , by controlling the pixel transistors with the scan line 823 connected to the second gate electrode, the control line can be omitted, which can decrease the number of wirings and signal line input terminals 822 . fig. 17 is a waveform diagram schematically showing potential changes of signals supplied to the pixel 828 shown in fig. 16 . here, operation of the pixel 828 in fig. 16 will be described. fig. 17 shows a waveform of potentials of each of the scan line 823 , the signal line 824 , and the capacitor line 832 which are connected to one pixel. note that in fig. 17 , in order to clarify the difference from fig. 13a , the first gate electrode and the second gate electrode which are connected to the scan line 823 such that they have the same potential are shown to be separated slightly from each other. in fig. 17 , a waveform g 1 schematically represents a potential change of the first gate electrode, a waveform g 2 schematically represents a potential change of the second gate electrode, a waveform d schematically represents a potential change of the signal line 824 , and a waveform com schematically represents a potential change of the capacitor line 832 . changes in those waveforms over time are shown with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing potential. note that a high power supply potential of the waveform g 1 and the waveform g 2 is denoted as v 1 and a low power supply potential of the waveform g 1 and the waveform g 2 is denoted as v 2 . a high power supply potential of the waveform d is denoted as v d1 and a low power supply potential of the waveform d is denoted as v d2 . a potential of the waveform com is denoted as v com . as shown in fig. 17 , a period of time from when the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 , until the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 again after changing to v 2 corresponds to one frame period. further, as shown in fig. 17 , a period of time from when the waveform g 1 changes to v 1 until the waveform g 1 changes to v 2 corresponds to one gate selection period. in fig. 17 , in one gate selection period in one frame period, that is, in a period of time when the scan line 823 has v 1 , the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 holds a potential of the signal line 824 in the range of from v d1 to v d2 . in fig. 17 , a period other than a gate selection period in one frame period, that is, in a period of time when the scan line 823 has v 2 , the storage capacitor 830 in the pixel 828 holds a potential input in one gate selection period regardless of the potential of the signal line 824 , which is in the range of from v d1 to v d2 . by driving the pixel transistor 829 in a manner in which the waveform g 1 and the waveform g 2 are in the same potential as shown in fig. 17 , an area which becomes a channel in the pixel transistor 829 can be increased. thus, an amount of current flowing through the pixel transistor 829 is increased, whereby the display element can operate at high speed. as another structure in which the pixel transistor 829 is driven in a manner in which the waveform g 1 and the waveform g 2 are in the same potential, a structure provided with a first scan line driver circuit 802 a and a second scan line driver circuit 802 b shown in fig. 18 can be given. as shown in fig. 18 , the transistor may be controlled by the first scan line driver circuit 802 a and the second scan line driver circuit 802 b which supply scan signals through the first scan line 823 c and the second scan line 823 d, respectively. note that the waveform diagram in fig. 17 schematically showing potential changes is one example similarly to the waveform diagrams in figs. 13a and 13b and may be combined with another driving method. as an example of another driving method, the driving method (so-called inversion drive described above) may be employed, in which the polarity of a voltage applied to the pixel electrode is inverted every certain period or every frame or between pixels in accordance with the common potential of the common electrode. with use of the inversion drive, effects similar to the above can be obtained. fig. 19 is an example of a layout diagram of the pixel 828 in fig. 16 . fig. 19 shows an example where a structure of a transistor is a channel-etch type described in embodiment 1. note that the layout diagram of pixels of fig. 19 shows an example of so-called stripe arrangement in which pixels of three colors, rgb (r is red, g is green, and b is blue), are arranged along the scan line 823 ; however, the arrangement is not limited thereto, and delta or bayer arrangement may alternatively be employed. note that without limitation to the three colors of rgb, more than three colors may be used. for example, rgbw (w is white) or rgb with one or more colors of yellow, cyan, or magenta may be used. note that areas of display regions in pixels may be different between color elements of rgb. fig. 19 illustrates a pixel circuit including a first conductive layer 1101 which serves as a wiring serving as the scan line 823 and one electrode of the capacitor line 832 , an oxide semiconductor layer 1102 which forms a channel region of the pixel transistor 829 , a second conductive layer 1103 which serves as a wiring serving as the signal line 824 and the other electrode of the capacitor line 832 , a pixel electrode layer 1104 which serves as the pixel electrode 831 , a third conductive layer 1105 which is connected to the first conductive layer 1101 , and an opening 1106 (referred to as a contact hole) for connection between the second conductive layer 1103 and the pixel electrode 831 or between the first conductive layer 1101 and the third conductive layer 1105 . although fig. 19 shows a structure in which the third conductive layer 1105 is provided over the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 for each transistor 829 , a structure in fig. 20 in which the third conductive layer 1105 is provided to overlap with the first conductive layer 1101 and the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 may be employed. when the third conductive layer 1105 is formed from a light-blocking conductive material, the light-blocking property of the third conductive layer 1105 can be more improved in the structure in fig. 20 , than that in the layout diagram in fig. 19 . note that, in the layout diagram of fig. 19 or the like, the facing portion of source and drain regions in the transistor may have a u-like shape or a c-like shape. further, the first conductive layer 1101 serving as a gate electrode may have a u-like shape or a c-like shape. note that the width in the channel length direction of the first conductive layer 1101 which serves as the first gate electrode may be larger than the width of the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 . in addition, the width in a channel length direction of the third conductive layer 1105 which serves as the second gate electrode is larger than the width of the first conductive layer 1101 and the width of the oxide semiconductor layer 1102 . as described above, by use of the transistor having the structure described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4, the threshold voltage can be controlled to a favorable value while effects described in the above embodiments can be obtained. note that in this embodiment, what is illustrated in the drawing can be freely combined with or replaced with what is described in another embodiment as appropriate. embodiment 7 in this embodiment, a light-emitting display device to which the transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 is applied will be described. note that as an example of a display element included in the light-emitting display device of this embodiment, a light-emitting element utilizing electroluminescence is described. light-emitting elements utilizing electroluminescence are classified according to whether a light emitting material is an organic compound or an inorganic compound. the former is referred to as an organic el element and the latter is referred to as an inorganic el element. in an organic el element, by application of voltage to a light-emitting element, electrons and holes are separately injected from a pair of electrodes into a layer containing a light-emitting organic compound, and current flows. the carriers (electrons and holes) are recombined, and thus, the light-emitting organic compound is excited. the light-emitting organic compound returns to a ground state from the excited state, thereby emitting light. owing to such a mechanism, this light-emitting element is referred to as a current-excitation light-emitting element. the inorganic el elements are classified according to their element structures into a dispersion-type inorganic el element and a thin-film inorganic el element. a dispersion-type inorganic el element has a light-emitting layer where particles of a light-emitting material are dispersed in a binder, and its light emission mechanism is donor-acceptor recombination type light emission that utilizes a donor level and an acceptor level. a thin-film inorganic el element has a structure where a light-emitting layer is sandwiched between dielectric layers, which are further sandwiched between electrodes, and its light emission mechanism is localized type light emission that utilizes inner-shell electron transition of metal ions. note that description is made in this embodiment using an organic el element as a light-emitting element. fig. 21 shows an example of a pixel in a light-emitting display device including the transistor described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4. a structure and an operation of the pixel in the light-emitting display device are described. in this example, one pixel includes two n-channel transistors each of which includes an oxide semiconductor layer (for example, an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film) as a channel formation region. a pixel 6400 includes a switching transistor 6401 (a first transistor), a driver transistor 6402 (a second transistor), a capacitor 6403 , and a light-emitting element 6404 . the switching transistor 6401 has a first gate electrode connected to a scan line 6406 a, a second gate electrode connected to a control line 6406 b, a first electrode (one of a source electrode and a drain electrode) connected to a signal line 6405 , and a second electrode (the other of the source electrode and the drain electrode) connected to a gate of the driver transistor 6402 . the driver transistor 6402 has a first gate electrode connected to a power supply line 6407 through the capacitor 6403 , a second gate electrode connected to the control line 6406 b, a first electrode connected to the power supply line 6407 , and a second electrode connected to a first electrode (a pixel electrode) of the light-emitting element 6404 . a second electrode of the light-emitting element 6404 corresponds to a common electrode 6408 . the common electrode 6408 is electrically connected to a common potential line provided over the same substrate, and the connection portion may be used as a common connection portion. note that the second electrode (the common electrode 6408 ) of the light-emitting element 6404 is set to a low power supply potential. the low power supply potential is a potential smaller than a high power supply potential when the high power supply potential set to the power supply line 6407 is a reference. as the low power supply potential, gnd, 0 v, or the like may be employed, for example. a potential difference between the high power supply potential and the low power supply potential is applied to the light-emitting element 6404 to make current flow through the light-emitting element 6404 , so that the light-emitting element 6404 emits light. thus, each of the potentials is set so that the potential difference between the high power supply potential and the low power supply potential is equal to or higher than the forward threshold voltage of the light-emitting element 6404 . note that gate capacitance of the driver transistor 6402 may be used as a substitute for the capacitor 6403 , so that the capacitor 6403 can be omitted. the gate capacitance of the driver transistor 6402 may be formed between the channel region and the gate electrode, for example. in the case of analog grayscale driving, voltage equal to or higher than the sum of the forward voltage of the light-emitting element 6404 and the threshold voltage of the driver transistor 6402 is applied to the first gate of the driver transistor 6402 . the forward voltage of the light-emitting element 6404 indicates a voltage at which a desired luminance is obtained, and includes at least forward threshold voltage. the video signal by which the driver transistor 6402 operates in a saturation region is input, so that current can be supplied to the light-emitting element 6404 . in order to allow the driver transistor 6402 to operate in the saturation region, the potential of the power supply line 6407 is set higher than the potential of the first gate of the driver transistor 6402 . when an analog video signal is used, current can be made to flow through the light-emitting element 6404 in accordance with the video signal and analog grayscale driving can be performed. as shown in fig. 21 , by provision of the control line 6406 b, the threshold voltage of the switching transistor 6401 and the driver transistor 6402 can be controlled as in the transistor described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4. specifically, in the driver transistor 6402 , a video signal is input so that the driver transistor 6402 operates in the saturation region. therefore, by controlling the threshold voltage by a potential of the control line 6406 b, a deviation between an input video signal and luminance of the light-emitting element due to threshold voltage shift can be reduced. as a result, display quality of the display device can be improved. note that the switching transistor 6401 serves as a switch and a potential of the second gate is not always required to be controlled by the control line 6406 b. that is, the control line 6406 b may be connected to only the second gate of the driver transistor 6402 . note that the pixel structure illustrated in fig. 21 is not limited thereto. for example, a switch, a resistor, a capacitor, a transistor, a logic circuit, or the like may be added to the pixel in fig. 21 . in the case of digital grayscale driving, a video signal is input to the gate of the driver transistor 6402 so that the driver transistor 6402 is either completely turned on or completely turned off. that is, the driver transistor 6402 operates in a linear region. since the driver transistor 6402 operates in a linear region, the potential of the first gate of the driver transistor 6402 is set higher than the potential of the power supply line 6407 . note that voltage which is equal to or higher than the sum of the voltage of the power supply line and the vth of the driver transistor 6402 is applied to the signal line 6405 . in this case, the same structure as in fig. 21 can be employed. next, structures of a light-emitting element will be described with reference to figs. 22a to 22c . a cross-sectional structure of a pixel is described here by taking an n-channel driver transistor as an example. transistors 7001 , 7011 , and 7021 serving as driver transistors illustrated in figs. 22a to 22c can be formed by a method similar to the method for forming the transistor 471 described in embodiment 1 or the like. the transistors 7001 , 7011 , and 7021 each include an oxide semiconductor layer for a channel formation region. in order to extract light emitted from the light-emitting element, at least one of an anode and a cathode should be transparent. there are the following structures of a light-emitting element which is formed over the same substrate as a transistor: a top-emission structure in which light is extracted through the surface opposite to the substrate, a bottom-emission structure in which light is extracted through the surface of the substrate, and a dual-emission structure in which light is extracted through the surface opposite to the substrate and the surface of the substrate. as illustrated in figs. 22a to 22c , any of these emission structures can be applied in this embodiment. a light-emitting element having a top-emission structure will be described with reference to fig. 22a . fig. 22a is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in which the transistor 7001 described in embodiment 1 is provided as a driver transistor in the pixel and light emitted from a light-emitting element 7002 electrically connected to the transistor 7001 goes out through an anode 7005 . the transistor 7001 is covered with a protective layer 7007 and a resin layer 7017 over which a second protective insulating layer 7018 formed of a silicon nitride film is provided. an in—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor is used for the channel of the transistor 7001 . in fig. 22a , a cathode 7003 of the light-emitting element 7002 is electrically connected to the transistor 7001 serving as a driver transistor, and a light-emitting layer 7004 and the anode 7005 are stacked in this order over the cathode 7003 . the cathode 7003 can be formed using any of conductive materials which have a low work function and a film of which reflects light. for example, ca, al, mgag, alli, or the like is preferably used. in fig. 22a , a second gate electrode 7009 which is formed from the same material as the cathode 7003 overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer to shield the oxide semiconductor layer from light. in addition, the second gate electrode 7009 controls the threshold voltage of the transistor 7001 . by formation of the cathode 7003 and the second gate electrode 7009 from the same material and the same layer, the number of steps can be reduced. in addition, a partition 7006 formed of an insulating material is provided in order to prevent short circuit of the second gate electrode 7009 and the cathode 7003 . the light-emitting layer 7004 is provided so as to overlap with both of part of the partition 7006 and part of the cathode 7003 which is not covered with the partition 7006 . the light-emitting layer 7004 may be formed using either a single layer or a stacked layer of a plurality of layers. when the light-emitting layer 7004 is formed using a stacked layer of a plurality of layers, an electron-injection layer, an electron-transport layer, a light-emitting layer, a hole-transport layer, and a hole-injection layer are sequentially stacked over the cathode 7003 . it is not necessary to form all of these layers. the anode 7005 is formed using a light-transmitting conductive material such as a film of indium oxide including tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide including tungsten oxide, indium oxide including titanium oxide, indium tin oxide including titanium oxide, indium tin oxide (hereinafter referred to as ito), indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added. the light-emitting element 7002 includes the cathode 7003 , the anode 7005 , and the light-emitting layer 7004 sandwiched between the cathode 7003 and the anode 7005 . in the case of the pixel illustrated in fig. 22a , light is emitted from the light-emitting element 7002 to the anode 7005 side as indicated by an arrow. next, a light-emitting element having a bottom-emission structure will be described with reference to fig. 22b . fig. 22b is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in which the transistor 7011 described in embodiment 1 is provided as a driver transistor in the pixel and light emitted from a light-emitting element 7012 electrically connected to the transistor 7011 goes out through a cathode 7013 . the transistor 7011 is covered with the protective layer 7007 and the resin layer 7017 over which the second protective insulating layer 7018 formed of a silicon nitride film is provided. an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor is used for the channel of the transistor 7011 . in fig. 22b , the cathode 7013 of the light-emitting element 7012 is formed over a conductive film 7010 having a light-transmitting property which is electrically connected to the transistor 7011 which is the driver transistor, and a light-emitting layer 7014 and an anode 7015 are stacked in this order over the cathode 7013 . note that a blocking film 7016 for reflecting or blocking light may be formed so as to cover the anode 7015 when the anode 7015 has a light-transmitting property. for the cathode 7013 , any of conductive materials which have a low work function can be used as in the case of fig. 22a . note that the cathode 7013 is formed to have a thickness with which the cathode 7013 transmits light (preferably, approximately from 5 nm to 30 nm). for example, an aluminum film with a thickness of 20 nm can be used as the cathode 7013 . similarly to the case of fig. 22a , the light-emitting layer 7014 may be formed using either a single layer or a stacked layer of a plurality of layers. the anode 7015 is not required to transmit light, but can be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material as in the case of fig. 22a . the blocking film 7016 can be formed using, for example, a metal which reflects light; however, it is not limited to a metal film. for example, a resin to which a black pigment is added can be used. in fig. 22b , a second gate electrode 7019 which is formed from the same light-transmitting conductive material as the conductive film 7010 having a light-transmitting property overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer. in this embodiment, indium tin oxide including silicon oxide is used as a material for the second gate electrode 7019 . the second gate electrode 7019 controls the threshold voltage of the transistor 7011 . by formation of the conductive film 7010 having a light-transmitting property and the second gate electrode 7019 from the same material and the same layer, the number of steps can be reduced. the oxide semiconductor layer in the transistor 7011 is shielded from light by the blocking film 7016 provided over the second gate electrode 7019 . the light-emitting element 7012 includes the cathode 7013 , the anode 7015 , and the light-emitting layer 7014 sandwiched between the cathode 7013 and the anode 7015 . in the case of the pixel illustrated in fig. 22b , light is emitted from the light-emitting element 7012 to the cathode 7013 side as indicated by an arrow. next, a light-emitting element having a dual-emission structure will be described with reference to fig. 22c . fig. 22c is a cross-sectional view of a pixel in which the transistor 7021 described in embodiment 1 is provided as a driver transistor in the pixel and light emitted from a light-emitting element 7022 electrically connected to the transistor 7021 goes out through both of an anode 7025 and a cathode 7023 . the transistor 7021 is covered with the protective layer 7007 and the resin layer 7017 over which the second protective insulating layer 7018 formed of a silicon nitride film is provided. a zn—o-based oxide semiconductor is used for the channel of the transistor 7021 . the cathode 7023 of the light-emitting element 7022 is formed over a conductive film 7027 having a light-transmitting property which is electrically connected to the transistor 7021 via a connection electrode 7028 , and a light-emitting layer 7024 and an anode 7025 are stacked in this order over the cathode 7023 . for the cathode 7023 , any of conductive materials which have a low work function can be used as in the case of fig. 22a . note that the cathode 7023 is formed to have a thickness with which the cathode 7023 transmits light (preferably, approximately from 5 nm to 30 nm). for example, an aluminum film with a thickness of 20 nm can be used as the cathode 7023 . similarly to the case of fig. 22a , the light-emitting layer 7024 may be formed using either a single layer or a stacked layer of a plurality of layers. the anode 7025 can be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material as in the case of fig. 22a . the light-emitting element 7022 includes the cathode 7023 , the anode 7025 , and the light-emitting layer 7024 sandwiched between the cathode 7023 and the anode 7025 . in the case of the pixel illustrated in fig. 22c , light is emitted from the light-emitting element 7022 to both the anode 7025 side and the cathode 7023 side as indicated by arrows. in fig. 22c , a second gate electrode 7029 overlaps with the oxide semiconductor layer. therefore, as a material for the second gate electrode 7029 , a light-blocking conductive material (such as ti, titanium nitride, al, or w) is used. here, titanium is used as a material for the second gate electrode 7029 . the second gate electrode 7029 controls the threshold voltage of the transistor 7021 . the oxide semiconductor layer in the transistor 7021 is shielded from light by the second gate electrode 7029 . the second gate electrode 7029 and the connection electrode 7028 which is connected to the transistor 7021 are formed from the same material (that is, titanium) and the same layer. although an organic el element is described here as a light-emitting element, an inorganic el element may be used as a light-emitting element. note that although the example in which a transistor (a driver transistor) which controls driving of a light-emitting element is connected to the light-emitting element is described in this embodiment, a transistor for controlling current may be connected between the driver transistor and the light-emitting element. next, the appearance and a cross section of a light-emitting display panel (also referred to as a light-emitting panel), which is one embodiment of the semiconductor device of the present invention, will be described with reference to figs. 23a and 23b . fig. 23a is a top view of a light-emitting display panel in which a transistor and a light-emitting element formed over a first substrate are sealed between the first substrate and a second substrate with a sealant. fig. 23b is a cross-sectional view taken along line h-i of fig. 23a . a sealant 4505 is provided so as to surround a pixel portion 4502 , signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b , and scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b which are provided over a first substrate 4500 . in addition, a second substrate 4506 is provided over the pixel portion 4502 , the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b , and the scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b . accordingly, the pixel portion 4502 , the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b , and the scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b are sealed together with a filler 4503 , by the first substrate 4500 , the sealant 4505 , and the second substrate 4506 . it is preferable that a panel be packaged (sealed) with a protective film (such as a laminate film or an ultraviolet curable resin film) or a cover material with high air-tightness and little degasification so that the panel is not exposed to the outside air as described above. the pixel portion 4502 , the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b , and the scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b formed over the first substrate 4500 each include a plurality of transistors, and a transistor 4510 included in the pixel portion 4502 and a transistor 4509 included in the signal line driver circuit 4503 a are illustrated as an example in fig. 23b . here, the transistors 4509 and 4510 include a zn—o-based oxide semiconductor. in this embodiment, the transistors 4509 and 4510 are n-channel transistors. the transistors 4509 and 4510 are covered with a resin layer 4508 which is provided over the first protective layer 4507 , and a second protective insulating layer 4514 which is provided over the resin layer 4508 . note that the second protective insulating layer 4514 formed using silicon nitride is formed to cover a top surface and side surfaces of the resin layer 4508 . a second gate electrode 4522 is provided as a top layer of the transistor 4509 , and a second gate electrode 4521 is provided as a top layer of the transistor 4510 . the second gate electrodes 4521 and 4522 are formed from the same layer, and they each control the threshold voltage of the transistor, and function as a protective layer for the oxide semiconductor layer. the width of the second gate electrode 4522 may be larger than that of the gate electrode of the transistor 4509 so that gate voltage can be applied to the entire oxide semiconductor layer. in the case where the second gate electrode 4522 is formed using a light-blocking conductive material, the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor 4509 can be shielded from light. in the case where the second gate electrode 4522 is formed using a light-blocking conductive material, changes in electric characteristics of the transistor due to photosensitivity of the oxide semiconductor can be prevented and thus the transistor can operate stably. the width of the second gate electrode 4521 is different from that of the second gate electrode 4522 and is smaller than that of the first gate electrode of the transistor 4510 . when the width of the second gate electrode 4521 is made smaller than that of the first gate electrode of the transistor 4510 , an area in which the second gate electrode 4521 overlaps with the source electrode or the drain electrode of the transistor 4510 is reduced, whereby parasitic capacitance can be reduced. the width of the second gate electrode 4521 is smaller than that of the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor 4510 ; thus, the second gate electrode 4521 shields only part of the oxide semiconductor layer from light, but a second electrode layer 4513 is provided over the second gate electrode 4521 . when the second electrode layer 4513 is formed using a light-blocking conductive material, the entire part of the oxide semiconductor layer can be shielded from light. a first electrode layer 4517 that is a pixel electrode included in the light-emitting element 4511 is connected to a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 4510 . note that the light-emitting element 4511 has a structure in which the first electrode layer 4517 , an electroluminescent layer 4512 , and the second electrode layer 4513 are stacked, but it is not limited to the structure. the structure of the light-emitting element 4511 can be changed as appropriate depending on the direction in which light is extracted from the light-emitting element 4511 , or the like. a partition wall 4520 is formed using an organic resin film, an inorganic insulating film, or organic polysiloxane. it is particularly preferable that the partition wall 4520 be formed using a photosensitive material and an opening be formed over the first electrode layer 4517 so that a sidewall of the opening is formed as an inclined surface with continuous curvature. the electroluminescent layer 4512 may be formed using either a single layer or a stacked layer of a plurality of layers. a protective film may be formed over the second electrode layer 4513 and the partition wall 4520 in order to prevent entry of oxygen, hydrogen, moisture, carbon dioxide, or the like into the light-emitting element 4511 . as the protective film, a silicon nitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, a dlc film, or the like can be formed. a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b , the scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b , or the pixel portion 4502 from fpcs 4518 a and 4518 b. in this embodiment, a connection terminal electrode 4515 and the first electrode layer 4517 which is included in the light-emitting element 4511 are formed from the same material and the same layer. a terminal electrode 4516 and the source and drain electrodes which are included in the transistors 4509 and 4510 are formed from the same material and the same layer. note that a gate insulating layer 4501 of the transistors 4509 and 4510 is provided below the terminal electrode 4516 the connection terminal electrode 4515 is electrically connected to a terminal included in the fpc 4518 a through an anisotropic conductive film 4519 . the second substrate 4506 located in the direction in which light is extracted from the light-emitting element 4511 needs to have a light-transmitting property. in that case, a light-transmitting substrate such as a glass plate, a plastic plate, a polyester film, or an acrylic film is used. as the filler 4503 , an ultraviolet curable resin or a thermosetting resin can be used, in addition to an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon. for example, pvc (polyvinyl chloride), acrylic, polyimide, an epoxy resin, a silicone resin, pvb (polyvinyl butyral), or eva (ethylene vinyl acetate) can be used. here, nitrogen is used for the filler 4503 . in addition, if needed, an optical film, such as a polarizing plate, a circularly polarizing plate (including an elliptically polarizing plate), a retardation plate (a quarter-wave plate or a half-wave plate), or a color filter, may be provided as appropriate on a light-emitting surface of the light-emitting element. further, the polarizing plate or the circularly polarizing plate may be provided with an anti-reflection film. for example, anti-glare treatment by which reflected light can be diffused by projections and depressions on the surface so as to reduce the glare can be performed. the signal line driver circuits 4503 a and 4503 b and the scan line driver circuits 4504 a and 4504 b may be provided using a single crystal semiconductor film or polycrystalline semiconductor film over another substrate. in addition, only the signal line driver circuits, or only the scan line driver circuits or part thereof may be separately formed over another substrate. through the above steps, a highly reliable light-emitting display device (display panel) as a semiconductor device can be manufactured. this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 8 in this embodiment, a liquid crystal display device to which the transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 is applied will be described. a liquid crystal display device having a display function can be manufactured using the transistors including an oxide semiconductor layer which are described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 not only in a driver circuit but also in a pixel portion. further, part or whole of a driver circuit can be formed over the same substrate as a pixel portion, using the transistor, whereby a system-on-panel can be obtained. the liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal element (a liquid crystal display element) as a display element. in addition, the liquid crystal display device includes a panel in which a display element is sealed, and a module in which an ic and the like including a controller are mounted on the panel. the liquid crystal display device also includes one mode of an element substrate before the display element is completed in a manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device, and the element substrate is provided with a means to supply current to the display element in each pixel. specifically, the element substrate may be in a state after only a pixel electrode of the display element is formed, a state after a conductive film to be a pixel electrode is formed but before the conductive film is etched to be the pixel electrode, or any other states. a liquid crystal display device in this specification refers to an image display device, a display device, or a light source (including a lighting device). further, the liquid crystal display device also includes any of the following modules in its category: a module to which a connector such as a flexible printed circuit (fpc), a tape automated bonding (tab) tape, or a tape carrier package (tcp) is attached; a module having a tab tape or a tcp at the end of which a printed wiring board is provided; and a module in which an integrated circuit (ic) is directly mounted on a display element by a chip-on-glass (cog) method. next, the appearance and a cross section of a liquid crystal display panel, which is one embodiment of the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, will be described with reference to figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b. figs. 24 a 1 and 24 a 2 are top views of panels in which a liquid crystal element 4013 is sealed with a sealant 4005 between a first substrate 4001 and a second substrate 4006 . fig. 24b is a cross-sectional view taken along line m-n of figs. 24 a 1 and 24 a 2 . in figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b, the sealant 4005 is provided so as to surround a pixel portion 4002 and a scan line driver circuit 4004 which are provided over the first substrate 4001 . the second substrate 4006 is provided over the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 . therefore, the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 are sealed together with a liquid crystal layer 4008 , by the first substrate 4001 , the sealant 4005 , and the second substrate 4006 . there is no particular limitation on the liquid crystal layer 4008 in this embodiment, but a liquid crystal material exhibiting a blue phase is used. a liquid crystal material exhibiting a blue phase has a short response time of one millisecond or less from the state of applying no voltage to the state of applying voltage, whereby short-time response is possible. the liquid crystal material exhibiting a blue phase includes a liquid crystal and a chiral agent. the chiral agent is employed to align the liquid crystal in a helical structure and to make the liquid crystal exhibit a blue phase. for example, a liquid crystal material into which a chiral agent is mixed at 5 wt % or more may be used for the liquid crystal layer. as the liquid crystal, a thermotropic liquid crystal, a low-molecular liquid crystal, a high-molecular liquid crystal, a ferroelectric liquid crystal, an anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal, or the like is used. in fig. 24 a 1 , a signal line driver circuit 4003 that is formed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystalline semiconductor film over a substrate separately prepared is mounted in a region that is different from the region surrounded by the sealant 4005 over the first substrate 4001 . note that fig. 24 a 2 illustrates an example in which part of the signal line driver circuit is formed over the first substrate 4001 . a signal line driver circuit 4003 b is formed over the first substrate 4001 , and a signal line driver circuit 4003 a formed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystalline semiconductor film is mounted over a separately-prepared substrate. note that the connection method of a driver circuit which is separately formed is not particularly limited, and a cog method, a wire bonding method, a tab method, or the like can be used. fig. 24 a 1 illustrates an example in which the signal line driver circuit is mounted by a cog method, and fig. 24 a 2 illustrates an example in which the signal line driver circuit is mounted by a tab method. the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 which are provided over the first substrate 4001 include a plurality of transistors. fig. 24b illustrates the transistor 4010 included in the pixel portion 4002 and the transistor 4011 included in the scan line driver circuit 4004 . over the transistors 4010 and 4011 , a first protective insulating layer 4020 and a resin layer 4021 which is a second protective insulating layer, and a third protective insulating layer 4022 are provided. the transistors which are described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 can be used as the transistors 4010 and 4011 . in this embodiment, the transistors 4010 and 4011 are n-channel transistors each including an oxide semiconductor layer for a channel formation region. the transistors 4010 and 4011 are covered with the first protective insulating layer 4020 , the resin layer 4021 which is the second protective insulating layer, and the third protective insulating layer 4022 . the first protective insulating layer 4020 is provided over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layers of the transistors 4010 and 4011 and a gate insulating layer 4019 . the resin layer 4021 which is the second protective insulating layer and serves as a planarizing insulating film can be formed from an organic material having heat resistance, such as polyimide, acrylic, benzocyclobutene, polyamide, or epoxy. other than such organic materials, it is also possible to use a low-dielectric constant material (a low-k material), a siloxane-based resin, phosphosilicate glass (psg), borophosphosilicate glass (bpsg), or the like. note that the resin layer 4021 may be formed by stacking a plurality of insulating films formed of these materials. the resin layer 4021 is a light-transmitting resin layer and a photosensitive polyimide resin is used in this embodiment. there is no particular limitation on the formation method of the insulating layer, and the following method can be employed depending on the material: a method such as a sputtering method, an sog method, spin coating, dip coating, spray coating, or a droplet discharging method (e.g., ink jetting, screen printing, or offset printing), or with a tool (equipment) such as a doctor knife, a roll coater, a curtain coater, or a knife coater. note that the third protective insulating layer 4022 is provided to prevent entry of an impurity element (such as sodium) which floats in air, such as an organic substance, a metal substance, or water vapor, and which contaminates the oxide semiconductor layer, and the third protective insulating layer 4022 is preferably a dense film. the protective film may be formed using either a single layer or a stacked layer of a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxynitride film, a silicon nitride oxide film, an aluminum oxide film, an aluminum nitride film, aluminum oxynitride film, and/or an aluminum nitride oxide film by a pcvd method or a sputtering method. further, the third protective insulating layer 4022 is formed using a silicon nitride film obtained under a low power condition by a plasma cvd method. further, a base insulating layer 4007 which is formed using a silicon nitride film and the third protective insulating layer 4022 are in contact with each other outside the pixel portion to surround the resin layer 4021 which is the second protective insulating layer. thus, the transistors 4010 and 4011 are encapsulated with silicon nitride films, whereby the reliability of the transistors 4010 and 4011 is improved. a second gate electrode 4028 is formed over the first protective insulating layer 4020 and in a position overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor 4011 . a second gate electrode 4029 is formed over the third protective insulating layer 4022 and in a position overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor 4010 . a pixel electrode layer 4030 and a common electrode layer 4031 are provided over the first substrate 4001 , and the pixel electrode layer 4030 is electrically connected to the transistor 4010 . the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 can have the same potential as the common electrode layer 4031 . the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 are formed in the same step as the common electrode layer 4031 . further, if the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 are formed using a light-blocking material, they can also serve as light-blocking layers shielding the oxide semiconductor layers of the transistors 4011 and 4010 from light. alternatively, the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 can have a different potential from the common electrode layer 4031 . in this case, a control line electrically connected to the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 is provided and the threshold voltage of each of the transistors 4011 and 4010 is controlled with a potential of the control line. note that the structures of the transistors are not limited to the above description, and the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 may be connected to the first gate electrode, or they may be in a floating state. the liquid crystal element 4013 includes the pixel electrode layer 4030 , the common electrode layer 4031 , and the liquid crystal layer 4008 . in this embodiment, a method is used in which grayscale is controlled by generating an electric field which is substantially parallel to a substrate (i.e., in a lateral direction) to move liquid crystal molecules in a plane parallel to the substrate. in such a method, an electrode structure used in an in plane switching (ips) mode or a fringe field switching (ffs) mode can be used. note that a polarizing plate 4032 and a polarizing plate 4033 are provided on the outer sides of the first substrate 4001 and the second substrate 4006 , respectively. for the first substrate 4001 and the second substrate 4006 , a glass substrate, a plastic substrate, or the like having a light-transmitting property can be used. as the plastic substrate, a fiberglass-reinforced plastics (frp) plate, a polyvinyl fluoride (pvf) film, a polyester film, or an acrylic resin film can be used. moreover, a sheet in which aluminum foil is sandwiched between pvf films or polyester films can also be used. a post spacer 4035 is obtained by selective etching of an insulating film and is provided in order to control the thickness (a cell gap) of the liquid crystal layer 4008 . note that the shape of the spacer is not limited thereto, and a spherical spacer may alternatively be used. the columnar post spacer 4035 is located to overlap with the second gate electrode 4029 . figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b illustrate examples of liquid crystal display devices in which a polarizing plate is provided on the outer side (the view side) of a substrate; however, the polarizing plate may be provided on the inner side of the substrate. furthermore, a light-blocking layer serving as a black matrix may be provided to an appropriate position. in figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b, a light-blocking layer 4034 is provided on the second substrate 4006 side so as to cover the transistors 4010 and 4011 . by provision of the light-blocking layer 4034 , contrast can be further improved and the transistor can operate stably. when the light-blocking layer 4034 is provided, the intensity of incident light on the oxide semiconductor layers of the transistors can be attenuated; accordingly, electric characteristics of the transistors can be prevented from being varied due to photosensitivity of the oxide semiconductor layers and the transistors can operate stably. the pixel electrode layer 4030 , the common electrode layer 4031 , and the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 can be formed from a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide (hereinafter referred to as ito), indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added. a conductive composition containing a conductive high molecule (also referred to as a conductive polymer) can also be used for the pixel electrode layer 4030 , the common electrode layer 4031 , and the second gate electrodes 4028 and 4029 . note that a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to the signal line driver circuit 4003 which is formed separately, and the scan line driver circuit 4004 or the pixel portion 4002 from an fpc 4018 . further, since the transistor is easily broken by static electricity and the like, a protective circuit for protecting the driver circuits is preferably provided over the same substrate for a gate line or a source line. the protective circuit is preferably formed using a nonlinear element in which an oxide semiconductor is used. in figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b, a connection terminal electrode 4015 and the pixel electrode layer 4030 are formed from the same layer, and a terminal electrode 4016 and source and drain electrode layers of the transistors 4010 and 4011 are formed from the same layer. the connection terminal electrode 4015 is electrically connected to a terminal included in the fpc 4018 through an anisotropic conductive film 4017 . figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , and 24 b illustrate an example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is separately formed and mounted on the first substrate 4001 ; however, this embodiment is not limited to this structure. the scan line driver circuit may be formed separately and then mounted, or only part of the signal line driver circuit or part of the scan line driver circuit may be formed separately and then mounted. fig. 25 illustrates an example of a cross-sectional structure of a liquid crystal display device in which an element substrate 2600 and a counter substrate 2601 are attached to each other with a sealant 2602 , and an element layer 2603 including a transistor or the like and a liquid crystal layer 2604 are provided between the substrates. in the case where color display is performed, for example, light-emitting diodes which emit light of plural colors may be arranged in a backlight portion. in the case of an rgb mode, a red light-emitting diode 2610 r, a green light-emitting diode 2610 g, and a blue light-emitting diode 2610 b are disposed in each of the regions into which a display area of the liquid crystal display device is divided. a polarizing plate 2606 is provided on the outer side of the counter substrate 2601 , and a polarizing plate 2607 and an optical sheet 2613 are provided on the outer side of the element substrate 2600 . a light source is formed using the red light-emitting diode 2610 r, the green light-emitting diode 2610 g, the blue light-emitting diode 2610 b, and a reflective plate 2611 . an led control circuit 2614 provided for a circuit substrate 2612 is connected to a wiring circuit portion 2608 of the element substrate 2600 via a flexible wiring board 2609 and further includes an external circuit such as a control circuit or a power source circuit. in this embodiment, an example in which leds are individually made to emit light by this led control circuit 2614 , so that a field-sequential liquid crystal display device is formed; however, an embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. a cold cathode tube or a white led may be used as a light source of backlight, and a color filter may be provided. further, in this embodiment, an example of an electrode structure used in the ips mode is described; however, there is no particularly limitation on the electrode structure mode. the following mode can be used: a tn (twisted nematic) mode, an mva (multi-domain vertical alignment) mode, a pva (patterned vertical alignment) mode, an asm (axially symmetric aligned micro-cell) mode, an ocb (optical compensated birefringence) mode, an flc (ferroelectric liquid crystal) mode, an aflc (antiferroelectric liquid crystal) mode, or the like. this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 9 in this embodiment, an example of an electronic paper will be described as a semiconductor device which includes a plurality of transistors including an oxide semiconductor layer. fig. 26a is a cross-sectional structure of an active matrix electronic paper. as a transistor 581 used in a display portion of the semiconductor device, the transistor which is described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 can be employed. the electronic paper of fig. 26a is an example of a display device in which a twisting ball display system is employed. the twisting ball display system refers to a method in which spherical particles each colored in black and white are used for a display element and are arranged between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer, and a potential difference is generated between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to control orientation of the spherical particles, so that display is performed. the transistor 581 has a bottom-gate structure. a first electrode layer 587 is electrically connected to a source or drain electrode through an opening formed in a first protective insulating layer 584 , a resin layer 585 which is a second protective insulating layer, and a third protective insulating layer 586 . the first protective insulating layer 584 covers the transistor 581 . a second gate electrode 582 is provided below and in contact with the resin layer 585 which is provided over the first protective insulating layer 584 , and the third protective insulating layer 586 is provided to cover the second gate electrode 582 . an oxide semiconductor layer of the transistor 581 is protected by the first protective insulating layer 584 , the resin layer 585 which is the second protective insulating layer, the second gate electrode 582 , and the third protective insulating layer 586 . between the first electrode layer 587 and a second electrode layer 588 , spherical particles 589 each having a black region 590 a , a white region 590 b , and a cavity 594 are provided. a space around the spherical particles 589 is filled with a filler 595 such as a resin (see fig. 26a ). the first electrode layer 587 corresponds to the pixel electrode and the second electrode layer 588 corresponds to the common electrode. the second electrode layer 588 is electrically connected to a common potential line provided over the same substrate as the transistor 581 . with the use of a common connection portion, the second electrode layer 588 can be electrically connected to the common potential line through conductive particles provided between a pair of substrates. further, instead of the twisting ball, an electrophoretic element can also be used. a microcapsule having a diameter of about 10 μm to 200 μm in which transparent liquid, positively charged white microparticles, and negatively charged black microparticles are encapsulated, is used. in the microcapsule which is provided between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, when a potential difference is generated between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the white microparticles and the black microparticles move to opposite sides, so that white or black can be displayed. a display element using this principle is an electrophoretic display element and is called an electronic paper in general. the electrophoretic display element has higher reflectance than a liquid crystal display element, and thus, an auxiliary light is unnecessary, power consumption is low, and a display portion can be recognized in a dim place. in addition, even when power is not supplied to the display portion, an image which has been displayed once can be maintained. accordingly, in the case where the electric paper has a structure in which a signal and electric power are wirelessly supplied from an electric wave source, a displayed image can be held even if a semiconductor device having a display function is distanced from the electric wave source. by using the transistor manufactured by the process described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 as a switching element, an electronic paper can be manufactured as a semiconductor device at low cost. an electronic paper can be used for electronic devices of a variety of fields as long as they can display data. for example, an electronic paper can be applied to an electronic book (e-book) reader, a poster, an advertisement in a vehicle such as a train, displays of various cards such as a credit card, and the like. examples of such electronic devices are illustrated in fig. 26b . fig. 26b illustrates an example of an electronic book reader 2700 . the electronic book reader 2700 includes two housings, a first housing 2701 and a second housing 2703 . the first housing 2701 and the second housing 2703 are combined with a hinge 2711 so that the electronic book reader 2700 can be opened and closed with the hinge 2711 as an axis. with such a structure, the electronic book reader 2700 can be operated like a paper book. a first display portion 2705 and a second display portion 2707 are incorporated in the first housing 2701 and the second housing 2703 , respectively. the first display portion 2705 and the second display portion 2707 may be configured to display one image or different images. in the case where the first display portion 2705 and the second display portion 2707 display different images, for example, a display portion on the right side (the first display portion 2705 in fig. 26b ) can display text and a display portion on the left side (the second display portion 2707 in fig. 26b ) can display graphics. in the electronic book reader 2700 in fig. 26b , the first housing 2701 is provided with an operation portion and the like. for example, the first housing 2701 is provided with a power switch 2721 , an operation key 2723 , a speaker 2725 , and the like. with the operation key 2723 , pages can be turned. note that a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like may be provided on the surface of the housing, on which the display portion is provided. further, an external connection terminal (an earphone terminal, a usb terminal, a terminal that can be connected to various cables such as an ac adapter and a usb cable, or the like), a recording medium insert portion, or the like may be provided on the back surface or the side surface of the housing. further, the electronic book reader 2700 may have a function of an electronic dictionary. the electronic book reader 2700 may be configured to transmit and receive data by wireless communication. the structure can be employed in which desired book data or the like is purchased and downloaded from an electronic book server by wireless communication. this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the other embodiments as appropriate. embodiment 10 a semiconductor device using the transistor described in any one of embodiments 1 to 4 can be applied to a variety of electronic devices (including an amusement machine). examples of electronic devices include a television set (also referred to as a television or a television receiver), a monitor of a computer or the like, a camera such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, a digital photo frame, a mobile phone handset (also referred to as a mobile phone or a mobile phone device), a portable game console, a portable information terminal, an audio reproducing device, a large-sized game machine such as a pachinko machine, and the like. in the television set in fig. 27a , a display portion 9603 is incorporated in a housing 9601 . the display portion 9603 can display an image. here, the rear side of the housing 9601 is supported so that the television set is fixed to a wall 9600 . the television set illustrated in fig. 27a can be operated with an operation switch of the housing 9601 or a remote controller 9610 . channels and volume can be controlled with an operation key 9609 of the remote controller 9610 so that an image displayed on the display portion 9603 can be controlled. further, the remote controller 9610 may be provided with a display portion 9607 for displaying data output from the remote controller 9610 . note that the television set illustrated in fig. 27a is provided with a receiver, a modem, and the like. with the use of the receiver, general television broadcasting can be received. moreover, when the television set is connected to a communication network by wired or wireless connection via the modem, one-way (from a sender to a receiver) or two-way (between a sender and a receiver or between receivers) data communication can be performed. fig. 27b is a portable game machine and includes two housings, a housing 9881 and a housing 9891 , which are connected with a joint portion 9893 so that the portable game machine can be opened or folded. a display portion 9882 and a display portion 9883 are incorporated in the housing 9881 and the housing 9891 , respectively. in addition, the portable game machine illustrated in fig. 27b is provided with a speaker portion 9884 , a recording medium insert portion 9886 , an led lamp 9890 , input means (operation keys 9885 , a connection terminal 9887 , a sensor 9888 (having a function of measuring force, displacement, position, speed, acceleration, angular velocity, rotation number, distance, light, liquid, magnetism, temperature, chemical substance, sound, time, hardness, electric field, current, voltage, electric power, radial ray, flow rate, humidity, gradient, vibration, odor, or infrared ray), and a microphone 9889 ), and the like. needless to say, the structure of the portable game machine is not limited to that described above. the portable game machine may have a structure in which additional accessory equipment is provided as appropriate as long as at least a semiconductor device according to an example of the present invention is provided. the portable game machine illustrated in fig. 27b has a function of reading a program or data stored in a recording medium to display it on the display portion, and a function of sharing information with another portable game machine by wireless communication. note that a function of the portable game machine illustrated in fig. 27b is not limited to those described above, and the portable game machine can have a variety of functions. fig. 28a illustrates an example of a mobile phone handset 1000 . the mobile phone handset 1000 is provided with a display portion 1002 incorporated in a housing 1001 , operation buttons 1003 , an external connection port 1004 , a speaker 1005 , a microphone 1006 , and the like. when the display portion 1002 of the mobile phone handset 1000 illustrated in fig. 28a is touched with a finger or the like, data can be input into the mobile phone handset 1000 . further, operation such as making calls and texting can be performed by touching the display portion 1002 with a finger or the like. there are mainly three screen modes of the display portion 1002 . the first mode is a display mode mainly for displaying an image. the second mode is an input mode mainly for inputting data such as text. the third mode is a display-and-input mode which is a combination of the two modes, that is, a combination of the display mode and the input mode. for example, in the case of making a call or texting, a text input mode mainly for inputting text is selected for the display portion 1002 so that text displayed on a screen can be inputted. in that case, it is preferable to display a keyboard or number buttons on almost all area of the screen of the display portion 1002 . when a detection device including a sensor for detecting inclination, such as a gyroscope or an acceleration sensor, is provided inside the mobile phone handset 1000 , display on the screen of the display portion 1002 can be automatically changed by determining the orientation of the mobile phone handset 1000 (whether the mobile phone handset 1000 is placed horizontally or vertically for a landscape mode or a portrait mode). the screen modes are changed by touching the display portion 1002 or using the operation buttons 1003 of the housing 1001 . alternatively, the screen modes may be changed depending on the kind of the image displayed on the display portion 1002 . for example, when a signal of an image displayed on the display portion 1002 is the one of moving image data, the screen mode is changed to the display mode. when the signal is the one of text data, the screen mode is changed to the input mode. further, in the input mode, when input by touching the display portion 1002 is not performed for a certain period while a signal detected by the optical sensor in the display portion 1002 is detected, the screen mode may be controlled so as to be changed from the input mode to the display mode. the display portion 1002 may function as an image sensor. for example, an image of a palm print, a fingerprint, or the like is taken when the display portion 1002 is touched with a palm or a finger, whereby personal identification can be performed. further, by providing a backlight or a sensing light source which emits near-infrared light in the display portion 1002 , an image of a finger vein, a palm vein, or the like can be taken. the cellular phone in fig. 28b has a display device 9410 in a housing 9411 , which includes a display portion 9412 and operation buttons 9413 , and a communication device 9400 in a housing 9401 , which includes operation buttons 9402 , an external input terminal 9403 , a microphone 9404 , a speaker 9405 , and a light-emitting portion 9406 that emits light when a phone call is received. the display device 9410 which has a display function can be detached from or attached to the communication device 9400 which has a phone function by moving in directions represented by arrows. thus, the display device 9410 and the communication device 9400 can be attached to each other along their short sides or long sides. in addition, when only the display function is needed, the display device 9410 can be detached from the communication device 9400 and used alone. images, input information, or the like can be transmitted or received by wireless or wire communication between the communication device 9400 and the display device 9410 , each of which has a rechargeable battery. this embodiment can be implemented in combination with any of the other embodiments as appropriate. example 1 one of methods for examining reliability of transistors is a bias-temperature stress test (hereinafter, referred to as a bt test). the bt test is one kind of accelerated test and can evaluate change in characteristics, caused by long-term usage, of transistors in a short time. in particular, the amount of shift in threshold voltage of the transistor between before and after the bt test is an important indicator for examining reliability. between before and after the bt test, the small amount of shift in threshold voltage means high reliability. specifically, the temperature of a substrate over which a transistor is formed (substrate temperature) is set at fixed temperature, a source and a drain of the transistor are set at the same potential, and a gate is supplied with potential different from those of the source and the drain for a certain period. the substrate temperature may be set as appropriate in accordance with the purpose of the test. a test in the case where potential applied to the gate is higher than potentials of the source and the drain is referred to as a +bt test, and a test in the case where potential applied to the gate is lower than potentials of the source and the drain is referred to as a −bt test. the stress conditions for the bt test can be determined by setting the substrate temperature, electric field intensity applied to a gate insulating film, or a time period of application of electric field. the electric field intensity applied to a gate insulating film can be determined by dividing the potential difference between the gate potential and the source and drain potential by the thickness of the gate insulating film. for example, in the case where the electric field intensity applied to the 100-nm-thick gate insulating film is to be set to 2 mv/cm, the potential difference may be set to 20 v. in this example, results of a bt test performed on three kinds of samples are described. the samples are subjected to heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere at 250° c., 350° c., and 450° c., which is performed before formation of a source and a drain in manufacture of a transistor. note that “voltage” generally indicates a difference between potentials of two points, and “potential” indicates a static electric energy (electrical potential energy) unit charge which is at a point in a static electric field has. however, in an electronic circuit, a difference between a potential at a certain point and a reference potential (e.g., a ground potential) is often referred to as the potential at a certain point. thus, in the following description, when a difference between a potential at a certain point and a reference potential (e.g., a ground potential) is referred to as the potential at a certain point, the potential at a certain point means the voltage except for the case where definition is particularly given. as the bt test, a +bt test and a −bt test were performed under such conditions that a substrate temperature was 150° c., an electric field intensity applied to a gate insulating film was 2 mv/cm, and a time period for application was one hour. first, the +bt test is described. in order to measure initial characteristics of a transistor subjected to the bt test, a change in characteristics of the source-drain current (hereinafter, referred to as the drain current) was measured, under the conditions where the substrate temperature was set to 40° c., the voltage between a source and a drain (hereinafter, the drain voltage) was set to 10 v, and the voltage between a source and a gate (hereinafter, the gate voltage) was changed in the range of −20 v to +20 v. that is, vg-id characteristics were measured. here, as a countermeasure against moisture-absorption onto surfaces of the samples, the substrate temperature was set to 40° c. however, the measurement may be performed at room temperature (25° c.) or lower if there is no particular problem. next, the substrate temperature was increased to 150° c., and then, the potentials of the source and the drain of the transistor were set to 0 v. after that, the voltage was applied to the gate so that the electric field intensity applied to the gate insulating film was 2 mv/cm. in this case, the thickness of the gate insulating film of the transistor was 100 nm. the gate was supplied with +20 v of voltage, and the gate supplied with the voltage was kept for one hour. note that although the time period for voltage application was one hour here, the time period may be changed as appropriate in accordance with the purpose. next, the substrate temperature was lowered to 40° c. while the voltage was kept on being applied to the source, the drain, and the gate. if application of the voltage is stopped before the substrate temperature was completely lowered to 40° c., the transistor which has been damaged during the bt test is repaired by the influence of residual heat. thus, lowering of the substrate temperature needs to be performed with application of the voltage. after the substrate temperature was lowered to 40° c., application of the voltage was terminated. then, the vg-id characteristics were measured under the conditions same as those for the measurement of the initial characteristics, so that the vg-id characteristics after the +bt test were obtained. next, the −bt test is described. the −bt test was performed with the procedure similar to the +bt test, but has a different point from the +bt test, in that the voltage applied to the gate after the substrate temperature is increased to 150° c. is set to −20 v. in the bt test, it is important to use a transistor which has been never subjected to a bt test. for example, if a −bt test is performed with use of a transistor which has been once subjected to a +bt test, the results of the −bt test cannot be evaluated correctly due to influence of the +bt test which has been performed previously. similarly, if the transistor which has been once subjected to a +bt test is used for another +bt test, the results cannot be evaluated correctly. however, the usage of the transistor is not limited to the above in the case where the bt test is performed repeatedly in consideration of such influence. figs. 29a to 29c show the vg-id characteristics of the transistors before and after the +bt tests. fig. 29a shows the +bt test results of transistors each formed in such a manner that heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere at 250° c. before formation of a source and a drain. fig. 29b shows the +bt test results of transistors each formed in such a manner that heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere at 350° c. before formation of a source and a drain. fig. 29c shows the +bt test results of transistors each formed in such a manner that heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere at 450° c. before formation of a source and a drain. figs. 30a to 30c show the vg-id characteristics of the transistors before and after the −bt tests. fig. 30a shows the −bt test results of transistors each formed in such a manner that heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere at 250° c. before formation of a source and a drain. fig. 30b shows the −bt test results of transistors each formed in such a manner that heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere at 350° c. before formation of a source and a drain. fig. 30c shows the −bt test results of transistors each formed in such a manner that heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen atmosphere at 450° c. before formation of a source and a drain. note that in figs. 29a to 29c and figs. 30a to 30c , the second gate electrode has a three-layer structure in which a titanium layer (50 nm), an aluminum layer (100 nm), and a titanium layer (5 nm) are stacked. the second gate electrode of each pixel is led individually. note that as a comparative example, results of +bt tests of when the second gate electrode is not provided are shown in figs. 31a to 31c , and results of −bt tests of when the second gate electrode is not provided are shown in figs. 32a to 32c . fig. 31a shows the +bt test results at 250° c., fig. 31b shows the +bt test results at 350° c., and fig. 31c shows the +bt test results at 450° c. fig. 32a shows the −bt test results at 250° c., fig. 32b shows the −bt test results at 350° c., and fig. 32c shows the −bt test results at 450° c. note that in each of figs. 31a to 31c and figs. 32a to 32c , the horizontal axis shows the gate voltage (v g ) and the vertical axis shows the drain current (i d ), and both of them are represented in a logarithm scale. in each of figs. 31a to 31c and figs. 32a to 32c , a solid line represents initial characteristics and a dotted line represents characteristics after the stress is applied. in terms of the amount of shift in the threshold voltage after the +bt test, it is found from figs. 29a to 29c and figs. 31a to 31c that the shift amount at 350° c. is smaller than that at 250° c. and that the shift amount at 450° c. is smaller than that at 350° c. that is, the higher the temperature of heat treatment, the smaller the amount of shift in the threshold voltage after +bt tests becomes. in addition, it is found from the comparison between figs. 30a to 30c and figs. 32a to 32c that the amount of shift in the threshold voltage after the −bt test becomes small by provision of the second gate electrode. as can be seen from figs. 29a to 29c and figs. 31a to 31c , in the case where the temperature of the heat treatment performed before formation of the source and drain is about 400° c. or higher, the reliability in at least the +bt test can be improved. as can be seen from the comparison between figs. 30a to 30c and figs. 32a to 32c , in the case where the second gate electrode is provided, the reliability in the −bt test can be improved. therefore, in the case where the temperature of the heat treatment performed before formation of the source and drain is about 400° c. or higher and the second gate electrode is provided, the reliability in the +bt test and the −bt test can be improved. as described in this example, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the reliability in both of the +bt test and the −bt test can be improved. note that the transistor having high reliability in the −bt test as described above is particularly useful for application to a driver circuit in a driver circuit portion of a display device. example 2 in this example, heat treatment was performed on a plurality of samples under a nitrogen atmosphere at heat temperatures whose conditions were determined. such a plurality of samples were measured with thermal desorption spectroscopy (hereinafter referred to as tds). measurement results are shown in fig. 34 , fig. 35 , and fig. 36 . the tds is used for detecting and identifying a gas component discharged or generated from the samples by a quadrupole mass analyzer; thus, a gas and a molecule discharged from surfaces and insides of the samples can be observed. discharge or generation of gas from the samples occurs while the samples are heated and the temperature is rising in high vacuum. with use of a tds (product name: 1024 amu qms) manufactured by esco ltd., under a condition where the rising temperature was at approximately 10° c./min, measurement was performed. at the beginning of the measurement, the pressure was 1×10 −8 (pa), and during the measurement, the pressure was at a degree of vacuum of about 1×10 −7 (pa). fig. 34 is a graph showing tds measurement results of comparison between a sample (comparative sample) which includes only a glass substrate and a sample (sample 1) where an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film with an original thickness of 50 nm (an actual thickness obtained after etching is about 30 nm) is formed over a glass substrate. fig. 34 shows tds measurement results obtained by measuring h 2 o. discharge of impurities such as moisture (h 2 o) from the in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film can be confirmed from a peak in the vicinity of 300° c. fig. 35 is a graph showing comparison of samples, which shows tds measurement results of h 2 o. the comparison was performed on the following samples: the sample (sample 1) where an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film with an original thickness of 50 nm is formed over a glass substrate; a sample (sample 2) where the structure of sample 1 is subjected to heat treatment for an hour at 350° c. under an air atmosphere; and a sample (sample 3) where the structure of sample 1 is subjected to heat treatment for an hour at 350° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere. from the results shown in fig. 35 , a peak in the vicinity of 300° c. of sample 3 is lower than that of sample 2. thus, discharge of moisture (h 2 o) due to heat treatment performed under a nitrogen atmosphere can be confirmed. moreover, it is found that heat treatment performed under a nitrogen atmosphere reduces impurities such as moisture (h 2 o) more than heat treatment performed under an air atmosphere. fig. 36 is a graph showing comparison of samples, which shows tds measurement results of h 2 o. the comparison was performed on the following samples: the sample (sample 1) where an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film with an original thickness of 50 nm is formed over a glass substrate; a sample (sample 4) where the structure of sample 1 is subjected to heat treatment for an hour at 250° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere; the sample (sample 3) where the structure of sample 1 is subjected to heat treatment for an hour at 350° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere; a sample (sample 5) where the structure of sample 1 is subjected to heat treatment for an hour at 450° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere; and a sample (sample 6) where the structure of sample 1 is subjected to heat treatment for 10 hours at 350° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere. from the results shown in fig. 36 , it is found that the higher the heat temperature within the measurement temperature range under a nitrogen atmosphere is, the smaller the amount of impurities such as moisture (h 2 o) discharged from the in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film becomes. in addition, from the graphs of fig. 35 and fig. 36 , two peaks can be confirmed: a first peak in the vicinity of 200° c. to 250° c., which indicates discharge of impurities such as moisture (h 2 o); and a second peak in the vicinity of 300° c., which indicates discharge of impurities such as moisture (h 2 o). note that even in the case where the sample which has been subjected to heat treatment at 450° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere is left at room temperature in an air atmosphere approximately for one week, discharge of moisture at 200° c. or higher was not observed. thus, it is found that by performing heat treatment, the in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film becomes stable. further, fig. 33 shows measurement results of carrier concentrations. conditions of heat temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere were set to 150° c., 175° c., 200° c., 225° c., 250° c., 275° c., 300° c., 325° c., 350° c., 375° c., 400° c., 425° c., and 450° c., and a carrier concentration at each temperature was measured. when an oxide insulating film is formed over the in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film, a carrier concentration of 1×10 14 /cm 3 or lower, which is indicated by a dotted line in fig. 33 , was obtained. next, measurements of the carrier concentration and hall mobility are described. fig. 37a illustrates a three-dimensional view of a property-evaluation sample 510 for evaluating properties (the carrier concentrations and hall mobility) of an oxide semiconductor film (an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film). here, the property-evaluation sample 510 was fabricated and subjected to hall effect measurement at room temperature. the carrier concentration and hall mobility of the oxide semiconductor film were evaluated. the property-evaluation sample 510 was fabricated in the following manner: an insulating film 501 including silicon oxynitride was formed over a substrate 500 , an oxide semiconductor film 502 with a size of 10 mm×10 mm, which serves as an evaluation object, was formed over the insulating film 501 , and electrodes 503 , 504 , 505 , and 506 each having a diameter of 1 mm were formed over the oxide semiconductor film 502 . fig. 37b shows the measurement result of the hall mobility, and fig. 37c shows the measurement result of the conductivity. the carrier concentrations of the oxide semiconductor film obtained by the hall effect measurement are shown in fig. 33 . from the results of fig. 33 , fig. 34 , fig. 35 , and fig. 36 , it is found that there is a relation, at 250° c. or higher, between discharge of impurities such as moisture (h 2 o) from the in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film and change in carrier concentration. that is, when the impurities such as moisture (h 2 o) are discharged from the in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film, the carrier concentration is increased. moreover, h, o, oh, h 2 , o 2 , n, n 2 , and ar, in addition to h 2 o, were each measured by tds. the measurement resulted in that peaks of h, o, and oh were observed clearly but peaks of h 2 , o 2 , n, n 2 , and ar were not observed. as samples of the above measurement, a structure where an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film with an original thickness of 50 nm was formed over a glass substrate was used. the conditions of heat treatment were set as follows: heat treatment under a nitrogen atmosphere at 250° c. for an hour; that under a nitrogen atmosphere at 350° c. for an hour; that under a nitrogen atmosphere at 350° c. for ten hours; and that under a nitrogen atmosphere at 450° c. for an hour. as comparative samples, a structure in which heat treatment was not performed on an in—ga—zn—o-based non-single-crystal film and a structure including only a glass substrate were measured. fig. 38 , fig. 39 , fig. 40 , and fig. 41 show tds results of h, o, oh, and h 2 , respectively. note that under the above conditions of heat treatment, the oxygen density under a nitrogen atmosphere is 20 ppm or lower. example 3 with respect to an oxide semiconductor layer including a region having high oxygen density and a region having low oxygen density, a phenomenon in which oxygen is diffused in accordance with heat treatment was simulated. the result thereof will be described with reference to fig. 42 and fig. 43 in this example. as software for the simulation, materials explorer 5.0 manufactured by fujitsu limited was used. fig. 42 illustrates a model of an oxide semiconductor layer which was used for the simulation. here, a structure in which a layer 705 having high oxygen density were stacked over a layer 703 having low oxygen density was employed for an oxide semiconductor layer 701 . the layer 703 having low oxygen density was formed to have an amorphous structure including in atoms, ga atoms, zn atoms, and o atoms, where the numbers of in atoms, ga atoms, and zn atoms were each 15 and the number of o atoms was 54. in addition, the layer 705 having high oxygen density was formed to have an amorphous structure including in atoms, ga atoms, zn atoms, and o atoms, where the numbers of in atoms, ga atoms, and zn atoms were each 15 and the number of o atoms was 66. the density of the oxide semiconductor layer 701 was set to 5.9 g/cm 3 . next, the classical molecular dynamics (md) simulation was performed on the oxide semiconductor layer 701 under conditions of nvt ensemble and a temperature of 250° c. the time step was set to 0.2 fs, and the total simulation time was set to 200 ps. in addition, born-mayer-huggins potential was used for the potentials of metal-oxygen bonding and oxygen-oxygen bonding. moreover, movement of atoms at an upper end portion and a lower end portion of the oxide semiconductor layer 701 was fixed. the simulation results are shown in fig. 43 . in z-axis coordinates, the range of 0 nm to 1.15 nm indicates the layer 703 having low oxygen density, and the range of 1.15 nm to 2.3 nm indicates the layer 705 having high oxygen density. the distribution of oxygen densities before the md simulation is indicated by a solid line 707 , and the distribution of oxygen densities after the md simulation is indicated by a dashed line 709 . the solid line 707 shows that the oxide semiconductor layer 701 has high oxygen densities in a region ranging from an interface between the layer 703 having low oxygen density and the layer 705 having high oxygen density to the layer 705 having high oxygen density. on the other hand, the dashed line 709 shows that the oxygen density is uniform in the layer 703 having low oxygen density and the layer 705 having high oxygen density. from the above, when there is non-uniformity in the distribution of oxygen concentration as in the stack of the layer 703 having low oxygen density and the layer 705 having high oxygen density, it is found that the oxygen diffuses from where the oxygen density is higher to where the oxygen density is lower by heat treatment and thus the oxygen density becomes uniform. that is, as described in embodiment 1, since the oxygen density at the interface between the oxide semiconductor layer 403 and the first oxide insulating layer 407 is increased by formation of the first protective insulating layer 407 over the oxide semiconductor layer 403 with use of an insulating oxide, the oxygen diffuses to the oxide semiconductor layer 403 where the oxygen density is low and thus the oxide semiconductor layer 403 has higher resistance. as described above, the reliability of a transistor included in a display device which is one embodiment of the present invention can be improved. this application is based on japanese patent application serial no. 2009-159052 filed with japan patent office on jul. 3, 2009, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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000-302-979-337-449
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US
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[
"CN",
"US",
"EP",
"CA",
"JP"
] |
F23R3/52,F23R3/00,F02C3/04,F02C3/14,F16C29/02,F23R3/50,F23R3/60,F23R3/42,F01D25/24,F02C7/00,F02C7/20
| 2015-09-02T00:00:00 |
2015
|
[
"F23",
"F02",
"F16",
"F01"
] |
combustor assembly for a turbine engine
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a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine is provided. the combustor assembly generally includes an annular dome and a liner. the liner at least partially defines a combustion chamber and includes the forward end received within a slot defined by the annular dome. a mounting assembly attaches the forward end of the liner to the annular dome. the mounting assembly includes a pin extending through the slot and the forward end of the annular dome. the mounting assembly also includes a grommet positioned in an opening in the forward end of the liner. the grommet is also positioned around the pin to protect the liner during operation of the gas turbine engine.
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1. a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine, the combustor assembly comprising: an annular dome including an enclosed surface defining a slot; a liner at least partially defining a combustion chamber and extending between an aft end and a forward end, the forward end of the liner received within the slot of the annular dome; and a mounting assembly including a pin extending through the slot and an opening in the forward end of the liner, the mounting assembly further including a metal grommet positioned in the opening in the forward end of the liner around the pin to protect the liner; wherein the mounting assembly further includes a bushing, wherein the bushing is positioned around the pin within the slot, and wherein the grommet is positioned around the bushing and configured to slide along the bushing; wherein the liner is comprised of a ceramic matrix composite material, and wherein the annular dome is comprised of a metal material; wherein the grommet includes an inner collar positioned adjacent to an inner surface of the liner, an outer collar positioned adjacent to an outer surface of the liner, and a body between the inner collar and the outer collar, and wherein at least one of the inner collar or the outer collar is attached to the body by swaging. 2. the combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the annular dome includes a base plate and a yolk, wherein the base plate and the yolk extend substantially parallel to one another, and wherein the enclosed surface of the dome includes a surface of the base plate and a surface of the yolk such that the slot is defined between the base plate and the yolk. 3. the combustor assembly of claim 2 , wherein the pin of the mounting assembly extends through the yolk of the annular dome, the forward end of the liner, and the base plate of the annular dome. 4. the combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the liner is an outer liner and wherein the annular dome is an outer annular dome. 5. the combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the liner is an inner liner and wherein the annular dome is an inner annular dome. 6. the combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer collar is swaged onto the body of the grommet adjacent to an outside surface of the liner. 7. the combustor assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting assembly defines an axial direction and a radial direction, wherein the grommet includes a body defining an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the grommet further includes an upper portion at one end along the axial direction and a lower portion at an opposite end along the axial direction, and wherein the inner surface of the body tapers outwardly generally along the radial direction at the upper portion and at the lower portion. 8. the combustor assembly of claim 7 , wherein at least a top third of the inner surface of the grommet tapers outwardly along the radial direction. 9. the combustor assembly of claim 7 , wherein at least a bottom third of the inner surface of the grommet tapers outwardly along the radial direction. 10. a gas turbine engine comprising: a compressor section; a turbine section mechanically coupled to the compressor section through a shaft; and a combustor assembly disposed between the compressor section and the turbine section, the combustor assembly including an annular dome including an enclosed surface defining a slot; a liner at least partially defining a combustion chamber and extending between an aft end and a forward end, the forward end of the liner received within the slot of the annular dome; and a mounting assembly including a pin extending through the slot and an opening in the forward end of the liner, the mounting assembly further including a metal grommet positioned in the opening in the forward end of the liner around the pin to protect the liner; wherein the mounting assembly further includes a bushing, wherein the bushing is positioned around the pin within the slot, and wherein the grommet is positioned around the bushing and configured to slide along the bushing; wherein the liner is comprised of a ceramic matrix composite material, and wherein the annular dome is comprised of a metal material; wherein the grommet includes an inner collar positioned adjacent to an inner surface of the liner, an outer collar positioned adjacent to an outer surface of the liner, and a body between the inner collar and the outer collar, and wherein at least one of the inner collar or the outer collar is attached to the body by swaging. 11. the gas turbine of claim 10 , wherein the annular dome includes a base plate and a yolk, wherein the base plate and the yolk extend substantially parallel to one another, and wherein the enclosed surface of the dome includes a surface of the base plate and a surface of the yolk such that the slot is defined between the base plate and the yolk. 12. the gas turbine of claim 11 , wherein the pin of the mounting assembly extends through the yolk of the annular dome, the forward end of the liner, and the base plate of the annular dome. 13. the gas turbine of claim 10 , wherein the mounting assembly defines an axial direction and a radial direction, wherein the grommet includes a body defining an inner surface and an outer surface, wherein the grommet further includes an upper portion at one end along the axial direction and a lower portion at an opposite end along the axial direction, and wherein the inner surface of the body tapers outwardly generally along the radial direction at the upper portion and at the lower portion.
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field of the invention the present subject matter relates generally to a gas turbine engine, or more particularly to a combustor assembly for a gas turbine engine. background of the invention a gas turbine engine generally includes a fan and a core arranged in flow communication with one another. additionally, the core of the gas turbine engine general includes, in serial flow order, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. in operation, air is provided from the fan to an inlet of the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. fuel is mixed with the compressed air and burned within the combustion section to provide combustion gases. the combustion gases are routed from the combustion section to the turbine section. the flow of combustion gasses through the turbine section drives the turbine section and is then routed through the exhaust section, e.g., to atmosphere. more commonly, non-traditional high temperature materials, such as ceramic matrix composite (cmc) materials, are being used as structural components within gas turbine engines. for example, given an ability for cmc materials to withstand relatively extreme temperatures, there is particular interest in replacing components within the combustion section of the gas turbine engine with cmc materials. more particularly, an inner liner and an outer liner of gas turbine engines are more commonly being formed of cmc materials. however, certain gas turbine engines have had problems accommodating certain mechanical properties of the cmc materials incorporated therein. for example, cmc materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion than the traditional metal materials. such differing mechanical properties can make it difficult to attach the outer liner to an outer metallic dome and the inner liner to an inner metallic dome. attachment mechanisms have been provided that allow for some radial movement of the outer liner relative to the outer metallic dome and the inner liner relative to the inner metallic dome. however, such attachment mechanisms can prematurely wear one or both of the components and/or place and undesirably high amount of stress on one or both of the components. accordingly, an attachment mechanism for mounting an outer liner to an outer dome and/or an inner liner to an inner dome without prematurely wearing one or more of such components would be useful. further, an attachment mechanism for mounting an outer liner to an outer dome and/or an inner liner to an inner dome without placing and undesirably high amount of stress on one or more of the components would be particularly beneficial. brief description of the invention aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention. in one exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a combustor assembly is provided for a gas turbine engine. the combustor assembly includes an annular dome including an enclosed surface defining a slot and a liner at least partially defining a combustion chamber. the liner extends between an aft end and a forward end. the forward end of the liner is received within the slot of the annular dome. the combustor assembly also includes a mounting assembly including a pin extending through the slot and an opening in the forward end of the liner. the mounting assembly further includes a grommet positioned in the opening in the forward end of the liner around the pin to protect the liner. in another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure a mounting assembly is provided for attaching a forward end of a liner to an annular dome within a slot of the annular dome. the mounting assembly includes a pin, a bushing positioned around the pin, and a metal grommet positioned around the bushing and slidable along the bushing. the grommet includes a body, an inner collar, and an outer collar. the metal grommet is configured to be positioned within an opening in the forward end of the liner such that the inner collar is positioned adjacent to an inner surface of the liner and the outer collar is positioned adjacent to an outer surface of the liner. in yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a gas turbine engine is provided. the gas turbine engine includes a compressor section, a turbine section mechanically coupled to the compressor section through a shaft, and a combustor assembly disposed between the compressor section and the turbine section. the combustor assembly includes an annular dome including an enclosed surface defining a slot and a liner at least partially defining a combustion chamber. the liner extends between an aft end and a forward end, the forward end of the liner received within the slot of the annular dome. the combustor assembly also includes a mounting assembly including a pin extending through the slot and an opening in the forward end of the liner. the mounting assembly further includes a grommet positioned in the opening in the forward end of the liner around the pin to protect the liner. these and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. brief description of the drawings a full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures, in which: fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an exemplary gas turbine engine according to various embodiments of the present subject matter. fig. 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional view of a combustor assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. fig. 3 is a close up, cross-sectional view of an attachment point of the exemplary combustor assembly of fig. 2 , where a forward end of an outer liner is attached to an outer annular dome. detailed description of the invention reference will now be made in detail to present embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. the detailed description uses numerical and letter designations to refer to features in the drawings. like or similar designations in the drawings and description have been used to refer to like or similar parts of the invention. as used herein, the terms “first”, “second”, and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. the terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. for example, “upstream” refers to the direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the direction to which the fluid flows. referring now to the drawings, wherein identical numerals indicate the same elements throughout the figures, fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a gas turbine engine in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. more particularly, for the embodiment of fig. 1 , the gas turbine engine is a high-bypass turbofan jet engine 10 , referred to herein as “turbofan engine 10 .” as shown in fig. 1 , the turbofan engine 10 defines an axial direction a (extending parallel to a longitudinal centerline 12 provided for reference) and a radial direction r. in general, the turbofan 10 includes a fan section 14 and a core turbine engine 16 disposed downstream from the fan section 14 . the exemplary core turbine engine 16 depicted generally includes a substantially tubular outer casing 18 that defines an annular inlet 20 . the outer casing 18 encases, in serial flow relationship, a compressor section including a booster or low pressure (lp) compressor 22 and a high pressure (hp) compressor 24 ; a combustion section 26 ; a turbine section including a high pressure (hp) turbine 28 and a low pressure (lp) turbine 30 ; and a jet exhaust nozzle section 32 . a high pressure (hp) shaft or spool 34 drivingly connects the hp turbine 28 to the hp compressor 24 . a low pressure (lp) shaft or spool 36 drivingly connects the lp turbine 30 to the lp compressor 22 . for the embodiment depicted, the fan section 14 includes a variable pitch fan 38 having a plurality of fan blades 40 coupled to a disk 42 in a spaced apart manner. as depicted, the fan blades 40 extend outwardly from disk 42 generally along the radial direction r. each fan blade 40 is rotatable relative to the disk 42 about a pitch axis p by virtue of the fan blades 40 being operatively coupled to a suitable actuation member 44 configured to collectively vary the pitch of the fan blades 40 in unison. the fan blades 40 , disk 42 , and actuation member 44 are together rotatable about the longitudinal axis 12 by lp shaft 36 across a power gear box 46 . the power gear box 46 includes a plurality of gears for stepping down the rotational speed of the lp shaft 36 to a more efficient rotational fan speed. referring still to the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1 , the disk 42 is covered by rotatable front nacelle 48 aerodynamically contoured to promote an airflow through the plurality of fan blades 40 . additionally, the exemplary fan section 14 includes an annular fan casing or outer nacelle 50 that circumferentially surrounds the fan 38 and/or at least a portion of the core turbine engine 16 . it should be appreciated that the nacelle 50 may be configured to be supported relative to the core turbine engine 16 by a plurality of circumferentially-spaced outlet guide vanes 52 . moreover, a downstream section 54 of the nacelle 50 may extend over an outer portion of the core turbine engine 16 so as to define a bypass airflow passage 56 therebetween. during operation of the turbofan engine 10 , a volume of air 58 enters the turbofan 10 through an associated inlet 60 of the nacelle 50 and/or fan section 14 . as the volume of air 58 passes across the fan blades 40 , a first portion of the air 58 as indicated by arrows 62 is directed or routed into the bypass airflow passage 56 and a second portion of the air 58 as indicated by arrow 64 is directed or routed into the lp compressor 22 . the ratio between the first portion of air 62 and the second portion of air 64 is commonly known as a bypass ratio. the pressure of the second portion of air 64 is then increased as it is routed through the high pressure (hp) compressor 24 and into the combustion section 26 , where it is mixed with fuel and burned to provide combustion gases 66 . the combustion gases 66 are routed through the hp turbine 28 where a portion of thermal and/or kinetic energy from the combustion gases 66 is extracted via sequential stages of hp turbine stator vanes 68 that are coupled to the outer casing 18 and hp turbine rotor blades 70 that are coupled to the hp shaft or spool 34 , thus causing the hp shaft or spool 34 to rotate, thereby supporting operation of the hp compressor 24 . the combustion gases 66 are then routed through the lp turbine 30 where a second portion of thermal and kinetic energy is extracted from the combustion gases 66 via sequential stages of lp turbine stator vanes 72 that are coupled to the outer casing 18 and lp turbine rotor blades 74 that are coupled to the lp shaft or spool 36 , thus causing the lp shaft or spool 36 to rotate, thereby supporting operation of the lp compressor 22 and/or rotation of the fan 38 . the combustion gases 66 are subsequently routed through the jet exhaust nozzle section 32 of the core turbine engine 16 to provide propulsive thrust. simultaneously, the pressure of the first portion of air 62 is substantially increased as the first portion of air 62 is routed through the bypass airflow passage 56 before it is exhausted from a fan nozzle exhaust section 76 of the turbofan 10 , also providing propulsive thrust. the hp turbine 28 , the lp turbine 30 , and the jet exhaust nozzle section 32 at least partially define a hot gas path 78 for routing the combustion gases 66 through the core turbine engine 16 . it should be appreciated, however, that the exemplary turbofan engine 10 depicted in fig. 1 is by way of example only, and that in other exemplary embodiments, the turbofan engine 10 may have any other suitable configuration. referring now to fig. 2 , a close-up cross-sectional view is provided of a combustor assembly 100 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. for example, the combustor assembly 100 of fig. 2 may be positioned in the combustion section 26 of the exemplary turbofan engine 10 of fig. 1 . more particularly, fig. 2 provides a side, cross-sectional view of the exemplary combustor assembly 100 of fig. 2 . as shown, the combustor assembly 100 generally includes an inner liner 102 extending between and aft end 104 and a forward end 106 generally along the axial direction a 1 , as well as an outer liner 108 also extending between and aft end 110 and a forward end 112 generally along the axial direction a 1 . the inner and outer liners 102 , 108 together at least partially define a combustion chamber 114 therebetween. the inner and outer liners 102 , 108 are each attached to an annular dome. more particularly, the combustor assembly 100 includes an inner annular dome 116 attached to the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 and an outer annular dome 118 attached to the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 . as will be discussed in greater detail below, the inner and outer annular domes 116 , 118 each include an enclosed surface 120 defining a slot 122 for receipt of the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 , and the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 , respectively. the combustor assembly 100 further includes a plurality of fuel air mixers 124 spaced along a circumferential direction within the outer dome 118 . more particularly, the plurality of fuel air mixers 124 are disposed between the outer dome 118 and the inner dome 116 along the radial direction r 1 . compressed air from the compressor section of the turbofan engine 10 flows into or through the fuel air mixers 124 , where the compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited to create the combustion gases 66 within the combustion chamber 114 . the inner and outer domes 116 , 118 are configured to assist in providing such a flow of compressed air from the compressor section into or through the fuel air mixers 124 . for example, the outer dome 118 includes an outer cowl 126 at a forward end 128 and the inner dome 116 similarly includes an inner cowl 130 at a forward end 132 . the outer cowl 126 and inner cowl 130 may assist in directing the flow of compressed air from the compressor section 26 into or through one or more of the fuel air mixers 124 . moreover, the inner and outer domes 116 , 118 each include attachment portions configured to assist in mounting the combustor assembly 100 within the turbofan engine 10 . for example, the outer dome 118 includes an attachment extension 134 configured to be mounted to an outer combustor casing 136 and the inner dome 116 includes a similar attachment extension 138 configured to attach to an annular support member 140 within the turbofan engine 10 . in certain exemplary embodiments, the inner dome 116 may be formed integrally as a single annular component, and similarly, the outer dome 118 may also be formed integrally as a single annular component. it should be appreciated, however, that in other exemplary embodiments, the inner dome 116 and/or the outer dome 118 may alternatively be formed by one or more components being joined in any suitable manner. for example, with reference to the outer dome 118 , in certain exemplary embodiments, the outer cowl 126 may be formed separately from the outer dome 118 and attached to the forward end 128 of the outer dome 118 using, e.g., a welding process. similarly, the attachment extension 134 may also be formed separately from the outer dome 118 and attached to the forward end 128 of the outer dome 118 using, e.g., a welding process. additionally, or alternatively, the inner dome 116 may have a similar configuration. referring still to fig. 2 , the exemplary combustor assembly 100 further includes a heat shield 142 positioned around the fuel air mixer 124 depicted. the exemplary heat shield 142 , for the embodiment depicted, is attached to and extends between the outer dome 118 and the inner dome 116 . the heat shield 142 is configured to protect certain components of the turbofan engine 10 from the relatively extreme temperatures of the combustion chamber 114 . for the embodiment depicted, the inner liner 102 and the outer liner 108 are each formed of a ceramic matrix composite (cmc) material, which is a non-metallic material having high temperature capability and low ductility. exemplary cmc materials utilized for such liners 102 , 108 may include silicon carbide, silicon, silica or alumina matrix materials and combinations thereof. ceramic fibers may be embedded within the matrix, such as oxidation stable reinforcing fibers including monofilaments like sapphire and silicon carbide (e.g., textron's scs-6), as well as rovings and yarn including silicon carbide (e.g., nippon carbon's nicalon®, ube industries' tyranno®, and dow corning's sylramic®), alumina silicates (e.g., nextel's 440 and 480), and chopped whiskers and fibers (e.g., nextel's 440 and saffil®), and optionally ceramic particles (e.g., oxides of si, al, zr, y and combinations thereof) and inorganic fillers (e.g., pyrophyllite, wollastonite, mica, talc, kyanite and montmorillonite). cmc materials may have coefficients of thermal expansion in the range of about 1.3×10 −6 in/in/° f. to about 3.5×10 −6 in/in/° f. in a temperature of approximately 1000-1200° f. by contrast, the inner dome 116 and outer dome 118 may be formed of a metal, such as a nickel-based superalloy (having a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 8.3-8.5×10 6 in/in/° f. in a temperature of approximately 1000-1200° f.) or cobalt-based superalloy (having a coefficient of thermal expansion of about 7.8-8.1×10 6 in/in/° f. in a temperature of approximately 1000-1200° f.). thus, the inner and outer liners 102 , 108 may be better able to handle the extreme temperature environment presented in the combustion chamber 114 . however, attaching the inner and outer liners 102 , 108 to the inner and outer annular domes 116 , 118 may present a problem due to the differing mechanical characteristics of the components. accordingly, as will be discussed below, a plurality of specially designed mounting assemblies 144 are utilized to attach the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 to the outer annular dome 118 , and the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 to the inner dome 116 . the mounting assemblies 144 are configured to accommodate the relative thermal expansion between the inner and outer domes 116 , 118 and the inner and outer liners 102 , 108 along the radial direction r 1 . referring still to fig. 2 , at the aft end 104 of the inner liner 102 and at the aft end 110 of the outer liner 108 , the combustor assembly 100 includes an inner piston ring 146 and an outer piston ring 148 , respectively. the inner piston ring 146 is attached to an inner piston ring holder 150 extending from and attached to an interior casing (which for the embodiment depicted is the annular support member 140 ). similarly, the outer piston ring 148 is attached to an outer piston ring holder 152 extending from and attached to an outer casing (which for the embodiment depicted includes the outer combustor casing 136 and an outer turbine casing 154 ). the inner piston ring holder 150 and the outer piston ring holder 152 are configured to accommodate an expansion of the inner liner 102 and the outer liner 108 generally along the axial direction a 1 , as well as generally along the radial direction r 1 . as will be discussed in greater detail below, the above configuration may allow for the relative thermal expansions of the inner and outer liners 102 , 108 , each formed of a cmc material, and the inner and outer domes 116 , 118 , each formed of a metal material, during operation of the turbofan engine 10 . referring still to fig. 2 , and as is discussed above, the combustion gases 66 flow from the combustion chamber 114 into and through the turbine section of the turbofan engine 10 where a portion of thermal and/or kinetic energy from the combustion gases 66 is extracted via sequential stages of turbine stator vanes and turbine rotor blades. a stage 1 turbine blade 156 is depicted schematically in fig. 3 , aft of the combustor assembly 100 . referring now to fig. 3 , a close up, schematic, cross-sectional view is depicted of an attachment point where the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 is mounted to the outer annular dome 118 within the slot 122 of the outer annular dome 118 . as stated, to allow for a relative thermal expansion between the outer liner 108 and the outer dome 118 , as well as between the inner liner 102 and the inner dome 116 , a plurality of mounting assemblies 144 are used to attach the outer liner 108 to the outer dome 118 and the inner liner 102 to the inner dome 116 . more particularly, the mounting assemblies 144 attach the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 to the outer annular dome 118 within the slot 122 of the outer dome 118 and the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 to the inner annular dome 116 within the slot 122 of the inner annular dome 116 (see fig. 2 ). referring particularly to the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 and the outer annular dome 118 depicted in fig. 3 , the outer dome 118 includes a base plate 158 and a yolk 160 . the base plate 158 and the yolk 160 each extend substantially parallel to one another, which for the embodiment depicted is a direction substantially parallel to the axial direction a 1 of the turbofan engine 10 (see also fig. 2 ). notably, the enclosed surface 120 of the outer annular dome 118 includes a surface of the base plate 158 and a surface of the yolk 160 , such that the slot 122 is defined between the base plate 158 and the yolk 160 . further, in certain exemplary embodiments, the yolk 160 may extend circumferentially with the outer dome 118 , tracking the base plate 158 . with such a configuration, the slot 122 may be considered an annular slot. however, in other embodiments, the yolk 160 may include a plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs, each of the individual tabs of the yolk 160 defining individual segmented portions of the slot 122 with the base plate 158 . additionally, the exemplary mounting assembly 144 depicted extends through the yolk 160 of the outer dome 118 , the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 (positioned in the slot 122 ), and the base plate 158 of the outer dome 118 . more particularly, for the embodiment depicted, the mounting assembly 144 includes a pin 162 and a bushing 164 . the pin 162 includes a head 166 and a shank 168 , the shank 168 extending through the yolk 160 , the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 (positioned in the slot 122 ), and the base plate 158 . a nut 170 is attached to a distal end of the shank 168 of the pin 162 . in certain exemplary embodiments, the pin 162 may be configured as a bolt and the nut 170 may be rotatably engaged with a threaded portion of the pin 162 (at, e.g., the distal end of the shank 168 ) for tightening the mounting assembly 144 . alternatively, however, in other exemplary embodiments the pin 162 and nut 170 may have any other suitable configuration. for example, in other exemplary embodiments, the pin 162 may include a shank 168 defining a substantially smooth cylindrical shape and the nut 170 may be configured as a clip. additionally, the bushing 164 is generally cylindrical in shape and positioned around the shank 168 of the pin 162 within the slot 122 . for the embodiment depicted, the bushing 164 is pressed between the yolk 160 and the base plate 158 by tightening the nut 170 on the pin 162 . moreover, for the embodiment depicted, the mounting assembly 144 includes a metal grommet 172 positioned around the bushing 164 and pin 162 . the grommet 172 is positioned in an opening 174 in the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 . the grommet 172 includes an outer collar 176 positioned adjacent to an outside surface 178 of the outer liner 108 and an inner collar 180 positioned adjacent to an inside surface 182 of the outer liner 108 . the grommet 172 additionally includes a body 184 . for the embodiment depicted, at least one of the inner collar 180 or the outer collar 176 is attached to the body 184 by swaging. more particularly, for the embodiment depicted, the outer collar 176 is attached to the body 184 of the grommet 172 by swaging. for example, the body 184 and the inner collar 180 may be formed integrally, e.g., by casting, and positioned in the opening 174 in the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 . the outer collar 176 of the grommet 172 may then be positioned on the body 184 of the grommet 172 adjacent to the outside surface 178 of the outer liner 108 and swaged to the outer collar 176 of the grommet 172 to the body 184 of the grommet 172 . it should be appreciated, however, that in other embodiments, the grommet 172 may be formed in any other suitable manner, and may be positioned in the opening 174 in the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 in any other suitable manner. for example, in other exemplary embodiments, the inner collar 180 may also be attached to the body 184 of the grommet 172 by, e.g., swaging. further, in still other embodiments, at least one of the inner collar 180 or outer collar 176 may additionally, or alternatively, be attached to the body 184 of the grommet 172 in any other suitable manner. for example, in other embodiments, at least one of the inner collar 180 or outer collar 176 may be welded to the body 184 of the grommet 172 , or alternatively may be rotatably engaged with the body 184 of the grommet 172 . it should be appreciated, that as used herein, the term “swaging” refers general to a forging process in which the dimensions of an item are altered using dies into which the item is forced. referring still to fig. 3 , as is depicted, the exemplary mounting assembly 144 defines an axial direction a 2 and a radial direction r 2 . additionally, the body 184 of the grommet 172 defines an inner surface 186 and an outer surface 188 . as shown, the inner surface 186 is positioned inward of the outer surface 188 along the radial direction r 2 . moreover, the grommet 172 includes an upper portion 190 and a lower portion 192 . the upper portion 190 is positioned at one end of the grommet 172 along the axial direction a 2 and the lower portion 192 is positioned at an opposite end of the grommet 172 along the axial direction a 2 . for the embodiment depicted, the inner surface 186 of the body 184 tapers outwardly generally along the radial direction r 2 at the upper portion 190 and at the lower portion 192 . more particularly, for the embodiment depicted, at least about a top third of the inner surface 186 of the grommet 172 tapers outwardly generally along the radial direction r 2 and at least about a bottom third of the inner surface 186 of the grommet 172 similarly tapers outwardly generally along the radial direction r 2 . however, in other exemplary embodiments, at least about a top quarter and bottom quarter of the inner surface 186 may taper outwardly generally along the radial direction r 2 , or at least about a top fifth and a bottom fifth of the inner surface 186 may taper outwardly generally along the radial direction r 2 . the metal grommet 172 may reduce an amount of wear on the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 as the outer liner 108 moves inwardly and outwardly generally along the radial direction r 1 relative to the outer dome 118 . additionally, tapering an upper portion 190 and a lower portion 192 of the inner surface 186 of the body 184 of the grommet 172 may allow for a small degree of rotation of the outer liner 108 relative to the outer annular dome 118 without applying a relatively large point force on the mounting assembly 144 or the forward end of the outer liner 108 (which could potentially damage one or both components). referring still to fig. 3 , the exemplary combustor assembly 100 depicted additionally defines a gap 194 between the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 and the enclosed surface 120 of the outer annular dome 118 defining the slot 122 . the combustor assembly 100 may be designed such that a length of the gap 194 along the axial direction a 1 of the turbofan engine 10 allows for only a predetermined amount of airflow therethrough into the combustion chamber 114 . it should be appreciated, however, that in other exemplary embodiments, a cap or other suitable structure may be positioned in the slot 122 between the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 and the enclosed surface 120 to seal the attachment point depicted in fig. 3 . such a configuration may ensure that no airflow is permitted around the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 into the combustion chamber 114 . moreover, referring back to fig. 2 , it should be appreciated that the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 may be attached to the inner dome 116 in substantially the same manner that the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 is attached to the outer dome 118 . more particularly, the mounting assemblies 144 attaching the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 to the inner annular dome 116 may be configured in substantially the same manner as the mounting assemblies 144 attaching the forward end 112 of the outer liner 108 to the outer annular dome 118 . for example, the mounting assemblies 144 attaching the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 to the inner annular dome 116 may also include a pin, a bushing positioned around the pin, and a metal grommet positioned in an opening defined in the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 . such a grommet may include an inner collar positioned adjacent to an inner surface of the inner annular dome 116 and an outer collar positioned adjacent to an outer surface of the inner annular dome 116 . additionally, the grommet may include an inner surface and an outer surface, with the inner surface tapering outwardly at an upper portion and a lower portion. such a grommet may also prevent damage to the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 as the forward end 106 of the inner liner 102 thermally expands relative to the inner annular dome 116 (and as the forward end 106 of the liner 102 slides inwardly and outwardly along the bushing generally along the radial direction r 1 ). this written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
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000-780-670-887-115
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US
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[
"US"
] |
G01R31/28,G01R31/317,G01R31/3185
| 2004-04-23T00:00:00 |
2004
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[
"G01"
] |
reducing number of pins required to test integrated circuits
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number of pins required to test integrated circuits are reduced by scanning in a sequence of bits sequentially on a pin. the scanned bits are shifted into a shift register, and then loaded into a select register. the bit values in the select register represent the set of tests desired to be performed, and the desired tests can accordingly be performed within the integrated circuit. as bits representing the desired tests can be scanned using a small number of pins, the aggregate number of pins required for testing may be reduced.
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1 . a method of testing an integrated circuit, said method comprising: scanning in a plurality of bits sequentially on a pin, said plurality of bits forming a test code which indicates the specific ones of a plurality of tests to be performed; and performing said specific ones of said plurality of tests in parallel. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein each of said plurality of bits indicates whether a corresponding one of said plurality of tests is to be performed. 3 . the method of claim 2 , further comprising: shifting in said plurality of bits into a shift register; and loading said plurality of bits from said shift register to a second register, wherein a bit value in each bit of said second register determines whether a corresponding one of said plurality of tests is to be performed. 4 . the method of claim 3 , wherein said shifting and said performing are performed in parallel. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein said scanning scans a plurality of control bits on said pin, said plurality of control bits representing control signals associated with said plurality of tests. 6 . the method of claim 5 , wherein said scanning scans some bits of said test code on a first pin and some other bits of said test code on a second pin, wherein said pin corresponds to one of said first pin and said second pin. 7 . a tests enabler block reducing a number of pins required to test an integrated circuit, said tests enabler block being contained in said integrated circuit, said tests enabler block comprising: a first pin receiving a plurality of bits sequentially, said plurality of bits forming a test code which indicates the specific ones of a plurality of tests to be performed to test said integrated circuit. 8 . the tests enabler block of claim 7 , wherein each of said plurality of bits indicates whether a corresponding one of said plurality of tests is to be performed. 9 . the tests enabler block of claim 8 , further comprising a first storage element storing said plurality of bits, wherein a bit value in each bit of said first storage element determines whether a corresponding one of said plurality of tests is to be performed. 10 . the tests enabler block of claim 9 , further comprises a shift register into which said plurality of bits are shifted in sequentially after being received by said first pin. 11 . the tests enabler block of claim 10 , wherein said first storage element comprises a first register, wherein said plurality of bits are loaded from said shift register to said first register. 12 . the tests enabler block of claim 11 , further comprises: a second pin receiving a status signal indicating whether said integrated circuit is to be operated in a test state or a functional state; a plurality of phase pins receiving a plurality of phase signals, wherein said plurality of phase signals operate said shift register in a shift phase in which said plurality of bits are scanned into said shift register, said plurality of phase signals operate said first register in a load phase in which said plurality of bits are loaded from said shift register to said first register. 13 . the tests enabler block of claim 12 , wherein a new plurality of bits are scanned sequentially into said shift register while said plurality of tests being performed, wherein said new plurality of bits indicate a new plurality of tests to be performed. 14 . the tests enabler block of claim 13 , wherein said first pin receives a plurality of control bits sequentially, said plurality of control bits representing control signals associated with said plurality of tests. 15 . the tests enabler block of claim 14 , wherein some bits of said test code are scanned in on a third pin and some other bits of said test code are scanned in on a fourth pin, wherein said first pin corresponds to one of said third pin and said fourth pin.
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background of invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to the testing of integrated circuits, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for reducing number of pins required to test integrated circuits. 2. related art integrated circuits are often tested to verify whether the circuits operate in a desired manner. for example, an integrated circuit may be tested to ensure that each component (within the integrated circuit) generates desired outputs and/or in a desired duration in response to a corresponding input combination. pins are often used to provide the inputs or receive outputs of integrated circuits while testing. in a typical scenario, a tester provides inputs on a set of pins and examines the corresponding outputs on another set of pins. pins are also used by integrated circuits to communicate with external devices/components. in general, it is desirable to minimize the number of pins provided on an integrated circuit (for reasons of cost, size and various other reasons, well known in the relevant arts). according to one prior approach, the same pins provided for functional (i.e., non-testing state) operation are also used for testing to minimize the aggregate pin requirement. even in such a case, it is desirable to minimize any additional pins not otherwise required for functional operation. therefore, what is required is a method and apparatus to reduce number of pins required to test integrated circuits. brief description of drawings the present invention will be described with reference to the following accompanying drawings. fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the details of an example environment in which the present invention may be implemented. fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the manner in which various tests of interest may be specified in one prior embodiment. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the details of a tests enabler block in an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the manner in which the number of pins required to test an integrated circuit may be reduced according to an aspect of the present invention. in the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. the drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number. detailed description 1. overview an integrated circuit provided according to an aspect of the present invention contains a pin on which bits forming a portion of a test code are scanned in sequentially. the test code represents the specific tests to be performed in parallel. as the bits are scanned sequentially, the number of pins required to specify the specific tests to be performed in parallel are reduced. in one embodiment, the bits scanned via the pin are shifted in sequentially into a shift register. the bits in the shift register are then loaded into a select register, with the bit values in the select register specifying whether a corresponding test will be performed or not. thus, while the tests are being performed using the bit values in the select register, the test code corresponding to the next set of tests are scanned into the shift register. such scanning potentially allows new tests to be started while other tests are in progress. as a result, the aggregate time required to test an integrated circuit may be reduced as well. various aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to an example problem. several aspects of the invention are described below with reference to examples for illustration. it should be understood that numerous specific details, relationships, and methods are set forth to provide a full understanding of the invention. one skilled in the relevant art, however, will readily recognize that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, etc. in other instances, well_known structures or operations are not shown in detail to avoid obscuring the invention. 2. example environment fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example environment in which the present invention can be implemented. example environment 100 is shown containing test equipment 110 and integrated circuit 150 . as described below in further detail, integrated circuit 150 can be tested using test equipment 110 according to various aspects of the present invention. in general, design for testability (dft) circuitry is included in the design of integrated circuits, which enables various tests to be run after manufacturing of the integrated circuits. a single test may generally be intended to perform a specific testing operation. some of such tests include testing for stuck-at fault (if a signal is erroneously stuck at a specific logical value) and/or transition fault testing, logic built-in self test (bist), memory bist (to test the operation of any memory present), digital to analog converter/analog to digital converter (dac/adc) tests, phase locked loop (pll)/clock test, etc. test equipment 110 sends a status signal on path 101 indicating whether integrated circuit 150 is to be operated in a test state or a functional state. for example, a logic 1 on path 101 indicates that ic 150 is to be operated in the test state, and a logic 0 indicates that ic 150 is to be operated in functional state. test equipment 110 may send data on path 115 indicating various tests that are to be run by integrated circuit 150 and the input data (test vectors) to be used for the tests (when in the test state). test equipment 110 may receive output (of tests) on path 151 in response to the data. the output on path 151 can be examined to verify proper operation of integrated circuit 150 . test equipment 110 sends signals on paths 101 and 115 at time points specified by clock signal 102 . integrated circuit 150 receives on path 115 the data indicating the tests to be run and the input data for the tests, and performs the specified tests. an aspect of the present invention reduces the number of pins required for specifying the tests to be run. such a feature will be clearer by first appreciating a prior approach, which may not include one or more features of the present invention. accordingly, a prior approach is described below first. 3. prior testing approach fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the details of a testing approach in a prior embodiment. the block diagram is shown containing decoding logic 200 along with select signals on pins 210 - 1 through 210 -s, control signals on pins 240 - 1 through 240 -p and status signal on pin 230 . the operation of each component is described below in further detail. status signal 230 indicates whether the integrated circuit (containing the components of fig. 2 ) is to operate in test state or functional state. control signals 240 - 1 through 240 -p provide various control signals required for test modes, for example, scan_mode signal used to indicate scan chain mode (in which input vectors may be scanned using a single pin in several successive clock cycles) assuming sequential scanning techniques such as atpg are employed to scan the input vectors. some of the control signals 240 - 1 through 240 -p may be passed on paths 260 - 1 through 260 -c, as needed for the specific tests. select signals 210 - 1 through 210 -s contain a digital code, which represents in binary format the specific test modes to be performed. each test mode may in turn be defined to include one or more tests than can be performed in parallel. decoding logic 200 decodes the s-bit number received on select signals 210 - 1 through 210 -s into corresponding (2{circumflex over ( )}s) bits, wherein a represents a ‘power of mathematical operation. the corresponding (2{circumflex over ( )}s) signals are shown represented by 220 - 1 through 220 -n (wherein n=2{circumflex over ( )}s). each of the n-bits indicates whether a corresponding test mode is to be performed. thus, further portion of an integrated circuit may receive the n-bits and perform the corresponding tests. one potential problem with the prior approach is that more number of pins are required if number of test modes is increased. for example, number of test modes implemented equals ‘n’, then the number of pins required to provide select signals equals log 2 n. in addition, extra pins are required to provide control signals 240 - 1 through 240 -p. thus, total number of pins required equals (log 2 n+p). accordingly, to increase the number of possible test modes (available in a testing environment), the number of pins may need to be increased, which is generally undesirable. another potential problem with the prior approach of fig. 2 is that it may not be possible to provide a tester/user the ability to select any combination of tests (or a test mode, according to description above). in theory, assuming a total of t tests, the number of possible test modes may be given by the below equation: ttest modes=σ t c i equation (1) i=1 wherein c represents a ‘combination’ mathematical operation. to extend the approach of fig. 2 to provide a tester/ user the flexibility of selecting any of the test modes of equation (1), would require a substantial number of pins (a large value of s in fig. 2 ). it may be noted that all possible test modes may not be valid. as a compromise, a designer may choose to provide only a subset of the large number of combinations of equation (1), and thereby reduce the number of pins required accordingly. the small number of test modes may be chosen such that the tests that need to be performed in parallel (either for testing purpose or to minimize the total cost/ time of usage of testing equipment). the absence of flexibility in selecting any desired combination of tests as a test mode may be undesirable for several reasons. for example, while testing, a user may recognize a specific test mode could reduce the tester time (and thus cost), but the specific test is not provided as a test mode due to the design choices made to reduce pin-count. such high costs are generally not desirable. various aspects of the present invention overcome some of such problems as described below in further detail. 4. embodiment according to various aspects of the invention fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the details of tests enabler block 300 in an embodiment implemented according to various aspects of the present invention. tests enabler block 300 is described with reference to fig. 1 for illustration. however, tests enabler block 300 may be used to reduce pins requirement of devices in other environments as well without departing from the scope and spirit of various aspects of the present invention. tests enabler block 300 is shown containing control unit 310 , shadow register 320 and select register 330 . each component is described in detail below. broadly, tests enabler block 300 may enable a user to run any desired tests (otherwise permitted by circuit design/operation) in parallel using only a fixed number of pins. shadow register 320 stores as many number of bits as the number of tests for a design. the bits are stored by scanning in the bits sequentially into shadow register 320 . select register 330 loads the bits from shadow register 320 and each output of select register 330 enables the corresponding circuit portion in integrated circuit 150 to run the corresponding test. to run two or more tests concurrently, the bits in shadow register 320 corresponding to the tests are set and the corresponding outputs of select register 330 enable the circuit portions of integrated circuit 150 . as a result, the number of pins required to run any number of tests concurrently can be small and fixed. various pins required in an example embodiment are described below. shadow register 320 contains flip-flops 340 - 1 through 340 -r, which are connected in sequence forming a shift register. each flip-flop 340 - 1 through 340 -r is shown receiving shift 312 and clock 102 . output of each flip-flop is shown connected to the input of next flip-flop and input of flip-flop 340 - 1 is shown receiving data_in 314 . shadow register 320 shifts in each bit in data_in 314 for every cycle of clock signal 102 when shift 312 is enabled. the number (r) of flip-flops in shadow register 320 may equal the number of tests to be run in integrated circuit 150 and the corresponding control signals (such as scan mode signal as described above) required to enable various tests. select register 330 (example storage element) may also contain as many number of flip-flops ( 350 - 1 through 350 -r) as in shadow register 320 . each flip-flop 350 - 1 through 350 -r stores the corresponding bit stored in the flip-flops of shadow register 320 when load 315 is enabled (load phase). for example, flip-flop 350 - 1 stores the bit present in flip-flop 340 - 1 , flip-flop 350 - 2 stores the output from flip-flop 340 - 2 , etc. the bits stored in flip-flops 350 - 1 through 350 -r are provided as outputs on paths 355 - 1 through 355 -r. as a result, the outputs on paths 355 - 1 through 355 -r represent the tests to be run concurrently and the control signals correspond to the tests. for example, if output on paths 355 - 1 and 355 - 2 are 1, then the corresponding tests 1 and 2 are run concurrently. control unit 310 receives various input signals on a fixed number of pins, and generates intermediate signals. in an embodiment, the input signals include data_in, test phase control (tpc) 0 , tpc 1 and status signal, which are respectively received on pins 301 , 302 , 303 and 101 . paths 301 , 302 and 303 may be contained in path 115 of fig. 1 . status signal 101 indicates whether integrated circuit 150 is to be operated in test state or functional state. a sequence of bits representing a test code, which indicates various tests that are to be run by integrated circuit 150 in parallel, may be scanned in on path 301 in a shift phase (described below). tpc 0 302 and tpc 1 303 together control the operation of test enabler block 300 in four phases corresponding to the four combination of bit values for tpc 0 and tpc 1 . when tpc 0 302 and tpc 1 303 are both at logic 0 (“freeze phase”), the tests which are presently being performed, are continued. the bits in shadow register 320 and select register 330 are unchanged in the freeze phase. in a shift phase, when tpc 0 302 and tpc 1 303 are at logic 0 and logic 1 respectively, data_in 301 is scanned sequentially into shadow register 320 . the corresponding sequence of bits (test code) may be provided by test equipment 110 . the values in select register 330 are unchanged and the tests presently being performed are continued. in a load phase, when tpc 0 302 and tpc 1 303 are at logic 1 and logic 0 respectively, data_in previously (in shift phase) scanned into shadow register 320 , is loaded into select register 330 . as noted above, the bits in select register 330 determine the specific tests performed in parallel. in a self test phase, when both tpc 0 302 and tpc 1 303 are at logic 1, tests enabler block 300 itself is put in a scan chain for atpg testing to test the correctness of tests enabler block 300 . such implementations may be performed in a known way. control unit 310 receives the sequence of bits (forming the test code) on data_in 301 , and forwards the received bits on path 314 when the tpc bits indicate a shift phase. in addition, the shift signal 312 is enabled causing the bits to be shifted in (to support the scan operation). when the tpc bits indicate a load phase, control unit 310 enables load signal on path 315 causing the data in shadow register 320 to be loaded into select register 330 . it may be noted that while one set of tests are being performed, the test code corresponding to next set of tests may be scanned sequentially into shadow register 320 since the bits stored in select register 330 are changed only when load 315 is enabled. even though, the implementation of shadow register 320 makes the next set of tests ready for execution before the present tests are completed execution, the scanning in of the bits into shadow register 320 consumes more clock cycle. in an alternative embodiment, to reduce the scanning time, multiple bits may be scanned through multiple (small number) pins. in the above described embodiments, it may be noted that only four pins are required to run any number of tests. since control signals (such as scan mode) may also be scanned in on path 301 , extra pins to provide select signals and control signals as described with reference to prior approach of fig. 2 may not be required. however, additional pins (or additional circuit logic) may be required to provide common signals such as scan_in (to provide test vectors), scan_out (to receive resulting output in response to test vectors) for atpg testing, etc. thus, by operating tests enabler block 300 in the four phases, any combination of tests may be specified for parallel/concurrent execution using a small number of pins as further summarized below with reference to fig. 4 . 5. method fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the manner in which the number of pins required to test an integrated circuit may be reduced according to an aspect of the present invention. the method is described with reference to figs. 1 and 3 for illustration. however, the method may be implemented in another environments as well. the method begins in step 401 , in which control immediately passes to step 410 . in step 410 , a test code containing a sequence of bits are scanned in sequentially on a pin, with the test code representing the specific tests to be performed. in the embodiments described above, the test code contains as many number of bits as the number of tests. the sequence of bits are scanned on pin data_in 301 of fig. 3 . in step 430 , the test code is stored in a register which determines whether a corresponding test will be performed or not. with reference to fig. 3 , the sequence of bits received on path 301 are shifted sequentially into shadow register 320 . the bits stored in shadow register 320 are loaded into select register 330 , the bit values on outputs of select register 330 determines whether the corresponding test will be performed or not. in step 450 , the tests specified in the register are performed based on the bit values. for example, if the bit value on output 355 - 1 equals logic 1 and output 355 - 1 represents test 1 , then test 1 is performed. the method ends in step 499 . thus, it may be noted that by sequentially scanning in a sequence of bits on a pin, the number of pins required to test an integrated circuit may be reduced. in addition, any combination (permitted by the design) of tests can be run in parallel by changing the bit values in the test code. 6. conclusion while various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
|
000-920-306-454-307
|
JP
|
[
"CN",
"TW",
"WO",
"KR",
"US",
"JP"
] |
G01F1/42,F16L19/02,G05D16/06,G01F15/00,G05D7/06,F16L15/00,F16L55/027,G01F1/40
| 2013-12-26T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"G01",
"F16",
"G05"
] |
flow passage sealing structure
|
the purpose of the present invention is to make it possible to eliminate the step for welding or swaging an orifice base or filter base the parent material of which is an orifice plate or filter plate, as well as to make a more compact size possible. the structure is provided with: a main block (1) in which main flow passages (1a, 1b) are formed; recessed portions (12, 13) formed in side surfaces of the main block (1), the recessed portions (12, 13) having a female thread formed on the inside peripheral surface; thin plates (6, 8) arranged in abutment against the floor of the recesses, the thin plates (6, 8) having a through-hole formed therein; gasket rings (16, 17) arranged in abutment against the thin plates (6, 8); held pipelines (20, 21) having an inside flow passage capable of communicating with the main flow passages (1a, 1b), and an expanded-diameter portion, the held pipelines (20, 21) being arranged in abutment against the gasket rings; and fastening screws (22) which slip about the outside of the held pipelines, and which are threaded into the female thread to abut against the expanded-diameter portion, pressing the held pipeline.
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1 . a flow passage sealing structure comprising: a main block having a main flow passage; a recessed portion provided in the main block, with the main flow passage being open at a bottom of the recessed portion, and a female screw being provided in an inner peripheral surface of the recessed portion; a thin plate that abuts against the bottom of the recessed portion and has a through hole; a gasket ring that abuts against the thin plate; a pressing pipeline that has an internal flow passage and a large-diameter portion and abuts against the gasket ring, the inner flow passage being communicable with the main flow passage; and a fastening screw that has an insertion hole in an axial direction and abuts against the large-diameter portion and presses the pressing pipeline by being inserted around an outside of the pressing pipeline via the insertion hole and screwed into the female screw. 2 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the pressing pipeline further comprises an anti-corotation mechanism that prevents the pressing pipe from corotating with the fastening screw. 3 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 2 , wherein the anti-corotation mechanism includes an engaged portion that is provided in the large-diameter portion, and an engaging portion that is provided in the main block and engages the engaged portion. 4 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 2 , wherein the anti-corotation mechanism includes a sliding member provided between the large-diameter portion and the fastening screw. 5 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 3 , wherein the engaged portion is a detent surface that is formed by cutting away an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion into a flat surface, and the engaging portion is a dowel pin that press-fits in the main block. 6 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the large-diameter portion has a pressing surface that presses the gasket ring. 7 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the bottom of the recessed portion and the gasket ring has a thin-plate recess in which the thin plate is fittable. 8 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom of the recessed portion has an annular bearing surface against which the thin plate abuts, and an annular groove that is provided in an outer peripheral edge of the bearing surface. 9 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 8 , wherein the bearing surface is a flat surface. 10 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom of the recessed portion has a gasket-ring recess in which an end of the gasket ring fits. 11 . the flow passage sealing structure according to claim 1 , wherein the thin plate is an orifice plate, and an inner surface of the main flow passage that faces onto the orifice plate widens in a tapered shape.
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technical field the present invention relates to a flow passage sealing structure, and in particular to a flow passage sealing structure in which a thin plate having a through hole, such as an orifice plate or a filter plate, is provided within a flow passage of a main block of an apparatus such as a pressure-type flow rate control apparatus. background art a conventional pressure-type flow rate control apparatus, for example, is configured by coupling a main block 1 that has main flow passages 1 a and 1 b , an inlet-side block 2 that has an inlet-side flow passage 2 a , and an outlet-side block 3 that has an outlet-side flow passage 3 a together so that the flow passages 2 a , 1 a , 1 b , and 3 a communicate with one another, as illustrated in fig. 8 . a valve body 4 , such as a metal diaphragm valve, that is provided between the main flow passages 1 a and 1 b is openable and closable by a piezoelectric actuator 5 that is attached to the main block 1 (see patent document 1). known structures include a structure in which a gasket-type orifice 7 with an orifice plate 6 fixed thereto for use in flow rate control is inserted between the outlet-side block 3 and the main block 1 (patent document 1), and a structure in which a filter gasket 9 with a filter plate 8 fixed thereto is inserted between the inlet-side block 2 and the main block 1 (e.g., patent documents 1 to 4). in this type of pressure-type flow rate control apparatus 10 , when a so-called critical expansion condition of (p 1 /p 2 )≧approx. 2 holds between a downstream pressure p 2 and an upstream pressure p 1 of the orifice plate 6 , the flow rate q of a gas flowing through the orifice of the orifice plate 6 is given by the relationship q=kp 1 (where k is a constant). using such a relationship enables high-precision control of the flow rate q by controlling the pressure p 1 detected by a pressure sensor 11 , and achieves such excellent characteristics that even when the pressure of a gas g 0 on the upstream side of the valve body 4 changes greatly, the controlled flow rate value hardly changes. the orifice plate or the filter plate is typically fixed by welding to an orifice base or a filter base. in the case of a sintered filter plate that cannot be welded, a method is also known, in which an annular lip is provided at, for example, the filter base and bent (caulked) inward to fix the filter plate (e.g., patent document 3). there is also a method in which the orifice base or the filter base is divided into halves that are able to fit together, and when both halves are fitted together, the orifice plate or the filter plate is inserted between the halves (e.g., patent documents 1, 2, and 4). in the case of using such a halved base, typically the orifice plate or the filter plate is laser-welded to one half of the orifice base. prior art documents patent documents patent document 1: japanese published unexamined patent application no. 2010-151698 patent document 2: japanese published unexamined patent application no. 2007-057474 patent document 3: japanese published unexamined patent application no. 2005-149075 patent document 4: japanese published unexamined patent application no. 2000-167318 summary of the invention technical problem the welding or caulking of the orifice plate and the filter plate to fix the plates is, however, not easy because the plates themselves are minute (e.g., 3.5 mm in diameter). also, in recent years, apparatuses have rapidly become smaller and thinner, and it has become difficult to apply conventional sealing structures, particularly, structures using halved bases, since there is a limit to how small and thin the structures can be made. it is a principal object of the present invention to provide a sealing structure that is able to omit a process of welding or caulking an orifice plate or a filter plate to an orifice base or a filter base, which is a base material, and allows for further miniaturization. solution to problem in order to achieve the object described above, a flow passage sealing structure according to the present invention includes a main block having a main flow passage, a recessed portion provided in the main block, with the main flow passage being open at a bottom of the recessed portion, and a female screw being provided in an inner peripheral surface of the recessed portion, a thin plate that abuts against the bottom of the recessed portion and has a through hole, a gasket ring that abuts against the thin plate, a pressing pipeline that has an internal flow passage and a large-diameter portion and abuts against the gasket ring, the inner flow passage being communicable with the main flow passage, and a fastening screw that has an insertion hole in an axial direction and abuts against the large-diameter portion and presses the pressing pipeline by being inserted around an outside of the pressing pipeline via the insertion hole and screwed into the female screw. the pressing pipeline may further include an anti-corotation mechanism that prevents the pressing pipe from corotating with the fastening screw. the anti-corotation mechanism may include an engaged portion that is provided in the large-diameter portion, and an engaging portion that is provided in the main block and engages the engaged portion. the engaged portion may be a detent surface that is formed by cutting away an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion into a flat surface, and the engaging portion may be a dowel pin that press-fits in the main block. alternatively, the anti-corotation mechanism may include an anti-corotation member that is provided between the large-diameter portion and the fastening screw. the large-diameter portion may have a pressing surface that presses the gasket ring. at least one of the bottom of the recessed portion and the gasket ring may have a thin-plate recess in which the thin plate is fittable. the thin-plate recess may have an annular bearing surface and an annular groove that is provided in an outer peripheral edge of the bearing surface. the bearing surface may be a flat surface. the bottom of the recessed portion may have a gasket-ring recess in which an end of the gasket ring fits, and the thin-plate recess may be located in the gasket-ring recess. in one embodiment, the thin plate is an orifice plate, and an inner surface of the main flow passage that faces onto the orifice plate widens in a tapered shape. effects of the invention according to the present invention, a process of welding or caulking can be omitted, by pressure-welding a thin plate having a hole, such as an orifice plate or a filter plate, to the bottom of the recessed portion of the main block and the gasket ring and by using both surfaces of the orifice plate or the filter plate as sealing surfaces. the main block also has a recessed portion that is provided with a female screw and into which the main flow passage opens. the thin plate, the gasket ring, a pressing pipeline, and the fastening screw are housed in the stated order in the recessed portion, thus enabling the structure to be made smaller and thinner. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 a pressure-type flow rate control apparatus that adopts a flow passage sealing structure according to the present invention. fig. 1(a) is a partial cross-sectional front view, and fig. 1(b) is a partial cross-sectional side view taken along line b-b in fig. 1(a) . fig. 2 a partial enlarged view of fig. 1(a) . fig. 3 an enlarged exploded cross-sectional view of components shown in fig. 1(a) . fig. 4 an enlarged exploded cross-sectional view of components shown in fig. 1(a) . fig. 5 an enlarged exploded cross-sectional view of components shown in fig. 1(a) . fig. 6 an enlarged exploded cross-sectional view of components shown in fig. 1(a) . fig. 7 a perspective view of a pressing pipeline and a fastening screw, which are constituent elements according to the present invention. fig. 8 a longitudinal cross-sectional front view of a pressure-type flow rate control apparatus that includes a conventional flow passage sealing structure. embodiments for implementing the invention hereinafter, an embodiment of a flow passage sealing structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to figs. 1 to 7 . the following description omits detailed illustration and description of components such as valve bodies and actuators that are similar to those in conventional structures. note that a piezoelectric actuator is hidden from view inside a case 40 and thus not shown in fig. 1 . components that are similar to those of the conventional example described above are given the same reference numerals. a main block 1 has main flow passages 1 a and 1 b therein. the main block 1 has recessed portions 12 and 13 in the side surfaces on both sides. the main flow passages 1 b and 1 a are respectively open at the bottoms of the recessed portions 12 and 13 . the recessed portion 12 has a female screw 12 a on the inner peripheral surface on the outlet side, and the recessed portion 13 has a female screw 13 a on the inner peripheral surface on the inlet side. note that the screw threads of the female screws 12 a and 13 a are shown in abbreviated form in figs. 1 and 2 . an orifice plate 6 that is a thin plate having an orifice (through hole) abuts against the bottom of the recessed portion 12 , which is provided with the main flow passage 1 b . the orifice plate 6 may be a conventionally known orifice plate. a filter plate 8 that is a thin plate having multiple through holes abuts against the bottom of the recessed portion 13 , which is provided with the main flow passage 1 a . the filter plate 8 may be a conventionally known filter plate. the bottoms of the recessed portions 12 and 13 respectively have thin-plate recesses 14 and 15 (see figs. 4 and 6 ) in which the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 , which are thin plates, are respectively fittable. the thin-plate recesses 14 and 15 are useful in positioning the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 . the thin-plate recesses 14 and 15 respectively have annular bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 a against which the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 abut respectively, and annular grooves 14 b and 15 b that are provided in the outer peripheries of the bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 b . the presence of the annular grooves 14 b and 15 b reduces the areas of the bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 a , thus increasing the pressure applied from the bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 a respectively to the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 . the bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 a may be flat surfaces in order to ensure a desired sealing performance. the orifice plate 6 may be a known orifice plate and made of materials such as stainless steel or alloy (e.g., stainless steel with a hardness of 270 to 350 hv). in the illustrated example, a stainless steel thin plate having a diameter of 3.5 mm and a thickness of 50 μm has an orifice having a diameter of 100 μm. the filter plate 8 may be a known filter plate and may be made of materials such as stainless steel, alloy, or ceramic. the filter plate 8 may, for example, be a thin plate that has a thickness of 20 to 50 μm and has a large number of through holes (having an inner diameter that is approximately the same as the thickness) in portions other than the outer peripheral edge. the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 respectively abut against gasket rings 16 and 17 . the gasket rings 16 and 17 may be made of, for example, stainless steel with a hardness of 100 to 130 hv. in the illustrated example, annealed sus316l is used. the main block may, for example, be made of a metal such as stainless steel or alloy with a hardness of 130 to 200 hv. the bottoms of the recessed portions 12 and 13 respectively have gasket-ring recesses 18 and 19 (see figs. 4 and 6 ) in which axial ends of the gasket rings 16 and 17 respectively fit. the thin-plate recesses 14 and 15 are formed in the bottoms of the gasket-ring recesses 18 and 19 . in the illustrated example, a level difference d ( figs. 4 and 6 ) between the bearing surfaces 14 a , 15 a and the gasket-ring recesses 18 , 19 is configured to be the same as the thickness of the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 . thus, when the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 are respectively abutted against the bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 a , surfaces of the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 respectively coincide with the bottom surfaces of the gasket-ring recesses 18 and 19 . note that the level difference d need only be less than or equal to the thickness of the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 . a similar sealing effect will also be achieved even without the level difference d. alternatively, the gasket rings 16 and 17 may have thin-plate recesses (not shown), instead of the gasket-ring recesses 18 and 19 having the thin-plate recesses 14 and 15 in the bottom. as another alternative, although not shown, both of the gasket rings 16 and 17 and the gasket-ring recesses 18 and 19 may have thin-plate recesses. the bearing surfaces 14 a and 15 a having an annular shape and the gasket rings 16 and 17 are formed to have the same inner diameter. an inner surface 1 bc ( fig. 4 ) of the main flow passage 1 b that faces onto the orifice plate 6 widens in a tapered shape. this is because the main flow passage 1 b located between a valve body 4 ( fig. 2 ) and the orifice plate 6 has a small flow passage diameter to improve gas replacement properties in the main flow passage 1 b. the gasket rings 16 and 17 respectively abut against pressing pipelines 20 and 21 . the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 respectively have internal flow passages 20 a and 21 a and large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b . the internal flow passages 20 a and 21 a extend in the axial direction and are respectively communicable with the main flow passages 1 b and 1 a. the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 may, for example, be made of a metal such as stainless steel or alloy with a hardness of 130 to 200 hv. in the illustrated example, the pressing pipeline 20 also has a gasket-ring recess 20 c in which an axial end of the gasket ring 16 fits. the gasket ring 16 may be positioned by being fitted into the gasket-ring recess 14 and the gasket-ring recess 20 c on either side. note that the structure may include only one of the gasket-ring recess 14 and the gasket-ring recess 20 c. the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b respectively have pressing surfaces 20 d and 21 d that respectively press the gasket rings 16 and 17 . the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b are thus provided at one end of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 . to minimize the dimensions of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 , the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b may preferably be provided at the axial ends as in the illustrated example, but when only the function of the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b as flanges for receiving fastening screws 22 is focused on, as will be described later, the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b may be provided in portions (e.g., middle portions in the axial direction) other than the axial ends of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 . the fastening screws 22 are inserted around the outside of small-diameter tubular portions 20 e and 21 e of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 . the fastening screws 22 each have an insertion hole 22 a that extends axially to allow the fastening screw 22 to be inserted around the outside of the small-diameter tubular portions 20 e and 21 e , and an external thread portion 22 b . note that the external thread portion 22 b is shown in abbreviated form in figs. 3 and 5 . the fastening screws 22 abut against the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b and press the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 against the gaskets 16 and 17 by being screwed into the female screws 12 a and 13 a of the recessed portions 12 and 13 . heads 22 c of the fastening screws 22 may have a hexagonal shape similar to the shape of a typical hexagon head bolt. preferably, the minimum outer diameter of the heads 22 c (distance h between two opposing sides of the hexagon ( fig. 1(b) ) may be the same as the outer diameter of the external thread portion 22 b to make the dimensions of the heads 22 c as small as possible. the small-diameter tubular portions 20 e and 21 e are longer than the fastening screws 22 and protrude from the fastening screws 22 . the protrusions of the small-diameter tubular portions 20 e and 21 e are coupled to, for example, other pipelines, which are not shown. an anti-corotation mechanism 23 is provided to prevent corotation of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 when the fastening screws 22 are screwed in. this is because corotation of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 may lead to corotation of the gasket rings 16 and 17 , and such corotating gasket rings 16 and 17 may damage the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 that are machined with high precision. the anti-corotation mechanism 23 may include engaged portions 23 a that are provided in the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b , and engaging portions 23 b that are provided in the main block 1 and engage the engaged portions 23 a. the engaged portions 23 a may be detent surfaces that are formed by cutting away the outer peripheral surfaces of the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b into flat surfaces (see also fig. 7 ), and the engaging portions 23 b may be dowel pins that are press-fitted into insertion holes 1 c of the main block 1 . in this case, engagement is achieved by press-fitting the dowel pins in parallel with the flat surfaces and abutting side surfaces of the parallel pins against detent surfaces. the dowel pins, which are press-fitted and fixed in the insertion holes 1 c ( fig. 1 ) of the main block 1 , are suitable in terms of feasibility and miniaturization. the engaging portions 23 b may be other dowel pins such as spring pins or threaded stop pins. the anti-corotation mechanism need only be a mechanism capable of preventing the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 from corotating with the fastening screws 22 , and may be another known detent mechanism to be used as a detent for machine parts. for example, the mechanism may be configured such that the large-diameter portions have a polygonal outside shape such as a hexagonal shape, and the inner peripheral shape of portions of the inner surfaces of the recessed portions 12 and 13 in which the large-diameter portions fit is a polygonal shape in which the large-diameter portions fits. alternatively, the mechanism may have a configuration in which a key and a key groove are engaged with each other. as another alternative, the anti-corotation mechanism may be sliding members (not shown), such as thrust rings, that are provided between the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b and the fastening screws 22 and that have a smaller thrust bearing and a smaller coefficient of kinetic friction than the large-diameter portions 20 b and 21 b . the presence of such sliding members prevents the gasket rings 16 and 17 , the orifice plate 6 , and the filter plate 8 from corotating with the fastening screws 22 when the fastening screws 22 are tightened. in assembling the components of the flow passage sealing structure having the above-described configuration, for example, the main block 1 is placed with the gas outlet side (upper side in fig. 2 ) of the recessed portion 12 facing upward (i.e., the bottom side facing downward), and the orifice plate 6 is inserted into the recessed portion 12 to abut against the bearing surface 14 a at the bottom of the recessed portion 12 . at this time, the orifice plate 6 can be positioned by being fitted into the thin-plate recess 14 . next, the gasket ring 16 is inserted into the recessed portion 12 of the main block 1 and housed in the gasket recess 14 at the bottom of the recessed portion 12 to abut against the orifice plate 6 . then, the pressing pipeline 20 is inserted into the recessed portion 12 to abut against the gasket ring 16 . the dowel pin serving as the engaging portion 23 b for preventing corotation is engaged with the pressing pipeline 20 , i.e., the detent surface serving as the engaged portion 23 a . the dowel pin serving as the engaging portion 23 b may be set in advance prior to the insertion of the pressing pipeline 20 into the recessed portion 12 . finally, the fastening screw 22 is inserted into the recessed portion 12 , screwed into the female screw 12 a of the recessed portion 12 , and tightened with a predetermined tightening torque to press the gasket ring 16 and seal both surfaces of the orifice plate 6 with the bearing surface 14 a and the gasket ring 16 . in the illustrated example, the gasket ring 16 abuts against not only the orifice plate 6 but also the bottom surface 18 a of the gasket-ring recess 1 . thus, sealing is also provided at the bottom surface 18 a and edge portion 18 b of the gasket-ring recess 18 . the filter plate 8 is also incorporated using a similar method to the orifice plate 6 . the female screws 12 a and 13 a are threaded to a predetermined depth at which the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 do not excessively press the gasket rings 16 and 17 . in the flow passage sealing structure having the above-described configuration, the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 , which are thin plates, are pressed against the bottoms of the recessed portions 12 and 13 of the main block 1 and the gasket rings 16 and 17 , and both surfaces of the orifice plate 6 and the filter plate 8 are used as sealing surfaces. this eliminates the need for the process of welding or caulking. the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 integrate piping and a mechanism for pressing the gasket rings 16 and 17 . this reduces the number of parts and contributes to miniaturization. forming the recessed portions 12 and 13 in the main block 1 , inserting the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 into the recessed portions 12 and 13 , and screwing the fastening screws 22 into the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 also contributes to miniaturization. moreover, the configuration in which the fastening screws 22 inserted around the outside of the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 are used to press the pressing pipelines 20 and 21 and screwed into the female screws 12 a and 13 a provided in the recessed portions 12 and 13 of the main block 1 also allows for miniaturization. in particular, the dimension w of the thickness of the main block 1 (see fig. 1 ) is reduced to enable a thinner structure. in the illustrated example, the thickness dimension w is 10 mm. the interpretation of the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. description of reference signs 1 main block1 a , 1 b main flow passage12 , 13 recessed portion12 a , 13 a female screw6 , 8 thin plate14 , 15 thin-plate recess14 a , 15 a bearing surface14 b , 15 b annular groove16 , 17 gasket ring18 , 19 gasket-ring recess20 a , 21 a internal flow passage20 b , 21 b large-diameter portion20 , 21 pressing pipeline22 a insertion hole22 fastening screw23 anti-corotation mechanism23 a engaged portion23 b engaging portion20 d , 21 d pressing surface
|
001-193-682-009-352
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"EP",
"US",
"CN",
"WO"
] |
B43K29/02,B43K5/16,B43K7/00,B43K7/02,B43K24/08,B43K7/12,B43K8/24,B43L19/00
| 2016-12-27T00:00:00 |
2016
|
[
"B43"
] |
thermochromic writing instrument
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problem to be solved: to provide a thermochromic writing instrument which, with simple structure, makes stable friction operation possible using the friction part on the end of a knock body.solution: a thermochromic writing instrument includes a writing body with a writing tip part which can discharge thermochromic ink, a barrel 3 and a resin knock body 5 provided on the rear end part of the barrel. the thermochromic writing instrument has a retractable mechanism which makes the writing tip part stand out or retreat into the barrel by pushing the knock body 5, and a friction part 6 which, provided on the rear end part of the knock body, can thermally change the color of what the thermochromic ink writes. when the friction part 6 is in touch with a paper surface h and operates friction, an exterior side 5a of the knock body 5 is in touch with an interior side 3b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 opposite to the exterior side 5a by way of the movement of the knock body 5 tilting and moving to the diameter direction of the knock body 5, the forward movement of the knock body against the barrel is obstructed due to the uneven surface provided on at least one of the exterior side 5a of the knock body 5 and the interior side 3b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3.selected drawing: figure 7
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1 . a thermochromic writing tool comprising: a writing element including a reservoir in which thermochromic ink is retained, and a writing point portion which is disposed on a front end portion of the reservoir and from which the thermochromic ink is dischargeable; a barrel which is made of a resin and in which the writing element is accommodated so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction; a protruding and retracting mechanism including a push element made of a resin and disposed on a rear end portion of the barrel so as to be tiltable in a radial direction relative to an axis of the barrel, the push element having a contour smaller than an inner diameter of the barrel, the protruding and retracting mechanism being configured to cause the writing point portion to protrude from the barrel through a front-end opening of the barrel when the push element is pressed toward the front-end opening of the barrel, the protruding and retracting mechanism being configured to cancel a state in which the writing point portion protrudes when the push element is pressed frontward again, and to cause the writing point portion to retract into the barrel through the front-end opening of the barrel; and a rub portion disposed on a rear end portion of the push element, the rub portion being capable of thermally discoloring a writing with the thermochromic ink by frictional heat generated when the writing with the thermochromic ink is rubbed with the rub portion, wherein when a rubbing operation is performed with the rub portion brought into contact with a sheet of paper, the push element tilts and moves in a radial direction of the push element, so that an outer face of the push element comes into contact with an inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element, and at least one of the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element has irregularities that prevent frontward movement of the push element relative to the barrel, when one of the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element has the irregularities, the face having the irregularities is higher in hardness than the face having no irregularities. 2 . (canceled) 3 . the thermochromic writing tool according to claim 1 , wherein the face having the irregularities has a calculated average roughness ra of 3.2 to 25 as a surface roughness. 4 . a thermochromic writing tool comprising: a writing element including a reservoir in which thermochromic ink is retained, and a writing point portion which is disposed on a front end portion of the reservoir and from which the thermochromic ink is dischargeable; a barrel which is made of a resin and in which the writing element is accommodated so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction; a protruding and retracting mechanism including a push element made of a resin and disposed on a rear end portion of the barrel so as to be tiltable in a radial direction relative to an axis of the barrel, the push element having a contour smaller than an inner diameter of the barrel, the protruding and retracting mechanism being configured to cause the writing point portion to protrude from the barrel through a front-end opening of the barrel when the push element is pressed toward the front-end opening of the barrel, the protruding and retracting mechanism being configured to cancel a state in which the writing point portion protrudes when the push element is pressed frontward again, and to cause the writing point portion to retract into the barrel through the front-end opening of the barrel; and a rub portion disposed on a rear end portion of the push element, the rub portion being capable of thermally discoloring a writing with the thermochromic ink by frictional heat generated when the writing with the thermochromic ink is rubbed with the rub portion, wherein when a rubbing operation is performed with the rub portion brought into contact with a sheet of paper, the push element tilts and moves in a radial direction of the push element, so that an outer face of the push element comes into contact with an inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element, at least one of the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element has irregularities that prevent frontward movement of the push element relative to the barrel, and the face having the irregularities has a calculated average roughness ra of 3.2 to 25 as a surface roughness.
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technical field the present invention relates to a thermochromic writing tool in which a push element has on its rear end portion a rub portion capable of thermally discoloring a writing with thermochromic ink by frictional heat generated when the writing with the thermochromic ink is rubbed with the rub portion. background art a thermochromic writing tool provided with a rub portion has been disclosed (refer to, for example, patent literature 1). such a rub portion is disposed on one end of a barrel that constitutes a writing tool, and is made of a soft resin capable of thermally discoloring a writing with thermochromic ink by frictional heat generated when the writing with the thermochromic ink is rubbed with the rub portion. citation list patent literature patent literature 1: jp 2009-90566 a summary of invention technical problem as disclosed in patent literature 1, a push element on a rear end of a barrel is pressed frontward. in a case where a rub portion is disposed on an operation portion, when a rubbing operation is performed using the rub portion, a pressing force is applied toward a sheet of paper, so that the push element moves frontward, which may hinder a stable rubbing operation. particularly, in a case of employing a protruding and retracting mechanism configured to press a push element frontward in both of a writing point portion protruding operation and a writing point portion retracting operation (a writing tool of a so-called a double push type), when a rub portion is disposed on the push element, the push element wobbles in a longitudinal direction, which may also hinder a stable rubbing operation. hence, the present invention has been made to solve the problem described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a thermochromic writing tool capable of a stable rubbing operation with a simple structure, using a rub portion on a rear end of a push element. solutions to problem a first aspect of the present invention provides a thermochromic writing tool including: a writing element including a reservoir in which thermochromic ink is retained, and a writing point portion which is disposed on a front end portion of the reservoir and from which the thermochromic ink is dischargeable;a barrel which is made of a resin and in which the writing element is accommodated so as to be movable in a longitudinal direction;a protruding and retracting mechanism including a push element made of a resin and disposed on a rear end portion of the barrel so as to be tiltable in a radial direction relative to an axis of the barrel, the push element having a contour smaller than an inner diameter of the barrel, the protruding and retracting mechanism being configured to cause the writing point portion to protrude from the barrel through a front-end opening of the barrel when the push element is pressed toward the front-end opening of the barrel, the protruding and retracting mechanism being configured to cancel a state in which the writing point portion protrudes when the push element is pressed frontward again, and to cause the writing point portion to retract into the barrel through the front-end opening of the barrel; anda rub portion disposed on a rear end portion of the push element, the rub portion being capable of thermally discoloring a writing with the thermochromic ink by frictional heat generated when the writing with the thermochromic ink is rubbed with the rub portion,whereinwhen a rubbing operation is performed with the rub portion brought into contact with a sheet of paper, the push element tilts and moves in a radial direction of the push element, so that an outer face of the push element comes into contact with an inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element, andat least one of the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element has irregularities that prevent frontward movement of the push element relative to the barrel. according to the present aspect, the irregularities on at least one of the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element remarkably increase a friction coefficient between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel by a spike effect and a hysteresis loss to be described later. this configuration thus prevents the frontward movement of the push element relative to the barrel. the first aspect thus provides a thermochromic writing tool capable of a stable rubbing operation with a simple structure, using a rub portion on a rear end of a push element. a second aspect of the present invention provides the thermochromic writing tool according to the first aspect, wherein when one of the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element has the irregularities, the face having the irregularities is higher in hardness than the face having no irregularities. according to the present aspect, since the face having the irregularities is higher in hardness than the face having no irregularities, the irregularities on one of the faces more effectively bite into the other face. this configuration therefore more effectively produces the spike effect and the hysteresis loss, and effectively increases the friction coefficient between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel. a third aspect of the present invention provides the thermochromic writing tool according to the first or second aspect, wherein the face having the irregularities has a calculated average roughness ra of 3.2 to 25 as a surface roughness. according to the present aspect, the face having the irregularities has a calculated average roughness ra of 3.2 to 25 as a surface roughness. this configuration therefore more effectively produces the spike effect and the hysteresis loss, and effectively increases the friction coefficient between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel. advantageous effect of invention the present invention provides a thermochromic writing tool capable of a stable rubbing operation, using a rub portion on a rear end of a push element. brief description of drawings fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a thermochromic writing tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a state in which a writing point portion in fig. 1 protrudes. fig. 3 is a view illustrating an exemplary state in which a rub portion in fig. 1 is used. fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part (partially omitted) in fig. 1 . fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part (partially omitted) in fig. 2 . fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part (partially omitted) in fig. 3 . fig. 7 is a view schematically illustrating a state in which an outer face of a push element and an inner face of a barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element are in contact with each other in performing a rubbing operation with a rub portion brought into contact with a sheet of paper. figs. 8a to 8c are views each schematically illustrating how to increase a friction coefficient between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel disposed opposite the outer face of the push element. fig. 9 is a view schematically illustrating a modification of a mechanism for increasing a frictional force between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel. description of embodiments next, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. in this description, “front” refers to a writing point portion side, and “rear” refers to the opposite side to the writing point portion side. in the respective drawings, corresponding members having the identical function are denoted with the same reference signs. (description of a thermochromic writing tool according to an embodiment of the present invention) with reference to figs. 1 to 6 , there will be described a thermochromic writing tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a thermochromic writing tool according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a state in which a writing point portion in fig. 1 protrudes. fig. 3 is a view illustrating an exemplary state in which a rub portion in fig. 1 is used. fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part (partially omitted) in fig. 1 . fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part (partially omitted) in fig. 2 . fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part (partially omitted) in fig. 3 . in the thermochromic writing tool 1 according to the present embodiment, a writing element 14 including a ballpoint refill is biased by a resilient element 7 including a coil spring toward a rear end of a barrel main body, and is slidably accommodated in the barrel main body. the barrel main body includes a barrel (front barrel) 2 and a barrel (rear barrel) 3 . in the barrel main body, the barrel (front barrel) 2 is detachably screwed into the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . the barrel (rear barrel) 3 is provided with a cap 8 equipped with a clip. the resilient element 7 has a front end portion that is directly received by an inner wall of the barrel (front barrel) 2 , and another end portion (rear end portion) that is directly brought into contact with a tip holder 12 of the writing element 10 . the resilient element 7 thus biases the writing element 10 toward the rear end of the barrel main body. a push element 5 is disposed on a rear end portion of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 so as to protrude rearward from a rear end 3 a of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . the push element 5 integrally has, on its front end portion, a plurality of serrated cam portions (not illustrated) that move a rotary cam 4 frontward and induce rotation of the rotary cam 4 . a rub portion 6 is attached to a rear end portion (an edge of an outer peripheral face) of the push element 5 . the rub portion 6 is made of an elastic material having rubbery elasticity. examples of the elastic material may include elastic bodies such as rubber and elastomers having rubbery elasticity. examples of such an elastic body may include silicone rubber, fluororubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, polyester rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber (epdm), a styrene elastomer, an ester elastomer, and an olefin elastomer. these elastic bodies may be selected and used as appropriate. preferably, the rub portion 6 has a shore a hardness in a range from 40 or more to 100 or less. more preferably, the rub portion 6 has a shore a hardness in a range from 60 or more to 80 or less. the elastic material to be used for the rub portion is not an elastic material with high wearability (e.g., an eraser), but is an elastic material with low wearability which hardly generates crumbs by friction (eraser crumbs). the rub portion 6 may be provided integrally with or separately from the push element as long as the rub portion 6 is placed on at least the edge of the outer peripheral face of the rear end of the push element. specifically, the rub portion may be attached to the push element by fitting, press fitting, screwing, bonding, or fusion welding. alternatively, the push element and the rub portion may be integrally molded by double molding. still alternatively, the push element itself may be configured with a soft member. the color of the rub portion is not particularly limited. for example, a colorless and transparent rub portion, a colorless and semitransparent rub portion, or a white rub portion is preferable from the viewpoint of cost reduction by, for example, commonality of parts. the push element 5 is tiltable in a radial direction relative to an axis j of the barrel, and is biased rearward, that is, toward the rear end 3 a of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 by a resilient member 9 in a state in which a writing point portion 13 of the writing element 10 protrudes and in a state in which the writing point portion 13 of the writing element 10 retracts. a protruding and retracting mechanism is a conventionally known protruding and retracting mechanism including a rotary cam. the protruding and retracting mechanism includes the rotary cam 4 , and the cam portions (not illustrated) on the front end portion of the push element 5 . the protruding and retracting mechanism is operated when the push element 5 is pressed toward a front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 , to allow the writing point portion 13 including a ballpoint tip to protrude from and retract into the barrel (front barrel) 2 through the front-end opening 2 a. in the state in which the writing point portion 13 of the writing element 10 protrudes from the barrel (front barrel) 2 through the front-end opening 2 a, the protruding and retracting mechanism including the rotary cam 4 is operated when the push element 5 is pressed again toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 against a biasing force of the resilient element 7 , to allow the writing point portion 12 to retract into the barrel (front barrel) 2 . the writing element 10 includes: a ball enfolding chamber; an ink circulation opening formed at the center of the ball enfolding chamber; and ink circulation grooves communicating with the ink circulation opening, extending radially, and not reaching a tip rear opening. the ballpoint tip of the writing point portion 13 is formed as follows. that is, a ball that is 0.5 mm in diameter and is made of tungsten carbide is mounted on a bottom wall of the ball enfolding chamber. the ball is rotatably enfolded so as to partially project from a tip point edge by swaging a tip point portion inward. the writing point portion 13 is attached to a front end portion of a reservoir 11 through the tip holder 12 . a tail plug is attached to a rear end portion of the reservoir 11 . a spring (not illustrated) is disposed rearward of the ball to always press the ball. thermochromic ink is retained in the reservoir 11 . preferably, reversible thermochromic ink is used as the thermochromic ink to be retained in the reservoir 11 . the reversible thermochromic ink may be formed solely from or by combination of various types of ink, such as: ink of a heat color fadable type whose color fades from a color-developed state when heated; ink of a color storage and retention type that stores and retains a color-developed state or a color-faded state at a specific temperature range in an enantiotropic manner; and ink of a heat coloring type that develops color from a color-faded state when heated and that returns to a color-faded state from the color-developed state when cooled. preferably, a reversible thermochromic microcapsule pigment is employed as a coloring material contained in the reversible thermochromic ink. the reversible thermochromic microcapsule pigment is formed by enclosing, in a microcapsule, a reversible thermochromic composition containing at least three known indispensable components: (a) an electron-releasing color-reactive organic compound; (b) an electron-accepting compound; and (c) a reactive medium that determines a generation temperature of color reaction of both the compounds. more specifically, thermochromic ink having the following characteristics and a grease-like ink follower are directly retained in the reservoir 11 . the grease-like ink follower is retained subsequent to the thermochromic ink. the thermochromic ink contains a reversible thermochromic microcapsule pigment having an average particle diameter (d50) of 0.5 μm on a volume basis by laser diffraction. the thermochromic ink has an ink viscosity of 1020 mpa⋅s (25° c.) at 1 rpm, an ink viscosity of 84 mpa⋅s (25° c.) at 100 rpm, and a shear-thinning index of 0.48. the ink viscosity is measured by an em-type rotational viscometer. in writing something with the writing element 10 , the ball in the writing point portion 13 moves toward the bottom wall by its rotation and writing pressure, so that the ink is discharged through a clearance between the ball and an inner wall of the tip point portion. in order to thermally discolor a writing on a sheet of paper h, as illustrated in fig. 3 , the rub portion 6 on the edge of the rear end portion of the push element 5 is brought into press contact with a writing with thermochromic ink on a sheet of paper h of, for example, a notebook. the writing with the thermochromic ink is thus thermally discolored by heat generated when the writing is rubbed with the rub portion 6 . in this state, when the rub portion 6 is brought into press contact with the writing, the push element 5 tilts in the radial direction. then, an outer face 5 a of the push element 5 comes into contact with an inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 disposed opposite the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 . this configuration thus suppresses movement of the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 . (description of a mechanism for increasing a frictional force between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel (rear barrel)) with reference to figs. 7, 8a, 8b, and 8c , next, there will be described a mechanism for increasing a frictional force between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 , and how to suppress the movement of the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 . fig. 7 is a view schematically illustrating a state in which the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 disposed opposite the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 are in contact with each other in performing a rubbing operation with the rub portion brought into contact with the sheet of paper. figs. 8a to 8b are views each schematically illustrating how to increase the friction coefficient between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 disposed opposite the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 . fig. 7 is a schematic view illustrating the relationship between the frictional force between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 and the force to move the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 in the state illustrated in fig. 6 . in fig. 7 , θ represents an angle between the axis j of the thermochromic writing tool 1 and the sheet of paper h, r represents a reaction force received by the thermochromic writing tool 1 from the sheet of paper h, and μ represents the friction coefficient between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . in this case, the force to move the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 is expressed by r*sinθ, and the frictional force between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 is expressed by μ*r*cosθ. in order to restrain the movement of the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 , it is necessary to make the frictional force between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 larger than the force to move the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 . it is therefore necessary to establish the following inequality. μ* r *cosθ> r *sinθ it is therefore necessary to cause the friction coefficient μ between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 to satisfy a relation of μ>tanθ. it is said that the angle θ between the axis j of the thermochromic writing tool 1 and the sheet of paper h is typically 70 to 80 degrees. on the other hand, it is said that a friction coefficient of resin by a coulomb force is typically about 1 at maximum. in this case, an angle θ that satisfies a relation of μ=tanθ is 45 degrees. if the angle θ between the axis j of the thermochromic writing tool 1 and the sheet of paper h is 70 to 80 degrees, it is impossible to restrain the movement of the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 . in view of this, the inventors of the present invention have found that irregularities formed on at least one of the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 disposed opposite the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 remarkably increase the friction coefficient μ between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . fig. 8a illustrates a case where irregularities are formed on the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 . fig. 8b illustrates a case where irregularities are formed on the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . fig. 8c illustrates a case where irregularities are formed on each of the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . preferably, at least one of a region that constitutes the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and a region that constitutes the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 is made of an elastic material having rubbery elasticity. examples of the elastic material may include elastic bodies such as rubber and elastomers having rubbery elasticity. examples of such an elastic body may include silicone rubber, fluororubber, chloroprene rubber, nitrile rubber, polyester rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber (epdm), a styrene elastomer, an ester elastomer, and an olefin elastomer. these elastic bodies may be selected and used as appropriate. as to a surface hardness, preferably, at least one of the regions has a shore a hardness in a range from 40 or more to 100 or less. more preferably, at least one of the regions has a shore a hardness in a range from 60 or more to 80 or less. it is apparent from figs. 8a to 8c that a contact pressure between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 disposed opposite the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 causes the irregularities on one of the faces to bite into the other face, which therefore produces a so-called spike effect. more specifically, the projecting portions on the face are elastically deformed by a shearing force indicated by an arrow s. at this time, the deformed projecting portions attempt to be restored. a restoring force generated at this time increases the frictional force between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . this phenomenon is typically referred to as a hysteresis loss. it is said that, for example, a large frictional force on an automotive tire is due largely to this hysteresis loss. for the purpose of causing the irregularities on one of the faces to more effectively bite into the other face, in the case where the irregularities are formed on one of the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 , preferably, the face having the irregularities is higher in hardness than the face having no irregularities. for example, the hardness of the face having the irregularities is set at a shore a hardness in a range of about 70 to 100, and the hardness of the face having no irregularities is set at a shore a hardness in a range of about 40 to 60. it is considered that in the case where the irregularities are formed on each of the faces, even when both the faces are almost equal in hardness to each other, the irregularities on both the faces engage with each other, thereby satisfactorily producing a spike effect and a hysteresis loss. referring to technical literatures, it is said that a friction coefficient μ that causes such a hysteresis loss reaches about 3 (see, for example, “friction and wear of polymers against metals”, makoto watanabe, the japan institute of metals and materials journal vol. 19, no. 1 (1980), and master's thesis, “prediction of friction coefficient of tire rubber by multiscale model”, suguru kumazawa (2012)). on the assumption that the friction coefficient μ between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 is 3, an angle θ that satisfies a relation of μ=tanθ=3 is 71.6 degrees. in practice, the addition of a frictional resistance in a region other than the contact face between the outer face 5 a and the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 and a biasing force of each of the resilient element 7 and the resilient member 9 allows satisfactory restraint of the movement of the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 at the angle θ of 70 to 80 degrees. as described above, according to the present embodiment, the irregularities formed on at least one of the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 disposed opposite the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 remarkably increase the friction coefficient μ between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 by the spike effect and the hysteresis loss. this configuration therefore prevents frontward movement of the push element 5 relative to the barrels 2 and 3 . the thermochromic writing tool 1 is thus capable of a stable rubbing operation with a simple structure, using the rub portion 6 on the rear end of the push element 5 . in addition, when the face having the irregularities is higher in hardness than the face having no irregularities, the irregularities on one of the faces more effectively bite into the other face. this configuration therefore more effectively produces the spike effect and the hysteresis loss, and effectively increases the friction coefficient μ between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . preferably, the outer face 5 a, which has the irregularities, of the push element 5 or the inner face 3 b, which has the irregularities, of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 has a calculated average roughness ra of 3.2 to 25 as a surface roughness. this configuration therefore more effectively produces the spike effect and the hysteresis loss, and effectively increases the friction coefficient between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel. the calculated average roughness ra was measured based on jis b0601-2001, using a surface roughness measurement machine (form talysurf intra manufactured by taylor hobson). (description of a modification) with reference to fig. 9 , next, there will be described a modification of the mechanism for increasing the frictional force between the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 and the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 . fig. 9 is a view schematically illustrating the modification of the mechanism for increasing the frictional force between the outer face of the push element and the inner face of the barrel. in the present modification, the inner face 3 b of the barrel (rear barrel) 3 is formed in a tapered shape and is widened toward the writing rear end portion so as to form an angle α relative to the outer face 5 a of the push element 5 . the angle α may be, for example, 3 to 10 degrees. this configuration therefore enables satisfactory restraint of movement of the push element 5 toward the front-end opening 2 a of the barrel (front barrel) 2 at the angle θ of 70 to 80 degrees even when the friction coefficient μ is smaller than 3. (description of other embodiments) in the present embodiment, the front barrel and the rear barrel constitute the barrel; however, the parts count of the barrel is not particularly limited thereto. for example, the barrel may be constituted of three parts of a front barrel, a middle barrel, and a rear barrel, or may also be constituted of four members of a base, a front barrel, a rear barrel, and a cap. the shapes of the restricting portion and restricted portion are not particularly limited, and may be a projecting shape and/or a recessed shape. examples of each of the restricting portion and the restricted portion may include, but not limited to, a protruding portion, a groove portion, and a step portion. in addition, the shape of the restricted portion is not particularly limited as long as the movement of the restricted portion is restricted by the contact with the restricting portion. examples of the restricted portion may include, but not limited to, a step portion, a protruding portion, a recessed portion, and an opening end of a rear barrel. in the present embodiment, the protruding and retracting mechanism includes the rotary cam. however, the protruding and retracting mechanism is not particularly limited as long as it allows the protrusion and retraction of the writing point portion by a press of the push element. the resilient element that biases the writing element toward the rear end of the barrel is not limited to a coil spring. however, the biasing force of the resilient element has a significant influence on the operability of the push element. preferably, the biasing force of the resilient element is therefore set at 500 gf to 800 gf in view of the pushing operability and rubbing operability. the biasing force of the resilient element may be measured using a push pull scale. industrial applicability a thermochromic writing tool according to the present invention is widely applicable as retractable thermochromic writing tools such as a retractable ballpoint pen and a retractable marker pen. reference signs list 1 thermochromic writing tool 2 barrel (front barrel) 2 a front-end opening 3 barrel (rear barrel) 3 a rear end 3 b inner face 4 rotary cam 5 push element 5 a outer face 6 rub portion 7 resilient element 8 cap 9 resilient member 10 writing element 11 reservoir 12 tip holder 13 writing point portion
|
002-363-359-009-315
|
GB
|
[
"WO",
"GB"
] |
D06F37/26,D06F39/02
| 2001-09-06T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"D06"
] |
laundry appliance
|
a laundry appliance, such as a washing machine, comprises a casing (11), a tub (200) mounted within the casing for retaining wash liquid, a detergent dispenser (40, 50) and a washing liquid duct (520) and hose (550) for carrying wash liquid to the interior of the tub (200). a venting duct (560) is mounted coaxially within the wash liquid duct (520) so as to allow air to escape from the interior of the tub (200) when wash liquid flows along the wash liquid duct (520) and hose (550). the venting duct (560) can have an outer surface which outwardly tapers from the longitudinal axis of the wash liquid duct (520) in the direction of flow of the wash liquid.
|
1. a wash liquid inlet for a laundry appliance comprising a duct for carrying wash liquid to the interior of a wash liquid retaining tub of the appliance and a venting duct, wherein the venting duct is mounted coaxially within the wash liquid duct so as to allow air to escape from the interior of the tub when wash liquid flows along the wash liquid duct. 2. an inlet according to claim 1 wherein the venting duct has an outer surface which tapers outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the wash liquid duct in the direction of flow of the wash liquid. 3. an inlet according to claim 2 wherein the venting duct has a frusto-conical shape. 4. an inlet according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the wash liquid duct comprises a rigid portion and a flexible portion, and wherein the venting duct is located substantially within the rigid portion of the wash liquid duct. 5. a detergent dispenser for a laundry appliance comprising a housing for retaining detergent, the housing having a lower surface with an outlet aperture, the outlet aperture comprising, or being connected to, a wash liquid inlet according to any one of the preceding claims. 6. a detergent dispenser according to claim 5 wherein the venting duct extends beyond the outlet aperture so that the upper end of the venting duct lies above the lower surface of the housing in the region adjacent the aperture. 7. a detergent dispenser according to claim 5 or 6 wherein swirl inducing means are provided for inducing a swirling motion to wash liquid as it enters the wash liquid duct. 8. a detergent dispenser according to claim 7 wherein the swirl inducing means comprises a shape of the lower surface of the housing which induces a swirling motion to wash liquid as it enters the wash liquid duct. 9. a detergent dispenser according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the swirl inducing means comprise a guide wall which is positioned on the lower surface of the dispenser. 10. a detergent dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 9 wherein the swirl inducing means comprise providing the wash liquid duct with a shape which is tapered towards the longitudinal axis of the wash liquid duct in the direction of flow of the wash liquid. 11. a detergent dispenser according to any one of claims 7 to 10 wherein support arms support the venting duct within the wash liquid duct and wherein the swirl inducing means comprise directioning the support arms so as to induce a swirling motion to wash liquid as it enters the wash liquid duct. 12. a laundry appliance comprising a casing, a tub, mounted within the casing, for retaining wash liquid and a detergent dispenser according to any one of claims 5 to 11. 13. a laundry appliance according to claim 12 wherein the tub has a diameter which is substantially equal to the width of the casing. 14. a laundry appliance according to claim 12 or 13 wherein the detergent dispenser is positioned within the casing above the tub and wherein the longitudinal axis of the wash liquid inlet is substantially vertical. 15. a laundry appliance according to any one of claims 12 to 14 wherein the venting duct is the only path for allowing air to escape from the tub as the tub is filled with wash liquid. 16. a laundry appliance according to any one of claims 12 to 15 wherein the laundry appliance is a washing machine. 17. a laundry appliance, a wash liquid inlet for a laundry appliance or a detergent dispenser for a laundry appliance substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.
|
laundry appliance the present invention relates to a laundry appliance such as a washing machine or a washer-dryer. as shown in figure 1, a conventional washing machine 10 comprises a main casing 11 in which a tub 20 is mounted. a drum 30 is rotatably mounted inside the tub 20. articles to be washed are placed in the drum 30 and, during a laundry cycle, the drum 30 is rotated within the tub 20 in the presence of water and detergent so as to agitate the articles and release dirt from the articles. the washing machine 10 also comprises a soap tray 40 which is slideably received in the front face of the machine. the soap tray holds a payload of detergent and conditioner for the laundry cycle. water is admitted into the machine via an inlet pipe 60. suitable distribution means 45 are provided for directing the incoming water into a compartment of the soap tray 40 or directly towards the tub 20. water drains from the soap tray 40, or from the distributor 45, into the tub 20. the water is directed to the tub 20 via the sloping base 51 of the soap tray compartment 50, a duct 52 and a flexible hose 55. the flexible hose 55 allows the tub to move with respect to the duct 52 as the machine performs a laundry cycle. in use, water or a water and detergent mixture, which will both hereinafter be referred to as wash liquid, passes into the tub 20 and displaces air from within the tub 20. the air exits the tub 20 via an air venting pipe 70 or via the hose 55 and duct 52. the space that exists within the casing 11 between the soap tray 40 and tub 20 allows the duct 52 to have a fairly large capacity. the capacity of duct 52 is sufficiently large that it can accept water at a fairly rapid rate without the water level rising above the duct. there is a desire to increase the size of the drum of a washing machine. however, manufacturers are constrained by the size of the casing 11 into which the drum can be fitted, the casing 11 being of a standard size. accommodating a larger drum within the casing of a washing machine presents problems for other features of the machine. in particular, a larger drum occupies much of the space that would normally be occupied by the duct 52. reducing the capacity of this duct has been found, under certain conditions, to cause water to overflow from the soap tray housing. this is clearly undesirable. de 196 19 602a1, de 196 09 287 al, de 44 43 156a1, de 6610617u and fr 2 772 799 show examples of washing machines which incorporate some form of air venting pipe in the wash liquid inlet duct. however, these documents are concerned with providing arrangements which avoid the need for a separate air venting pipe between the tub and the soap tray. the present invention seeks to provide an improved wash liquid inlet for a laundry appliance. accordingly, the present invention provides a wash liquid inlet for a laundry appliance comprising a duct for carrying wash liquid to the interior of a wash liquid retaining tub of the appliance and a venting duct, wherein the venting duct is mounted coaxially within the wash liquid duct so as to allow air to escape from the interior of the tub when wash liquid flows along the wash liquid duct. mounting the venting duct coaxially within the wash liquid duct has the advantage that the tub of the machine can be rapidly filled with water without overflowing the soap tray housing. this is because the venting duct allows air to escape from the tub as water flows along the wash liquid duct. the coaxial mounting of the venting duct has been found to cause wash liquid to swirl around the venting duct, thus increasing flow rate along the wash liquid duct. a further advantage of this system is that the conventional air venting duct can be removed, thus saving the cost of the venting duct and the time required to fit the part during assembly of the machine. also, the venting duct plus the support arms for the venting duct serve to block the passage of any debris along the wash liquid duct, where it could enter the tub of the machine. this invention is applicable to laundry appliances that have a drum which is positioned with its longitudinal axis in a horizontal position (generally front-loading machines) and to laundry appliances that have a drum which is positioned with its longitudinal axis in a vertical position (generally top-loading machines). preferably, the venting duct has an outer surface which tapers outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the wash liquid duct in the direction of flow of the wash liquid. this has an advantage of separating the wash liquid from the expelled air over a distance downstream of the venting duct. this allows the venting duct to be fairly short in length which minimises the possibility of the venting duct from rubbing a flexible hose positioned downstream of the duct. advantageously, swirl inducing means can be provided for inducing a swirling motion to wash liquid as it enters the wash liquid duct. the swirl inducing means can be one or more of the following: a shape of the lower surface of the housing which induces a swirling motion to wash liquid as it enters the wash liquid duct; a guide wall which is positioned on the lower surface of the dispenser; providing the wash liquid duct with a shape which is tapered towards the longitudinal axis of the wash liquid duct in the direction of flow of the wash liquid and directioning support arms, which support the venting duct within the wash liquid duct, so as to induce a swirling motion to wash liquid as it enters the wash liquid duct. other aspects of this invention are a detergent dispenser and a laundry appliance which incorporate the wash liquid inlet. embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a washing machine in accordance with the prior art; figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a washing machine in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; figure 3 is a perspective view of the tub and soap tray assembly of the washing machine; figure 4 is a perspective view of just the soap tray assembly of the washing machine; figure 5 is a view of the base of the soap tray housing shown in figure 4; figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the soap tray along section a- a of figure 5; figure 7 is a more detailed view of the venting duct of the soap tray housing; figures 8 to 10 show alternative embodiments of the invention. figure 2 shows a washing machine 100 which includes an outer casing 110 in which a tub 200 is located. the tub retains washing liquid during a laundry cycle. the tub 200 is supported in a manner that allows the tub to move to a limited extent during use. this is achieved by mounting the tub 200 to the casing 110, or a supporting chassis (not shown) within the casing 110, by springs and dampers. a drum 300 is mounted inside the tub 200 so as to be rotatable by way of a shaft 320 about an axis 325. the shaft 320 is rotatably driven by a motor (not shown) mounted within the outer casing 110 of the washing machine 100. a door 120 is located in the front panel of the outer casing 110 to allow access to the interior of the drum 300. the drum 300 can be a single drum of a conventional kind or it can comprise two drum portions which are mounted side-by-side such that they can be rotated with respect to one another. a drum of this type is described more fully in international patent application wo99/58753. the drum 300 is mounted in a cantilever fashion on the wall of the tub 200 remote from the door 120. the tub 200 has an inlet 250, an outlet 260 and an air venting duct 700. the washing machine 100 includes a soap tray 400 which has a plurality of compartments for receiving liquid or powdered detergent in a known manner. the soap tray 400 is slideably received within a soap tray housing 500. at least one water inlet 600 communicates with the soap tray 400 and is provided with suitable means for connection to a water supply within the environment in which the washing machine 100 is to be used. depending on local regulations, the washing machine 100 will either receive just a cold water inlet or both cold and hot water inlets. a distributor 450 receives water from the inlet 600 and distributes water to one of the compartments of the soap tray 400 or directly towards the inlet duct 520. distributors are well known in the art. two common forms of distributor are (i) a movable duct which is driven by a motor so as to direct water to the compartment where it is required and (ii) a network of ducts, one duct for each compartment, each duct being selectively opened or closed by a valve. the soap tray housing 500 has a lower surface 510 which slopes towards a duct 520. duct 520 forms the drain outlet of the soap tray housing and the beginning of the inlet path to the tub 200. the duct 520 is joined in a watertight manner to a first end of a flexible hose 550. the other end of the flexible hose 550 is joined in a watertight manner to an inlet aperture 250 on the tub 200. the flexible hose 550 allows the tub to move with respect to the duct 520 as the machine performs a laundry cycle. the tub 200 has a sump located beneath the drum 300. a drainage pipe 260 communicates with the sump and leads to a drainage water outlet 270 by which water can be discharged from the washing machine 100. a pump 265 is provided to allow water to be pumped from the sump to the water outlet 270 at appropriate stages of the laundry cycle carried out by the washing machine 100. referring again to the soap tray housing, a hollow insert 560 is positioned within the duct 520 which connects the soap tray housing 500 with the flexible hose 550. in this embodiment, the insert 560 is mounted coaxially within the duct 520. the insert 560 has a frusto-conical shape with an outer surface 565 which tapers outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the duct in the direction of flow of liquid along the duct 520. the insert 560 is supported within the duct 520 by a plurality of arms 562. while three arms are shown here, it will be appreciated that other numbers of arms could equally be used. each arm 562 has a leading edge which is tapered so as to minimise resistance to the flow of liquid. the insert 560 extends upwardly for a distance above the base 510 of the soap tray housing 500. the insert 560 serves as a venting duct which, in use, allows air to escape from the tub 200 as liquid flows into the tub. the distance by which the insert 560 protrudes upwardly is chosen such that it is short enough that it does not interfere with the movement of the soap tray, when the soap tray is pushed fully home in the soap tray housing, and long enough so that the insert helps to guide liquid into the duct 520 and to separate liquid flowing into the duct 520 from air exiting from the duct 520. for a fast flow of wash liquid along the duct and hose it is necessary to separate the flow of wash liquid along the duct from air exiting the tub along the full length of the duct 520 and hose 550. it is possible for the insert 560 to extend lower than is shown in this embodiment. indeed, the insert can be as long as the combined length of the duct 520 and hose 550 so as to ensure that the wash liquid and air are separated along the full length. however, it is undesirable for the insert 560 to extend too far beyond the duct 520 as the insert 560 can rub against the hose 550 under extreme movements of the tub 200. we have found that by providing a hose and duct which follow a substantially vertically oriented path and by outwardly tapering the insert 560, as shown in the figures, it is possible to maintain an unrestricted path for the air as liquid flows into the tub while only requiring a short insert 560. indeed, in the illustrated embodiment the lower end of the insert 560 is level with the lower end of duct 520. the vertical orientation of the duct 520 and hose 550 is achieved by positioning the aperture in the lower surface of the soap tray housing 510 substantially above the aperture 250 in the tub 200. an air venting duct 700 connects an air vent on the tub 200 to an air inlet on the rear of the soap tray housing 500. with the provision of insert 560 within the duct 520, this venting duct 700 can be removed as sufficient air can now escape from the tub 200 through the insert 560. figure 7 is a more detailed view of the preferred embodiment of the venting duct. the dimensions are as follows: it is preferred that the insert 560 and supporting arms 562 be formed integrally with the duct 520. this can be achieved by standard plastic moulding techniques. alternatively, the insert 560 and arms 562 can be moulded as a separate part from the duct 520. in this alternative, it may be preferable to provide a ring which removably fits within the duct 520, with each of the support arms 562 being attached to the ring. the machine 100 also has a control system. in a well-known manner, the control system receives inputs from various sensors on the machine and outputs control signals to operate various components of the machine, such as a motor which drives the drum 300 and a valve 650 for admitting water into the soap tray 400 at appropriate times during a laundry cycle. in use, a user loads the drum 200 of the machine with laundry articles, selects an appropriate operating programme for the type of laundry, and starts the machine. the machine then performs a laundry cycle. the laundry cycle comprises a number of stages, including: washing stages in which water is introduced into one of the detergent compartments so as to flush detergent out of the compartment and into the tub 200 of the machine, via the duct 520 and hose 550. the drum of the machine is rotated during this time so as to agitate the articles within the drum; rinsing stages in which rinse water is introduced to the tub 200 directly via the duct 520, bypassing the detergent compartments of the soap tray; and, spin stages in which the drum 200 is rotated very quickly about its axis 325. during the washing and rinsing stages it is advantageous to fill the tub 200 with water (and detergent) as quickly as possible as this reduces the overall length of the laundry cycle. the provision of the venting duct 560 described above allows wash liquid to be introduced quickly by maintaining a free path for air to be displaced from the tub 200. some alternative embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to figures 8 to 10, in which the soap tray housing 500 is modified so as to induce a swirl in wash liquid as it enters the duct 520. this can improve the flow rate of liquid through the duct 520. figure 8 shows a similar cross-section through the duct 520 and insert 560 as figure 7 except that the duct 520' has been modified so as to taper inwardly towards its longitudinal axis in the direction of flow of liquid. thus the bottom of the duct 520' has a narrower diameter than the top of the duct. also, to ensure a reliable seal between the hose 550 and duct 520' a cylindrical collar 522 extends downwardly from the tapered portion of the duct. the cylindrical collar 522 provides a surface to which the end of the hose 550 can be sealed. the swirling effect can be further enhanced by shaping supporting arms 562 such that they are aligned with the expected flow path of the swirling liquid. this results in the support arms being angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the duct 520. figures 9 and 10 show two other modification that can be made to the soap tray housing 500. in figure 9 a guide wall 515 is added to the soap tray housing 500. the wall 515 extends upwardly from the lower surface 510 of the soap tray housing. in the plan view of figure 9 the wall 515 has a curved shape with one end of the wall 515 joining the edge of the duct 520 and the other end being positioned some distance away from the outlet. in use, the wall 515 serves to guide water towards the duct and to initiate a swirling movement about the insert 560. in the modification of figure 10 the shape of the lower surface 510 of the soap tray housing is modified in the area around the outlet. in region 512 the surface has a fairly shallow gradient. the gradient of the surface gradually increases in a clockwise direction around the perimeter of the outlet such that in region 513 the surface has a fairly steep gradient. as with the wall 515, this modification to the gradient of the lower surface of the soap tray serves to guide water towards the duct and to initiate a swirling movement about the insert 560. it is possible to use one or both of these modifications and to either use these modifications alone or in combination with the tapering duct shown in figure 8.
|
002-683-844-321-815
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
F24H1/18,G05D23/00,F28D15/00
| 2010-05-05T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"F24",
"G05",
"F28"
] |
arrangement and method for heating drinking water for one consumption point or tapping point
|
the invention concerns an arrangement for heating drinking water for at least one consumption point or tapping point, comprising a fresh water station having an inlet for cold drinking water, a heating device for heating a heat-transfer medium, a pump for circulation of the medium heated by the heating device through the fresh water station, a heat exchanger within the fresh water station for transfer of the heat generated by the heating device to the cold drinking water, and an instantaneous water heater arranged behind the fresh water station in the direction of flow of the already heated drinking water, having a control and regulating unit for controlling and/or regulating the temperature of the drinking water, which is distinguished in that between the instantaneous water heater and the fresh water station is a direct control and/or regulating signal link for nominal value adjustment of the temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station by the instantaneous water heater. furthermore the invention concerns a corresponding method.
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1 . an arrangement to heat drinking water for at least one consumption point or tapping point, comprising: a fresh water station including an inlet to admit cold drinking water; a heating device to heat a heat-transfer medium m; a pump to circulate the medium heated by the heating device through the fresh water station; a heat exchanger arranged within the fresh water station to transfer heat generated by the heating device to the cold drinking water; an instantaneous water heater arranged downstream of the fresh water station in the direction of flow of the drinking water already heated by the heat exchanger in the fresh water station, the instantaneous water heater having a control and regulating unit for controlling and/or regulating the temperature of the drinking water; and a direct control and/or regulating signal link between the instantaneous water heater and the fresh water station to adjust a nominal value of the temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station under control of the control and regulating unit in the instantaneous water heater. 2 . the arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the heating device has a primary heat source and a storage unit for the medium. 3 . the arrangement according to claim 2 , further comprising a first pipe to supply the heat transfer medium from the storage unit to the fresh water station and a second pipe to discharge the heat transfer medium from the fresh water station to the storage unit, wherein the storage unit, the pump, the first pipe and the second pipe form a closed circuit for the heat transfer medium. 4 . the arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the pump is assigned to one of the storage unit or the fresh water station. 5 . the arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the control and/or regulating signal link between the instantaneous flow heater and the fresh water station is at least one of a cable link, a network and a wireless link. 6 . the arrangement according claim 1 , wherein the instantaneous water heater and the fresh water station are one of spatially separate or a structural unit. 7 . the arrangement according to claim 2 , further comprising at least one additional heat exchanger assigned to the storage unit. 8 . the arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the instantaneous water heater is arranged in a spatial vicinity of the consumption point or tapping point. 9 . a method to heat drinking water for at least one consumption point or tapping point, comprising the steps of: delivering cold drinking water to a fresh water station; heating a heat-transfer medium by a heating device; circulating the heated medium through the fresh water station by a pump transferring the heat to the drinking water by a heat exchanger; and controlling and/or regulating a temperature of the drinking water by an instantaneous water heater, to effect a nominal value adjustment of the temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station. 10 . the method according to claim 9 , wherein the controlling and/or regulating includes controlling and/or regulating the speed of rotation of the pump by the fresh water station on the basis of the nominal value. 11 . the method according claim 9 , wherein the heating step includes heating the heat-transfer medium by a primary heat source and storing the heated heat-transfer medium in a storage unit. 12 . the method according claim 9 , further including circulating the heat-transfer medium in a closed circuit. 13 . the method according to claim 9 , further including measuring the input temperature of the already heated drinking water at an input of the instantaneous water heater and determining the nominal value adjustment based on the measured input temperature. 14 . the method according to claim 9 , wherein the controlling and/or regulating step includes transmitting the control and/or regulating signals between the instantaneous water heater and the fresh water station via at least one of a direct cable link, a network and a wireless link. 15 . the method according to claim 9 , further including operating the instantaneous water heater by at least one of a wireless remote control, a cable and a network.
|
background the invention concerns an arrangement for heating drinking water for at least one consumption point or tapping point, comprising a fresh water station having an inlet for cold drinking water t k , a heating device for heating a heat-transfer medium, a pump for circulation of the medium heated by the heating device through the fresh water station, a heat exchanger within the fresh water station for transfer of the heat generated by the heating device to the cold drinking water t k , and an instantaneous water heater arranged behind the fresh water station in the direction of flow of the already heated drinking water t w , having a control and regulating unit for controlling and/or regulating the temperature of the drinking water. furthermore the invention concerns a method for heating drinking water for at least one consumption point or tapping point, comprising the steps of: delivering cold drinking water t k to a fresh water station, heating a heat-transfer medium by means of a heating device, circulating the heated medium through the fresh water station by means of a pump, transferring the heat to the drinking water t k by means of a heat exchanger, and controlling and/or regulating the drinking water temperature by means of an instantaneous water heater. such arrangements and methods are used both in private households and in commercial or industrial facilities as well as in all other areas in which drinking water, which can also be referred to as water for domestic use or fresh water, is needed at a desired water temperature. purely by way of example, the consumption point or tapping point is a shower which is to deliver water at 40° c. at the demand/wish of the user. it is known that the drinking water is heated to a desired temperature by a heating device, namely e.g. a solar storage tank as a primary heat source. naturally, the heating device can also be a gas or oil heating system or any other known heat source. in case of a lack of efficiency of the heating device, by the example of the solar storage tank in times of low or absent incident solar radiation, the temperature in the solar storage tank drops below the desired temperature value, so that so-called top-up heating systems which deliver the missing energy for achieving the desired heating are used. this top-up heating is in practice frequently achieved by a central heating system running on fossil fuels. these systems heat the water supply in the solar storage tank to the nominal value temperature. however, these systems have proved uneconomical because it is always the whole tank contents or parts of the tank contents on supply that are heated to the nominal value temperature, on account of which the use of instantaneous water heaters is preferable for topping up, as instantaneous water heaters only heat the drinking water which is actually drawn off to the nominal value. therefore the known arrangements and methods with an instantaneous water heater as a top-up heating system form the basis. this is achieved by the instantaneous water heater which is mounted behind the fresh water station and which carries out immediate heating of the drinking water to the nominal value and so provides the required temperature. german patent document de 28 21 793 discloses an apparatus for hot water heating in residential buildings, industrial works and the like. the apparatus described in this document comprises a solar thermal heating device by means of which the drinking water in the fresh water station is heated and then discharged direct and/or via an instantaneous water heater to a mixer tap. the fresh water station is set at a fixed temperature value. as soon as the temperature in the fresh water station drops below the set temperature, the instantaneous water heater begins working. for this purpose the instantaneous water heater receives a corresponding signal from the fresh water station. if the set temperature in the fresh water station is higher than the desired temperature, the excessively hot drinking water flowing from the fresh water station must be cooled by adding cold drinking water. this arrangement has several drawbacks. firstly, this kind of temperature control/regulation is uneconomical, because in some applications heated water must be cooled again. secondly, the known arrangement requires additional circulation pipes, e.g. for delivering cold drinking water to the mixer tap, which causes elevated space and assembly requirements and means higher costs. a further big disadvantage lies in that the drinking water in the fresh water station, which as a rule contains a water storage unit, possibly stands for a long time and is kept at an elevated temperature level. this means that there is a risk of the formation of germs, e.g. legionella, in the fresh water station or in the water storage units of the fresh water stations. this problem can be reduced only by regularly heating the drinking water in the water storage unit to over approximately 60° c., even without demand, in order to effectively suppress or eliminate the germs, bacteria, etc. this type of control and/or regulation also leads to so-called standing losses. this means that heat energy is continuously discharged to the environment unused. summary it is therefore an object of the invention to provide a compact and simple apparatus for cost- and energy-efficient heating of drinking water for at least one point of consumption or tap. furthermore it is the object of the present invention to propose a corresponding method. in an embodiment of the invention there is provide an apparatus of the kind mentioned hereinbefore wherein between the instantaneous water heater and the fresh water station is a direct control and/or regulating signal link for nominal value adjustment of the temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station by the instantaneous water heater. as a result, in a surprisingly simple and effective manner a compact arrangement is provided, by means of which the drinking water t w drawn off from the consumption point or tapping point has the desired temperature. with the design according to the invention, additional circulation pipes can be dispensed with, which simplifies the construction and assembly and so saves costs. due to direct control of the fresh water station via the instantaneous water heater, a high energy efficiency is achieved, as the drinking water is actually heated only when it is required and in the quantity which is required. in a further embodiment, the heating device for heating the heat-transfer medium has a primary heat source with a storage unit for the medium, wherein the storage unit, the pump and the pipe for supplying the heat-transfer medium to the fresh water station and the pipe for discharging the heat-transfer medium from the fresh water station form a closed circuit for the medium. due to this closed system, the possibility of the formation of germs e.g. legionella is virtually excluded, as the drinking water t k delivered to the fresh water station and the drinking water t w flowing from the fresh water station is not stored, but flows through the fresh water station without contact with the stored medium. in the event that drinking water is not required, only unheated drinking water t k which does not tend to form germs is to be found in the fresh water station or in the supply pipe. a further advantage lies in that the medium stored in the storage unit does not have to be further heated, because the formation of germs inside the storage unit for the drinking water is insignificant. the instantaneous water heater and the fresh water station may be optionally designed to be spatially separate or form a structural unit. both embodiments have advantages. a spatially separate arrangement can, adapted to the respective local circumstances, be particularly easy to install. the integral design of fresh water station and instantaneous water heater is particularly compact. in an embodiment of the invention the instantaneous water heater may be arranged in the spatial vicinity of the consumption point or tapping point. the term “spatial vicinity” describes the direct positioning of the instantaneous water heater at the consumption point or tapping point, so that the conduction losses are kept small. concretely, the instantaneous water heater can be installed e.g. in the shower cubicle near the shut-off valve of the consumption point or tapping point. “spatial vicinity” does however include e.g. an arrangement of the instantaneous water heater under a wash basin as well. according to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method mentioned hereinbefore wherein the nominal value adjustment of the temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station is effected by the instantaneous water heater. the resulting advantages have already been described in connection with the apparatus according to the invention, so that reference is made to the appropriate passages to avoid repetition. further appropriate and/or advantageous features and method steps are apparent from the subsidiary claims and the description. brief description of the drawings an embodiment as well as the principle of the method are described in more detail with the aid of the attached drawing. fig. 1 is a schematic view of an arrangement according to the invention. detailed description the arrangement shown in the drawing and described below is used to further heat drinking water already heated by a solar thermal heating source. naturally, the assembly can also co-operate with other primary heating sources, such as e.g. heat pumps, geothermal energy, or heating systems running on fossil fuels. the arrangement 10 for heating drinking water for at least one consumption point or tapping point 11 comprises a fresh water station 12 with an inlet 13 for unheated, cold drinking water t k , a heating device 14 for heating a heat-transfer medium m, a pump 15 for circulation of the medium heated by the heating device 14 through the fresh water station 12 , a heat exchanger 16 within the fresh water station 12 for transfer of the heat provided by the heating device 14 to the cold drinking water t k , and an instantaneous water heater 17 which is mounted behind the fresh water station 12 in the direction of flow of the already heated drinking water t w and which has a control and/or regulating unit for controlling and/or regulating the temperature of the drinking water. but the arrangement 10 can also have more than one consumption point or tapping point 11 . for simplicity's sake, however, the invention is described with reference to one consumption point or tapping point 11 . the instantaneous water heater 17 is mounted between the fresh water station 12 and the consumption point or tapping point 11 , and connected both to the fresh water station 12 and to the consumption point or tapping point 11 by at least one pipe 18 (conducts the drinking water t w ) or 19 . between the instantaneous water heater 17 and the consumption point or tapping point 11 is arranged a shut-off valve (not shown explicitly) for releasing or blocking the stream of drinking water. alternatively, the or each shut-off valve can be arranged in a different position, particularly also in the region of the pipe 18 . between the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 there is also a direct control and/or regulating signal link 28 for set-point adjustment of the temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station 12 by the instantaneous water heater 17 . to put it another way, the fresh water station 12 can be controlled and/or regulated by means of the instantaneous water heater 17 . the heating device 14 for heating the heat-transfer medium m optionally has a primary heat source 20 with a storage unit 21 for the medium m. preferably a solar thermal heating device is provided as the heat source 20 . naturally conventional heating systems that run on fossil fuels, heat pumps, geothermal energy or other alternative or renewable energy sources can be used as the heat source 20 . the storage unit 21 is usually a tank. but the storage unit 21 can also be designed as a pipe system or a vessel which holds the medium m in some other way. the medium m can be solid, gaseous and preferably liquid. in the embodiment described and shown the medium m is water. but other media are possible as well. the storage unit 21 , the pump 15 and the pipe 22 for supplying the heat-transfer medium m to the fresh water station 12 and the pipe 23 for discharging the heat-transfer medium m from the fresh water station 12 form a closed circuit or a closed system 24 for the medium m. to put it another way, the medium m circulates through the storage unit 21 , the supply pipe 22 , the discharge pipe 23 and the fresh water station 12 without contact with the drinking water. in the embodiment described, the pump 15 is preferably arranged in the fresh water station 12 . but the pump 15 can also be arranged or positioned in the storage unit 21 or in the supply pipe 22 and/or the discharge pipe 23 . within the storage unit 21 can optionally be arranged further heat exchangers 25 . in the embodiment described the storage unit 21 is connected to the heat source 20 by a first pipe 26 . via this pipe, a heating medium is delivered to the heat source 20 . the heating medium which is heated within the heat source 20 is returned to the storage unit 21 via a second pipe 27 . the connections of the pipes 26 , 27 are preferably formed on the heat exchanger 25 . other possible ways of connection between the heat source 20 and the storage unit 21 , particularly also without a heat exchanger 25 , are possible as well. the control and/or regulating signal link 28 between the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 can optionally be a cable link, a network and/or a wireless link. the type of signal link essentially depends on the spatial circumstances and the wishes of the users, and can be implemented within the scope of ordinary designs. the instantaneous water heater 17 itself can be operated directly via at least one switching element on the instantaneous water heater 17 or also e.g. by wireless control. in the embodiment described the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 are separate units. to put it another way, the instantaneous water heater 17 is arranged spatially separately from the fresh water station 12 . in such a case both the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 have their own control and/or regulating unit. in the instantaneous water heater 17 the control and/or regulating unit is preferably constructed and designed to control and/or regulate the temperature of the drinking water. the control and/or regulating unit of the fresh water station 12 is preferably constructed and designed to control and/or regulate the speed of rotation of the pump 15 . in one embodiment, not shown, the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 can also form a structural unit. for this purpose the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 can be combined one above the other, one below the other, one beside the other or in any other integrated way. in this case it may be particularly preferable to provide a common control and/or regulating unit which undertakes both control and/or regulation of the instantaneous water heater 17 and control and/or regulation of the fresh water station 12 . in the embodiment shown the consumption point or tapping point 11 is a shower. the instantaneous water heater 17 is arranged in the spatial vicinity of the consumption point or tapping point 11 . but the distance between the instantaneous water heater 17 and the consumption point or tapping point 11 can also be greater, particularly if the instantaneous water heater 17 and the fresh water station 12 form a structural unit. but any other tap, namely e.g. a water tap, a connection for a dishwasher, an industrial tapping point, etc. is possible as well. preferably the arrangement 10 is completely uncoupled from the actual heating system. below, the principle of the method is described in more detail with the aid of fig. 1 , wherein purely by way of example water is to be drawn off at 40° c. from the consumption point or tapping point 11 as the shower. the nominal value temperature of 40° c. is entered by the user at the instantaneous water heater 17 directly or by remote control. the instantaneous water heater 17 sends a corresponding signal to the fresh water station 12 . in other words, the instantaneous water heater 17 adjusts the nominal value temperature of the drinking water in the fresh water station 12 via the control and/or regulating signal link. signal transmission can be wired, via networks or by wireless. first of all cold drinking water t k is conducted via the input 13 into the fresh water station 12 . the cold drinking water t k is heated to the nominal value temperature in the fresh water station 12 by means of the heat exchanger 16 , and then flows through the pipe 18 to or into the instantaneous water heater 17 . for heating the cold drinking water t k , medium m which is in the storage unit 21 , preferably water, is or was heated by means of the heat source 20 and transferred from the heat exchanger 25 to the water. the water heated in this way circulates by means of the pump 15 in the closed system 24 and in the process flows through the fresh water station 12 , past the cold drinking water t k , so to speak, as a result of which the latter is heated on flowing through the fresh water station 12 over the heat exchanger 16 . due to control/regulation of the speed of rotation of the pump 15 by the fresh water station 12 upon the signal of the instantaneous water heater 17 , the required heat is transferred to the drinking water t k , which leaves the fresh water station 12 as heated drinking water t w . when the shut-off valve at the shower is opened, the heated drinking water t w flows at the desired temperature (nominal value temperature) out of the fresh water station 12 through the instantaneous water heater 17 out of the shower. as long as the temperature at the input of the instantaneous water heater 17 is below the nominal value temperature, the instantaneous water heater 17 still carries on heating the drinking water t w to the nominal value temperature. as soon as the nominal value temperature is reached at the input of the instantaneous water heater 17 , further heating is suspended. if the heat generated by the heat source 20 is not sufficient to heat the drinking water t k to the nominal value temperature, then after the temperature at which the drinking water t w enters the instantaneous water heater 17 has been determined, the instantaneous water heater 17 heats the already (pre-)heated drinking water t w to the nominal value temperature. the eventuality of drinking water t w arriving at the instantaneous water heater 17 at a temperature which is above the nominal value temperature is excluded, as the fresh water station 12 is already set to the nominal value temperature by the instantaneous water heater 17 and if necessary the speed of rotation of the pump 15 is reduced. as already mentioned, the medium which transfers the heat is heated by a primary heat source 20 and stored in the storage unit 21 . preferably a solar thermal heating device is provided as the primary heat source 20 . but heat pumps or geothermal energy are also particularly suitable. naturally fossil fuels such as gas or oil can also be used to generate the heat. district or local heating is also suitable as the heat source 20 . alternatively there is also the possibility that instead of water as the heat-transfer medium m, a solid medium is heated by the primary heat source 20 and transfers the heat to the drinking water flowing through the fresh water station 12 . the medium m can in a further particular embodiment be formed e.g. by a phase change medium, e.g. paraffin, as described in de 10 2006 057 845 a1. in that case a further heat exchanger 25 is needed for this purpose in the storage unit 21 within the closed system 24 . in the event that no instantaneous water heater 17 is assembled, the nominal value adjustment for the temperature of the drinking water can also be transmitted directly to the fresh water station 12 , for example by wireless, cable or network. as described above, the arrangement 10 is preferably uncoupled from the actual central heating system. this means that hot water heating and space heating are two different systems. naturally the system for hot water heating can also be incorporated in the space heating system. also, combinations of the above-mentioned primary heat sources 20 and connection to various positions other than e.g. directly to the fresh water station 12 , directly to the storage unit 21 , etc., are possible. in a further embodiment according to the invention, the fresh water station 12 can also be constructed from discrete components such as e.g. pump, heat exchanger, throughflow sensors, temperature sensors and a control means. in other words, the fresh water station 12 does not have to be formed as a unit. due to the arrangement 10 according to the invention and the resulting demand-driven heating of the drinking water which is actually drawn off, heat losses of the storage unit 21 can be avoided. due to the combination of the fresh water station 12 with an instantaneous water heater 17 , the whole of the storage contents of the storage unit 21 can be used to heat the drinking water.
|
002-864-198-780-082
|
US
|
[
"US",
"WO"
] |
G06K9/36,G06K9/40,H04N5/225,H04N5/232
| 2007-12-27T00:00:00 |
2007
|
[
"G06",
"H04"
] |
method and apparatus for focusing on objects at different distances for one image
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a method ( 300 ) and apparatus ( 200 ) for focusing on images at different distances is disclosed. the method may include focusing on a first object at a first distance, capturing ( 320 ) a first image based on focusing on the first object at the first distance, focusing on a second object at a second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance, and capturing ( 330 ) a second image based on focusing on the second object at the second distance. the method may also include compressing ( 340 ) the first image, compressing ( 350 ) the second image, and creating ( 360 ) a third image based on a combination of the compressed first image and the compressed second image.
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1 . a method comprising: focusing on a first object at a first distance; capturing a first image based on focusing on the first object at the first distance; focusing on a second object at a second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance; capturing a second image based on focusing on the second object at the second distance; compressing the first image; compressing the second image; and creating a third image based on a combination of the compressed first image and the compressed second image. 2 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein compressing the first image comprises transforming the first image, and wherein compressing the second image comprises transforming the second image. 3 . the method according to claim 2 , wherein transforming comprises transforming the first image and the second image using a discrete cosine transform. 4 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein compressing the first image comprises splitting the first image into a plurality of blocks; and wherein compressing the second image comprises splitting the second image into a plurality of blocks; and wherein creating a third image comprises creating a third image based on a combination of the blocks of the first image and the blocks of the second image. 5 . the method according to claim 4 , further comprising: comparing corresponding blocks from the first image and the second image, wherein creating comprises creating a third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image. 6 . the method according to claim 4 , further comprising: adding components within each block of the first image with other components within the respective block to obtain a plurality of block sums; storing the block sums in an array for the first image; adding components within each block of the second image with other components within the respective block to obtain a block sum; and storing the block sums in an array for the second image, wherein creating a third image comprises creating a third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image based on comparing block sums of the first image with block sums of the second image. 7 . the method according to claim 6 , further comprising: subtracting the block sums of the first image from the block sums of the second image, wherein creating a third image comprises creating a third image by replacing the blocks in the second image with the blocks from the first image when the subtraction of the block sums gives a negative value. 8 . the method according to claim 6 , further comprising: aligning blocks of the first image with blocks in the second image; and wherein creating a third image comprises creating a third image by replacing selected blocks in the second image with respective blocks from the first image when the block sum of the respective block of the first image is higher than the block sum of the respective block of the second image. 9 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein all steps are performed within a digital camera. 10 . the method according to claim 1 , further comprising outputting the third image by one selected from displaying the third image and transferring the third image. 11 . an apparatus comprising: a controller configured to control the operations of the apparatus; a memory coupled to the controller; a camera module coupled to the controller, the camera module configured to focus on a first object at a first distance and capture a first image based on focusing on the first object at the first distance, the camera module also configured to focus on a second object at a second distance and capture a second image based on focusing on the second object at the second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance; and a multiple image focus module coupled to the controller, the multiple image focus module configured to compress the first image, compress the second image, and create a third image based on a combination of the compressed first image and the compressed second image. 12 . the apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to compress the first image by transforming the first image and compress the second image by transforming the second image. 13 . the apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein transforming comprises transforming the first image and the second image using a discrete cosine transform. 14 . the apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to compress the first image by splitting the first image into a plurality of blocks and compress the second image by splitting the second image into a plurality of blocks, and wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to create the third image based on a combination of the blocks of the first image and the blocks of the second image. 15 . the apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to compare corresponding blocks between the first image and the second image and create the third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image. 16 . the apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to add components within each block of the first image with other components within the respective block to obtain a plurality of block sums, store the block sums in an array for the first image, add components within each block of the second image with other components within the respective block to obtain a block sum, and store the block sums in an array for the second image, and wherein multiple image focus module is configured to create the third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image based on comparing block sums of the first image with block sums of the second image. 17 . the apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to subtract the block sums of the first image from the block sums of the second image, and wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to create the third image by replacing the blocks in the second image with the blocks from the first image when the subtraction of the block sums gives a negative value. 18 . the apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to align blocks of the first image with blocks in the second image, and wherein the multiple image focus module is configured to creating a third image by replacing selected blocks in the second image with respective blocks from the first image when the block sum of the respective block of the first image is higher than the block sum of the respective block of the second image. 19 . the apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a display configured to display the third image. 20 . a method comprising: focusing on a first object at a first distance; capturing a first image based on focusing on the first object at the first distance; focusing on a second object at a second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance; capturing a second image based on focusing on the second object at the second distance; splitting the first image into first blocks including components; splitting the second image into second blocks including components; storing the sum of the components of each of the first blocks into a first array; storing the sum of the components of each of the second blocks into a second array; comparing elements of the first array with elements of the second array; and creating a third image based on combining the blocks of the first image with the blocks of the second image based on comparing the elements of the first array with the elements of the second array.
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background 1. field the present disclosure is directed to devices that use digital cameras. more particularly, the present disclosure is directed to focusing on objects at different distances for one image. 2. introduction presently, digital cameras are used by many people, from professionals to casual users. while professionals may deliberately make certain parts of a picture out of focus for a desired effect, casual users usually want to keep the entire picture in focus. unfortunately, the entire picture may not be in focus when some objects are close in the near field and other objects are far in the far field. a good depth of field in a camera can achieve good focus on subjects in both far and near fields. however, many portable devices that include cameras are too small to use high depth of field lenses. for example, portable cellular phones are too small to include high depth of field lenses. the wave front modulation method can also be used to achieve better focus. yet, that method is not optimal because it requires a special lens design and very tight tolerances, which is not suitable for mass production. furthermore, the wave front modulation method is not optimal because it has about 3 db snr tradeoff. thus, there is a need for method and apparatus for focusing on objects at different distances for one image. summary a method and apparatus for focusing on images at different distances for one image is disclosed. the method may include focusing on a first object at a first distance, capturing a first image based on focusing on the first object at the first distance, focusing on a second object at a second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance, and capturing a second image based on focusing on the second object at the second distance. the method may also include compressing the first image, compressing the second image, and creating a third image based on a combination of the compressed first image and the compressed second image. brief description of the drawings in order to describe the manner in which advantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a more particular description of the disclosure briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which: fig. 1 illustrates an exemplary a system in accordance with a possible embodiment; fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus in accordance with a possible embodiment; fig. 3 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation of an apparatus in accordance with a possible embodiment; fig. 4 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation of an apparatus in accordance with a possible embodiment; fig. 5 is an exemplary illustration of an array according to one possible embodiment; and fig. 6 is an exemplary illustration of an algorithm according to one possible embodiment. detailed description fig. 1 is an exemplary illustration of a system 100 according to one possible embodiment. the system 100 can include an apparatus 110 including a digital camera, a first object 120 at a first distance 125 , and a second object 130 at a second distance 135 . the apparatus 110 may be a digital camera or any device than can include a digital camera, such as a wireless communication device, a wireless telephone, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant, a pager, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or any other device that can use a digital camera. in operation, the apparatus 110 can focus on the first object 120 at the first distance 125 and capture a first image based on focusing on the first object 120 at the first distance 125 . the apparatus 110 can focus on the second object 130 at a second distance 135 , where the second distance can be different from the first distance, and capture a second image based on focusing on the second object 130 at the second distance 135 . the apparatus 110 can split the first image into first blocks including components and split the second image into second blocks including components. the apparatus 110 can then store the sum of the components of each of the first blocks into a first array and store the sum of the components of each of the second blocks into a second array. for example, the apparatus can store the sum of the components or the sum of the absolute value of the components. the apparatus 110 can then compare elements of the first array with elements of the second array and create a third image based on combining the blocks of the first image with the blocks of the second image based on comparing the elements of the first array with the elements of the second array. for example, the apparatus 110 can combine two or more pictures focused in far and near fields. the apparatus 110 can then use band-pass filtering to determine a focus threshold from the far and near field pictures for the combined picture. this filtering can be done after performing a discrete cosine transform (dtc) on each image. the apparatus 110 can then use a statistical method to determine the areas for focused image data from different images. as a further example, a user can take two pictures of the same scene, such as separate far-field and near-field pictures. the taking of two pictures may be done sequentially in background operations of the apparatus 110 without user action. processing can then be applied to the captured images. each image can be split into many 8×8 pixel blocks. dct can be applied on each block followed by a summation operation on the frequency spectrum. the blocks between the near and far fields can be compared, and those with high summation and corresponding good focus can be kept and later used as a substitute for less focused blocks in the other image to form a new image. low pass filtering may then be applied to the reconstituted image, which now has less fuzzy and misfocused blocks. thus, the good focus areas from two or more images can be combined into one image with good focus range. if the image processing is done in compressed space, it can require less memory and less computing time at a lower power consumption, which can make it useful in portable electronic devices and other devices. fig. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus 200 , such as the apparatus 110 , according to one possible embodiment. the apparatus 200 can include a housing 210 , a controller 220 coupled to the housing 210 , audio input and output circuitry 230 coupled to the housing 210 , a display 240 coupled to the housing 210 , a transceiver 250 coupled to the housing 210 , a user interface 260 coupled to the housing 210 , a memory 270 coupled to the housing 210 , an antenna 280 coupled to the housing 210 and the transceiver 250 , and a camera module 285 . the apparatus 200 can also include a multiple image focus module 290 . the multiple image focus module 290 can be coupled to the controller 220 , can reside within the controller 220 , can reside within the memory 270 , can be an autonomous module, can be software, can be hardware, or can be in any other format useful for a module on a apparatus 200 . the display 240 can be a liquid crystal display (lcd), a light emitting diode (led) display, a plasma display, or any other means for displaying information. the transceiver 250 may include a transmitter and/or a receiver. the audio input and output circuitry 230 can include a microphone, a speaker, a transducer, or any other audio input and output circuitry. the user interface 260 can include a keypad, buttons, a touch pad, a joystick, an additional display, or any other device useful for providing an interface between a user and an electronic device. the memory 270 may include a random access memory, a read only memory, an optical memory, a subscriber identity module memory, or any other memory that can be coupled to a device. the apparatus 200 further may not necessarily include all of the illustrated elements. for example, the apparatus 200 may or may not include the antenna 280 , the transceiver 250 , the audio input and output circuitry 230 or other elements depending on the desired functionality of the apparatus 200 . in operation, the controller 220 can control the operations of the apparatus 200 . the camera module 285 can focus on an object at a first distance and capture a first image based on focusing on the object at the first distance. the camera module 285 can also focus on an object at a second distance and capture a second image based on focusing on the object at the second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance. the multiple image focus module 290 can compress the first image, compress the second image, and create a third image based on a combination of the compressed first image and the compressed second image. the multiple image focus module 290 can compress the first image by transforming the first image and compress the second image by transforming the second image. transforming can include transforming the first image and the second image using a discrete cosine transform, a fourier transform, or any other transforming process. the multiple image focus module 290 can also compress the first image by splitting the first image into a plurality of blocks and compress the second image by splitting the second image into a plurality of blocks and then create the third image based on a combination of the blocks of the first image and the blocks of the second image. the multiple image focus module 290 can compare corresponding blocks between the first image and the second image and create the third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image. the multiple image focus module 290 can add components within each block of the first image with other components within the respective block to obtain a plurality of block sums, store the block sums in an array for the first image, add components within each block of the second image with other components within the respective block to obtain a block sum, and store the block sums in an array for the second image. for example, multiple image focus module 290 can add the absolute value of the components within each block. the multiple image focus module 290 can then create the third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image based on comparing block sums of the first image with block sums of the second image. the multiple image focus module 290 can also subtract the block sums of the first image from the block sums of the second image and create the third image by replacing the blocks in the second image with the blocks from the first image when the subtraction of the block sums gives a negative value. the multiple image focus module 290 can also align blocks of the first image with blocks in the second image and create a third image by replacing selected blocks in the second image with respective blocks from the first image when the block sum of the respective block of the first image is higher than the block sum of the respective block of the second image. the display 240 can display the third image. fig. 3 is an exemplary flowchart 300 illustrating the operation of the apparatus 200 according to another possible embodiment. in step 310 , the flowchart begins. in step 320 , the apparatus 200 can focus on an object at a first distance and capture a first image based on focusing on the object at the first distance. in step 330 , the apparatus 200 can focus on an object at a second distance, where the second distance is different from the first distance, and capture a second image based on focusing on the object at the second distance. in step 340 , the apparatus 200 can compress the first image. in step 350 , the apparatus 200 can compress the second image. in step 360 , the apparatus 200 can create a third image based on a combination of the compressed first image and the compressed second image. compressing the first image can include transforming the first image and compressing the second image can include transforming the second image. for example, transformation can be color space transformation into y, c b and c r components, can be frequency domain transformation, can be discrete cosine transformation, or can be any other transformation useful for image processing. compressing the first image can also include splitting the first image into a plurality of blocks and compressing the second image can include splitting the second image into a plurality of blocks. then, the apparatus 200 can create the third image based on a combination of the blocks of the first image and the blocks of the second image. when creating the third image, the apparatus 200 can compare corresponding blocks from the first image and the second image and then create the third image based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image. when creating the third image, the apparatus 200 can also add components within each block of the first image with other components within the respective block to obtain a plurality of block sums, store the block sums in an array for the first image, add components within each block of the second image with other components within the respective block to obtain a block sum, and store the block sums in an array for the second image. for example, the apparatus 200 can also add the absolute value of the components within each block. the third image can then be created based on selecting preferential blocks between blocks of the first image and blocks of the second image based on comparing block sums of the first image with block sums of the second image. the block sum may be the sum of the alternative component (ac) coefficients of a block. when creating the third image, the apparatus 200 can also subtract the block sums of the first image from the block sums of the second image and then create the third image by replacing the blocks in the second image with the blocks from the first image when the subtraction of the block sums gives a negative value. the apparatus 200 can further create the third image by aligning blocks of the first image with blocks in the second image and creating the third image by replacing selected blocks in the second image with respective blocks from the first image when the block sum of the respective block of the first image is higher than the block sum of the respective block of the second image. for example, a block, such as a minimum coded unit (mcu), of one image will be used if it has a higher ac sum than a corresponding block of the other image. when creating the third image, the apparatus 200 can then output the third image by displaying the third image or transferring the third image. for example, the apparatus 200 can transfer the third image to a removable memory card, which can be removed and used in another device. the apparatus 200 may also transfer the third image by using a data cable or a wireless signal to send the image to another device. in step 350 , the flowchart 300 ends or the apparatus 200 may continue to process additional images. fig. 4 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating the operation of the apparatus 200 according to another possible embodiment. in step 410 , the flowchart 400 begins. in step 415 , a user of the apparatus 200 may select a focal range for the camera module 285 . for example, the user can select from a near field of 0-20 cm, a medium range of 20-80 cm, and a far field of over 80 cm. the apparatus 200 may also be set to an automatic mode where the apparatus 200 determines the focal range. in step 420 , the apparatus 200 can capture the first image, compress the first image and/or block split the first image, and then store the resulting processed first image. in step 425 , the apparatus 200 can capture the second image, compress the second image and/or block split the second image and then store the resulting processed second image. for example, the apparatus may perform some steps of jpeg compression on the images, may transform the image into mcu blocks, may transform the image using a discrete cosine transform, may perform run length coding on the image, or may perform other processing on each image. in step 430 , the apparatus 200 can store the maximum absolute ac sum for each block in each image in two arrays, one for each image. for example, each block can be an 8×8 block including a dc coefficient and ac coefficients. the ac coefficients can be added together to get the ac sum for each block and the results can be stored in an array. in step 435 , the apparatus 200 can store the row average ac sum for each image in two vectors and store the overall average ac sum for each image. alternately, the column average ac sum can be stored. in step 440 , the apparatus 200 can find the ac extremes by subtracting the ac sum in each block from the respective image overall average ac sum and the result can be stored in two arrays. in step 445 , the apparatus 200 can align the extremes of the two images to determine shifting and expansion factors. next, the apparatus 200 can compare the blocks of the images to determine which blocks are in better focus. one example is given by subtracting blocks for the comparison. alternately, other methods may be used for the comparison, such as merely determining which blocks have the larger ac sum to determine which have better focus. according to this example, in step 450 , the apparatus 200 can subtract the ac sum of the near image from the far image. in step 455 , the apparatus 200 can calculate the average coordinates of the positive and negative ac sums along with the standard deviation in four directions. this step can help align the images in case objects have moved between times when the images were captured or if the user shifted the camera when taking the images. multiple coordinates may be used beyond the average coordinates of positive and negative ac sums if many objects are present at different distances in the images. in step 460 , the apparatus 200 can define the boundary for the area with the negative ac sum. this step can figure out the boundary of the objects to later smooth the boundary using processing. in step 465 , the apparatus 200 can replace the blocks in the far image with the blocks in the near image in the area with the negative ac sum. this step replaces the less focused blocks with the better focused blocks which results in all of the objects in the final image being in better focus than only selected objects in each original image. in step 470 , post processing can be performed and the final image can be stored in the memory 270 or the process can be repeated if additional images are to be combined. in step 475 , the flowchart ends. fig. 5 is an exemplary illustration of an array 500 according to one possible embodiment. each element in the array 500 can represent the ac sum for the respective block in an image that has x by y blocks. for example, the ac sum at location l,l can represent the sum of the coefficients of a block located at the first row and the first column of an image. the average ac sum for each row can be obtained and the row averages can be averaged to get the overall average ac sum for the image. fig. 6 is an exemplary illustration of an algorithm used by the apparatus 200 according to one possible embodiment. the algorithm illustrates the operation of corresponding steps of the flowcharts 300 and 400 . in operation, a dct operation can be performed on an image of m×n pixels. a dc component array (dc) can be extracted from blocks of the image. also, an ac sum array (sum) can be determined by adding up the ac coefficients of each block and placing it in an array. for example, a jpeg process can divide an original image array into 8×8 blocks as y component data units. the ac sum array for the y component can have a size of 1/64 of the original image array. because each block, such as a mcu, can have 4 y component data unit (du) blocks, one c r block (8×8) and one c b block (8×8), the ac sum arrays for c b and c r components can be 1/256 of the original image array. to elaborate on the example, the array size of the y ac component summation can be 1/64 of the original image size, while the arrays of c b & c r ac component summation can be 1/256 of the original image size because jpeg mcu can have 4 8×8 y component du's, one 8×8 c b du and one 8×8 c r du. the average ac sum can be determined from the ac sum array and it can be subtracted from each element of the array to give another array (s), where each array is used in the corresponding steps described in the flowcharts 300 and 400 . after the average ac sum is subtracted, convolution (i) can be used to align the two images according to: i=σ [( s image1 ( i,j ) s image2 ( i−k,j−l )] where i and j are the respective index locations of the elements in the arrays. when i is maximized, k and l can be the required shift in i and j to align the two images. for example, typically k and l can be within +/−5% of the i and j values. the method and apparatus of this disclosure can improve a camera's focus range, which can be useful on small devices that do not have large camera lenses. it can be used with existing auto macro and auto focus solutions. if images are combined in the compressed or frequency domain, the memory requirement can be reduced by 90%. as an example, for a three megapixel image, the saving can be 16 mbytes. furthermore, the present disclosure allows for lower power consumption due to less processing and less memory traffic. the method of this disclosure is preferably implemented on a programmed processor. however, the controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also be implemented on a general purpose or special purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit such as a discrete element circuit, a programmable logic device, or the like. in general, any device on which resides a finite state machine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processor functions of this disclosure. while this disclosure has been described with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. for example, various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or substituted in the other embodiments. also, all of the elements of each figure are not necessary for operation of the disclosed embodiments. for example, one of ordinary skill in the art of the disclosed embodiments would be enabled to make and use the teachings of the disclosure by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. accordingly, the preferred embodiments of the disclosure as set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. in this document, relational terms such as “first,” “second,” and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. an element proceeded by “a,” “an,” or the like does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element. also, the term “another” is defined as at least a second or more. the terms “including,” “having,” and the like, as used herein, are defined as “comprising.”
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004-024-987-292-875
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DE
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[
"DE",
"US"
] |
H01L51/56,H01L51/52,H01L51/44
| 2016-05-24T00:00:00 |
2016
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[
"H01"
] |
method for producing an organic optoelectronic component, and organic optoelectronic component
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a method of producing an organic optoelectronic component includes: forming a first electrode layer comprising a contact region, arranging an electrically conductive contact lug on the first electrode layer. a first section of the contact lug is secured in the contact region on the first electrode layer such that a second section projects beyond the contact region. the method further includes forming an organic functional layer structure laterally alongside the contact lug on the first electrode layer, forming a second electrode on the organic functional layer structure, forming an encapsulation layer such that it extends over the second electrode and over the first section, and severing the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer in the region of the lug such that subsequently the first section is arranged between the contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section projects between the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer.
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1 . a method of producing an organic optoelectronic component, the method comprising: forming a first electrode layer, which comprises a contact region; arranging an electrically conductive contact lug, which comprises a first section and a second section, on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the contact lug is secured in the contact region on the first electrode layer such that the second section of the contact lug projects beyond the contact region; forming an organic functional layer structure laterally alongside the contact lug on the first electrode layer; forming a second electrode on the organic functional layer structure; forming an encapsulation layer such that it extends over the second electrode and over the first section of the contact lug; and severing the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer in the region of the contact lug such that subsequently the first section of the contact lug is arranged between the contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section projects between the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the contact lug is secured exclusively in the contact region on the first electrode layer. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the second section of the contact lug comprises an anti-adhesion surface constituted such that the second section of the contact lug adheres neither to the first electrode layer nor to the encapsulation layer. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the second section of the contact lug is secured by means of a releasable adhesive on the first electrode layer. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the contact lug is formed as a printed circuit board. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein a further organic optoelectronic component is produced at the same time as the organic optoelectronic component, wherein the first electrode layer extends over both organic optoelectronic components, wherein the contact region is arranged on a lateral edge of the organic optoelectronic component and wherein the second section of the contact lug is arranged between both organic optoelectronic components or in the region of the further organic optoelectronic component ( 62 ). 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode layer is structured such that it subsequently comprises a first electrode and a first contact section for electrically contacting the first electrode and laterally alongside a second contact section for electrically contacting the second electrode, wherein the second contact section is separated from the first electrode and the first contact section and wherein the first contact section or the second contact section comprises the contact region in which the first section of the contact lug is secured. 8 . the method of claim 7 , wherein the contact lug is a first contact lug; wherein the contact region is a first contact region on the first contact section; wherein the second contact section comprises a second contact region; wherein an electrically conductive second contact lug comprising a first section and a second section is arranged on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the second contact lug is secured in the second contact region on the first electrode layer such that the second section of the second contact lug projects beyond the second contact region; the encapsulation layer is formed such that it extends over the first section of the second contact lug; and the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer are severed in the region of the second contact lug such that the first section of the second contact lug is arranged between the second contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section of the second contact lug projects between the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer. 9 . an organic optoelectronic component, comprising a first electrode layer, which comprises a contact region; an electrically conductive contact lug, which comprises a first section and a second section, on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the contact lug is secured in the contact region on the first electrode layer and the second section of the contact lug projects beyond the contact region; an organic functional layer structure on the first electrode layer and laterally alongside the contact lug; a second electrode on the organic functional layer structure; and an encapsulation layer, which extends over the second electrode and over the first section of the contact lug; wherein the first section of the contact lug is arranged between the contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section projects outward between the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer. 10 . the organic optoelectronic component of claim 9 , wherein the contact lug is secured exclusively in the contact region on the first electrode layer. 11 . the organic optoelectronic component of claim 9 , wherein the second section of the contact lug comprises an anti-adhesion surface. 12 . the organic optoelectronic component of claim 9 , wherein the contact lug is formed as a printed circuit board. 13 . the organic optoelectronic component of claim 9 , wherein the first electrode layer comprises a first electrode and a first contact section for electrically contacting the first electrode and laterally alongside a second contact section for electrically contacting the second electrode, wherein the second contact section is separated from the first electrode and the first contact section and wherein the first contact section or the second contact section comprises the contact region in which the first section of the contact lug is secured. 14 . the organic optoelectronic component of claim 13 , wherein the contact lug is a first contact lug and the contact region is a first contact region for electrically contacting the first electrode; wherein the second contact section comprises a second contact region; wherein an electrically conductive second contact lug comprising a first section and a second section is arranged on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the second contact lug is secured in the second contact region on the first electrode layer such that the second section of the second contact lug projects beyond the second contact region; wherein the encapsulation layer is formed such that it extends over the first section of the second contact lug; and wherein the first section of the second contact lug is arranged between the second contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section of the second contact lug projects outward between the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer. 15 . the organic optoelectronic component of claim 9 , wherein the first electrode layer is formed on a carrier and a covering body is arranged above the encapsulation layer, wherein lateral outer edges of the carrier and of the covering body are flush with one another.
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cross-reference to related application this application claims priority to german patent application serial no. 10 2016 109 490.0, which was filed may 24, 2016, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. technical field various embodiments relate generally to a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component, and to an organic optoelectronic component. background optoelectronic components on an organic basis, so-called organic optoelectronic components, are finding increasingly widespread application. by way of example, organic light emitting diodes (oleds) are increasingly making inroads into general lighting, for example as surface light sources, or into the automotive sector, for example as interior lighting, rear lights or brake lights. however, organic solar cells and/or organic photodetectors are increasingly being used as well. an organic optoelectronic component, for example an oled, may include an anode and a cathode and an organic functional layer system therebetween. the organic functional layer system may include one or a plurality of emitter layers in which electromagnetic radiation is generated, a charge generating layer structure having in each case two or more charge generating layers (cgls) for charge generation, and one or a plurality of electron blocking layers, also referred to as hole transport layers (htl), and one or a plurality of hole blocking layers, also referred to as electron transport layers (etl), in order to direct the current flow. organic optoelectronic components are generally encapsulated in order to protect the sensitive organic layers against environmental influences, in particular against oxygen and/or moisture. examples of conventional encapsulations include cavity encapsulations or thin-film encapsulations, also called encapsulation layers hereinafter. oleds having thin-film encapsulations are often used in the automotive sector, for example. in order to be able to make contact with an oled, for example having an automotive encapsulation, after the thin-film encapsulation has been applied, many complex steps are necessary. in the case of a monolithically formed oled, that is to say in the case of an oled in which lateral side edges of a cover and of a substrate of the oled are flush with one another, firstly it is necessary to remove the cover of the oled, for example an aluminum cover, above contact regions for electrically contacting the oled. afterward, it is necessary to remove the adhesive with which the cover was secured above the contact regions, for example by a laser. residues of the adhesive that are possibly then still present above the contact regions have to be removed by laborious manual work. the subsequent processes have to be carried out irrespective of whether or not the oled is a monolithically formed oled. if a hard coating is also present as part of the encapsulation, then it is necessary to remove said hard coating, too, above the contact regions, for example by a laser. afterward, it is necessary to remove the thin-film encapsulation above the contact regions, for example by a laser. as final processes for electrically contacting the oled, it is then necessary also to secure contact elements on the contact regions, for example by bonding, adhesive bonding or soldering. these processes in each case by themselves and primarily all together are very time-intensive and susceptible to faults. the exposure of the contact regions and the so-called restructuring of the cover, of the adhesive, of the hard coating and of the encapsulation layer, that is to say of the entire oled encapsulation, above the contact regions are very complex. as a result, overall the process of electrically contacting the organic optoelectronic component is very complex, time-intensive, cost-intensive and susceptible to faults. this has the consequence that overall the production of organic optoelectronic components, for example for the automotive sector, is very complex, time-intensive and susceptible to faults, as a result of which the production costs are particularly high. a lateral contacting, that is to say from a lateral side of the organic optoelectronic component, makes it possible, in principle, to be able to dispense with the removal of the cover and of the adhesive for securing the cover. at the lateral side edges, however, the electrode layers or contact layers either are not exposed at all, which forms an obstacle to such contacting, or merely offer a contact area with a height of approximately 800 nm. in the case of such a narrow contact area, however, the contacting is possible only with difficulty or very unreliably. summary a method of producing an organic optoelectronic component includes: forming a first electrode layer comprising a contact region, arranging an electrically conductive contact lug on the first electrode layer. a first section of the contact lug is secured in the contact region on the first electrode layer such that a second section projects beyond the contact region. the method further includes forming an organic functional layer structure laterally alongside the contact lug on the first electrode layer, forming a second electrode on the organic functional layer structure, forming an encapsulation layer such that it extends over the second electrode and over the first section, and severing the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer in the region of the lug such that subsequently the first section is arranged between the contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section projects between the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer. brief description of the drawings in the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the same parts throughout the different views. the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. in the following description, various embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the following drawings, in which: fig. 1 shows a lateral sectional illustration of a conventional organic optoelectronic component; fig. 2 shows a first state during a first embodiment of a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component; fig. 3 shows a first state during a second embodiment of a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component; fig. 4 shows a second state during the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component; fig. 5 shows a third state during the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component; and fig. 6 shows a fourth state during the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component. description in the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this description and show for illustration purposes specific exemplary embodiments in which the invention can be implemented. since component parts of embodiments can be positioned in a number of different orientations, the direction terminology serves for illustration and is not restrictive in any way whatsoever. it goes without saying that other embodiments can be used and structural or logical changes can be made, without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. it goes without saying that the features of the various embodiments described herein can be combined with one another, unless specifically indicated otherwise. therefore, the following detailed description should not be interpreted in a restrictive sense, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. in the figures, identical or similar elements are provided with identical reference signs, insofar as this is expedient. an organic optoelectronic component can be an organic electromagnetic radiation emitting component or an organic electromagnetic radiation absorbing component. an organic electromagnetic radiation absorbing component can be for example an organic solar cell. in various exemplary embodiments, an organic electromagnetic radiation emitting component can be an organic electromagnetic radiation emitting semiconductor component and/or be formed as an organic electromagnetic radiation emitting diode or as an organic electromagnetic radiation emitting transistor. the radiation can be for example light in the visible range, uv light and/or infrared light. in this connection, the organic electromagnetic radiation emitting component can be formed for example as an organic light emitting diode (oled) or as an organic light emitting transistor. fig. 1 shows a lateral sectional illustration of a conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 . the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 includes a carrier 12 . the carrier 12 is formed in a transparent fashion and is formed from glass. an optoelectronic layer structure is formed on the carrier 12 . the optoelectronic layer structure includes a first electrode layer 14 , which includes a first contact section 16 , a second contact section 18 and a first electrode 20 . the carrier 12 with the first electrode layer 14 can also be referred to as substrate. the first electrode 20 is electrically insulated from the second contact section 18 by an electrical insulation barrier 21 . the first contact section 16 is electrically coupled to the first electrode 20 of the optoelectronic layer structure. the first electrode 20 is formed as an anode. the first electrode 20 is formed in a (optically) transparent fashion. the first electrode 20 includes an electrically conductive material. an organic functional layer structure 22 of the optoelectronic layer structure is formed above the first electrode 20 . the organic functional layer structure 22 includes a plurality of partial layers. the organic functional layer structure 22 includes in particular a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an emitter layer, an electron transport layer and/or an electron injection layer. a second electrode 23 of the optoelectronic layer structure, which is electrically coupled to the second contact section 18 , is formed above the organic functional layer structure 22 . the second electrode 23 is formed in accordance with the first electrode 20 . the second electrode 23 serves as a cathode of the optoelectronic layer structure. the optoelectronic layer structure is an electrically and optically active region. the active region is for example the region of the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 in which electric current for the operation of the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 flows and/or in which electromagnetic radiation is generated or absorbed. an encapsulation layer 24 of the optoelectronic layer structure, which encapsulates the optoelectronic layer structure, is formed above the second electrode 23 and partly above the first contact section 16 and partly above the second contact section 18 . the encapsulation layer 24 can also be referred to as thin-film encapsulation. the encapsulation layer 24 forms a barrier with respect to chemical contaminants and/or atmospheric substances, e.g. with respect to water (moisture), and oxygen. an adhesion medium layer 36 is formed above the encapsulation layer 24 . the adhesion medium layer 36 includes an adhesive. a covering body 38 is formed above the adhesion medium layer 36 . the adhesion medium layer 36 serves for securing the covering body 38 on the encapsulation layer 24 . the covering body 38 includes metal, in particular aluminum. the covering body 38 serves for protecting the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 , for example against mechanical force influences from outside. furthermore, the covering body 38 can serve for distributing and/or dissipating heat that is generated in the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 . in the covering body 38 , the adhesion medium layer 36 and the encapsulation layer 24 , a first contact cutout 37 is formed above the first contact section 16 and a second contact cutout 39 is formed above the second contact section 18 . a first contact region 32 is exposed in the first contact cutout 37 and a second contact region 34 is exposed in the second contact cutout 39 . the first contact region 32 serves for electrically contacting the first contact section 16 and the second contact region 34 serves for electrically contacting the second contact section 18 . an underside—at the bottom in fig. 1 —of the carrier 12 and a top side—at the top in fig. 1 —of the covering body 38 form main surfaces of the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 . via one or both main surfaces 46 , the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 emits and/or absorbs electromagnetic radiation, in particular light. the carrier 12 and the covering body 38 , optionally also the encapsulation layer 24 and the adhesion medium layer 36 , are formed flush at lateral side surfaces of the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 . the conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 can also be referred to as a monolithic conventional organic optoelectronic component 1 , for example as a conventional monolithic oled. forming the contact cutouts 37 , 39 and exposing the contact regions 32 , 34 in the cutouts 37 , 39 after forming the encapsulation, in particular forming the encapsulation layer 24 and the adhesion medium layer 36 and arranging the covering body 38 , are very time-consuming, cost-intensive and susceptible to faults. the susceptibility to faults stems from the fact that, in this case, the contact sections 16 , 18 can be damaged or sometimes the adhesion medium layer 36 is not completely removed from the contact regions 32 , 34 , which detrimentally affects the quality of the electrical contacting. fig. 2 shows a first state during a first exemplary embodiment of a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 (see fig. 5 and fig. 6 ). in the first state shown in fig. 2 , a carrier 12 is provided. the carrier 12 is formed as translucent or transparent. the carrier 12 serves as a carrier element for electronic elements or layers, for example light emitting elements. the carrier 12 may include or be formed from, for example, plastic, metal, glass, quartz and/or a semiconductor material. furthermore, the carrier 12 may include or be formed from a plastics film or a laminate including one or a plurality of plastics films. the carrier 12 can be formed in a mechanically rigid fashion or in a mechanically flexible fashion. a first electrode layer 14 of an optoelectronic layer structure is formed on the carrier 12 . a first barrier layer (not illustrated), for example a first barrier thin-film layer, can be formed between the carrier 12 and the first electrode layer 14 . the first electrode layer 14 includes a first contact section 16 , a second contact section 18 and a first electrode 20 . the contact sections 16 , 18 are arranged in a manner adjoining lateral side edges of the first electrode layer 14 and of the carrier 12 . the carrier 12 with the first electrode layer 14 can also be referred to as substrate. the first contact section 16 includes a first contact region 32 and the second contact section 18 includes a second contact region 34 . the contact regions 32 , 34 respectively adjoin a lateral side edge of the first electrode layer 14 and of the carrier 12 . the first contact region 32 serves for electrically contacting the first electrode 20 . the second contact region 34 serves for electrically contacting the second electrode 23 . the first electrode 20 is electrically insulated from the second contact section 18 by structuring the first electrode layer 14 and forming an electrical insulation barrier 21 between the first electrode 20 and the second contact section 18 . the first contact section 16 is electrically coupled to the first electrode 20 of the optoelectronic layer structure. by way of example, the first contact section 16 and the first electrode 20 can be formed integrally. the first electrode 20 can be formed as an anode or as a cathode. the first electrode 20 is formed as translucent or transparent. the first electrode 20 includes an electrically conductive material, for example metal and/or a transparent conductive oxide (tco) or a layer stack of a plurality of layers including metals or tcos. the first electrode 20 may include for example a layer stack of a combination of a layer of a metal on a layer of a tco, or vice versa. one example is a silver layer applied on an indium tin oxide layer (ito) (ag on ito) or ito-ag-ito multilayers. as an alternative or in addition to the materials mentioned, the first electrode 20 may include: networks composed of metallic nanowires and nanoparticles, for example composed of ag, networks composed of carbon nanotubes, graphene particles and graphene layers and/or networks composed of semiconducting nanowires. a first contact lug 40 includes a first section 42 and a second section 44 . the first section 42 of the first contact lug 40 is secured in the first contact region 32 on the first contact section 16 . the second section 44 of the first contact lug 40 projects beyond the first electrode layer 14 in a lateral direction, laterally and horizontally in fig. 2 . the first contact lug 40 is in electrical contact with the first contact section 16 and serves for electrically contacting the first electrode 20 . a second contact lug 50 includes a first section 52 and a second section 54 . the first section 52 of the second contact lug 50 is secured in the second contact region 34 on the second contact section 18 . the second section 54 of the second contact lug 50 projects beyond the first electrode layer 14 in a lateral direction, laterally and horizontally in fig. 2 . the second contact lug 50 is in electrical contact with the second contact section 18 and serves for electrically contacting the second electrode 23 . the contact lugs 40 , 50 enable the contacting of the contact regions 32 , 34 already before the formation, e.g. the deposition or printing, of the organic functional layer structure 22 . the contact lugs 40 , 50 include electrically conductive material or are formed from electrically conductive material. by way of example, the contact lugs 40 , 50 can each include a metal lamina or a metal film or be a metal lamina or a metal film. by way of example, the contact lugs 40 , 50 , in particular if appropriate the metal lamina or the metal film, may include or be formed by aluminum, copper, palladium and/or gold. as an alternative thereto, the contact lugs 40 , 50 can be printed circuit boards. the contact lugs 40 , 50 can each have a thickness in a vertical direction, that is to say for example from the bottom toward the top in the plane of the drawing in fig. 2 , for example of 0.5 μm to 20 μm, for example of 5 μm to 15 μm, for example approximately 10 μm. the contact lugs 40 , 50 can each have a width in a lateral direction, that is to say for example from left to right in the plane of the drawing in fig. 2 , for example of 500 μm to 5000 μm, for example of 500 μm to 1500 μm. the contact lugs 40 , 50 can each have a depth in a lateral direction, that is to say into the plane of the drawing in fig. 2 , for example of 1 mm up to the total width of the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 , that is to say for example a plurality of centimeters, e.g. 0.01 cm to 10 cm, for example 0.1 cm to 1 cm. the second sections 44 , 54 of the contact lugs 40 , 50 , which project laterally, can each have a width in a lateral direction, that is to say for example from left to right in the plane of the drawing in fig. 2 , for example of 100 μm to 2000 μm, for example of 500 μm to 1000 μm. the contact lugs 40 , 50 can be secured for example by adhesive bonding, acf bonding or soldering on the corresponding contact sections 16 , 18 . optionally, the second sections 44 , 54 of the contact lugs 40 , 50 can each include an anti-adhesion surface. if appropriate, the anti-adhesion surfaces are formed such that they do not adhere to the first electrode layer 14 . fig. 3 shows a first state during a second embodiment of a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 (see fig. 5 and fig. 6 ). the first state of the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 and e.g. the carrier 12 , the first electrode layer 14 and the contact lugs 40 , 50 largely correspond to the first state of the first embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 , and carrier 12 , first electrode layer 14 and contact lugs 40 , 50 as explained with reference to fig. 2 , wherein, in contrast, the carrier 12 and the first electrode layer 14 are provided in such a way that they can serve as a basis for a plurality of organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 , e.g. three thereof. transitions from a part of the carrier 12 and/or of the electrode layer 14 of one of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 to a part of the carrier 12 and/or the first electrode layer 14 of another of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 are identified by dash-dotted lines in the figures. the first sections 42 , 52 of the contact lugs 40 , 50 are secured for example by adhesive bonding, acf bonding or soldering on the corresponding contact sections 16 , 18 or contact regions 32 , 34 . the second sections 44 , 54 of the contact lugs 40 , 50 merely bear on the first electrode layer 14 , such that they do not adhere to the first electrode layer 14 . optionally, the second sections of the contact lugs 40 , 50 each include an anti-adhesion surface. if appropriate, the anti-adhesion surface can face the first electrode layer 14 and/or face away from the first electrode layer 14 . the contact lugs 40 , 50 are arranged on the first electrode layer 14 in such a way that their first sections 42 , 52 are arranged on the central part of the carrier 12 and of the first electrode layer 14 and that their second sections 44 , 54 project beyond the transition to the nearest part of the carrier 12 and/or of the first electrode layer 14 . fig. 4 shows a second state during the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 . the below-explained states of the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 correspond to the corresponding states during the first exemplary of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 and can readily be applied thereto, for which reason, in order to avoid unnecessary repetitions, a detailed presentation of the corresponding states of the first method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 is dispensed with. in the second state, a mask 70 is situated above the carrier 12 and the first electrode layer 14 . in various embodiments, the mask 70 bears on the contact lugs 40 , 50 and completely covers the latter. the mask 70 has a cutout, in which an organic functional layer structure 22 is formed. the organic functional layer structure 22 is formed laterally alongside, e.g. in a lateral direction between, the contact lugs 40 , 50 on the first electrode 20 , for example by vapor deposition or printing. the organic functional layer structure 22 may include for example one, two or more partial layers. by way of example, the organic functional layer structure 22 may include a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an emitter layer, an electron transport layer and/or an electron injection layer. the hole injection layer serves for reducing the band gap between first electrode and hole transport layer. in the case of the hole transport layer, the hole conductivity is greater than the electron conductivity. the hole transport layer serves for transporting the holes. in the case of the electron transport layer, the electron conductivity is greater than the hole conductivity. the electron transport layer serves for transporting the electrons. the electron injection layer serves for reducing the band gap between second electrode and electron transport layer. furthermore, the organic functional layer structure 22 may include one, two or more functional layer structure units each including the stated partial layers and/or further intermediate layers. fig. 5 shows a third state during the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 . by way of example, fig. 5 shows a first organic optoelectronic component 60 and a second organic optoelectronic component 62 , which are formed on a common carrier 12 . a second electrode 23 of the optoelectronic layer structure, which is electrically coupled to the second contact section 18 , is formed above the organic functional layer structure 22 . the second electrode 23 can be formed in accordance with one of the configurations of the first electrode 20 , wherein the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 23 can be formed identically or differently. the first electrode 20 serves for example as an anode or a cathode of the optoelectronic layer structure. the second electrode 23 serves, in a manner corresponding to the first electrode, as a cathode or an anode of the optoelectronic layer structure. the optoelectronic layer structure is an electrically and/or optically active region. the active region is for example the region of the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 , in which electric current for the operation of the optoelectronic component 10 flows and/or in which electromagnetic radiation is generated or absorbed. a getter structure (not illustrated) can be arranged on or above the active region. the getter layer can be formed as translucent, transparent or opaque. the getter layer may include or be formed from a material which absorbs and binds substances that are harmful to the active region. an encapsulation layer 24 of the optoelectronic layer structure, which encapsulates the optoelectronic layer structure, is formed above the second electrode 23 and partly above the first contact section 16 and partly above the second contact section 18 . the encapsulation layer 24 can be formed as a second barrier layer, for example as a second barrier thin-film layer. the encapsulation layer 24 can also be referred to as thin-film encapsulation. the encapsulation layer 24 forms a barrier with respect to chemical contaminants and/or atmospheric substances, in particular with respect to water (moisture) and oxygen. the encapsulation layer 24 can be formed as a single layer, a layer stack or a layer structure. the encapsulation layer 24 may include or be formed from: aluminum oxide, zinc oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, hafnium oxide, tantalum oxide, lanthanum oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum-doped zinc oxide, poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide), nylon 66, and mixtures and alloys thereof. if appropriate, the first barrier layer can be formed on the carrier 12 in a manner corresponding to a configuration of the encapsulation layer 24 . an adhesion medium layer 36 is formed above the encapsulation layer 24 . the adhesion medium layer 36 includes for example an adhesion medium, for example an adhesive, for example a lamination adhesive, a lacquer and/or a resin. the adhesion medium layer 36 may include for example particles which scatter electromagnetic radiation, for example light-scattering particles. optionally, the adhesion medium layer 36 can be formed as a hard coating and thus form a part of the encapsulation. a covering body 38 is formed above the adhesion medium layer 36 . the adhesion medium layer 36 serves for securing the covering body 38 on the encapsulation layer 24 . the covering body 38 includes for example plastic, glass and/or metal. by way of example, the covering body 38 can substantially be formed from glass and include a thin metal layer, for example a metal film, and/or a graphite layer, for example a graphite laminate, on the glass body. the covering body 38 serves for protecting the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 , for example against mechanical force influences from outside. furthermore, the covering body 38 can serve for distributing and/or dissipating heat that is generated in the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . by way of example, the glass of the covering body 38 can serve as protection against external influences and the metal layer of the covering body 38 can serve for distributing and/or dissipating the heat that arises during the operation of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . in the third state, the encapsulation layer 24 , the adhesion medium layer 36 and the covering body 38 still extend integrally over the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . the contact lugs 40 , 50 are arranged in each case such that their first sections 42 , 52 are arranged in the region of the corresponding organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 , e.g. in the contact regions 32 , 34 thereof, and that their second sections 44 , 54 project beyond the corresponding organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 , e.g. the contact regions 32 , 34 thereof. in various embodiments, the second sections 44 , 54 project into a region between the two organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . as an alternative thereto, the second sections 44 , 54 can project across to the adjacent organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 . fig. 6 shows a fourth state during the second embodiment of the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component 60 , 62 . in the fourth state, the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 have been singulated, e.g. separated from one another. the singulation or the separation of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 can be carried out by example by means of cutting, for example by a laser, or by sawing. by way of example, during singulation, it is possible firstly for only the covering body 38 to be cut by a laser. the carrier 12 can then be severed, for example by means of scribing in the case of a glass carrier. afterward, the individual organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 and residual pieces are present. since the adhesion of the contact lugs 40 , 50 to the residual pieces is only very low, they are simply pulled from the material of the residual pieces and then project laterally below the encapsulation of organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . since the contact lugs 40 , 50 are electrically conductive, they can then be electrically contacted in a simple manner. by way of example, the second sections 44 , 54 of the contact lugs 40 , 50 can be grasped by means of a simple clamping mechanism which, in a simple manner, penetrates through tfe residues etc. possibly still present and optionally plastically or elastically deforms the contact lugs 40 , 50 for the purpose of better connection. an underside—at the bottom in fig. 6 —of the carrier 12 and a top side—at the top in fig. 6 —of the covering body 38 form main surfaces of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . via the underside, the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 emit and/or absorb electromagnetic radiation, e.g. light. the carrier 12 and the covering body 38 , optionally also the encapsulation layer 24 and the adhesion medium layer 36 , are formed respectively flush with one another at lateral side surfaces of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 . the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 can also be referred to as monolithic organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 , for example as monolithic oleds. the contact lugs 40 , 50 enable in each case simple, rapid and direct contacting of the organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 , e.g. of the monolithic oleds. the embodiments are not restricted to the embodiments indicated. by way of example, more than just one or more than two organic optoelectronic components 60 , 62 can be formed above a common integral carrier 12 . various embodiments provide a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component which can be carried out particularly simply, rapidly, reliably and/or cost-effectively. various embodiments provide an organic optoelectronic component which can be produced particularly simply, rapidly, reliably and/or cost-effectively. various embodiments provide a method for producing an organic optoelectronic component, wherein: a first electrode layer is formed, which includes a contact region, an electrically conductive contact lug, which includes a first section and a second section, is arranged on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the contact lug is secured in the contact region on the first electrode layer such that the second section of the contact lug projects beyond the contact region, an organic functional layer structure is formed laterally alongside the contact lug on the first electrode layer, a second electrode is formed on the organic functional layer structure; an encapsulation layer is formed such that it extends over the second electrode and over the first section of the contact lug, and the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer are severed in the region of the contact lug such that subsequently the first section of the contact lug is arranged between the contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section projects between the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer. the contact lug and thus the electrical contact of the organic optoelectronic component are formed before the organic functional layer structure, the second electrode and the encapsulation are formed, in particular before the process of forming the encapsulation layer, if appropriate a hard coating, and the adhesion medium layer and/or before the process of arranging a covering body, for example a cover. the processes explained in the introduction for exposing the contact regions and for restructuring the encapsulation of the organic optoelectronic component may be omitted as a result. by way of example, the removal of the cover and of the adhesive for securing the cover, if appropriate of the hard coating and also of the thin-film encapsulation above the contact regions is omitted. moreover, electrical contacting by bonding, adhesive bonding or soldering may be omitted or at least simplified. as a result, overall the process of electrically contacting the organic optoelectronic component can be carried out very simply, rapidly, cost-effectively and with little susceptibility to faults. this has the consequence that overall the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component is very simple, rapid, cost-effective and has little susceptibility to faults, as a result of which the production costs are particularly low and the reliability is particularly high. by way of example, precisely for the automotive sector it is thus possible for high-quality organic optoelectronic components, for example oleds, having high-quality thin-film encapsulations (tfes) to be produced expediently, without complex restructuring of the corresponding tfe layers. the first section of the contact lug can be secured for example by conductive adhesive or by means of acf (anisotropic conductive film) bonding in the contact region. optionally, the first electrode layer can be formed on a carrier. furthermore, a covering body, for example a cover, can be arranged on the encapsulation layer, for example by an adhesion medium layer. the adhesion medium layer can optionally be formed as a hard coating and form a part of the encapsulation. in accordance with one development, the contact lug is secured exclusively in the contact region on the first electrode layer. this has the effect that exclusively the first section of the contact lug is secured on the contact region and that the contact lug, where it projects beyond the contact region, that is to say with its second section, is not secured on the first electrode layer. this has the effect that upon removal of the first electrode layer, the second section of the contact lug is automatically exposed in a particularly simple manner. in accordance with one development, the second section of the contact lug includes an anti-adhesion surface constituted such that the second section of the contact lug adheres neither to the first electrode layer nor to the encapsulation layer. this has the effect that the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer do not adhere to the second section of the contact lug projecting beyond the contact region. this has the effect that upon removal of the first electrode layer and/or of the encapsulation layer, the second section of the contact lug is automatically exposed in a particularly simple manner. the anti-adhesion surface can be formed, for example, by the corresponding surface of the contact lug being machined, for example ground or polished. as an alternative thereto, the second section of the contact lug can be coated with an anti-adhesion layer, which then forms the anti-adhesion surface. the anti-adhesion surface includes a material or is constituted such that it does not adhere to the first electrode layer and/or such that the encapsulation layer does not adhere to it. if the encapsulation of the organic optoelectronic component includes a hard coating, then the anti-adhesion surface can be formed such that the material of the hard coating does not adhere to the anti-adhesion surface. as an alternative thereto, the second contact lug may include a peelable film in the second section. in the process of forming the organic functional layer structure, the latter is deposited onto the peelable film. if the organic functional layer structure is intended subsequently to be removed from the second section, then this is possible in a simple manner since, in this case, only the peelable film adheres to the organic functional layer structure and can be peeled off the second section of the contact lug in a simple manner. in accordance with one development, the second section of the contact lug is secured by a releasable adhesive on the first electrode layer. this can contribute to the fact that, during the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component, the contact lug firstly has a good adhesion to the first electrode layer, but then can be removed in a simple manner by releasing the adhesive. the releasable adhesive can be released for example by means of heat or by uv radiation. in accordance with one development, the contact lug is formed as a printed circuit board. this can contribute to the fact that the contact lug can be formed particularly simply and/or cost-effectively and/or that two, three or more different electrical contacts, for example electrically insulated from one another, can be electrically contacted independently of one another by a single contact lug. by way of example, the corresponding printed circuit board may include two, three or more conductor tracks electrically insulated from one another and the contact region may accordingly include two, three or more contacts electrically insulated from one another, which contacts can be electrically contacted independently of one another by means of the corresponding conductor tracks. in accordance with one development, a further organic optoelectronic component is produced at the same time as the organic optoelectronic component, wherein the first electrode layer extends over both organic optoelectronic components, wherein the contact region is arranged on a lateral edge of the organic optoelectronic component and wherein the second section of the contact lug is arranged between both organic optoelectronic components or in the region of the further organic optoelectronic component. if the first electrode layer is formed on a carrier, then the carrier can also extend over the two organic optoelectronic components. furthermore, more than two organic optoelectronic components can be produced at the same time, wherein the corresponding organic optoelectronic components include a common carrier and/or a common first electrode layer. after the organic optoelectronic components have been largely completed, they can then be singulated and separated from one another. the fact that the contact region is arranged at the lateral edge of the organic optoelectronic component and the fact that the second section of the contact lug is arranged between the two organic optoelectronic components or in the region of the further organic optoelectronic component have the effect that after the organic optoelectronic components have been singulated and separated, the second section of the contact lug protrudes outward from the other layers. this has the effect that the organic optoelectronic component, in particular the contact lug, is electrically contactable in a particularly simple manner. in various embodiments, a lateral contact, e.g. the second section of the contact lug, is already accessible in a simple manner directly after singulation. in accordance with one development, the first electrode layer is structured such that it subsequently includes a first electrode and a first contact section for electrically contacting the first electrode and laterally alongside a second contact section for electrically contacting the second electrode, wherein the second contact section is separated from the first electrode and the first contact section and wherein the first contact section or the second contact section includes the contact region in which the first section of the contact lug is secured. in other words, from the first electrode layer, in addition to the first electrode, two mutually independent contact sections are formed, one for electrically contacting the first electrode and one for electrically contacting the second electrode, wherein at least one of the contact sections is electrically contacted by means of the contact lug. in accordance with one development, the contact lug is a first contact lug, the contact region is a first contact region on the first contact section, and the second contact section includes a second contact region. an electrically conductive second contact lug including a first section and a second section is arranged on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the second contact lug is secured in the second contact region on the first electrode layer such that the second section of the second contact lug projects beyond the second contact region. the encapsulation layer is formed such that it extends over the first section of the second contact lug. the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer are severed in the region of the second contact lug such that the first section of the second contact lug is arranged between the second contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section of the second contact lug projects between the encapsulation layer and the first electrode layer. in other words, the organic optoelectronic component includes the first contact section having the first contact region for electrically contacting the first electrode and the second contact section having the second contact region for electrically contacting the second electrode, wherein the first contact lug electrically contacts the first contact region and the second contact lug electrically contacts the second contact region. various embodiments provide the organic optoelectronic component, including: the first electrode layer, which includes the contact region; the electrically conductive contact lug, which includes the first section and the second section, on the first electrode layer, wherein the first section of the contact lug is secured in the contact region on the first electrode layer and the second section of the contact lug projects beyond the contact region; the organic functional layer structure on the first electrode layer and laterally alongside the contact lug; the second electrode on the organic functional layer structure; and the encapsulation layer, which extends over the second electrode and over the first section of the contact lug; wherein the first section of the contact lug is arranged between the contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section projects outward between the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer. the developments and/or effects explained above in association with the method for producing the organic optoelectronic component can readily be applied to the organic optoelectronic component, for which reason a renewed presentation of the developments and/or advantages is dispensed with here and in this context reference is merely made to the explanations above. in accordance with one development, the contact lug is secured exclusively in the contact region on the first electrode layer. in accordance with one development, the second section of the contact lug includes the anti-adhesion surface. in accordance with one development, the contact lug is formed as a printed circuit board. in accordance with one development, the first electrode layer includes the first electrode and the first contact section for electrically contacting the first electrode and laterally alongside the second contact section for electrically contacting the second electrode, wherein the second contact section is separated from the first electrode and the first contact section and wherein the first contact section or the second contact section includes the contact region in which the first section of the contact lug is secured. in accordance with one development, the contact lug is the first contact lug and the contact region is the first contact region for electrically contacting the first electrode, and the second contact section includes the second contact region. the electrically conductive second contact lug includes the first section and the second section and is arranged on the first electrode layer. the first section of the second contact lug is secured in the second contact region on the first electrode layer such that the second section of the second contact lug projects beyond the second contact region. the encapsulation layer is formed such that it extends over the first section of the second contact lug. the first section of the second contact lug is arranged between the second contact region and the encapsulation layer and the second section of the second contact lug projects outward between the first electrode layer and the encapsulation layer. in accordance with one development, the first electrode layer is formed on a carrier and a covering body is arranged above the encapsulation layer, wherein lateral outer edges of the carrier and of the covering body are flush with one another. the organic optoelectronic component formed in this way can also be referred to as a monolithic organic optoelectronic component. list of reference signs organic optoelectronic component 10 carrier 12 first electrode layer 14 first contact section 16 second contact section 18 first electrode 20 insulation barriers 21 organic functional layer structure 22 second electrode 23 encapsulation layer 24 first contact region 32 second contact region 34 adhesion medium layer 36 covering body 38 first contact cutout 37 second contact cutout 39 first contact lug 40 lateral side surfaces 41 first section of the first contact lug 42 second section of the first contact lug 44 second contact lug 50 first section of the second contact lug 52 second section of the second contact lug 54 first organic optoelectronic component 60 second organic optoelectronic component 62 mask 70 while the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to specific embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. the scope of the invention is thus indicated by the appended claims and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced.
|
005-827-721-817-000
|
US
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[
"CA",
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"JP",
"US",
"WO",
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"ES",
"MX",
"CN"
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A23G9/08,A23G9/10,A23G9/12,A23G9/22,A23G9/28,A23G9/52,B65D85/78,B65D85/804,A47J43/07,B01F7/18,F25D25/00,F25D31/00,B01F27/90,B01F101/13,B65D17/28,B65D17/30,B65D85/60,B65D85/72,B65D47/26,A47J42/54,B01F27/112,B01F7/00,B01F27/00,B65D85/80
| 2018-08-17T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"A23",
"B65",
"A47",
"B01",
"F25"
] |
rapidly cooling food and drinks
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systems and methods have demonstrated the capability of rapidly cooling the contents of pods containing the ingredients for food and drinks.
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1 . an aluminum beverage can for providing a single serving of dairy-based frozen confection, the aluminum beverage can comprising: a deep drawn body with a closed end and sidewalls defining an internal recess and an open end; a base seamed to the body across open end of the body such that the body and the base form a sealed can; at least one dairy ingredient disposed within the recess of the body; and at least one mixing paddle rotatably disposed within the body, the mixing paddle rotatable to mix the at least one dairy ingredient in the internal recess and configured to dispense the frozen confection out of the beverage can through an aperture in the base; wherein the sealed can, the at least one dairy ingredient, and the mixing paddle sterilized after assembly such that the at least one dairy ingredient is shelf stable at room temperature. 2 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 1 , wherein the sealed can is pressurized to between 20 and 100 psi when subject to a sterilization process. 3 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 2 , wherein the sealed can is pressurized to between 20 and 100 psi when subject to a retort sterilization process. 4 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 1 , further comprising a plug closing the aperture in the base. 5 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 4 , wherein the plug comprises a slide disposed between the cap and the base, the slide rotatable relative to the base. 6 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 1 , wherein the base includes a protrusion extending outward relative to adjacent portions of the base. 7 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 1 , further comprising a grommet arranged in the closed end of the body. 8 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 7 , wherein the grommet comprises a recess sized to receive a driveshaft. 9 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 8 , wherein the pod is configured such that engagement between a drive shaft and the grommet releases pressurized gas from the pod. 10 . the aluminum beverage can of claim 7 , wherein the grommet is rotationally coupled to the mixing paddle. 11 . a pod for forming a frozen confection, the pod comprising: a body with an axis, a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a sidewall extending from the first end to define an interior cavity of the body open at the second end, the second end of the body having a radius that is less than an average radius of the body; ingredients for the frozen confection and pressurized gas contained in the body of the pod; a mixing paddle disposed in the interior cavity of the body; the mixing paddle configured to be engaged by a shaft at the second end of the pod such that the engagement releases pressurized gas to escape the pod, rotates the mixing paddle with rotation of the shaft, and draws air into the pod when the frozen confection is dispensed out of the first end of the pod; and a base extending across the open end of the body, the base sealed to the sidewall of the body. 12 . the pod of claim 11 , wherein the sealed can is pressurized to between20 and 100 psi when subject to a sterilization process. 13 . the pod of claim 12 , wherein the sealed can is pressurized to between20 and 100 psi when subject to a retort sterilization process. 14 . the pod of claim 11 , further comprising a grommet arranged in the first end of the body. 15 . the pod of claim 14 , wherein the grommet comprises a recess sized to receive a driveshaft. 16 . the pod of claim 15 , wherein the pod is configured such that engagement between a drive shaft and the grommet releases pressurized gas from the pod. 17 . the pod of claim 14 , wherein the grommet is rotationally coupled to the mixing paddle. 18 . a pod for providing a single serving of a cold food or drink, the pod comprising: a body having an average radius, the body comprising: an axis, a closed first end having a radius that is less than the average radius of the body, an open second end opposite the first end, the second end having a radius that is less than the average radius of the body, and a sidewall extending from the first end to the second end to define an interior cavity of the body; a base defining an opening, the base attached to the open second end covering the open second end, one or more scraper paddles movably disposed within the recess, the one or more scraper paddles rotatable to scrape material from the base and outer wall of the can and to dispense the cold beverage or frozen confection out the pod through the opening of the base; and at least one ingredient for forming a single serving of the cold food or drink, the at least one ingredient disposed within the recess of the pod. 19 . the pod of claim 18 , wherein the pod comprises an aluminum can. 20 . the pod of claim 19 , wherein the aluminum can is a standard aluminum can 21 . the pod of claim 19 , wherein the aluminum can is a sleek aluminum can 22 . the pod of claim 19 , wherein the aluminum can is a slim aluminum can 23 . the pod of claim 18 , wherein the mixing paddle has an average radius greater than the radius of the second end of the body. 24 . the pod of claim 23 , wherein the mixing paddle has an average radius greater than the radius of the first end of the body. 25 . the pod of claim 18 , wherein the base includes a protrusion extending outward relative to adjacent portions of the base. 26 . a can for providing a single serving of a cold beverage or a frozen confection, the can comprising: a body with an axis, a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a sidewall extending from the first end to define an interior cavity of the body open at the second end, the second end of the body having a radius that is less than an average radius of the body; and a mixing paddle movably disposed within the recess, wherein an average radius of the mixing paddle is greater than the radius of the second end; and wherein the average radius of the mixing paddle is less than the average radius of the body. 27 . the can of claim 26 , wherein the pod comprises an aluminum can. 28 . the can of claim 26 , wherein the mixing paddle has an average radius greater than the radius of the second end of the body. 29 . the can of claim 28 , wherein the mixing paddle has an average radius greater than the radius of the first end of the body. 30 . the can of claim 26 , wherein the base includes a protrusion extending outward relative to adjacent portions of the base.
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related applications this patent application is a continuation of patent application ser. no. 17/001,170, filed aug. 24, 2020, which is a continuation of patent application u.s. ser. no. 16/591,975, filed oct. 3, 2019, now u.s. pat. no. 10,752,432, which is a continuation of patent application u.s. ser. no. 16/459,322, filed jul. 1, 2019, now u.s. pat. no. 10,543,978, which is a continuation-in-part of patent application u.s. ser. no. 16/104,758, filed on aug. 17, 2018, now u.s. pat. no. 10,334,868, and claims the benefit of provisional patent applications u.s. ser. no. 62/758,110, filed on nov. 9, 2018; u.s. ser. no. 62/801,587, filed on feb. 5, 2019; u.s. ser. no. 62/831,657, filed on apr. 9, 2019; u.s. ser. no. 62/831,600, filed on apr. 9, 2019; u.s. ser. no. 62/831,646, filed on apr. 9, 2019; and u.s. ser. no. 62/831,666, filed on apr. 9, 2019, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. technical field this disclosure relates to systems and methods for rapidly cooling food and drinks. background beverage brewing system have been developed that rapidly prepare single servings of hot beverages. some of these brewing systems rely on single use pods to which water is added before brewing occurs. the pods can be used to prepare hot coffees, teas, cocoas, and dairy-based beverages. home use ice cream makers can be used to make larger batches (e.g., 1.5 quarts or more) of ice cream for personal consumption. these ice cream maker appliances typically prepare the mixture by employing a hand-crank method or by employing an electric motor that is used, in turn, to assist in churning the ingredients within the appliance. the resulting preparation is often chilled using a pre-cooled vessel that is inserted into the machine. summary this specification describes systems and methods for rapidly cooling food and drinks. some of these systems and methods can cool food and drinks in a container inserted into a counter-top or installed machine from room temperature to freezing in less than two minutes. for example, the approach described in this specification has successfully demonstrated the ability make soft-serve ice cream from room-temperature pods in approximately 90 seconds. this approach has also been used to chill cocktails and other drinks including to produce frozen drinks. these systems and methods are based on a refrigeration cycle with low startup times and a pod-machine interface that is easy to use and provides extremely efficient heat transfer. some of the pods described are filled with ingredients in a manufacturing line and subjected to a sterilization process (e.g., retort, aseptic packaging, ultra-high temperature processing (uht), ultra-heat treatment, ultra-pasteurization, or high pressure processing (hpp)). hpp is a cold pasteurization technique by which products, already sealed in its final package, are introduced into a vessel and subjected to a high level of isostatic pressure (300-600 meg:pascals (mpa) (43,500-87,000 pounds per square inch (psi)) transmitted by water. the pods can be used to store ingredients including, for example, dairy products at room temperature for long periods of time (e.g., 9-12 months) following sterilization. cooling is used to indicate the transfer of thermal energy to reduce the temperature, for example, of ingredients contained in a pod. in some cases, cooling indicates the transfer of thermal energy to reduce the temperature, for example, of ingredients contained in a pod to below freezing. some pods containing at least one ingredient to form a cold food or drink include: a metal body with a closed end, an open end opposite the closed end, and a sidewall extending from the closed end to define an interior cavity of the body; at least one paddle disposed in the interior cavity of the body and rotatable relative to the body; and a base extending across the open end of the body, the base sealed to the sidewall of the body, the base including a protrusion with a stem that extends between a head and a foot, the stem having a smaller cross-section than the head and the foot, the base comprising a weakened section extending around the protrusion. some cans containing at least one ingredient to form a cold food or drink include: a metal body with an axis, a closed end, an open end opposite the closed end, and a sidewall extending from the closed end to define an interior cavity of the body, the open end of the body having a radius that is less than an average radius of the body; at least one paddle extending laterally farther from the axis of the body than the radius of the open end of the body, the at least one paddle disposed in the interior cavity of the body and rotatable relative to the body; and a base extending across the open end of the body, the base sealed to the sidewall of the body, the base defining an opening extending through the base some pods for forming a cold food or drink include: a body with an axis, a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a sidewall extending from the first end to define an interior cavity of the body open at the second end, the second end of the body having a radius that is less than an average radius of the body; at least one paddle extending a distance farther from the axis of the body that is greater than the radius of the open end of the body, the scraper disposed in the interior cavity of the body; and a base extending across the open end of the body, the base sealed to the sidewall of the body, the base defining an opening extending through the base. some pods containing at least one ingredient to form a cold food or drink include: a body with a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a sidewall extending from the first end to define an interior cavity of the body open at the second end, the second end of the body having a radius that is less than an average radius of the body; a mixing paddle having at least one blade; a base extending across the open end of the body, the base sealed to the sidewall of the body, the base defining an opening extending through the base; and a cap attached to the body, the cap extending over at least part of the base and rotatable around the axis of the mixing paddle relative to the base, the cap defining an opening extending through the cap. pods and cans can include one or more of the following features. in some embodiments, the body and the base of pods form a can. in some cases, the base includes a protrusion extending outward relative to adjacent portions of the base, the protrusion having a stem that extends between a head and a foot, the stem having a smaller cross-section than the head and the foot, the base comprising a weakened section extending around the protrusion. in some embodiments, pods and cans include a cap attached to the body, the cap extending over at least part of the base and rotatable per relative to the base, the cap defining an opening extending through the cap. in some cases, the cap is rotatable around the axis of the body. in some cases, cans and pods also include a plug closing the opening extending through the base. in some cases, the plug comprises a slide disposed between the cap and the base, the slide rotatable relative to the base. in some cases, the plug comprises a foil seal and the cap is positioned to engage and remove the foil seal from the opening defined extending through the base on rotation of the cap. in some embodiments, pods and cans include a peel-off lid extending over the cap. in some cases, the at least one blade is a plurality of blades. in some cases, each blade has two or more different angles of inclination relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of the body. in some cases, the plurality of paddles are configured to be resilient enough to resume an original shape after being compressed to fit through the open end of the body. in some cases, the at least one paddle has grooves in an outer edge, the grooves sized to receive a rim of the open end of the body to enable insertion of the scraper into the interior cavity of the body by rotation of the scraper with the rim in the grooves. in some embodiments, pods and cans include a vessel containing pressurized gas disposed in the interior cavity of the body. in some cases, the pod is internally pressurized to at least 20 psi. in some embodiments, pods and cans include between 3 and 10 ounces of the at least one ingredient. the systems and methods described in this specification can provide a number of advantages. some embodiments of these systems and methods can provide single servings of cooled food or drink. this approach can help consumers with portion control. some embodiments of these systems and methods can provide consumers the ability to choose their single-serving flavors, for example, of soft serve ice cream. some embodiments of these systems and methods incorporate shelf-stable pods that do not require pre-cooling, pre-freezing or other preparation. some embodiments of these systems and methods can generate frozen food or drinks from room-temperature pods in less than two minutes (in some cases, less than one minute). some embodiments of these systems and methods do not require post-processing clean up once the cooled or frozen food or drink is generated. some embodiments of these systems and methods utilize aluminum pods that are recyclable. the details of one or more embodiments of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims. description of figures fig. 1a is a perspective view of a machine for rapidly cooling food and drinks. fig. 1b shows the machine without its housing. fig. 1c is a perspective view of a portion of the machine of fig. 1a . fig. 2a is perspective view of the machine of fig. 1a with the cover of the pod-machine interface illustrated as being transparent to allow a more detailed view of the evaporator to be seen. fig. 2b is a top view of a portion of the machine without the housing and the pod-machine interface without the lid. figs. 2c and 2d are, respectively, a perspective view and a side view of the evaporator. figs. 3a-3f show components of a pod-machine interface that are operable to open and close pods in the evaporator to dispense the food or drink being produced. fig. 4 is a schematic of a refrigeration system. figs. 5a and 5b are views of a prototype of a condenser. fig. 6a is a side view of a pod. fig. 6b is a schematic side view of the pod and a mixing paddle disposed in the pod. figs. 7a and 7b are perspective views of a pod and an associated drive shaft. fig. 7c is a cross-section of a portion of the pod with the drive shaft engaged with a mixing paddle in the pod. fig. 8 shows a first end of a pod with its cap spaced apart from its base for ease of viewing. figs. 9a-9g illustrate rotation of a cap around the first end of the pod to open an aperture extending through the base. fig. 10 is an enlarged schematic side view of a pod. fig. 11 is a flow chart of a method for operating a machine for producing cooled food or drinks. figs. 12a is a front view of a pod that has a volume of twelve fluid ounces. fig. 12b is a schematic view of the pod of fig. 12a . fig. 12c is a front view of a pod that has a volume of eight fluid ounces. figs. 13a and 13b show the pod of fig. 12b before and after freezing. fig. 14 is a perspective view of a first end of a pod with a detachable paddle interface. figs. 15a and 15b are, respectively a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a pod in an evaporator. fig. 16 is a schematic view illustrating a threaded plug and a complimentary threaded recess defined in the central stem of a mixing paddle. figs. 17a-17c are perspective views of a plate mounted to the first end of a pod. figs. 17d and 17e are perspective views of the first end of the pod. fig. 18a is a perspective view of a rotatable base on the first end of a pod. figs. 18b-18d are perspective views of the rotatable base. figs. 19a and 19b show a plate rotatably connected to the first end of a pod. figs. 20a and 20b are views of a plate disposed on the first end of a pod. fig. 21a is a perspective view of a pod with the second end connected to a cap and a slider disposed between the pod and the cap. figs. 21b and 21c are exploded views of the pod, the cap, and the slider aligned to be in their closed position. figs. 21d and 21e show the plug portion of the slider in the dispensing port. figs. 21 f and 21 g are, respectively, an exploded view and a bottom view of the cap and slider in their open position. figs. 22a and 22b are schematic views of a pod engaged with a rotator. figs. 23a and 23b are schematic views of a pod engaged with a rotator. figs. 24a and 24b are perspective views of a removable lid that covers an end of a pod. figs. 25a-25c are, respectively, a perspective view, a cross-sectional view, and a top-down view of a pod-machine interface with an evaporator. figs. 26a and 26b are, respectively, a perspective view and a cutaway view of a pod. fig. 27 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 28 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 29a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 29b is a schematic view illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle of fig. 29a into a pod. fig. 30a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 30b is a schematic view illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle of fig. 30a into a pod. fig. 31 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 32a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. figs. 32b and 32c are schematic views illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle of fig. 32a into a pod. fig. 33 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 34a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. figs. 34b-34d are schematic views illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle of fig. 34a into a pod. fig. 35 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 36a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. figs. 36b-36d are schematic views illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle of fig. 36a into a pod. fig. 37a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 37b is a schematic view illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle of fig. 37a into a pod. fig. 38 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 39 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 40 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle. fig. 41 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle in a pod. figs. 42a and 42b illustrate an approach to filling a pod. figs. 43a and 43b shows a pod with a removable internal paddle. figs. 44a and 44b show a pod with an upper casing for storing toppings. figs. 45a and 45b show a gas-releasing disk housed, respectively, in a paddle and in a pod. figs. 46a, 46b, and 46c are, respectively, a perspective cutaway view, a side view, and an exploded view of a stack of bases. like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. detailed description this specification describes systems and methods for rapidly cooling food and drinks. some of these systems and methods use a counter-top or installed machine to cool food and drinks in a container from room temperature to freezing in less than two minutes. for example, the approach described in this specification has successfully demonstrated the ability make soft-serve ice cream, frozen coffees, frozen smoothies, and frozen cocktails, from room temperature pods in approximately 90 seconds. this approach can also be used to chill cocktails, create frozen smoothies, frozen protein and other functional beverage shakes (e.g., collagen-based, energy, plant-based, non-dairy, cbd shakes), frozen coffee drinks and chilled coffee drinks with and without nitrogen in them, create hard ice cream, create milk shakes, create frozen yogurt and chilled probiotic drinks. these systems and methods are based on a refrigeration cycle with low startup times and a pod-machine interface that is easy to use and provides extremely efficient heat transfer. some of the pods described can be sterilized (e.g., using retort sterilization) and used to store ingredients including, for example, dairy products at room temperature for up to 18 months. fig. 1a is a perspective view of a machine 100 for cooling food or drinks. fig. 1b shows the machine without its housing. the machine 100 reduces the temperature of ingredients in a pod containing the ingredients. most pods include a mixing paddle used to mix the ingredients before dispensing the cooled or frozen products. the machine 100 includes a body 102 that includes a compressor, condenser, fan, evaporator, capillary tubes, control system, lid system and dispensing system with a housing 104 and a pod-machine interface 106 . the pod-machine interface 106 includes an evaporator 108 of a refrigeration system 109 whose other components are disposed inside the housing 104 . as shown on fig. 1b , the evaporator 108 defines a receptacle 110 sized to receive a pod. a lid 112 is attached to the housing 104 via a hinge 114 . the lid 112 can rotate between a closed position covering the receptacle 110 ( fig. 1a ) and an open position exposing the receptacle 110 ( fig. 1b ). in the closed position, the lid 112 covers the receptacle 110 and is locked in place. in the machine 100 , a latch 116 on the lid 112 engages with a latch recess 118 on the pod-machine interface 106 . a latch sensor 120 is disposed in the latch recess 118 to determine if the latch 116 is engaged with the latch recess 118 . a processor 122 is electronically connected to the latch sensor 120 and recognizes that the lid 112 is closed when the latch sensor 120 determines that the latch 116 and the latch recess 118 are engaged. an auxiliary cover 115 rotates upward as the lid 112 is moved from its closed position to its open position. a slot in the auxiliary cover 115 receives a handle of the lid 112 during this movement. some auxiliary covers slide into the housing when the lid moves into the open position. in the machine 100 , the evaporator 108 is fixed in position with respect to the body 102 of the machine 100 and access to the receptacle 110 is provided by movement of the lid 112 . in some machines, the evaporator 108 is displaceable relative to the body 102 and movement of the evaporator 108 provides access to the receptacle 110 . a motor 124 disposed in the housing 104 is mechanically connected to a drive shaft 126 that extends from the lid 112 . when the lid 112 is in its closed position, the drive shaft 126 extends into the receptacle 110 and, if a pod is present, engages with the pod to move a paddle or paddles within the pod. the processor 122 is in electronic communication with the motor 124 and controls operation of the motor 124 . in some machines, the shaft associated with the paddle(s) of the pod extends outward from the pod and the lid 112 has a rotating receptacle (instead of the drive shaft 126 ) mechanically connected to the motor 124 . fig. 1c is perspective view of the lid 112 shown separately so the belt 125 that extends from motor 124 to the drive shaft 126 is visible. referring again to fig. 1b , the motor 124 is mounted on a plate that runs along rails 127 . the plate can move approximately 0.25 inches to adjust the tension on the belt. during assembly, the plate slides along the rails. springs disposed between the plate and the lid 112 bias the lid 112 away from the plate to maintain tension in the belt. fig. 2a is a perspective view of the machine 100 with the cover of the pod-machine interface 106 illustrated as being transparent to allow a more detailed view of the evaporator 108 to be seen. fig. 2b is a top view of a portion of the machine 100 without housing 104 and the pod-machine interface 106 without the lid 112 . figs. 2c and 2d are, respectively, a perspective view and a side view of the evaporator 108 . the evaporator 108 is described in more detail in u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/459,388 filed contemporaneously with this application and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. this application also describes other evaporators and heat exchange systems that can be used in machines to cool food and drink in pods. other pod-machine interfaces that can be used in this and other machines are described in u.s. patent application ser. no. 16/459,176 filed contemporaneously with this application and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. the evaporator 108 has a clamshell configuration with a first portion 128 attached to a second portion 130 by a living hinge 132 on one side and separated by a gap 134 on the other side. refrigerant flows to the evaporator 108 from other components of the refrigeration system through fluid channels 136 (best seen on fig. 2b ). the refrigerant flows through the evaporator 108 in internal channels through the first portion 128 , the living hinge 132 , and the second portion 130 . the space 137 (best seen on fig. 2b ) between the outer wall of the evaporator 108 and the inner wall of the casing of the pod-machine interface 106 is filled with an insulating material to reduce heat exchange between the environment and the evaporator 108 . in the machine 100 , the space 137 is filled with an aerogel (not shown). some machines use other insulating material, for example, an annulus (such as an airspace), insulating foams made of various polymers, or fiberglass wool. the evaporator 108 has an open position and a closed position. in the open position, the gap 134 provides an air gap between the first portion 128 and the second portion 130 . in the machine 100 , the first portion 128 and the second portion 130 are pressed together in the closed position. in some machines, the first and second portion are pressed towards each other and the gap is reduced, but still defined by a space between the first and second portions in the closed position. the inner diameter id of the evaporator 108 is slightly larger in the open position than in the closed position. pods can be inserted into and removed from the evaporator 108 while the evaporator is in the open position. transitioning the evaporator 108 from its open position to its closed position after a pod is inserted tightens the evaporator 108 around the outer diameter of the pod. for example, the machine 100 is configured to use pods with 2.085″ outer diameter. the evaporator 108 has an inner diameter of 2.115″ in the open position and an inner diameter inner diameter of 2.085″ in the closed position. some machines have evaporators sized and configured to cool other pods. the pods can be formed from commercially available can sizes, for example, “slim” cans with diameters ranging from 2.080 inches -2.090 inches and volumes of 180 milliliters (ml)-300 ml, “sleek” cans with diameters ranging from 2.250 inches-2.400 inches and volumes of 180 ml-400 ml and “standard” size cans with diameters ranging from 2.500 inches-2.600 inches and volumes of 200 ml-500 ml. the machine 100 is configured to use pods with 2.085 inches outer diameter. the evaporator 108 has an inner diameter of 2.115 inches in its open position and an inner diameter inner diameter of 2.085 inches in its closed position. some machines have evaporators sized and configured to cool other pods. standard cans are typically formed with a body having a closed end and sidewalls formed from a single piece of metal. typically, the can is filled and then a separately formed base is attached across the open end of the body. the closed position of evaporator 108 improves heat transfer between inserted pod 150 and the evaporator 108 by increasing the contact area between the pod 150 and the evaporator 108 and reducing or eliminating an air gap between the wall of the pod 150 and the evaporator 108 . in some pods, the pressure applied to the pod by the evaporator 108 is opposed by the mixing paddles, pressurized gases within the pod, or both to maintain the casing shape of the pod. in the evaporator 108 , the relative position of the first portion 128 and the second portion 130 and the size of the gap 134 between them is controlled by two bars 138 connected by a bolt 140 and two springs 142 . each of the bars 138 has a threaded central hole through which the bolt 140 extends and two end holes engaging the pins 144 . each of the two springs 142 is disposed around a pin 144 that extends between the bars 138 . some machines use other systems to control the size of the gap 134 , for example, circumferential cable systems with cables that extend around the outer diameter of the evaporator 108 with the cable being tightened to close the evaporator 108 and loosened to open the evaporator 108 . in other evaporators, there are a plurality of bolts and end holes, one or more than two springs, and one or more than engaging pins. one bar 138 is mounted on the first portion 128 of the evaporator 108 and the other bar 138 is mounted on the second portion 130 of the evaporator 108 . in some evaporators, the bars 138 are integral to the body of the evaporator 108 rather than being mounted on the body of the evaporator. the springs 142 press the bars 138 away from each other. the spring force biases the first portion 128 and the second portion 130 of the evaporator 108 away from each at the gap 134 . rotation of the bolt 140 in one direction increases a force pushing the bars 138 towards each and rotation of the bolt in the opposite direction decreases this force. when the force applied by the bolt 140 is greater than the spring force, the bars 138 bring the first portion 128 and the second portion 130 of the evaporator together. the machine 100 includes an electric motor 146 (shown on fig. 2b ) that is operable to rotate the bolt 140 to control the size of the gap 134 . some machines use other mechanisms to rotate the bolt 140 . for example, some machines use a mechanical linkage, for example, between the lid 112 and the bolt 140 to rotate the bolt 140 as the lid 112 is opened and closed. some machines include a handle that can be attached to the bolt to manually tighten or loosen the bolt. some machines have a wedge system that forces the bars into a closed position when the machine lid is shut. this approach may be used instead of the electric motor 146 or can be provided as a backup in case the motor fails. the electric motor 146 is in communication with and controlled by the processor 122 of the machine 100 . some electric drives include a torque sensor that sends torque measurements to the processor 122 . the processor 122 signals to the motor to rotate the bolt 140 in a first direction to press the bars 138 together, for example, when a pod sensor indicates that a pod is disposed in the receptacle 110 or when the latch sensor 120 indicates that the lid 112 and pod-machine interface 106 are engaged. it is desirable that the clamshell evaporator be shut and holding the pod in a tightly fixed position before the lid closes and the shaft pierces the pod and engages the mixing paddle. this positioning can be important for drive shaft-mixing paddle engagement. the processor 122 signals to the electric drive to rotate the bolt 140 in the second direction, for example, after the food or drink being produced has been cooled/frozen and dispensed from the machine 100 , thereby opening the evaporator gap 134 and allowing for easy removal of pod 150 from evaporator 108 the base of the evaporator 108 has three bores 148 (see fig. 2c ) which are used to mount the evaporator 108 to the floor of the pod-machine interface 106 . all three of the bores 148 extend through the base of the second portion 130 of the evaporator 108 . the first portion 128 of the evaporator 108 is not directly attached to the floor of the pod-machine interface 106 . this configuration enables the opening and closing movement described above. other configurations that enable the evaporator 108 opening and closing movement can also be used. some machines have more or fewer than three bores 148 . some evaporators are mounted to components other than the floor of the pod-machine interface, for example, the dispensing mechanism. figs. 3a-3f show components of the pod-machine interface 106 that are operable to open pods in the evaporator 108 to dispense the food or drink being produced by the machine 100 . this is an example of one approach to opening pods but some machines and the associated pods use other approaches. fig. 3a is a partially cutaway schematic view of the pod-machine interface 106 with a pod 150 placed in the evaporator 108 . fig. 3b is a schematic plan view looking upwards that shows the relationship between the end of the pod 150 and the floor 152 of the pod-machine interface 106 . the floor 152 of the pod-machine interface 106 is formed by a dispenser 153 . figs. 3c and 3d are perspective views of a dispenser 153 . figs. 3e and 3f are perspective views of an insert 154 that is disposed in the dispenser 153 . the insert 154 includes an electric motor 146 operable to drive a worm gear 157 floor 152 of the pod-machine interface 106 . the worm gear 157 is engaged with a gear 159 with an annular configuration. an annular member 161 mounted on the gear 159 extends from the gear 159 into an interior region of the pod-machine interface 106 . the annular member 161 has protrusions 163 that are configured to engage with a pod inserted into the pod-machine interface 106 to open the pod. the protrusions 163 of the annular member 161 are four dowel-shaped protrusions. some annular gears have more protrusions or fewer protrusions and the protrusions can have other shapes, for example, “teeth.” the pod 150 includes a body 158 containing a mixing paddle 160 (see fig. 3a ). the pod 150 also has a base 162 defining an aperture 164 and a cap 166 extending across the base 162 (see fig. 3b ). the base 162 is seamed/fixed onto the body 158 of the pod 150 . the base 162 includes a protrusion 165 . the cap 166 mounted over base 162 is rotatable around the circumference/axis of the pod 150 . in use, when the product is ready to be dispensed from the pod 150 , the dispenser 153 of the machine engages and rotates the cap 166 around the first end of the pod 150 . cap 166 is rotated to a position to engage and then separate the protrusion 165 from the rest of the base 162 . the pod 150 and its components are described in more detail with respect to figs. 6a-10 . the aperture 164 in the base 162 is opened by rotation of the cap 166 . the pod-machine interface 106 includes an electric motor 146 with threading that engages the outer circumference of a gear 168 . operation of the electric motor 146 causes the gear 168 to rotate. the gear 168 is attached to a annular member 161 and rotation of the gear 168 rotates the annular member 161 . the gear 168 and the annular member 161 are both annular and together define a central bore through which food or drink can be dispensed from the pod 150 through the aperture 164 without contacting the gear 168 or the annular member 161 . when the pod 150 is placed in the evaporator 108 , the annular member 161 engages the cap 166 and rotation of the annular member 161 rotates the cap 166 . fig. 4 is a schematic of the refrigeration system 109 that includes the evaporator 108 . the refrigeration system also includes a condenser 180 , a suction line heat exchanger 182 , an expansion valve 184 , and a compressor 186 . high-pressure, liquid refrigerant flows from the condenser 180 through the suction line heat exchanger 182 and the expansion valve 184 to the evaporator 108 . the expansion valve 184 restricts the flow of the liquid refrigerant fluid and lowers the pressure of the liquid refrigerant as it leaves the expansion valve 184 . the low-pressure liquid then moves to the evaporator 108 where heat absorbed from a pod 150 and its contents in the evaporator 108 changes the refrigerant from a liquid to a gas. the gas-phase refrigerant flows from the evaporator 108 to the compressor 186 through the suction line heat exchanger 182 . in the suction line heat exchanger 182 , the liquid refrigerant cools gas-phase refrigerant before it enters the compressor 186 . the refrigerant enters the compressor 186 as a low-pressure gas and leaves the compressor 186 as a high-pressure gas. the gas then flows to the condenser 180 where heat exchange cools and condenses the refrigerant to a liquid. the refrigeration system 109 includes a first bypass line 188 and second bypass line 190 . the first bypass line 188 directly connects the discharge of the compressor 186 to the inlet of the compressor 186 . diverting the refrigerant directly from the compressor discharge to the inlet can provide evaporator defrosting and temperature control without injecting hot gas to the evaporator that could reduce flow to the evaporator, increase the pressure in the evaporator and, in turn, raise the evaporator temperature above freezing. the first bypass line 188 also provides a means for rapid pressure equalization across the compressor 186 , which allows for rapid restarting (i.e., freezing one pod after another quickly). the second bypass line 190 enables the application of warm gas to the evaporator 108 to defrost the evaporator 108 . figs. 5a and 5b are views of a prototype of the condenser 180 . the condenser has internal channels 192 . the internal channels 192 increase the surface area that interacts with the refrigerant cooling the refrigerant quickly. these images show micro-channel tubing which are used because they have small channels which keeps the coolant velocity up and are thin wall for good heat transfer and have little mass to prevent the condenser for being a heat sink. figs. 6a and 6b show an example of a pod 150 for use with the machine 100 described with respect to figs. 1a-3f . fig. 6a is a side view of the pod 150 . fig. 6b is a schematic side view of the pod 150 and the mixing paddle 160 disposed in the body 158 of the pod 150 . the pod 150 is sized to fit in the receptacle 110 of the machine 100 . the pods can be sized to provide a single serving of the food or drink being produced. typically, pods have a volume between 6 and 18 fluid ounces. the pod 150 has a volume of approximately 8.5 fluid ounces. the body 158 of the pod 150 is a can that contains the mixing paddle 160 . the body 158 extends from a first end 210 at the base to a second end 212 and has a circular cross-section. the first end 210 has a diameter d ue that is slightly larger than the diameter d le of the second end 212 . this configuration facilitates stacking multiple pods 200 on top of one another with the first end 210 of one pod receiving the second end 212 of another pod. a wall 214 connects the first end 210 to the second end 212 . the wall 214 has a first neck 216 , second neck 218 , and a barrel 220 between the first neck 216 and the second neck 218 . the barrel 220 has a circular cross-section with a diameter d b . the diameter d b is larger than both the diameter d ue of the first end 210 and the diameter d le of the second end 212 . the first neck 216 connects the barrel 220 to the first end 210 and slopes as the first neck 216 extends from the smaller diameter d ue to the larger diameter d b the barrel 220 . the second neck 218 connects the barrel 220 to the second end 212 and slopes as the second neck 218 extends from the larger diameter d b of the barrel 220 to the smaller diameter d le of the second end 212 . the second neck 218 is sloped more steeply than the first neck 216 as the second end 212 has a smaller diameter than the first end 210 . this configuration of the pod 150 provides increased material usage; i.e., the ability to use more base material (e.g., aluminum) per pod. this configuration further assists with the columnar strength of the pod. the pod 150 is designed for good heat transfer from the evaporator to the contents of the pod. the body 158 of the pod 150 is made of aluminum and is between 5 and 50 microns thick. the bodies of some pods are made of other materials, for example, tin, stainless steel, and various polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (pte). pod 150 may be made from a combination of different materials to assist with the manufacturability and performance of the pod. in one embodiment, the pod walls and the second end 212 may be made of aluminum 3104 while the base may be made of aluminum 5182. in some pods, the internal components of the pod are coated with a lacquer to prevent corrosion of the pod as it comes into contact with the ingredients contained within pod. this lacquer also reduces the likelihood of “off notes” of the metal in the food and beverage ingredients contained within pod. for example, a pod made of aluminum may be internally coated with one or a combination of the following coatings: sherwin williams/valspar v70q11, v70q05, 32so2ad, 40q60aj; ppg innovel 2012-823, 2012-820c; and/or akzo nobel aqualure g1 50. other coatings made by the same or other coating manufacturers may also be used. some mixing paddles are made of similar aluminum alloys and coated with similar lacquers/coatings. for example, whitford/ppg coating 8870 may be used as a coating for mixing paddles. the mixing paddle lacquer may have additional non-stick and hardening benefits for mixing paddle. figs. 7a-7c illustrate the engagement between the drive shaft 126 of the machine 100 and the mixing paddle 160 of a pod 150 inserted in the machine 100 . figs. 7a and 7b are perspective views of the pod 150 and the drive shaft 126 . in use, the pod 150 is inserted into the receptacle 110 of the evaporator 108 with the first end 210 of the pod 150 downward. this orientation exposes the second end 212 of the pod 150 to the drive shaft 126 as shown in fig. 7a . closing the lid 112 (see fig. 1a ) presses the drive shaft 126 against the second end 212 of the pod 150 with sufficient force that the drive shaft 126 pierces the second end 212 of the pod 150 . fig. 7b shows the resulting hole exposing the mixing paddle 160 with the drive shaft 126 offset for ease of viewing. fig. 7c is a cross-section of a portion of the pod 150 with the drive shaft 126 engaged with the mixing paddle 160 after the lid is closed. typically, there is not a tight seal between the drive shaft 126 and the pod 150 so that air can flow in as the frozen confection is evacuating/dispensing out the other end of the pod 150 . in an alternative embodiment, there is a tight seal such that the pod 150 retains pressure in order to enhance contact between the pod 150 and evaporator 108 . some mixing paddle contain a funnel or receptacle configuration that receives the punctured end of the second end of the pod when the second end is punctured by driveshaft. fig. 8 shows the first end 210 of the pod 150 with the cap 166 spaced apart from the base 162 for ease of viewing. figs. 9a-9g illustrate rotation of the cap 166 around the first end 210 of the pod 150 to cut and carry away protrusion 165 of base 162 and expose aperture 164 extending through the base 162 . the base 162 is manufactured separately from the body 158 of the pod 150 and then attached (for example, by crimping or seaming) to the body 158 of the pod 150 covering an open end of the body 158 . the protrusion 165 of the base 162 can be formed, for example, by stamping, deep drawing, or heading a sheet of aluminum being used to form the base. the protrusion 165 is attached to the remainder of the base 162 , for example, by a weakened score line 173 . the scoring can be a vertical score into the base of the aluminum sheet or a horizontal score into the wall of the protrusion 165 . for example, the material can be scored from an initial thickness of 0.008 inches to 0.010 inches to a post-scoring thickness of 0.001 inches-0.008 inches. in an alternative embodiment, there is no post-stamping scoring but rather the walls are intentionally thinned for ease of rupture. in another version, there is not variable wall thickness but rather the cap 166 combined with force of the machine dispensing mechanism engagement are enough to cut the 0.008 inches to 0.010 inches wall thickness on the protrusion 165 . with the scoring, the protrusion 165 can be lifted and sheared off the base 162 with 5-75 pounds of force, for example between 15-40 pounds of force. the cap 166 has a first aperture 222 and a second aperture 224 . the first aperture approximately matches the shape of the aperture 164 . the aperture 164 is exposed and extends through the base 162 when the protrusion 165 is removed. the second aperture 224 has a shape corresponding to two overlapping circles. one of the overlapping circles has a shape that corresponds to the shape of the protrusion 165 and the other of the overlapping circles is slightly smaller. a ramp 226 extends between the outer edges of the two overlapping circles. there is an additional 0.020″ material thickness at the top of the ramp transition. this extra height helps to lift and rupture the protrusion's head and open the aperture during the rotation of the cap as described in more detail with reference to figs. 9a-9g . as shown in figs. 9a and 9 b, the cap 166 is initially attached to the base 162 with the protrusion 165 aligned with and extending through the larger of the overlapping circles of the second aperture 224 . when the processor 122 of the machine activates the electric motor 146 to rotate the gear 168 and the annular member 161 , rotation of the cap 166 slides the ramp 226 under a lip of the protrusion 165 as shown in figs. 9c and 9d . continued rotation of the cap 166 applies a lifting force that separates the protrusion 165 from the remainder of the base 162 (see figs. 9e-9g ) and then aligns the first aperture 222 of the cap 166 with the aperture 164 in the base 162 resulting from removal of the protrusion 165 . some pods include a structure for retaining the protrusion 165 after the protrusion 165 is separated from the base 162 . in the pod 150 , the protrusion 165 has a head 167 , a stem 169 , and a foot 171 (best seen in fig. 9g ). the stem 169 extends between the head 167 and the foot 171 and has a smaller cross-section that the head 167 and the foot 171 . as rotation of the cap 166 separates the protrusion 165 from the remainder of the base 162 , the cap 166 presses laterally against the stem 169 with the head 167 and the foot 171 bracketing the cap 166 along the edges of one of the overlapping circles of the second aperture 224 . this configuration retains the protrusion 165 when the protrusion 165 is separated from the base 166 . such a configuration reduces the likelihood that the protrusion falls into the waiting receptacle that when the protrusion 165 is removed from the base. some pods include other approaches to separating the protrusion 165 from the remainder of the base 162 . for example, in some pods, the base has a rotatable cutting mechanism that is riveted to the base. the rotatable cutting mechanism has a shape similar to that described relative to cap 166 but this secondary piece is riveted to and located within the perimeter of base 162 rather than being mounted over and around base 162 . when the refrigeration cycle is complete, the processor 122 of the machine activates an arm of the machine to rotate the riveted cutting mechanism around a rivet. during rotation, the cutting mechanism engages, cuts and carries away the protrusion 165 , leaving the aperture 164 of base 162 in its place. in another example, some pods have caps with a sliding knife that moves across the base to remove the protrusion. the sliding knife is activated by the machine and, when triggered by the controller, slides across the base to separate, remove, and collect the protrusion 165 . the cap 166 has a guillotine feature that, when activated by the machine, may slide straight across and over the base 162 . the cap 166 engages, cuts, and carries away the protrusion 165 . in another embodiment, this guillotine feature may be central to the machine and not the cap 166 of pod 150 . in another embodiment, this guillotine feature may be mounted as a secondary piece within base 162 and not a secondary mounted piece as is the case with cap 166 . some pods have a dispensing mechanism that includes a pop top that can be engaged and released by the machine. when the refrigeration cycle is complete, an arm of the machine engages and lifts a tab of the pod, thereby pressing the puncturing the base and creating an aperture in the base. chilled or frozen product is dispensed through the aperture. the punctured surface of the base remains hinged to base and is retained inside the pod during dispensing. the mixing avoids or rotates over the punctured surface or, in another embodiment, so that the mixing paddle continues to rotate without obstruction. in some pop tops, the arm of the machine separates the punctured surface from the base. fig. 10 is an enlarged schematic side view of the pod 150 . the mixing paddle 160 includes a central stem 228 and two blades 230 extending from the central stem 228 . the blades 230 are helical blades shaped to churn the contents of the pod 150 and to remove ingredients that adhere to inner surface of the body 158 of the pod 150 . some mixing paddles have a single blade and some mixing paddles have more than two mixing paddles. fluids (for example, liquid ingredients, air, or frozen confection) flow through openings 232 in the blades 230 when the mixing paddle 160 rotates. these openings reduce the force required to rotate the mixing paddle 160 . this reduction can be significant as the viscosity of the ingredients increases (e.g., as ice cream forms). the openings 232 further assist in mixing and aerating the ingredients within the pod. the lateral edges of the blades 230 define slots 234 . the slots 234 are offset so that most of the inner surface of the body 158 is cleared of ingredients that adhere to inner surface of the body by one of the blades 230 as the mixing paddle 160 rotates. although the mixing paddle is 160 wider than the first end 210 of the body 158 of the pod 150 , the slots 234 are alternating slots that facilitate insertion of the mixing paddle 160 into the body 158 of the pod 150 by rotating the mixing paddle 160 during insertion so that the slots 234 are aligned with the first end 210 . in another embodiment, the outer diameter of the mixing paddle are less than the diameter of the pod 150 opening, allowing for a straight insertion (without rotation) into the pod 150 . in another embodiment, one blade on the mixing paddle has an outer-diameter that is wider than the second blade diameter, thus allowing for straight insertion (without rotation) into the pod 150 . in this mixing paddle configuration, one blade is intended to remove (e.g., scrape) ingredients from the sidewall while the second, shorter diameter blade, is intended to perform more of a churning operation. some mixing paddles have one or more blades that are hinged to the central stem. during insertion, the blades can be hinged into a condensed formation and released into an expanded formation once inserted. some hinged blades are fixed open while rotating in a first direction and collapsible when rotating in a second direction, opposite the first direction. some hinged blades lock into a fixed, outward, position once inside the pod regardless of rotational directions. some hinged blades are manually condensed, expanded, and locked. the mixing paddle 160 rotates clockwise and removes frozen confection build up from the pod 214 wall. gravity forces the confection removed from the pod wall to fall towards first end 210 . in the counterclockwise direction, the mixing paddle 160 rotate, lift and churn the ingredients towards the second end 212 . when the paddle changes direction and rotates clockwise the ingredients are pushed towards the first end 210 . when the protrusion 165 of the base 162 is removed as shown and described with respect to fig. 9d , clockwise rotation of the mixing paddle dispenses produced food or drink from the pod 150 through the aperture 164 . some paddles mix and dispense the contents of the pod by rotating a first direction. some paddles mix by moving in a first direction and a second direction and dispense by moving in the second direction when the pod is opened. the central stem 228 defines a recess 236 that is sized to receive the drive shaft 126 of the machine 100 . the recess and drive shaft 126 have a square cross section so that the drive shaft 126 and the mixing paddle 160 are rotatably constrained. when the motor rotates the drive shaft 126 , the drive shaft rotates the mixing paddle 160 . in some embodiments, the cross section of the drive shaft is a different shape and the cross section of the recess is compatibly shaped. in some cases the drive shaft and recess are threadedly connected. in some pods, the recess contains a mating structure that grips the drive shaft to rotationally couple the drive shaft to the paddle. fig. 11 is a flow chart of a method 250 implemented on the processor 122 for operating the machine 100 . the method 250 is described with references to refrigeration system 109 and machine 100 . the method 250 may also be used with other refrigeration systems and machines. the method 250 is described as producing soft serve ice cream but can also be used to produce other cooled or frozen drinks and foods. the first step of the method 250 is to turn the machine 100 on (step 260 ) and turn on the compressor 186 and the fans associated with the condenser 180 (step 262 ). the refrigeration system 109 then idles at regulated temperature (step 264 ). in the method 250 , the evaporator 108 temperature is controlled to remain around 0.75° c. but may fluctuate by ±0.25° c. some machines are operated at other idle temperatures, for example, from 0.75° c. to room temperature (22.0° c.). if the evaporator temperature is below 0.5° c., the processor 122 opens the bypass valve 190 to increase the heat of the system (step 266 ). when the evaporator temperature goes over 1° c., the bypass valve 190 is closed to cool the evaporator (step 268 ). from the idle state, the machine 100 can be operated to produce ice cream (step 270 ) or can shut down (step 272 ). after inserting a pod, the user presses the start button. when the user presses the start button, the bypass valve 190 closes, the evaporator 108 moves to its closed position, and the motor 124 is turned on (step 274 ). in some machines, the evaporator is closed electronically using a motor. in some machines, the evaporator is closed mechanically, for example by the lid moving from the open position to the closed position. in some systems, a sensor confirms that a pod 150 is present in the evaporator 108 before these actions are taken. some systems include radio frequency identification (rfid) tags or other intelligent bar codes such as upc bar or qr codes. identification information on pods can be used to trigger specific cooling and mixing algorithms for specific pods. these systems can optionally read the rfid, qr code, or barcode and identify the mixing motor speed profile and the mixing motor torque threshold (step 273 ). the identification information can also be used to facilitate direct to consumer marketing (e.g., over the internet or using a subscription model). this approach and the systems described in this specification enable selling ice cream thru e-commerce because the pods are shelf stable. in the subscription mode, customers pay a monthly fee for a predetermined number of pods shipped to them each month. they can select their personalized pods from various categories (e.g., ice cream, healthy smoothies, frozen coffees or frozen cocktails) as well as their personalized flavors (e.g., chocolate or vanilla). the identification can also be used to track each pod used. in some systems, the machine is linked with a network and can be configured to inform a vendor as to which pods are being used and need to be replaced (e.g., through a weekly shipment). this method is more efficient than having the consumers go to the grocery store and purchase pods. these actions cool the pod 150 in the evaporator 108 while rotating the mixing paddle 160 . as the ice cream forms, the viscosity of the contents of the pod 150 increases. a torque sensor of the machine measures the torque of the motor 124 required to rotate the mixing paddle 160 within the pod 150 . once the torque of the motor 124 measured by a torque sensor satisfies a predetermined threshold, the machine 100 moves into a dispensing mode ( 276 ). the dispensing port opens and the motor 124 reverses direction (step 278 ) to press the frozen confection out of the pod 150 . this continues for approximately 1 to 10 seconds to dispense the contents of the pod 150 (step 280 ). the machine 100 then switches to defrost mode (step 282 ). frost that builds up on the evaporator 108 can reduce the heat transfer efficiency of the evaporator 108 . in addition, the evaporator 108 can freeze to the pod 150 , the first portion 128 and second portion 130 of the evaporator can freeze together, and/or the pod can freeze to the evaporator. the evaporator can be defrosted between cycles to avoid these issues by opening the bypass valve 170 , opening the evaporator 108 , and turning off the motor 124 (step 282 ). the machine then diverts gas through the bypass valve for about 1 to 10 seconds to defrost the evaporator (step 284 ). the machine is programmed to defrost after every cycle, unless a thermocouple reports that the evaporator 108 is already above freezing. the pod can then be removed. the machine 100 then returns to idle mode (step 264 ). in some machines, a thermometer measures the temperature of the contents of pod 150 and identifies when it is time to dispense the contents of the pod. in some machines, the dispensing mode begins when a predetermined time is achieved. in some machines, a combination of torque required to turn the mixing paddle, temperature of the pod, and/or time determines when it is time to dispense the contents of the pod. if the idle time expires, the machine 100 automatically powers down (step 272 ). a user can also power down the machine 100 by holding down the power button ( 286 ). when powering down, the processor opens the bypass valve 190 to equalize pressure across the valve (step 288 ). the machine 100 waits ten seconds (step 290 ) then turns off the compressor 186 and fans (step 292 ). the machine is then off. figs. 12a is a front view of a pod 150 that has a volume of eight fluid ounces. fig. 12b is a cross-sectional view of the pod 150 that showing various features whose specifications are indicated on table 1. table 1itemdescriptionmm+/−inch+/−aoutside body diameter53.0700.012.08940.0004bfactory finished can134.090.255.2790.010heightcdome depth9.700.130.3820.005dneck plug diameter50.000.131.9690.005eflange diameter54.54max2.147maxfstand diameter46.36ref1.825refgflange width2.100.200.0830.008hover flange radius1.55ref0.061refiflange angle0-7deg0-7degjseaming clearance3.05min0.120minkneck angle33.0deg33.0deglneck height9.80ref0.386ref1dome reversal pressure6.32bar93psi(min)2axial load strength85kg834n(min)3freeboard14.1ref0.56ref4brimful capacity (ml)27932793 some pods have different volumes and/or shapes. for example, a pod 300 shown in fig. 12c has a volume of eight fluid ounces. other pods have a volume of 16 fluid ounces. table 2 includes a variety of pod volumes and diameters. table 2volumevolumediametername(milliliters)(fluid ounces)(inches)standard beverage pod 12508.452.500-2.600standard beverage pod 233011.152.500-2.600standard beverage pod 335512.002.500-2.600standard beverage pod 437512.682.500-2.600standard beverage pod 544014.872.500-2.600standard beverage pod 650016.902.500-2.600slim pod 12006.762.085-2.200slim pod 22508.452.085-2.200slim pod 330010.142.085-2.200sleek pod 130010.142.250-2.400sleek pod 235011.152.250-2.400sleek pod 335512.002.250-2.400 fig. 13a shows the pod 300 before inserting the pod 300 into the evaporator 108 and fig. 13b shows the pod 300 after cooling and before dispensing the contents of the pod 300 . in fig. 13a , the pod 300 includes four fluid ounces of liquid ingredients. the pod 300 can be stored at room temperature or refrigerated prior to insertion into the evaporator 108 . after the pod 300 is inserted into the evaporator 108 , mixed using the internal mixing paddle 160 , and cooled to freeze the contents, “loft” associated with the aeration of the ingredients brings the overall volume of the pod contents to 5-8 fluid ounces. fig. 14 is a perspective view of the second end 302 of a pod 301 . the pod 301 is substantially similar to the pod 150 . however, the second end 302 of the pod 301 includes a paddle interface 304 that is detachable from the body 158 . the pod 301 can then be recycled by separating the plastic mixing paddle (not shown) from the aluminum body of the pod. the paddle interface 304 detaches by rotating a flange 306 connected to the central stem of the mixing paddle. the flange 306 and central stem are translationally coupled but not rotationally coupled. rotating the flange 306 unlocks the paddle from engagement with the pod 301 . a user can then pull the paddle out through a central aperture 308 defined by the second end 302 of the pod 301 . fig. 15a is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the pod 150 in the evaporator 108 . in fig. 15a , a cover 315 is disposed on the evaporator 108 . the cover 315 includes a first fluid inlet 312 , a first fluid outlet 314 , a second fluid inlet 316 , and a second fluid outlet 318 . the first fluid inlet 312 and first fluid outlet 314 are fluidly connected by a first flow path defined by channels within the first portion 128 . the second fluid inlet 316 and second fluid outlet 318 are fluidly connected by a second flow path defined by channels within the second portion 130 . the first flow path and the second flow path are independent of each other. fig. 15b is a cross-sectional view of the evaporator 108 and pod 150 with mixing paddle 160 . the drive shaft 126 passes thru the second end 212 of the pod 150 and engages the paddle 160 when the evaporator 108 is in the closed position. figs. 16-21g show various dispensing mechanisms and assemblies that can be mounted on or integrated into pods and/or mixing paddles. the dispensing mechanisms described expose an opening (e.g., a dispensing port or an aperture) to fluidly connect the environment with the interior of the pod. fig. 16 is a schematic view of system that includes a threaded plug 330 and a complimentary threaded recess 332 defined in the central stem 228 of a mixing paddle. the threaded plug 330 and threaded recess 332 rotate and translate relative to each other to open an aperture 334 defined in the first end 210 of the pod. the plug 330 abuts the stem 228 such that rotation in a counter-clockwise direction engages the threads on the plug 330 with the threaded recess 332 . further rotation of the central stem 228 pulls the plug 330 into the recess 332 , eventually exposing the aperture 334 defined in the first end 210 of the pod. counter-clockwise rotation of the paddle 160 churns the contents of the pod downwards, through the aperture 334 . clockwise rotation of the mixing paddle 160 churns the contents of the pod upwards, away from the aperture 334 . initially the plug 330 and recess 332 abut in such a manner that the when the paddle 160 rotates clockwise, the threaded plug 330 and the threaded recess 332 do not engage each other. figs. 17a-17c are perspective views of a cap 336 rotatably mounted to the first end 210 of a pod. a foil seal 338 covers a dispensing port 340 defined in the first end 210 of the pod. the cap 336 defines an opening 342 sized similarly to the dispensing port 340 . a scraper is used to remove the foil when it is time to dispense the contents of the pod. the cap 336 has a knife-edge 344 that functions as the scraper. the cap 336 and foil 338 are initially positioned as shown in fig. 17a . when the contents of the pod are ready to be dispensed, the machine 100 rotates the cap 336 in a counterclockwise direction. as the cap 336 rotates, the knife-edge 344 scrapes and detaches the foil seal 338 from first end 210 , exposing the dispensing port 340 as shown in fig. 17b . an arm 346 projects from the cap 336 to engage the detached seal 338 and keep it from falling into the food or drink being dispensed. the cap 336 continues to rotate in a counterclockwise direction until the dispensing port 340 and the opening 342 align, as shown in fig. 17c . at this point, the paddle 160 rotates to churn the contents of the pod in a downward direction out the dispensing port 340 . figs. 17d and 17e show first end 210 of the pod without the cap 336 . fig. 17d shows the foil seal 338 covering the dispensing port 340 . fig. 17e is a perspective view of the first end 210 without the foil seal 338 . the foil seal 338 seals the liquid, semi-solid, and/or solid contents of the pod during sterilization, transit, and storage. the diameter of the dispensing port 340 is about ⅝ of an inch. some dispensing ports are other sizes (e.g., 0.2 to 1 inches in diameter). figs. 18a-18d are perspective views of the first end 210 of a pod with a rotatable cap 350 . figs. 18b-18d are perspective views of the cap 350 shown in fig. 18a . in these figures, the cap 350 is illustrated as being transparent to make it easier to describe the inner components are visible. typically, caps are opaque. the cap 350 is attached to the first end 210 of the pod using a rivet 352 . the cap 350 covers the first end 210 of the pod and a foil seal 338 initially disposed covering the dispensing port 340 of the pod. fig. 18b shows a top perspective view of the cap 350 with a knife-edge 356 , a nozzle 358 , and a support plate 360 . the knife-edge 356 , support plate 360 , and nozzle 358 are rotatably coupled to the cap 350 and move between a closed position to a dispensing position. the closed position of the cap 350 is shown in figs. 18a and 18 b. the dispensing position is shown in fig. 18c . in the closed position, the support plate 360 covers the dispensing port 340 and the foil seal. in the dispensing position, the nozzle 358 aligns with the dispensing port 340 and the foil seal 338 is disposed on an upper surface of the knife-edge 356 . the cap 350 rotates to move the nozzle 358 , knife-edge 356 , and support plate 360 from the initial position to the dispensing position. as the plate rotates, the knife scrapes the foil seal and removes the foil seal from its position covering the dispensing port 340 . the cap 350 continues to rotate and the knife-edge 356 covers the dispensing port. the seal 338 moves up the knife-edge 356 , guided by the support plate 360 and engages the knife-edge 356 , as shown in fig. 18d . the cap 350 rotates further and the nozzle 358 aligns with the dispensing port 340 . the paddle 160 rotates in a direction that churns the contents of the pod downward towards the dispensing port 340 . the support plate 360 serves strengthens and supports to the overall first end 210 during the sterilization process (e.g., retort or hpp) when internal and external pressures may otherwise cause the end to be compromised. figs. 19a and 19b show a cap 389 including plate 390 and a slider 392 . the cap 389 is rotatably connected to the first end 210 of a pod. the slider 392 is disposed between the plate 390 and the first end 210 of the pod. a hinge 396 fastens a first end 398 of the slider 392 to the first end 210 of the pod. a boss 400 extends from a second end 402 of the slider 392 . the plate 390 defines an aperture 403 , an arced guide track 404 , and a linear guide track 406 . the arced guide track 404 engages the hinge 396 of the first end 210 of the pod 150 . the linear guide track 406 engages the boss 400 of the slider 392 . figs. 19a shows the plate 390 and the slider 392 in an open position in which the aperture 403 is aligned and in fluid connection with the dispensing port 340 . in the open position, the boss 400 is at a first end 408 of the linear guide track 406 and the hinge 396 is at a first end 410 of the arced guide track 404 . in the closed position, the second end 402 of the slider 392 covers the dispensing port 340 . the hinge 396 abuts a second end 412 of the arced guide track 404 and the boss 400 abuts a second end 414 of the linear guide track 406 . to move from the open position to the closed position, the plate 390 is rotated counterclockwise. the hinge 396 follows the arced guide track 404 from the first end 410 to the second end 412 . the boss 400 also moves along the linear guide track 406 from the first end 408 to the second end 414 . the rotation of the plate 390 moves the second end 402 of the slider 392 to cover the dispensing port 340 . when the hinge 396 is at the second end 412 of the arced guide track 404 , the slider 392 fully covers the dispensing port 340 . to move from the closed position to the open position, the plate 390 is rotated clockwise. the hinge 396 follows the arced guide track 404 from the second end 412 to the first end 410 . the boss 400 also moves along the linear guide track 406 from the second end 414 to the first end 408 . the clockwise rotation of the plate 390 moves the second end 402 of the slider 392 to expose the dispensing port 340 . when the hinge 396 is at the first end 410 of the arced guide track 404 , the aperture 403 is aligned and in fluid communication with the dispensing port 340 , as shown in fig. 19a . figs. 20a and 20b are views of a plate 420 disposed on the first end 210 of a pod. the plate defines an aperture 422 and an arced guide track 424 . the slider 392 is disposed between the plate 420 and the first end 210 of the pod 150 . a link arm 426 is disposed between the slider 392 and the plate 420 . as described with reference to fig. 19a , the slider 392 is connected to the first end 210 of the pod 150 by the hinge 396 . the boss 400 extends from the slider 392 and acts as a hinge, rotatably and translationally connecting the second end 402 of the slider 392 to the link arm 426 . the link arm 426 includes a projection 427 that acts as a hinge, rotationally and translationally connecting the plate 420 and the link arm 426 . fig. 20a shows the plate 420 , slider 392 , and link arm 426 in the closed position. the second end 402 of the slider 392 covers the dispensing port 340 . fig. 20b shows the plate 420 in the open position, in which the aperture 422 is aligned and fluidly connected with the dispensing port 340 . the plate 420 operates similarly to plate 390 . in the open position, the hinge 396 is positioned at a first end 428 of the arced guide track 424 . in the closed position, the hinge 396 is positioned at a second end 430 of the arced guide track 424 . the plate 420 rotates to move the arced guide track 424 relative to the hinge 396 . to move from the closed position, shown in fig. 20a , to the open position, shown in fig. 20b , the plate 420 rotates clockwise. the projection 427 rotates with the plate 420 and pulls the link arm 426 clockwise. the boss 400 that connects the link arm 426 to the slider 392 pulls the second end 402 of the slider 392 clockwise, exposing the dispensing port 340 . the aperture 422 rotates clockwise to align with the dispensing port 340 . when the hinge 396 abuts the first end 428 of the arced guide track 424 , the aperture 422 is aligned with the dispensing port 340 . to move from the open position, shown in fig. 20b , to the closed position, shown in fig. 20a , the plate 420 rotates counterclockwise. the projection 427 rotates with the plate 420 and pushes the link arm 426 counterclockwise. the boss 400 that connects the link arm 426 to the slider 392 pushes the second end 402 of the slider 392 counterclockwise, covering the dispensing port 340 with the second end 402 of the slider 392 . the aperture 422 rotates counterclockwise moving out of alignment with the dispensing port 340 . when the hinge 396 abuts the second end 430 of the arced guide track 424 , the second end 402 of the slider 392 covers the dispensing port 340 . fig. 21a is a perspective view of a pod 150 with the first end 210 connected to a cap 432 and a slider 434 disposed between the pod 150 and the cap 432 . the slider 434 has a flat portion 436 and a plug portion 438 . the plug portion 438 plugs the dispensing port 340 in the closed position. the cap 432 defines an aperture 440 that aligns with the dispensing port 340 in the open position. figs. 21b and 21c are exploded views of the pod 150 , cap 432 , and slider 434 aligned to be in the closed position. the cap 432 includes a recess 442 that holds the slider 434 . the cap 432 and slider 434 are attached to the second end first end 210 of the pod 150 using a bolt 444 . the slider 434 and cap 432 are rotatable relative to each other and relative to the bolt 444 . figs. 21d and 21e show the closed position with the plug portion 438 of the slider 434 in the dispensing port 340 . the cap 432 is shown apart from the pod 150 for ease of viewing. figs. 21f and 21g show an exploded view and a bottom view of the cap 432 and slider 434 in the open position. the cap 432 rotates to move the slider 434 between the open and closed position. as the cap 432 continues to rotate, the slider 434 tucks into the recess 442 of the cap 432 , the sliding plug 438 is removed from the dispensing port 340 , and the aperture 440 of the cap 432 aligns with the dispensing port 340 . this configuration can be reversed into the closed position by rotating the cap 432 in the opposite direction, sliding plug 438 up and into the dispensing port 340 to reseal it. figs. 22a and 22b are schematic views of a pod 150 engaged with a gear wheel 450 . the gear wheel 452 engages a plate or cap (e.g., the plates of figs. 17a, 18a, 19a, 20a , or the cap of fig. 21a ) of the pod 150 when the pod 150 is inserted into a machine. the gear wheel 452 is attached to a motor (not shown) that drives the gear wheel 452 . rotation of the gear wheel 452 rotates the plate or cap of the pod 150 . when it is time to dispense cooled food or drink from the pod 150 , the motor is activated to rotate the gear wheel to rotate the plate or cap and open the cover of the pod 150 to dispense its contents. when the pod 150 is inserted into the evaporator 108 of the machine 100 a plate or cap attached to the first end 210 of the pod rests against the gear wheel 452 . in some rotators, the gear wheel is shaped as a circular donut or a roller. to dispense cooled food or drink, the motor 454 is activated by a controller and rotates the gear wheel 452 via the rod 456 . the gear wheel 452 engages the plate or cap, moving the plate or cap into the open position from the closed position. by reversing the motor 454 , the gear wheel 452 can moving the plate or cap into the closed position from the open position. some gear wheels can be activated manually by the machine user. figs. 23a and 23b are schematic views of a pod 150 engaged with a gear wheel 452 . the gear wheel 452 that engages a plate or cap and is coupled to a motor 454 that drives the gear wheel 452 via a rod 456 . rotation of the gear wheel 452 rotates the plate or cap of the pod 150 . when it is time to dispense cooled food or drink from the pod 150 , the motor is activated to rotate the gear wheel to rotate the plate or cap and open the cover of the pod 150 to dispense its contents. figs. 24a and 24b are perspective views of a removable lid 464 that covers an end of a pod 150 . the removable lid 462 is integrally formed with the pod 150 and has an edge 465 that defines a weakened area of aluminum where the removable lid 462 meets the first neck 216 . the removable lid 462 further includes a tab 466 with a puncturing surface 468 , aligned with the edge 465 and a ring 470 on the side opposite the puncturing surface 468 . the removable lid 462 is removed by lifting the ring 470 thereby pressing the puncturing surface 468 into the weakened area. the puncturing surface 468 punctures the weakened area and the user pulls the removable lid 462 away from the pod 150 using the ring 470 . the removable lid 462 covers the dispensing assembly. the removable lid 462 helps maintain the integrity of the pod during the sterilization process and helps the pod 150 maintain sterility of its contents following the sterilization process. the weakened section is produced in manufacturing by scoring the edge 465 of the removable lid 464 . the edge 465 may be created by a laser or stamping with a punch and die. in some embodiments, the weakened section is a section that is thinner than the walls of the pod. in some embodiments, the removable lid is adhesively attached or mechanically attached to the pod. the dispensing assembly may be any of the configurations described with respect to figs. 17a-21g . figs. 25a-25c are a perspective, a cross-sectional, and a top-down view of a pod-machine interface 480 with an evaporator 108 as described with respect to fig. 15a . the pod-machine interface 480 has a bore 486 for hingably attaching the pod-machine interface 480 to the body of a machine for rapidly cooling food or drinks. the drive shaft 126 is the only component of the machine 100 shown. the evaporator 108 is in its closed position holding the pod 150 . the drive shaft 126 engages with the pod 150 to rotate the mixing paddle 486 . the mixing paddle 486 is a three-blade paddle with blades that have large openings adjacent a stem 488 of the paddle 486 . the angle of inclination of the blades 490 relative to a plane extending along an axis of pod 484 varies with distance from the end of the pod 150 . the outer edges of the blades 490 define slots that can receive a rim of the pod 484 during assembly. the pod-machine interface 480 includes a housing 491 with a ledge 492 and a wall 494 that extends upward from the ledge 492 . the ledge 492 and the wall 494 guide and support refrigerant fluid lines (not shown) attached to the evaporator 108 . the fluid lines extend from a recess 496 that is defined in the wall 494 to the first fluid inlet port 312 and the second fluid outlet port 318 of the evaporator 108 on the side of the evaporator 108 opposite the recess 496 . the evaporator 108 has two inlet ports and two outlet ports because the first portion 128 of the evaporator 108 and the second portion 130 of the evaporator 108 define two separate flow paths. the evaporator 108 is disposed in the pod-machine interface 480 such that an annular space 495 is defined between the outer wall of the evaporator 108 and the inner wall of the casing of the pod-machine interface 480 . the annular space 495 is filled with an insulating material to reduce heat exchange between the environment and the evaporator 108 . in the pod-machine interface 480 , the annular space 495 is filled with an aerogel (not shown). some machines use other insulating material, for example, an annulus (such as an airspace), insulating foams made of various polymers, or fiberglass wool. figs. 26a and 26b are perspective views of a pod 502 . the pod 502 is substantially similar to the pod 150 shown in fig. 6a and 7 a. however, the pod 502 includes a plug 504 that engages the drive shaft 126 of the machine 100 and facilitates the flow of gas into the pod 502 during either the manufacturing process or during the cooling process in the machine. gas (for example, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, argon, or a combination of these gases) can injected into the pod 502 through the plug 504 during manufacturing. typical pressure that the pod experiences during the retort sterilization process is between 20-100 psi. the plug 504 pops out of the pod 502 if the internal pressure exceeds 100 psi. to prepare the pod 502 for the plug 504 , the second end 212 of the pod 502 is deep drawn (e.g., by stretching or forming the base dome of the can during manufacturing while also punching or drawing the hole out of the center with the forming dies) during manufacturing of the pod 502 . the plug 504 defines a central opening or recess 506 that receives the drive shaft from the lid 112 of the machine 100 . the recess 506 is shaped to rotationally lock the grommet to the drive shaft 126 . the plug 504 has flat surfaces that mate with the central opening or recess of the mixing paddle (not shown). the central opening or recess has the same flat surface configuration. the plug 504 rotates relative to the pod 502 when the motor and the drive shaft 126 engage the plug 504 . in some grommets, the drive shaft penetrates the grommet to engage the paddle. the plug 504 accepts the drive shaft and engages the mixing paddle. gas can be injected into the pod 150 through the grommet to maintaining pressure in the pod 150 during the refrigeration cycle and control the texture of the contents of the pod during the refrigeration cycle. a variety of mixing paddles can be used with the pods described in this specification. the mixing paddles described with respect to the following figures can be used in any of the pods described in this specification. generally, the mouth of the pod is smaller than the major diameter of the pod. the internal mixing paddle needs to be either flexible to squeeze smaller for entry thru the mouth of the can and expand large once in the can to be able to scrape the wall or the blades need to be slotted. in some cases, the blades of mixing paddles give rigidity to the thin wall pod during packaging and shipping and give outward structure to the pod when a clamshell evaporator closes against it. fig. 27 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 510 with three blades 512 that extend along the length of a central stem 514 . the blades 512 define large openings 516 through which the contents of the pod 150 flow during mixing. the paddle 510 also includes a projection 518 that extends out of the second end 212 of the pod 150 . as the second end 212 of the pod 150 is concave, the projection 518 is shorter than an upper lip of the pod 150 . in some embodiments, the projection mates with a female drive shaft inserted into the pod rather than projecting out of the pod. fig. 28 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 520 with three blades 522 that wind along the length of a central stem 524 at a pitch that varies with distance along an axis of the paddle. the blades 522 define large openings 525 that extend from a first end 526 of the blade 522 to a second end 528 of the blade 522 . the pitch of the blades increases with distance from the first end 526 of the pod 150 . the portions of the blades 522 with a shallow pitch remove frozen confection that otherwise would build up on the inner surface of the walls of the pod 150 during freezing. the portions of the blades 522 with a steeper pitch churn the frozen confection while lifting the frozen confection from the floor of the pod 150 . the portions of the blades 522 with a steep pitch also presses the frozen confection out of the end 210 of the pod when rotated in the opposite direction and the first end 210 of the pod 150 is opened. fig. 29a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 486 . the paddle 486 has three helical blades 490 that have large openings 532 adjacent a stem 488 of the paddle 486 . the angle of inclination of the blades 490 relative to a plane extending along an axis of pod 484 varies with distance from the end of the paddle. the outer edges of the blades 490 define slots 534 that can receive a rim of the pod 484 during assembly. the slots 534 extend into the blades 490 which produces a flexible blade 490 . a flexible blade is beneficial during assembly of the pod as the neck of the pod is generally smaller in diameter than the diameter of the paddles. fig. 29b is a schematic view illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle 486 into a pod 150 . the slots 532 act as threads during manufacturing and allow a paddle with a wider diameter than the first neck 216 to enter the pod 150 . as previously described with reference to figs. 6a and 6 b, the pod 150 has a wider barrel 220 than mouth. the width of the paddle 486 touches or almost touches the sides of the barrel 220 to remove built up or frozen ingredients. fig. 30a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 540 that has three helical blades 542 . a first end 454 of the blades 542 connect to a first unit 556 and the second end 548 of the blades 542 connect to a second unit 558 . the first unit 546 and the second unit 550 have key-shaped openings that receive a central rod that is shaped to fit the openings. when the rod is received by the openings, the paddle 540 is rotationally coupled to the rod. the paddle 540 is flexible and made of resilient material. the paddle 540 can be twisted clockwise to reduce the diameter of the paddle 540 . the paddle 540 can be twisted counterclockwise to increase the diameter of the paddle 540 . the paddle returns to the original diameter when the twisting force is removed. the diameter of the paddle 540 is typically larger than the diameter of the upper end due of the pod 150 . fig. 30b is a schematic view illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle 540 and a complimentary rod 652 into a pod. the paddle 540 is also a flexible and resilient paddle 540 . the paddle 540 is manipulated to fit though the second neck 218 and the rod 652 is then inserted through the second neck 218 and the openings 552 , 554 . inserting the rod 652 through the openings 552 , 554 causes blades to expand and sit flush with pod walls. the rod 652 abuts the first end 210 of the pod 150 . a recess 653 is defined in the end of the rod 652 that abuts the first end 210 . the recess 653 is sized to receive and rotationally couple to the drive shaft 126 . fig. 31 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 560 that has three helical blades 562 that extend along the length of a central stem 564 . each blade 566 defines an upper opening 566 and a lower opening 568 . the blades 562 increase in pitch as the blade 562 extends from an upper end 570 of the paddle 560 to a lower end 572 of the paddle 560 . the blades 562 have protrusions 574 on edges of the blades 562 . the protrusions 574 alternate to remove built up ingredients from the interior of the pod 150 . the protrusions 574 are arranged such that the entire surface area of the barrel 220 is wiped or cleaned by the protrusions 574 of the three blades 562 . fig. 32a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 578 that has two helical blades 580 that extend along the length of the central stem 581 . the paddle 578 is substantially similar to the paddle 560 . however, the paddle 578 has two blades rather than three blades 562 . the blades 580 includes alternating notches 582 that cover the entire interior surface area of the barrel of the pod 150 . the notches 582 perpendicularly project from edges of the blades 580 . in some mixing paddles, the outer diameter of the mixing paddle is narrower at one end to increase the ease of insertion into the pod during assembly and to maintain the paddle is a concentric position within the pod during the refrigeration cycle. figs. 32b and 32c are schematic views illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle 578 into a pod. the paddle 578 is worked into the pod 150 by wiggling the paddle 578 though the first neck 216 or by rotating the paddle through the first neck 216 . fig. 30b shows the paddle 578 fully inserted into the pod 150 . the plate 390 is attached to the first end 210 of the pod 150 . fig. 33 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 584 that has two helical blades 586 that extend along the length of the central stem 588 . the paddle 584 is substantially similar to paddle 578 . however, paddle 584 has angled notches 589 and angled notches 582 . these notches help to facilitate the insertion of the paddle 584 into the pod without catching on a cornered notch. in some mixing paddles, components are stamped in two or more pieces from flat aluminum sheet and fixably nested to achieve a mixing paddle with a central stem with mixing blades. some mixing paddles are first stamped and then welded to produce a central stem. fig. 34a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 590 that has two helical blades 592 that extend along the length of a central stem 594 . the paddle 590 is otherwise substantially similar to the paddle 578 . the paddle 578 can be formed from a single piece of sheet metal. the central stem is a stamped recess 596 for receiving the drive shaft 126 . figs. 34b-34d are schematic views illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle 590 into a pod. the blades 592 are notched to help insertion into a pod 150 through the first neck 216 . the blades 592 have alternating notches. this allows the paddle 578 to pass through the first neck 216 during manufacturing and maintain contact with the inner wall of the barrel 220 . some paddles 578 do not contact the inner wall of the barrel, but are sufficiently close to the inner wall of the barrel 220 to remove the ingredients of the pod that freeze and stick to the inner wall of the barrel 220 . the paddle may be, for example, 5 - 500 microns away from the inner wall of the barrel 220 . fig. 35 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 600 that includes two helical blades 602 that extend along a central axis 604 . the helical blades 602 have a uniform pitch. the paddle 600 is substantially similar to paddle 510 , shown in fig. 28a . however, paddle 600 is integrally formed with the second end 210 of the pod 150 . paddle 600 has a smooth blade without notches. a projection 518 extends from the main stem of the paddle 510 . some paddles have a central opening or recess to receive the drive shaft 126 of the machine. fig. 36a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 606 that has three helical blades 608 . a first end 610 of the blades 608 connect to a first unit 612 and the second end 614 of the blades 608 connect to a second unit 616 . the first unit 612 and the second unit 616 have key-shaped openings 620 , 622 . the key-shaped openings 620 , 622 receive a central rod (not shown) that is shaped to fit the openings 620 , 622 . when the rod is received by the openings 620 , 622 , the paddle 606 is rotationally coupled to the rod. the paddle 606 is flexible and is made of resilient material. the paddle 606 can twist clockwise to reduce the diameter of the paddle 606 . the paddle 606 can be twisted counterclockwise to increase the diameter of the paddle 606 . the paddle returns to the original diameter when the twisting force is removed. the diameter of the paddle 606 is approximately larger than the diameter of the upper end due of the pod 150 and smaller than the diameter of the barrel d b of the pod 150 . in some paddles, the diameter of the central rod is larger than the diameter of the openings. openings are made of either a resilient material and/or designed to expand when the central rod is inserted into the openings. when the central rod is inserted into the openings, the diameter of the paddle increases. figs. 36b-36d are schematic views illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle 606 into a pod. the openings 620 , 622 are sized to receive the complimentary rod 650 . the rod 650 and the openings 620 , 622 are shaped so that when the rod 650 engages the openings 622 , 620 the rod 650 and paddle 606 are rotationally coupled. in fig. 36a , both the rod 650 and the paddle 606 are outside the pod 150 . the paddle 606 is first inserted into the first end 210 of the pod 105 . the paddle is flexible and can be manipulated (e.g. twisted or compressed) to fit through the second neck 218 . once the paddle 606 is inside the interior of the pod 150 , as shown in fig. 36b , the rod 650 is inserted through the opening 620 , 622 . fig. 36c shows the paddle 606 and rod 650 within the interior of the pod. the rod 650 abuts the first end 210 of the pod 150 . a recess 651 is defined in the end of the rod 650 that abuts the first end 210 . the recess 651 is sized to receive and rotationally couple to the drive shaft 126 . fig. 37a is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 626 that includes three helical blades 628 that attach on a first end 630 to a central stem 632 . a second end 634 of the blades 628 is free. the second ends 634 of the blades 628 are is easily compressed when the free ends of transverse mechanical forces are applied to the second ends 634 during manufacturing. fig. 37b is a schematic view illustrating insertion of the mixing paddle 626 into a pod. to insert the paddle 626 , the second end 634 blades 628 are pressed towards the central stem 632 . the paddle 626 is inserted into the second neck 218 of the pod 150 . once in the pod 150 , the blades 628 are released and return to their original diameter, which is equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the barrel d b . fig. 38 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 636 that includes four bowed blades 638 that connect first end 642 to a first hub 644 and at a second end 646 to a second hub 648 . the blades 638 are made of a resilient material deforms when force is applied to the top and bottom of the paddle. the bow of the blades 638 can increase when the ends of the paddle are pressed together. in the undeployed position, the blades 638 are slightly bowed. in the deployed position, the blades 638 bow out. the paddle 636 is inserted into the pod 150 in the undeployed position. when the paddle 636 is in the interior of the pod 150 , a compressive force is applied to the first hub 644 of the paddle 363 and the blades 638 bow outwards. some paddles include a lock that prevent the paddle from returning to the undeployed configuration. in some paddles, the compressive force permanently deforms the blades 638 into the deployed position. fig. 39 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 633 with a head 635 that extends to sidewalls of the pod. the head 635 is disc-shaped and helps maintains the paddle 633 in concentric position with the pod. the paddle 633 is substantially similar to paddle 600 shown in fig. 28 ibut has a female connection 637 rather than a male protrusion. a driveshaft of a machine receiving the pod is inserted into the female connection 637 during use. the head 635 rotates as blades 639 rotate to churn the contents of the pod. this configuration increases the likelihood that the driveshaft remains sterile and does not contact the contents of the pod. fig. 40 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 655 that has two helical blades 657 that extend along the length of a central stem. the paddle 655 can be formed from a single piece of sheet metal. the central stem is a stamped recess 661 for receiving the drive shaft 126 . the stamped recess 661 has an upper section 663 and a lower section 665 that are stamped in a first direction. the stamped recess also has a middle section 667 that is stamped in a second direction, opposite the first direction. the stamping approach can provide reduced manufacturing costs relative to welding-based approaches. fig. 41 is a perspective view of a mixing paddle 675 in the pod 150 . the paddle 675 has a central stem 677 and a blade 679 that extends from the stem 677 . the blade 679 has openings 681 and a notch 683 at a dispensing end 685 of the blade 679 . when the paddle 675 rotates to mix the contents of the pod 150 , the notch 783 scoops the contents of the pod from the bottom and prevents the contents at the bottom of the pod 150 freezing into ice. a custom “filling head” is used to mate with, or altogether avoid, the mixing paddles during the filling process. this approach allows the filling head to enter into the pod and dispense liquid contents into the pod without splash up. additionally, to account for the additional volume required for the confectionery overrun, there is more “headspace” (i.e., open space) left at the top of the pod then with a traditionally filled can. the filling process is adapted for this additional headspace during pressurization process. figs. 42a and 42b illustrate an approach to filling a pod 150 with ingredients. the manufacturing machinery 664 includes a spout 666 that has a first head 668 , a second head 670 , and a third head 672 . the heads 668 , 670 , 672 are sized to fit between the blades 230 of the paddle. fig. 36a shows the spout 666 engaged with the pod 150 . the heads 668 , 670 , 672 flow liquid ingredients into the pod 150 . the spout 666 is a reversed funnel that fills the pods without being inserted into the pod. once the spout 666 is removed from the first neck 216 of the pod 150 , the pod 150 closed. the pod 150 is sterilized with ingredients 674 in the interior of the pod 150 . some pods are filled using a counter pressure filling system using a hose. some pods can be recycled. for example, some pods have a fully removable can end. after the freezing cycle is complete, the user removes the pod from the machine, removes the entire can end (can end includes the sub-component exit port mechanism), removes the plastic mixing paddle from the pod, and separates the plastic and metal components for easy recyclability. figs. 43a and 43b shows a pod with a removable internal paddle 680 . the removable paddle 680 is substantially similar to the paddle 626 shown in fig. 37 a. however, the removable paddle 680 is removable from the pod 150 . the user removes a lid 682 of the second end 212 of the pod 150 . the lid 682 can be removed, for example by the techniques and configuration shown in figs. 43a and 43b . opening the first end 210 of the pod 150 exposes the removable paddle 680 . the user then grabs the paddle 680 by a first end 684 of the paddle 680 . a second end 686 of the paddle 680 compresses to exit through the second neck 218 . the paddle can be reused in a different pod or reused within the same pod. figs. 44a and 44b show a pod with an upper casing 690 for storing toppings 692 . the upper casing 690 includes a first opening 694 and a second opening 696 that provides a conduit between the interior of the pod 150 and an interior 698 of the casing 690 . a rotatable plate 700 covers the openings 694 , 696 and prevents the toppings 692 from mixing with the contents of the pod 150 . in the final stages of freezing, for example 10 second prior to dispensing, the plate 700 is rotated and a first aperture 702 of the plate 700 aligns with the first opening 694 . a second aperture 704 of the plate 700 aligns with the second opening 696 . the toppings 692 fall into and are mixed with the contents of the pod 150 and are dispensed with the contents of the pod 150 . fig. 38a shows chocolate chips as a topping. some other toppings includes sprinkles, cookie crumps, syrups, jellies, fruit pieces, freeze dried fruit pieces, batters, creams, or small or crushed candies. the plate 700 can be coupled to the driveshaft extending from the lid such that the plate rotates to its open position when the driveshaft starts to rotate the mixing paddle. figs. 45a and 45b show a gas-releasing disk 710 housed, respectively, in a paddle and in a pod. fig. 45a shows the paddle 510 of fig. 28a having a hollow central stem 712 . the central stem 712 is made of a gas permeable material. the gas-releasing disk 710 releases gas when the pod 150 is opened. opening the pod 150 releases pressurized gas initially stored in the pod 150 . depressurizing the pod 150 generates a pressure difference. the gas from the gas-releasing disk 710 flows out of the disk and into the contents of the pod 150 due to the pressure difference. fig. 45b shows a pod 150 the gas-releasing disk 710 disposed at the first end 210 of the pod 150 . in both configurations, the gas-releasing disk 710 slowly releases a gas into the ingredients of the pod 150 while the paddle 510 rotates and the evaporator 108 chills the ingredients. slowly releasing gas into the ingredients while freezing creates a beverage or food product with velvety, lofty, smooth texture with desirable overrun. the gas-releasing disk 710 may release nitrogen, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, argon, or a combination of these gases. in some machines, nitrogen, nitrous oxide, argon or a combination of these gases are pumped into the pod via the drive shaft and/or mixing paddle during the refrigeration process. a portion of this gas (e.g., nitrogen) may be diverted to refrigeration system of the machine (e.g., the evaporator) to for chilling and/or freezing purposes. figs. 46a, 46b, and 46c are, respectively, a perspective cutaway view, a side view, and an exploded view of a stack 720 of bases 162 during manufacturing. the base 162 is previously described with reference to fig. 8 . the base 162 includes an outer shelf 722 , an inner shelf 724 , a circumferential valley 726 , the protrusion 165 , and a flat area 728 . the base 162 is proportioned so that when stacking, the outer shelf 722 of a base 162 abuts the outer shelf 722 of a different base 162 and the inner shelf 724 of the base 162 abuts the inner shelf 724 of another base 162 . the protrusion 165 is a height h a from the flat portion 128 . h b is the height between the flat area 728 of a base 162 and the flat are 128 of another base 162 stacked on the initial base 162 . the height h a is equal to or smaller than the height h b . this configuration help prevent the stack 720 of bases 162 from leaning or tilting during manufacturing. the stack of bases 162 are used in a manufacturing line to close the open ends of can bodies after the can bodies have been filled. the pods and accompanied components described in this specification may be made to be either single-use disposable system or reusable systems. a number of embodiments of these systems and methods have been described. nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
|
005-970-634-858-260
|
IT
|
[
"ES",
"IT",
"EP",
"DE",
"AT"
] |
A47L9/18
| 2000-10-06T00:00:00 |
2000
|
[
"A47"
] |
liquid bath cleaning apparatus
|
liquid bath cleaning apparatus (10) comprising at least a container (11) provided with an accumulation tank (13) able to contain a liquid (15), a suction assembly (12) able to create a suction depression inside said container (11), and a pipe (17) to introduce the sucked-in material into the container (11); in the apparatus at least one inner terminal end (18) of the introduction pipe (17) is positioned in a first position, wherein it is located directly in communication with the accumulation tank (13), and a second position wherein it is positioned distant from the tank (13). <image>
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liquid bath cleaning apparatus comprising at least a container (11) provided with an accumulation tank (13) able to contain a liquid (15), a suction assembly (12) able to create a suction depression inside said container (11), and a pipe (17) to introduce the sucked-in material into said container (11), the apparatus being characterized in that at least one inner terminal end (18) of said introduction pipe (17) is able to be positioned in a first position, wherein it is located directly in communication with said accumulation tank (13), and a second position wherein it is positioned distant from said tank (13). cleaning apparatus as in claim 1, characterized in that said introduction pipe (17) comprises a fixed first part (17a), connected to an inlet aperture (16) for the material sucked in, and a second part (17b) which is movable with respect to said fixed first part (17a). cleaning apparatus as in claim 2, characterized in that said movable second part (17b) includes said terminal end (18). cleaning apparatus as in claim 2, characterized in that said fixed first part (17a) is shaped like an upside-down l and comprises a substantially vertical lower segment. cleaning apparatus as in claim 4, characterized in that said movable second part (17b) is tubular and shaped so as to be able to slide telescopically with respect to said vertical segment of said fixed first part (17a). cleaning apparatus as in claim 3, characterized in that said terminal end (18) is shaped so as to define laterally a horizontal fork to support an elastic element (19), which is permanently compressed against an inner wall of said container (11) to keep said movable second part (17b) stably in each of said two positions. cleaning apparatus as in claim 1, characterized in that said terminal end (18) is shaped so as to define at the lower part a mouth mating in shape with that of an inlet aperture (30) of said accumulation tank (13). cleaning apparatus as in claim 2, characterized in that said movable second part (17b) is provided with a stop element (20) able to define said second position. cleaning apparatus as in claim 2, characterized in that said movable second part (17b) is provided with an upper handle (21) by means of which a user can easily make said movable second part (17b) slide manually with respect to said fixed first part (17a), in order to position said terminal end (18) in each of said two positions.
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field of the invention the invention concerns a liquid bath cleaning apparatus, such as a vacuum cleaner or similar device, comprising at least a container, shaped so as to define an accumulation tank containing a liquid able to retain the dirt sucked in, an introduction pipe and a suction assembly provided with an electric motor. a device, which can be selected by the user, is able to put the introduction pipe in direct communication with the accumulation tank containing the liquid, when dust or other dry material is sucked in, or to hold the introduction pipe distant from the tank when any liquid is sucked in. background of the invention the state of the art includes liquid bath cleaning apparatuses comprising a suction assembly associated with an accumulation tank containing a liquid, usually water, towards which the dirt sucked in is conveyed so as to be retained by said liquid. in conventional apparatuses, the pipe which introduces the sucked-in air, containing the dirt, normally has its inner terminal part arranged permanently inside the tank which contains the liquid. this is a disadvantage, especially when the cleaning apparatus is used to suck in a liquid, whether it be water, soapy water, detergent or otherwise. in this case, in fact, the liquid sucked in is immediately mixed with the liquid bath contained inside the tank, making it dirty in a few seconds and creating a considerable bubbling inside the liquid bath itself. the present applicant has designed, tested and embodied this invention to overcome this shortcoming and to obtain further advantages. summary of the invention the invention is set forth and characterized in the main claim, while the dependent claims describe other features of the invention. one purpose of the invention is to achieve a liquid bath cleaning apparatus in which the user can easily select the function, that is to say, the path of the air sucked into the apparatus, before cleaning operations have begun, or during an interruption of said operations, according to the type of material, solid or liquid, which he intends to suck in. in accordance with this purpose, an inner terminal end of the pipe to introduce the material sucked in can be easily positioned by the user in a position chosen from two different stable positions. in a first, lowered position, the terminal end is located directly in communication with the tank of liquid bath, while in a second, raised position, the terminal end is positioned distant from the mouth of the tank. in this way, if the user intends to suck in any solid material, such as for example dust, sawdust, chips, crumbs, pieces of paper or suchlike, he will arrange the terminal end of the introduction pipe in the first position, whereas, vice versa, when he wants to suck in any liquid, he will arrange the terminal end of the pipe in the second position. in the second, raised position, the material sucked in suddenly slows down at outlet from the terminal end of the introduction pipe, so that even if it partly reaches the liquid bath contained in the containing tank, it does not cause any bubbling thereof. advantageously, the introduction pipe comprises a fixed first part connected with the outside of the apparatus, and a part able to move telescopically with respect to said fixed first part. the movable part comprises the terminal end which, as we said, can be put into direct communication with the tank containing the liquid bath or distanced therefrom. a pad of elastic material, for example sponge, is put between the movable part of the introduction pipe and one wall of the container of the cleaning apparatus to ensure that both positions are stable. moreover, in the position where the terminal end of the introduction pipe is lowered, the pad acts as a sealing element and prevents the liquid contained inside the accumulation tank from leaking in an upward direction. the movable part is also provided with an upper handle by means of which the user can easily move it from one position to the other. brief description of the drawings these and other characteristics of the invention will be clear from the following description of a preferential form of embodiment, given as a non-restrictive example, with reference to the attached drawings wherein: fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a liquid bath cleaning apparatus according to the invention in a first working position; fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the cleaning apparatus shown in fig. 1 in a second working position; fig. 3 is a section from a to a of a detail of the cleaning apparatus according to the invention. detailed description of preferred embodiment with reference to the attached figures, a cleaning apparatus 10 according to the invention comprises a container 11, substantially cylindrical in shape, and a suction assembly 12 arranged, in removable fashion, on the container 11. hook means, of a conventional type and therefore not shown in the drawings, are able to hold the container 11 and the suction assembly 12 together. the container 11 is shaped so as to define, in its lower part, an accumulation tank 13, also substantially cylindrical in shape, into which a liquid 15, able to retain the dirt and dust sucked in, is able to be inserted. the liquid 15, which can consist simply of water, advantageously reaches a defined level 15a. the tank 13 is closed at the upper part by a transverse plate 14, which is assembled in removable fashion inside the container 11 and shaped so that it has a substantially horizontal circular crown on which an inlet aperture 30 is made. on the peripheral edge of the transverse plate 14 and the aperture 30 a sealing packing 31 is assembled, for example made of rubber, which is able to prevent the liquid 15 from leaking from the tank 13, in an upwards direction. the suction assembly 12 is of a conventional type and comprises an electric motor able to make a fan rotate; the fan is suitable to generate inside the container 11 the depression which achieves the functioning of the apparatus 10. the container 11 is provided with a lateral aperture 16; a pipe 17 to introduce the sucked in material, whether solid or liquid, mixed with air, is connected to the aperture 16. the accessories used to collect the dirt and dust (hoses, brushes, lances and so on) are of a conventional type and therefore not shown in the drawings; they are able to be connected on the outer side of the aperture 16. according to one characteristic of the invention, the pipe 17 comprises a fixed upper part 17a, shaped like an upside-down l, which is permanently associated with the aperture 16, and a lower part 17b, movable vertically with respect to the fixed part 17a. to be more exact, the lower part 17b is tubular and shaped so as to slide telescopically with respect to the vertical segment of the upper part 17a. the lower part 17b is provided on the bottom with a terminal end 18, shaped so as to define laterally a horizontal fork to support an elastic sponge 19, which is permanently compressed against the inner wall of the container 11; at the lower part, the terminal end 18 is provided with a mouth mating in shape with the aperture 30 of the transverse plate 14. the lower part 17b is also provided with a lower stop element 20 and an upper handle 21, by means of which the user can easily make the lower part 17b slide with respect to the upper part 17a. to be more exact, the lower part 17b is movable between the following two stable positions: a first lowered position, shown in fig. 1, wherein the terminal end 18 is in direct contact with the aperture 30 of the tank 13; and a second raised position, shown in fig. 2, wherein the terminal end 18 is distant from the aperture 30 of the tank 13. in this second position the stop element 20 is in contact with the lower end of the upper part 17a. according to the type of material which he has to suck in, solid or liquid, the user can easily position the lower part 17b in one of the two stable positions by acting on the handle 21. this can be done comfortably and with great ease before starting the cleaning operation or during a momentary interruption thereof. it is obvious that additions or modifications can be made to the cleaning apparatus 10 as described heretofore without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. it is also obvious that, although the invention has been described with reference to a specific example, a person of skill in the art shall certainly be able to achieve many other equivalent applications of the vacuum cleaner described above, all of which shall come within the field and scope of the invention.
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006-033-392-671-38X
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
G06F12/14,G06F3/06,H04W12/08
| 2014-09-02T00:00:00 |
2014
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[
"G06",
"H04"
] |
memory system capable of wireless communication and method of controlling memory system
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according to one embodiment, a memory controller allows access to a first non-volatile memory from a host device when a wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of wireless communication devices, and denies access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is not communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices. the memory controller does not allow the host device to access information in the first non-volatile memory after the access field specification information is updated.
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1. a memory system capable of wireless communication comprising: a wireless communication unit; a first non-volatile memory; a second non-volatile memory that stores access field specification information including wireless communication device identification information that identifies one or more wireless communication devices, the wireless communication device identification information being access point identification information that identifies an access point connected to a network and serving as a wireless base station; and a memory controller that controls data access between a host device and the first non-volatile memory and manages a wireless connection state of the wireless communication unit, wherein the memory controller: allows access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices that is registered in the access field specification information, and denies access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is not communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices that is registered in the access field specification information, wherein a state that the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices is a state in which the memory system has entered a wireless communication area of any one of the wireless communication devices or a state in which the memory system is performing wireless communication with any one of the wireless communication devices. 2. the memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the access field specification information includes information indicating whether the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices. 3. the memory system according to claim 1 , wherein, after the memory controller updates the access field specification information, the memory controller does not allow the host device to access the access field specification information. 4. the memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the first non-volatile memory and the second non-volatile memory are composed of a same memory device. 5. the memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the wireless communication unit has a function of an access point connected to a network and performing communication between the wireless communication device and the network. 6. the memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the memory controller denies reading from the second non-volatile memory by the host device. 7. the memory system according to claim 1 , wherein the memory controller does not allow the host device to access information in the first non-volatile memory after the access field specification information is updated. 8. a memory system capable of wireless communication comprising: a wireless communication unit; a first non-volatile memory; a second non-volatile memory that stores access field specification information including wireless communication device identification information that identifies one or more wireless communication devices, the wireless communication device identification information being access point identification information that identifies an access point connected to a network and serving as a wireless base station; and a memory controller that controls data access between a host device and the first non-volatile memory and manages a wireless connection state of the wireless communication unit, wherein the memory controller: allows access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices that is registered in the access field specification information, and denies access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is not communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices that is registered in the access field specification information; and denies reading from the second non-volatile memory by the host device, wherein a state that the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices is a state in which the memory system has entered a wireless communication area of the access point or a state in which the memory system is performing wireless communication with the access point. 9. the memory system according to claim 8 , wherein the access field specification information includes information indicating whether the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices. 10. the memory system according to claim 8 , wherein the first non-volatile memory and the second non-volatile memory are composed of a same storage apparatus. 11. the memory system according to claim 8 , wherein the first non-volatile memory is a nand flash memory or a magnetic disk, and the second non-volatile memory is an eeprom. 12. the memory system according to claim 8 , wherein the wireless communication unit has a function of an access point connected to a network and performing communication between the wireless communication device and the network. 13. a method of controlling a memory system including a wireless communication unit, a first non-volatile memory, and a second non-volatile memory, the method comprising: receiving an instruction to register one or more wireless communication terminals in access field specification information in the second non-volatile memory, the access field specification information including identification information of the wireless communication terminals, the access field specification information identifying an access point connected to a network and serving as a wireless base station; receiving an instruction to access the memory system from a host device; and determining whether to allow or deny the access instruction by referring to a connection state between the wireless communication unit and any one of the wireless communication terminals, wherein in the determining whether to allow or deny the access instruction, the access instruction is allowed when the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication terminals that is registered in the access field specification information, and the access instruction is denied when the wireless communication unit is not communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication terminals that is registered in the access field specification information, wherein a state that the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication terminals is a state in which the memory system has entered a wireless communication area of the access point or a state in which the memory system is performing wireless communication with the access point. 14. the method of controlling a memory system according to claim 13 , further comprising: restricting access from the host device to access-restricted information in the first non-volatile memory, the memory system being placed in the host device, wherein in the restricting access to the first non-volatile memory, after the access field specification information is updated, the host device is not allowed to access the access field specification information.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from u.s. provisional application no. 62/044,663, filed on sep. 2, 2014; the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. field embodiments described herein relate generally to a memory system capable of wireless communication and a method of controlling the memory system. background portable memory systems including usb (universal serial bus) memories and sd cards are used in a wide range of fields due to their convenience. due to the ease of portability, there is a concern that highly confidential data may be taken out of companies using portable memory systems. however, conventionally, there is no proposition of prevention measures against taking out of data using portable memory systems. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of a memory system capable of wireless communication according to a first embodiment; fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of access point information according to the first embodiment; fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of an access point information registration process according to the first embodiment; fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of an access point state update process according to the first embodiment; fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of a data access process according to the first embodiment; figs. 6a and 6b are diagrams schematically illustrating whether to allow or deny data access, according to the first embodiment; fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of an access point information registration process according to a second embodiment; fig. 8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of a memory system capable of wireless communication according to a third embodiment; and fig. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating another exemplary configuration of a memory system. detailed description in general, according to one embodiment, there is provided a memory system capable of wireless communication that includes a wireless communication unit, a first non-volatile memory, a second non-volatile memory, and a memory controller. the second non-volatile memory stores access field specification information including wireless communication device identification information that identifies one or more wireless communication devices. the memory controller controls data access between a host device and the first non-volatile memory and manages a wireless connection state of the wireless communication unit. the memory controller allows access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices. the memory controller denies access to the first non-volatile memory from the host device when the wireless communication unit is not communicable or communicating with any one of the wireless communication devices. and the memory controller does not allow the host device to access information in the first non-volatile memory after the access field specification information is updated. memory systems capable of wireless communication and methods of controlling the memory systems, according to embodiments will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. first embodiment fig. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of a memory system capable of wireless communication according to a first embodiment. this example uses a memory system 10 that includes a nand flash memory (hereinafter, referred to as a nand memory) 11 as a storage medium and that has a wireless communication function compatible with wireless lan (local area network) standards such as ieee 802.11ac, ieee 802.11n, ieee 802.11a, ieee 802.11g, and ieee 802.11b. the wireless communication function is not limited to the wireless lan standards as long as identification information is issued between the memory system 10 and a wireless communication means on the other end with which the memory system 10 performs wireless communication. for example, a near-field wireless communication function such as an nfc (near field communication) standard or transfer jet may be used. in addition, the storage medium may be any as long as the storage medium can store information in a non-volatile manner, and a magnetic disk or the like may be used in addition to the nand memory 11 . as such a memory system 10 , a memory card, a usb memory, and a cassette hdd (hard disk drive), for example, can be exemplified. the memory system 10 includes the nand memory 11 , a memory controller 12 , and a wireless network module 13 . when the memory system 10 is connected to a host device, data including user data and management information is stored in the nand memory 11 . the user data is data, the saving of which is specified by the host device. the management information is information such as logical-physical conversion information indicating a mapping between logical addresses used by the host device and physical addresses of the nand memory 11 used by the memory system 10 . the nand memory 11 is composed of one or a plurality of memory chips. a memory chip has a memory cell array where a plurality of memory cells is arranged in a matrix shape. each memory cell may have a structure capable of storing data of one bit or may have a structure capable of storing data of two bits or more. each memory chip has a plurality of physical blocks arranged therein, each physical block being a data erasing unit. one physical block includes a plurality of physical pages. in the nand memory 11 , data write and data read are executed per physical page. in addition, the nand memory 11 stores access point information. the access point information is access field specification information in which a field accessible to the memory system 10 is defined using access points. specifically, the access point information indicates an access point with which the wireless network module 13 can perform wireless communication. fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of access point information according to the first embodiment. the access point information includes access point identification information and a connectable/non-connectable state. the access point identification information is information that identifies an access point accessible by the memory system 10 . as the access point identification information, for example, an ssid (service set identifier) can be used. the connectable/non-connectable state is information indicating whether the memory system 10 enters a communication area of the access point indicated by the access point identification information. when the memory system 10 enters a communication area of a given registered access point, the connectable/non-connectable state of corresponding this access point identification information is set to “connectable”. when the memory system 10 has not entered a communication area of a given registered access point, the connectable/non-connectable state of corresponding this access point identification information is set to “non-connectable”. note that, although writing from the host device can be performed in an area of the nand memory 11 where the access point information is stored, it is desirable that reading to the host device not be allowed. the memory controller 12 is disposed between a host device (not illustrated) and the nand memory 11 . the memory controller 12 performs processes including a command process, an access control process, an access point state update process, and an access point information registration process. the command process is a process performed in response to various types of commands received from the host device when the memory system 10 is connected to the host device. the command process includes, for example, the process of reading data from the nand memory 11 and the process of writing data to the nand memory 11 . in the command process, the management information is used. the process of updating the management information is also included in the command process. the access control process is the process of controlling access to the nand memory 11 from the host device, according to the connectable/non-connectable states of access point identification information in the access point information. specifically, when the access point information has no access point identification information with “connectable”, the memory controller 12 denies access to the nand memory 11 from the host device. in this case, the memory controller 12 returns an “access denied” response in response to the various types of commands received from the host device. on the other hand, when the access point information has access point identification information with “connectable”, the memory controller 12 allows access to the nand memory 11 from the host device. the access point state update process is the process of changing a connectable/non-connectable state when a change to the connectable/non-connectable state of access point identification information in the access point information is detected by notification from the wireless network module 13 . for example, when registered access point identification information with which the wireless network module 13 can establish a wireless connection is received, a corresponding connectable/non-connectable state in the access point information is updated to “connectable”. in addition, when the wireless network module 13 has stopped receiving a signal indicating a wireless connectable state from an access point in a connectable state, the connectable/non-connectable state of corresponding access point identification information is updated to “non-connectable”. the access point information registration process is the process of registering, in the access point information, an access point with which a wireless connection needs to be established when the host device accesses the memory system 10 . in the access point information registration process, when an access point is registered in the access point information, the information in the nand memory 11 whose access has been restricted so far is made invisible to the host device. examples of the method of making the information in the nand memory 11 invisible to the host device include, for example, initializing the nand memory 11 , physically making the nand memory 11 unable to be used, and restricting access. in addition, not only the information in the nand memory 11 but also the access point information may be made invisible to the host device. by this, a person who updates an access point cannot access information in the nand memory 11 unless a wireless connection is established with a registered access point. the memory controller 12 that performs processes such as those described above includes a rom (read only memory) 121 , a ram (random access memory) 122 , a controller 123 , a host interface 124 , a memory interface 125 , and a network interface 126 . the rom 121 stores a control program that controls the memory system 10 . in the control program, processes including the above-described command process, access control process, access point state update process, and access point information registration process are described. the ram 122 is used as a working memory and a buffer memory. for example, when the memory system 10 is activated, the control program in the rom 121 is read to the working memory. in addition, when an access process to the nand memory 11 from the host device is performed, data to be accessed is temporarily stored in the buffer memory. the controller 123 loads, in the ram 122 , the control program included in the rom 121 and executes the control program. the host interface 124 performs a communication process between the host device and the memory system 10 (memory controller 12 ). the memory interface 125 performs a communication process between the memory controller 12 and the nand memory 11 . the network interface 126 performs a communication process between the wireless network module 13 and the memory controller 12 . the wireless network module 13 is a module capable of wireless communication using wireless lan standards. in the first embodiment, the wireless network module 13 receives a beacon signal which is a control signal to be transmitted from an access point, and passes access point identification information included in the beacon signal to the memory controller 12 . next, the operation of the memory system 10 capable of wireless communication and having such a structure will be described. in the following, an access point information registration process, an access point state update process, and a data access process will be described one by one. (access point information registration process) fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of an access point information registration process according to the first embodiment. first, a user connects the memory system 10 to a host device. by this, power is supplied to the memory system 10 and the memory system 10 is activated. then, in order for the host device to recognize the memory system 10 and place the memory system 10 in an accessible state, the host device performs initialization of the memory system 10 . the initialization as used herein is the process of placing the memory space of the nand memory 11 of the memory system 10 in an accessible state from the host device, and is further the process of placing the memory system 10 in a state of being able to receive commands from the host device. thereafter, an access point information registration process is instructed by the user (step s 11 ). for example, an access point information registration process is instructed by a management application for the memory system 10 in the host device. the instruction includes access point identification information of an access point to be registered. when an access point information registration process is instructed, the memory controller 12 makes invisible, to the host device, the access point information and information in the nand memory 11 (step s 12 ). by this, no access point identification information and no connectable/non-connectable states are being inputted to the access point information. in addition, no data is being saved in the nand memory 11 . examples of the method of making the information in the nand memory 11 and the access point information invisible to the host device include, for example, an initialization process, physically making the nand memory 11 unable to be used, and restricting access. the initialization process may be performed by physically erasing data in the nand memory 11 for each block or may be performed by initializing only management information without physically erasing blocks where data is stored. then, the memory controller 12 registers, in the access point information, the access point identification information included in the instruction (step s 13 ). this is to specify, by a wireless lan area, a place where access to the memory system 10 can be performed. in the first embodiment, access point identification information is used for specification of a wireless lan area. there is no limit to the number of pieces of access point identification information to be registered. by this, the process ends. (access point state update process) fig. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of an access point state update process according to the first embodiment. note that it is assumed that the memory system 10 is being connected to a host device. the wireless network module 13 determines whether a beacon has been received from an access point (step s 31 ). the beacon is a control signal which is sent out in a predetermined cycle from the access point, and includes access point identification information. if a beacon has been received (in the case of yes at step s 31 ), the wireless network module 13 obtains the access point identification information included in the beacon (step s 32 ) and passes the access point identification information to the memory controller 12 . the memory controller 12 determines whether the received access point identification information is registered in the access point information (step s 33 ). if the received access point identification information is registered in the access point information (in the case of yes at step s 33 ), the memory controller 12 sets the connectable/non-connectable state of corresponding access point identification information in the access point information to “connectable” (step s 34 ). when the connectable/non-connectable state is already set to “connectable”, that state is maintained. then, processing returns to step s 31 . on the other hand, if the received access point identification information is not registered in the access point information (in the case of no at step s 33 ), the memory controller 12 does not perform any particular process and returns to step s 31 . if a beacon has not been received at step s 31 (in the case of no at step s 31 ), the wireless network module 13 does not transmit any information to the memory controller 12 . then, the memory controller 12 determines whether the access point information has access point identification information whose connectable/non-connectable state is “connectable” (step s 35 ). if the access point information has access point identification information whose connectable/non-connectable state is “connectable” (in the case of yes at step s 35 ), the memory controller 12 sets the connectable/non-connectable state of the access point identification information to “non-connectable” (step s 36 ). then, processing returns to step s 31 . if the access point information does not have access point identification information whose connectable/non-connectable state is “connectable” (in the case of no at step s 35 ), processing returns to step s 31 . note that by performing such a process in a predetermined cycle, even if the memory controller 12 has not received a beacon from the wireless network module 13 in the process at step s 31 , the memory controller 12 can perform a process. the above-described process is performed while the memory system 10 is connected to the host device. note that in the above description when, in a state of access point identification information being set to “connectable”, a beacon has not been received from a corresponding access point once, its connectable/non-connectable state is set to “non-connectable”. however, the connectable/non-connectable state may be set to “non-connectable” when it is determined by a plurality of determinations that beacons have not been received continuously, or when a beacon has not been received for a predetermined period of time. (data access process) fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of a data access process according to the first embodiment. note that here it is also assumed that the memory system 10 is being connected to a host device. when there is data access to the nand memory 11 from the host device (step s 51 ), the memory controller 12 determines whether there is even one access point identification information set to “connectable”, by referring to the access point information (step s 52 ). if there is even one access point identification information set to “connectable” (in the case of yes at step s 52 ), the memory controller 12 allows data access from the host device (step s 53 ). namely, a command process based on commands from the host device is performed. then, the process ends. if there is no access point identification information set to “connectable” (in the case of no at step s 52 ), the memory controller 12 denies data access from the host device (step s 54 ). for example, the memory controller 12 returns a response indicating “access denied” in response to commands from the host device. then, the process ends. figs. 6a and 6b are diagrams schematically illustrating whether to allow or deny data access, according to the first embodiment. fig. 6a illustrates a case in which data access to the memory system from a host device is allowed. an access point 51 a is registered in the access point information. a wireless communicable area of the access point 51 a is a region r a . when a host device 20 having the memory system 10 connected thereto is present in the region r a , the host device 20 is allowed to access the memory system 10 . fig. 6b illustrates a case in which data access to the memory system from a host device is denied. an access point 51 b is not registered in the access point information. a wireless communicable area of the access point 51 b is a region r b . when a host device 20 having the memory system 10 connected thereto is present in the region r b , even if the memory system 10 is in a wireless connectable state with the access point 51 b, access to the memory system 10 from the host device 20 is denied. in the first embodiment, the wireless network module 13 is provided in the memory system 10 , and a physical field where data access to the memory system 10 can be performed is defined by access points registered in the access point information. if, when the memory system 10 is connected to a host device, the memory system 10 is capable of wireless communication at that location with an access point registered in the access point information, access to the nand memory 11 is allowed. if the memory system 10 is not capable of wireless communication with a registered access point, access to the nand memory 11 is not allowed. this disables data access to the nand memory 11 in a place where the memory system 10 is incapable of wireless communication with a registered access point. for example, even if confidential data is taken out of a place where the memory system 10 is capable of wireless communication with a registered access point, reading of the confidential data cannot be performed in a place where the memory system 10 is incapable of wireless communication with a registered access point. namely, the use place of the memory system 10 can be limited to an approved place. as a result, it is possible to protect taking out of data. in addition, in the first embodiment, when the access point information is updated, the access point information and the data in the nand memory 11 are initialized. in a case in which the memory system 10 has been handed over to a third party, even if the third party attempts to add an available access point, the access point information and the data in the nand memory 11 that have been stored up to that time are erased. hence, the third party cannot check the data in the memory system 10 . that is, it is possible to prevent data leakage to the third party. second embodiment the first embodiment describes a case in which, when access point information is updated, both of the access point information and a nand memory are initialized. a second embodiment describes a case in which access point information is updatable. a memory system 10 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of fig. 1 described in the first embodiment. note, however, that in the second embodiment an access point information registration process and a command process which are performed by a memory controller 12 differ from those of the first embodiment. in the access point information registration process, an initialization process for access point information and a nand memory 11 is not performed and addition of an access point to existing access point information is allowed. in the command process, reading of access point information from a host device is disabled. hence, when there is access to the access point information, a response indicating that access is not allowed is returned to the host device. other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment and thus a description thereof is omitted. the operation of the memory system 10 capable of wireless communication according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that described in the first embodiment. note, however, that an access point information registration process differs from that of the first embodiment and thus will be described below. fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the steps of an access point information registration process according to the second embodiment. note that it is assumed that the memory system 10 is being connected to a host device. first, an access point information registration process is instructed by a user (step s 71 ). for example, an access point information registration process is instructed by a management application for the memory system 10 in the host device. the instruction for the access point information registration process includes access point identification information to be added. then, the memory controller 12 registers, in the access point information, the access point identification information included in the instruction for the access point information registration process (step s 72 ). by this, the process ends. in the second embodiment, addition of access point identification information to the access point information is allowed and reading of the access point information is not allowed. since reading of the access point information cannot be performed, even if the memory system 10 has been handed over to a third party, the third party cannot grasp access points and thus cannot read information in the nand memory 11 . in addition, it is premised that an access point information update process cannot be performed unless the memory system 10 is a wireless communicable state with an access point registered in the access point information. hence, even if the memory system 10 has been handed over to a third party, information in the nand memory 11 cannot be read easily. third embodiment in the first and second embodiments, a memory system functions as a client in a server-client system. however, it is also possible to allow the memory system to function as a server. fig. 8 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of a configuration of a memory system capable of wireless communication according to a third embodiment. a memory system 10 differs in that wireless connection destination information is stored in a nand memory 11 , instead of access point information of the first embodiment. the wireless connection destination information includes identification information that identifies a wireless communication terminal serving as a client; and a connectable/non-connectable state of the wireless communication terminal indicated by the identification information. as the identification information, for example, a mac (media access control) address which uniquely identifies a wireless communication terminal serving as a client can be used. the wireless connection destination information is also access field specification information. in addition, a wireless network module 13 a according to the third embodiment also differs in having the function of an access point. the access point sends out, in a predetermined cycle, a beacon indicating that the access point is an access point. in addition, the access point performs an association process and an authentication process with a client that has received a beacon and that desires to establish a wireless lan connection therewith, and performs a wireless communication process with the client. furthermore, in order that the wireless network module 13 a functions as an access point, the wireless network module 13 a also has the function of establishing a connection with a network such as a lan or the internet and performing transmission and reception of data between a wirelessly connected client and the network. a memory controller 12 according to the third embodiment allows data access from a host device only when the memory system 10 is connected to the host device and is in a wireless connectable state with a client registered in the wireless connection destination information. note that other configurations are the same as those described in the first embodiment and thus a description thereof is omitted. note also that the processes performed by the memory system 10 capable of wireless communication are also the same as those described in the first embodiment and thus a description thereof is omitted. furthermore, although the above-described example describes a case in which the memory system 10 capable of wireless communication and having the structure illustrated in the first embodiment is applied to a server, the memory system 10 capable of wireless communication and having the structure illustrated in the second embodiment may be applied to a server. in the third embodiment, also, the same effects as those obtained in the first and second embodiments can be obtained. note that the above-described embodiments use as an example a case in which the wireless network modules 13 and 13 a can perform communication over a wireless lan. hence, access point identification information of a wireless base station is registered in access point information, and identification information of a wireless communication terminal is registered in wireless connection destination information. in the case of establishing a wireless connection by other wireless communication schemes, identification information that identifies a terminal or base station on the other end with which the memory system 10 performs wireless communication is registered. in addition, although in the first to third embodiments access point information or wireless connection destination information is saved in the nand memory 11 , the configuration is not limited thereto. fig. 9 is a block diagram schematically illustrating another exemplary configuration of a memory system. in fig. 9 , a non-volatile memory 14 which is different than a nand memory 11 is prepared, and access point information or wireless connection destination information is saved in the non-volatile memory 14 . as such a non-volatile memory 14 , an eeprom (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory), etc., can be exemplified. in this case, a memory interface 127 for communicating with the non-volatile memory 14 is provided in a memory controller 12 . other components are the same as those described in the first to third embodiments and thus a description thereof is omitted. while certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventions. indeed, the novel embodiments described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the inventions. the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the inventions.
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007-217-634-948-007
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US
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[
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A62C35/60,A62C37/00,G08C17/02,A62C37/44,A62C3/00,A62C35/68,A62C37/36,G05B15/02,G05B19/406,F24C7/08,G08B13/196,G08B17/00,G05B11/01,G05B19/18
| 2014-11-05T00:00:00 |
2014
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remote control of fire suppression systems
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in one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a computer system, information that indicates that a fire has been detected in a building and that a fire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire; monitoring sensor information from one or more sensors located within the building; determining, by the computer system and based on the sensor information, whether the fire has been extinguished; activating, in response to determining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off a water supply to the building, the feature being presented on a computing device for a user who is associated with the building; receiving, after activating the feature and from the computing device, a command to turn off the water supply; and transmitting, by the computer system, a control signal that causes an electromechanical device to close a water valve within the building. wo 2016/073578 pct/us2015/058996 c:) co c:) cw wu 0 ----- 2 l -00 ~- i c=: m< c~co z > c)
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1 . a computer-implemented method comprising: receiving, at a computer system, information that indicates that a fire has been detected in a building and that a fire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire; determining, by the computer system and based on sensor information about conditions in the building, whether the fire has been extinguished; transmitting, by the computer system, an indication that the fire has been extinguished to a first user device for a first user who is located at the building and a second user device for a second user who is remote from the building; activating, by the computer system and based on determining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off a water supply to the building, the feature being presented on the first user device; receiving, by the computer system, based on activating the feature, and from the first user device at a first time, a first user command to turn off the water supply; receiving, by the computer system and based on receiving the first user command, a confirmation command to turn off the water supply from the second user device at a second time; and transmitting, by the computer system and based on the first user command and the confirmation command, a control signal that causes the fire suppression system to stop dousing the fire in the building. 2 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting, by the computer system, a notification that the water supply is turned off to both the first user device and the second user device. 3 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first time is earlier than the second time. 4 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first time is later than the second time. 5 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first time is the same as the second time. 6 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the second user device is a computing device of an emergency response team. 7 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first user is an occupant of the building and the second user is a first responder at a fire department. 8 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: transmitting, by the computer system to the second user device, another indication about the conditions in the building based on a determination that the fire has not been extinguished, wherein the another indication includes at least one selectable option to remotely control the water supply in the building; receiving, by the computer system from the second user device, an activation command to turn on the water supply; transmitting, by the computer system and based on the activation command to turn on the water supply, another control signal that causes the fire suppression system to continue or resume dousing the fire in the building. 9 . the computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the another control signal is configured to cause an electromechanical device in the fire suppression system to open a water valve within the building. 10 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising, activating, by the computer system, the fire suppression system based on the received information indicating that the fire has been detected in the building. 11 . the computer-implemented method of claim 10 , further comprising transmitting, by the computer system to at least one of the first user device and the second user device, another indication that the fire suppression system has been activated. 12 . the computer-implemented method of claim 9 further comprising: continuously receiving, by the computer system and from the electromechanical device, valve state information, wherein the valve state information indicates whether the water valve is open or closed; updating, by the computer system and based on the valve state information, the feature to turn off the water supply to the building; and transmitting, by the computer system to the first user device, the updated feature to turn off the water supply to the building. 13 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the control signal is configured to cause an electromechanical device in the fire suppression system to close a water valve within the building. 14 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining, by the computer system and based on sensor information about conditions in the building, whether the fire has been extinguished is based on: receiving, from a first sensor in the building, first information indicating that the fire has been extinguished based on activation of the fire suppression system; and receiving, from a second sensor in the building, second information confirming that the fire has been extinguished based on activation of the fire suppression system. 15 . the computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein the first sensor is at least one of a temperature sensor, a smoke detector, a thermographic camera detecting infrared (ir) light, a thermal imaging camera, and a flame detector. 16 . the computer-implemented method of claim 14 , wherein the second sensor is at least one of a temperature sensor, a smoke detector, a thermographic camera detecting ir light, a thermal imaging camera, and a flame detector. 17 . the computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising: presenting, by the computer system and at both the first user device and the second user device, a user interface providing real time status information for the fire, the real time status information being provided by the computer system based on information detected by one or more sensors located within the building; and automatically disabling, by the computer system and for both the first user device and the second user device when the fire is detected in the building based on the real time status information for the fire, the feature to turn off the water supply to the building. 18 . a system comprising: one or more sensors located within a building that are configured to detect fires in the building; an electromechanical device configured to control a water valve located along a water supply for the building and at a position upstream of a fire suppression system for the building, wherein the electromechanical device includes a control device configured to continuously monitor a state of the water valve; a first user device configured to display information about a fire within the building to a first user who is located at the building; a second user device configured to display information about a fire within the building to a second user who is remote from the building; and a computer system with one or more processors that are programmed to: receive information that indicates that a fire has been detected in the building and that a fire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire; monitor sensor information from the one or more sensors located within the building; determine, based on the sensor information, whether the fire has been extinguished; transmitting, to the first user device and the second user device, an indication that the fire has been extinguished; activate, based on determining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off a water supply to the building, the feature being presented on the first user device; receive, based on activating the feature, and from the first user device at a first time, a first user command to turn off the water supply; receive, based on receiving the first user command, a confirmation command to turn off the water supply from the second user device at a second time; and transmitting, based on the first user command and the confirmation command, a control signal that causes the fire suppression system to stop dousing the fire in the building. 19 . the system of claim 18 , wherein the control signal is configured to cause the electromechanical device in the fire suppression system to close the water valve within the building. 20 . the system of claim 18 , wherein the one or more sensors are at least one of a temperature sensor, a smoke detector, a thermographic camera detecting infrared (ir) light, a thermal imaging camera, and a flame detector.
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cross reference to related applications this application is a continuation of u.s. application ser. no. 17/004,687, filed on aug. 27, 2020, which is a continuation of u.s. application ser. no. 16/153, 516, filed oct. 5, 2018, now u.s. pat. no. 10,758,758, issued oct. 5, 2018, which is a continuation of u.s. application ser. no. 15/197,399, filed jun. 29, 2016, now u.s. pat. no. 10,092,785, issued oct. 9, 2018, which is a continuation of u.s. application ser. no. 14/932,413, filed nov. 4, 2015, now u.s. pat. no. 9,403,046, issued on aug. 2, 2016, and claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application ser. no. 62/075,662, filed nov. 5, 2014. the disclosures of the prior applications are considered part of and are incorporated by reference in the disclosure of this application. technical field this document generally describes technology for remotely monitoring and controlling fire suppression systems, such as sprinkler systems that are installed in homes and other buildings. background fire suppression systems, such as installed fire sprinkler systems, have used extinguishing components, such as sprinkler heads, that are mechanically and/or electrically activated in response to the detection of the effects of a fire (e.g., heat). once activated, such extinguishing components will continue to extinguish/douse until a water supply for the extinguishing components is turned off. for example, some sprinkler heads have glass bulbs that apply pressure to a cap that acts as a plug to prevent water from flowing out of the sprinkler head. such glass bulbs are heat-sensitive, such as through the use of an internal liquid that expands in response to heat, and burst when a threshold temperature is reached, which releases the pressure on the cap and allows for water to begin flowing out of the sprinkler head. such sprinkler heads relying on mechanical components for activation are not able to be shut off individually, but instead rely upon someone to manually turn off the water supply to the heads for them to stop extinguishing/dousing. summary this document generally describes technology for remotely controlling fire suppression systems. while fire suppression systems will save a building from destruction by fire, they can themselves inflict an extensive amount of water damage to a building. for example, fire suppression systems are typically deactivated by fire fighters who are responding to the fire emergency. however, response times for such fire fighters can vary greatly depending on a variety of factors, such as the distance between the building and the closest fire station and whether fire fighters in the jurisdiction are part of professional or volunteer forces (e.g., fire fighters in volunteer forces may not be on-call and instead may first need to travel to the fire station before responding to a call). during even short response times, water from an activated fire suppression system can cause a great deal of damage to a building and to personal property that is contained therein. the technology disclosed in this document allows for minimal damage to be inflicted upon a building and property contained within the building when a fire suppression system has been activated. for instance, the technology disclosed in this document allows fire suppression systems to be activated and to fully perform their intended duty—to fully extinguish fires—while at the same time permitting for the fire suppression system to be remotely controlled and deactivated once the fire has been fully extinguished. thus, damage can be minimized from both a fire within a building and water used to extinguish the fire in a surrounding area from the fire suppression system. in one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a computer system, information that indicates that a fire has been detected in a building and that a fire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire; monitoring sensor information from one or more sensors located within the building; determining, by the computer system and based on the sensor information, whether the fire has been extinguished; activating, in response to determining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off a water supply to the building, the feature being presented on a computing device for a user who is associated with the building; receiving, after activating the feature and from the computing device, a command to turn off the water supply; and transmitting, by the computer system, a control signal that causes an electromechanical device to close a water valve within the building. such a method can optionally include one or more of the following features. the computer system can transmit the control signal to a remote computing device that is located within the building and that is in communication with the electromechanical device. the remote computing device can include a control panel for the building. the remote computing device can include a home automation computer system for the building. the electromechanical device can include a solenoid valve that is located along the water supply for the building and at a position upstream of the fire suppression system. the computer-implemented method can further include sending, in response to receiving the information, an alert to the computing device that causes details about the fire in the building to be output to the user, wherein the feature is deactivated on the computing device at the time the details are output. the computing device can be programmed to present the feature in a user interface of the computing device. activating the feature can include the computer system transmitting activation information to the computing device to cause the computing device to activate the feature. the computing device can be programed to prohibit user selection of the feature when the feature is deactivated, and the computing device can be programmed to permit user selection of the feature when the feature is activated. the feature can include a selectable button that is displayed in the user interface. the computer-implemented method can further include verifying, after determining that the fire has been extinguished and before activating the feature, that the fire has been extinguished. the verifying can include, after determining a first time that the fire has been extinguished, repeatedly determining whether the fire is still extinguished for a period of time using real-time sensor information from the sensors in the building. the verifying can include, after determining that the fire has been extinguished using sensor information from a first type of the sensors, determining whether sensor information from a second type of the sensors also indicates that the fire has been extinguished. the one or more sensors can include one or more of: temperature sensors, smoke detectors, thermographic cameras detecting infrared (ir) light, thermal imaging cameras, and flame detecting devices. the computing device can include a mobile computing device. in one implementation, a computer-implemented method includes receiving, at a mobile computing device and from a computer system, a notification that a fire has been detected at a building with a fire suppression system supplied with water from a water supply; presenting, by the mobile computing device in response to receiving the notification, a user interface providing real time status information for the fire, the real time status information being provided by the computer system based on information detected by one or more sensors within the building; automatically disabling, by the mobile computing device when the user interface is initially presented, a feature for remotely turning off the water supply in the building; receiving, at the mobile computing device, extinguish information indicating that the fire has been extinguished; activating, by the mobile computing device and in response to receiving the extinguish information, the feature in the user interface; receiving, at the mobile computing device, user input selecting the activated feature in the user interface; and transmitting, by the mobile computing device and to the computer system, instructions to turn off the water supply in the building, the instructions causing the computer system to send a control signal to a device at the building to turn off the water supply to the fire suppression system. such a method can optionally include one or more of the following features. the notification can include a push notification on the mobile computing device, and the user interface can be presented by a mobile app that is being executed by the mobile computing device. the feature can include a selectable button, and the real time status information can include (i) information indicating whether the fire is still burning and (ii) information indicating whether the fire suppression system has been begun dispensing water onto the fire. in one implementation, a system includes one or more sensors located within a building that are configured to detect fires in the building; an electromechanical device configured to control a water valve located along a water supply for the building and at a position upstream of a fire suppression system for the building; and a computer system with one or more processors that are programmed to: receive information that indicates that a fire has been detected in the building and that the fire suppression system within the building has begun dousing the fire; monitor sensor information from the one or more sensors located within the building; determine, based on the sensor information, whether the fire has been extinguished; activate, in response to determining that the fire has been extinguished, a feature to turn off the water supply to the building, the feature being presented on a computing device for a user who is associated with the building; receive, after activating the feature and from the computing device, a command to turn off the water supply; and transmit a control signal that causes the electromechanical device to close the water valve within the building. such a system can optionally include one or more of the following features. the system can further include a remote computing device that is located within the building, that is in communication with the electromechanical device, and that is programmed to: receive the control signal transmitted by the computer system, and control operation of the electromechanical device to close the water valve in response to receiving the control signal. the electromechanical device can include a solenoid valve that is located along the water supply for the building and at a position upstream of the fire suppression system. the computer system can be further programmed to send, in response to receiving the information, an alert to the computing device that causes details about the fire in the building to be output to the user. the feature can be deactivated on the computing device at the time the details are output. the computing device can be programmed to present the feature in a user interface of the computing device. the computer system can be programmed to activate the feature by transmitting activation information to the computing device to cause the computing device to activate the feature. the computing device can be programed to prohibit user selection of the feature when the feature is deactivated, and the computing device can be programmed to permit user selection of the feature when the feature is activated. other embodiments of these aspects include corresponding apparatus and computer programs recorded on one or more computer storage devices, configured to perform the actions of the methods. a system of one or more computers can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of having software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation causes or cause the system to perform the actions. one or more computer programs can be configured to perform particular operations or actions by virtue of including instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions. the details of one or more implementations are depicted in the associated drawings and the description thereof below. certain implementations may provide one or more advantages. for example, the disclosed technology can minimize the aggregate damage that is caused to buildings and personal property contained therein when fire suppression systems are used to extinguish fires in buildings. for instance, by allowing a user, such as a homeowner, to have the ability to turn off a fire suppression system once a fire has been extinguished by a fire suppression system, the damage that would be caused by a fire can be minimized and the damage that would be caused from water used by the fire suppression system can be minimized. in contrast, without such technology, a fire suppression system will continue to run until a person is able to arrive at the building to physically turn off the fire suppression system, during which time extensive water damage can be incurred. in another example, the disclosed technology can use redundancies to verify that a fire has been extinguished by a fire suppression system before allowing a user to remotely turn off the fire suppression system, which can allow for the technology to operate effectively and safely. for instance, without redundancies to determine whether a fire has been extinguished, a fire may incorrectly be detected as being extinguished and the fire suppression system may be turned off prematurely. in such a situation, the fire could reemerge and cause extensive damage to the building. by using redundancies, such as multiple different sensors and sensor systems to verify whether a fire has been extinguished, the risk of a fire reemerging after the fire suppression system has been shut off can be minimized, which can minimize both the risk of fire and water damage to the building. additionally, the use of redundancies can improve the likelihood that the disclosed technology will be permitted for use by fire marshals and others overseeing the installation and operation of fire suppression systems, which can improve the reach and aggregate benefit of the disclosed technology. in a further example, through the use of a central computer system to determine whether a fire has been extinguished by a fire suppression system, the disclosed technology can provide reliable, independent, and consistent determinations of when fires have been extinguished by fire suppression systems. such centralized determinations can improve the accuracy and performance of the disclosed technology. other features, objects, and advantages of the technology described in this document will be apparent from the description and the drawings, and from the claims. brief description of the drawings figs. 1a-e are conceptual diagrams of an example system for remotely controlling a fire suppression system. fig. 2 depicts a system for remotely controlling a fire suppression system. figs. 3a-c depict flowcharts of an example technique for remotely monitoring and controlling a fire suppression system. figs. 4a-b are conceptual diagrams of systems that include examples of other authorized parties who may receive and control water shut off valves within a building. like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. detailed description figs. 1a-e are conceptual diagrams of an example system 100 for remotely controlling a fire suppression system. the conceptual diagrams depict operation of the system 100 in response to a fire that is suppressed and extinguished by the fire suppression system, including the remote shut off of the fire suppression system. referring to fig. 1a , the example system 100 includes an example building 102 (e.g., house, office, apartment) that has a fire suppression system 104 installed throughout the building 102 , for example, in rooms a and b of the building 102 . the example fire suppression system 104 that is depicted is supplied by a fire suppression water line 106 that branches off of a main water line 108 and, according to fire codes in many jurisdictions, before a domestic branch 110 of the water line. the main 108 can further includes a valve 112 that, as indicated by the symbol to the left of the valve, is open in fig. 1a . the fire suppression system 104 includes sprinkler heads 114 a in room a of the building 102 and sprinkler heads 114 b in room b of the building 102 . the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can be any of a variety of appropriate types of sprinkler heads, such as glass bulb sprinklers (e.g., heads that are activated by a glass bulb with heat-sensitive material that causes the bulb to break and allows a cap to fall away to release water from the sprinkler head), fusible link sprinklers (e.g., heads with a two-part heat sensitive metal alloy that holds a cap/plug in place and, in response to the alloy reaching a threshold temperature, causes the cap/plug to fall away to release water from the head), pendant sprinkler heads (e.g., heads that hang down from the ceiling), concealed pendant sprinkler heads (e.g., heads that are recessed and covered within the ceiling and drop down when activated), upright sprinkler heads (e.g., heads that project up into space), and/or side wall sprinkler heads (e.g., heads that stand out from a wall). other types of sprinkler heads are also possible. in response to detecting a fire or conditions that would indicate a fire, such as smoke and/or heat, one or more of the sprinkler heads 114 a - b in the fire suppression system 104 can be activated and can begin extinguishing/dousing the building with water supplied to the fire suppression water line 106 from the main 108 . the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can include fire and/or fire condition sensitive elements that can cause the sprinkler heads 114 a - b to be activated and to begin extinguishing/dousing, such as glass bulbs and heat sensitive metal alloy components. for example, the fire suppression system 104 can be a wet pipe system (the fire suppression water line 106 always being filled with water) such that, when the sprinkler heads 114 a - b are individually activated by their fire sensitive elements (e.g., glass bulb bursts when threshold temperature reached), they can immediately begin extinguishing/dousing the nearby area with water. in another example, the fire suppression system 104 can be a dry pipe system (the fire suppression water line 106 containing pressurized air (or other gases) that applies pressure to a clapper blocking water from entering the fire suppression water line 106 ) that fills with water after a fire sensitive element of an individual sprinkler head 114 a - b is activated. the sprinkler heads 114 a - b may additionally, or alternatively, be activated by other devices and/or sensors that are external from the heads 114 a - b, such as smoke detectors, heat sensors, and/or other devices/sensors that may detect the presence of fire and/or fire conditions. for example, the fire suppression system 104 can be a pre-action system that requires two or more sensors/devices to detect the presence of a fire for the heads 114 a - b to begin extinguishing. for instance, an example pre-action system can initially have no water in the fire suppression water line 106 and can use a valve/cap that releases water into the water line 106 in response to a smoke detector in the building 102 detecting smoke. after water is released into the water line 106 , the line 106 becomes wet and the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can begin extinguishing/dousing once their fire sensitive elements are individually activated (e.g., glass bulb bursting from heat reaching threshold temperature). when activated, the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can send signals to a computing device 116 (e.g., control panel, home automation computer system, computing device within the building 102 transmitting information to one or more remote computer server systems, smartphones, tablets, desktop computers) that indicate that they have been activated. for example, the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can be part of a low voltage system and can be supplied by power over one or more low voltage lines. through the use of the low voltage system, wired and/or wireless signals indicating that the sprinkler heads 114 a - b have been activated can be sent to the computing device 116 . for example, activation of the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can cause one or more circuits of the low voltage system to be completed, which can be detected by the computing device 116 (or other devices in communication with the computing device 116 ). in another example, the sprinkler heads 114 a - b can include wireless transmitters that, when activated, transmit one or more wireless signals to the computing device 116 that indicate that they have been activated. remote control of the fire suppression system 104 can include the use of sensors that are located throughout the building 102 , such as a first type of sensors (sensors a 118 a - b ) and a second type of sensors (sensors b 120 a - b ) that are positioned in rooms a and b. the sensors 118 - 120 can sensors that are capable of sensing fires and/or conditions (e.g., smoke, heat) that indicate the presence of fires, such as smoke detector devices, heat detector devices (e.g., thermometers), imaging devices that are capable visually detecting fire/heat across one or more portions of the light spectrum (e.g., thermographic camera detecting the infrared (ir) light spectrum, thermal imaging camera), and/or flame detector devices (e.g., devices that detect fires by analyzing and/or comparing one or more portions of the ultraviolet (uv) and ir spectrums). the sensors a 118 a - b and b 120 a - b can be different types. for example, the sensors a 118 a - b can be heat detectors and the sensors b 120 a - b can be imaging devices to visibly detect fire/heat. like the sprinkler heads 114 a - b, the sensors 118 - 120 can transmit signals indicating the current state within the rooms a and b to the computing device 116 . for example, the sensors 118 - 120 can be part of the same or different low voltage system as the sprinkler heads 114 a - b and can transmit signals through one or more wired and/or wireless connections to the computing device 116 . these signals can be used to verify whether there is a fire within the rooms a and b, and when such a fire has been sufficiently extinguished to permit the water supply for the fire suppression line 106 to be turned off. figs. 1a-e depict an example scenario of a fire 122 being detected and extinguished in room a by the fire suppression system 104 , and the remote control of the fire suppression system 104 through the use of a remote computer system 124 (e.g., one or more computer servers, cloud computing system, desktop computer) and a user computing device 126 (e.g., mobile computing device (e.g., smartphone, personal digital assistant (pda), tablet computing device), laptop, desktop computer). at a high level, the remote computer system 124 can receive information from the computing device 116 regarding the state of the fire 122 , as detected by the sensors 118 - 120 , and the fire suppression system 104 . the remote computer system 124 can provide the user computing device 126 with alerts and real-time (or near real-time) information as to what is going on in the building 102 with regard to the fire 122 , and can only provide the user computing device 126 with the option to turn off water supply to the fire suppression system 104 once the remote computer system 124 has sufficiently verified, based on the information provided by the sensors 118 - 120 , that the fire 122 has been extinguished. referring to fig. 1a , the computing device 116 can receive information from the sprinkler heads 114 a - b and the sensors 118 - 120 , as indicated by step a ( 128 ). the computing device 116 can detect that one or more of the heads 114 a - b of the fire suppression system 104 have been activated and, from the sensor 118 - 120 , that there is a fire 122 in room a, as indicated by step b ( 130 ). for example, an example object 124 (e.g., couch, carpet) in room a is on fire, which causes two of the sprinkler heads 114 a in room a to be activated and to begin extinguishing the fire 122 with water. being part of a low voltage system, the sprinkler heads 114 a activate a water flow switch that can transmit a signal to the computing device 116 that they have been activated. the sensors 118 a and 120 a can also transmit information to the computer system 116 regarding the fire 122 , such as temperature information, smoke information, and/or thermal images of the room a, the object 132 , and the fire 122 . in response to detecting the fire 122 and activation of the fire suppression system 104 , the computing device 116 can transmit a notification to the remote computer system 124 over a communication network 134 , as indicated by step c ( 136 ). the communication network can be any of a variety appropriate networks over which the computing device 116 , the remote computer system 124 , and the user computing device 126 can communicate, such as the internet, mobile data networks (e.g., 3g/4g mobile data networks), wireless networks (e.g., wi-fi networks, bluetooth networks), local area networks (lans), wide area networks (wans), virtual private networks (vpns), fiber optic networks, cellular networks, and/or any combination thereof. as indicated by step d ( 138 ), the computer system 124 can process and log the notification received from the computing device 116 . for example, the computer system 124 can determine that there is a fire in the building 102 and can retrieve contact information (e.g., username, identifier for user computing device 126 (e.g., telephone number)) for the users associated with the building 102 (e.g., owners, landlords, tenants, emergency response system for the jurisdiction within which the building 102 is situated) for alerting the users. as indicated by step e ( 140 ), the computer system 124 can alert the appropriate parties, such as the owners of the building 102 and fire department in the jurisdiction where the building 102 is located. for example, an alert can be transmitted over the network 134 to the user computing device 126 . as indicated by step f ( 142 ), the user computing device 126 can receive the alert (e.g., push notification, email, text message) and can output the notification on the device 126 . an example alert 144 is depicted as being displayed by the device 126 . the alert 144 includes a notice that a fire has been detected in room a of the building 102 , and provides the user with selectable options to remotely monitor the fire from the device 126 , to forward the alert 144 to another user and/or device, and to contact (e.g., place a phone call) to emergency services, such as 911 . referring to fig. 1b , in response to the user of the device 126 selecting the monitor option, the user computing device 126 can transmit a request to computer system 124 to monitor the fire, as indicated by step g ( 146 ). before and around this same time, the computing device 116 can continue to obtain sensor information from the sensors 118 - 120 , as indicated by step h ( 148 ), and to provide the sensor information to the computer system 124 , as indicated by step i ( 150 ). the computer system 124 can receive the continual stream of sensor information from the computing device 116 and can use it to determine the state of the fire, including whether the fire has been extinguished, as indicated by step j ( 152 ). in response to the request from the user device 126 to monitor the fire and based on the determined state of the fire, the computer system 124 can select sensor information and user interface (ui) features to provide to the user device 126 for monitoring the fire, as indicated by step k ( 154 ). for example, the computer system 124 can be programmed to only provide the user computing device 126 with the option to remotely shut off the water supply to the fire suppression system 104 once the fire 122 has been verified, through one or more of the sensor systems 118 and 120 , to have been extinguished. in the example depicted in fig. 1b , the fire 122 on the object 132 has not yet been extinguished, so the computer system 124 may not provide the user computing device 126 with the option to turn off the fire suppression system 104 . the computer system 124 can provide the selected information and ui features to the user computing device 126 , as indicated by step l ( 156 ), which can be output by the user computing device 126 , as indicated by step m ( 158 ). an example user interface 160 is depicted as including a variety of information 162 a - d regarding the fire 122 . for example, a first portion of information 162 a identifies the information 162 b - d as pertaining to monitoring of room a in the building 102 . the second portion of information 162 b provides the current status of the fire 122 as detected by the sensors a 118 a that are located in room a, which in this example are image-based sensors (e.g., ir imaging devices, visible light cameras). the information 162 b provides a real-time (or near real-time) image/video of the room a and also status information for the fire 122 (“fire detected”) from those sensors 118 a, as determined by the computing device 116 and/or the computer system 124 based on the information from the sensors 118 a. the third portion of information 162 c provides the current status of the fire 122 as detected by the sensors b 118 b that are located in room a, which in this example are combination smoke and heat sensors. current temperature and smoke information for room a are provided and updated in real-time (or near real-time), and a status of the fire 122 is provided, as determined by the computing device 116 and/or the computer system 124 . a fourth portion of information 162 d includes a deactivated user interface feature (e.g., button, slider) that, once activated, can allow the user of the device 126 to shut off the water supply to the fire suppression system 104 . referring to fig. 1c , the fire 122 in room a has now been extinguished by the fire suppression system 104 . however, even though the two sprinklers 114 a that were activated have extinguished the fire 112 , they are still extinguishing/dousing room a of the building 102 , as depicted in fig. 1c . as described above, many types of the sprinklers 114 a - b will continue to extinguish/douse once activated (e.g., cap/plug released by glass bulb breaking or metal alloys reaching threshold temperature), will not shut off on their own, and will continue to so long as water being supplied the fire suppression water line 106 . to stop the activated sprinklers 114 a from extinguishing/dousing room a, the water supply to the fire suppression water line 106 may need to be shut off so that the activated sprinkler heads 114 a can be replaced/repaired (e.g., replaced with heads having unbroken glass bulbs holding caps/plugs in place). under many building codes to ensure that the fire suppression system 104 is not selectively disabled, the fire suppression water line 106 branches off of the main line 108 with the domestic water line 110 and does not have a separate or independent shut off valve. in such situations, to turn off the water supply to the water supply line 106 , the valve 112 for the main water line 108 to the building 102 will have to be shut off. during the period of time when the fire 122 has been extinguished and the sprinklers 114 a are still extinguishing/dousing room a, as depicted in fig. 1c , additional and unnecessary water damage may be caused to room a as well as to other parts of the building 102 . to minimize this additional damage to the building 102 , the computing device 116 and the computer system 124 can allow for remote control of the water supply for the fire suppression line 106 (e.g., the main line 108 and the valve 112 ) to be controlled and turned off from the user computing device 126 once the fire 122 has been verified to be extinguished. as depicted in fig. 1c , the computing device 116 can continue to obtain sensor information (step h, 148 ) and to provide the sensor information to the computer system (step i, 150 ). the computer system 124 can also continue to determine whether the fire has been extinguished (step j, 152 ) and to select appropriate information and ui features to present to a user on the user device 126 (step k, 154 ). when performing step j (determining whether the fire has been extinguished), the computer system 124 can examine a variety of factors to hedge against the risk of the fire suppression system 104 being turned off prematurely (before the fire 122 has been fully extinguished, which would allow for it to reemerge in room a or other parts of the building 102 ). for example, the determination made by the computer system 124 the as to whether the fire 122 has been extinguished can be based on whether each of the sensor systems (e.g., sensors a 118 a - b and sensors b 120 a - b ) has provided information that indicates that the fire or fire conditions have ceased for at least a threshold period of time (e.g., 5 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 5 minutes). disagreement among information provided by the sensors systems as to the state of the fire 122 can indicate that the fire still exists, that it may reemerge if the extinguishing/dousing does not continue, and that the fire suppression system 104 should not yet be shut off. information from each sensor system (e.g., sensors a 118 a - b and sensors b 120 a - b ) can be compared against thresholds that indicate whether the sensors are detecting a fire and/or conditions that indicates a fire. for instance, the thermal images provided by the example sensors a 118 a can be analyzed to determine whether any portions of the images indicate heat in excess of a threshold value (e.g., 70° f., 80° f., 90° f., 100° f.), smoke information provided by the example sensors 120 a can be analyzed to determine whether smoke is currently detected, and ambient temperature information for the room a provided by the sensors 120 a can be compared against threshold values (e.g., 70° f., 80° f., 90° f., 100° f.). temperature threshold values, for example, may be specified as an appropriate fixed value, or as a variable value that depends on (e.g., is 5 degrees, 10 degrees, or another suitable number of degrees greater than) an ambient air temperature (e.g., a setpoint temperature, a measured temperature) of the building 102 at a time (e.g., a half hour, an hour, two hours) before the fire activation system 104 was activated. in the example depicted in fig. 1c , the computer system 124 can determine whether the fire 122 has been extinguished and, based on that determination, can enable the ui feature for remotely shutting off the water supply to the fire suppression system 104 on user computing device 126 . the computer system 124 can provide the updated sensor information and the ui features, including the water shut off feature, to the client computing device 126 , as indicated by step l ( 156 ). in response to receiving the information and ui features, the user computing device 126 can update the user interface 160 and can activate the water shut off button, as indicated by step n ( 164 ). for example, the information 162 a - d that is presented in the user interface 160 , can be updated to indicate that the current status of the fire in room a. for instance, the second portion of the information 162 b is updated to depict a current image/video of the room a, which includes the fire being out, the sprinklers still extinguishing/dousing the room a, and a status determined by the computer system 124 (and/or the computing device 116 ) that, based on sensor a, the fire has been extinguished. the third portion of the information 162 c is updated with the current temperature and smoke status for room a, as well as with the status determined by the computer system 124 (and/or the computing device 116 ) that, based on sensor b, the fire has been extinguished. the fourth portion of the information 162 d is updated to provide the user with a selectable feature (e.g., button, slider) to shut off the water and information indicating that the feature has been activated. referring to fig. 1d , the user computing device 126 can receive selection of the water shut off feature, as indicated by step o ( 166 ), and in response can transmit a shut off command to the computer system 124 and/or to the computing device 116 , as indicated by step p ( 168 ). the user interface 160 can be updated to reflect that the shut off command has been sent, as indicated in the fourth portion of the information 162 d. in some implementations, the shut off command can be sent to the computer system 124 , which can verify the command as being appropriate and/or authorized given the determined state of the fire and can retransmit the command to the computing device 116 . in some implementations, the shut off command may be sent from the user computing device 126 directly to the computing device 116 in addition/alternative to the command being sent to the computer system 116 . as indicated by step q ( 170 ), the computing device 116 can receive the shut off command and, as indicated by step r ( 172 ) and in response to receiving the command, can activate the valve 112 . the computing device 116 can send a signal (e.g., wired signal, wireless signal) to one or more devices that are able to electromechanically control the valve, such as a solenoid valve. a valve control device can open and close the valve in response to the signal using electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, or other appropriate actuators, and may include one or more sensors that monitor changes in valve condition (e.g., an open or closed state). such a device may be part of or separate from the valve 112 , and may be able to report the state of the valve to the computing device 116 (e.g., valve 112 is open, valve 112 is closed). as indicated by the symbol next to the valve 112 in fig. 1d , the valve 112 closes and is in a closed state following direction from the computing device 116 . as indicated by step s ( 174 ), the computer system 124 can process and log the shut off command received from the user computing device 126 . the computer system 124 can log some or all of the information that is received from the computing device 116 and/or the user computing device 126 in conjunction with the building 102 , which can be used by any of a variety of parties at a later time, such as fire investigators, insurers, manufacturers, and/or builders. referring to fig. 1e , the computing device 116 can detect whether the valve 112 has been successfully shut off, as indicated by step t ( 176 ). for example, the computing device 116 can receive information from the valve 112 and/or electromechanical device used to shut off the valve 112 indicating the state of the valve 112 . the computing device 116 may additionally and/or alternatively obtain readings from one or more flow meters that are installed along the water supply after the valve 112 , such as a flow switch that is installed on the fire suppression line 106 . the computing device 116 can transmit information about the status of the valve to the computer system 124 , as indicated by step u ( 178 ). the computer system 124 can receive and log the status information regarding the valve, as indicated by step w ( 180 ), and can transmit an update regarding the status to the appropriate parties (e.g., user computing device, fire department, emergency response services, insurer), as indicated by step x ( 182 ). the user computing device 126 can receive the update and can output the valve status information, as indicated by step v ( 184 ). for example, the fourth portion of the information 162 d can be updated to indicate that the water shut off has been confirmed by the computing device 116 and/or the computer system 124 . a variety of additional and/or alternative features can be used in association with the system 100 . for example, the computing device 116 and/or the computer system 124 can be programmed to automatically transmit a shut off command without user involvement. such an automated shut-off command may be generated based on a variety of factors, such as whether the user computing device 126 is active and monitoring the fire 122 , the estimated time for the fire department to arrive at the building 102 , the confidence with which the fire 122 has been determined to be extinguished based on the information from the sensors 118 - 120 , and/or an amount of time that has elapsed since the fire 122 was determined to be extinguished and/or that the shut off command was made available without being activated. such factors may be designated by any of a variety of appropriate parties, such as the owners of the building 102 , the tenants of the building 102 , fire officials (e.g., fire marshals), and/or insurers of the building 102 . in another example, the user of the user computing device 126 who is able to shut off the fire suppression system can include one or more parties, such as the building owner, tenants of the building 102 , private and/or public emergency response groups (e.g., home security company, fire department), fire officials (e.g., fire marshal), and/or other proxies who may be designated. in some implementations, there may need to be consent from multiple parties for the fire suppression system to be shut off. for instance, there may be another user computing device, such as one associated with a fire department and/or fire marshal, that has the same view of the building 102 and the fire 122 , and which also has to consent to the water being shut off for the computer system 124 and/or the computing device 116 to act upon the command. in another example, the computing device 116 and the other low voltage components of the system 100 can be supplied with power from one or more backup power supplies, as needed. for example, the building 102 can have a battery backup that can be used to power the computing device 116 , the sensors 118 - 120 , and/or the electromechanical control of the valve 112 . fig. 2 depicts a system 200 for remotely controlling a fire suppression system 202 . the system 200 can be similar to the system 100 , described above with regard to fig. 1 . the system 200 includes a building 204 (e.g., the building 102 ) that includes a water system 206 with a shut off valve 208 (e.g., the valve 112 ), a domestic water system 210 (e.g., the domestic water line 110 ), and the fire suppression system 202 (e.g., the fire suppression system 104 with fire suppression line 106 ). the fire suppression system 202 can include a plurality of extinguishing/dousing heads 212 , such as the sprinkler heads 114 a - b described above with regard to fig. 1 . the fire suppression system 202 further includes a plurality of fire detection devices 214 that can detect a fire and/or the presence of conditions that indicate that is a fire, and that can trigger, either directly or indirectly, the activation of the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 . for example, the fire detection devices 214 can be glass bulbs that are positioned within the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 and that burst when a threshold temperature is reached, thus releasing a cap/plug in the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 and allowing water out of the heads 212 . the fire detection devices 214 can also be other devices, such as the metal alloy discussed above and/or appropriate sensors. in some implementations, the fire suppression system 202 can further include a flow switch 216 to provide an indication of whether water is flowing through and out of the fire suppression system 202 . the building 204 can also include sensors 218 , including sensors of multiple different types 220 a - n. the sensors 218 can be positioned throughout the building 204 and near/around the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 so that information regarding state of fires that may be extinguished/doused by the heads 212 is accurately obtained and reported. the sensors can be similar to the sensors 118 - 120 described above with regard to figs. 1a-e . the building 204 can further include an in-building computing device 222 , which can be similar to the computing device 116 . the computing device 222 can be any of a variety of appropriate computing devices and/or systems, such as computer servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, mobile computing devices, cloud computing systems, and/or other appropriate computing devices/systems. the computing device 222 includes a fire suppression system interface 224 that is programmed to receive information from the fire suppression system 202 , such as signals transmitted by the fire detection devices 214 indicating that a fire and/or fire conditions have been detected, and that the extinguishing/dousing heads 212 have been activated. for example, the fire suppression system 202 can include a low voltage system over which signals from the fire detection devices 214 are transmitted. the fire suppression system interface 224 can include a monitor module 226 that is programmed to continuously monitor and interpret signals from the fire suppression system 202 . the computing device 222 also includes a sensor interface 228 that is similar to the interface 224 and that is programmed to receive information from the sensors 218 . the sensor interface 228 includes a monitor module 230 that is programmed to continuously monitor and interpret signals from the sensors 218 . the sensor interface 228 can further include an analysis module 232 that is programmed to analyze the signals from the sensors 218 to determine various states/conditions throughout the building 204 , such as whether a fire or fire conditions exist at various locations within the building 204 . for example, the analysis module 232 can use various threshold values for parameters that are sensed/detected by the sensors 218 to determine states/conditions. the computing device 222 can further include a shut off valve interface 234 that is programmed to interface with the shut off valve 208 and to control an electromechanical device that controls the shut off valve 208 . the shut off valve interface 234 includes a monitor module 236 that is programmed to continuously monitor information transmitted by the electromechanical device, such as information indicating whether the shut off valve 208 is open or closed. the shut off valve interface 234 also includes a control module 238 that is programmed to control the operation of the shut off valve, such as transmitting control signals to the electromechanical device that controls the shut off valve 208 . the computing device 222 further includes a server interface 240 that enables communication between the computing device 222 and a computer server system 242 over a network 244 . for example, the server interface 240 can include one or more communication interfaces, such as the tcp/ip protocol stack, ethernet interfaces, wireless networking interfaces, and/or mobile data networking interfaces. the network 244 can be similar to the network 134 , as described above with regard to figs. 1a-e , and be any of a variety of communication networks over which the computing devices and computer systems that are part of the system 200 can communicate, such as the internet, mobile data networks (e.g., 3g/4g mobile data networks), wireless networks (e.g., wi-fi networks, bluetooth networks), local area networks (lans), wide area networks (wans), virtual private networks (vpns), fiber optic networks, cellular networks, and/or any combination thereof. the computer server system 242 can be similar to the computer system 124 that is discussed above with regard to figs. 1a-e . the computer server system 242 can include one or more computing devices (e.g., one or more computer server, cloud computing system, desktop computer, laptop computer) that are programmed to respond to requests from client devices, such as the in-building computing device 222 , and to perform processes to allow for remote control of the fire suppression system 202 , as described throughout this document. the computer server system 242 includes a building information monitor module 246 that is programmed to receive information for buildings, such as the building 204 and other buildings not depicted, from one or more computing devices that are monitoring and transmitting such information, such as the in-building computing device 222 and other computing devices associated with other buildings. information that is received and monitored by the module 246 can be stored in one or more data repositories 258 a - c, such as a log 258 a that logs building information, such as timestamped information from the sensors 218 , the state of the shut off valve 208 , the state of the fire suppression system 202 , and commands to perform water shut off operations. the other data repositories include a building-user information repository 258 b that stores information about users associated with buildings, such as contact information and computing device identifiers for owners and tenants of the building 204 ; and other authorized party information data repository 258 c that stores information about other parties that may be authorized to received building information and alerts, such as fire departments, fire marshals, and insurers. the computer server system 242 further includes a fire detection module 248 that is programmed to determine whether there is a fire in the building 204 . the computer system 242 also includes a fire extinguishing detection module that is programmed to determine, after a fire has been detected by the fire detection module 248 , when the fire has been sufficiently extinguished that it is safe to allow for remote shut off of the water system 206 and the fire suppression system 202 . such determinations made by the modules 248 and 250 can additionally be stored in the log 258 a. the computer system also includes a user computing device interaction module 252 that is programmed to coordinate and manage communication with a user computing device 260 , which can be associated with a user with a connection to the building 204 (e.g., owner, tenant, landlord). the module 252 can perform operations similar to steps e, k, and x ( 140 , 154 , and 182 , respectively), described above with regard to fig. 1 , and can communicate with the user computing device 260 over the network 244 . for example, the module 252 can determine when it is appropriate to provide/enable ui features on the computing device 260 through which the user can remotely control the fire suppression system 202 . the user computing device 260 can be similar to the computing device 126 , as described above with regard to figs. 1a-e . the user computing device 260 can be any of a variety of appropriate computing devices, such as computer servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, and/or mobile computing devices (e.g., smartphones (e.g., iphone, android smartphones), cell phones (e.g., feature phones), tablet computing devices (e.g., ipads, android tablets), personal digital assistants (pdas), computing devices embedded within vehicles (e.g., in-vehicle computer systems with displays and/or user interfaces built into the vehicles' consoles, vehicle mounted computing devices, golf carts with embedded computing devices), wearable computing devices (e.g., google glass), laptop computers, netbook computers, and/or other appropriate mobile computing devices). the computing device 260 includes an output subsystem 262 that can output ui features through which a user of the computing device 260 can monitor the status of the building 204 and, when appropriate, deactivate a fire suppression system 202 . the output subsystem 262 can include one or more appropriate output devices through which information can be provided to a user, such as a display, speakers, haptic feedback devices (e.g., vibration device), and/or other devices that are in communication with the device 206 (e.g., wireless headset). the computing device 260 further includes an input subsystem 264 through which a user can provide input, such as a command to turn off the fire suppression system 202 . the input subsystem 264 can include one or more appropriate input devices through which a user of the device 260 can provide input, such as a touchscreen, physical buttons/keys, microphones, cameras, and/or other appropriate input devices (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes). the user computing device 260 further includes a fire suppression application 266 that is programmed to communicate with the server system 242 to obtain information about the building 204 , to provide an interface through which the user can view information about the building 204 , and through which a user can provide input, such as a command to turn off the fire suppression system 202 . the application 266 can be of any of a variety of appropriate types, such as software (e.g., mobile app), hardware (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (asic)), and/or firmware. water shut off commands can be transmitted by the device 260 and provided to a water shut off valve control module 254 of the computer system 242 . the module 254 can monitor the status of the shut off valve 208 and can transmit commands to the electromechanical component of the valve 208 , such as commands to open the valve 208 and commands to close the valve 208 . commands that are received and/or sent by the module 254 can be stored in the log 258 a. the computer system 242 can further include an other authorized party interaction module 256 , which can control the interactions with other parties who may be authorized to receive information about the building 204 and/or to control the valve 208 , such as other tenants of the building 204 , insurers, and/or fire professionals (e.g., fire marshals, fire departments). the module 256 can interface with one or more other authorized party computing devices 268 that are associated with such other parties. the computing device 268 can be similar to the user computing device 260 , and can include an output subsystem 270 (similar to the output subsystem 262 ), an input subsystem 272 (similar to the input subsystem 264 ), and a fire suppression application (similar to the application 266 ). figs. 3a-c depict flowcharts of an example technique 300 for remotely monitoring and controlling a fire suppression system. the technique 300 is performed in part by a building computing device 302 , a computer server system 304 , and a user computing device 306 . the building computing device 302 can be any of a variety of appropriate computing devices, such as the computing device 116 , the computing device 222 , and/or other appropriate computing devices. the computer server system 304 can be any of a variety of appropriate computer systems, such as the computer system 124 , the computer system 242 , and/or other appropriate computer systems. the user computing device 306 can be any of a variety of appropriate computer devices, such as the user computing device 126 , the user computing device 260 , the other authorized party computing device 268 , and/or other appropriate computing devices. the building computing device 302 can provide status information to the computer server 304 and the device 306 without there being a fire at a corresponding building. for example, the building device 302 can periodically (e.g., every minute, every 5 minutes, every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, every hour, every 6 hours, every 12 hours) monitor and report the status of the fire suppression system to the computer sever system 304 and/or the user computing device 306 ( 308 ). the computer server system 304 can log and report to the user the status of the fire suppression system ( 310 ), which can output the status information ( 312 ). the building computing device 302 can detect a fire (or conditions that indicate a fire) and/or activation of the fire suppression system within the building ( 314 ). in response to such a detection, the building computing device 302 can obtain, report, and/or analyze information regarding the fire and/or other information from the sensors within the building to the computer system 304 ( 316 ). the computer server system 304 can receive and log the information regarding the fire and/or sensors ( 318 ), and can analyze the information to determine the status of the fire (e.g., location within building, extinguished, fire still active) ( 320 ). the computer server system 304 can transmit real-time information about the fire to the user and/or other authorized parties ( 322 ). the user computing device 306 can receive and output the information ( 324 ). the computer server system 304 can determine whether fire has already been detected in the building ( 326 ) and, if it has not yet been detected, the computer server system 304 can determine whether there is a fire in the building ( 328 ). if there is determined to be a fire in the building ( 330 ), the computer system can log and report the fire status ( 332 ), which can be output on the user computing device 306 ( 334 ). if no fire has been detected, then the technique can loop back to step 316 . if a fire has already been detected, then a determination can be made as to whether the fire has been extinguished ( 336 ). if the fire is determined to not have yet been extinguished ( 338 ), then the process can loop back to step 316 and can repeatedly monitor the information from the building computer system 302 until the fire has been determined to be extinguished. if the fire is determined to have been extinguished ( 338 ), then the computer sever system 304 can perform a verification alert that the fire is extinguished ( 340 ). such a verification can include any of a variety of techniques, such as monitoring whether the extinguished determination for the fire remains constant for a period of time (e.g., 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes) and/or whether a second or redundant set of sensors provides a consistent verification that the fire has been extinguished. referring to fig. 3b , if the fire is verified as having been extinguished ( 342 ), then the computer server system 304 can transmit authorization to provide shut off capability to the user or other authorized parties ( 344 ). if the fire is not verified as having been extinguished, then the technique 300 can loop back to step 316 . the user computing device 306 can receive the authorization and output the water shut off feature ( 346 ). in response to receiving user input with regard to the feature ( 348 ), the user computing device 306 can transmit a water shut off command to the computer server system 304 ( 350 ). such a command can be received, logged, and retransmitted by the computer server system 304 ( 352 ). the building computing device 302 can receive the water shut off command ( 354 ) and, in response to receiving the command, can activate the water shut off valve ( 356 ). the building computing device 302 can verify that the water is shut off ( 358 ) and can transmit information regarding the water shut off status to the computer server system 304 ( 360 ). the computer server system 304 can receive, log, and retransmit the water shut off status information ( 362 ), which can be output by the user computing device 302 ( 364 ). the building computing device 302 can continue to monitor and transmit sensor information to the computer server system 304 ( 366 ), which can be logged and analyzed by the computer server system 304 to determine whether the fire has reemerged ( 368 ). referring to fig. 3c , the computer server system 304 can determine whether the fire has been detected again ( 370 ). if the fire has not been detected again, then the technique 300 can loop back to step 366 . if the fire has been detected again, the computer server system 304 can log and automatically transmit a command to open the water shut off valve to the building computing device 302 ( 372 ). the computer server system 304 can additionally notify the user computing device 306 that the fire has reemerged and that the water is being automatically turned on ( 384 ). the building computing device 302 can receive such a command ( 374 ), can activate opening of the water shut off valve ( 376 ), can verify that the water in the building has been turned on again ( 378 ), and can transmit information regarding the water shut off status to the computer server system 304 ( 380 ). the computer server system 304 can log and retransmit the status information ( 382 ), which can be output by the user computing device 306 ( 386 ). once the water has been turned on again, the technique 300 can loop back to step 316 . figs. 4a-b are conceptual diagrams of systems 400 and 450 that include example other authorized parties who may receive and control water shut off valves within a building. referring to fig. 4a , the example system 400 includes a building 402 that includes one tenant/unit a that is supplied by a main water line 404 with a valve 406 that branches into a fire suppression water line 408 and a domestic water line 410 . the building 402 includes a computing device 412 that can be used to transmit information about the building 402 to a computer system 414 and that can allow for remote operation of the valve 406 to shut off the water supplied to the fire suppression line 408 . the computer system 414 can communicate with a computing device associated with a single user a (or group of users a, such as a family) and computing devices associated with other authorized users 418 , which in this example are emergency services personnel, such as a fire department and fire marshal with jurisdiction over the building 402 . referring to fig. 4b , the example system 450 depicts a scenario in which a building 452 includes multiple tenants/units a-c who share a common main water line 454 that is controlled by a common valve 456 . in such a situation, the fire suppression water lines a-c and domestic water lines a-c for each of the tenants/units a-c can branch off of the common main water line 454 . in such a situation, the valve 456 may be located in a mechanical room/area 458 for the building 452 that can also include a computing device 460 that can communicate with a computer system 462 and can receive commands to control the valve 456 . each of the tenants/units a-c can also include computing devices a-c 464 a - c that can obtain and provide information regarding components with the tenants/units a-c, such as status information from sprinkler heads and/or sensors that are located within the units a-c. the computing device a-c 464 a - c can transmit such information to the computer system 462 . the computer system 462 can communicate status information for any one of the tenant/units a-c to computing devices that are associated with users for each of the units a-c, such as users a-c 466 a - c. the computer system 462 can provide a tenant of a unit that has a fire to view all information about the fire and to control the valve 456 for the building, and may provide some or all of these features to the other users. for users who do not have a fire in their unit, the computer system 462 can additionally provide status information about their units, including sensor information, to the corresponding users so that they can track whether fire has spread to their unit as well. these other users may additionally be given the ability to reactivate the valve 456 to turn the water supply to the building 452 back on. the ability to reactivate the valve 456 may be restricted (similar to the water deactivation button being deactivated until a fire has been verified as being extinguished) to situations in which a fire or conditions that appear to be close to a fire are detected within one of the other units of the building 452 . other authorized parties who may be able to access status information for the building 452 and/or control the valve 456 include, in this example, emergency services personnel 468 , such as fire departments and/or fire marshals. computing devices and computer systems described in this document that may be used to implement the systems, techniques, machines, and/or apparatuses can operate as clients and/or servers, and can include one or more of a variety of appropriate computing devices, such as laptops, desktops, workstations, servers, blade servers, mainframes, mobile computing devices (e.g., pdas, cellular telephones, smartphones, and/or other similar computing devices), computer storage devices (e.g., universal serial bus (usb) flash drives, rfid storage devices, solid state hard drives, hard-disc storage devices), and/or other similar computing devices. for example, usb flash drives may store operating systems and other applications, and can include input/output components, such as wireless transmitters and/or usb connectors that may be inserted into a usb port of another computing device. such computing devices may include one or more of the following components: processors, memory (e.g., random access memory (ram) and/or other forms of volatile memory), storage devices (e.g., solid-state hard drive, hard disc drive, and/or other forms of non-volatile memory), high-speed interfaces connecting various components to each other (e.g., connecting one or more processors to memory and/or to high-speed expansion ports), and/or low speed interfaces connecting various components to each other (e.g., connecting one or more processors to a low speed bus and/or storage devices). such components can be interconnected using various busses, and may be mounted across one or more motherboards that are communicatively connected to each other, or in other appropriate manners. in some implementations, computing devices can include pluralities of the components listed above, including a plurality of processors, a plurality of memories, a plurality of types of memories, a plurality of storage devices, and/or a plurality of buses. a plurality of computing devices can be connected to each other and can coordinate at least a portion of their computing resources to perform one or more operations, such as providing a multi-processor computer system, a computer server system, and/or a cloud-based computer system. processors can process instructions for execution within computing devices, including instructions stored in memory and/or on storage devices. such processing of instructions can cause various operations to be performed, including causing visual, audible, and/or haptic information to be output by one or more input/output devices, such as a display that is configured to output graphical information, such as a graphical user interface (gui). processors can be implemented as a chipset of chips that include separate and/or multiple analog and digital processors. processors may be implemented using any of a number of architectures, such as a cisc (complex instruction set computers) processor architecture, a risc (reduced instruction set computer) processor architecture, and/or a misc (minimal instruction set computer) processor architecture. processors may provide, for example, coordination of other components computing devices, such as control of user interfaces, applications that are run by the devices, and wireless communication by the devices. memory can store information within computing devices, including instructions to be executed by one or more processors. memory can include a volatile memory unit or units, such as synchronous ram (e.g., double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (ddr sdram), ddr2 sdram, ddr3 sdram, ddr4 sdram), asynchronous ram (e.g., fast page mode dynamic ram (fpm dram), extended data out dram (edo dram)), graphics ram (e.g., graphics ddr4 (gddr4), gddr5). in some implementations, memory can include a non-volatile memory unit or units (e.g., flash memory). memory can also be another form of computer-readable medium, such as magnetic and/or optical disks. storage devices can be capable of providing mass storage for computing devices and can include a computer-readable medium, such as a floppy disk device, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, a microdrive, or a tape device, a flash memory or other similar solid state memory device, or an array of devices, including devices in a storage area network or other configurations. computer program products can be tangibly embodied in an information carrier, such as memory, storage devices, cache memory within a processor, and/or other appropriate computer-readable medium. computer program products may also contain instructions that, when executed by one or more computing devices, perform one or more methods or techniques, such as those described above. high speed controllers can manage bandwidth-intensive operations for computing devices, while the low speed controllers can manage lower bandwidth-intensive operations. such allocation of functions is exemplary only. in some implementations, a high-speed controller is coupled to memory, display 616 (e.g., through a graphics processor or accelerator), and to high-speed expansion ports, which may accept various expansion cards; and a low-speed controller is coupled to one or more storage devices and low-speed expansion ports, which may include various communication ports (e.g., usb, bluetooth, ethernet, wireless ethernet) that may be coupled to one or more input/output devices, such as keyboards, pointing devices (e.g., mouse, touchpad, track ball), printers, scanners, copiers, digital cameras, microphones, displays, haptic devices, and/or networking devices such as switches and/or routers (e.g., through a network adapter). displays may include any of a variety of appropriate display devices, such as tft (thin-film-transistor liquid crystal display) displays, oled (organic light emitting diode) displays, touchscreen devices, presence sensing display devices, and/or other appropriate display technology. displays can be coupled to appropriate circuitry for driving the displays to output graphical and other information to a user. expansion memory may also be provided and connected to computing devices through one or more expansion interfaces, which may include, for example, a simm (single in line memory module) card interfaces. such expansion memory may provide extra storage space for computing devices and/or may store applications or other information that is accessible by computing devices. for example, expansion memory may include instructions to carry out and/or supplement the techniques described above, and/or may include secure information (e.g., expansion memory may include a security module and may be programmed with instructions that permit secure use on a computing device). computing devices may communicate wirelessly through one or more communication interfaces, which may include digital signal processing circuitry when appropriate. communication interfaces may provide for communications under various modes or protocols, such as gsm voice calls, messaging protocols (e.g., sms, ems, or mms messaging), cdma, tdma, pdc, wcdma, cdma2000, gprs, 4g protocols (e.g., 4g lte), and/or other appropriate protocols. such communication may occur, for example, through one or more radio-frequency transceivers. in addition, short-range communication may occur, such as using a bluetooth, wi-fi, or other such transceivers. in addition, a gps (global positioning system) receiver module may provide additional navigation and location-related wireless data to computing devices, which may be used as appropriate by applications running on computing devices. computing devices may also communicate audibly using one or more audio codecs, which may receive spoken information from a user and convert it to usable digital information. such audio codecs may additionally generate audible sound for a user, such as through one or more speakers that are part of or connected to a computing device. such sound may include sound from voice telephone calls, may include recorded sound (e.g., voice messages, music files, etc.), and may also include sound generated by applications operating on computing devices. various implementations of the systems, devices, and techniques described here can be realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry, specially designed asics (application specific integrated circuits), computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof. these various implementations can include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data and instructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device. these computer programs (also known as programs, software, software applications, or code) can include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and can be implemented in a high-level procedural and/or object-oriented programming language, and/or in assembly/machine language. as used herein, the terms “machine-readable medium” “computer-readable medium” refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device (e.g., magnetic discs, optical disks, memory, programmable logic devices (plds)) used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. to provide for interaction with a user, the systems and techniques described here can be implemented on a computer having a display device (e.g., lcd display screen, led display screen) for displaying information to users, a keyboard, and a pointing device (e.g., a mouse, a trackball, touchscreen) by which the user can provide input to the computer. other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, and/or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form, including acoustic, speech, and/or tactile input. the systems and techniques described here can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a data server), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an application server), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the systems and techniques described here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, or front end components. the components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., a communication network). examples of communication networks include a local area network (“lan”), a wide area network (“wan”), peer-to-peer networks (having ad-hoc or static members), grid computing infrastructures, and the internet. the computing system can include clients and servers. a client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network. the relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship to each other. the above description provides examples of some implementations. other implementations that are not explicitly described above are also possible, such as implementations based on modifications and/or variations of the features described above. for example, the techniques described above may be implemented in different orders, with the inclusion of one or more additional steps, and/or with the exclusion of one or more of the identified steps. additionally, the steps and techniques described above as being performed by some computing devices and/or systems may alternatively, or additionally, be performed by other computing devices and/or systems that are described above or other computing devices and/or systems that are not explicitly described. similarly, the systems, devices, and apparatuses may include one or more additional features, may exclude one or more of the identified features, and/or include the identified features combined in a different way than presented above. features that are described as singular may be implemented as a plurality of such features. likewise, features that are described as a plurality may be implemented as singular instances of such features. the drawings are intended to be illustrative and may not precisely depict some implementations. variations in sizing, placement, shapes, angles, and/or the positioning of features relative to each other are possible.
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008-272-851-983-595
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US
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[
"WO"
] |
A23C19/076
| 2014-06-30T00:00:00 |
2014
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[
"A23"
] |
dairy product and method of making thereof
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the present invention, in an embodiment, is a method that includes mixing at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture. the first mixture has a fat content of 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture. the method of the embodiment further includes heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a time to pasteurize the first mixture, cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry, and mixing a fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture which is a cheesecake -type product.
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claims we claim: 1. a method comprising: mixing at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch- based products to form a first mixture; wherein a fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; mixing a fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and wherein the second mixture is a cheesecake-type product. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one potato starch. 3. the method of claim 2, wherein the at least one potato starch is a hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate. 4. the method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one maltodextrin. 5. the method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of starch-based products comprise a potato starch and a maltodextrin. 6. the method of claim 5, wherein a ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 6:5. 7. the method of claim 6, wherein the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. the method of claim 1, wherein the at least one aqueous product is selected from the group consisting of milk and water. the method according to claim 1 , wherein the fermented dairy product is selected from the group consisting of a fermented milk, in particular a yogurt, and a strained fermented dairy product. the method of claim 1 , wherein the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. the method of claim 1 , wherein the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. the method of claim 2, wherein the first mixture comprises the at least one potato starch in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. the method of claim 4, wherein the first mixture comprises the at least one maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. the method of claim 1, wherein the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. the method of claim 1, wherein the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. the method of claim 1 , wherein the second mixture comprises: (i) the slurry in an amount of 30% by weight of the second mixture and (ii) the fermented dairy product in an amount of 70% by weight of the second mixture. 17. the method of claim 1, wherein the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, and the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f. 18. the method of claim 17, wherein the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. 19. a method comprising: combining at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch-based products; heating the combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to a preheated temperature for a first time; mixing the heated combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein a fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a second time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; mixing the fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and cooling the second mixture to a fourth temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. 20. the method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of starch-based products comprise a potato starch and a maltodextrin. the method of claim 20, wherein a ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 6 : 5. the method of claim 21 , wherein the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. the method of claim 19, wherein the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 150 degrees f, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f, and the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 75 degrees f. the method of claim 23, wherein the first time is 30 minutes to 3 hours and the second time is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. the method of claim 19, wherein a viscosity of the cheesecake product ranges from 1 centipoise to 100,000 centi oise as measured by a brookfield viscometer at 25 s '1 at 10 revolutions per minute and 10 degrees celsius. the method of claim 19, further comprising adding at least one of a flavoring and a coloring to the first mixture; wherein the first mixture comprises the flavoring, if present, in an amount of 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of the first mixture and wherein the first mixture comprises the coloring, if present, in an amount of 0.1% to 0.6% by weight of the first mixture. a product obtainable by the processes of any of claims 1-26.
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dairy product and method of making thereof related applications [0001] this application claims the priority of u.s. provisional application u.s. patent application no. 62/019,288; filed june 30, 2014; entitled "dairy product and method of making thereof," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. technical field [0002] the present invention relates to dairy products. background of the invention [0003] dairy products and methods of making dairy products are known. brief summary of the invention [0004] in an embodiment, the method of the present invention includes mixing at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein a fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; mixing a fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and wherein the second mixture is a cheesecake-type product. [0005] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products includes at least one potato starch. in embodiments, the at least one potato starch is a hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate. in yet other embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products include at least one maltodextrin. [0006] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products include a potato starch and a maltodextrin. in embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :10 to 6:5. in other embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. [0007] in some embodiments, the at least one aqueous product is selected from the group consisting of milk and water. in embodiments, the fermented dairy product is selected from the group consisting of a fermented milk and a strained fermented dairy product. in an embodiment, the fermented milk is a yogurt. in another embodiment, the first mixture includes the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. [0008] in some embodiments, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in other embodiments, the first mixture includes the at least one potato starch in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in yet other embodiments, the first mixture includes the at least one maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. [0009] in some embodiments, the second mixture includes the slurry in an amount of 10% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in embodiments, the second mixture includes the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in yet other embodiments, the second mixture includes (i) the slurry in an amount of 30% by weight of the second mixture and (ii) the fermented dairy product in an amount of 70% by weight of the second mixture. [00010] in an embodiment, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, and the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in the embodiment, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. [00011] in another embodiment, the method includes combining at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch-based products; heating the combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch- based products to a preheated temperature for a first time; mixing the heated combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein a fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a second time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; mixing the fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and cooling the second mixture to a fourth temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. [00012] in an embodiment, the plurality of starch-based products include a potato starch and a maltodextrin. in another embodiment, a ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1:10 to 6:5. in other embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. [00013] in some embodiment, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 150 degrees f, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f, and the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 75 degrees f and the first time is 30 minutes to 3 hours and the second time is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. [00014] in yet other embodiments, a viscosity of the cheesecake product ranges from 1 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise as measured by a brookfield viscometer at 25 s-1 at 10 revolutions per minute and 10 degrees celsius. in other embodiments, the method includes adding at least one of a flavoring and a coloring to the first mixture; wherein the first mixture comprises the flavoring, if present, in an amount of 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of the first mixture and wherein the first mixture comprises the coloring, if present, in an amount of 0.1 % to 0.6% by weight of the first mixture. [00015] in another embodiment, the present invention includes a product obtainable by any of the methods detailed herein. brief description of the drawings [00016] fig. 1 illustrates features of some embodiments of the present invention. [00017] fig. 2 illustrates features of some embodiments of the present invention. [00018] the present invention will be further explained with reference to the attached drawings, wherein like structures are referred to by like numerals throughout the several views. the drawings shown are not necessarily to scale or aspect ratio, with emphasis instead generally being placed upon illustrating the principles of the present invention. further, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. [00019] the figures constitute a part of this specification and include illustrative embodiments of the present invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof. further, the figures are not necessarily to scale, some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components. in addition, any measurements, specifications and the like shown in the figures are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. detailed description of the invention [00020] among those benefits and improvements that have been disclosed, other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures. detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention that may be embodied in various forms. in addition, each of the examples given in connection with the various embodiments of the invention which are intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. [00021] throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. the phrases "in one embodiment" and "in some embodiments" as used herein do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment(s), though it may. furthermore, the phrases "in another embodiment" and "in some other embodiments" as used herein do not necessarily refer to a different embodiment, although it may. thus, as described below, various embodiments of the invention may be readily combined, without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. [00022] in addition, as used herein, the term "or" is an inclusive "or" operator, and is equivalent to the term "and/or," unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. the term "based on" is not exclusive and allows for being based on additional factors not described, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. in addition, throughout the specification, the meaning of "a," "an," and "the" include plural references. the meaning of "in" includes "in" and "on." [00023] in an embodiment, the method of the present invention includes mixing at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein a fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; mixing a fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and wherein the second mixture is a cheesecake-type product. [00024] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products includes at least one potato starch. in embodiments, the at least one potato starch is a hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate. in yet other embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products include at least one maltodextrin. [00025] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products include a potato starch and a maltodextrin. in embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 6:5. in other embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. [00026] in some embodiments, the at least one aqueous product is selected from the group consisting of milk and water. in embodiments, the fermented dairy product is selected from the group consisting of a fermented milk and a strained fermented dairy product. in an embodiment, the fermented milk is a yogurt. in another embodiment, the first mixture includes the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. [00027] in some embodiments, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in other embodiments, the first mixture includes the at least one potato starch in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in yet other embodiments, the first mixture includes the at least one maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. [00028] in some embodiments, the second mixture includes the slurry in an amount of 10% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in embodiments, the second mixture includes the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in yet other embodiments, the second mixture includes (i) the slurry in an amount of 30% by weight of the second mixture and (ii) the fermented dairy product in an amount of 70% by weight of the second mixture. [00029] in an embodiment, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, and the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in the embodiment, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. [00030] in another embodiment, the method includes combining at least one aqueous product, at least one sugar and at least a plurality of starch-based products; heating the combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch- based products to a preheated temperature for a first time; mixing the heated combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein a fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a second time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; mixing the fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and cooling the second mixture to a fourth temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. [00031] in an embodiment, the plurality of starch-based products include a potato starch and a maltodextrin. in another embodiment, a ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 6:5. in other embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. [00032] in some embodiment, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 150 degrees f, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f, and the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 75 degrees f and the first time is 30 minutes to 3 hours and the second time is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. [00033] in yet other embodiments, a viscosity of the cheesecake product ranges from 1 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise as measured by a brookfield viscometer at 25 s-1 at 10 revolutions per minute and 10 degrees celsius. in other embodiments, the method includes adding at least one of a flavoring and a coloring to the first mixture; wherein the first mixture comprises the flavoring, if present, in an amount of 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of the first mixture and wherein the first mixture comprises the coloring, if present, in an amount of 0.1% to 0.6% by weight of the first mixture. [00034] in another embodiment, the present invention includes a product obtainable by any of the methods detailed herein. [00035] in some embodiments, the present invention is a method comprising: selecting at least one aqueous product; selecting at least one sugar; selecting a plurality of starch-based products; mixing the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein the fat content is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; selecting a fermented dairy product; and mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. [00036] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one potato starch. in some embodiments, the at least one potato starch is a hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one maltodextrin. [00037] in some embodiments, the at least one aqueous product is selected from the group consisting of milk, water, and any combination thereof. in some embodiments, the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. [00038] in some embodiments, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 50% by weight of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 90% by weight of the cheesecake-type product. [00039] in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product comprises: (i) the slurry in an amount of 30% by weight of the cheesecake-type product and (ii) the fermented dairy product in an amount of 70% by weight of the cheesecake-type product. [00040] in some embodiments, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, and the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f. [00041] in some embodiments, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. [00042] in some embodiments, the fermented dairy product is selected from the group consisting of a fermented milk, in particular, a yogurt, or a strained fermented dairy product, and any combination thereof. in the context of the present invention, "fermented dairy product" designates more particularly a fermented dairy product ready for human consumption, such as a fermented milk, a yoghurt, or a fresh cheese such as a white cheese or a petit-suisse. the fermented dairy product can be also a strained fermented dairy product such as a strained yoghurt also called concentrated yoghurt or greek-style yoghurt. [00043] the terms "fermented milk" and "yoghurt" are given their usual meanings in the field of the dairy industry, that is, products destined for human consumption and originating from acidifying lactic fermentation of a milk substrate. these products can contain also secondary ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, sugar, or other ingredient. [00044] the expression "fermented milk" is thus reserved in the present application for a dairy product prepared with a milk substrate which has undergone treatment at least equivalent to pasteurisation, seeded with microorganisms belonging to the characteristic species or species of each product. [00045] the term "yoghurt" is reserved for fermented milk obtained, according to local and constant usage, by the development of specific thermophilic lactic bacteria known as lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus, which must be in the living state in the finished product, at a minimum rate. in certain countries, regulations require the addition of other lactic bacteria to the production of yoghurt, and especially the additional use of strains of bifidobacterium and/or lactobacillus acidophilus and/or lactobacillus casei. these additional lactic strains are intended to impart various properties to the finished product, such as that of favouring equilibrium of intestinal flora or modulating the immune system. the yoghurt can be a stirred or set yoghurt. [00046] in practice, the expression "fermented milk" is therefore generally used to designate fermented milks other than yoghurts. it can also, according to country, be known by names as diverse as, for example, "kefir", "kumtss", "lassi", "dahi", "leben", "filmjolk", "villi", "acidophilus milk". [00047] finally, the name "white cheese" or "petit-suisse" is, in the present application, reserved for unrefined non-salty cheese, which has undergone fermentation by lactic bacteria only (and no fermentation other than lactic fermentation). [00048] the fermented dairy product is made from whole milk and/or wholly or partly skimmed milk, which can be used in a powder form which can be reconstituted by addition of water. other milk components can be added such as cream, casein, caseinate (for ex. calcium or sodium caseinate), whey proteins notably in the form of a concentrate (wpc), milk proteins notably in the form of a concentrate (mpc), milk protein hydrolysates, and mixtures thereof. [00049] the milk and milk components has typically an animal origin such as a cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, donkey or camel origin. [00050] in some embodiments, the strained fermented dairy product is done by a separation step. the separation step, describes a step of concentration of the solids of the product, in particular proteins to a desired solids or protein content (% by weight). the term "separator" designates a device selected among the group of equipment applying the following operation: reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, centrifugal separation, and any device allowing to withdraw a portion of the water or whey from the product. [00051] in some embodiments, the present invention is a method comprising: selecting at least one aqueous product; selecting at least one sugar; selecting a plurality of starch-based products; combining the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products; heating the combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to a preheated temperature for a first time; mixing the heated combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein the fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a second time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; selecting a fermented dairy product; mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and cooling the second mixture to a fourth temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. [00052] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises a potato starch and a maltodextrin. in some embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 6:5. in some embodiments, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. [00053] in some embodiments, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 150 degrees f, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f, and the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 75 degrees f. [00054] in some embodiments, the first time is 30 minutes to 3 hours and the second time is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 1 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. as used herein, "viscosity" is measured by a brookfield viscometer at 25 s-1 at 10 revolutions per minute and 10 degrees celsius. [00055] in some embodiments, the method further comprises adding at least one of a flavoring and a coloring to the first mixture; wherein the first mixture comprises the flavoring in an amount of 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of the first mixture and wherein the first mixture comprises the coloring in an amount of 0.1% to 0.6% by weight of the first mixture. [00056] in some embodiments, the present invention is a product obtainable by any of the methods described herein. [00057] in some embodiments, the present invention is a method comprising: selecting at least one aqueous product; selecting at least one sugar; selecting a plurality of starch-based products; mixing the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein the fat content is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; selecting a fermented dairy product; and mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. [00058] in some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one aqueous product is selected from the group consisting of milk, cream, water, and any combination thereof. in some embodiments, the at least one aqueous product comprises skim/fat-free milk, whole milk, 2% milk, 1% milk, organic milk, and/or lactose-free milk. in some embodiments, the at least one aqueous product comprises cow's milk, sheep's milk, goat's milk, and any combination thereof. [00059] in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 85% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 90% to 95% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 90% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the at least one aqueous product in an amount of 80% to 85% by weight of the first mixture. [00060] in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-8% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-7% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-6% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-5% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-4% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-3% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-2% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 0%-l% sugar. [00061] in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises l%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 2%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 3%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 4%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 5%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 6%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 7%-9% sugar. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry comprises 8%-9% sugar. [00062] in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one potato starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one rice starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one com starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one waxy corn starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one tapioca starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one wheat starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one sago starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one high amylose corn starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one natural (e.g., native) starch. in some embodiments, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one modified starch. [00063] in some embodiments of the present invention, the at least one potato starch is a hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate. in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of starch-based products comprises at least one maltodextrin. [00064] in some embodiments, a starch is utilized as a texturizer and/or a fat enhancer. in some embodiments, the first starch is maltodextrin. in an embodiment, the maltodextrin is n- dulge® sa1 (ingredion incorporated, illinois). in some embodiments of the present invention, maltodextrin increases the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product. [00065] in some embodiments, a second starch is utilized as a texturizer (e.g., providing cheesecake-type texture) and controls the moisture retention in the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the second starch is potato starch (e.g., hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate; farinex® va40, (ingredion incorporated, illinois). [00066] in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch- based products in an amount of 8% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 12% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 12% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the plurality of starch-based products in an amount of 5% to 8% by weight of the first mixture. [00067] in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 3% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 6% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 9% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 12% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 12% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 9% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 6% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the maltodextrin in an amount of 1% to 3% by weight of the first mixture. [00068] in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises at least 1% of the cheesecake- type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises 5% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises 6% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises 7% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises 8% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises 9% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises 10% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the maltodextrin comprises up to 15% of the cheesecake-type product. [00069] in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 1% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 3% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 6% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 9% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 12% to 15% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 1% to 12% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 1% to 9% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 1% to 6% by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first mixture comprises the potato starch in an amount of 1% to 3% by weight of the first mixture. [00070] in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises 1% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises 2% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises 3% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises 4% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises 5% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises 6% of the cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments, the potato starch comprises up to 10% of the cheesecake-type product. [00071] in some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of starch-based products comprises a potato starch and a maltodextrin. in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 6:5. [00072] in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1:8 to 6:5. in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :6 to 6:5. in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1:4 to 6:5. in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2 to 6:5. [00073] in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1:10 to 9:10. in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1:10 to 6:10. in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 : 10 to 3 : 10. [00074] in some embodiments of the present invention, the ratio of potato starch to maltodextrin is 1 :2. [00075] in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry (and/or the first mixture) comprises a first starch and a second starch in an amount of 9.0%- 10.5% by weight of the slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry (and/or the first mixture) comprises a first starch and a second starch in an amount of 9.135%- 10.5% by weight of the slurry. [00076] in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch (e.g., maltodextrin) is configured to increase viscosity after a slurry begins cooling. in some embodiments, a starch is configured to generate a flowable slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to generate a gelled, cuttable textured product upon cooling. in some embodiments, a starch generates a cuttable textured product within at least one second of cooling. in some embodiments, a starch generates a cuttable textured product within at least one minute of cooling. in some embodiments, a starch generates a cuttable textured product within at least five minutes of cooling. in some embodiments, a starch generates a cuttable textured product within at least 10 minutes of cooling. in some embodiments, a starch generates a cuttable textured product within at least one hour of cooling. [00077] in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to substantially increase viscosity in the product up to 1 day after cooling to enhance textural properties of the product. in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to substantially increase viscosity in the product up to 2 days after cooling to enhance textural properties of the product. in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to substantially increase viscosity in the product up to 3 days after cooling to enhance textural properties of the product. in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to substantially increase viscosity in the product up to 4 days after cooling to enhance textural properties of the product. in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to substantially increase viscosity in the product up to 5 days after cooling to enhance textural properties of the product. in some embodiments of the present invention, a starch is configured to substantially increase viscosity in the product up to 10 days after cooling to enhance textural properties of the product. [00078] in some embodiments, the mixing is performed by at least one of the following: an inline mixer, a heat exchanger, a mixing blade in a tank. in some embodiments, the mixing is complete when the mixture is a homogeneous mixture. [00079] in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 15% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 12% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 9% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 6% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 3% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 0% to 1% percent by weight of the first mixture. [00080] in some embodiments, the fat content is 1% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 3% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 6% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 9% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 12% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. in some embodiments, the fat content is 15% to 18% percent by weight of the first mixture. [00081] in some embodiments, the method includes heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature to pasteurize the first mixture, cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry, selecting a fermented dairy product, and mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature. in some embodiments, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, and the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f. [00082] in some embodiments, the method includes heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature to pasteurize the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 170 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 175 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 180 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 185 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 190 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 195 degrees f to 205 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 200 degrees f to 205 degrees f. [00083] in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 200 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 195 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 190 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 185 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 180 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 175 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first temperature is 165 degrees f to 170 degrees f. [00084] in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 30 seconds to 8 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 1 minute to 8 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 2 minutes to 8 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 4 minutes to 8 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 6 minutes to 8 minutes. [00085] in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 6 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 4 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 2 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 1 minute. in some embodiments of the present invention, the time to pasteurize the first mixture at the first temperature is 16 seconds to 30 seconds. [00086] in some embodiments, the method includes cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 45 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 50 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 55 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 60 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 65 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 70 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 75 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 80 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 85 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 90 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 95 degrees f to 105 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 100 degrees f to 105 degrees f. [00087] in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 100 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 95 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 90 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 85 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 80 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 70 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 65 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 60 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 55 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 50 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 45 degrees f. [00088] in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 45% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 40% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 35% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 30% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 25% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 20% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 10% to 15% by weight of the second mixture. [00089] in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 15% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 20% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 25% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 30% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 35% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 40% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the slurry in an amount of 45% to 50% by weight of the second mixture. [00090] in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 1 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 2 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 3 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 4 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 5 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 6 and 7%. [00091] in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 6%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 5%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 4%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 3%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 2%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is between 0 and 1%. [00092] in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 1%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 2%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 3%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 4%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 5%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 6%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is at least 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, a protein content of the slurry is no more than 10%. [00093] in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000- 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 5,000-100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 10,000-100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 20,000-100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 40,000-100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 60,000-100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 80,000-100,000 centipoise. [00094] in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000- 80,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000-60,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000-40,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000-20,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000-10,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 2,000-5,000 centipoise. [00095] in an embodiment of the present invention, the slurry is unagitated. in an embodiment of the present invention, the slurry is agitated. in some embodiments of the present invention, the slurry has a viscosity of 200,000 centipoise. [00096] in some embodiments, the method includes mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fermented dairy product is selected from the group consisting of a fermented milk, a yogurt, a strained fermented dairy product, and any combination thereof. in some embodiments, a strained yogurt is a concentrated yogurt and/or a greek-style yogurt. [00097] in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 55% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 60% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 65% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 70% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 75% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 80% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 85% to 90% by weight of the second mixture. [00098] in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 85% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 80% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 75% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 70% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 65% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 60% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises the fermented dairy product in an amount of 50% to 55% by weight of the second mixture. [00099] in some embodiments, the fermented dairy product is configured for human consumption, such as a fermented milk, a yogurt, and/or a fresh cheese, such as, for example, a white cheese and/or a petit-suisse. in some embodiments, the fermented dairy product is a yogurt. in some embodiments, the yogurt is a blended and/or greek yogurt. in some embodiments of the present invention, the yogurt utilized in the process is a blended and/or greek yogurt. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 0 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 1%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 2%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 3%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 4%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 5%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 6%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 8%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 9%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 10%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 11%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 12%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is at least 15%. [000100] in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 1 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 3 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 6 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 9 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 1 and 10%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 0 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 0 and 4%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fat content of the yogurt is between 0 and 1%. [000101] in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 0 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 1 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 3 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 6 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 9 and 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 1 and 10%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 0 and 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 0 and 4%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is between 0 and 1%. [000102] in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 1%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 2%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 3%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 4%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 5%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 6%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 7%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 8%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 9%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 10%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 11%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 12%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 13%. in some embodiments of the present invention, the protein content of the yogurt is at least 15%. [000103] in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 2,000-30,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 5,000-30,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 10,000-30,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 15,000-30,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 20,000-30,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 25,000-30,000 centipoise. [000104] in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 2,000-20,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 2,000-10,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the yogurt is between 8,000-10,000 centipoise. [000105] in some embodiments, the fermented dairy product is yogurt. in some embodiments, the yogurt is a greek yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 67-73% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 68-73% yogurt. in some embodiments, the process includes at least one ultrafiltration and/or separation step. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 69-73% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 70-73% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 71-73% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 72-73% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 67-72% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 67-71% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 67-70% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 67-69% yogurt. in some embodiments, the cheesecake-type product includes 67-68% yogurt. [000106] in some embodiments, the method includes mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature. in some embodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 55 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some emtodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 60 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 70 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 70 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 65 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 60 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 55 degrees f. [000107] in some embodiments, the process produces a dairy product (e.g., dessert) of the at least one of: at least one pie, at least one pie-type product, at least one sundae, at least one flan, at least one custard, at least one panna cotta, at least one dairy gel, at least one torte, at least one tartin, at least one cake, at least one pudding, at least one creme brulee, and/or a combination thereof. [000108] in some embodiments, the slurry is dosed at a 20-40% usage rate to 60-80% dosage of blended or greek yogurt. in some embodiments, the slurry comprising two starches are combined (e.g., through blending, mixing, whipping, etc.) with the greek yogurt to produce the dairy product of the present invention. [000109] in some embodiments of the present invention, the second mixture comprises: (i) the slurry in an amount of 30% by weight of the second mixture and (ii) the fermented dairy product in an amount of 70% by weight of the second mixture. in some embodiments, the second mixture is a cheesecake-type product. [000110] in some embodiments of the present invention, the cheesecake-type product comprises a reduced calorie content compared to conventional cheesecake (e.g., the product comprises approximately 1/4 kilocalories of classically made cheesecake). [000111] in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake-type product comprising a blend of 65% greek yogurt with a 35% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 66% greek yogurt with a 34% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 67% greek yogurt with a 33% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 68% greek yogurt with a 32% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 69% greek yogurt with a 31% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 70% greek yogurt with a 30% slurry. [000112] in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 71% greek yogurt with a 29% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 72% greek yogurt with a 28% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 73% greek yogurt with a 27% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 74% greek yogurt with a 26% slurry. in some embodiments of the present invention, the process produces a cheesecake comprising a blend of 75% greek yogurt with a 25% slurry. [000113] in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake- type product ranges from 1 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments, the present invention further comprises adding at least one of a flavoring and a coloring to the first mixture; wherein the first mixture comprises the flavoring in an amount of 0.1% to 1.5% by weight of the first mixture and wherein the first mixture comprises the coloring in an amount of 0.1% to 0.6% by weight of the first mixture. [000114] in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 1,000 to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 10,000 to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 25,000 to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 50,000 to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 75,000 to 100,000 centipoise. [000115] in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 1,000 to 75,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 1,000 to 50,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 1,000 to 25,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, a viscosity of the dairy product ranges from 1,000 to 10,000 centipoise. [000116] in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake- type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 100 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 500 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 1,000 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 25,000 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 50,000 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 75,000 centipoise to 100,000 centipoise. [000117] in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake- type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 75,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 50,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges rom 10 centipoise to 25,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 10,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 1,000 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 500 centipoise. in some embodiments of the present invention, the viscosity of the cheesecake-type product ranges from 10 centipoise to 100 centipoise. [000118] in some embodiments, the present invention is a method comprising: selecting at least one aqueous product; selecting at least one sugar; selecting a plurality of starch-based products; combining the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products; heating the combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to a preheated temperature for a first time; mixing the heated combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to form a first mixture; wherein the fat content of the first mixture is 0% to 20% percent by weight of the first mixture; heating the first mixture to a sufficient first temperature for a second time to pasteurize the first mixture; cooling the first mixture to a second temperature to form a slurry; selecting a fermented dairy product; mixing the selected fermented dairy product with the slurry at a third temperature to form a second mixture; and cooling the second mixture to a fourth temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. [000119] in some embodiments, the method includes heating the combination of the at least one dairy product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch-based products to a preheated temperature. in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 150 degrees f, the first temperature is 161 degrees f to 205 degrees f, the second temperature is 40 degrees f to 105 degrees f, the third temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f, and the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 75 degrees f. [000120] in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 135 degrees f to 150 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 140 degrees f to 150 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 145 degrees f to 150 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 145 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 140 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the preheated temperature is 130 degrees f to 135 degrees f. [000121] in some embodiments of the present invention, the method includes heating the combination of the at least one aqueous product, the at least one sugar and the plurality of starch- based products to a preheated temperature for a first time and/or a second time to pasteurize the first mixture. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 30 minutes to 3 hours and the second time is 16 seconds to 8 minutes. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 1 hour to 3 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 1.5 hours to 3 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 2 hours to 3 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 2.5 hours to 3 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 30 minutes to 2 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 30 minutes to 1.5 hours. in some embodiments of the present invention, the first time is 30 minutes to 1 hour. [000122] in some embodiments, the second time is 30 seconds to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 1 minute to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 2 minutes to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 2 minutes to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 4 minutes to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 6 minutes to 8 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 16 seconds to 6 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 16 seconds to 4 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 16 seconds to 2 minutes. in some embodiments, the second time is 16 seconds to 1 minute. in some embodiments, the second time is 16 seconds to 30 seconds. [000123] in some embodiments, the method includes cooling the second mixture to a fourth temperature to form a cheesecake-type product. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 35 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 40 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 45 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 50 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 55 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 60 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 65 degrees f to 75 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 70 degrees f to 75 degrees f. [000124] in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 70 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 65 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 60 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 55 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 50 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 45 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 40 degrees f. in some embodiments of the present invention, the fourth temperature is 30 degrees f to 35 degrees f. [000125] in some embodiments, at least one flavor can be added at any step. in some embodiments, at least one color can be added at any step. in some embodiments, at least one preservative can be added at any step. [000126] in some embodiments, at least one secondary ingredient can be added at any step. in some embodiments, the secondary ingredient can be selected among the group of low and/or high acid sauces (on topping and/or base layer), such as, e.g., a fruit sauce, a chocolate sauce, a vanilla sauce and/or a caramel sauce, jellies such as, e.g., a fruit jelly, a jam, fruits and/or fruit pieces, another layer of a fermented dairy product (e.g., yogurt, fresh cheese, and/or also whipped cream), chocolate pieces (e.g., chocolate chips and/or curls), cereal-based toppings (e.g., corn flakes, puffed rice, puffed rice coated with chocolate, etc.), and any combinations thereof. in some embodiments, milk components can be added such as, e.g., cream, casein, caseinate (e.g., calcium and/or sodium casemate), whey proteins (e.g., in the form of a concentrate (wpc)) milk proteins (e.g., in the form of a concentrate (mpc)), milk protein hydrolysate(s), and/or any mixtures thereof. [000127] in some embodiments, the present invention is a method including one or more of the following steps: delivering the slurry through an upstream process, preheating the slurry between 130-150°f; homogenizing the slurry at a pressure ranging from 1000-3000psi; pasteurizing the slurry at a temperature of 180-205°f; after the pressurization step the back pressure of the slurry is between 100-200psi; cooling the slurry at a temperature between 40- 105°f; injecting a flavor into the slurry between 0.1-1.5% of the final product; injecting a color into the slurry between 0.1-0.6% of the final product; and/or including at least one preservative in the final product. [000128] in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one flavor is added to a mixture (e.g., a first mixture, a second mixture). in some embodiments, the at least one flavor is nat chcake flavor dm37755 (david michael & co). in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one color is added to a mixture (e.g., a first mixture, a second mixture). in some embodiments, the at least one color is yellow blend n-067-wss (chrhansen). in some embodiments of the present invention, at least one preservative is added to a mixture (e.g., a first mixture, a second mixture). [000129] in some embodiments of the present invention, "oikos®" refers to a fermented dairy product. in some embodiments of the present invention, "n-dulge sa1®" refers to a maltodextrin (jngredion incorporated, illinois). in some embodiments of the present invention, "farinex va40®" refers to a potato starch (ingredion incorporated, illinois). in some embodiments, "nfdm" refers to non-fat dry milk. [000130] figure 1 illustrates a process flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. figure 2 illustrates a process flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. [000131] non-limiting examples [000132] the following examples are intended to illustrate the invention and should not be construed as limiting the invention in any way. [000133] table 1 illustrates non-limiting examples of the present invention: [000134] tables 2 and 3 illustrate non-limiting examples of the present invention: [000135] table 4 illustrates a non-limiting example of the method of the present invention: table 5 illustrates another non-limiting example of a method of the present [000137] while a number of embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is understood that these embodiments are illustrative only, and not restrictive, and that many modifications may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. further still, the various steps may be carried out in any desired order (and any desired steps may be added and/or any desired steps may be eliminated).
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008-376-381-796-651
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US
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G02F1/155,G02F1/167,G02F1/16757,G02F1/1676,G02F1/1343,G02B26/00,G02F1/00,C09J175/04,G02B26/02,G02F1/1675,G09G3/34,G09G3/38
| 2014-01-17T00:00:00 |
2014
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[
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controlled polymeric material conductivity for use in a two-phase electrode layer
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an electro-optic display containing a two-phase, light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer comprising a first phase made of a highly electronically-conductive matrix and a second phase made of a polymeric material composition having a controlled volume resistivity. the matrix of the first phase may be formed from carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires, a metal coated open foam structure, or a printed mesh of wires. the polymeric material composition of the second phase may be a conductive polymer, or a polymer and an additive such as a salt, a polyelectrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, or a solid electrolyte, or combinations thereof.
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1 . an electro-optic display comprising a layer of electro-optic material and an electrode arranged to apply an electrical field to the layer of electro-optic material, the electrode layer comprising: a first phase made of a highly electronically-conductive matrix, and a second phase made of a polymeric material composition having a controlled volume resistivity. 2 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the first phase matrix is carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires, a metal coated open foam structure, or a printed mesh of wires, or a combination thereof. 3 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the first phase matrix is arranged regularly. 4 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the first phase matrix is arranged irregularly. 5 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the first phase makes up less than 10% of the viewing area. 6 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the controlled volume resistivity of the second phase is not more than 1×10 12 ohm-cm. 7 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric material composition of the second phase is made from a conductive polymer. 8 . an electro-optic display according to claim 7 wherein the conductive polymer is pedot-pss, polyacetylene, polyphenylene sulfide, or polyphenylene vinylene, or combinations thereof. 9 . an electro-optic display according to claim 7 wherein the conductive polymer is an ionic conductive polymer. 10 . an electro-optic display according to claim 8 wherein the ionic conductive polymer is a polymeric salt. 11 . an electro-optic display according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric material composition of the second phase is made from a polymer and an additive. 12 . an electro-optic display according to claim 11 wherein the additive is one or more ionic additives. 13 . an electro-optic display according to claim 12 wherein the ionic additive is a salt, a polyelectrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, or a solid electrolyte, or combinations thereof. 14 . an electro-optic display according to claim 13 wherein the salt is a fluorine-containing salt. 15 . an electro-optic display according to claim 11 wherein the additive is a low number average molecular weight polymer containing hydroxyl. 16 . an electro-optic display according to claim 15 wherein the additive is polyethylene glycol.
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reference to related applications this application is related to: (a) u.s. pat. no. 7,012,735, filed mar. 26, 2004;(b) u.s. pat. no. 7,349,148, filed dec. 20, 2006, which is a divisional of u.s. pat. no. 7,173,752, field nov. 5, 2004;(c) u.s. pat. no. 8,446,664, filed apr. 4, 2011; and(b) copending u.s. application ser. no. 12/264,696, filed nov. 4, 2008 (publication no. 2009/0122389 a1). the entire contents of these patents and copending applications, and of all other u.s. patents and published and copending applications mentioned below, are herein incorporated by reference. background of invention this invention relates to electro-optic displays and, more specifically, to electro-optic assemblies containing a two-phase, light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer comprising a first phase made of a highly electronically-conductive matrix and a second phase made of a polymeric material composition having a controlled volume resistivity. in another aspect, this invention provides for a two-phase electrode layer wherein the polymeric material composition of the second phase is made from a conductive polymer. in another aspect, this invention provides for a two-phase electrode layer wherein the polymeric material composition of the second phase is made from a polymer and an additive. the polymeric material compositions disclosed herein may be useful for applications other than electro-optic displays. electro-optic displays comprise a layer of electro-optic material, a term which is used herein in its conventional meaning in the art to refer to a material having first and second display states differing in at least one optical property, the material being changed from its first to its second display state by application of an electric field to the material. the optical property is typically color perceptible to the human eye, but may be another optical property, such as optical transmission, reflectance, luminescence or, in the case of displays intended for machine reading, pseudo-color in the sense of a change in reflectance of electromagnetic wavelengths outside the visible range. several types of electro-optic displays are known. one type of electro-optic display is a rotating bichromal member type as described, for example, in u.s. pat. nos. 5,808,783; 5,777,782; 5,760,761; 6,054,071 6,055,091; 6,097,531; 6,128,124; 6,137,467; and 6,147,791 (although this type of display is often referred to as a “rotating bichromal ball” display, the term “rotating bichromal member” is preferred as more accurate since in some of the patents mentioned above the rotating members are not spherical). such a display uses a large number of small bodies (typically spherical or cylindrical) which have two or more sections with differing optical characteristics, and an internal dipole. these bodies are suspended within liquid-filled vacuoles within a matrix, the vacuoles being filled with liquid so that the bodies are free to rotate. the appearance of the display is changed by applying an electric field thereto, thus rotating the bodies to various positions and varying which of the sections of the bodies is seen through a viewing surface. this type of electro-optic medium is typically bistable. another type of electro-optic display uses an electrochromic medium, for example an electrochromic medium in the form of a nanochromic film comprising an electrode formed at least in part from a semi-conducting metal oxide and a plurality of dye molecules capable of reversible color change attached to the electrode; see, for example o'regan, b., et al., nature 1991, 353, 737; and wood, d., information display, 18(3), 24 (march 2002). see also bach, u., et al., adv. mater., 2002, 14(11), 845. nanochromic films of this type are also described, for example, in u.s. pat. nos. 6,301,038; 6,870,657; and 6,950,220. this type of medium is also typically bistable. another type of electro-optic display is an electro-wetting display developed by philips and described in hayes, r. a., et al., “video-speed electronic paper based on electrowetting”, nature, 425, 383-385 (2003). it is shown in u.s. pat. no. 7,420,549 that such electro-wetting displays can be made bistable. one type of electro-optic display, which has been the subject of intense research and development for a number of years, is the particle-based electrophoretic display, in which a plurality of charged particles move through a fluid under the influence of an electric field. electrophoretic displays can have attributes of good brightness and contrast, wide viewing angles, state bistability, and low power consumption when compared with liquid crystal displays. nevertheless, problems with the long-term image quality of these displays have prevented their widespread usage. for example, particles that make up electrophoretic displays tend to settle, resulting in inadequate service-life for these displays. as noted above, electrophoretic media require the presence of a fluid. in most prior art electrophoretic media, this fluid is a liquid, but electrophoretic media can be produced using gaseous fluids; see, for example, kitamura, t., et al., “electrical toner movement for electronic paper-like display”, idw japan, 2001, paper hcs1-1, and yamaguchi, y., et al., “toner display using insulative particles charged triboelectrically”, idw japan, 2001, paper amd4-4). see also u.s. pat. nos. 7,321,459 and 7,236,291. such gas-based electrophoretic media appear to be susceptible to the same types of problems due to particle settling as liquid-based electrophoretic media, when the media are used in an orientation which permits such settling, for example in a sign where the medium is disposed in a vertical plane. indeed, particle settling appears to be a more serious problem in gas-based electrophoretic media than in liquid-based ones, since the lower viscosity of gaseous suspending fluids as compared with liquid ones allows more rapid settling of the electrophoretic particles. numerous patents and applications assigned to or in the names of the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) and e ink corporation describe various technologies used in encapsulated electrophoretic and other electro-optic media. such encapsulated media comprise numerous small capsules, each of which itself comprises an internal phase containing electrophoretically-mobile particles in a fluid medium, and a capsule wall surrounding the internal phase. typically, the capsules are themselves held within a polymeric binder to form a coherent layer positioned between two electrodes. the technologies described in these patents and applications include: (a) electrophoretic particles, fluids and fluid additives; see for example u.s. pat. nos. 7,002,728 and 7,679,814; (b) capsules, binders and encapsulation processes; see for example u.s. pat. nos. 5,930,026; 6,067,185; 6,130,774; 6,172,798; 6,249,271; 6,327,072; 6,392,785; 6,392,786; 6,459,418; 6,839,158; 6,866,760; 6,922,276; 6,958,848; 6,987,603; 7,061,663; 7,071,913; 7,079,305; 7,109,968; 7,110,164; 7,202,991; 7,242,513; 7,304,634; 7,339,715; 7,391,555; 7,411,719; 7,477,444; 7,561,324; 7,848,007; 7,910,175; 7,952,790; 8,035,886; and 8,129,655; and u.s. patent applications publication nos. 2005/0156340; 2007/0091417; 2008/0130092; 2009/0122389; 2010/0044894; 2011/0286080; and 2011/0286081; (c) films and sub-assemblies containing electro-optic materials; see for example u.s. pat. nos. 6,825,829; 6,982,178; 7,236,292; 7,443,571; 7,513,813; 7,561,324; 7,636,191; 7,649,666; 7,728,811; 7,729,039; 7,791,782; 7,839,564; 7,843,621; 7,843,624; 8,034,209; 8,068,272; 8,077,381; and 8,177,942; and u.s. patent applications publication nos. 2008/0309350; 2009/0034057; 2009/0109519; 2009/0168067; 2011/0032595; 2011/0032396; 2011/0075248; 2011/0164301; and 2012/0176664; (d) backplanes, adhesive layers and other auxiliary layers and methods used in displays; see for example u.s. pat. nos. 7,116,318 and 7,535,624; (e) color formation and color adjustment; see for example u.s. pat. no. 7,075,502; and u.s. patent applications publication no. 2007/0109219; (f) methods for driving displays; see for example u.s. pat. nos. 7,012,600 and 7,453,445; (g) applications of displays; see for example u.s. pat. nos. 7,312,784 and 8,009,348; and (h) non-electrophoretic displays, as described in u.s. pat. nos. 6,241,921; 6,950,220; 7,420,549 and 8,319,759; and u.s. patent application publication no. 2012/0293858. numerous patents and applications assigned to or in the names of the massachusetts institute of technology (mit) and e ink corporation have recently been published describing encapsulated electrophoretic media. such encapsulated media comprise numerous small capsules, each of which itself comprises an internal phase containing electrophoretically-mobile particles suspended in a liquid suspending medium, and a capsule wall surrounding the internal phase. typically, the capsules are themselves held within a polymeric binder to form a coherent layer positioned between two electrodes. encapsulated media of this type are described, for example, in u.s. pat. nos. 5,930,026; 5,961,804; 6,017,584; 6,067,185; 6,118,426; 6,120,588; 6,120,839; 6,124,851; 6,130,773; 6,130,774; 6,172,798; 6,177,921; 6,232,950; 6,249,271; 6,252,564; 6,262,706; 6,262,833; 6,300,932; 6,312,304; 6,312,971; 6,323,989; 6,327,072; 6,376,828; 6,377,387; 6,392,785; 6,392,786; 6,413,790; 6,422,687; 6,445,374; 6,445,489; 6,459,418; 6,473,072; 6,480,182; 6,498,114; 6,504,524; 6,506,438; 6,512,354; 6,515,649; 6,518,949; 6,521,489; 6,531,997; 6,535,197; 6,538,801; 6,545,291; 6,580,545; 6,639,578; 6,652,075; 6,657,772; 6,664,944; 6,680,725; 6,683,333; 6,693,620; 6,704,133; 6,710,540; 6,721,083; 6,724,519; 6,727,881; 6,738,050; 6,750,473; 6,753,999; 6,816,147; 6,819,471; 6,822,782; 6,825,068; 6,825,829; 6,825,970; 6,831,769; 6,839,158; 6,842,167; 6,842,279; 6,842,657; 6,864,875; 6,865,010; 6,866,760; 6,870,661; 6,900,851; 6,922,276; 6,950,220; 6,958,848; 6,967,640; 6,980,196; 6,982,178; 6,987,603; 6,995,550; 7,002,728; 7,012,600; 7,012,735; 7,023,420; 7,030,412; 7,030,854; 7,034,783; 7,038,655; 7,061,663; 7,071,913; 7,075,502; 7,075,703; 7,079,305; 7,106,296; 7,109,968; 7,110,163; 7,110,164; 7,116,318; 7,116,466; 7,119,759; 7,119,772; 7,148,128; 7,167,155; 7,170,670; 7,173,752; 7,176,880; 7,180,649; 7,190,008; 7,193,625; 7,202,847; 7,202,991; 7,206,119; 7,223,672; 7,230,750; 7,230,751; 7,236,290; 7,236,292; 7,242,513; 7,247,379; 7,256,766; 7,259,744; 7,280,094; 7,304,634; 7,304,787; 7,312,784; 7,312,794; 7,312,916; 7,327,511; 7,339,715; 7,349,148; 7,352,353; 7,365,394; and 7,365,733; and u.s. patent applications publication nos. 2002/0060321; 2002/0090980; 2003/0102858; 2003/0151702; 2003/0222315; 2004/0105036; 2004/0112750; 2004/0119681; 2004/0155857; 2004/0180476; 2004/0190114; 2004/0257635; 2004/0263947; 2005/0000813; 2005/0007336; 2005/0012980; 2005/0018273; 2005/0024353; 2005/0062714; 2005/0099672; 2005/0122284; 2005/0122306; 2005/0122563; 2005/0134554; 2005/0151709; 2005/0152018; 2005/0156340; 2005/0179642; 2005/0190137; 2005/0212747; 2005/0253777; 2005/0280626; 2006/0007527; 2006/0038772; 2006/0139308; 2006/0139310; 2006/0139311; 2006/0176267; 2006/0181492; 2006/0181504; 2006/0194619; 2006/0197737; 2006/0197738; 2006/0202949; 2006/0223282; 2006/0232531; 2006/0245038; 2006/0262060; 2006/0279527; 2006/0291034; 2007/0035532; 2007/0035808; 2007/0052757; 2007/0057908; 2007/0069247; 2007/0085818; 2007/0091417; 2007/0091418; 2007/0109219; 2007/0128352; 2007/0146310; 2007/0152956; 2007/0153361; 2007/0200795; 2007/0200874; 2007/0201124; 2007/0207560; 2007/0211002; 2007/0211331; 2007/0223079; 2007/0247697; 2007/0285385; 2007/0286975; 2007/0286975; 2008/0013155; 2008/0013156; 2008/0023332; 2008/0024429; 2008/0024482; 2008/0030832; 2008/0043318; 2008/0048969; 2008/0048970; 2008/0054879; 2008/0057252; and 2008/0074730; and international applications publication nos. wo 00/38000; wo 00/36560; wo 00/67110; and wo 01/07961; and european patents nos. 1,099,207 b1; and 1,145,072 b1. many of the aforementioned patents and applications recognize that the walls surrounding the discrete microcapsules in an encapsulated electrophoretic medium could be replaced by a continuous phase, thus producing a so-called polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display, in which the electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of discrete droplets of an electrophoretic fluid and a continuous phase of a polymeric material, and that the discrete droplets of electrophoretic fluid within such a polymer-dispersed electrophoretic display may be regarded as capsules or microcapsules even though no discrete capsule membrane is associated with each individual droplet; see for example, the aforementioned u.s. pat. no. 6,866,760. accordingly, for purposes of the present application, such polymer-dispersed electrophoretic media are regarded as sub-species of encapsulated electrophoretic media. a related type of electrophoretic display is a so-called “microcell electrophoretic display”. in a microcell electrophoretic display, the charged particles and the fluid are not encapsulated within microcapsules but instead are retained within a plurality of cavities formed within a carrier medium, typically a polymeric film. see, for example, u.s. pat. nos. 6,672,921 and 6,788,449, both assigned to sipix imaging, inc. hereinafter, the term “microcavity electrophoretic display” may be used to cover both encapsulated and microcell electrophoretic displays. u.s. pat. no. 6,982,178, filed may 22, 2003, describes a “front plane laminate” (“fpl”) for use in an electro-optic display which comprises, in order, a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer or electrode layer; a layer of a solid electro-optic medium in electrical contact with the electrically-conductive layer; an adhesive layer; and a release sheet. most electro-optic displays require a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer to act as one electrode of the display and through which an observer can view changes in the optical state of the electro-optic medium. in some cases, for example variable transmission windows, both electrodes must be light-transmissive. traditionally, the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer is formed from indium tin oxide (ito) on some type of mechanical support, such as a polymeric film or a glass plate. more recently, films made with thin metal mesh materials, such as carbon nanotubes and silver wire, are replacing ito films as the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer. such films comprise regions of high conductivity surrounded by regions of significantly less conductivity, which may accumulate electrical charges and disrupt the performance of the electro-optical display. accordingly, there is a need for a metal mesh-based electrode layer which does not suffer from these disadvantages. summary of invention this invention provides an electro-optic display comprising a two-phase electrode layer wherein a first phase is made of a highly electronically-conductive matrix and a second phase is made of a polymeric material composition having a controlled volume resistivity. in one form of the present invention, the polymeric material of the second phase may be intrinsically conductive or may be a polymer mixed with an additive, such that the polymeric material has a resistivity of not more than 1×10 12 ohm-cm. the polymer may be selected from, for example, polyurethane, vinyl acetate, vinyl acetate ethylene, epoxy, or polyacrylic, or combinations thereof. in another form, the present invention provides a two-phase electrode layer wherein the second phase is an ionic conductive polymer in which one ion can migrate through the polymeric material while the other cannot, for example, an ionic salt of a polymeric carboxylate. in another form of the present invention, the polymeric material of the second phase may contain one or more conducting polymers selected from pedot-pss, polyacetylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polyphenylene vinylene and combinations thereof. in another form of the present invention, the additive in the second phase may be selected from, for example, a salt, a polyelectrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, a solid electrolyte, or combinations thereof. in one form, the additive in the polymeric material is a salt; for example, an inorganic salt, an organic salt, or combinations thereof. in one particular embodiment, the salt comprises potassium acetate. in an alternative form, the salt may comprise a quaternary ammonium salt, for example a tetraalkylammonium salt, such as tetrabutylammonium chloride or hexafluorophosphate. in another form, the additive may be a salt having anions containing at least three fluorine atoms; for example, the additive may have a hexafluorophosphate anion such as 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate. in another form of the present invention, the additive in the second phase is a polyelectrolyte and may comprise a salt of a polyacid such as, but not limited to, an alkali metal salt of polyacrylic acid. in another form of the present invention, the additive in the polymeric material of the second phase may be selected from a non-reactive solvent, a conductive organic compound, and combinations thereof. in another form of the present invention, the additive in the second phase may be a low number average molecular weight polymer containing hydroxyl, such as poly(ethylene glycol) (peg) where the protons, rather than the electrons, move. the polymeric material containing the additive may be provided with regions of differing colors and serve as a color filter. alternatively, the polymeric material may comprise an optical biasing element. in one aspect, there is provided an electro-optic assembly comprising first and second substrates, and an adhesive layer and a layer of electro-optic material disposed between the first and second substrates. in the electro-optic assembly, at least one of the first and second substrates may comprise a two-phase electrode layer wherein the first phase is a highly conductive matrix and the second phase is a polymeric material having controlled resistivity, the second substrate may comprise a release sheet, and the electro-optic medium may be a solid electro-optic medium; thus, the entire electro-optic assembly will have the form of a front plane laminate as described in the aforementioned u.s. pat. no. 6,982,178. in another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electro-optic assembly comprising first and second substrates, an adhesive layer and a layer of electro-optic material disposed between the first and second substrates, and a two-phase electrode layer wherein the first phase is a highly conductive matrix and the second phase is a polymeric material having controlled resistivity. detailed description accordingly, this invention provides an electro-optic display comprising a two-phase, light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer containing a first phase made from a highly conductive matrix and a second phase made from a polymeric material composition having a controlled volume resistivity. an electro-optic display normally comprises a layer of electro-optic material and at least two other layers disposed on opposite sides of the electro-optic material, at least one of these being a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer. the term “light-transmissive” is used herein to mean that the layer thus designated transmits sufficient light to enable an observer, looking through that layer, to observe the change in display states of the electro-optic medium, which will be normally be viewed through the electrically-conductive layer and adjacent substrate (if present). the first phase may be a conductive matrix. the term “conductive matrix” is used herein to describe the first phase array of highly conductive regions of the electrode layer. the matrix may be constructed from carbon nanotubes, silver nanowires, a metal coated open foam structure, a printed mesh of wires, or any such material that does not fully cover the viewing surface. the first phase may be light-transmissive or light-absorbing with a diameter size ranging from nanometers to millimeters. the matrix may be arranged regularly (i.e., grid-like, hexagonally, webbed, etc.) or irregularly (i.e., randomly). the matrix may be arranged to be very thin or sparsely populated such that the electrode layer is light-transmissive. the second phase may be made from an intrinsically conductive polymer or a polymer mixed with a conductive additive. the second phase, while significantly less conductive compared to the first phase, has conductive properties (i.e., a resistivity of not more than 1×10 12 ohm-cm). preferably, the second phase has a resistivity of approximately 1×10 7 to 1×10 12 ohm-cm. the second phase may be ionically or electronically conductive. typically, the second phase surrounds or coats the first phase to create less conductive regions around the conductive matrix. this provides mechanical integrity and protection to the first phase, which may be fragile due to its structure. if the first phase is light-absorbing and the second phase is light-transmissive, a high ratio of less conductive areas to highly conductive areas is desirable. more preferably, the first phase makes up less than 10% of the viewing area while the second phase makes up the remaining viewing area. the polymeric material may be any polymeric material that fulfills the particular needs of the end-use application. examples of suitable polymeric materials include polyurethane, vinyl acetate, vinyl acetate ethylene, epoxy, a polyacrylic-based adhesive, or combinations thereof. these adhesive materials may be solvent based or aqueous based. an example of a particular polyurethane that may be used is described in u.s. pat. no. 7,342,068, issued mar. 11, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety and assigned to air products and chemicals, inc. fig. is a schematic cross-section through a basic front plane laminate ( 10 ) of an electro-optic display having a conductive layer of the present invention. typically, the light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer ( 14 ) will be carried on a light-transmissive substrate ( 12 ), which is preferably flexible, in the sense that the substrate can be manually wrapped around a drum (say) 10 inches (254 mm) in diameter without permanent deformation. the substrate will be typically be a polymeric film, and will normally have a thickness in the range of about 1 to about 25 mil (25 to 634 μm), preferably about 2 to about 10 mil (51 to 254 μm). the substrate ( 12 ) forms the viewing surface of the final display and may have one or more additional layers, for example, a protective layer to absorb ultra-violet radiation, barrier layers to prevent ingress of moisture, or anti-reflection coatings. the conductive layer ( 14 ) comprises the two-phase electrode layer. a layer of electro-optic medium ( 16 ) is in electrical contact with the conductive layer ( 14 ). the electro-optic medium shown in fig. is an opposite charge dual particle encapsulated electrophoretic medium having a plurality of microcapsules, each of which comprises a capsule wall ( 18 ) containing a hydrocarbon-based liquid in which are suspended negatively charged white particles ( 22 ) and positively charged black particles ( 24 ). the microcapsules are retained within a binder ( 25 ). upon application of an electrical filed across the electro-optic layer ( 16 ), the white particles ( 22 ) move to the positive electrode and the black particles ( 24 ) move to the negative electrode, so that the layer ( 16 ) appears, to an observer viewing the display through the substrate ( 12 ), white or black depending upon whether the layer ( 14 ) is positive or negative relative to the backplane at any point within the final display. the front plane laminate ( 10 ) as shown in fig. further comprises a layer of lamination adhesive ( 26 ) adjacent the electro-optic medium layer ( 16 ) and a release sheet ( 28 ) covering the adhesive layer ( 26 ). the release layer ( 28 ) is peeled from the adhesive layer ( 26 ) and the adhesive layer is laminated to a backplane to form the final electro-optic display. the two-phase conductive layer of the present invention may be the front electrode of an electro-optic display, which is the electrode located on the side closest to the viewing surface. in an electro-optic display that is fully light-transmissive or has two viewing surfaces, the two-phase conductive layer of the present invention may be both the front and back electrodes. for an electro-optic display, it is critical to control the electrical properties of the polymeric material; otherwise, the display may experience diminished optical performance. optical performance may be enhanced when the bulk resistance of the polymeric material is not more than 1×10 12 ohm-cm. conductive polymers in another form, the present invention provides a two-phase electrode layer wherein the second phase is an ionic conductive polymer in which one ion can migrate through the polymeric material while the other cannot. this type of ionic material prevents ions diffusing out of the polymeric material and potentially damaging other layers (for example, organic semiconductor layers) into which the ions diffuse. ionic conduction has been shown to occur by a “hopping” mechanism, in which dissociated free ions translate among ionic aggregates (ion pairs and higher aggregates), most of these aggregates being essentially neutral. in accordance with the present invention, only one of the anion and cation of the ionic material is capable of motion. the fixed ion is constrained to a single location, while the mobile ion is still free to migrate. an example of an appropriate ionic material is a polymeric salt, for example, an ionic salt of a polymeric carboxylate. in this case, the carboxylate ion is effectively immobile because it is attached to the polymer chain, and can only move with the polymer as a whole. the cationic counterion, on the other hand, can freely participate in hopping motions, and the rate at which it can move depends on the strength of the electrostatic interaction with the anionic carboxylate, the concentration of carboxylate-counterion aggregates in the adhesive medium, the viscosity of the medium, and the free energy of solvation of the counterion by the medium. as described in u.s. patent publication no. 2009/0122389, filed nov. 4, 2008, assigned to e ink corporation, large cations are advantageous, in that they have relatively low electrostatic energies of attraction to the ionic aggregate states, and therefore dissociate readily from them. as an example, a quaternary ammonium hydroxide could be used to neutralize the carboxylic functions on the polyurethane, leading to a quaternary ammonium carboxylate polymer capable of supporting ionic conduction as described above. it is desirable that the ionic material be chosen such that the conductivity of the final polymeric material after drying can be modified and adjusted by varying the carboxylic acid content of the polyurethane, and also by the cation used. for example, in the aforementioned system where a carboxylic group on the polyurethane is neutralized with a quaternary ammonium hydroxide, at a given carboxylic acid content, the conductivity would be expected to increase in the order: tetramethylammonium<tetraethylammonium<tetrabutylammonium, etc. phosphonium salts could also be used, and should be somewhat more conductive than the nitrogen containing analogs because of the larger size of the central atom. other cationic species (e.g., complex ions of metals) may also be useful for this purpose. solubility of the ionic material in the polymer material is not an issue in this approach, since the ions are an intrinsic part of the medium and cannot therefore phase separate as a separate crystalline phase. the acidic component of the polymeric material may also be made more acidic by replacing a carboxylic acid component by a group with a higher dissociation constant, for example, a sulfate monoester, sulfonic acid, sulfinic acid, a phosphonic acid, phosphinic acid group or phosphate ester, as long as there is at least one dissociable proton present. quaternary salts and other large cations would still be expected to be most useful as counter ions because of their large size, and relatively high degree of ionic dissociation in dried adhesive media of low polarity. nitrogen-based acids could also be used if attached to sufficiently electron-withdrawing functions (e.g., rso 2 —nh—so 2 r)). in this case almost any mobile ion could be used, including tertiary ammonium, because the mobile ion will exist in the protonated form even in the dried adhesive. however, mobile ions based on larger amines (i.e., ones with longer alkyl tails) might still be preferable, because they are effectively larger in size and therefore the ion pairs comprising them would be more dissociable. alternatively, a carboxylate group on the polymer could be used with a mobile ion that is not a strong bronsted acid, i.e., which does not have an acidic proton, such as the quaternary cations discussed above. polymeric materials in which a cation is the fixed ion can be constructed by using quaternary ammonium groups in the polymer backbone or as side chains, and preferably using large anions (e.g., hexafluorophosphate, tetrabutylborate, tetraphenylborate, etc.) as the mobile ions. the quaternary ammonium groups could be replaced by phosphonium, sulfonium or other cationic groups without dissociable hydrogen, including those formed by complexation with metallic cations. examples of the latter include polyether/lithium ion inclusion complexes, especially cyclic polyethers (e.g. 18-crown-6) or polyamine complexes with transition metal ions. in this case the anionic mobile ion could include those types of ions listed above, plus more strongly basic materials such as carboxylates or even phenolates. alternative fixed cation polymeric materials include polymers containing repeating units derived from basic monomers, for example poly(vinylpyridine), poly(β-dimethylaminoethyl acrylate), etc. and copolymers containing such groups, in conjunction with mobile anions that are not good bronsted acceptors (e.g., sulfonates, sulfates, hexafluorophosphate, tetrafluoroborate, bis(methanesulfonyl)imidate, phosphates, phosphonates, etc.). quaternary salts derived from such amino monomers may also be used, for example, poly(n-methyl or benzyl(vinylpyridinium)), poly(n-alkyl (or alkaryl)-n′-vinyl-imidazolium), and poly(β-trimethylammonioethyl)acrylate or methacrylate) salts, as well as vinyl copolymers comprising these ionic groups. as before, larger mobile ions are preferred. these chemical modification techniques are not restricted to polyurethanes but can be applied to any polymer of suitable structure. for example, vinyl-based polymers can contain either anions or cation fixed ions. in another form of the present invention, the polymeric material may contain one or more conducting polymers selected from pedot-pss, polyacetylene, polyphenylene sulfide, polyphenylene vinylene and combinations thereof. the thickness of the polymeric material may range from approximately 0.1 μm to 20 μm. the polymeric material may be (a) water-soluble or water dispersible and coated from water, (b) soluble or dispersible in organic solvent and coated from organic solvent, or (c) coated in monomeric form or oligomeric form and then polymerized by uv, irradiation, heating, or other methods known in the art. the additive incorporated into a polymeric material may be formed in situ; in other words, one or more precursor materials may be incorporated into the polymeric material where the precursor material(s) can react with one another, or with the polymeric material, or be changed by exposure of the polymeric material to conditions (for example, exposure to heat, light, or magnetic or electric fields) which cause a change in the precursor materials to form the final additive. diffusible ionic additives the second phase may contain one or more ionic additives, for example, (a) a salt, a polyelectrolyte, a polymer electrolyte, a solid electrolyte, and combinations thereof; or (b) a non-reactive solvent, a conductive organic compound, and combinations thereof. in one form, the additive may be a salt such as an inorganic salt, organic salt, or combination thereof, as described in u.s. pat. no. 7,012,735, filed mar. 26, 2004, assigned to e ink corporation. exemplary salts include potassium acetate, and tetraalkylammonium salts, especially tetrabutylammonium salts such as the chloride. further examples of salts include salts such as rcf 3 sof 3 , rclo 4 , lipf 6 , rbf 4 , rasf 6 , rb(ar) 4 and rn(cf 3 so 2 ) 3 where r may be any cation, such as li + , na + , h + , or k + . alternatively, r may include ammonium groups of the form n + r1r2r3r4. a preferred salt is tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate. in another form, the additive may be a salt having anions containing at least three fluorine atoms as described in u.s. pat. no. 8,446,664, filed apr. 4, 2011, assigned to e ink corporation. the salt may, for example, have a hexafluorophosphate anion. the salt may also have an imidazolium cation. exemplary salts include 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (hereinafter “bmihfp”), 1-butyl-3-methylpiperidinium hexafluorophosphate, 1-butyl-3-methylpyridinium hexafluorophosphate, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, sodium hexafluorophosphate, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium boron tetrafluoride. a preferred salt is bmihfp. this preferred salt is liquid at 25° c. and can be dispersed directly in an aqueous polymer dispersion or latex without the use of any solvent. alternatively, since the preferred salt is soluble in water in an amount of about 1 per cent at 25° c., this salt can be added in the form of a dilute aqueous solution. addition of the salt as an aqueous solution avoids the introduction of any undesirable organic solvent into the binder. alternatively, the fluorine-containing salt may have a tetrafluoroborate anion, a tetraphenylborate anion, a bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonamide anion (“triflimide”), a tetra(pentafluorophenyl)borate anion, a tetrakis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)borate anion or a trifluoromethanesulfonate anion (“triflate”), for example, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium boron tetrafluoride or 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate. the fluorine-containing salt may be present in an amount of from about 50 to about 10,000 ppm based upon the solids content of the polymeric material, and generally from about 100 to about 1000 ppm. in other embodiments, the polymer electrolyte is a polyelectrolyte. polyelectrolytes are typically polymers in which about 10% or more of the molecule is composed of a functional group capable of ionizing to form a charged species. examples of certain functional groups within a polyelectrolyte include, but are not limited to, carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids, phosphoric acids, and quaternary ammonium compounds. these polymers can be combined with organic or inorganic salts or alternatively used alone. examples of polyelectrolytes, include but are not limited to, polyacrylic acid, polystyrene sulfonate, poly(2-vinylpyridine), poly(4-vinylpyridine), poly(dimethylammonium chloride, poly(dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate), poly(diethylaminoethyl methacrylate) and may comprise a salt of a polyacid such as, but not limited to, an alkali metal salt of polyacrylic acid. a preferred polyelectrolyte is the sodium salt of polyacrylic acid. in a further form of the present invention, the additive is a polymer electrolyte. the term “polymer electrolyte” as used herein describes a polymer that is capable of solubilizing a salt. the solubility of the salt in these polymers can be enhanced by the presence of oxygen and/or nitrogen atoms in the polymer which form ether, carbonyl, carboxylic acids, primary secondary, tertiary, and quaternary amino groups, sulphonic, acids etc. examples of polymer electrolytes include polyether compounds such as polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polytetramethyleneoxide, polyamines such as polyethyleinimine, polyvinyl pyrrolidinone, polymers which contain quaternary ammonium groups such as n + r1r2r3r4 wherein r1, r2, r3, and r4 are each independently a h or a straight, branched, or cyclic alkyl group having from 1 to 25 carbon atoms and where the counter ion can be either selected from any organic or inorganic anion. still other additives may include a non-reactive solvent that may improve or, alternatively, hinder the mobility of the ions in the solution. examples of suitable non-reactive solvents include water, diethyl ether, dipropyl ether, diethyleneglycol, glyme, diglyme, n-methylpyrrolidone, etc. in still another embodiment, a conductive organic compound can be used as the additive. some non-limiting examples of these compounds include polyaniline, polythiophene, polypyrrole, poly-3,4-dioxyethylene thiophene, and derivatives of these materials in their n- or p-doped states. it is also known, as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 7,256,766, filed may 10, 2002, assigned to e ink corporation, that an “optical biasing element” may be provided in one of the layers of an encapsulated electrophoretic display to adjust the appearance of the display. such an optical biasing element may be added to the polymeric material. the electrical properties of the polymeric material containing such an optical biasing element may be optimized by use of the additives described herein. the optimum amount of additive will of course vary widely with the exact polymeric material and the exact additive used, and the desired volume resistivity of the final mixture. however, by way of general guidance it may be indicated that a concentration of from about 10 −5 to about 10 −4 moles of additive per gram of polymeric material has been found to give useful results. when the additive is a salt, this range is for 1:1 salts such as tetrabutylammonium chloride, tetrabutylammonium hexafluorophosphate and potassium acetate; if 1:2 salts such as sodium carbonate or calcium chloride are used, lower concentrations, of the order of 10 −6 moles of salt per gram of polymeric material may suffice. the volume resistivity of polymeric materials typically varies in a predictable manner with the concentration of the additive, and hence the final choice of how much additive should be added to achieve a desired volume resistivity may readily be determined empirically. although small amounts of salts have been added to polymers used as binders and lamination adhesives in prior art electro-optic displays, for example as biocides to protect the polymers from biological degradation during extended storage, such salts are typically used up during storage as they perform their biocidal or similar function. in contrast, the additives used in the present invention are intended to be permanent constituents of the polymeric material since they are intended to effect a permanent adjustment in the conductivity thereof. also, the optimum amounts of additives used are typically substantially greater than the amounts of salts used as biocides etc. hydroxyl containing low molecular weight polymer/glycol additive another form of the present invention relates to an electro-optic display having an electrode layer comprising a first phase made from a conductive matrix and a second phase made from a polymer mixed with an additive wherein the additive is a low number average molecular weight (mn not greater than about 5000) polymer containing hydroxyl. as described in u.s. pat. no. 7,349,148, filed dec. 20, 2006, assigned to e ink corporation, a preferred polymer for this purpose is poly(ethylene glycol) (peg), desirably having mn not greater than about 2000. in this additive, the protons move rather than the electrons. the optimum concentration of hydroxyl containing polymer additive for any particular system is best determined empirically, but by way of general guidance it may be said that the optimum concentration of typically around 10 −6 to 10 −5 moles per gram of polymeric material. if, as is typically the case, the electrode layer is formed by coating a film of a solution of the second phase on to a substrate containing the first phase and drying to form the electrode layer, the additive will normally simply be dissolved or dispersed in the solution of the polymeric material before coating. the additive may be added to the solution neat or may be dissolved in an aqueous solution, non-aqueous solution, or combination thereof. it is of course necessary to ensure that the additive is uniformly dispersed throughout the polymeric material in order to prevent variations in conductivity within the final conductive layer, but those skilled in coating technology will be familiar with routine techniques, such as lengthy agitation on a roll mill, for ensuring such uniform dispersion. the two-phase electrode layer may be used with the substrate in place. alternatively, once set, the second phase may add sufficient structure to the first phase such that the substrate may be removed. the choice of the specific additive to be used is governed largely by considerations of compatibility with the electrodes and solubility in the polymeric material to which the additive is to be added. if, as is typically the case, the additive is to be added to an aqueous polymeric material, the additive should be chosen to have good water solubility, so that among salts alkali metal and substituted ammonium salts are generally preferred. care should be taken to ensure that the additive does not cause aggregation of the polymer particles. also, the additive should desirably not cause major changes in the ph of the polymeric material, and should not chemically react with the electrodes or polymeric material or other parts of the final display with which it eventually comes into contact, for example the backplane. the addition of one or more additives greatly expands the range of polymeric materials, which can be used in electro-optic displays. in particular, the addition of one or more additives enables the use of polymeric materials which have mechanical properties highly desirable in electro-optic displays but which have volume resistivities in their pure states too high to be useful. also, since some electro-optic displays, especially encapsulated electrophoretic displays and electrochromic displays, are sensitive to moisture, the addition of the one or more additive may be used to replace water-based polyurethane dispersions hitherto used in such displays with non-hygroscopic and/or hydrophobic polymeric materials. the polymeric material may contain components other than the additive used to adjust its volume resistivity; for example, the polymeric material may also contain a dye or other colorant. it will be appreciated that the modified polymeric materials disclosed herein may be useful in applications other than electro-optic displays. it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes and modifications can be made in the specific embodiments of the invention described above without departing from the scope of the invention. accordingly, the whole of the foregoing description is to be interpreted in an illustrative and not in a limitative sense.
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009-258-365-882-962
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JP
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[
"US",
"JP"
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H01L29/786,G02F1/1368,H01L27/12,H01L27/32,H01L29/24,H01L29/772,H01L21/336,H01L21/8234,H01L21/8238,H01L21/8242,H01L27/06,H01L27/088,H01L27/092,H01L27/108,H01L27/1156,H01L27/146,H01L29/788,H01L29/792,H10B12/00,H10B41/70,H01L27/08,H01L27/10
| 2015-03-27T00:00:00 |
2015
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[
"H01",
"G02",
"H10"
] |
semiconductor device
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a semiconductor device including a miniaturized transistor is provided. the semiconductor device includes a first insulator, a second insulator, a semiconductor, and a conductor. the semiconductor is over the first insulator. the second insulator is over the semiconductor. the conductor is over the second insulator. the semiconductor includes a first region, a second region, and a third region. the first region is a region where the semiconductor overlaps with the conductor. each of the second region and the third region is a region where the semiconductor does not overlap with the conductor. the second region and the third region each have a region with a spinel crystal structure.
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1. a semiconductor device comprising: a first insulator; a semiconductor over the first insulator; a second insulator over the semiconductor; a third insulator over the second insulator; a first conductor over the third insulator; and a fourth insulator over the first conductor, wherein the semiconductor comprises: a first region overlapping with the first conductor; and a second region and a third region each not overlapped with the first conductor between which the first region is positioned, and wherein each of the second region and the third region comprises a region with a spinel crystal structure. 2. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , comprising a second conductor under the first insulator and overlapping with the first conductor with the first insulator, the semiconductor, and the second insulator interposed therebetween. 3. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a stack of the first insulator, the semiconductor, and the second insulator comprises the first region, the second region, and the third region. 4. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein a stack of the first insulator and the semiconductor comprises the first region, the second region, and the third region. 5. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor comprises indium, gallium, zinc, and oxygen. 6. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the first insulator and the second insulator comprises indium, gallium, zinc, and oxygen. 7. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the second insulator is in contact with a side surface of the semiconductor and a side surface of the first insulator. 8. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the fourth insulator is in contact with the third insulator. 9. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the fourth insulator is in contact with the second insulator. 10. the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the fourth insulator is in contact with the semiconductor. 11. a display device comprising: the semiconductor device according to claim 1 ; and a display element electrically connected to the semiconductor device. 12. the display device according to claim 11 , wherein the display element is a liquid crystal element. 13. the display device according to claim 11 , wherein the display element is a light-emitting element. 14. a semiconductor device comprising: a first insulator; a semiconductor over the first insulator; a second insulator over the semiconductor; a third insulator over the second insulator; a first conductor over the third insulator; a fourth insulator in contact with a side surface of the first conductor; and a fifth insulator over the first conductor and the fourth insulator; wherein the semiconductor comprises: a first region overlapping with the first conductor; and a second region and a third region each not overlapped with the first conductor between which the first region is positioned, and wherein each of the second region and the third region comprises a region with a spinel crystal structure. 15. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , comprising a second conductor under the first insulator and overlapping with the first conductor with the first insulator, the semiconductor, and the second insulator interposed therebetween. 16. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein a stack of the first insulator, the semiconductor, and the second insulator comprises the first region, the second region, and the third region. 17. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein a stack of the first insulator and the semiconductor comprises the first region, the second region, and the third region. 18. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the semiconductor comprises indium, gallium, zinc, and oxygen. 19. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein each of the first insulator and the second insulator comprises indium, gallium, zinc, and oxygen. 20. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the second insulator is in contact with a side surface of the semiconductor and a side surface of the first insulator. 21. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the fourth insulator is in contact with the third insulator. 22. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the fourth insulator is in contact with the second insulator. 23. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the fourth insulator is in contact with the semiconductor. 24. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the fifth insulator is in contact with the third insulator. 25. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the fifth insulator is in contact with the second insulator. 26. the semiconductor device according to claim 14 , wherein the fifth insulator is in contact with the semiconductor. 27. a display device comprising: the semiconductor device according to claim 14 ; and a display element electrically connected to the semiconductor device. 28. the display device according to claim 27 , wherein the display element is a liquid crystal element. 29. the display device according to claim 27 , wherein the display element is a light-emitting element.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention one embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof. the present invention relates to, for example, a transistor, a semiconductor device, and manufacturing methods thereof. the present invention relates to, for example, a display device, a light-emitting device, a lighting device, a power storage device, a memory device, an imaging device, a processor, or an electronic device. the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a display device, a liquid crystal display device, a light-emitting device, a memory device, or an electronic device. the present invention relates to a driving method of a semiconductor device, a display device, a liquid crystal display device, a light-emitting device, a memory device, or an electronic device. note that one embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above technical field. the technical field of one embodiment of the invention disclosed in this specification and the like relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. in addition, one embodiment of the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter. in this specification and the like, a semiconductor device generally means a device that can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics. a display device, a light-emitting device, a lighting device, an imaging device, an electro-optical device, a semiconductor circuit, and an electronic device include a semiconductor device in some cases. 2. description of the related art a technique for forming a transistor by using a semiconductor over a substrate having an insulating surface has attracted attention. the transistor is applied to a wide range of semiconductor devices such as an integrated circuit and a display device. silicon is known as a semiconductor applicable to a transistor. as silicon which is used as a semiconductor of a transistor, either amorphous silicon or polycrystalline silicon is used depending on the purpose. for example, in the case of a transistor included in a large display device, it is preferable to use amorphous silicon, which can be used to form a film on a large substrate with the established technique. in the case of a transistor included in a high-performance display device where a driver circuit and a pixel circuit are formed over the same substrate, it is preferred to use polycrystalline silicon, which can form a transistor having high field-effect mobility. as a method for forming polycrystalline silicon, high-temperature heat treatment or laser light treatment which is performed on amorphous silicon has been known. in recent years, transistors including oxide semiconductors (typically, in—ga—zn oxide) have been actively developed. oxide semiconductors have been researched since early times. in 1988, it was disclosed to use a crystal in—ga—zn oxide for a semiconductor element (see patent document 1). in 1995, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor was invented, and its electrical characteristics were disclosed (see patent document 2). in 2010, a transistor containing a crystalline in—ga—zn oxide that has more excellent electrical characteristics and higher reliability than a transistor containing an amorphous in—ga—zn oxide has been developed (see patent document 3). the crystalline in—ga—zn oxide has c-axis alignment and thus is called a c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor (caac-os) or the like. the transistor containing the caac-os, since its discovery, has been reported to have excellent electrical characteristics. the transistor containing the caac-os has characteristics superior to those of a transistor containing silicon in the following respects, for example. it has been reported that the transistor containing the caac-os is less likely to be affected by phonon scattering even with a short channel; thus, the field-effect mobility is less likely to be decreased (see non-patent document 1). it has been also reported that a transistor containing the caac-os and having a surrounded channel (s-channel) structure exhibits favorable switching characteristics even with a short channel (see non-patent document 2). the transistor containing the caac-os operates at high speed. for example, non-patent document 3 reports a cutoff frequency of 20 ghz. furthermore, it has been reported that the transistor containing the caac-os has high breakdown voltage characteristics (see patent document 4) and has little variation in characteristics due to temperature (see patent document 5). reference patent documents [patent document 1] japanese published patent application no. s63-239117[patent document 2] japanese translation of pct international application no. h11-505377[patent document 3] japanese published patent application no. 2011-086923[patent document 4] japanese published patent application no. 2012-256838[patent document 5] japanese published patent application no. 2013-250262 non-patent documents [non-patent document 1] s. matsuda et al., extended abstracts international conference on solid state devices and materials, 2014, pp. 138-139[non-patent document 2] y. kobayashi et al., ieee electron device letters , april 2015, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 309-311[non-patent document 3] y. yakubo et al., extended abstracts international conference on solid state devices and materials, 2014, pp. 648-649 summary of the invention an object is to provide a miniaturized transistor. another object is to provide a transistor with favorable electrical characteristics. another object is to provide a transistor with stable electrical characteristics. another object is to provide a transistor with high frequency characteristics. another object is to provide a transistor with low off-state current. another object is to provide a semiconductor device including any of the transistors. another object is to provide a module including the semiconductor device. another object is to provide an electronic device including the semiconductor device or the module. note that the descriptions of these objects do not preclude the existence of other objects. in one embodiment of the present invention, there is no need to achieve all the objects. other objects will be apparent from and can be derived from the descriptions of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like. (1) one embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a first insulator, a second insulator, a semiconductor, and a conductor. the semiconductor is over the first insulator. the second insulator is over the semiconductor. the conductor is over the second insulator. the semiconductor includes a first region, a second region, and a third region. the first region is a region where the semiconductor overlaps with the conductor. each of the second region and the third region is a region where the semiconductor does not overlap with the conductor. the second region and the third region each have a region with a spinel crystal structure. (2) one embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor device including a first insulator, a second insulator, a protective film, a semiconductor, and a conductor. the semiconductor is over the first insulator. the second insulator is over the semiconductor. the conductor is over the second insulator. the protective film is in a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor. the semiconductor includes a first region, a second region, and a third region. the first region is a region where the semiconductor overlaps with at least one of the conductor and the protective film. each of the second region and the third region is a region where the semiconductor does not overlap with the conductor. the second region and the third region each have a region with a spinel crystal structure. (3) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in (1) or (2), in which the second region and the third region each have a region with higher conductivity than the first region. (4) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in any one of (1) to (3), in which the second region and the third region each have a region with higher hydrogen concentration than the first region. (5) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in any one of (1) to (4), in which the second region and the third region each have a region with higher concentration of helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, chlorine, arsenic, boron, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, titanium, vanadium, chromium, nickel, zinc, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, indium, tin, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, or tungsten than the first region. (6) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in any one of (1) to (5), in which the region with the spinel crystal structure contains indium, an element m (aluminum, gallium, yttrium, or tin), and zinc. (7) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in any one of (1) to (6), in which the first region has c-axis alignment. (8) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in any one of (1) to (7), which further includes a third insulator and a fourth insulator. the third insulator is between the first insulator and the semiconductor. the fourth insulator is between the semiconductor and the second insulator. the third insulator and the fourth insulator each contain indium, an element m (aluminum, gallium, yttrium, or tin), and zinc. (9) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in (8), in which the fourth insulator has a region in contact with a side surface of the semiconductor. (10) one embodiment of the present invention is the semiconductor device described in any one of (1) to (9), in which an interface between the conductor and the second insulator has a region facing a side surface of the semiconductor. a miniaturized transistor can be provided. a transistor with favorable electrical characteristics can be provided. a transistor with stable electrical characteristics can be provided. a transistor with high frequency characteristics can be provided. a transistor with low off-state current can be provided. a semiconductor device including any of the transistors can be provided. a module including the semiconductor device can be provided. an electronic device including the semiconductor device or the module can be provided. note that the description of these effects does not preclude the existence of other effects. one embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily have all the effects listed above. other effects will be apparent from and can be derived from the description of the specification, the drawings, the claims, and the like. brief description of the drawings figs. 1a to 1c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 2a to 2c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 3a to 3c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 4a to 4c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 5a to 5c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 6a to 6c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 7a to 7c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 8a to 8c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 9a to 9c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 10a to 10c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 11a to 11c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 12a to 12c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 13a to 13c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 14a to 14c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 15a to 15c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 16a to 16c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 17a to 17c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 18a to 18c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 19a to 19c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 20a to 20c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 21a to 21c are a top view and cross-sectional views illustrating a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 22 is a band diagram of a channel formation region and its vicinity of a transistor of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 23 is a ternary diagram for explaining composition of an in-m-zn oxide. figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , 24 b, and 24 c each illustrate ion incidence. figs. 25a and 25b are circuit diagrams each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 26a to 26c are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 27a to 27c are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 28a to 28c are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 29a and 29b are circuit diagrams each illustrating a memory device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 30a to 30c are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 31a to 31c are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 32a to 32c are cross-sectional views illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 33a and 33b are top views each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 34a and 34b are block diagrams each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 35a and 35b are cross-sectional views each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 36a and 36b are cross-sectional views each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 37a and 37b are cross-sectional views each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 38 a 1 , 38 a 2 , 38 a 3 , 38 b 1 , 38 b 2 , and 38 b 3 are perspective views and cross-sectional views illustrating semiconductor devices of embodiments of the present invention. figs. 39a to 39e are circuit diagrams each illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 40 is a block diagram illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 41 is a circuit diagram illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 42a to 42c are a circuit diagram, a top view, and a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 43 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 44a and 44b are a circuit diagram and a cross-sectional view illustrating a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 45a to 45f are perspective views each illustrating an electronic device of one embodiment of the present invention. figs. 46 a 1 , 46 a 2 , 46 a 3 , 46 b 1 , 46 b 2 , 46 c 1 , and 46 c 2 are perspective views illustrating electronic devices of embodiments of the present invention. figs. 47a to 47d are cs-corrected high-resolution tem images of a cross section of a caac-os and a cross-sectional schematic view of a caac-os. figs. 48a to 48d are cs-corrected high-resolution tem images of a plane of a caac-os. figs. 49a to 49c show structural analysis of a caac-os and a single crystal oxide semiconductor by xrd. figs. 50a and 50b show electron diffraction patterns of a caac-os. fig. 51 shows a change of crystal parts of an in—ga—zn oxide due to electron irradiation. detailed description of the invention hereinafter, embodiments and examples of the present invention will be described in detail with the reference to the drawings. however, the present invention is not limited to the description below, and it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that modes and details disclosed herein can be modified in various ways. furthermore, the present invention is not construed as being limited to description of the embodiments. in describing structures of the present invention with reference to the drawings, common reference numerals are used for the same portions in different drawings. note that the same hatched pattern is applied to similar parts, and the similar parts are not denoted by reference numerals in some cases. in the case where the description of a component denoted by a different reference numeral is referred to, the description of the thickness, composition, structure, shape, or the like of the component can be used as appropriate. note that the size, the thickness of films (layers), or regions in drawings is sometimes exaggerated for simplicity. in this specification, the terms “film” and “layer” can be interchanged with each other. a voltage usually refers to a potential difference between a given potential and a reference potential (e.g., a source potential or a ground potential (gnd)). a voltage can be referred to as a potential. note that in general, a potential (a voltage) is relative and is determined depending on the amount relative to a reference potential. therefore, a potential that is represented as a “ground potential” or the like is not always 0 v. for example, the lowest potential in a circuit may be represented as a “ground potential.” alternatively, a substantially intermediate potential in a circuit may be represented as a “ground potential.” in these cases, a positive potential and a negative potential are set using the potential as a reference. note that the ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” are used for convenience and do not denote the order of steps or the stacking order of layers. therefore, for example, the term “first” can be replaced with the term “second,” “third,” or the like as appropriate. in addition, the ordinal numbers in this specification and the like do not correspond to the ordinal numbers which specify one embodiment of the present invention in some cases. note that impurities in a semiconductor refer to, for example, elements other than the main components of the semiconductor. for example, an element with a concentration of lower than 0.1 atomic % is an impurity. when an impurity is contained, the density of states (dos) may be formed in a semiconductor, the carrier mobility may be decreased, or the crystallinity may be decreased. in the case where the semiconductor is an oxide semiconductor, examples of an impurity which changes characteristics of the semiconductor include group 1 elements, group 2 elements, group 14 elements, group 15 elements, and transition metals other than the main components; specifically, there are hydrogen (included in water), lithium, sodium, silicon, boron, phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen, for example. in the case of an oxide semiconductor, oxygen vacancies may be formed by entry of impurities such as hydrogen. in the case where the semiconductor is silicon, examples of an impurity which changes characteristics of the semiconductor include oxygen, group 1 elements except hydrogen, group 2 elements, group 13 elements, and group 15 elements. note that as well as the impurity, a main component element that is excessively contained might cause dos. in that case, dos can be lowered in some cases by a slight amount of an additive (e.g., greater than or equal to 0.001 atomic % and less than 3 atomic %). the above-described element that might serve as an impurity can be used as the additive. note that the channel length refers to, for example, the distance between a source (a source region or a source electrode) and a drain (a drain region or a drain electrode) in a region where a semiconductor (or a portion where a current flows in a semiconductor when a transistor is on) and a gate electrode overlap with each other or a region where a channel is formed in a top view of the transistor. in one transistor, channel lengths in all regions are not necessarily the same. in other words, the channel length of one transistor is not limited to one value in some cases. therefore, in this specification, the channel length is any one of values, the maximum value, the minimum value, or the average value in a region where a channel is formed. the channel width refers to, for example, the length of a portion where a source and a drain face each other in a region where a semiconductor (or a portion where a current flows in a semiconductor when a transistor is on) and a gate electrode overlap with each other, or a region where a channel is formed. in one transistor, channel widths in all regions are not necessarily the same. in other words, the channel width of one transistor is not limited to one value in some cases. therefore, in this specification, the channel width is any one of values, the maximum value, the minimum value, or the average value in a region where a channel is formed. note that depending on a transistor structure, a channel width in a region where a channel is formed actually (hereinafter referred to as an effective channel width) is different from a channel width shown in a top view of a transistor (hereinafter referred to as an apparent channel width) in some cases. for example, in a transistor having a three-dimensional structure, an effective channel width is greater than an apparent channel width shown in a top view of the transistor, and its influence cannot be ignored in some cases. for example, in a miniaturized transistor having a three-dimensional structure, the proportion of a channel region formed in a side surface of a semiconductor is high in some cases. in that case, an effective channel width obtained when a channel is actually formed is greater than an apparent channel width shown in the top view. in a transistor having a three-dimensional structure, an effective channel width is difficult to measure in some cases. for example, to estimate an effective channel width from a design value, it is necessary to assume that the shape of a semiconductor is known. therefore, in the case where the shape of a semiconductor is not known accurately, it is difficult to measure an effective channel width accurately. therefore, in this specification, in a top view of a transistor, an apparent channel width that is a length of a portion where a source and a drain face each other in a region where a semiconductor and a gate electrode overlap with each other is referred to as a surrounded channel width (scw) in some cases. furthermore, in this specification, in the case where the term “channel width” is simply used, it may denote a surrounded channel width and an apparent channel width. alternatively, in this specification, in the case where the term “channel width” is simply used, it may denote an effective channel width in some cases. note that the values of a channel length, a channel width, an effective channel width, an apparent channel width, a surrounded channel width, and the like can be determined by obtaining and analyzing a cross-sectional tem image and the like. note that in the case where field-effect mobility, a current value per channel width, and the like of a transistor are obtained by calculation, a surrounded channel width may be used for the calculation. in that case, the values might be different from those calculated by using an effective channel width. in this specification, the expression “a has a shape such that an end portion extends beyond an end portion of b” may indicate the case where at least one end portion of a is positioned on an outer side than at least one end portion of b in a top view or a cross-sectional view. therefore, the expression “a has a shape such that an end portion extends beyond an end portion of b” can also be expressed as “an end portion of a is positioned on an outer side than an end portion of b in a top view,” for example. in this specification, the term “parallel” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to −10° and less than or equal to 10°, and accordingly also includes the case where the angle is greater than or equal to −5° and less than or equal to 5°. a term “substantially parallel” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to −30° and less than or equal to 30°. the term “perpendicular” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to 80° and less than or equal to 100°, and accordingly also includes the case where the angle is greater than or equal to 85° and less than or equal to 95°. a term “substantially perpendicular” indicates that the angle formed between two straight lines is greater than or equal to 60° and less than or equal to 120°. in this specification, trigonal and rhombohedral crystal systems are included in a hexagonal crystal system. in this specification, the term “semiconductor” can be replaced with any term for various semiconductors in some cases. for example, the term “semiconductor” can be replaced with the term for a group 14 semiconductor such as silicon or germanium; an oxide semiconductor; a compound semiconductor such as silicon carbide, germanium silicide, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, zinc selenide, or cadmium sulfide; or an organic semiconductor. <transistor> figs. 1a to 1c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 1a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 1b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 1a . fig. 1c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 1a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 1a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 1b and 1c , the transistor includes an insulator 603 and a conductor 613 over a substrate 600 , an insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , an insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , a semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , an insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , an insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , and a conductor 604 over the insulator 612 . an insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b , and the conductor 604 . an insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 and the insulator 608 , and a conductor 616 a and a conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have a region 607 a and a region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b . the details of the region 607 a and the region 607 b will be described later. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with at least one of the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulators 606 a and 606 c might be a depression. the semiconductor 606 b might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a projection and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a depression. the semiconductor 606 b functions as a channel formation region of the transistor. the conductor 604 functions as a first gate electrode (also referred to as a front gate electrode) of the transistor. the conductor 613 functions as a second gate electrode (also referred to as a back gate electrode) of the transistor. the region 607 a and the region 607 b function as a source region and a drain region of the transistor. as illustrated in fig. 1c , the semiconductor 606 b can be electrically surrounded by an electric field of the conductor 604 and/or the conductor 613 (a structure in which a semiconductor is electrically surrounded by an electric field of a conductor is referred to as a surrounded channel (s-channel) structure). therefore, a channel is formed in the entire semiconductor 606 b (the top, bottom, and side surfaces of the semiconductor 606 b ). in the s-channel structure, a large amount of current can flow between a source and a drain of a transistor, so that a high on-state current can be obtained. in the case where the transistor has the s-channel structure, a channel is formed also in the side surface of the semiconductor 606 b . thus, as the thickness of the semiconductor 606 b becomes larger, the channel region becomes larger. in other words, the thicker the semiconductor 606 b is, the higher the on-state current of the transistor is. in addition, as the thickness of the semiconductor 606 b becomes larger, the proportion of the region with high carrier controllability increases, leading to a smaller subthreshold swing value. the semiconductor 606 b has, for example, a region with a thickness greater than or equal to 20 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 40 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 60 nm, and still further preferably greater than or equal to 100 nm. since the productivity of the semiconductor device might be decreased, the semiconductor 606 b has, for example, a region with a thickness less than or equal to 300 nm, preferably less than or equal to 200 nm, and further preferably less than or equal to 150 nm. the s-channel structure is suitable for a miniaturized transistor because a high on-state current can be obtained. a semiconductor device including the miniaturized transistor can have a high integration degree and high density. the transistor includes a region having a channel length of preferably less than or equal to 40 nm, further preferably less than or equal to 30 nm, and still further preferably less than or equal to 20 nm and a region having a channel width of preferably less than or equal to 40 nm, further preferably less than or equal to 30 nm, and still further preferably less than or equal to 20 nm, for example. as the substrate 600 , an insulator substrate, a semiconductor substrate, or a conductor substrate may be used, for example. as the insulator substrate, a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, a sapphire substrate, a stabilized zirconia substrate (e.g., an yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate), or a resin substrate is used, for example. as the semiconductor substrate, a single material semiconductor substrate of silicon, germanium, or the like or a compound semiconductor substrate of silicon carbide, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, zinc oxide, gallium oxide, or the like is used, for example. a semiconductor substrate in which an insulator region is provided in the above semiconductor substrate, e.g., a silicon on insulator (soi) substrate or the like is used. as the conductor substrate, a graphite substrate, a metal substrate, an alloy substrate, a conductive resin substrate, or the like is used. a substrate including a metal nitride, a substrate including a metal oxide, or the like is used. an insulator substrate provided with a conductor or a semiconductor, a semiconductor substrate provided with a conductor or an insulator, a conductor substrate provided with a semiconductor or an insulator, or the like is used. alternatively, any of these substrates over which an element is provided may be used. as the element provided over the substrate, a capacitor, a resistor, a switching element, a light-emitting element, a memory element, or the like is used. alternatively, a flexible substrate may be used as the substrate 600 . as a method for providing a device over a flexible substrate, a method in which the device is formed over a non-flexible substrate and then the device is separated and transferred to the substrate 600 , which is a flexible substrate, can be given. in that case, a separation layer is preferably provided between the non-flexible substrate and the device. as the substrate 600 , a sheet, a film, or a foil containing a fiber may be used. the substrate 600 may have elasticity. the substrate 600 may have a property of returning to its original shape when bending or pulling is stopped. alternatively, the substrate 600 may have a property of not returning to its original shape. the thickness of the substrate 600 is, for example, greater than or equal to 5 μm and less than or equal to 700 μm, preferably greater than or equal to 10 μm and less than or equal to 500 μm, and further preferably greater than or equal to 15 μm and less than or equal to 300 μm. when the substrate 600 has a small thickness, the weight of the semiconductor device can be reduced. when the substrate 600 has a small thickness, even in the case of using glass or the like, the substrate 600 may have elasticity or a property of returning to its original shape when bending or pulling is stopped. therefore, an impact applied to the semiconductor device over the substrate 600 , which is caused by dropping or the like, can be reduced. that is, a durable semiconductor device can be provided. for the substrate 600 which is a flexible substrate, metal, an alloy, a resin, glass, or fiber thereof can be used, for example. the flexible substrate 600 preferably has a lower coefficient of linear expansion because deformation due to an environment is suppressed. the flexible substrate 600 is formed using, for example, a material whose coefficient of linear expansion is lower than or equal to 1×10 −3 /k, lower than or equal to 5×10 −5 /k, or lower than or equal to 1×10 −5 /k. examples of the resin include polyester, polyolefin, polyamide (e.g., nylon or aramid), polyimide, polycarbonate, and acrylic. in particular, aramid is preferably used for the flexible substrate 600 because of its low coefficient of linear expansion. the insulator 603 may be formed to have, for example, a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including an insulator containing boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum. the insulator 603 may be formed using, for example, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide. the conductor 613 may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a conductor containing, for example, one or more of boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, silicon, phosphorus, aluminum, titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, ruthenium, silver, indium, tin, tantalum, and tungsten. an alloy or a compound of the above element may be used, for example, and a conductor containing aluminum, a conductor containing copper and titanium, a conductor containing copper and manganese, a conductor containing indium, tin, and oxygen, a conductor containing titanium and nitrogen, or the like may be used. the insulator 602 may be formed to have, for example, a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including an insulator containing boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum. the insulator 602 may be formed using, for example, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide. the insulator 602 preferably contains excess oxygen in the case where the semiconductor 606 b is an oxide semiconductor. note that excess oxygen means oxygen in an insulator or the like which does not bond with (which is liberated from) the insulator or the like or has low bonding energy with the insulator or the like. here, an insulator containing excess oxygen may release oxygen, the amount of which is higher than or equal to 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , higher than or equal to 1×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , or higher than or equal to 1×10 20 atoms/cm 3 (converted into the number of oxygen atoms) in thermal desorption spectroscopy (tds) analysis in the range of a surface temperature of 100° c. to 700° c. or 100° c. to 500° c. the method for measuring the amount of released oxygen using tds analysis will be described below. the total amount of gas released from a measurement sample in tds analysis is proportional to the integral value of the ion intensity of the released gas. then, comparison with a reference sample is made, whereby the total amount of released gas can be calculated. for example, the number of oxygen molecules (n o2 ) released from a measurement sample can be calculated according to the following formula using the tds results of a silicon substrate containing hydrogen at a predetermined density, which is a reference sample, and the tds results of the measurement sample. here, all gases having a mass-to-charge ratio of 32 which are obtained in the tds analysis are assumed to originate from an oxygen molecule. note that ch 3 oh, which is a gas having the mass-to-charge ratio of 32, is not taken into consideration because it is unlikely to be present. furthermore, an oxygen molecule including an oxygen atom having a mass number of 17 or 18 which is an isotope of an oxygen atom is not taken into consideration either because the proportion of such a molecule in the natural world is negligible. n o2 =n h2 /s h2 ×s o2 ×α the value n h2 is obtained by conversion of the number of hydrogen molecules desorbed from the standard sample into densities. the value s h2 is the integral value of ion intensity when the standard sample is subjected to the tds analysis. here, the reference value of the standard sample is set to n h2 /s h2 . s o2 is the integral value of ion intensity when the measurement sample is analyzed by tds. the value α is a coefficient affecting the ion intensity in the tds analysis. refer to japanese published patent application no. h6-275697 for details of the above formula. the amount of released oxygen was measured with a thermal desorption spectroscopy apparatus produced by esco ltd., emd-wa1000s/w, using a silicon substrate containing a certain amount of hydrogen atoms as the reference sample. furthermore, in the tds analysis, oxygen is partly detected as an oxygen atom. the ratio between oxygen molecules and oxygen atoms can be calculated from the ionization rate of the oxygen molecules. note that since the above a includes the ionization rate of the oxygen molecules, the number of the released oxygen atoms can also be estimated through the measurement of the number of the released oxygen molecules. note that n o2 is the number of the released oxygen molecules. the number of released oxygen in the case of being converted into oxygen atoms is twice the number of the released oxygen molecules. furthermore, an insulator from which oxygen is released by heat treatment may contain a peroxide radical. specifically, the spin density attributed to the peroxide radical is greater than or equal to 5×10 17 spins/cm 3 . note that the insulator containing a peroxide radical may have an asymmetric signal with a g factor of approximately 2.01 in electron spin resonance (esr). the insulator 612 may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including an insulator containing, for example, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum. the insulator 612 may be formed using, for example, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide. the insulator 612 preferably contains excess oxygen in the case where the semiconductor 606 b is an oxide semiconductor. the conductor 604 may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a conductor containing, for example, one or more of boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, silicon, phosphorus, aluminum, titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, ruthenium, silver, indium, tin, tantalum, and tungsten. an alloy or a compound of the above element may be used, for example, and a conductor containing aluminum, a conductor containing copper and titanium, a conductor containing copper and manganese, a conductor containing indium, tin, and oxygen, a conductor containing titanium and nitrogen, or the like may be used. the insulator 608 is, for example, an insulator having a low hydrogen-transmitting property (i.e., a hydrogen barrier property). because of its small atomic radius or the like, hydrogen is likely to be diffused in an insulator (i.e., the diffusion coefficient of hydrogen is large). for example, a low-density insulator has a high hydrogen-transmitting property. in other words, a high-density insulator has a low hydrogen-transmitting property. the density of a low-density insulator is not always low throughout the insulator; an insulator including a low-density part is also referred to as a low-density insulator. this is because the low-density part serves as a hydrogen path. although a density that allows hydrogen to be transmitted is not limited, it is typically lower than 2.6 g/cm 3 . examples of a low-density insulator include an inorganic insulator such as silicon oxide or silicon oxynitride and an organic insulator such as polyester, polyolefin, polyamide (e.g., nylon or aramid), polyimide, polycarbonate, or acrylic. examples of a high-density insulator include magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, germanium oxide, gallium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, and tantalum oxide. note that a low-density insulator and a high-density insulator are not limited to these insulators. for example, the insulators may contain one or more of boron, nitrogen, fluorine, neon, phosphorus, chlorine, and argon. an insulator having crystal grain boundaries can have a high hydrogen-transmitting property. in other words, hydrogen is less likely transmitted through an insulator having no grain boundaries or few grain boundaries. for example, a non-polycrystalline insulator (e.g., an amorphous insulator) has a lower hydrogen-transmitting property than a polycrystalline insulator. an insulator having a high hydrogen-bonding energy has a low hydrogen-transmitting property in some cases. for example, when an insulator which forms a hydrogen compound by bonding with hydrogen has bonding energy at which hydrogen is not released at temperatures in fabrication and operation of a device, the insulator can be in the category of an insulator having a low hydrogen-transmitting property. for example, an insulator which forms a hydrogen compound at higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 1000° c., higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 1000° c., or higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than or equal to 1000° c. has a low hydrogen-transmitting property in some cases. an insulator which forms a hydrogen compound and which releases hydrogen at higher than or equal to 200° c. and lower than or equal to 1000° c., higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than or equal to 1000° c., or higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than or equal to 1000° c. has a low hydrogen-transmitting property in some cases. an insulator which forms a hydrogen compound and which releases hydrogen at higher than or equal to 20° c. and lower than or equal to 400° c., higher than or equal to 20° c. and lower than or equal to 300° c., or higher than or equal to 20° c. and lower than or equal to 200° c. has a high hydrogen-transmitting property in some cases. hydrogen which is released easily and liberated can be referred to as excess hydrogen. the insulator 608 is, for example, an insulator having a low oxygen-transmitting property (i.e., an oxygen barrier property). the insulator 608 is, for example, an insulator having a low water-transmitting property (i.e., a water barrier property). the insulator 618 may be formed to have, for example, a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including an insulator containing boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum. the insulator 618 may be formed using, for example, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, or tantalum oxide. note that the insulator 618 preferably includes an insulator with low relative permittivity. for example, the insulator 618 preferably contains silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, a resin, or the like. examples of the resin include polyester, polyolefin, polyamide (e.g., nylon or aramid), polyimide, polycarbonate, and acrylic. alternatively, silicon oxide containing carbon, silicon oxynitride containing carbon, silicon nitride oxide containing carbon, silicon nitride containing carbon, or the like is preferably contained. each of the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a conductor containing, for example, one or more of boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, silicon, phosphorus, aluminum, titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, ruthenium, silver, indium, tin, tantalum, and tungsten. an alloy or a compound may also be used, for example, and a conductor containing aluminum, a conductor containing copper and titanium, a conductor containing copper and manganese, a conductor containing indium, tin, and oxygen, a conductor containing titanium and nitrogen, or the like may be used. in the case where each of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b has a stacked-layer structure, a stack including a conductor functioning as an electrode (such a conductor is also referred to as a plug) that fills the opening in the insulator 618 and the insulator 608 and a conductor functioning as a wiring that is over the insulator 618 may be employed. the plug portion may include a base conductor. the use of the base conductor can increase the adhesion between the semiconductor 606 b and the plug and reduce the contact resistance. the base conductor preferably has an impurity barrier property in some cases because an impurity contained in the plug, the wiring, or the like can be prevented from reaching the channel formation region. the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c will be described below. placing the insulator 606 a under the semiconductor 606 b and placing the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b can improve electrical characteristics of the transistor in some cases. the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c each preferably include a caac-os. the semiconductor 606 b is an oxide containing indium, for example. the semiconductor 606 b can have high carrier mobility (electron mobility) by containing indium, for example. the semiconductor 606 b preferably contains an element m the element m is preferably aluminum, gallium, yttrium, tin, or the like. other elements which can be used as the element m are boron, silicon, titanium, iron, nickel, germanium, zirconium, molybdenum, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, and the like. note that two or more of the above elements may be used in combination as the element m in some cases. the element m is an element having a high bonding energy with oxygen, for example. the element m is an element whose bonding energy with oxygen is higher than that of indium, for example. the element m is an element that can increase the energy gap of the oxide, for example. furthermore, the semiconductor 606 b preferably contains zinc. when the oxide contains zinc, the oxide semiconductor is easily crystallized, in some cases. note that the semiconductor 606 b is not limited to the oxide containing indium. the semiconductor 606 b may be, for example, an oxide which does not contain indium and contains zinc, gallium, tin, or the like such as a zinc tin oxide or a gallium tin oxide. the semiconductor 606 b is formed using, for example, an oxide with a wide energy gap. for example, the energy gap of the semiconductor 606 b is greater than or equal to 2.5 ev and less than or equal to 4.2 ev, preferably greater than or equal to 2.8 ev and less than or equal to 3.8 ev, further preferably greater than or equal to 3 ev and less than or equal to 3.5 ev. the insulators 606 a and 606 c are each an oxide containing one or more or two or more elements contained in the semiconductor 606 b other than oxygen, for example. since the insulators 606 a and 606 c each contain one or more or two or more elements contained in the semiconductor 606 b other than oxygen, a defect state is less likely to be formed at the interface between the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b and the interface between the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 606 c. the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c preferably contain at least indium. in the case of using an in-m-zn oxide as the insulator 606 a , when the summation of in and m is assumed to be 100 atomic %, the proportions of in and m are preferably set to be less than 50 atomic % and greater than 50 atomic %, respectively, and further preferably less than 25 atomic % and greater than 75 atomic %, respectively. in the case of using an in-m-zn oxide as the semiconductor 606 b , when the summation of in and m is assumed to be 100 atomic %, the proportions of in and m are preferably set to be greater than 25 atomic % and less than 75 atomic %, respectively, and further preferably greater than 34 atomic % and less than 66 atomic %, respectively. in the case of using an in-m-zn oxide as the insulator 606 c , when the summation of in and m is assumed to be 100 atomic %, the proportions of in and m are preferably set to be less than 50 atomic % and greater than 50 atomic %, respectively, and further preferably less than 25 atomic % and greater than 75 atomic %, respectively. note that the insulator 606 c may be an oxide that is of the same type as the oxide of the insulator 606 a . note that the insulator 606 a and/or the insulator 606 c do/does not necessarily contain indium in some cases. for example, the insulator 606 a and/or the insulator 606 c may be gallium oxide. note that the atomic ratio between the elements contained in the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c is not necessarily a simple integer ratio. as the semiconductor 606 b , an oxide having an electron affinity higher than that of the insulator 606 a and that of the insulator 606 c is used. for example, as the semiconductor 606 b , an oxide having an electron affinity higher than that of the insulator 606 a and that of the insulator 606 c by 0.07 ev or higher and 1.3 ev or lower, preferably 0.1 ev or higher and 0.7 ev or lower, and further preferably 0.15 ev or higher and 0.4 ev or lower is used. note that the electron affinity refers to an energy difference between the vacuum level and the conduction band minimum. an indium gallium oxide has low electron affinity and a high oxygen-blocking property. therefore, the insulator 606 c preferably includes an indium gallium oxide. the gallium atomic ratio [ga/(in+ga)] is, for example, higher than or equal to 70%, preferably higher than or equal to 80%, further preferably higher than or equal to 90%. in such a case, gate voltage application results in channel formation in the semiconductor 606 b having the highest electron affinity among the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c. here, in some cases, there is a mixed region of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b between the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b . furthermore, in some cases, there is a mixed region of the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 606 c between the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 606 c . the mixed region has a low density of defect states. for that reason, the stack including the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c has a band structure where energy is changed continuously at each interface and in the vicinity of the interface (continuous junction) (see fig. 22 ). note that the boundary between the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b and the boundary between the insulator 606 c and the semiconductor 606 b are not clear in some cases. at this time, electrons move mainly in the semiconductor 606 b , not in the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c . note that the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c can exhibit a property of any of a conductor, a semiconductor, and an insulator when existing alone. when the transistor operates, however, they each have a region where a channel is not formed. specifically, a channel is formed only in a region near the interface between the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b and a region near the interface between the insulator 606 c and the semiconductor 606 b , whereas a channel is not formed in the other region. therefore, the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c can be called insulators when the transistor operates, and are thus referred to as, not semiconductors or conductors, but insulators in this specification. the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c are separately called semiconductor or insulator only because of the relative difference in physical property. therefore, for example, an insulator that can be used as the insulator 606 a or the insulator 606 c can be used as the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. as described above, when the density of defect states at the interface between the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b and the density of defect states at the interface between the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 606 c are decreased, electron movement in the semiconductor 606 b is less likely to be inhibited and the on-state current of the transistor can be increased. as factors in inhibiting electron movement are decreased, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased. for example, in the case where there is no factor in inhibiting electron movement, electrons are assumed to be efficiently moved. electron movement is inhibited, for example, in the case where physical unevenness of the channel formation region is large. to increase the on-state current of the transistor, for example, root mean square (rms) roughness with a measurement area of 1 μm×1 μm of the top or bottom surface of the semiconductor 606 b (a formation surface; here, the top surface of the insulator 606 a ) is less than 1 nm, preferably less than 0.6 nm, further preferably less than 0.5 nm, still further preferably less than 0.4 nm. the average surface roughness (also referred to as ra) with the measurement area of 1 μm×1 μm is less than 1 nm, preferably less than 0.6 nm, further preferably less than 0.5 nm, still further preferably less than 0.4 nm. the maximum difference (p−v) with the measurement area of 1 μm×1 μm is less than 10 nm, preferably less than 9 nm, further preferably less than 8 nm, still further preferably less than 7 nm. rms roughness, ra, and p−v can be measured using a scanning probe microscope spa-500 manufactured by sii nano technology inc. moreover, the thickness of the insulator 606 c is preferably as small as possible to increase the on-state current of the transistor. for example, the insulator 606 c is formed to include a region having a thickness of less than 10 nm, preferably less than or equal to 5 nm, further preferably less than or equal to 3 nm. meanwhile, the insulator 606 c has a function of blocking entry of elements other than oxygen (such as hydrogen and silicon) included in the adjacent insulator into the semiconductor 606 b where a channel is formed. for this reason, it is preferable that the insulator 606 c have a certain thickness. for example, the insulator 606 c is formed to include a region having a thickness of greater than or equal to 0.3 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 1 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 2 nm. the insulator 606 c preferably has an oxygen blocking property to suppress outward diffusion of oxygen released from the insulator 602 and the like. to improve reliability, the insulator 606 a is preferably thick and the insulator 606 c is preferably thin. for example, the insulator 606 a includes a region with a thickness of, for example, greater than or equal to 10 nm, preferably greater than or equal to 20 nm, further preferably greater than or equal to 40 nm, still further preferably greater than or equal to 60 nm. when the thickness of the insulator 606 a is made large, a distance from the interface between the adjacent insulator and the insulator 606 a to the semiconductor 606 b in which a channel is formed can be large. since the productivity of the semiconductor device might be decreased, the insulator 606 a has a region with a thickness of, for example, less than or equal to 200 nm, preferably less than or equal to 120 nm, further preferably less than or equal to 80 nm. between the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 606 a , a region with a silicon concentration measured by secondary ion mass spectrometry (sims) of higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 1×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , and further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 2×10 18 atoms/cm 3 is provided, for example. furthermore, between the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 606 c , a region with a silicon concentration measured by sims of higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 1×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , and further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 2×10 18 atoms/cm 3 is provided. the semiconductor 606 b includes a region with a hydrogen concentration measured by sims of higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 2×10 20 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 1×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , and still further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 . it is preferable to reduce the hydrogen concentration in the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c in order to reduce the hydrogen concentration in the semiconductor 606 b . the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c each include a region with a hydrogen concentration measured by sims of higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 2×10 20 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 1×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , and still further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 16 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 . the semiconductor 606 b includes a region with a nitrogen concentration measured by sims of higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , and still further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 17 atoms/cm 3 . it is preferable to reduce the nitrogen concentration in the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c in order to reduce the nitrogen concentration in the semiconductor 606 b . the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c each include a region with a nitrogen concentration measured by sims of higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 , preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 1×10 18 atoms/cm 3 , and still further preferably higher than or equal to 1×10 15 atoms/cm 3 and lower than or equal to 5×10 17 atoms/cm 3 . the above three-layer structure is an example. for example, a two-layer structure without the insulator 606 a or the insulator 606 c may be employed. alternatively, a four-layer structure in which any one of the semiconductors described as examples of the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c is provided under or over the insulator 606 a or under or over the insulator 606 c may be employed. an n-layer structure (n is an integer of 5 or more) may be employed in which one of the semiconductors described as examples of the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , and the insulator 606 c is provided at two or more of the following positions: over the insulator 606 a , under the insulator 606 a , over the insulator 606 c , and under the insulator 606 c may be employed. <composition> the composition of an in-m-zn oxide is described below. the element m is aluminum, gallium, yttrium, tin, or the like. other elements which can be used as the element m are boron, silicon, titanium, iron, nickel, germanium, zirconium, molybdenum, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, and the like. fig. 23 is a triangular diagram whose vertices represent in, m, and zn. in the diagram, [in] means the atomic concentration of in, [m] means the atomic concentration of the element m, and [zn] means the atomic concentration of zn. a crystal of an in-m-zn oxide is known to have a homologous structure and is represented by inmo 3 (zno) m (m is a natural number). since in and m can be interchanged, the crystal can also be represented by in 1+α m 1−α o 3 (zno) m . this composition is represented by any of the dashed lines denoted as [in]:[m]:[zn]=1+α:1−α:1, [in]:[m]:[zn]=1+α:1−α:2, [in]:[m]:[zn]=1+α:1−α:3, [in]:[m]:[zn]=1+α:1−α:4, and [in]:[m]:[zn]=1+α:1−α:5. note that the bold line on the dashed line represents, for example, the composition that allows an oxide as a raw material mixed and subjected to baking at 1350° c. to be a solid solution. thus, when an oxide has a composition close to the above composition that allows the oxide to be a solid solution, the crystallinity can be increased. when an in-m-zn oxide is deposited by a sputtering method, the composition of a target might be different from the composition of a deposited film. for example, using an in-m-zn oxide in which an atomic ratio is 1:1:1, 1:1:1.2, 3:1:2, 4:2:4.1, 1:3:2, 1:3:4, or 1:4:5 as a target results in a film having an atomic ratio of 1:1:0.7 (approximately 1:1:0.5 to 1:1:0.9), 1:1:0.9 (approximately 1:1:0.8 to 1:1:1.1), 3:1:1.5 (approximately 3:1:1 to 3:1:1.8), 4:2:3 (approximately 4:2:2.6 to 4:2:3.6), 1:3:1.5 (approximately 1:3:1 to 1:3:1.8), 1:3:3 (approximately 1:3:2.5 to 1:3:3.5), or 1:4:4 (approximately 1:4:3.4 to 1:4:4.4). thus, in order to obtain a film with a desired composition, a composition of a target may be selected in consideration of a change in the composition. <structure of oxide semiconductor> a structure of an oxide semiconductor that can be used for the insulator 606 a , the semiconductor 606 b , the insulator 606 c , or the like will be described below. an oxide semiconductor is classified into a single crystal oxide semiconductor and a non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor. examples of a non-single-crystal oxide semiconductor include a c-axis aligned crystalline oxide semiconductor (caac-os), a polycrystalline oxide semiconductor, a nanocrystalline oxide semiconductor (nc-os), an amorphous-like oxide semiconductor (a-like os), and an amorphous oxide semiconductor. from another perspective, an oxide semiconductor is classified into an amorphous oxide semiconductor and a crystalline oxide semiconductor. examples of a crystalline oxide semiconductor include a single crystal oxide semiconductor, a caac-os, a polycrystalline oxide semiconductor, and an nc-os. it is known that an amorphous structure is generally defined as being metastable and unfixed, and being isotropic and having no non-uniform structure. in other words, an amorphous structure has a flexible bond angle and a short-range order but does not have a long-range order. this means that an inherently stable oxide semiconductor cannot be regarded as a completely amorphous oxide semiconductor. moreover, an oxide semiconductor that is not isotropic (e.g., an oxide semiconductor that has a periodic structure in a microscopic region) cannot be regarded as a completely amorphous oxide semiconductor. note that an a-like os has a periodic structure in a microscopic region, but at the same time has a void and has an unstable structure. for this reason, an a-like os has physical properties similar to those of an amorphous oxide semiconductor. <caac-os> first, a caac-os will be described. a caac-os is one of oxide semiconductors having a plurality of c-axis aligned crystal parts (also referred to as pellets). in a combined analysis image (also referred to as a high-resolution tem image) of a bright-field image and a diffraction pattern of a caac-os, which is obtained using a transmission electron microscope (tem), a plurality of pellets can be observed. however, in the high-resolution tem image, a boundary between pellets, that is, a grain boundary is not clearly observed. thus, in the caac-os, a reduction in electron mobility due to the grain boundary is less likely to occur. a caac-os observed with tem is described below. fig. 47a shows a high-resolution tem image of a cross section of the caac-os which is observed from a direction substantially parallel to the sample surface. the high-resolution tem image is obtained with a spherical aberration corrector function. the high-resolution tem image obtained with a spherical aberration corrector function is particularly referred to as a cs-corrected high-resolution tem image. the cs-corrected high-resolution tem image can be obtained with, for example, an atomic resolution analytical electron microscope jem-arm200f manufactured by jeol ltd. fig. 47b is an enlarged cs-corrected high-resolution tem image of a region (1) in fig. 47a . fig. 47b shows that metal atoms are arranged in a layered manner in a pellet. each metal atom layer has a configuration reflecting unevenness of a surface over which the caac-os is formed (hereinafter, the surface is referred to as a formation surface) or the top surface of the caac-os, and is arranged parallel to the formation surface or the top surface of the caac-os. as shown in fig. 47b , the caac-os has a characteristic atomic arrangement. the characteristic atomic arrangement is denoted by an auxiliary line in fig. 47c . figs. 47b and 47c prove that the size of a pellet is greater than or equal to 1 nm or greater than or equal to 3 nm, and the size of a space caused by tilt of the pellets is approximately 0.8 nm. therefore, the pellet can also be referred to as a nanocrystal (nc). furthermore, the caac-os can also be referred to as an oxide semiconductor including c-axis aligned nanocrystals (canc). here, according to the cs-corrected high-resolution tem images, the schematic arrangement of pellets 5100 of a caac-os over a substrate 5120 is illustrated by such a structure in which bricks or blocks are stacked (see fig. 47d ). the part in which the pellets are tilted as observed in fig. 47c corresponds to a region 5161 shown in fig. 47d . fig. 48a shows a cs-corrected high-resolution tem image of a plane of the caac-os observed from a direction substantially perpendicular to the sample surface. figs. 48b, 48c, and 48d are enlarged cs-corrected high-resolution tem images of regions (1), (2), and (3) in fig. 48a , respectively. figs. 48b, 48c, and 48d indicate that metal atoms are arranged in a triangular, quadrangular, or hexagonal configuration in a pellet. however, there is no regularity of arrangement of metal atoms between different pellets. next, a caac-os analyzed by x-ray diffraction (xrd) is described. for example, when the structure of a caac-os including an ingazno 4 crystal is analyzed by an out-of-plane method, a peak appears at a diffraction angle (2θ) of around 31° as shown in fig. 49a . this peak is derived from the (009) plane of the ingazno 4 crystal, which indicates that crystals in the caac-os have c-axis alignment, and that the c-axes are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the formation surface or the top surface of the caac-os. note that in structural analysis of the caac-os by an out-of-plane method, another peak may appear when 2θ is around 36°, in addition to the peak at 2θ of around 31°. the peak at 2θ of around 36° indicates that a crystal having no c-axis alignment is included in part of the caac-os. the peak at 2θ of around 36° might be assigned to the (222) plane of a crystal structure that is classified into the space group fd-3m (e.g., a spinel crystal structure), for example. note that in the case of an oxide containing indium like an in-m-zn oxide, the peak at 2θ of around 36° might indicate a spinel crystal of zn(ga 2-x in x )o 4 . note that x is a rational number, where 0<x<2. it is preferable that in the caac-os analyzed by an out-of-plane method, a peak appear when 2θ is around 31° and that a peak not appear when 2θ is around 36°. on the other hand, in structural analysis of the caac-os by an in-plane method in which an x-ray beam is incident on a sample in a direction substantially perpendicular to the c-axis, a peak appears when 2θ is around 56°. this peak is attributed to the (110) plane of the ingazno 4 crystal. in the case of the caac-os, when analysis (φ scan) is performed with 28 fixed at around 56° and with the sample rotated using a normal vector of the sample surface as an axis (φ axis), as shown in fig. 49b , a peak is not clearly observed. in contrast, in the case of a single crystal oxide semiconductor of ingazno 4 , when φ scan is performed with 28 fixed at around 56°, as shown in fig. 49c , six peaks which are derived from crystal planes equivalent to the (110) plane are observed. accordingly, the structural analysis using xrd shows that the directions of a-axes and b-axes are irregularly oriented in the caac-os. next, a caac-os analyzed by electron diffraction is described. for example, when an electron beam with a probe diameter of 300 nm is incident on a caac-os including an ingazno 4 crystal in a direction parallel to the sample surface, a diffraction pattern (also referred to as a selected-area transmission electron diffraction pattern) shown in fig. 50a can be obtained. in this diffraction pattern, spots derived from the (009) plane of an ingazno 4 crystal are included. thus, the electron diffraction also indicates that pellets included in the caac-os have c-axis alignment and that the c-axes are aligned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the formation surface or the top surface of the caac-os. meanwhile, fig. 50b shows a diffraction pattern obtained in such a manner that an electron beam with a probe diameter of 300 nm is incident on the same sample in a direction perpendicular to the sample surface. as shown in fig. 50b , a ring-like diffraction pattern is observed. thus, the electron diffraction also indicates that the a-axes and b-axes of the pellets included in the caac-os do not have regular alignment. the first ring in fig. 50b is considered to be derived from the (010) plane, the (100) plane, and the like of the ingazno 4 crystal. the second ring in fig. 50b is considered to be derived from the (110) plane and the like. as described above, the caac-os is an oxide semiconductor with high crystallinity. entry of impurities, formation of defects, or the like might decrease the crystallinity of an oxide semiconductor. this means that the caac-os has small amounts of impurities and defects (e.g., oxygen vacancies). note that the impurity means an element other than the main components of the oxide semiconductor, such as hydrogen, carbon, silicon, or a transition metal element. for example, an element (specifically, silicon or the like) having higher strength of bonding to oxygen than a metal element included in an oxide semiconductor extracts oxygen from the oxide semiconductor, which results in disorder of the atomic arrangement and reduced crystallinity of the oxide semiconductor. a heavy metal such as iron or nickel, argon, carbon dioxide, or the like has a large atomic radius (or molecular radius), and thus disturbs the atomic arrangement of the oxide semiconductor and decreases crystallinity. the characteristics of an oxide semiconductor having impurities or defects might be changed by light, heat, or the like. impurities contained in the oxide semiconductor might serve as carrier traps or carrier generation sources, for example. furthermore, oxygen vacancies in the oxide semiconductor serve as carrier traps or serve as carrier generation sources when hydrogen is captured therein. the caac-os having small amounts of impurities and oxygen vacancies is an oxide semiconductor with low carrier density (specifically, lower than 8×10 11 /cm 3 , preferably lower than 1×10 11 /cm 3 , further preferably lower than 1×10 10 /cm 3 , and is higher than or equal to 1×10 −9 /cm 3 ). such an oxide semiconductor is referred to as a highly purified intrinsic or substantially highly purified intrinsic oxide semiconductor. a caac-os has a low impurity concentration and a low density of defect states. thus, the caac-os can be referred to as an oxide semiconductor having stable characteristics. <nc-os> next, an nc-os will be described. an nc-os has a region in which a crystal part is observed and a region in which a crystal part is not clearly observed in a high-resolution tem image. in most cases, the size of a crystal part included in the nc-os is greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, or greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm. note that an oxide semiconductor including a crystal part whose size is greater than 10 nm and less than or equal to 100 nm is sometimes referred to as a microcrystalline oxide semiconductor. in a high-resolution tem image of the nc-os, for example, a grain boundary is not clearly observed in some cases. note that there is a possibility that the origin of the nanocrystal is the same as that of a pellet in a caac-os. therefore, a crystal part of the nc-os may be referred to as a pellet in the following description. in the nc-os, a microscopic region (for example, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 10 nm, in particular, a region with a size greater than or equal to 1 nm and less than or equal to 3 nm) has a periodic atomic arrangement. there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different pellets in the nc-os. thus, the orientation of the whole film is not ordered. accordingly, the nc-os cannot be distinguished from an a-like os or an amorphous oxide semiconductor, depending on an analysis method. for example, when the nc-os is analyzed by an out-of-plane method using an x-ray beam having a diameter larger than the size of a pellet, a peak which shows a crystal plane does not appear. furthermore, a diffraction pattern like a halo pattern is observed when the nc-os is subjected to electron diffraction using an electron beam with a probe diameter (e.g., 50 nm or larger) that is larger than the size of a pellet. meanwhile, spots appear in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-os when an electron beam having a probe diameter close to or smaller than the size of a pellet is applied. moreover, in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-os, regions with high luminance in a circular (ring) pattern are shown in some cases. also in a nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the nc-os, a plurality of spots is shown in a ring-like region in some cases. since there is no regularity of crystal orientation between the pellets (nanocrystals) as mentioned above, the nc-os can also be referred to as an oxide semiconductor including random aligned nanocrystals (ranc) or an oxide semiconductor including non-aligned nanocrystals (nanc). the nc-os is an oxide semiconductor that has high regularity as compared with an amorphous oxide semiconductor. therefore, the nc-os is likely to have a lower density of defect states than an a-like os and an amorphous oxide semiconductor. note that there is no regularity of crystal orientation between different pellets in the nc-os. therefore, the nc-os has a higher density of defect states than the caac-os. <a-like os> an a-like os has a structure intermediate between those of the nc-os and the amorphous oxide semiconductor. in a high-resolution tem image of the a-like os, a void may be observed. furthermore, in the high-resolution tem image, there are a region where a crystal part is clearly observed and a region where a crystal part is not observed. the a-like os has an unstable structure because it includes a void. to verify that an a-like os has an unstable structure as compared with a caac-os and an nc-os, a change in structure caused by electron irradiation is described below. an a-like os (referred to as sample a), an nc-os (referred to as sample b), and a caac-os (referred to as sample c) are prepared as samples subjected to electron irradiation. each of the samples is an in—ga—zn oxide. first, a high-resolution cross-sectional tem image of each sample is obtained. the high-resolution cross-sectional tem images show that all the samples have crystal parts. note that which part is regarded as a crystal part is determined as follows. it is known that a unit cell of an ingazno 4 crystal has a structure in which nine layers including three in—o layers and six ga—zn—o layers are stacked in the c-axis direction. the distance between the adjacent layers is equivalent to the lattice spacing on the (009) plane (also referred to as d value). the value is calculated to be 0.29 nm from crystal structural analysis. accordingly, a portion where the lattice spacing between lattice fringes is greater than or equal to 0.28 nm and less than or equal to 0.30 nm is regarded as a crystal part of ingazno 4 . each of lattice fringes corresponds to the a-b plane of the ingazno 4 crystal. fig. 51 shows change in the average size of crystal parts (at 22 points to 45 points) in each sample. note that the crystal part size corresponds to the length of a lattice fringe. fig. 51 indicates that the crystal part size in the a-like os increases with an increase in the cumulative electron dose. specifically, as shown by (1) in fig. 51 , a crystal part of approximately 1.2 nm (also referred to as an initial nucleus) at the start of tem observation grows to a size of approximately 2.6 nm at a cumulative electron dose of 4.2×10 8 e − /nm 2 . in contrast, the crystal part size in the nc-os and the caac-os shows little change from the start of electron irradiation to a cumulative electron dose of 4.2×10 8 e − /nm 2 . specifically, as shown by (2) and (3) in fig. 51 , the average crystal sizes in an nc-os and a caac-os are approximately 1.4 nm and approximately 2.1 nm, respectively, regardless of the cumulative electron dose. in this manner, growth of the crystal part in the a-like os is induced by electron irradiation. in contrast, in the nc-os and the caac-os, growth of the crystal part is hardly induced by electron irradiation. therefore, the a-like os has an unstable structure as compared with the nc-os and the caac-os. the a-like os has a lower density than the nc-os and the caac-os because it includes a void. specifically, the density of the a-like os is higher than or equal to 78.6% and lower than 92.3% of the density of the single crystal oxide semiconductor having the same composition. the density of each of the nc-os and the caac-os is higher than or equal to 92.3% and lower than 100% of the density of the single crystal oxide semiconductor having the same composition. note that it is difficult to deposit an oxide semiconductor having a density of lower than 78% of the density of the single crystal oxide semiconductor. for example, in the case of an oxide semiconductor having an atomic ratio of in:ga:zn=1:1:1, the density of single crystal ingazno 4 with a rhombohedral crystal structure is 6.357 g/cm 3 . accordingly, in the case of the oxide semiconductor having an atomic ratio of in:ga:zn=1:1:1, the density of the a-like os is higher than or equal to 5.0 g/cm 3 and lower than 5.9 g/cm 3 . for example, in the case of the oxide semiconductor having an atomic ratio of in:ga:zn=1:1:1, the density of each of the nc-os and the caac-os is higher than or equal to 5.9 g/cm 3 and lower than 6.3 g/cm 3 . note that there is a possibility that an oxide semiconductor having a certain composition cannot exist in a single crystal structure. in that case, single crystal oxide semiconductors with different compositions are combined at an adequate ratio, which makes it possible to calculate density equivalent to that of a single crystal oxide semiconductor with the desired composition. the density of a single crystal oxide semiconductor having the desired composition can be calculated using a weighted average according to the combination ratio of the single crystal oxide semiconductors with different compositions. note that it is preferable to use as few kinds of single crystal oxide semiconductors as possible to calculate the density. as described above, oxide semiconductors have various structures and various properties. note that an oxide semiconductor may be a stacked layer including two or more of an amorphous oxide semiconductor, an a-like os, an nc-os, and a caac-os, for example. <low-resistance region> the region 607 a and the region 607 b will be described in detail below. the region 607 a and the region 607 b lie astride the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity than the other regions. specifically, the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher carrier density than the other regions. in the case where the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b are each an in-m-zn oxide, for example, hydrogen causes carrier generation. when hydrogen enters the site of an oxygen vacancy, for example, a donor level is formed. the hydrogen in the site of an oxygen vacancy becomes stable by weakly bonding to an adjacent metal element. thus, the hydrogen is unlikely to be released by heat treatment or the like performed in a manufacturing process of the transistor. this means that when a donor level is once formed, the conductivity of the regions 607 a and 607 b can remain high. in addition, hydrogen can be prevented from entering the channel formation region or the like. meanwhile, free hydrogen between lattices or hydrogen terminating a dangling bond of oxygen might not cause carrier generation. this can be understood from the fact that the carrier density is higher than the hydrogen concentration in the in-m-zn oxide. in other words, the in-m-zn oxide contains much excess hydrogen that does not contribute to carrier generation. when the excess hydrogen is moved to oxygen vacancies, the conductivity of the in-m-zn oxide can be increased. for this reason, the region 607 a and the region 607 b preferably have high density of oxygen vacancies. in the case where the in-m-zn oxide has a region with a spinel crystal structure, for example, the density of oxygen vacancies at the region and/or the interface between the region and another region might be high. a grain boundary is formed at the interface between the region and another region, for example. since the density of defect states such as oxygen vacancies is high at the grain boundary, a donor level is formed when hydrogen enters. furthermore, the grain boundary is planar; thus, the conductivity of the in-m-zn oxide can be increased more efficiently than defect levels in dot-like distribution. accordingly, each of the region 607 a and the region 607 b preferably has a region with a spinel crystal structure. modification example of transistor modification examples of the transistor included in the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. note that the description is omitted in some cases where the description has already been made for figs. 1a to 1c . for example, for components denoted by the same reference numerals as those in figs. 1a to 1c , the descriptions for figs. 1a to 1c can be referred to. figs. 2a to 2c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 2b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 2a . fig. 2c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 2a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 2a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 2b and 2c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 612 and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 , the insulator 608 , the insulator 612 , and the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a depression. the insulator 612 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the conductor 604 might be a projection and a region not in contact with the conductor 604 might be a depression. figs. 3a to 3c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 3a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 3b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 3a . fig. 3c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 3a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 3a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 3b and 3c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 606 c and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 , the insulator 608 , and the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a depression. figs. 4a to 4c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 4b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 4a . fig. 4c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 4a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 4a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 4b and 4c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 612 and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 , the insulator 608 , the insulator 612 , and the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. in the insulator 612 , an insulator 612 a and an insulator 612 b are stacked in this order. it is preferable to use a metal oxide for the insulator 612 b , for example. with the use of the metal oxide, almost no projection or depression is formed in the insulator 612 b , in some cases. the metal oxide preferably has high relative permittivity: for example, a relative permittivity of 7 or more, preferably 10 or more, and further preferably 14 or more. with the use of the metal oxide with high relative permittivity for part of the insulator 612 , the effective oxide thickness can be made small while the physical thickness is made large. thus, the leakage current of the transistor can be reduced even when the effective oxide thickness becomes small because of the miniaturization of the transistor. for the insulator 612 a , it is preferable to use an insulator with a large energy gap: for example, an insulator with an energy gap of 6 ev or more and preferably 7 ev or more. with the use of the insulator with a large energy gap for part of the insulator 612 , the leakage current of the transistor can be reduced. note that the insulator 612 b and the insulator 612 a may be stacked in this order. another insulator may be provided over or under the insulator 612 a and/or the insulator 612 b . for example, a structure in which an insulator with high relative permittivity is sandwiched between insulators with a large energy gap, or a structure in which an insulator with a large energy gap is sandwiched between insulators with high relative permittivity may be employed. although the case where the insulator 612 has a stacked-layer structure is described here, the insulator 602 may have a similar stacked-layer structure. also in that case, the leakage current of the transistor can be reduced, in some cases. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. figs. 5a to 5c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 5b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 5a . fig. 5c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 5a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 5a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 5b and 5c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 , an insulator 610 that is over the insulator 612 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 , and an insulator 611 that is over the conductor 604 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b , the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 , the insulator 611 , and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 and the insulator 608 , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. although not illustrated, the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be provided such that at least one of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b is in contact with the insulator 610 . in that case, the distance between the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b can be made small; thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased, in some cases. note that the insulator 611 might not be formed depending on the inclination angle of the side surface of the conductor 604 . moreover, although not illustrated, an insulator having a region in contact with side surfaces of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b might be formed. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with at least one of the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulators 606 a and 606 c might be a depression. the semiconductor 606 b might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a projection and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a depression. figs. 6a to 6c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 6b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 6a . fig. 6c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 6a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 6a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 6b and 6c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 that is over the insulator 612 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 , and the insulator 611 that is over the conductor 604 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 , the insulator 611 , and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 , the insulator 608 , the insulator 612 , and the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. although not illustrated, the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be provided such that at least one of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b is in contact with the insulator 610 . in that case, the distance between the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b can be made small; thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased, in some cases. note that the insulator 611 might not be formed depending on the inclination angle of the side surface of the conductor 604 . moreover, although not illustrated, an insulator having a region in contact with side surfaces of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b might be formed. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a depression. the insulator 612 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the conductor 604 might be a projection and a region not in contact with the conductor 604 might be a depression. figs. 7a to 7c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 7b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 7a . fig. 7c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 7a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 7a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 7b and 7c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 that is over the insulator 612 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 , and the insulator 611 that is over the conductor 604 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 606 c , the insulator 610 , the insulator 611 , and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 , the insulator 608 , and the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. although not illustrated, the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be provided such that at least one of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b is in contact with the insulator 610 . in that case, the distance between the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b can be made small; thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased, in some cases. note that the insulator 611 might not be formed depending on the inclination angle of the side surface of the conductor 604 . moreover, although not illustrated, an insulator having a region in contact with side surfaces of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b might be formed. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 a might be a depression. figs. 8a to 8c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 8a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 8b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 8a . fig. 8c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 8a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 8a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 8b and 8c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 that is over the insulator 612 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 , and the insulator 611 that is over the conductor 604 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 , the insulator 611 , and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 , the insulator 608 , the insulator 612 , and the insulator 606 c , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. although not illustrated, the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be provided such that at least one of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b is in contact with the insulator 610 . in that case, the distance between the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b can be made small; thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased, in some cases. note that the insulator 611 might not be formed depending on the inclination angle of the side surface of the conductor 604 . moreover, although not illustrated, an insulator having a region in contact with side surfaces of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b might be formed. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. in the insulator 612 , the insulator 612 a and the insulator 612 b are stacked in this order. it is preferable to use a metal oxide for the insulator 612 b , for example. with the use of the metal oxide, almost no projection or depression is formed in the insulator 612 b , in some cases. the metal oxide preferably has high relative permittivity: for example, a relative permittivity of 7 or more, preferably 10 or more, and further preferably 14 or more. with the use of the metal oxide with high relative permittivity for part of the insulator 612 , the effective oxide thickness can be made small while the physical thickness is made large. thus, the leakage current of the transistor can be reduced even when the effective oxide thickness becomes small because of the miniaturization of the transistor. for the insulator 612 a , it is preferable to use an insulator with a large energy gap: for example, an insulator with an energy gap of 6 ev or more and preferably 7 ev or more. with the use of the insulator with a large energy gap for part of the insulator 612 , the leakage current of the transistor can be reduced. note that the insulator 612 b and the insulator 612 a may be stacked in this order. another insulator may be provided over or under the insulator 612 a and/or the insulator 612 b . for example, a structure in which an insulator with high relative permittivity is sandwiched between insulators with a large energy gap, or a structure in which an insulator with a large energy gap is sandwiched between insulators with high relative permittivity may be employed. although the case where the insulator 612 has a stacked-layer structure is described here, the insulator 602 may have a similar stacked-layer structure. also in that case, the leakage current of the transistor can be reduced, in some cases. figs. 9a to 9c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 9a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 9b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 9a . fig. 9c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 9a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 9a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 9b and 9c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 that is over the semiconductor 606 b and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 , and the insulator 611 that is over the conductor 604 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b , the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 , the insulator 611 , and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 and the insulator 608 , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. although not illustrated, the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be provided such that at least one of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b is in contact with the insulator 610 . in that case, the distance between the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b can be made small; thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased, in some cases. note that the insulator 611 might not be formed depending on the inclination angle of the side surface of the conductor 604 . moreover, although not illustrated, an insulator having a region in contact with side surfaces of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b might be formed. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with at least one of the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulators 606 a and 606 c might be a depression. a region in contact with the insulator 610 might have a thickness between the thickness of the projection and the thickness of the depression. the semiconductor 606 b might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a projection and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a depression. figs. 10a to 10c illustrate a structure of a transistor included in a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 10a is a top view of the transistor. fig. 10b is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 1 -g 2 in fig. 10a . fig. 10c is a cross-sectional view taken along dashed-dotted line g 3 -g 4 in fig. 10a . note that some components such as an insulator are not illustrated in fig. 10a for easy understanding. in the cross-sectional views in figs. 10b and 10c , the transistor includes the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 over the substrate 600 , the insulator 602 over the insulator 603 and the conductor 613 , the insulator 606 a over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b over the insulator 606 a , the insulator 606 c over the semiconductor 606 b and the insulator 602 , the insulator 612 over the insulator 606 c , the conductor 604 over the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 that is over the insulator 606 c and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 , and the insulator 611 that is over the conductor 604 and has a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 604 . the insulator 608 is provided over the insulator 602 , the semiconductor 606 b , the insulator 612 , the insulator 610 , the insulator 611 , and the conductor 604 . the insulator 618 is provided over the insulator 608 . openings that reach the semiconductor 606 b are provided in the insulator 618 and the insulator 608 , and the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b are connected to the semiconductor 606 b through the openings. although not illustrated, the conductors 616 a and 616 b may be provided such that at least one of the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b is in contact with the insulator 610 . in that case, the distance between the conductor 616 a and the conductor 616 b can be made small; thus, the on-state current of the transistor can be increased, in some cases. note that the insulator 611 might not be formed depending on the inclination angle of the side surface of the conductor 604 . moreover, although not illustrated, an insulator having a region in contact with side surfaces of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b might be formed. the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b have the region 607 a and the region 607 b . the region 607 a and the region 607 b have higher conductivity (lower resistance) than the other regions. note that the region 607 a and the region 607 b may be provided only in the insulator 606 a or in the semiconductor 606 b. the insulator 602 might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with at least one of the insulator 606 a and the insulator 606 c might be a projection, and a region not in contact with the insulators 606 a and 606 c might be a depression. a region in contact with the insulator 610 might have a thickness between the thickness of the projection and the thickness of the depression. the semiconductor 606 b might have a projection and a depression. for example, a region in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a projection and a region not in contact with the insulator 606 c might be a depression. the above-described transistor structures are just examples. a novel transistor structure may be employed in which the above-described transistor structures are partly combined with each other. <method for manufacturing transistor> a method for manufacturing the transistor illustrated in figs. 1a to 1c will be described below. a conductor, an insulator, or a semiconductor may be deposited by a sputtering method, a chemical vapor deposition (cvd) method, a molecular beam epitaxy (mbe) method, a pulsed laser deposition (pld) method, an atomic layer deposition (ald) method, or the like. cvd methods can be classified into a plasma enhanced cvd (pecvd) method using plasma, a thermal cvd (tcvd) method using heat, a photo cvd method using light, and the like. depending on a source gas, cvd methods can be classified into a metal cvd (mcvd) method and a metal organic cvd (mocvd) method. a pecvd method allows formation of a high quality film at relatively low temperatures. a tcvd method does not use plasma and thus causes less plasma damage to an object. a wiring, an electrode, an element (e.g., transistor or capacitor), or the like included in a semiconductor device might be charged up by receiving electric charges from plasma, for example. in that case, accumulated electric charges might break the wiring, electrode, element, or the like included in the semiconductor device. such plasma damage is not caused in the case of using a tcvd method; thus, the yield of a semiconductor device can be increased. in addition, since plasma damage does not occur in the deposition by a tcvd method, a film with few defects can be obtained. an ald method also causes less plasma damage to an object. since plasma damage does not occur in the deposition by an ald method, a film with few defects can be obtained. unlike in a deposition method in which particles ejected from a target or the like are deposited, in a cvd method and an ald method, a film is formed by a reaction at a surface of an object. thus, a cvd method and an ald method both can provide favorable step coverage almost regardless of the shape of an object. in particular, an ald method can provide excellent step coverage and excellent thickness uniformity and thus is favorably used for covering a surface of an opening with a high aspect ratio, for example. on the other hand, an ald method has a relatively low deposition rate; thus, it is sometimes preferable to combine an ald method with another deposition method with a high deposition rate, such as a cvd method. when a cvd method or an ald method is used, composition of a film to be formed can be controlled with the flow rate ratio of source gases. for example, by the cvd method or the ald method, a film with a desired composition can be formed by adjusting the flow rate ratio of source gases. moreover, by a cvd method or an ald method, a film whose composition is continuously changed can be formed by changing the flow rate ratio of source gases while forming the film. in the case where the film is formed while changing the flow rate ratio of the source gases, as compared to the case where the film is formed using a plurality of deposition chambers, time taken for the deposition can be reduced because time taken for transfer and pressure adjustment is omitted. thus, semiconductor devices can be manufactured with improved productivity. here, a method for processing a conductor, an insulator, or a semiconductor is described. as a processing method, any of a variety of fine processing techniques can be used. for example, a method may be used in which a resist mask formed by a photolithography process or the like is subjected to thinning treatment. alternatively, a method may be used in which a dummy pattern is formed by a photolithography process or the like, the dummy pattern is provided with a sidewall and is then removed, and a conductor, an insulator, or a semiconductor is etched using the remaining sidewall as a resist mask. to achieve a high aspect ratio, anisotropic dry etching is preferably used for the etching of the conductor, the insulator, or the semiconductor. alternatively, a hard mask formed of an inorganic film or a metal film may be used. as light used to form the resist mask, for example, light with an i-line (with a wavelength of 365 nm), light with a g-line (with a wavelength of 436 nm), light with an h-line (with a wavelength of 405 nm), or light in which the i-line, the g-line, and the h-line are mixed can be used. alternatively, ultraviolet light, krf laser light, arf laser light, or the like can be used. exposure may also be performed by a liquid immersion exposure technique. as light for the exposure, extreme ultra-violet light (euv) or x-rays may be used. instead of the light for the exposure, an electron beam can be used. it is preferable to use extreme ultra-violet light (euv), x-rays, or an electron beam because extremely fine processing can be performed. in the case of performing exposure by scanning of a beam, such as an electron beam, a photomask is not needed. before a resist film that is processed into the resist mask is formed, an organic resin film having a function of improving adhesion between the conductor, the insulator, or the semiconductor and the resist film may be formed. the organic resin film can be formed by, for example, a spin coating method to planarize a surface by covering a step thereunder and thus can reduce variation in thickness of the resist mask over the organic resin film. in the case of fine processing, in particular, a material serving as an anti-reflection film against light for the exposure is preferably used for the organic resin film. examples of such an organic resin film serving as an anti-reflection film include a bottom anti-reflection coating (barc) film. the removal of the organic resin film may be performed at the same time as the removal of the resist mask or after the removal of the resist mask. first, the substrate 600 is prepared. an element (semiconductor element, capacitor, or the like) or a wiring layer may be formed over the substrate 600 . an insulator may be formed over the substrate 600 , the element, or the wiring layer. next, an insulator to be the insulator 603 is formed. after that, oxygen ions may be added so that the insulator to be the insulator 603 contains excess oxygen. the addition of oxygen ions may be performed by an ion implantation method at an acceleration voltage of higher than or equal to 2 kv and lower than or equal to 10 kv at a dose of greater than or equal to 5×10 14 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 5×10 16 ions/cm 2 , for example. then, the insulator to be the insulator 603 is processed into the insulator 603 having a groove portion. next, a conductor to be the conductor 613 is formed. subsequently, the conductor to be the conductor 613 is processed by a chemical mechanical polishing (cmp) method to form the conductor 613 in the groove portion of the insulator 603 (see figs. 11a to 11c ). note that the method is not limited to a cmp method as long as a similar shape can be obtained. then, the insulator 602 is formed. subsequently, an insulator to be the insulator 606 a is formed over the insulator 602 . after that, oxygen ions may be added so that the insulator to be the insulator 606 a contains excess oxygen. the addition of oxygen ions may be performed by an ion implantation method at an acceleration voltage of higher than or equal to 2 kv and lower than or equal to 10 kv at a dose of greater than or equal to 5×10 14 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 5×10 16 ions/cm 2 , for example. next, a semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b is formed. it is preferable that the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b be successively formed without exposure to the air. in that case, the impurity concentration of a region between the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b can be reduced. after that, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment can reduce the hydrogen concentration in the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. furthermore, the heat treatment can reduce oxygen vacancies in the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. the heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 650° c., preferably higher than or equal to 450° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., and further preferably higher than or equal to 520° c. and lower than or equal to 570° c. the heat treatment is performed in an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. the heat treatment may be performed under a reduced pressure. alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in such a manner that heat treatment in an inert gas atmosphere is performed, and then heat treatment in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more is performed in order to compensate desorbed oxygen. the heat treatment can increase the crystallinity of the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b and can remove impurities, such as hydrogen and water, for example. then, the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b are processed into the island-shaped insulator 606 a and the island-shaped semiconductor 606 b , respectively (see figs. 12a to 12c ). after that, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment can reduce the hydrogen concentration in the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. furthermore, the heat treatment can reduce oxygen vacancies in the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. the heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 650° c., preferably higher than or equal to 450° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., and further preferably higher than or equal to 520° c. and lower than or equal to 570° c. the heat treatment is performed in an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. the heat treatment may be performed under a reduced pressure. alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in such a manner that heat treatment in an inert gas atmosphere is performed, and then heat treatment in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more is performed in order to compensate desorbed oxygen. the heat treatment can increase the crystallinity of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b and can remove impurities, such as hydrogen and water, for example. next, an insulator 636 c is formed. subsequently, an insulator 622 is formed. then, a conductor 614 is formed (see figs. 13a to 13c ). it is preferable that the insulator 636 c , the insulator 622 , and the conductor 614 be successively formed without exposure to the air. in that case, the impurity concentration of regions between the insulator 636 c and the insulator 622 and between the insulator 622 and the conductor 614 can be reduced. next, the insulator 636 c , the insulator 622 , and the conductor 614 are processed into the insulator 606 c , the insulator 612 , and the conductor 604 , respectively (see figs. 14a to 14c ). after that, a dopant is added to form the regions 607 a and 607 b in the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b (see figs. 15a to 15c ). the dopant is hardly added to a region below the conductor 604 because the conductor 604 and the like serve as shields. this means that the regions 607 a and 607 b can be formed in a self-aligned manner. for the dopant addition, an ion implantation method by which an ionized source gas is subjected to mass separation and then added, an ion doping method by which an ionized source gas is added without mass separation, or the like can be used. in the case of performing mass separation, ion species to be added and its concentration can be controlled properly. in contrast, in the case of not performing mass separation, ions at a high concentration can be added in a short time. alternatively, an ion implantation method or an ion doping method in which atomic or molecular clusters are generated and ionized may be employed. note that the term “dopant” may be changed into the term “ion,” “donor,” “acceptor,” “impurity,” or “element.” the dopant addition may be controlled by setting the addition conditions such as the acceleration voltage and the dose as appropriate. the dose of the dopant is, for example, greater than or equal to 1×10 12 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 1×10 16 ions/cm 2 , and preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 13 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 1×10 15 ions/cm 2 . the acceleration voltage at the time of the dopant addition is higher than or equal to 2 kv and lower than or equal to 50 kv, and preferably higher than or equal to 5 kv and lower than or equal to 30 kv. the dopant may be added while heating at, for example, 200° c. or higher and 700° c. or lower, preferably 300° c. or higher and 500° c. or lower, and further preferably 350° c. or higher and 450° c. or lower. examples of the dopant include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, chlorine, arsenic, boron, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, titanium, vanadium, chromium, nickel, zinc, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, indium, tin, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, and tungsten. among these elements, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, chlorine, arsenic, and boron are preferable because these elements can be added relatively easily by an ion implantation method, an ion doping method, or the like. heat treatment may be performed after the dopant addition. the heat treatment may be performed at 250° c. or higher and 650° c. or lower and preferably 350° c. or higher and 450° c. or lower in a nitrogen atmosphere, or under reduced pressure or air (ultra dry air), for example. in part of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b to which the dopant is added, a region with a spinel crystal structure is formed by the impact of the dopant addition. although ion addition by an ion implantation method or ion doping treatment can be performed at a specific angle (e.g., a right angle) with respect to a sample surface, any of the methods described with reference to figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , 24 b, and 24 c can be employed. figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , 24 b, and 24 c each schematically illustrate the state where one ion is incident on a sample surface at an angle θ and an angle φ. the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis in each of figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , 24 b, and 24 c are straight lines intersecting with each other at an incident point of a certain ion. the x-axis is a given straight line on the sample surface. the y-axis is a straight line that is on the sample surface and intersects with the x-axis at right angles. the z-axis is the normal to the sample surface that passes through the incident point. the angle θ is an angle formed by the ion incident direction and the z-axis in a cross-sectional direction. the angle φ is an angle formed by the ion incident direction and the x-axis when seen from the top. in the case where an ion is incident on the sample surface at a specific angle (θ, φ) using an object as a mask, the ion can also be added to part of the sample under the object. in the case where an ion is incident on the sample surface only at a specific angle (θ, φ), a region where the ion is not added might exist on the opposite side of the ion incident side, because of the height of the object. a region where an ion is not added can be referred to as the shade of an object. for this reason, the ion is preferably incident at a plurality of angles, in which case an influence of the shade on the sample surface can be reduced. as illustrated in figs. 24 a 1 and 24 a 2 , the ion is preferably incident on the sample surface at a first angle (θ, φ) and then incident thereon at a second angle (θ, φ). note that at least one of the angles θ and φ of the first angle (θ, φ) is different from that of the second angle (θ, φ). the angle θ of the first angle (θ, φ) is, for example, greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 60°, preferably greater than or equal to 15° and less than or equal to 45°, and further preferably greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 40°. the angle θ of the second angle (θ, φ) is, for example, greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 60°, preferably greater than or equal to 15° and less than or equal to 45°, and further preferably greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 40°. note that the angle θ of the second angle (θ, φ) and the angle θ of the first angle (θ, φ) are symmetric about the z-axis. thus, the angle θ of the second angle (θ, φ) can be expressed by negative values. specifically, the angle θ of the second angle (θ, φ) can be, for example, greater than or equal to −60° and less than or equal to −10°, preferably greater than or equal to −45° and less than or equal to −15°, and further preferably greater than or equal to −40° and less than or equal to −20°. the angle φ of the second angle (θ, φ) is larger than the angle φ of the first angle (θ, φ) by 90° or more and 270° or less and preferably 135° or more and 225° or less, for example, and specifically by 180°. note that the ranges of the first angle (θ, φ) and the second angle (θ, φ) described here are just examples, and are not limited to the above ranges. the ion incident angle is not limited to the two kinds of angles: the first angle (θ, φ) and the second angle (θ, φ). for example, the ion incident angle may be the first angle (θ, φ) to an n-th angle (θ, φ) (n is a natural number of 2 or more). the angles θ and/or the angles φ of the first angle (θ, φ) to the n-th angle (θ, φ) are different angles. alternatively, the ion may be incident on the sample surface at the first angle (θ, φ) and then scanning in the θ direction (also referred to as θ scanning) may be performed from the first angle (θ, φ) to the second angle (θ, φ) such that the angle θ passes through 0°, as illustrated in fig. 24b . note that the ion incident angle φ is not limited to one kind of angle and may be a first angle φ to an n-th angle φ (n is a natural number of 2 or more). the angle θ of the first angle (θ, φ) is, for example, greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 60°, preferably greater than or equal to 15° and less than or equal to 45°, and further preferably greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 40°. the angle θ of the second angle (θ, φ) is, for example, greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 60°, preferably greater than or equal to 15° and less than or equal to 45°, and further preferably greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 40°. the angle θ of the first angle (θ, φ) may be equal to the angle θ of the second angle (θ, φ). note that the φ scanning may be performed continuously or stepwise, that is, in steps of, for example, 0.5°, 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5°, 6°, 10°, 12°, 18°, 20°, 24°, or 30°. alternatively, the ion may incident on the sample surface at the first angle (θ, φ) and then scanning in the co direction (also referred to as co scanning) may be performed so that the ion incident angle is changed from the first angle (θ, φ) to the second angle (θ, φ) as illustrated in fig. 24c . note that the ion incident angle θ is not limited to one kind of angle and may be any of a first angle θ to an n-th angle θ (n is a natural number of 2 or more). the angle θ of the first angle (θ, φ) and the second angle (θ, φ) is, for example, greater than or equal to 10° and less than or equal to 60°, preferably greater than or equal to 15° and less than or equal to 45°, and further preferably greater than or equal to 20° and less than or equal to 40°. the angle φ of the first angle (θ, φ) may be equal to the angle φ of the second angle (θ, φ). note that the φ scanning may be performed continuously or stepwise, that is, in steps of, for example, 0.5°, 1°, 2°, 3°, 4°, 5°, 6°, 10°, 12°, 18°, 20°, 24°, or 30°. although not illustrated, the θ scanning and the φ scanning may be performed in combination. with the use of any of the methods described with reference to figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , 24 b, and 24 c, the regions 607 a and 607 b can be formed not only in a region not overlapping with the conductor 604 but also in a region partly overlapping with the conductor 604 . in that case, an offset region having high resistance is not formed between the channel formation region and each of the region 607 a and the region 607 b , leading to an increase in the on-state current of the transistor. in the above-described manner, the transistor illustrated in figs. 1a to 1c can be manufactured. next, a method for manufacturing the transistor illustrated in figs. 5a to 5c will be described. first, the substrate 600 is prepared. next, an insulator to be the insulator 603 is formed. after that, oxygen ions may be added so that the insulator to be the insulator 603 contains excess oxygen. the addition of oxygen ions may be performed by an ion implantation method at an acceleration voltage of higher than or equal to 2 kv and lower than or equal to 10 kv at a dose of greater than or equal to 5×10 14 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 5×10 16 ions/cm 2 , for example. then, the insulator to be the insulator 603 is processed into the insulator 603 having a groove portion. next, a conductor to be the conductor 613 is formed. subsequently, the conductor to be the conductor 613 is processed by a cmp method to form the conductor 613 in the groove portion of the insulator 603 (see figs. 16a to 16c ). note that the method is not limited to a cmp method as long as a similar shape can be obtained. then, the insulator 602 is formed. subsequently, an insulator to be the insulator 606 a is formed over the insulator 602 . after that, oxygen ions may be added so that the insulator to be the insulator 606 a contains excess oxygen. the addition of oxygen ions may be performed by an ion implantation method at an acceleration voltage of higher than or equal to 2 kv and lower than or equal to 10 kv at a dose of greater than or equal to 5×10 14 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 5×10 16 ions/cm 2 , for example. next, a semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b is formed. it is preferable that the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b be successively formed without exposure to the air. in that case, the impurity concentration of a region between the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b can be reduced. after that, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment can reduce the hydrogen concentration in the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. furthermore, the heat treatment can reduce oxygen vacancies in the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. the heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 650° c., preferably higher than or equal to 450° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., and further preferably higher than or equal to 520° c. and lower than or equal to 570° c. the heat treatment is performed in an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. the heat treatment may be performed under a reduced pressure. alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in such a manner that heat treatment in an inert gas atmosphere is performed, and then heat treatment in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more is performed in order to compensate desorbed oxygen. the heat treatment can increase the crystallinity of the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b and can remove impurities, such as hydrogen and water, for example. then, the insulator to be the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor to be the semiconductor 606 b are processed into the island-shaped insulator 606 a and the island-shaped semiconductor 606 b , respectively (see figs. 17a to 17c ). after that, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment can reduce the hydrogen concentration in the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. furthermore, the heat treatment can reduce oxygen vacancies in the insulator 606 a and in the semiconductor 606 b in some cases. the heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 650° c., preferably higher than or equal to 450° c. and lower than or equal to 600° c., and further preferably higher than or equal to 520° c. and lower than or equal to 570° c. the heat treatment is performed in an inert gas atmosphere or an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more. the heat treatment may be performed under a reduced pressure. alternatively, the heat treatment may be performed in such a manner that heat treatment in an inert gas atmosphere is performed, and then heat treatment in an atmosphere containing an oxidizing gas at 10 ppm or more, 1% or more, or 10% or more is performed in order to compensate desorbed oxygen. the heat treatment can increase the crystallinity of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b and can remove impurities, such as hydrogen and water, for example. next, the insulator 636 c is formed. subsequently, the insulator 622 is formed. then, the conductor 614 is formed (see figs. 18a to 18c ). it is preferable that the insulator 636 c , the insulator 622 , and the conductor 614 be successively formed without exposure to the air. in that case, the impurity concentration of regions between the insulator 636 c and the insulator 622 and between the insulator 622 and the conductor 614 can be reduced. next, the conductor 614 is processed into the conductor 604 (see figs. 19a to 19c ). after that, an insulator to be the insulators 610 and 611 is formed. subsequently, the insulator to be the insulators 610 and 611 is anisotropically etched such that the insulator partly remains on the side surfaces of the conductor 604 , whereby the insulators 610 and 611 can be formed (see figs. 20a to 20c ). the insulator 622 and the insulator 636 c are also etched at the time of formation of the insulators 610 and 611 , whereby the insulator 612 and the insulator 606 c are formed. after that, a dopant is added to form the regions 607 a and 607 b in the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b (see figs. 21a to 21c ). the dopant is hardly added to a region below the conductor 604 and the insulator 610 because the conductor 604 , the insulator 610 , and the like serve as shields. this means that the regions 607 a and 607 b can be formed in a self-aligned manner. for the dopant addition, an ion implantation method by which an ionized source gas is subjected to mass separation and then added, an ion doping method by which an ionized source gas is added without mass separation, or the like can be used. in the case of performing mass separation, ion species to be added and its concentration can be controlled properly. in contrast, in the case of not performing mass separation, ions at a high concentration can be added in a short time. alternatively, an ion implantation method or an ion doping method in which atomic or molecular clusters are generated and ionized may be employed. note that the term “dopant” may be changed into the term “ion,” “donor,” “acceptor,” “impurity,” or “element.” the dopant addition may be controlled by setting the addition conditions such as the acceleration voltage and the dose as appropriate. the dose of the dopant is, for example, greater than or equal to 1×10 12 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 1×10 16 ions/cm 2 , preferably greater than or equal to 1×10 13 ions/cm 2 and less than or equal to 1×10 15 ions/cm 2 . the acceleration voltage at the time of the dopant addition is higher than or equal to 2 kv and lower than or equal to 50 kv, preferably higher than or equal to 5 kv and lower than or equal to 30 kv. the dopant may be added while heating at, for example, 200° c. or higher and 700° c. or lower, preferably 300° c. or higher and 500° c. or lower, and further preferably 350° c. or higher and 450° c. or lower. as the dopant, for example, hydrogen, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, chlorine, arsenic, boron, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, titanium, vanadium, chromium, nickel, zinc, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, indium, tin, lanthanum, cerium, neodymium, hafnium, tantalum, and tungsten are given. among these elements, helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, nitrogen, fluorine, phosphorus, chlorine, arsenic, and boron are preferable because these elements can be added relatively easily by an ion implantation method, an ion doping method, or the like. after the dopant addition, heat treatment may be performed. the heat treatment may be performed at higher than or equal to 250° c. and lower than or equal to 650° c., preferably higher than or equal to 350° c. and lower than or equal to 450° c. in a nitrogen atmosphere, or under reduced pressure or air (ultra dry air), for example. in part of the insulator 606 a and the semiconductor 606 b to which the dopant is added, a region with a spinel crystal structure is formed by the impact of the dopant addition. ion addition by an ion implantation method or ion doping treatment can be performed at a specific angle (e.g., a right angle) with respect to a sample surface. for example, any of the methods described with reference to figs. 24 a 1 , 24 a 2 , 24 b, and 24 c can be employed. in the above-described manner, the transistor illustrated in figs. 5a to 5c can be manufactured. <circuit> an example of a circuit of a semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described. <cmos inverter> a circuit diagram in fig. 25a shows a configuration of what is called a cmos inverter in which a p-channel transistor 2200 and an n-channel transistor 2100 are connected to each other in series and in which gates of them are connected to each other. <structure 1 of semiconductor device> figs. 26a to 26c are cross-sectional views illustrating the semiconductor device of fig. 25a . the semiconductor device shown in figs. 26a to 26c includes the transistor 2200 and the transistor 2100 . the transistor 2100 is placed above the transistor 2200 . any of the above-described transistors can be used as the transistor 2100 . thus, the description regarding the above-mentioned transistors is referred to for the transistor 2100 as appropriate. note that figs. 26a to 26c are cross-sectional views of different portions. the transistor 2200 shown in figs. 26a to 26c is a transistor including a semiconductor substrate 450 . the transistor 2200 includes a region 472 a in the semiconductor substrate 450 , a region 472 b in the semiconductor substrate 450 , an insulator 462 , and a conductor 454 . in the transistor 2200 , the regions 472 a and 472 b have functions of a source region and a drain region. the insulator 462 functions as a gate insulator. the conductor 454 functions as a gate electrode. thus, the resistance of a channel formation region can be controlled by a potential applied to the conductor 454 . in other words, conduction or non-conduction between the region 472 a and the region 472 b can be controlled by the potential applied to the conductor 454 . for the semiconductor substrate 450 , a single-material semiconductor substrate of silicon, germanium, or the like or a compound semiconductor substrate of silicon carbide, silicon germanium, gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, zinc oxide, gallium oxide, or the like may be used, for example. a single crystal silicon substrate is preferably used as the semiconductor substrate 450 . for the semiconductor substrate 450 , a semiconductor substrate including impurities imparting n-type conductivity is used. however, a semiconductor substrate including impurities imparting p-type conductivity may be used as the semiconductor substrate 450 . in that case, a well including impurities imparting the n-type conductivity may be provided in a region where the transistor 2200 is formed. alternatively, the semiconductor substrate 450 may be an i-type semiconductor substrate. the top surface of the semiconductor substrate 450 preferably has a ( 110 ) plane. thus, on-state characteristics of the transistor 2200 can be improved. the regions 472 a and 472 b are regions including impurities imparting the p-type conductivity. accordingly, the transistor 2200 has a structure of a p-channel transistor. note that the transistor 2200 is apart from an adjacent transistor by a region 460 and the like. the region 460 is an insulating region. the semiconductor device illustrated in figs. 26a to 26c includes an insulator 464 , an insulator 466 , an insulator 468 , an insulator 422 , a conductor 480 a , a conductor 480 b , a conductor 480 c , a conductor 478 a , a conductor 478 b , a conductor 478 c , a conductor 476 a , a conductor 476 b , a conductor 474 a , a conductor 474 b , a conductor 474 c , a conductor 496 a , a conductor 496 b , a conductor 496 c , a conductor 496 d , a conductor 498 a , a conductor 498 b , a conductor 498 c , an insulator 490 , the insulator 602 , an insulator 492 , an insulator 428 , an insulator 409 , and an insulator 494 . the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 have barrier properties. this means that the semiconductor device illustrated in figs. 26a to 26c has a structure in which the transistor 2100 is surrounded by insulators having barrier properties. note that one or more of the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 are not necessarily provided. the insulator 464 is placed over the transistor 2200 . the insulator 466 is placed over the insulator 464 . the insulator 468 is placed over the insulator 466 . the insulator 490 is placed over the insulator 468 . the transistor 2100 is placed over the insulator 490 . the insulator 492 is placed over the transistor 2100 . the insulator 494 is placed over the insulator 492 . the insulator 464 includes an opening reaching the region 472 a , an opening reaching the region 472 b , and an opening reaching the conductor 454 . in the openings, the conductor 480 a , the conductor 480 b , and the conductor 480 c are provided. the insulator 466 includes an opening reaching the conductor 480 a , an opening reaching the conductor 480 b , and an opening reaching the conductor 480 c . in the openings, the conductor 478 a , the conductor 478 b , and the conductor 478 c are provided. the insulator 468 and the insulator 422 include an opening reaching the conductor 478 b and an opening reaching the conductor 478 c . in the openings, the conductor 476 a and the conductor 476 b are provided. the insulator 490 includes an opening overlapping with a channel formation region of the transistor 2100 , an opening reaching the conductor 476 a , and an opening reaching the conductor 476 b . in the openings, the conductor 474 a , the conductor 474 b , and the conductor 474 c are provided. the conductor 474 a may function as a gate electrode of the transistor 2100 . the electrical characteristics of the transistor 2100 , such as the threshold voltage, may be controlled by application of a predetermined potential to the conductor 474 a , for example. the conductor 474 a may be electrically connected to the conductor 604 having a function of the gate electrode of the transistor 2100 , for example. in that case, on-state current of the transistor 2100 can be increased. furthermore, a punch-through phenomenon can be suppressed; thus, the electrical characteristics of the transistor 2100 in a saturation region can be stable. the insulator 409 and the insulator 492 include the opening reaching the conductor 474 b through the region 607 b that is one of the source and the drain of the transistor 2100 , the opening reaching the region 607 a that is the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 2100 , the opening reaching the conductor 604 that is the gate electrode of the transistor 2100 , and the opening reaching the conductor 474 c . in the openings, the conductor 496 a , the conductor 496 b , the conductor 496 c , and the conductor 496 d are provided. note that in some cases, an opening provided in a component of the transistor 2100 or the like is positioned between openings provided in other components. the insulator 494 includes an opening reaching the conductor 496 a , an opening reaching the conductor 496 b and the conductor 496 d , and an opening reaching the conductor 496 c . in the openings, the conductor 498 a , the conductor 498 b , and the conductor 498 c are provided. the insulators 464 , 466 , 468 , 490 , 492 , and 494 may be formed using the same or different materials. the insulators 464 , 466 , 468 , 490 , 492 , and 494 may each be formed to have, for example, a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including an insulator containing boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum. the insulators 464 , 466 , 468 , 490 , 492 , and 494 may each be formed using, for example, one of aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride oxide, silicon nitride, gallium oxide, germanium oxide, yttrium oxide, zirconium oxide, lanthanum oxide, neodymium oxide, hafnium oxide, and tantalum oxide. at least one of the insulators 464 , 466 , 468 , 490 , 492 , and 494 preferably includes an insulator having a barrier property. an insulator with a function of blocking oxygen and impurities such as hydrogen may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including an insulator containing, for example, boron, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, magnesium, aluminum, silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, argon, gallium, germanium, yttrium, zirconium, lanthanum, neodymium, hafnium, or tantalum. each of the conductor 480 a , the conductor 480 b , the conductor 480 c , the conductor 478 a , the conductor 478 b , the conductor 478 c , the conductor 476 a , the conductor 476 b , the conductor 474 a , the conductor 474 b , the conductor 474 c , the conductor 496 a , the conductor 496 b , the conductor 496 c , the conductor 496 d , the conductor 498 a , the conductor 498 b , and the conductor 498 c may be formed to have, for example, a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure including a conductor containing one or more kinds selected from boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, silicon, phosphorus, aluminum, titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, ruthenium, silver, indium, tin, tantalum, and tungsten. an alloy or a compound containing the above element may be used, for example, and a conductor containing aluminum, a conductor containing copper and titanium, a conductor containing copper and manganese, a conductor containing indium, tin, and oxygen, a conductor containing titanium and nitrogen, or the like may be used. at least one of the conductors 480 a , 480 b , 480 c , 478 a , 478 b , 478 c , 476 a , 476 b , 474 a , 474 b , 474 c , 496 a , 496 b , 496 c , 496 d , 498 a , 498 b , and 498 c preferably includes a conductor having a barrier property. note that a semiconductor device in figs. 27a to 27c is the same as the semiconductor device in figs. 26a to 26c except for the structure of the transistor 2200 . therefore, the description of the semiconductor device in figs. 26a to 26c is referred to for the semiconductor devices in figs. 27a to 27c . in the semiconductor devices in figs. 27a to 27c , the transistor 2200 is a fin-type transistor. the effective channel width is increased in the fin-type transistor 2200 , whereby the on-state characteristics of the transistor 2200 can be improved. in addition, since contribution of the electric field of the gate electrode can be increased, the off-state characteristics of the transistor 2200 can be improved. note that figs. 27a to 27c are cross-sectional views of different portions. note that a semiconductor device in figs. 28a to 28c is the same as the semiconductor device in figs. 26a to 26c except for the structure of the transistor 2200 . therefore, the description of the semiconductor device in figs. 26a to 26c is referred to for the semiconductor device in figs. 28a to 28c . specifically, in the semiconductor device in figs. 28a to 28c , the transistor 2200 is formed in an soi substrate. in the structure in figs. 28a to 28c , a region 456 is apart from the semiconductor substrate 450 with an insulator 452 provided therebetween. since the soi substrate is used, a punch-through phenomenon and the like can be suppressed; thus, the off-state characteristics of the transistor 2200 can be improved. note that the insulator 452 can be formed by turning part of the semiconductor substrate 450 into an insulator. for example, silicon oxide can be used as the insulator 452 . note that figs. 28a to 28c are cross-sectional views of different portions. in each of the semiconductor devices shown in figs. 26a to 26c , figs. 27a to 27c , and figs. 28a to 28c , a p-channel transistor is formed utilizing a semiconductor substrate, and an n-channel transistor is formed above that; therefore, an occupation area of the element can be reduced. that is, the integration degree of the semiconductor device can be improved. in addition, the manufacturing process can be simplified compared to the case where an n-channel transistor and a p-channel transistor are formed utilizing the same semiconductor substrate; therefore, the productivity of the semiconductor device can be increased. moreover, the yield of the semiconductor device can be improved. for the p-channel transistor, some complicated steps such as formation of lightly doped drain (ldd) regions, formation of a shallow trench structure, or distortion design can be omitted in some cases. therefore, the productivity and yield of the semiconductor device can be increased in some cases, compared to a semiconductor device where an n-channel transistor is formed utilizing the semiconductor substrate. <cmos analog switch> a circuit diagram in fig. 25b shows a configuration in which sources of the transistors 2100 and 2200 are connected to each other and drains of the transistors 2100 and 2200 are connected to each other. with such a configuration, the transistors can function as what is called a cmos analog switch. <memory device 1> an example of a semiconductor device (memory device) which includes the transistor of one embodiment of the present invention, which can retain stored data even when not powered, and which has an unlimited number of write cycles is shown in figs. 29a and 29b . the semiconductor device illustrated in fig. 29a includes a transistor 3200 using a first semiconductor, a transistor 3300 using a second semiconductor, and a capacitor 3400 . note that the above-described transistor can be used as the transistor 3300 . note that the transistor 3300 is preferably a transistor with a low off-state current. for example, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor can be used as the transistor 3300 . since the off-state current of the transistor 3300 is low, stored data can be retained for a long period at a predetermined node of the semiconductor device. in other words, power consumption of the semiconductor device can be reduced because refresh operation becomes unnecessary or the frequency of refresh operation can be extremely low. in fig. 29a , a first wiring 3001 is electrically connected to a source of the transistor 3200 . a second wiring 3002 is electrically connected to a drain of the transistor 3200 . a third wiring 3003 is electrically connected to one of a source and a drain of the transistor 3300 . a fourth wiring 3004 is electrically connected to a gate of the transistor 3300 . a gate of the transistor 3200 and the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 are electrically connected to one electrode of the capacitor 3400 . a fifth wiring 3005 is electrically connected to the other electrode of the capacitor 3400 . the semiconductor device in fig. 29a has a feature that the potential of the gate of the transistor 3200 can be retained, and thus enables writing, retaining, and reading of data as follows. writing and retaining of data are described. first, the potential of the fourth wiring 3004 is set to a potential at which the transistor 3300 is on, so that the transistor 3300 is turned on. accordingly, the potential of the third wiring 3003 is supplied to a node fg where the gate of the transistor 3200 and the one electrode of the capacitor 3400 are electrically connected to each other. that is, a predetermined electric charge is supplied to the gate of the transistor 3200 (writing). here, one of two kinds of electric charges providing different potential levels (hereinafter referred to as a low-level electric charge and a high-level electric charge) is supplied. after that, the potential of the fourth wiring 3004 is set to a potential at which the transistor 3300 is off, so that the transistor 3300 is turned off. thus, the electric charge is held at the node fg (retaining). since the off-state current of the transistor 3300 is low, the electric charge of the node fg is retained for a long time. next, reading of data is described. an appropriate potential (a reading potential) is supplied to the fifth wiring 3005 while a predetermined potential (a constant potential) is supplied to the first wiring 3001 , whereby the potential of the second wiring 3002 varies depending on the amount of electric charge retained in the node fg. this is because in the case of using an n-channel transistor as the transistor 3200 , an apparent threshold voltage v th _ h at the time when the high-level electric charge is given to the gate of the transistor 3200 is lower than an apparent threshold voltage v th _ l at the time when the low-level electric charge is given to the gate of the transistor 3200 . here, an apparent threshold voltage refers to the potential of the fifth wiring 3005 which is needed to make the transistor 3200 be in “on state.” thus, the potential of the fifth wiring 3005 is set to a potential v 0 which is between v th _ h and v th _ l , whereby electric charge supplied to the node fg can be determined. for example, in the case where the high-level electric charge is supplied to the node fg in writing and the potential of the fifth wiring 3005 is v 0 (>v th _ h ), the transistor 3200 is brought into “on state.” in the case where the low-level electric charge is supplied to the node fg in writing, even when the potential of the fifth wiring 3005 is v 0 (<v th _ l ), the transistor 3200 still remains in “off state.” thus, the data retained in the node fg can be read by determining the potential of the second wiring 3002 . note that in the case where memory cells are arrayed, it is necessary that data of a desired memory cell be read in read operation. a configuration in which only data of a desired memory cell can be read by supplying a potential at which the transistor 3200 is brought into an “off state” regardless of the electric charge supplied to the node fg, that is, a potential lower than v th _ h to the fifth wiring 3005 of memory cells from which data is not read may be employed. alternatively, a configuration in which only data of a desired memory cell can be read by supplying a potential at which the transistor 3200 is brought into an “on state” regardless of the electric charge supplied to the node fg, that is, a potential higher than v th _ l to the fifth wiring 3005 of memory cells from which data is not read may be employed. <structure 2 of semiconductor device> figs. 30a to 30c are cross-sectional views illustrating the semiconductor device of fig. 29a . the semiconductor device shown in figs. 30a to 30c includes the transistor 3200 , the transistor 3300 , and the capacitor 3400 . the transistor 3300 and the capacitor 3400 are placed above the transistor 3200 . note that for the transistor 3300 , the description of the above transistor 2100 is referred to. furthermore, for the transistor 3200 , the description of the transistor 2200 in figs. 26a to 26c is referred to. note that although the transistor 2200 is illustrated as a p-channel transistor in figs. 26a to 26c , the transistor 3200 may be an n-channel transistor. note that figs. 30a to 30c are cross-sectional views of different portions. the transistor 3200 illustrated in figs. 30a to 30c is a transistor including the semiconductor substrate 450 . the transistor 3200 includes the region 472 a in the semiconductor substrate 450 , the region 472 b in the semiconductor substrate 450 , the insulator 462 , and the conductor 454 . the semiconductor device illustrated in figs. 30a to 30c includes the insulator 464 , the insulator 466 , the insulator 468 , the insulator 422 , the conductor 480 a , the conductor 480 b , the conductor 480 c , the conductor 478 a , the conductor 478 b , the conductor 478 c , the conductor 476 a , the conductor 476 b , the conductor 474 a , the conductor 474 b , the conductor 474 c , the conductor 496 a , the conductor 496 b , the conductor 496 c , the conductor 496 d , the conductor 498 a , the conductor 498 b , the conductor 498 c , a conductor 498 d , the insulator 490 , the insulator 602 , the insulator 492 , the insulator 428 , the insulator 409 , and the insulator 494 . the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 have barrier properties. this means that the semiconductor device illustrated in figs. 30a to 30c has a structure in which the transistor 3300 is surrounded by insulators having barrier properties. note that one or more of the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 are not necessarily provided. the insulator 464 is provided over the transistor 3200 . the insulator 466 is provided over the insulator 464 . the insulator 468 is provided over the insulator 466 . the insulator 490 is provided over the insulator 468 . the transistor 3300 is provided over the insulator 490 . the insulator 492 is provided over the transistor 3300 . the insulator 494 is provided over the insulator 492 . the insulator 464 has an opening reaching the region 472 a , an opening reaching the region 472 b , and an opening reaching the conductor 454 . in the openings, the conductor 480 a , the conductor 480 b , and the conductor 480 c are provided. the insulator 466 includes an opening reaching the conductor 480 a , an opening reaching the conductor 480 b , and an opening reaching the conductor 480 c . in the openings, the conductor 478 a , the conductor 478 b , and the conductor 478 c are provided. the insulator 468 and the insulator 422 include an opening reaching the conductor 478 b and an opening reaching the conductor 478 c . in the openings, the conductor 476 a and the conductor 476 b are provided. the insulator 490 includes an opening overlapping with a channel formation region of the transistor 3300 , an opening reaching the conductor 476 a , and an opening reaching the conductor 476 b . in the openings, the conductor 474 a , the conductor 474 b , and the conductor 474 c are provided. the conductor 474 a may function as a bottom gate electrode of the transistor 3300 . alternatively, for example, electrical characteristics such as the threshold voltage of the transistor 3300 may be controlled by application of a constant potential to the conductor 474 a . further alternatively, for example, the conductor 474 a and the conductor 604 that is a top gate electrode of the transistor 3300 may be electrically connected to each other. thus, the on-state current of the transistor 3300 can be increased. a punch-through phenomenon can be suppressed; thus, stable electrical characteristics in a saturation region of the transistor 3300 can be obtained. the insulator 409 and the insulator 492 include the opening reaching the conductor 474 b through the region 607 b that is one of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 , an opening reaching the conductor 605 that overlaps with the region 607 a that is the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 , with an insulator 612 positioned therebetween, an opening reaching the conductor 604 that is the gate electrode of the transistor 3300 , and the opening reaching the conductor 474 c through the region 607 a that is the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 . in the openings, the conductor 496 a , the conductor 496 b , the conductor 496 c , and the conductor 496 d are provided. note that in some cases, an opening provided in a component of the transistor 3300 or the like is positioned between openings provided in other components. the insulator 494 includes an opening reaching the conductor 496 a , an opening reaching the conductor 496 b , an opening reaching the conductor 496 c , and an opening reaching the conductor 496 d . in the openings, the conductor 498 a , the conductor 498 b , the conductor 498 c , and the conductor 498 d are provided. at least one of the insulators 464 , 466 , 468 , 490 , 492 , and 494 preferably includes an insulator having a barrier property. the conductor 498 d may be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked-layer structure using a conductor containing, for example, one or more of boron, nitrogen, oxygen, fluorine, silicon, phosphorus, aluminum, titanium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, gallium, yttrium, zirconium, molybdenum, ruthenium, silver, indium, tin, tantalum, and tungsten. an alloy or a compound of the above element may be used, for example, and a conductor containing aluminum, a conductor containing copper and titanium, a conductor containing copper and manganese, a conductor containing indium, tin, and oxygen, a conductor containing titanium and nitrogen, or the like may be used. each of the conductors 498 a , 498 b , 498 c , and 498 d preferably includes a conductor having a barrier property. the source or drain of the transistor 3200 is electrically connected to the region 607 b that is one of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 through the conductor 480 b , the conductor 478 b , the conductor 476 a , the conductor 474 b , and the conductor 496 c . the conductor 454 that is the gate electrode of the transistor 3200 is electrically connected to the region 607 a that is the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 through the conductor 480 c , the conductor 478 c , the conductor 476 b , the conductor 474 c , and the conductor 496 d. the capacitor 3400 includes an electrode electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 3300 , the conductor 605 , and the insulator 612 . the insulator 612 is preferably used in some cases because the insulator 612 can be formed in the same step as an insulator functioning as a gate insulator of the transistor 3300 , leading to an increase in productivity. a layer formed in the same step as the conductor 604 functioning as the gate electrode of the transistor 3300 is preferably used as the conductor 605 in some cases, leading to an increase in productivity. the conductor 605 and the conductor 604 may be formed in different steps. for the structures of other components, the description of figs. 26a to 26c and the like can be referred to as appropriate. a semiconductor device in figs. 31a to 31c is the same as the semiconductor device in figs. 30a to 30c except for the structure of the transistor 3200 . therefore, the description of the semiconductor device in figs. 30a to 30c is referred to for the semiconductor devices in figs. 31a to 31c . specifically, in the semiconductor devices in figs. 31a to 31c , the transistor 3200 is a fin-type transistor. for the fin-type transistor 3200 , the description of the transistor 2200 in figs. 27a to 27c is referred to. note that although the transistor 2200 is illustrated as a p-channel transistor in figs. 27a to 27c , the transistor 3200 may be an n-channel transistor. note that figs. 31a to 31c are cross-sectional views of different portions. a semiconductor device in figs. 32a to 32c is the same as the semiconductor device in figs. 30a to 30c except for the structure of the transistor 3200 . therefore, the description of the semiconductor device in figs. 30a to 30c is referred to for the semiconductor device in figs. 32a to 32c . specifically, in the semiconductor device in figs. 32a to 32c , the transistor 3200 is provided in the semiconductor substrate 450 that is an soi substrate. for the transistor 3200 , which is provided in the semiconductor substrate 450 (soi substrate), the description of the transistor 2200 in figs. 28a to 28c is referred to. note that although the transistor 2200 is illustrated as a p-channel transistor in figs. 28a to 28c , the transistor 3200 may be an n-channel transistor. note that figs. 32a to 32c are cross-sectional views of different portions. <memory device 2> the semiconductor device in fig. 29b is different from the semiconductor device in fig. 29a in that the transistor 3200 is not provided. also in this case, data can be written and retained in a manner similar to that of the semiconductor device in fig. 29a . reading of data in the semiconductor device in fig. 29b is described. when the transistor 3300 is brought into an on state, the third wiring 3003 which is in a floating state and the capacitor 3400 are brought into conduction, and the electric charge is redistributed between the third wiring 3003 and the capacitor 3400 . as a result, the potential of the third wiring 3003 is changed. the amount of change in the potential of the third wiring 3003 varies depending on the potential of the one electrode of the capacitor 3400 (or the electric charge accumulated in the capacitor 3400 ). for example, the potential of the third wiring 3003 after the charge redistribution is (c b ×v b0 +c×v)/(c b +c), where v is the potential of the one electrode of the capacitor 3400 , c is the capacitance of the capacitor 3400 , c b is the capacitance component of the third wiring 3003 , and v b0 is the potential of the third wiring 3003 before the charge redistribution. thus, it can be found that, assuming that the memory cell is in either of two states in which the potential of the one electrode of the capacitor 3400 is v 1 and v 0 (v 1 >v 0 ), the potential of the third wiring 3003 in the case of retaining the potential v 1 (=(c b ×v b0 +c×v 1 )/(c b +c)) is higher than the potential of the third wiring 3003 in the case of retaining the potential v 0 (=(c b ×v b0 +c×v 0 )/(c b +c)). then, by comparing the potential of the third wiring 3003 with a predetermined potential, data can be read. in this case, a transistor including the first semiconductor may be used for a driver circuit for driving a memory cell, and a transistor including the second semiconductor may be stacked over the driver circuit as the transistor 3300 . when including a transistor including an oxide semiconductor and having a low off-state current, the semiconductor device described above can retain stored data for a long time. in other words, power consumption of the semiconductor device can be reduced because refresh operation becomes unnecessary or the frequency of refresh operation can be extremely low. moreover, stored data can be retained for a long time even when power is not supplied (note that a potential is preferably fixed). in the semiconductor device, high voltage is not needed for writing data and deterioration of elements is less likely to occur. unlike in a conventional nonvolatile memory, for example, it is not necessary to inject and extract electrons into and from a floating gate; thus, a problem such as deterioration of an insulator is not caused. that is, the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention does not have a limit on the number of times data can be rewritten, which is a problem of a conventional nonvolatile memory, and the reliability thereof is drastically improved. furthermore, data is written depending on the on/off state of the transistor, whereby high-speed operation can be achieved. <imaging device> an imaging device of one embodiment of the present invention will be described below. fig. 33a is a plan view illustrating an example of an imaging device 2000 of one embodiment of the present invention. the imaging device 2000 includes a pixel portion 2010 and peripheral circuits for driving the pixel portion 2010 (a peripheral circuit 2060 , a peripheral circuit 2070 , a peripheral circuit 2080 , and a peripheral circuit 2090 ). the pixel portion 2010 includes a plurality of pixels 2011 arranged in a matrix with p rows and q columns (p and q are each an integer of 2 or more). the peripheral circuit 2060 , the peripheral circuit 2070 , the peripheral circuit 2080 , and the peripheral circuit 2090 are each connected to the plurality of pixels 2011 , and a signal for driving the plurality of pixels 2011 is supplied. in this specification and the like, in some cases, a “peripheral circuit” or a “driver circuit” indicate all of the peripheral circuits 2060 , 2070 , 2080 , and 2090 . for example, the peripheral circuit 2060 can be regarded as part of the peripheral circuit. the imaging device 2000 preferably includes a light source 2091 . the light source 2091 can emit detection light p 1 . the peripheral circuit includes at least one of a logic circuit, a switch, a buffer, an amplifier circuit, and a converter circuit. the peripheral circuit may be formed over a substrate where the pixel portion 2010 is formed. a semiconductor device such as an ic chip may be used as part or the whole of the peripheral circuit. note that as the peripheral circuit, one or more of the peripheral circuits 2060 , 2070 , 2080 , and 2090 may be omitted. as illustrated in fig. 33b , the pixels 2011 may be provided to be inclined in the pixel portion 2010 included in the imaging device 2000 . when the pixels 2011 are obliquely arranged, the distance between pixels (pitch) can be shortened in the row direction and the column direction. accordingly, the quality of an image taken with the imaging device 2000 can be improved. configuration example 1 of pixel the pixel 2011 included in the imaging device 2000 is formed with a plurality of subpixels 2012 , and each subpixel 2012 is combined with a filter (color filter) which transmits light in a specific wavelength band, whereby data for achieving color image display can be obtained. fig. 34a is a top view showing an example of the pixel 2011 with which a color image is obtained. the pixel 2011 illustrated in fig. 34a includes a subpixel 2012 provided with a color filter that transmits light in a red (r) wavelength band (also referred to as a subpixel 2012 r), a subpixel 2012 provided with a color filter that transmits light in a green (g) wavelength band (also referred to as a subpixel 2012 g), and a subpixel 2012 provided with a color filter that transmits light in a blue (b) wavelength band (also referred to as a subpixel 2012 b). the subpixel 2012 can function as a photosensor. the subpixel 2012 (the subpixel 2012 r, the subpixel 2012 g, and the subpixel 2012 b) is electrically connected to a wiring 2031 , a wiring 2047 , a wiring 2048 , a wiring 2049 , and a wiring 2050 . in addition, the subpixel 2012 r, the subpixel 2012 g, and the subpixel 2012 b are connected to respective wirings 2053 which are independently provided. in this specification and the like, for example, the wiring 2048 and the wiring 2049 that are connected to the pixel 2011 in the n-th row are referred to as a wiring 2048 [ n ] and a wiring 2049 [ n ]. for example, the wiring 2053 connected to the pixel 2011 in the m-th column is referred to as a wiring 2053 [ m ]. note that in fig. 34a , the wirings 2053 connected to the subpixel 2012 r, the subpixel 2012 g, and the subpixel 2012 b in the pixel 2011 in the m-th column are referred to as a wiring 2053 [ m ]r, a wiring 2053 [ m ]g, and a wiring 2053 [ m ]b. the subpixels 2012 are electrically connected to the peripheral circuit through the above wirings. the imaging device 2000 has a structure in which the subpixel 2012 is electrically connected to the subpixel 2012 in an adjacent pixel 2011 which is provided with a color filter transmitting light in the same wavelength band as the subpixel 2012 , via a switch. fig. 34b shows a connection example of the subpixels 2012 : the subpixel 2012 in the pixel 2011 arranged in the n-th (n is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to p) row and the m-th (m is an integer greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to q) column and the subpixel 2012 in the adjacent pixel 2011 arranged in an (n+1)-th row and the m-th column. in fig. 34b , the subpixel 2012 r arranged in the n-th row and the m-th column and the subpixel 2012 r arranged in the (n+1)-th row and the m-th column are connected to each other via a switch 2001 . the subpixel 2012 g arranged in the n-th row and the m-th column and the subpixel 2012 g arranged in the (n+1)-th row and the m-th column are connected to each other via a switch 2002 . the subpixel 2012 b arranged in the n-th row and the m-th column and the subpixel 2012 b arranged in the (n+1)-th row and the m-th column are connected to each other via a switch 2003 . the color filter used in the subpixel 2012 is not limited to red (r), green (g), and blue (b) color filters, and color filters that transmit light of cyan (c), yellow (y), and magenta (m) may be used. by provision of the subpixels 2012 that sense light in three different wavelength bands in one pixel 2011 , a full-color image can be obtained. the pixel 2011 including the subpixel 2012 provided with a color filter transmitting yellow (y) light may be provided, in addition to the subpixels 2012 provided with the color filters transmitting red (r), green (g), and blue (b) light. the pixel 2011 including the subpixel 2012 provided with a color filter transmitting blue (b) light may be provided, in addition to the subpixels 2012 provided with the color filters transmitting cyan (c), yellow (y), and magenta (m) light. when the subpixels 2012 sensing light in four different wavelength bands are provided in one pixel 2011 , the reproducibility of colors of an obtained image can be increased. for example, in fig. 34a , in regard to the subpixel 2012 sensing light in a red wavelength band, the subpixel 2012 sensing light in a green wavelength band, and the subpixel 2012 sensing light in a blue wavelength band, the pixel number ratio (or the light receiving area ratio) thereof is not necessarily 1 : 1 : 1 . for example, the bayer arrangement in which the pixel number ratio (the light receiving area ratio) is set at red:green:blue=1:2:1 may be employed. alternatively, the pixel number ratio (the light receiving area ratio) of red and green to blue may be 1:6:1. although the number of subpixels 2012 provided in the pixel 2011 may be one, two or more subpixels are preferably provided. for example, when two or more subpixels 2012 sensing light in the same wavelength band are provided, the redundancy is increased, and the reliability of the imaging device 2000 can be increased. when an infrared (ir) filter that transmits infrared light and absorbs or reflects visible light is used as the filter, the imaging device 2000 that senses infrared light can be achieved. furthermore, when a neutral density (nd) filter (dark filter) is used, output saturation which occurs when a large amount of light enters a photoelectric conversion element (light-receiving element) can be prevented. with a combination of nd filters with different dimming capabilities, the dynamic range of the imaging device can be increased. besides the above-described filter, the pixel 2011 may be provided with a lens. an arrangement example of the pixel 2011 , a filter 2054 , and a lens 2055 is described with cross-sectional views in figs. 35a and 35b . with the lens 2055 , the photoelectric conversion element can receive incident light efficiently. specifically, as illustrated in fig. 35a , light 2056 enters a photoelectric conversion element 2020 through the lens 2055 , the filter 2054 (a filter 2054 r, a filter 2054 g, and a filter 2054 b), a pixel circuit 2030 , and the like which are provided in the pixel 2011 . as indicated by a region surrounded with dashed double-dotted lines, however, part of the light 2056 indicated by arrows might be blocked by some wirings 2057 . thus, a preferable structure is such that the lens 2055 and the filter 2054 are provided on the photoelectric conversion element 2020 side as illustrated in fig. 35b , whereby the photoelectric conversion element 2020 can efficiently receive the light 2056 . when the light 2056 enters the photoelectric conversion element 2020 from the photoelectric conversion element 2020 side, the imaging device 2000 with high sensitivity can be provided. as the photoelectric conversion element 2020 illustrated in figs. 35a and 35b , a photoelectric conversion element in which a p-n junction or a p-i-n junction is formed may be used. the photoelectric conversion element 2020 may be formed using a substance that has a function of absorbing a radiation and generating electric charges. examples of the substance that has a function of absorbing a radiation and generating electric charges include selenium, lead iodide, mercury iodide, gallium arsenide, cadmium telluride, and cadmium zinc alloy. for example, when selenium is used for the photoelectric conversion element 2020 , the photoelectric conversion element 2020 can have a light absorption coefficient in a wide wavelength band, such as visible light, ultraviolet light, infrared light, x-rays, and gamma rays. one pixel 2011 included in the imaging device 2000 may include the subpixel 2012 with a first filter in addition to the subpixel 2012 illustrated in figs. 34a and 34b . configuration example 2 of pixel an example of a pixel including a transistor including silicon and a transistor including an oxide semiconductor will be described below. figs. 36a and 36b are each a cross-sectional view of an element included in an imaging device. the imaging device illustrated in fig. 36a includes a transistor 2351 including silicon over a silicon substrate 2300 , transistors 2352 and 2353 which include an oxide semiconductor and are stacked over the transistor 2351 , and a photodiode 2360 provided in a silicon substrate 2300 . the transistors and the photodiode 2360 are electrically connected to various plugs 2370 and wirings 2371 . a cathode 2362 of the photodiode 2360 is electrically connected to the wiring 2371 through a plug. in addition, an anode 2361 of the photodiode 2360 is electrically connected to the plug 2370 through a low-resistance region 2363 . the imaging device includes a layer 2310 including the transistor 2351 provided on the silicon substrate 2300 and the photodiode 2360 provided in the silicon substrate 2300 , a layer 2320 which is in contact with the layer 2310 and includes the wirings 2371 , a layer 2330 which is in contact with the layer 2320 and includes the transistors 2352 and 2353 , and a layer 2340 which is in contact with the layer 2330 and includes a wiring 2372 and a wiring 2373 . in the example of cross-sectional view in fig. 36a , a light-receiving surface of the photodiode 2360 is provided on the side opposite to a surface of the silicon substrate 2300 where the transistor 2351 is formed. with this structure, a light path can be secured without an influence of the transistors and the wirings. thus, a pixel with a high aperture ratio can be formed. note that the light-receiving surface of the photodiode 2360 can be the same as the surface where the transistor 2351 is formed. in the case where a pixel is formed with use of only transistors including an oxide semiconductor, the layer 2310 may include the transistor including an oxide semiconductor. alternatively, the layer 2310 may be omitted, and the pixel may include only transistors including an oxide semiconductor. in the case where a pixel is formed with use of only transistors including silicon, the layer 2330 may be omitted. an example of a cross-sectional view in which the layer 2330 is not provided is shown in fig. 36b . in the case where the layer 2330 is not provided, the wiring 2372 of the layer 2340 can be omitted. note that the silicon substrate 2300 may be an soi substrate. furthermore, the silicon substrate 2300 can be replaced with a substrate made of germanium, silicon germanium, silicon carbide, gallium arsenide, aluminum gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, gallium nitride, or an organic semiconductor. here, an insulator 2422 is provided between the layer 2310 including the transistor 2351 and the photodiode 2360 and the layer 2330 including the transistors 2352 and 2353 . however, there is no limitation on the position of the insulator 2422 . hydrogen in an insulator provided in the vicinity of a channel formation region of the transistor 2351 terminates dangling bonds of silicon; accordingly, the reliability of the transistor 2351 can be improved. in contrast, hydrogen in the insulator provided in the vicinity of the transistor 2352 , the transistor 2353 , and the like becomes one of factors generating a carrier in the oxide semiconductor. thus, the hydrogen may cause a reduction of the reliability of the transistor 2352 , the transistor 2353 , and the like. for this reason, in the case where the transistor including an oxide semiconductor is provided over the transistor including silicon, it is preferable that the insulator 2422 having a barrier property be provided between the transistors. each of the transistor 2352 and the transistor 2353 is preferably surrounded by an insulator having a barrier property in all directions. in addition, an insulator 2408 having a barrier property is preferably provided over the transistor 2352 and the transistor 2353 to cover the transistors. when the hydrogen is confined below the insulator 2422 , the reliability of the transistor 2351 can be improved. in addition, the hydrogen can be prevented from being diffused from a part below the insulator 2422 to a part above the insulator 2422 ; thus, the reliability of the transistor 2352 , the transistor 2353 , and the like can be increased. the semiconductor device illustrated in fig. 36a has a structure in which the transistor 2352 and the transistor 2353 are surrounded by insulators having barrier properties. note that the transistor 2352 and the transistor 2353 are not necessarily surrounded by insulators having barrier properties. in the cross-sectional view in fig. 36a , the photodiode 2360 in the layer 2310 and the transistor in the layer 2330 can be formed so as to overlap with each other. thus, the degree of integration of pixels can be increased. in other words, the resolution of the imaging device can be increased. a filter 2354 and/or a lens 2355 may be provided over or under the pixel as shown in figs. 37a and 37b . for the filter 2354 , refer to the description of the filter 2054 . for the lens 2355 , refer to for the description of the lens 2055 . as illustrated in fig. 38 a 1 and fig. 38 b 1 , part or the whole of the imaging device can be bent. fig. 38 a 1 illustrates a state in which the imaging device is bent in the direction of a dashed-dotted line x 1 -x 2 . fig. 38 a 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion indicated by the dashed-dotted line x 1 -x 2 in fig. 38 a 1 . fig. 38 a 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion indicated by a dashed-dotted line y 1 -y 2 in fig. 38 a 1 . fig. 38 b 1 illustrates a state where the imaging device is bent in the direction of a dashed-dotted line x 3 -x 4 and the direction of a dashed-dotted line y 3 -y 4 . fig. 38 b 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion indicated by the dashed-dotted line x 3 -x 4 in fig. 38 b 1 . fig. 38 b 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion indicated by the dashed-dotted line y 3 -y 4 in fig. 38 b 1 . the bent imaging device enables the curvature of field and astigmatism to be reduced. thus, the optical design of lens and the like, which is used in combination of the imaging device, can be facilitated. for example, the number of lenses used for aberration correction can be reduced; accordingly, a reduction of size or weight of electronic devices using the imaging device, and the like, can be achieved. in addition, the quality of a captured image can be improved. <fpga> one embodiment of the present invention can also be applied to an lsi such as a field programmable gate array (fpga). fig. 39a illustrates an example of a block diagram of an fpga. the fpga includes a routing switch element 1521 and a logic element 1522 . the logic element 1522 can switch functions of a logic circuit, such as a function of a combination circuit or a function of a sequential circuit, in accordance with configuration data stored in a configuration memory. fig. 39b is a schematic view illustrating a function of the routing switch element 1521 . the routing switch element 1521 can switch a connection between the logic elements 1522 in accordance with configuration data stored in a configuration memory 1523 . note that although fig. 39b illustrates one switch which switches a connection between a terminal in and a terminal out, in an actual fpga, a plurality of switches are provided between a plurality of the logic elements 1522 . fig. 39c illustrates a configuration example of a circuit serving as the configuration memory 1523 . the configuration memory 1523 includes a transistor m 11 that is a transistor including an oxide semiconductor and a transistor m 12 that is a transistor including silicon. configuration data dsw is supplied to a node fnsw through the transistor m 11 . a potential of the configuration data dsw can be retained by turning off the transistor m 11 . the on and off states of the transistor m 12 can be switched depending on the potential of the retained configuration data dsw, so that the connection between the terminal in and the terminal out can be switched. fig. 39d is a schematic view illustrating a function of the logic element 1522 . the logic element 1522 can switch a potential of a terminal out mem in accordance with configuration data stored in a configuration memory 1527 . a lookup table 1524 can switch functions of a combination circuit that processes a signal of the terminal in in accordance with the potential of the terminal out mem . the logic element 1522 includes a register 1525 that is a sequential circuit and a selector 1526 that switches signals of the terminal out. the selector 1526 can select to output a signal of the lookup table 1524 or to output a signal of the register 1525 in accordance with the potential of the terminal out mem , which is output from the configuration memory 1527 . fig. 39e illustrates a configuration example of a circuit serving as the configuration memory 1527 . the configuration memory 1527 includes a transistor m 13 and a transistor m 14 that are transistors including an oxide semiconductor, and a transistor m 15 and a transistor m 16 that are transistors including silicon. configuration data d le is supplied to a node fn le through the transistor m 13 . configuration data bd le is supplied to a node bfn le through the transistor m 14 . the configuration data bd le corresponds to a potential of the configuration data d le whose logic is inverted. the potential of the configuration data d le and the potential of the configuration data bd le can be retained by turning off the transistor m 13 and the transistor m 14 , respectively. the on and off states of one of the transistors m 15 and m 16 are switched in accordance with the retained potential of the configuration data d le or the configuration data bd le , so that a potential vdd or a potential vss can be supplied to the terminal out mem . for the configuration illustrated in figs. 39a to 39e , any of the above-described transistors, logic circuits, memory devices, and the like can be used. for example, transistors including silicon are used as the transistors m 12 , m 15 , and m 16 , and transistors including an oxide semiconductor are used as the transistors m 11 , m 13 , and m 14 . in that case, the transistors including silicon are formed over a silicon substrate and then, the transistors including an oxide semiconductor are formed over the transistors including silicon, in which case the chip size of the fpga can be reduced. furthermore, the combination of the low off-state current of the transistors including an oxide semiconductor and the high on-state current of the transistors including silicon enables the fpga to have small power consumption and high operation speed. <cpu> a cpu including a semiconductor device such as any of the above-described transistors or the above-described memory device will be described below. fig. 40 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a cpu including any of the above-described transistors as a component. the cpu illustrated in fig. 40 includes, over a substrate 1190 , an arithmetic logic unit (alu) 1191 , an alu controller 1192 , an instruction decoder 1193 , an interrupt controller 1194 , a timing controller 1195 , a register 1196 , a register controller 1197 , a bus interface 1198 , a rewritable rom 1199 , and a rom interface 1189 . a semiconductor substrate, an soi substrate, a glass substrate, or the like is used as the substrate 1190 . the rom 1199 and the rom interface 1189 may be provided over a separate chip. needless to say, the cpu in fig. 40 is just an example in which the configuration has been simplified, and an actual cpu may have a variety of configurations depending on the application. for example, the cpu may have the following configuration: a structure including the cpu illustrated in fig. 40 or an arithmetic circuit is considered as one core; a plurality of such cores are included; and the cores operate in parallel. the number of bits that the cpu can process in an internal arithmetic circuit or in a data bus can be 8, 16, 32, or 64, for example. an instruction that is input to the cpu through the bus interface 1198 is input to the instruction decoder 1193 and decoded therein, and then, input to the alu controller 1192 , the interrupt controller 1194 , the register controller 1197 , and the timing controller 1195 . the alu controller 1192 , the interrupt controller 1194 , the register controller 1197 , and the timing controller 1195 conduct various controls in accordance with the decoded instruction. specifically, the alu controller 1192 generates signals for controlling the operation of the alu 1191 . while the cpu is executing a program, the interrupt controller 1194 judges an interrupt request from an external input/output device or a peripheral circuit on the basis of its priority or a mask state, and processes the request. the register controller 1197 generates an address of the register 1196 , and reads/writes data from/to the register 1196 in accordance with the state of the cpu. the timing controller 1195 generates signals for controlling operation timings of the alu 1191 , the alu controller 1192 , the instruction decoder 1193 , the interrupt controller 1194 , and the register controller 1197 . for example, the timing controller 1195 includes an internal clock generator for generating an internal clock signal based on a reference clock signal, and supplies the internal clock signal to the above circuits. in the cpu illustrated in fig. 40 , a memory cell is provided in the register 1196 . for the memory cell of the register 1196 , any of the above-described transistors, the above-described memory device, or the like can be used. in the cpu illustrated in fig. 40 , the register controller 1197 selects operation of retaining data in the register 1196 in accordance with an instruction from the alu 1191 . that is, the register controller 1197 selects whether data is retained by a flip-flop or by a capacitor in the memory cell included in the register 1196 . when data retention by the flip-flop is selected, a power supply voltage is supplied to the memory cell in the register 1196 . when data retention by the capacitor is selected, the data is rewritten in the capacitor, and supply of a power supply voltage to the memory cell in the register 1196 can be stopped. fig. 41 is an example of a circuit diagram of a memory element 1200 that can be used as the register 1196 . the memory element 1200 includes a circuit 1201 in which stored data is volatile when power supply is stopped, a circuit 1202 in which stored data is nonvolatile even when power supply is stopped, a switch 1203 , a switch 1204 , a logic element 1206 , a capacitor 1207 , and a circuit 1220 having a selecting function. the circuit 1202 includes a capacitor 1208 , a transistor 1209 , and a transistor 1210 . note that the memory element 1200 may further include another element such as a diode, a resistor, or an inductor, as needed. here, the above-described memory device can be used as the circuit 1202 . when supply of a power supply voltage to the memory element 1200 is stopped, gnd (0 v) or a potential at which the transistor 1209 in the circuit 1202 is turned off continues to be input to a gate of the transistor 1209 . for example, the gate of the transistor 1209 is grounded through a load such as a resistor. shown here is an example in which the switch 1203 is a transistor 1213 having one conductivity type (e.g., an n-channel transistor) and the switch 1204 is a transistor 1214 having a conductivity type opposite to the one conductivity type (e.g., a p-channel transistor). a first terminal of the switch 1203 corresponds to one of a source and a drain of the transistor 1213 , a second terminal of the switch 1203 corresponds to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 , and conduction or non-conduction between the first terminal and the second terminal of the switch 1203 (i.e., the on/off state of the transistor 1213 ) is selected by a control signal rd input to a gate of the transistor 1213 . a first terminal of the switch 1204 corresponds to one of a source and a drain of the transistor 1214 , a second terminal of the switch 1204 corresponds to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1214 , and conduction or non-conduction between the first terminal and the second terminal of the switch 1204 (i.e., the on/off state of the transistor 1214 ) is selected by the control signal rd input to a gate of the transistor 1214 . one of a source and a drain of the transistor 1209 is electrically connected to one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1208 and a gate of the transistor 1210 . here, the connection portion is referred to as a node m 2 . one of a source and a drain of the transistor 1210 is electrically connected to a line which can supply a low power supply potential (e.g., a gnd line), and the other thereof is electrically connected to the first terminal of the switch 1203 (the one of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ). the second terminal of the switch 1203 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ) is electrically connected to the first terminal of the switch 1204 (the one of the source and the drain of the transistor 1214 ). the second terminal of the switch 1204 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1214 ) is electrically connected to a line which can supply a power supply potential vdd. the second terminal of the switch 1203 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ), the first terminal of the switch 1204 (the one of the source and the drain of the transistor 1214 ), an input terminal of the logic element 1206 , and one of a pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1207 are electrically connected to each other. here, the connection portion is referred to as a node m 1 . the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1207 can be supplied with a constant potential. for example, the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1207 can be supplied with a low power supply potential (e.g., gnd) or a high power supply potential (e.g., vdd). the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1207 is electrically connected to the line which can supply a low power supply potential (e.g., a gnd line). the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1208 can be supplied with a constant potential. for example, the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1208 can be supplied with the low power supply potential (e.g., gnd) or the high power supply potential (e.g., vdd). the other of the pair of electrodes of the capacitor 1208 is electrically connected to the line which can supply a low power supply potential (e.g., a gnd line). the capacitor 1207 and the capacitor 1208 are not necessarily provided as long as the parasitic capacitance of the transistor, the wiring, or the like is actively utilized. a control signal we is input to the gate of the transistor 1209 . as for each of the switch 1203 and the switch 1204 , a conduction state or a non-conduction state between the first terminal and the second terminal is selected by the control signal rd which is different from the control signal we. when the first terminal and the second terminal of one of the switches are in the conduction state, the first terminal and the second terminal of the other of the switches are in the non-conduction state. a signal corresponding to data retained in the circuit 1201 is input to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1209 . fig. 41 illustrates an example in which a signal output from the circuit 1201 is input to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1209 . the logic value of a signal output from the second terminal of the switch 1203 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ) is inverted by the logic element 1206 , and the inverted signal is input to the circuit 1201 through the circuit 1220 . in the example of fig. 41 , a signal output from the second terminal of the switch 1203 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ) is input to the circuit 1201 through the logic element 1206 and the circuit 1220 ; however, one embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. the signal output from the second terminal of the switch 1203 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ) may be input to the circuit 1201 without its logic value being inverted. for example, in the case where the circuit 1201 includes a node in which a signal obtained by inversion of the logic value of a signal input from the input terminal is retained, the signal output from the second terminal of the switch 1203 (the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 1213 ) can be input to the node. in fig. 41 , the transistors included in the memory element 1200 except the transistor 1209 can each be a transistor in which a channel is formed in a film formed using a semiconductor other than an oxide semiconductor or in the substrate 1190 . for example, the transistor can be a transistor whose channel is formed in a silicon film or a silicon substrate. alternatively, all the transistors in the memory element 1200 may be a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor. further alternatively, in the memory element 1200 , a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor may be included besides the transistor 1209 , and a transistor in which a channel is formed in a layer formed using a semiconductor other than an oxide semiconductor or in the substrate 1190 can be used for the rest of the transistors. as the circuit 1201 in fig. 41 , for example, a flip-flop circuit can be used. as the logic element 1206 , for example, an inverter or a clocked inverter can be used. in a period during which the memory element 1200 is not supplied with the power supply voltage, the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can retain data stored in the circuit 1201 by the capacitor 1208 which is provided in the circuit 1202 . the off-state current of a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor is extremely low. for example, the off-state current of a transistor in which a channel is formed in an oxide semiconductor is significantly lower than that of a transistor in which a channel is formed in silicon having crystallinity. thus, when the transistor is used as the transistor 1209 , a signal held in the capacitor 1208 is retained for a long time also in a period during which the power supply voltage is not supplied to the memory element 1200 . the memory element 1200 can accordingly retain the stored content (data) also in a period during which the supply of the power supply voltage is stopped. since the above-described memory element performs pre-charge operation with the switch 1203 and the switch 1204 , the time required for the circuit 1201 to retain original data again after the supply of the power supply voltage is restarted can be shortened. in the circuit 1202 , a signal retained by the capacitor 1208 is input to the gate of the transistor 1210 . therefore, after supply of the power supply voltage to the memory element 1200 is restarted, the signal retained by the capacitor 1208 can be converted into the one corresponding to the state (the on state or the off state) of the transistor 1210 to be read from the circuit 1202 . consequently, an original signal can be accurately read even when a potential corresponding to the signal retained by the capacitor 1208 varies to some degree. by applying the above-described memory element 1200 to a memory device such as a register or a cache memory included in a processor, data in the memory device can be prevented from being lost owing to the stop of the supply of the power supply voltage. furthermore, shortly after the supply of the power supply voltage is restarted, the memory device can be returned to the same state as that before the power supply is stopped. therefore, the power supply can be stopped even for a short time in the processor or one or a plurality of logic circuits included in the processor, resulting in lower power consumption. although the memory element 1200 is used in a cpu, the memory element 1200 can also be used in an lsi such as a digital signal processor (dsp), a programmable logic device (pld), or a custom lsi, and a radio frequency (rf) device. <display device> a display device of one embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to figs. 42a to 42c and figs. 44a and 44b . examples of a display element provided in the display device include a liquid crystal element (also referred to as a liquid crystal display element) and a light-emitting element (also referred to as a light-emitting display element). the light-emitting element includes, in its category, an element whose luminance is controlled by a current or voltage, and specifically includes, in its category, an inorganic electroluminescent (el) element, an organic el element, and the like. a display device including an el element (el display device) and a display device including a liquid crystal element (liquid crystal display device) are described below as examples of the display device. note that the display device described below includes in its category a panel in which a display element is sealed and a module in which an ic such as a controller is mounted on the panel. the display device described below refers to an image display device or a light source (including a lighting device). the display device includes any of the following modules: a module provided with a connector such as an fpc or tcp; a module in which a printed wiring board is provided at the end of tcp; and a module in which an integrated circuit (ic) is mounted directly on a display element by a cog method. figs. 42a to 42c illustrate an example of an el display device of one embodiment of the present invention. fig. 42a is a circuit diagram of a pixel in an el display device. fig. 42b is a plan view showing the whole of the el display device. fig. 42c is a cross-sectional view taken along part of dashed-dotted line m-n in fig. 42b . fig. 42a illustrates an example of a circuit diagram of a pixel used in an el display device. note that in this specification and the like, it might be possible for those skilled in the art to constitute one embodiment of the invention even when portions to which all the terminals of an active element (e.g., a transistor or a diode), a passive element (e.g., a capacitor or a resistor), or the like are connected are not specified. in other words, one embodiment of the invention can be clear even when connection portions are not specified. furthermore, in the case where a connection portion is disclosed in this specification and the like, it can be determined that one embodiment of the invention in which a connection portion is not specified is disclosed in this specification and the like, in some cases. particularly in the case where the number of portions to which a terminal is connected might be more than one, it is not necessary to specify the portions to which the terminal is connected. therefore, it might be possible to constitute one embodiment of the invention by specifying only portions to which some of terminals of an active element (e.g., a transistor or a diode), a passive element (e.g., a capacitor or a resistor), or the like are connected. note that in this specification and the like, it might be possible for those skilled in the art to specify the invention when at least the connection portion of a circuit is specified. alternatively, it might be possible for those skilled in the art to specify the invention when at least a function of a circuit is specified. in other words, when a function of a circuit is specified, one embodiment of the present invention can be clear. furthermore, it can be determined that one embodiment of the present invention whose function is specified is disclosed in this specification and the like in some cases. therefore, when a connection portion of a circuit is specified, the circuit is disclosed as one embodiment of the invention even when a function is not specified, and one embodiment of the invention can be constituted. alternatively, when a function of a circuit is specified, the circuit is disclosed as one embodiment of the invention even when a connection portion is not specified, and one embodiment of the invention can be constituted. the el display device illustrated in fig. 42a includes a switching element 743 , a transistor 741 , a capacitor 742 , and a light-emitting element 719 . note that fig. 42a and the like each illustrate an example of a circuit structure; therefore, a transistor can be provided additionally. in contrast, for each node in fig. 42a , it is possible not to provide an additional transistor, switch, passive element, or the like. a gate of the transistor 741 is electrically connected to one terminal of the switching element 743 and one electrode of the capacitor 742 . a source of the transistor 741 is electrically connected to the other electrode of the capacitor 742 and one electrode of the light-emitting element 719 . the source of the transistor 741 is supplied with a power supply potential vdd. the other terminal of the switching element 743 is electrically connected to a signal line 744 . a constant potential is supplied to the other electrode of the light-emitting element 719 . the constant potential is a ground potential gnd or a potential lower than the ground potential gnd. it is preferable to use a transistor as the switching element 743 . when the transistor is used as the switching element, the area of a pixel can be reduced, so that the el display device can have high resolution. as the switching element 743 , a transistor formed through the same step as the transistor 741 can be used, so that el display devices can be manufactured with high productivity. note that as the transistor 741 and/or the switching element 743 , any of the above-described transistors can be used, for example. fig. 42b is a plan view of the el display device. the el display device includes a substrate 700 , a substrate 750 , the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , the insulator 409 , a sealant 734 , a driver circuit 735 , a driver circuit 736 , a pixel 737 , and an fpc 732 . the sealant 734 is provided between the substrate 700 and the substrate 750 so as to surround the pixel 737 , the driver circuit 735 , and the driver circuit 736 . note that the driver circuit 735 and/or the driver circuit 736 may be provided outside the sealant 734 . fig. 42c is a cross-sectional view of the el display device taken along part of dashed-dotted line m-n in fig. 42b . fig. 42c illustrates a structure in which the transistor 741 includes a conductor 713 a over the substrate 700 , an insulator 702 over the conductor 713 a , an insulator 706 a and a semiconductor 706 b that are over the insulator 702 and overlap with the conductor 713 a , an insulator 706 c over the semiconductor 706 b , an insulator 712 over the insulator 706 c , a conductor 704 that is over the insulator 712 and overlaps with the semiconductor 706 b , and an insulator 710 having a region in contact with a side surface of the conductor 704 . the insulator 706 a and the semiconductor 706 b have a region 707 a and a region 707 b . note that this structure of the transistor 741 is just an example; a structure different from that illustrated in fig. 42c may be employed. thus, in the transistor 741 illustrated in fig. 42c , the conductor 713 a functions as a gate electrode, the insulator 702 functions as a gate insulator, the region 707 a functions as a source, the region 707 b functions as a drain, the insulator 712 functions as a gate insulator, and the conductor 704 functions as a gate electrode. note that in some cases, electrical characteristics of the semiconductor 706 b change if light enters the semiconductor 706 b . to prevent this, it is preferable that one or more of the conductor 713 a , the region 707 a , the region 707 b , and the conductor 704 have a light-blocking property. in the structure illustrated in fig. 42c , the capacitor 742 includes a conductor 713 b over the substrate 700 , the insulator 702 over the conductor 713 b , and an electrode 707 c over the insulator 702 . in the capacitor 742 , the conductor 713 b functions as one electrode, and the electrode 707 c functions as the other electrode. the electrode 707 c is formed on the same surface as the insulator 706 a and the semiconductor 706 b of the transistor 741 . thus, the capacitor 742 can be formed using a film of the transistor 741 . the conductor 713 a and the conductor 713 b are preferably conductors of the same kind because the conductor 713 a and the conductor 713 b can be formed through the same step. an insulator 718 is provided over the transistor 741 and the capacitor 742 . here, the insulator 718 may have an opening portion reaching the region 707 b that functions as the source of the transistor 741 . a conductor 781 is provided over the insulator 718 . the conductor 781 may be electrically connected to the transistor 741 through the opening in the insulator 718 . a partition wall 784 having an opening reaching the conductor 781 is provided over the conductor 781 . a light-emitting layer 782 in contact with the conductor 781 through the opening provided in the partition wall 784 is provided over the partition wall 784 . a conductor 783 is provided over the light-emitting layer 782 . a region where the conductor 781 , the light-emitting layer 782 , and the conductor 783 overlap with one another functions as the light-emitting element 719 . the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 have barrier properties. this means that the display device illustrated in figs. 42a to 42c has a structure in which the transistor 741 is surrounded by insulators having barrier properties. note that one or more of the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 are not necessarily provided. note that a transistor, a capacitor, a wiring layer, and the like may be stacked to make the el display device highly integrated. fig. 43 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a pixel of an el display device fabricated over a semiconductor substrate. the el display device shown in fig. 43 includes a semiconductor substrate 801 , a substrate 802 , an insulator 803 , an insulator 804 , an insulator 805 , an adhesive layer 806 , a filter 807 , a filter 808 , a filter 809 , an insulator 811 , an insulator 812 , an insulator 813 , an insulator 814 , an insulator 815 , an insulator 816 , an insulator 817 , an insulator 818 , an insulator 819 , an insulator 820 , an insulator 821 , a conductor 831 , a conductor 832 , a conductor 833 , a conductor 834 , a conductor 835 , a conductor 836 , a conductor 837 , a conductor 838 , a conductor 839 , a conductor 840 , a conductor 841 , a conductor 842 , a conductor 843 , a conductor 844 , a conductor 845 , a conductor 846 , a conductor 847 , a conductor 848 , a conductor 849 , a conductor 850 , a conductor 851 , a conductor 852 , a conductor 853 , a conductor 854 , a conductor 855 , a conductor 856 , a conductor 857 , a conductor 858 , a conductor 859 , a conductor 860 , a conductor 861 , a conductor 862 , an insulator 871 , a conductor 872 , an insulator 873 , an insulator 874 , a region 875 , a region 876 , an insulator 877 , an insulator 878 , an insulator 881 , a conductor 882 , an insulator 883 , an insulator 884 , a region 885 , a region 886 , a layer 887 , a layer 888 , and a light-emitting layer 893 . a transistor 891 includes the semiconductor substrate 801 , the insulator 871 , the conductor 872 , the insulator 873 , the insulator 874 , and the region 875 and the region 876 . the semiconductor substrate 801 functions as a channel formation region. the insulator 871 has a function of a gate insulator. the conductor 872 has a function of a gate electrode. the insulator 873 has a function of a sidewall insulator. the insulator 874 has a function of a sidewall insulator. the region 875 has a function of a source region and/or a drain region. the region 876 has a function of a source region and/or a drain region. the conductor 872 includes a region overlapping with part of the semiconductor substrate 801 with the insulator 871 therebetween. the region 875 and the region 876 are regions where impurities are added to the semiconductor substrate 801 . in the case where the semiconductor substrate 801 is a silicon substrate, the region 875 and the region 876 may each be a region including a silicide, such as tungsten silicide, titanium silicide, cobalt silicide, or nickel silicide. the region 875 and the region 876 can be formed in a self-aligned manner using the conductor 872 , the insulator 873 , the insulator 874 , and the like, and the region 875 and the region 876 are accordingly located in the semiconductor substrate 801 such that a channel formation region is provided between the region 875 and the region 876 . since the transistor 891 includes the insulator 873 , the region 875 can be distanced from the channel formation region. owing to the insulator 873 , the transistor 891 can be prevented from being broken or degraded by an electric field generated in the region 875 . since the transistor 891 includes the insulator 874 , the region 876 can be distanced from the channel formation region. owing to the insulator 874 , the transistor 891 can be prevented from being broken or degraded by an electric field generated in the region 876 . note that in the transistor 891 , the distance between the region 876 and a channel formation region is longer than the distance between the region 875 and a channel formation region. this structure can enable both high on-state current and high reliability in the case where a potential difference between the region 876 and a channel formation region is likely to be larger than a potential difference between the region 875 and a channel formation region in operation of the transistor 891 . a transistor 892 includes the semiconductor substrate 801 , the insulator 881 , the conductor 882 , the insulator 883 , the insulator 884 , the region 885 , and the region 886 . the semiconductor substrate 801 has a function of a channel formation region. the insulator 881 has a function of a gate insulator. the conductor 882 has a function of a gate electrode. the insulator 883 has a function of a sidewall insulator. the insulator 884 has a function of a sidewall insulator. the region 885 has a function of a source region and/or a drain region. the region 886 has a function of a source and/or a drain region. the conductor 882 includes a region overlapping with part of the semiconductor substrate 801 with the insulator 881 therebetween. the region 885 and the region 886 are regions where impurities are added to the semiconductor substrate 801 . in the case where the semiconductor substrate 801 is a silicon substrate, the region 885 and the region 886 are a region including a silicide. the region 885 and the region 886 can be formed in a self-aligned manner using the conductor 882 , the insulator 883 , the insulator 884 , and the like, and the region 885 and the region 886 are accordingly located in the semiconductor substrate 801 such that a channel formation region is provided between the region 885 and the region 886 . since the transistor 892 includes the insulator 883 , the region 885 can be distanced from the channel formation region. owing to the insulator 883 , the transistor 892 can be prevented from being broken or degraded by an electric field generated in the region 885 . since the transistor 892 includes the insulator 884 , the region 886 can be distanced from the channel formation region. owing to the insulator 884 , the transistor 892 can be prevented from being broken or degraded by an electric field generated in the region 886 . note that in the transistor 892 , the distance between the region 886 and a channel formation region is longer than the distance between the region 885 and a channel formation region. this structure can enable both high on-state current and high reliability in the case where a potential difference between the region 886 and a channel formation region is likely to be larger than a potential difference between the region 885 and a channel formation region in operation of the transistor 892 . the insulator 877 is located so as to cover the transistor 891 and the transistor 892 and has a function of a protective film for the transistor 891 and the transistor 892 . the insulator 803 , the insulator 804 , and the insulator 805 have a function of separating elements. for example, the transistor 891 and the transistor 892 are isolated from each other with the insulator 803 and the insulator 804 therebetween. each of the conductor 851 , the conductor 852 , the conductor 853 , the conductor 854 , the conductor 855 , the conductor 856 , the conductor 857 , the conductor 858 , the conductor 859 , the conductor 860 , the conductor 861 , and the conductor 862 has a function of electrically connecting elements, an element and a wiring, and wirings, and these conductors can be referred to as a wiring or a plug. each of the conductor 831 , the conductor 832 , the conductor 833 , the conductor 834 , the conductor 835 , the conductor 836 , the conductor 837 , the conductor 838 , the conductor 839 , the conductor 840 , the conductor 841 , the conductor 842 , the conductor 843 , the conductor 844 , the conductor 845 , the conductor 846 , the conductor 847 , the conductor 849 , and the conductor 850 has a function of a wiring, an electrode, and/or a light-blocking layer. for example, the conductor 836 and the conductor 844 each have a function of an electrode of a capacitor including the insulator 817 ; the conductor 838 and the conductor 845 each have a function of an electrode of a capacitor including the insulator 818 ; the conductor 840 and the conductor 846 each have a function of an electrode of a capacitor including the insulator 819 ; and the conductor 842 and the conductor 847 each have a function of an electrode of a capacitor including the insulator 820 . note that the conductor 836 and the conductor 838 may be electrically connected to each other. the conductor 844 and the conductor 845 may be electrically connected to each other. the conductor 840 and the conductor 842 may be electrically connected to each other. the conductor 846 and the conductor 847 may be electrically connected to each other. each of the insulator 811 , the insulator 812 , the insulator 813 , the insulator 814 , the insulator 815 , and the insulator 816 has a function of an interlayer insulator. the top surfaces of the insulator 811 , the insulator 812 , the insulator 813 , the insulator 814 , the insulator 815 , and the insulator 816 are preferably flat. the conductor 831 , the conductor 832 , the conductor 833 , and the conductor 834 are provided over the insulator 811 . the conductor 851 is provided in an opening in the insulator 811 . the conductor 851 electrically connects the conductor 831 and the region 875 . the conductor 852 is provided in an opening in the insulator 811 . the conductor 852 electrically connects the conductor 833 and the region 885 . the conductor 853 is provided in an opening in the insulator 811 . the conductor 853 electrically connects the conductor 834 and the region 886 . the conductor 835 , the conductor 836 , the conductor 837 , and the conductor 838 are provided over the insulator 812 . the insulator 817 is provided over the conductor 836 . the conductor 844 is provided over the insulator 817 . the insulator 818 is provided over the conductor 838 . the conductor 845 is provided over the insulator 818 . the conductor 854 is provided in an opening in the insulator 812 . the conductor 854 electrically connects the conductor 835 and the conductor 831 . the conductor 855 is provided in an opening in the insulator 812 . the conductor 855 electrically connects the conductor 837 and the conductor 833 . the conductor 839 , the conductor 840 , the conductor 841 , and the conductor 842 are provided over the insulator 813 . the insulator 819 is provided over the conductor 840 . the conductor 846 is provided over the insulator 819 . the insulator 820 is provided over the conductor 842 . the conductor 847 is provided over the insulator 820 . the conductor 856 is provided in an opening in the insulator 813 . the conductor 856 electrically connects the conductor 839 and the conductor 835 . the conductor 857 is provided in an opening in the insulator 813 . the conductor 857 electrically connects the conductor 840 and the conductor 844 . the conductor 858 is provided in an opening in the insulator 813 . the conductor 858 electrically connects the conductor 841 and the conductor 837 . the conductor 859 is provided in an opening in the insulator 813 . the conductor 859 electrically connects the conductor 842 and the conductor 845 . the conductor 843 is provided over the insulator 814 . the conductor 860 is provided in an opening in the insulator 814 . the conductor 860 electrically connects the conductor 843 and the conductor 846 . the conductor 861 electrically connects the conductor 843 and the conductor 847 . the conductor 848 is provided over the insulator 815 and may be electrically floating. note that the conductor 848 is not limited to a conductor as long as it has a function of a light-blocking layer: for example, the conductor 848 may be an insulator or a semiconductor having a light-blocking property. the conductor 849 is provided over the insulator 816 . the insulator 821 is provided over the insulator 816 and the conductor 849 . the insulator 821 includes an opening exposing the conductor 849 . the light-emitting layer 893 is provided over the conductor 849 and the insulator 821 . the conductor 850 is provided over the light-emitting layer 893 . the light-emitting layer 893 emits light by a potential difference between the conductor 849 and the conductor 850 ; thus, the conductor 849 , the conductor 850 , and the light-emitting layer 893 form a light-emitting element. note that the insulator 821 has a function of a partition wall. the insulator 878 is provided over the conductor 850 . the insulator 878 covers the light-emitting element and has a function of a protective insulator. the insulator 878 may have a barrier property or may form a structure in which the light-emitting element is surrounded by insulators having barrier properties, for example. a substrate having a light-transmitting property can be used as the substrate 802 . for example, the substrate 750 can be referred to for the substrate 802 . the layer 887 and the layer 888 are provided on the substrate 802 . the layer 887 and the layer 888 each have a function of a light-blocking layer. a resin, a metal, or the like can be used for the light-blocking layer. the layer 887 and the layer 888 can improve the contrast and reduce color bleeding in the el display device. each of the filter 807 , the filter 808 , and the filter 809 has a function of a color filter. the filter 2054 can be referred to for the filter 807 , the filter 808 , and the filter 809 , for example. the filter 808 has a region overlapping with the layer 888 , the substrate 802 , and the layer 887 . the filter 807 has a region overlapping with the filter 808 on the layer 888 . the filter 809 has a region overlapping with the filter 808 on the layer 887 . the filter 807 , the filter 808 , and the filter 809 may have different thicknesses, in which case light might be extracted more efficiently from the light-emitting element. an adhesive layer 806 is provided between the insulator 878 and the filter 807 , the filter 808 , and the filter 809 . because the el display device in fig. 43 has a stacked-layer structure of the transistor, the capacitor, the wiring layer, and the like, the pixel area can be reduced. a highly integrated el display device can be provided. so far, examples of the el display device are described. next, an example of a liquid crystal display device is described. fig. 44a is a circuit diagram illustrating a configuration example of a pixel of a liquid crystal display device. a pixel shown in figs. 44a and 44b includes a transistor 751 , a capacitor 752 , and an element (liquid crystal element) 753 in which a space between a pair of electrodes is filled with a liquid crystal. one of a source and a drain of the transistor 751 is electrically connected to a signal line 755 , and a gate of the transistor 751 is electrically connected to a scan line 754 . one electrode of the capacitor 752 is electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 751 , and the other electrode of the capacitor 752 is electrically connected to a wiring to which a common potential is supplied. one electrode of the liquid crystal element 753 is electrically connected to the other of the source and the drain of the transistor 751 , and the other electrode of the liquid crystal element 753 is electrically connected to a wiring to which a common potential is supplied. the common potential supplied to the wiring electrically connected to the other electrode of the capacitor 752 may be different from that supplied to the other electrode of the liquid crystal element 753 . note that the description of the liquid crystal display device is made on the assumption that the plan view of the liquid crystal display device is similar to that of the el display device. fig. 44b is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display device taken along dashed-dotted line m-n in fig. 42b . in fig. 44b , the fpc 732 is connected to the wiring 733 a via the terminal 731 . note that the wiring 733 a may be formed using the same kind of conductor as the conductor of the transistor 751 or using the same kind of semiconductor as the semiconductor of the transistor 751 . for the transistor 751 , the description of the transistor 741 is referred to. for the capacitor 752 , the description of the capacitor 742 is referred to. note that the structure of the capacitor 752 in fig. 44b corresponds to, but is not limited to, the structure of the capacitor 742 in fig. 42c . note that in the case where an oxide semiconductor is used as the semiconductor of the transistor 751 , the off-state current of the transistor 751 can be extremely low. therefore, an electric charge held in the capacitor 752 is unlikely to leak, so that the voltage applied to the liquid crystal element 753 can be maintained for a long time. accordingly, the transistor 751 can be kept off during a period in which moving images with few motions or a still image are/is displayed, whereby power for the operation of the transistor 751 can be saved in that period; accordingly a liquid crystal display device with low power consumption can be provided. furthermore, the area occupied by the capacitor 752 can be reduced; thus, a liquid crystal display device with a high aperture ratio or a high-resolution liquid crystal display device can be provided. the insulator 718 is provided over the transistor 751 and the capacitor 752 . the insulator 718 has an opening reaching the transistor 751 . a conductor 791 is provided over the insulator 718 . the conductor 791 is electrically connected to the transistor 751 through the opening in the insulator 718 . the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 have barrier properties. this means that the display device illustrated in figs. 44a and 44b has a structure in which the transistor 751 is surrounded by insulators having barrier properties. note that one or more of the insulator 422 , the insulator 428 , and the insulator 409 are not necessarily provided. an insulator 792 functioning as an alignment film is provided over the conductor 791 . a liquid crystal layer 793 is provided over the insulator 792 . an insulator 794 functioning as an alignment film is provided over the liquid crystal layer 793 . a spacer 795 is provided over the insulator 794 . a conductor 796 is provided over the spacer 795 and the insulator 794 . a substrate 797 is provided over the conductor 796 . for example, in this specification and the like, a display element, a display device which is a device including a display element, a light-emitting element, and a light-emitting device which is a device including a light-emitting element can employ various modes or can include various elements. for example, the display element, the display device, the light-emitting element, or the light-emitting device includes at least one of an el element; a light-emitting diode (led) for white, red, green, blue, or the like; a transistor (a transistor that emits light depending on current); an electron emitter; a liquid crystal element; electronic ink; an electrophoretic element; a plasma display panel (pdp); a display element using micro electro mechanical systems (mems) such as a grating light valve (glv), a digital micromirror device (dmd), a digital micro shutter (dms), an interferometric modulator display (imod) element, a mems shutter display element, an optical-interference-type mems display element, or a piezoelectric ceramic display; an electrowetting element; a display element including a carbon nanotube; and quantum dots. other than the above, display media whose contrast, luminance, reflectivity, transmittance, or the like is changed by electrical or magnetic effect may be included. note that examples of display devices having el elements include an el display. examples of a display device including an electron emitter include a field emission display (fed), an sed-type flat panel display (sed: surface-conduction electron-emitter display), and the like. examples of display devices containing quantum dots in each pixel include a quantum dot display. the quantum dots are placed in a display element, in a backlight, or between the backlight and the display element. with the use of the quantum dots, a display device with high color purity can be fabricated. examples of display devices including liquid crystal elements include a liquid crystal display (e.g., a transmissive liquid crystal display, a transflective liquid crystal display, a reflective liquid crystal display, a direct-view liquid crystal display, or a projection liquid crystal display). examples of a display device including electronic ink, or an electrophoretic element include electronic paper. in the case of a transflective liquid crystal display or a reflective liquid crystal display, some of or all of pixel electrodes function as reflective electrodes. for example, some or all of pixel electrodes are formed to contain aluminum, silver, or the like. in such a case, a memory circuit such as an sram can be provided under the reflective electrodes. thus, the power consumption can be further reduced. note that in the case of using an led chip, graphene or graphite may be provided under an electrode or a nitride semiconductor of the led chip. graphene or graphite may be a multilayer film in which a plurality of layers are stacked. as described above, provision of graphene or graphite enables easy formation of a nitride semiconductor thereover, such as an n-type gan semiconductor including crystals. furthermore, a p-type gan semiconductor including crystals or the like can be provided thereover, and thus the led chip can be formed. note that an ain layer may be provided between the n-type gan semiconductor including crystals and graphene or graphite. the gan semiconductors included in the led chip may be formed by mocvd. note that when the graphene is provided, the gan semiconductors included in the led chip can also be formed by a sputtering method. in a display device including mems, a dry agent may be provided in a space where a display element is sealed (or between an element substrate over which the display element is placed and a counter substrate opposed to the element substrate, for example). the dry agent can remove moisture and thus can prevent malfunction or degradation of the mems or the like. <electronic device> the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention can be used for display devices, personal computers, or image reproducing devices provided with recording media (typically, devices which reproduce the content of recording media such as digital versatile discs (dvds) and have displays for displaying the reproduced images). other examples of electronic devices that can be equipped with the semiconductor device of one embodiment of the present invention are mobile phones, game machines including portable game consoles, portable data terminals, e-book readers, cameras such as video cameras and digital still cameras, goggle-type displays (head mounted displays), navigation systems, audio reproducing devices (e.g., car audio systems and digital audio players), copiers, facsimiles, printers, multifunction printers, automated teller machines (atm), and vending machines. figs. 45a to 45f illustrate specific examples of these electronic devices. fig. 45a illustrates a portable game console including a housing 901 , a housing 902 , a display portion 903 , a display portion 904 , a microphone 905 , a speaker 906 , an operation key 907 , a stylus 908 , and the like. although the portable game console in fig. 45a has the two display portions 903 and 904 , the number of display portions included in a portable game console is not limited to this. fig. 45b illustrates a portable data terminal including a first housing 911 , a second housing 912 , a first display portion 913 , a second display portion 914 , a joint 915 , an operation key 916 , and the like. the first display portion 913 is provided in the first housing 911 , and the second display portion 914 is provided in the second housing 912 . the first housing 911 and the second housing 912 are connected to each other with the joint 915 , and the angle between the first housing 911 and the second housing 912 can be changed with the joint 915 . an image on the first display portion 913 may be switched in accordance with the angle at the joint 915 between the first housing 911 and the second housing 912 . a display device with a position input function may be used as at least one of the first display portion 913 and the second display portion 914 . note that the position input function can be added by providing a touch panel in a display device. alternatively, the position input function can be added by providing a photoelectric conversion element called a photosensor in a pixel portion of a display device. fig. 45c illustrates a notebook personal computer, which includes a housing 921 , a display portion 922 , a keyboard 923 , a pointing device 924 , and the like. fig. 45d illustrates an electric refrigerator-freezer, which includes a housing 931 , a door for a refrigerator 932 , a door for a freezer 933 , and the like. fig. 45e illustrates a video camera, which includes a first housing 941 , a second housing 942 , a display portion 943 , operation keys 944 , a lens 945 , a joint 946 , and the like. the operation keys 944 and the lens 945 are provided for the first housing 941 , and the display portion 943 is provided for the second housing 942 . the first housing 941 and the second housing 942 are connected to each other with the joint 946 , and the angle between the first housing 941 and the second housing 942 can be changed with the joint 946 . images displayed on the display portion 943 may be switched in accordance with the angle at the joint 946 between the first housing 941 and the second housing 942 . fig. 45f illustrates a car including a car body 951 , wheels 952 , a dashboard 953 , lights 954 , and the like. <electronic device with curved display region or curved light-emitting region> electronic devices with curved display regions or curved light-emitting regions, which are embodiments of the present invention, will be described below with reference to figs. 46 a 1 , 46 a 2 , 46 a 3 , 46 b 1 , 46 b 2 , 46 c 1 , and 46 c 2 . here, information devices, in particular, portable information devices (portable devices) are described as examples of the electronic devices. the portable information devices include, for example, mobile phone devices (e.g., phablets and smartphones) and tablet terminals (slate pcs). fig. 46 a 1 is a perspective view illustrating the outward form of a portable device 1300 a. fig. 46 a 2 is a top view illustrating the portable device 1300 a. fig. 46 a 3 illustrates a usage state of the portable device 1300 a. figs. 46 b 1 and 46 b 2 are perspective views illustrating the outward form of a portable device 1300 b. figs. 46 c 1 and 46 c 2 are perspective views illustrating the outward form of a portable device 1300 c. <portable device> the portable device 1300 a has one or more of a telephone function, an email creating and reading function, a notebook function, an information browsing function, and the like. a display portion of the portable device 1300 a is provided along plural surfaces of a housing. in that case, for example, a flexible display device may be provided along the inner side of the housing. accordingly, text data, image data, or the like can be displayed on a first region 1311 and/or a second region 1312 . note that images used for three operations can be displayed on the first region 1311 (see fig. 46 a 1 ), for example. furthermore, text data or the like can be displayed on the second region 1312 as indicated by dashed rectangles in the drawing (see fig. 46 a 2 ). in the case where the second region 1312 is on the upper portion of the portable device 1300 a, a user can easily see text data or image data displayed on the second region 1312 of the portable device 1300 a while the portable device 1300 a is placed in a breast pocket of the user's clothes (see fig. 46 a 3 ). the user can see, for example, the phone number, name, or the like of the caller of an incoming call, from above the portable device 1300 a. the portable device 1300 a may include an input device or the like between the display device and the housing, in the display device, or over the housing. as the input device, for example, a touch sensor, a light sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor may be used. in the case where the input device is provided between the display device and the housing or over the housing, for example, a matrix switch type, resistive type, ultrasonic surface acoustic wave type, infrared type, electromagnetic induction type, or electrostatic capacitance type touch panel may be used. in the case where the input device is provided in the display device, an in-cell sensor, an on-cell sensor, or the like may be used. the portable device 1300 a can be provided with a vibration sensor or the like and a memory device that stores a program for shifting a mode into an incoming call rejection mode based on vibration sensed by the vibration sensor or the like. in that case, the user can shift the mode into the incoming call rejection mode by tapping the portable device 1300 a over his/her clothes to apply vibration. the portable device 1300 b includes a display portion including the first region 1311 and the second region 1312 and a housing 1310 that supports the display portion. the housing 1310 has a plurality of bend portions, and the longest bend portion of the housing 1310 is between the first region 1311 and the second region 1312 . the portable device 1300 b can be used with the second region 1312 provided along the longest bend portion facing sideward. the portable device 1300 c includes a display portion including the first region 1311 and the second region 1312 and the housing 1310 that supports the display portion. the housing 1310 has a plurality of bend portions, and the second longest bend portion in the housing 1310 is between the first region 1311 and the second region 1312 . the portable device 1300 c can be used with the second region 1312 facing upward. this application is based on japanese patent application serial no. 2015-067235 filed with japan patent office on mar. 27, 2015, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
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009-385-005-154-824
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US
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[
"US"
] |
D06F43/02
| 1999-06-23T00:00:00 |
1999
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[
"D06"
] |
liquified gas dry-cleaning vessel with self-contained front access lint panel
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a liquified gas dry-cleaning system having a cleaning vessel, a rotary basket supported within the cleaning vessel for containing items during cleaning, and a door movable between a closed position sealing the cleaning vessel and an open position for permitting access to the rotary basket and items contained therein. a lint filter is mounted within the cleaning vessel for removing lint and other course particulate matter from the liquified gas wash bath as it is drained from the cleaning vessel following a dry-cleaning cycle. the lint filter has a filter surface which is disposed under a front entry opening of the basket for easy access and manual cleaning each time the cleaning vessel door is opened and items are removed from the basket following a cleaning cycle.
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1. a liquified gas dry-cleaning system comprising: a cleaning vessel having a chamber for containing a wash bath of liquified gas under pressure; a basket supported within said chamber for containing items during cleaning, said basket having a front entry opening for enabling items to be introduced and removed from said basket, said cleaning vessel having door that is movable between an open position for enabling items to be loaded into said basket and a closed position sealing said cleaning vessel chamber, a liquid gas supply operable for selectively directing liquified gas to said cleaning vessel chamber when said door is closed for use during a cleaning operation cycle, said cleaning vessel having a drain for draining the wash bath from the cleaning vessel following a cleaning operation, a lint filter mounted within said cleaning vessel and having a filter surface through which said wash bath passes as it is directed to said drain, and said filter surface being disposed under said basket entry opening and being accessible for manual cleaning upon movement of said door to said open position. 2. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 1 in which said cleaning vessel chamber is cylindrical and said filter surface is in a plane perpendicular to a central axis of said cylindrical cleaning vessel chamber. 3. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 2 in which filter surface has a segmented cylindrical shape. 4. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 1 in which said lint filter includes a housing mounted on a bottom of said cleaning vessel chamber, and said filter surface is located on a front side of said housing facing said door when in a said closed position. 5. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 4 in which said lint filter housing has a discharge opening communicating with said drain. 6. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 4 in which said lint filter housing has upper and lower walls curved to conform with the shape of adjacent walls of said basket and cleaning vessel chamber, respectively. 7. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 1 in which said filter screen extends circumferentially about the front entry opening of said basket. 8. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 7 in which said filter surface extends a circumferential distance about the entry opening of said basket corresponding to an arc of about 60 degrees. 9. a liquified gas dry-cleaning system comprising: a cleaning vessel having a chamber for containing a wash bath of liquified gas under pressure; a basket supported within said chamber for containing items during cleaning, said cleaning vessel having an access opening closeable by a door that is movable between an open position for enabling items to be loaded into said basket and a closed position sealing said cleaning vessel chamber, a liquid gas supply operable for selectively directing liquified gas to said cleaning chamber when said door is in a closed position for use during a cleaning operation, said cleaning vessel having a drain for draining the wash bath from the cleaning vessel following a cleaning operation, a lint filter mounted within said pressure vessel and having a filter surface through which said wash bath passes as it is directed to said drain, and said filter surface being disposed adjacent said cleaning vessel access opening and being accessible for manual cleaning upon movement of said door to said open position. 10. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 9 in which said basket has a front entry opening, and said lint filter is disposed below said basket entry opening. 11. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 10 in which said basket includes a cylindrical perforated section through which said wash bath circulates during a cleaning operation, and said basket entry opening is smaller in diameter than said perforated cylindrical portion. 12. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 11 in which said basket has a conical front portion which defines said entry opening, and said lint filter is disposed below said conical front portion of said basket. 13. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 12 in which said lint filter has a wedge-shaped housing mounted below said conical front portion of said basket. 14. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 12 in which said lint filter has a housing mounted in a space between said conical basket front portion and an internal cylindrical wall of said cleaning vessel chamber. 15. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 12 in which said cleaning vessel chamber is cylindrical in shape, and said lint filter has a housing with a bottom cylindrical wall similar in shape to an internal cylindrical wall of said cleaning vessel chamber and a conically configured upper wall similar in shape to the conical front portion of said basket. 16. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 15 in which said bottom wall has a discharge opening communicating with said drain. 17. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 15 in which said in which said upper wall is disposed in spaced relation to said basket front conical portion and said filter surface is disposed in rearwardly spaced relation to an inner face of said door when in a closed position for enabling circulation of the wash bath about the lint filter housing and the free flow of wash bath through the filter surface. 18. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 9 in which said basket is cylindrical, and said filter surface is oriented in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said cylindrical basket. 19. a liquified gas dry-cleaning system comprising: a cleaning vessel having a chamber for containing a wash bath of liquified gas under pressure; a basket supported within said chamber for containing items during cleaning, said basket having a perforated cylindrical portion and a front portion that defines a front entry opening of smaller diameter than said cylindrical portion for enabling items to be introduced and removed from said basket, said cleaning vessel having door that is movable between an open position for enabling items to be loaded into said basket and a closed position sealing said cleaning vessel chamber, a liquid gas supply operable for selectively directing liquified gas to said cleaning chamber when said door is in a closed position for use during a cleaning operation cycle, said cleaning vessel having a drain for draining the wash bath from the cleaning vessel following a cleaning operation, a lint filter mounted within said pressure vessel at a location between said basket cylindrical portion and front entry opening, said lint filter having a filter surface through which said wash bath passes as it is directed to said drain, and said filter surface being accessible for manual cleaning upon movement of said door to said open position. 20. the liquified gas dry-cleaning system of claim 19 in which said cleaning vessel chamber has a cylindrical side wall, and said lint filter is mounted on said cleaning vessel chamber cylindrical side wall at a location below said front basket portion and forwardly of said cylindrical portion.
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field of the invention the present invention relates generally to dry-cleaning systems and, more particularly, to a liquified gas dry-cleaning pressure vessel with a self-contained and more accessible lint filter. background of the invention known dry-cleaning processes consist of a wash, rinse, and draining/drying cycle with solvent recovery. during the dry-cleaning process, items, such as garments, are loaded into a basket disposed within a vessel and immersed in a dry-cleaning solvent that is pumped into the vessel from a base tank. conventional dry-cleaning solvents include perchloroethylene (pce), petroleum-based or stoddard solvents, cfc-113, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane, all of which are generally aided by a detergent. the use of these conventional solvents, however, poses a number of health and safety risks as well as being environmentally hazardous. for example, halogenated solvents are known to be environmentally unfriendly, and at least one of these solvents, pce, is a suspected carcinogen. known petroleum-based solvents are flammable and can contribute to the production of smog. accordingly, dry-cleaning systems which utilize dense phase fluids, such as liquid carbon dioxide, as a cleaning medium have been developed. an apparatus and method for employing liquid carbon dioxide as the dry-cleaning solvent is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,467,492, entitled "dry-cleaning garments using liquid carbon dioxide under agitation as cleaning medium". a similar dry-cleaning apparatus is also disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 5,651,276. these liquified gas dry-cleaning systems pose a number of other problems, particularly in relation to the high operating pressures necessary for maintaining the gas in a liquid state. specifically, the cleaning vessel in a liquid carbon dioxide system operates at between 700-850 psi under ambient temperature conditions. in addition to the cleaning vessel, the dry-cleaning apparatus has other vessels or chambers associated with the regular operation and maintenance of the system which are regularly exposed to elevated pressures. following each wash cycle, for example, a wash bath liquid is cycled through a lint filter which separates lint and other coarse particulate matter from the wash bath. because of the high operating pressures, the lint filter must have a relatively bulky, heavy-walled construction, which is costly and requires dedicated piping and high pressure seals. moreover, since the lint filter must be accessed on a regular basis for routine cleaning and maintenance, sometimes as frequent as after the completion of each laundry load, it is desirable that the lint filter be readily accessible to an operator. however, because of the bulky construction, the access doors to such pressurized lint filter vessels can be cumbersome to open and handle. these difficulties can make it inconvenient for an operator to open the lint filter, and can discourage the operator from checking and cleaning the lint filter as frequently as is needed to ensure optimal operation of the dry-cleaning system. since such lint filters typically have relatively small filter surface areas through which the wash bath is directed, even minor neglect in cleaning of the filter of course particulate matter can seriously impede operation of the dry-cleaning system. objects and summary of the invention it is an object of the present invention to provide a liquified gas dry-cleaning system with a more economical and accessible lint or course filter. another object is to provide a liquified gas dry-cleaning system with a lint filter that requires no additional pressure vessels, piping, or costly sealing. a further object is to provide a liquified gas dry-cleaning system with an easily accessible lint filter that encourages regular cleaning after the completion of each dry-cleaning load. still another object is to provide a liquified gas dry-cleaning system having a lint filter that can be easily cleaned without removal of special filter doors or covers. other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings, in which: brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic of a liquified gas dry-cleaning system in accordance with the invention; fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of the liquified gas dry-cleaning machine depicted in fig. 1; figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged vertical sections depicting the encircled areas referenced 3 and 4, respectively, in fig. 2; fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of the pressure vessel drain of the illustrated apparatus, taken in the plane of lines 5--5 in fig. 4; fig. 6 is a perspective of the pressure vessel and rotary basket disposed therein, taken from the front of the dry-cleaning machine with the pressure vessel door in an open position; and figs. 7 and 8 are perspectives of the lint or course filter for the illustrated machine. detailed description of the drawings referring now more particularly to fig. 1 of the drawings, there is shown a diagrammatic depiction of an illustrative liquified gas, dry-cleaning machine 10 embodying the present invention. in general, the dry-cleaning machine 10 includes a cleaning vessel 12 having a basket 14 rotatably disposed therein for containing items 15 to be cleaned. a liquid wash bath derived from a liquifiable gas, such as carbon dioxide, is used as the dry-cleaning solvent. a pump 16 is provided for directing the wash bath from a gas supply storage tank 18 and through an inlet line 19 into the pressure vessel 12. the vessel 12 is equipped with a steam heater 20, pressure sensor 21, and temperature sensor 22 to aid in temperature and pressure control for properly maintaining the wash bath in liquid phase during the dry-cleaning cycle. the basic operation of a liquid gas dry-cleaning system is known in the art, as reflected by u.s. pat. nos. 5,651,276, 5,467,492, and 5,651,276, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. after the basket 14 is loaded with items, such as garments, for cleaning, the pump 16 charges the vessel 12 with a wash bath drawn from the storage tank 18, which functions as the cleaning solvent during a drying cycle. upon completion of the dry cleaning cycle, the wash bath is drained from the cleaning vessel and remaining wash bath vapors evacuated and re-liquified by an appropriate condenser for return to the storage tank. for separating contaminants from the wash bath liquid following a cleaning cycle, the wash bath is cycled through a filtration and separator system 25 which functions to filter and vaporize the wash bath, thereby concentrating the particulate matter and other contaminants. the gaseous vapor is re-liquified in a condenser 26 for return to the storage tank 18. the illustrated cleaning vessel 12, as best depicted in fig. 2, comprises an elongated housing 29 having a rounded end wall 30 integrally formed at one end and a removable door 31, also of generally rounded configuration, releasably secured at the other end. the housing 29 defines a cylindrical cleaning chamber within which the rotary basket 14 is disposed. the removable door 31 has an outer annular retaining flange 32 secured in abutting relation to the end of the housing 29 by means of a locking ring 34 threadedly engaging the end of the housing 29. an annular seal 37 is retained about the door by a retainer plate 38 which is screwed to the door and defines an innermost annular face of the door when in a closed position (fig. 4). for removing the door 30 to permit loading and unloading of items into the cleaning vessel 12, an apparatus 35 may be provided for rotating the locking ring 34 to an unlocked position, and automatically removing and lowering the door 31, as disclosed in commonly assigned application ser. no. 09/338,590 filed jun. 23, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. the basket 14 for receiving and containing items to be cleaned is substantially coextensive in length with the housing 29 and has an outer cylindrical perforated sleeve 36 for enabling circulation of the liquid wash bath through the basket 14 during wash and rinse cycles. the perforated sleeve 36 is secured between a perforated back plate 39 and a front member 40 that defines a central inlet opening 41 to the basket 14 when the door 31 is opened (figs. 3, 4, 6). for supporting the basket 14 for rotating movement relative to the cleaning vessel 12, the basket 14 has an outwardly extending support and drive shaft 45 extending through the pressure vessel end wall 30 and a spider-configured trunion 46 fixed to the shaft 45 and back plate 39. the drive shaft 45, which preferably is reversibly driven by a bi-directional motor 47, is rotatably supported in an annular collar or bushing 48 affixed in outstanding relation to the end wall 30 of the cleaning vessel. for supporting the opposite end of the basket 14 for rotational movement when the door 31 is in a closed position, the front member 40 terminates in an annular ring 49 that is received and supported within a groove 50 of an annular pilot plate 51 fixed within an annular recess of door 31 on the inner side thereof (fig. 4). for agitating items contained within the basket and wash bath and for enhancing removal of solid particulate material from the items during a dry cleaning cycle, the basket 14 has a plurality of longitudinal mixing baffles 54, oriented parallel to the rotary axis of the basket, which each support a gas jet manifold 55 formed with a plurality of axially spaced, discharge orifices or nozzles 56, as disclosed in commonly assigned application ser. no. 09/338,292, filed jun. 23, 1999, disclosure of which also is incorporated herein by reference. liquified gas is directed from the storage tank 18 through the bushing 48 and communicates through radial apertures 49 in the drive shaft with a shaft passage 56, hollow legs of the trunion 46 and through the manifold tubes 55 for radial direction as pressurized jets or streams of liquified gas into the basket 14 simultaneously with rotation of the basket 14 and mechanical agitation of the items and wash bath by the baffles 54. following the dry-cleaning cycle, the liquid wash bath is drained from the cleaning vessel 14 through a drain 58 mounted in the bottom of the pressure vessel housing 29 and directed to the filtration and separator system 25 via a return line 59. as indicated above, before entering the filtration and separator system 25, it is desirable that the wash bath be directed through a lint filter for removing lint and other course particulate material dislodged from items dry-cleaned. typically, such lint filters are disposed in the return line 59 upstream of the filtration and separator system 25 and comprise a filter screen or the like disposed within a pressurized vessel having a removable access door for permitting cleaning of the filter screen. such lint filters are relatively costly, cumbersome to open, and have filter screens sized such that if the filter is not regularly cleaned, the dry-cleaning operation can be seriously impeded. in accordance with the invention, the liquified dry-cleaning system has a lint or course filter that is readily accessible for cleaning upon the completion of each dry-cleaning operation, without the necessity for opening special doors, covers, or the like. more particularly, the lint filter is contained within the cleaning vessel of the liquified gas dry-cleaning machine and has a front filter surface that is immediately accessible for cleaning by an operator each time the cleaning vessel door is opened following completion of a dry-cleaning load. to this end, in the illustrated embodiment, the cleaning vessel 12 has a lint filter 60 disposed directly below the entry opening 41 of the basket 14 with a front or forwardly facing filter surface 61 defined by a conventional screen or grid adapted for filtering lint and other course solid and particulate matter from the wash bath following a dry-cleaning operation. for purposes herein, the term "lint filter" is intended to mean a filter operable for filtering lint and other course solid particulate matter. for providing space for the lint filter 60 in the front of the cleaning vessel housing 29, the front member 40 of the basket 14 in this case has a forwardly and inwardly converging conical shape. the lint filter 60 has a segmented cylindrical shape which conforms to the space between the conical front basket member 40 and an inner cylindrical wall 29a of the cleaning vessel housing 29 (figs. 4 and 6). the lint filter 60 in this case has a edge-shaped housing defined by a cylindrical bottom wall 65 mounted on the inner cylindrical wall 29a of the cleaning vessel housing, a conical upper wall 66 shaped similarly to the conical front basket member 40 and extending rearwardly and outwardly to a rear peripheral edge of the filter housing bottom wall 65, and triangular-shaped side or end walls 68 that enclose opposite ends of the lint filter housing. the bottom wall 65 has a discharge opening 69 communicating with the drain 58, which in this case is fixed to a mounting sleeve 70 of the cleaning vessel housing 29 by a retaining bolt 71 secured to a spider configured retainer 72 disposed within the filter housing discharge opening 69. an o-ring seal 74 is provided between the filter housing bottom wall 65 and the cleaning vessel drain mounting sleeve 70. the lint filter screen 61 is secured to the front of the lint filled housing by screws 75 so as to be in outwardly facing relation to the pressure vessel housing in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical basket 14, as depicted in fig. 6. the lint filter 60 is mounted in the front of the cleaning vessel housing 29 with the upper housing wall 66 in spaced relation to the conical front basket member 40 and with the filter surface 61 disposed in spaced relation to the inner face of the cleaning vessel door 31 defined by the retaining plate 38 so as to enable circulation of the wash bath about the lint filter housing and the free flow of wash bath through the lint filter screen 61 and to the drain 58 upon opening of a discharge valve 76 (fig. 1). it can be seen that since the filter screen 61 extends circumferentially about the lower perimeter of the pressure vessel housing 14, it provides an expanded surface area through which the wash bath may be passed upon direction to the drain. the filter screen 61 in this case extends circumferentially about the cleaning vessel housing, corresponding to an angle a of about 60 degrees. it will understood that to increase the surface area, the filter screen 61 could extend circumferentially a greater distance, up to an angle .alpha. of 180 degrees. it will be understood by one skilled in the art that following completion of a dry-cleaning operation, the cleaning vessel door 31 will be unlocked and removed to permit removal of the dry-cleaned load. since the filter screen 61 is adjacent the entry opening 41 to the garment-containing basket 14, it is a simple matter for the operator at the same time to clean lint and solid particulate matter that has accumulated in the lint filter screen 60 during the course of that cleaning cycle. the convenient and accessible location of the filter thereby encourages routing maintenance and cleaning of the filter each time the cleaning vessel is unloaded. moreover, since the lint filter 60 is contained within the cleaning vessel 12, no additional pressure vessels, piping, or costly sealing is required for the lint filter. nor is it necessary to remove cumbersome filter doors or covers, as heretofore been the practice.
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009-797-826-642-930
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
H04N5/21,H04N9/64
| 1978-03-17T00:00:00 |
1978
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[
"H04"
] |
television receiver threshold extension system by means of signal-to-noise control of bandwidth
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this disclosure relates to electronic devices, such as a television receiver, whose bandwidth is automatically reduced when the signal-to-noise ratio of the incoming signals becomes lower. two circuits respectively sample the received video signals and the noise. the outputs of these two circuits feed a divider which divides one output by the other. a tuned filter (which follows an if stage of the television receiver), which varies its bandwidth according to a control voltage fed to it receives the varying output voltage of said divider. the video and noise signals, which are fed to the divider, are both derived from the sync signal of the television receiver. timing circuits control the operation of the system. one of these circuits distinguishes the sync signals from the equalizing pulses and eliminates the latter thereby reducing the error in the noise measurements. another timing circuit eliminates signals, that occur while video-intelligence is occurring, from entering into the signal-to-noise ratio determination. the system will perform for television signals in which the baseband signals satisfy the following: 1. the video information is in analog form. 2. two fixed levels are multiplexed with the video and are such that the difference level is a known function of the video level. in the case of a national television system committee (ntsc) television signal such as the circuits described here are specifically designed for, the video signal is in analog form and the two fixed levels are the tip of the synchronizing (sync) pulses and its base level sometimes referred to as the porch. this base level is that level defined as the video blanking level.
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1. in a receiver, bandwidth control means for varying the bandwidth passed by said receiver and including an input for receiving a control signal to vary said bandwidth, signal responsive means responsive to signal strength of signals in said receiver, said signal responsive means having an output, noise responsive means responsive to noise in said receiver, said noise responsive means having an output, and control means responsive to both said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means for controlling said bandwidth control means to reduce the receiver bandwidth in response to reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio, said control means including a divider for dividing one of said outputs by the other to produce said control signal for controlling said bandwidth. 2. a receiver as defined in claim 1 in which: said receiver is a television receiver which includes circuitry that will receive a sync signal, said noise responsive means comprising means responsive to those noise signals, which occur at a rate so high that a plurality of them occur on individual sync signals, whereby said noise responsive means is responsive to noise in said receiver. 3. in the receiver of claim 1: said receiver being superheterodyne television receiver means for frequency modulated video intelligence comprising a series of stages including an i.f. stage followed by said bandwidth control means followed by a limiter followed by video circuits, said "signal responsive means", said "noise responsive means" and said "control means" being associated with said video circuits and comprising means for controlling said bandwidth control means to reduce its bandwidth in response to reduction in the signal to noise ratio in said video circuits. 4. in the receiver of claim 3: said control means including threshold means for establishing a signal to noise ratio threshold above which reduction in the signal to noise ratio does not reduce said bandwidth. 5. in the receiver of claim 4: said control means producing a control signal that varies in one or more steps when the signal to noise ratio is reduce below said threshold. 6. in a receiver, bandwidth control means for varying the bandwidth passed by said receiver, signal responsive means responsive to signal strength of signals in said receiver, noise responsive means responsive to noise in said receiver, and control means responsive to both said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means for controlling said bandwidth control means to reduce the receiver bandwidth in response to reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio, said receiver being a television receiver which includes circuitry that will receive a sync signal followed by a back porch, said signal responsive means comprising means responsive to the difference in signal levels between the sync signal and the back porch, whereby said signal responsive means is responsive to the signal strength of the signals in said receiver. 7. a receiver as defined in claim 6 in which: said means responsive to difference in signal levels between the sync signal and the back porch including means for clamping the sync signal to a datum and determining the difference between the signal levels of said datum and said back porch. 8. a receiver as defined in claim 7 in which said last-named means clamps the tip of said sync signal to ground which constitutes said datum. 9. a receiver as defined in claim 7 which said signal responsive means includes filter means for removing any color burst on the back porch, said signal responsive means being responsive to the differences in level between said sync signal and said back porch after any color burst has been removed from the back porch. 10. a receiver as defined in claim 9 in which said signal responsive means includes means to average the difference between the sync signal and its complementary back porch for a plurality of sync signals and delivering an output to said control means based on said average. 11. in a receiver, bandwidth control means for varying the bandwidth passed by said receiver, signal responsive means responsive to signal strength of signals in said receiver, noise responsive means responsive to noise in said receiver, control means responsive to both said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means for controlling said bandwidth control means to reduce the receiver bandwidth in responsive to reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio, said receiver being a television receiver which includes circuitry that will receive a sync signal, said noise responsive means comprising means responsive to those noise signals, which occur at a rate so high that a plurality of them occur on individual sync signals, whereby said noise responsive means is responsive to noise in said receiver, said noise responsive means including: (a) a rectifier for rectifying said noise signals that occur on the sync signals, and (b) means for averaging the rectified noise signals that appeared on a plurality of said sync signals to provide an output of said noise responsive means, said control means being responsive to said last-named output. 12. in a receiver, bandwidth control means for varying the bandwidth passed by said receiver, signal responsive means responsive to signal strength of signals in said receiver, noise responsive means responsive to noise in said receiver, control means responsive to both said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means for controlling said bandwidth control means to reduce the receiver bandwidth in response to reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio, said receiver being a television receiver which will receive a sync signal followed by a back porch, said signal responsive means comprising means responsive to the difference in signal levels between the sync signal and the back porch, and said noise responsive means comprising means responsive to those noise signals which occur at a rate so high that a plurality of them occur on individual sync signals. 13. a receiver as defined in claim 12 in which: said "means responsive to the difference in signal levels between the sync signal and the back porch" developing a first output related to the signal strength of the signal received by said receiver, said noise responsive means developing a second output related to the noise appearing on the sync signal, said control means including means for dividing one of said first or second outputs by the other and utilizing the resulting quotient for controlling said bandwith control means to reduce said bandwidth in response to reduction in the signal to noise ratio. 14. a receiver as defined in claim 13 in which said bandwidth control means has only two different bandwidths one of which is broad enough to receive all of the desired intelligence signals on a single transmitting channel entering the receiver and the other bandwidth is narrower to provide improved signal to noise ratio, said control means operating to reduce said bandwidth to the narrow bandwidth when the signal to noise ratio falls below a predetermined value. 15. a receiver as defined in claim 14 in which said receiver comprises a series of stages the first of which is an input stage and the last is an output stage, said bandwidth control means being associated with one of said stages, said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means being associated with one or more stages reached by the received signals after they have passed said stage with which said bandwidth control means is associated. 16. the method of reception of frequency modulated television video intelligence signals comprising: producing an intermediate frequency carrying said frequency modulated video intelligence, detecting said intermediate frequency and eliminating amplitude variations therein to produce demodulated signals representing video intelligence but also having noise, and automatically reducing the bandwidth of said intermediate frequency when the signal-to-noise ratio of said demodulated signals is reduced, comprising dividing the amplitude of one or the other of said signals and said noise by the amplitude of the other and using the quotient to reduce said bandwidth when the signal-to-noise ratio as represented by said quotient is reduced. 17. the method of claim 16 in which said reduction in bandwidth does not begin until the signal to noise ratio falls below a threshold. 18. the method of claim 17 in which said bandwidth is decreased in one or more steps when the signal to noise ratio falls below said threshold. 19. the method of claim 17 in which said bandwidth is decreased continuously when the signal to noise ratio decreases below said threshold. 20. in a television receiver: superheterodyne means for receiving television frequency modulated video intelligence signals comprising: (a) an i.f. amplifier, (b) means for detecting the output of the i.f. amplifier and eliminating amplitude variations in the video intelligence signals, (c) a bandwidth control device connected between said i.f. amplifier and the last-named means, responsive to the signal to noise ratio of said video intelligence signals, for reducing the bandwidth of the signals, passing from the i.f. amplifier through the bandwidth control device to said last-named means, in response to reduction in the signal to noise ratio of said video intelligence signals, said bandwidth control device including: (a) signal strength responsive means producing a first signal representing signal strength of the video intelligence in said video circuits, (b) noise responsive means producing a second signal representing noise in said video circuits, (c) divider means for dividing one of said first and second signals by the other, and (d) means for controlling said bandwidth in relation to the output of said divider. 21. in a television receiver: superheterodyne means for receiving frequency modulated video intelligence signals comprising: (a) i.f. amplifier means having an output, (b) bandwidth control means receiving signals from said output, said bandwidth control means having an output, (c) means fed by said last-named output for detecting said last-named output and reducing amplitude variations therein, and (d) video circuits fed by said last-named means, characterized by: said bandwidth control means including means responsive to the signal to noise ratio in said video circuits for reducing the bandwidth of the signals passing through said bandwidth control means when the signal to noise radio is reduced, said bandwidth control means including: (a) signal strength responsive means producing a first signal representing signal strength of the video intelligence in said video circuits, (b) noise responsive means producing a second signal representing noise in said video circuits, (c) divider means for dividing one of said first and second signals by the other, and (d) means for controlling said bandwidth in relation to the output of said divider. 22. in a television receiver of claim 21: said bandwidth control means including threshold means for establishing a threshold above which reduction in the signal to noise ratio does not reduce said bandwidth. 23. in a television receiver of claim 22: said bandwidth control means including means for continuously reducing said bandwidth when said signal to noise ratio continues to fall below said threshold. 24. in a television receiver of claim 22: said bandwidth control means including means for stepwise reducing said bandwidth in at least one step when said signal to noise ratio falls below said threshold. 25. in a television receiver as defined in claim 21 adapted to receive a television signal having (a) a sync signal with a sync tip, (b) a back porch, and (c) video intelligence, said signal strength responsive means comprising means for producing said first signal in accordance with the difference in signal levels between the sync tip and the back porch. 26. in a television receiver as defined in claim 25: said noise responsive means comprising means for determining the noise on the sync tip and developing said second signal according to the amplitude of said noise. 27. in a television receiver as defined in claim 26: each of said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means including sample and hold means for averaging their respective signals over a series of sync tips and producing said first and second signals respectively according to said averages. 28. a television receiver as defined in claim 21 including: means for filtering out any color burst on said back porch, said signal strength responsive means producing said first signal in accordance with the difference in said levels after any color burst has been removed. 29. in a television receiver as defined in claim 28: said signal strength responsive means including averaging and hold means, responsive to the difference between said levels for averaging said difference over a series of lines of the video intelligence each of which lines includes a sync tip and a back porch, to produce said first signal according to said average. 30. in a television receiver as defined in claim 29 in which: said noise responsive means comprising: (a) half wave rectifier means for producing a pulsating direct current according to the noise on said sync tip, and (b) means for averaging said pulsating direct current over a series of sync tips and holding the resulting average to produce a continuous output constituting said second signal. 31. in a television receiver as defined in claim 30, said bandwidth control means including means for clamping said sync tip to ground so that the first and second signals are respectively developed with respect to the difference between the back porch and ground and the excursions of noise from ground. 32. in a television receiver as defined in claim 21: said noise responsive means including half wave rectifier means for rectifying any noise signals appearing on said sync tip, to produce a pulsating direct current related to the noise, and means fed by said pulsating direct current for producing said second signal representing noise in said video circuits. 33. in a television receiver as defined in claim 32, in which said last-named means comprising averaging and hold means for averaging the noise on a series of sync tips and producing said second signal according to said average. 34. in a television receiver as defined in claim 21, said television receiver being constructed and arranged to receive, for each line of a picture, (1) a sync signal, (2) a back porch, and (3) a video intelligence signal, comprising: said signal strength responsive means comprising means responsive to the difference between the levels of the sync signal and the back porch to represent the signal strength of the video intelligence in said video circuits, said noise responsive means being responsive to noise on the sync signals to produce said second signal representing noise in said video circuits, timing circuits for limiting said signal strength responsive means and said noise responsive means being responsive to signals from said video circuits, first timing circuit means for limiting (a) the time period during which signals from said video circuits may pass to said signal strength responsive means and (b) the time period during which signals from said video circuits may pass to said noise responsive means, and additional timing circuit means for locking out said first timing circuit means during the period of video intelligence signals to thus prevent noise on the video intelligence signals from producing erroneous operation of the first timing circuit means. 35. in a receiver, bandwidth control means for varying the bandwidth passed by said receiver, signal responsive means responsive to signal strength of signals in said receiver, noise responsive means responsive to noise in said receiver, and control means responsive to both said signal responsive means and said noise responsive means for controlling said bandwidth control means to reduce the receiver bandwidth in response to reduction in the signal-to-noise ratio, said receiver being designed to receive sync signals as well as pulses of different duration than the sync signals and comprising: means for separating said sync signals from said pulses, and pulse-duration-responsive means for inhibiting passage, of said pulses which are of different duration from the sync pulses, to the noise responsive means, said noise responsive means including means for responding to the noise on the sync signals fed thereto.
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background of the invention it is well known in various forms of electronic devices, including television receivers, that it is desirable to reduce the bandwidth of the device when the signal to noise ratio falls to objectionably low levels. one prior art system for controlling the receiver bandwidth is u.s. pat. no. 3,633,119 michael s. balbes, granted jan. 4, 1972. in that device a tuned filter was placed in cascade with an i.f. amplifier of a frequency modulated receiver. a control voltage, under manual control, varied the bandwidth of the filter. human intervention is, of course, an apparent requirement in such a system and an obvious drawback in many situations. summary of the invention in its broader aspects, the invention produces "first" and "second" signals that respectively represent the amplitudes of (a) the incoming signals without noise, and (b) the noise. the "first" and "second" signals are fed to a divider the output of which is employed to control a voltage tuned filter such as the one described in balbes u.s. pat. no. 3,633,119 described above. a novel improvement on the foregoing basic concept resides in application of the invention to a television receiver for receiving a frequency modulated video signal. the aforesaid "first" signal which represents the amplitude of the incoming signal is derived from the amplitude of the incoming "sync" signal. the aforesaid "second" signal which represents the amplitude of the noise is derived as follows. most of the noise power has a much higher frequency than the "sync" signals. therefore, an averaging and storage circuit responding to the "sync" signals may establish a datum voltage (which may be ground) about which the higher frequency noise varies. the "second" signal representing the amplitude of the noise is then developed by ascertaining the excursions of the noise from said datum. when the incoming signal level drops objectionably low, relative to the noise, the voltage fed to said voltage-tuned-filter may change in one or more steps, or continuously, to narrow the bandwidth of the receiver. novel timing circuits control the operation of the system. one of these circuits distinguishes the sync signals from the equalizing pulses and eliminates the latter thereby reducing the error in the noise measurements. another timing circuit eliminates signals, that occur while video-intelligence is occurring, from entering into the signal-to-noise ratio determination. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a block diagram of a television receiver for receiving frequency modulated video and audio signals, embodying the invention. fig. 2 is a block diagram of the voltage control circuit represented by block 29 of fig. 1. fig. 2a is a timing diagram useful in explaining one particular embodiment of the invention. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of blocks a and g of fig. 2. fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the blocks b, c and e (and associated circuitry) of fig. 2. fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the blocks d and f (and associated circuitry) of fig. 2. fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of signal buffer f' of fig. 2. fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of noise buffer d' of fig. 2. fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of divider j of fig. 2. fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of scaling and offset amplifier k, and comparator l, of fig. 2. fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of timing circuit h of fig. 2; and fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of a possible connection between the output of scaling and offset amplifier k and the voltage tuner filter 23, which, in a modified form of the invention, may be substituted for comparator l (figs. 2 and 9). figs. 1 and 2 show the preferred form of the invention in block diagram form. figs. 3 to 10 show a schematic circuit which constitutes the block 29 of fig. 2. since figs. 3 to 10 would normally comprise a single printed circuit board they would normally form a single sheet of schematic drawings but since the schematic is too extensive to fit onto a single sheet, it is placed on eight sheets interconnected as explained in the next paragraph. in the drawings, we have referred to "wires" 28a, 300 to 304, 400, 401, 500, 501, 600, 608, 900, v.sub.x, v'.sub.x, v.sub.z and v'.sub.z which extend from one figure of the drawing to another. we use the word "wire" in its broadest sense to include any form of connection including printed circuit connections. in general, when some part of one figure of a drawing is connected to a part of another figure(s) of a drawing, each and all "wires" forming such connection bear a common reference number. detailed description of the drawings a preferred embodiment of the invention, as applied to a television receiver for receiving frequency modulated video and audio signals, is shown in fig. 1. in that embodiment, the conventional front end and frequency conversion stages 20 have an input 21 and feed at least one intermediate frequency amplifier stage 22. a voltage tuned filter 23 may conform in construction and mode of operation to u.s. pat. no. 3,633,119, dated jan. 4, 1972 to michael s. balbes. if there is more than one i.f. amplifier, a voltage tuned filter 23 may be used after each such i.f. amplifier stage as taught by the balbes patent. the output of the voltage tuned filter is the input to conventional limiter 24 which feeds conventional demodulator 25 which feeds a conventional baseband processing circuit 26, which feeds in the usual manner: (a) audio frequency circuit 27 and (b) the video circuit 28. the baseband processing circuit "conditions" the demodulated signal by subjecting it to de-emphasis and filtering as required and separating the various signals such as video, audio and possibly others. the video circuits (block 28) in this diagram include the synchronizing and timing circuits. the video signals in video circuit 28 include a sync signal, a video signal and the noise. these are fed out of video circuit to the input of voltage tuned filter control circuit 29 (hereinafter referred to as "vtf control circuit"). vtf control circuit 29 feeds an output signal, on wire 30, which begins to change when the signal-to-noise ratio (as determined from the signals in the output of video circuit 28) falls below a threshold value. the output signal is fed through line 30 to the control input (line 62 in fig. 3 of said balbes patent) of the voltage tuned filter 23. in operation, the block diagram of fig. 1 operates in the same way as a conventional fm television receiver, except that: (1) if the signal-to-noise ratio is above a selected level the bandwidth of voltage tuned filter 23 is so wide as to comprehend the entire intelligence of the video and audio signals on input 21, and (2) if the signal-to-noise ratio should fall to an objectionably low level, the vtf control circuit 29 will provide an amplitude for the signal on wire 30 to give a decreased bandwidth for voltage tuned filter 23. as will appear, the variation of the signal on line 30 may occur (in one form of the invention) in one or more steps, or (in another form of the invention) it may be a continuous variation. any variation which restricts the bandwidth does not begin until the signal-to-noise ratio falls to an objectionably low level. instead of the output of vtf control circuit 29 being an analog of the video signal/noise ratio, as described above, it may be an analog of the noise-to-signal ratio provided the voltage tuned filter 23 is designed to decrease its bandwidth when the noise-to-signal ratio increases above a predetermined level. the foregoing improvement is especially applicable to television receivers designed to receive frequency modulated signals via a satellite since in that case the incoming signals are usually weak and may require changes in the bandwidth, from time to time, to avoid objectionable noise. fig. 2 is a block diagram of vtf control circuit 29 of fig. 1. the blocks of fig. 2 bear letters a to l and a schematic of the circuitry of the blocks is shown in figs. 3 to 10 with the circuit elements comprising each block designed by a letter a to l complementary to the corresponding letter on the block of fig. 2. in fig. 2 the output of video circuits 28 enters at the left end of the block marked "clamped amplifier a". this signal is a composite signal which contains sync, blanking, possibly color burst and video signals time multiplexed together. this amplifier adjusts the dc level of the signal's waveform such that the tips of the sync pulses are established at a given (preferably zero) voltage reference level. the clamped output signal from the amplifier a is fed to filter e and to sample average and hold circuit f where a "first" signal is developed the amplitude of which is directly related to the amplitude of the sync pulses. the amplitude of the sync pulse is a constant percentage of the video's absolute amplitude, i.e., its blanking to white level. the filter e is necessary only for a color signal and removes the color burst in such a signal. the sample average and hold circuit f samples the base level of the sync pulses (or "back porch" of the composite signal) immediately following the sync pulse. this level referenced to the sync tip level (0 volts) establishes the sync pulse amplitude and, therefore, the video's absolute amplitude. this level is held until the next sync signal up-dates it. a "second" signal whose amplitude is approximately proportional to the noise is also developed in a manner hereinafter developed and later described in detail. the output signal from the clamped amplifier a is fed to switch b which passes only the sync tip plus noise portion of the composite waveform. this is buffered and passed to the half-wave rectifier circuit c. the sync tip which is clamped to said given (preferably ground) level, leaves only the noise excursions from this level to activate the input of rectifier c. rectifier c rectifies, amplifies and inverts only the positive excursions of the noise on the sync tip while it is nonresponsive to the negative excursions. this rectified signal is fed to the sample average and hold circuit d. the rectified noise is sampled during its occurrence, averaged with past samples and held in circuit d. the outputs of blocks d and f pass through buffers d' and f' to the analog divider j. the divider is one in which an analog multiplier is incorporated in the negative feedback path of an operational amplifier so as to produce the inverse of multiplication, i.e., division. a circuit of a suitable one is shown and described in the current motorola "specifications and applications information" for its products mc1595l and mc1495l, at page 8-411 (fig. 25) of their linear integrated circuits data book, third edition. that divider with minor modifications adapting it for use in our vtf control circuit is shown as element j in fig. 8 hereinafter described. the output of the divider j is fed through scaling and offset amplifier k, hereinafter described in detail, to analog comparator l. the signal from block k is then compared with the selected reference level from potentiometer r-98. the selected setting of potentiometer 98 selects the threshold of signal to noise ratio below which threshold there is a voltage change on output wire 30 which causes the voltage tuned amplifier 23 to reduce its bandwidth. as explained above, the signal on wire 30 may be varied by vtf control circuit 29 in steps, or continuously. in one embodiment of the invention the signal on wire 30 attains only two levels. in that embodiment, whenever the output level of amplifier k is above the voltage on the output arm of potentiometer r-98 the signal on wire 30 calls for a full bandwidth of the voltage tuned filter 23. however, at all times during which the voltage at the output of amplifier k is below the threshold voltage on the output arm of potentiometer r-98, the signal on wire 30 calls for a given predetermined bandwidth of the voltage tuned filter 23 which is less than that required to receive all of the intelligence on the incoming video signal at input 21. the restricted bandwidth is proportioned to improve reception by trading-off high frequency video information for reduced noise. the waveforms and timing values shown correspond to those produced when the vtf control circuits are processing an ntsc television composite signal (commonly in use in the united states). the circuits can be modified to work with similar television signals commonly in use in the world today. fig. 2a is a timing diagram of the circuit of figs. 2, and 3 to 9 inclusive. the first timing wave shown on fig. 2a is the inverted composite signal appearing at pin 6 of operational amplifier u1 (fig. 3). it has a horizontal sync tip m, a back porch m1, a color burst m2 on the back porch, and a video intelligence signal m3. the timing wave, just described, repeats itself every 63.5 .mu.s during a given field, and has a horizontal sync tip portion of 4.75 .mu.s nominal duration. the second timing wave of fig. 2a is the separated sync signal appearing at the output pin 1 of transistor u9a of part g shown in fig. 3. this timing wave comprises an inverted horizontal tip portion n which is 4.75 .mu.s long together with a quiescent voltage for period n1 of 58.75 .mu.s duration. it is, therefore, the horizontal sync tip inverted, and also separated from the remainder of the first timing wave. the third timing wave of fig. 2a is the voltage of pin 13 of switch u3a of part b (fig. 4). it consists of a positive going square pulse o of 3.8 .mu.s duration followed by a low level for 59.7 .mu.s. the fourth timing wave of fig. 2a is the input on pin 5 of switch u3b of part b (fig. 4). this waveform consists of a negative going square pulse v of 3.8 .mu.s since switch u3b is off when switch u3a is on and vice-versa. following the pulse v, there is quiescent volts for 59.7 .mu.s. the fifth timing wave of fig. 2a shows the signal on pin 10 of "one shot" u12b, see part h shown in fig. 10. this signal p is of 0.8 .mu.s duration followed by zero volts for 62.7 .mu.s. the sixth timing wave of fig. 2a is the signal appearing on pin 8 of "one shot" u14 (fig. 10), and is the difference between waveforms o and p described above. it comprises a positive going square pulse delayed from the beginning of a new horizontal line of the picture by 0.8 .mu.s and having a portion q extending for 3 .mu.s followed by zero volts for 59.7 .mu.s. the seventh timing wave of fig. 2a appears on pin 6 of inverter u11 (part h shown in fig. 10). this timing wave comprises a square pulse r of 6 .mu.s duration which is used to trigger on sampling signal t (which appears on pin 10 of "one shot" u11) shown in the eighth waveform. the eighth waveform therefore comprises a portion s at zero volts for 6 .mu.s, a sampling signal t of 2.35 .mu.s followed by zero volts for 55.15 .mu.s. the sampling signal t samples the back porch m1 after the color burst m2 has been removed by filter e (figs. 2 and 4). the ninth waveform of fig. 2a is a trigger inhibit signal having a portion u represented by a positive signal of 56 .mu.s duration. this latter signal is used to "lock out" various circuits so that the noise on the composite waveform m3 cannot operate those various circuits during said 56 .mu.s when those various circuits should be off. in describing the schematic circuitry, there are certain general statements which are applicable throughout the description of figs. 3 to 10 inclusive. in connection with the various integrated semiconductor circuits, using that term broadly, we have placed a reference number such as u1, u2, etc., in or adjacent the integrated circuit (ic) and have also included the type number of the unit. for example, in connection with the ic (amplifier) u1, we included in the triangle, the generic number 318 which means that one form of the unit may be the standard type 318 amplifier as sold by many manufacturers of semiconductors. the actual part number consists of the generic number with a prefix indicating the manufacturer, and a suffix indicating the type package (or case) employed. in addition, the integrated circuit pin numbering of the package has been included. the pin number is given for the metal can package for the following ic's: u1 (type 318), u2 (3080a), u4 (310), u5 (3080a), u6 (3080a), u7 (3080a), u15 (308), u16 (308), u18 (308), u19 (308), and u20 (311). the remainder of the integrated circuits have pin numbers given for the dual-in-line package and these circuits are as follows: u3 (4066), u8 (mpq3799), u9 (mpq6002), u10 (9602), u11 (9602), u12 (9602), u13 (7474), u14 (7416) and u17 (1495). the pin numbers have been added adjacent to the associated wire entering or leaving the ic. furthermore, throughout the drawings, we have designated various test points and in some instances have given a number to the test points. test points are designaed by the letters tp, which are followed in some instances by a particular number for that test point. these test points are of value to the maintenance personnel, in determining what parts or modules of the overall device are in need of repair if such should happen to be the case. we next describe the schematic of the clamped amplifier shown as part a of fig. 2. this schematic is contained within the dash lines a of fig. 3. a composite signal (sync signal, video signal and the noise riding on those signals) from the output of video circuits 28 (fig. 2) is fed in at input j1 (fig. 3) of clamping amplifier a, and it is fed through resistor r1 which adjusts the gain of the amplifier a which consists of operational amplifier u-1 (type 318) and associated circuitry. pin 2 of amplifier u-1 is the summing junction. the signal gain of said amplifier is determined by the ratio of the resistance of resistor r4 to the sum of the resistances of resistors r1 and r2. resistor r5 and condenser c1 comprise a form of feed forward compensation to increase the bandwidth. resistors r8 and r9 also increase the bandwidth of said amplifier and would not necessarily be used with other amplifiers having adequate bandwidth without them. amplifier u-1, pin 6 is the output of said amplifier. the aforesaid composite signal is inverted at this point. it is fed back through resistor r10 to an amplifier u2, which is a gateable amplifier that is gated off and on by a signal fed into its pin 5. amplifier u2 is used in conjunction with condenser c7 and field effect transistor (fet) q1, to generate feedback voltage which is fed back via resistors r6 and r7 to summing point pin 2 of amplifier u1. amplifier u2, capacitor c7 and fet q1 are used to translate the average value of the amplified signal such that the sync tips of said composite signal are maintained at virtual ground. amplifier u2 is gated on, by sync separator g, only during the sync tip time as will appear. during the rest of the time, the output of amplifier u2 is at a high impedance level. during its gated on time, amplifier u2 amplifies the error voltage which is the difference betwen ground level and the sync tip level at pin 6 of amplifier u1. transistor u2 amplifies said error voltage to charge condenser c7. condenser c7 is a memory capacitor which stays charged, even after amplifier u2 is gated off. indeed, condenser c7 stays charged until the sync signal of the next horizontal line of the picture is received. this increases or decreases the charge on c7 according to whether the amplitude of the latter sync pulse is greater or less than the time weighted average of previous sync pulses. condenser c7 drives fet q1 which is connected as a voltage follower, and fet q1 transmits a signal directly related to the charge on condenser c7, with no gain back, through resistors r6 and r7 to pin 2 of amplifier u1. this is a form of negative feedback because energy is being fed back into the inverting input of amplifier u1. this feedback is in such a direction that it tends to reduce the error voltage (the difference between the sync tip level and the ground) at pin 6 of amplifier u1. the clamping action (maintaining the signal's dc level such that the sync tips are near ground) is obtained by amplifier u2, condenser c7 and fet q1, feeding back to amplifier u1 a dc voltage that sets the dc level of the sync signal so that the sync tip is maintained near ground level. the sample, average and hold circuit comprised of u2 and q1 has high open loop gain. but it is connected in a feedback path around amplifier u1. the closed loop circuit thus formed is a regulator which tends to adjust itself to minimize the sampled error voltage, i.e., the sync tip to ground level out of u1. the gating voltage for amplifier u2 is produced by transistor u8a. when transistor u8a is conducting, amplifier u2 is turned (gated) on. when transistor u8a is non-conducting, amplifier u2 is turned off. transistor u8a has a fixed voltage on its base (pin 6) which is generated at pin 3 of transistor u8d (which is a transistor section which is connected as a diode). transistor u8d could be replaced by a diode. the base to emitter junction is used as a diode to generate approximately 0.7 volts at the base of transistor u8d. we have connected transistor u8d so that the base to emitter junction is used as a diode and generates approximately 0.7 volts, positive voltage, at the base of transistor u8 pin 6. thus, transistor u8 pin 6 is biased with about 0.7 volts, positive, at all times; a voltage which never changes. it establishes a base voltage for transistor u8a. transistor u8a is turned on and off by the voltage which is developed by logic inverters u14c and u14d. transistors u14c and u14d (fig. 10) are logic inverters, having a two-state output (a low and a high level). when the output level is at a high, it biases transistor u8a on so that amplifier u2 is gated on. but when the output level of logic inverters u14c and u14d is low, then transistor u8a is biased into an off (high impedance) state, which gates amplifier u2 off. to enhance dynamic stability, it is desirable to have a by-pass condenser between the voltage supply terminals of each integrated circuit (ic) and ground. this maintains the supply terminals at ac ground potential. condensers c3, c4, c5, c6 (fig. 3) perform the function just described. condensers c10, c11, c13, c14, c16, c17, c45, c46 perform the function just described in connection with the circuits (figs. 4 to 9) with which they are associated. c8 is a filter condenser and keeps noise off of the line between u8a and u8d; and condenser c9 performs a similar function in its circuit. resistor r13 is pull down resistor on the source of fet q1. the output of the clamped amplifier (block a of fig. 2) appears on pin 6 of amplifier u1. the waveform of the signal on this pin is shown as the first timing wave of fig. 2a. that timing wave shows that the horizontal sync tip is clamped to virtual ground level m (fig. 2a) but at the end of the horizontal sync tip portion of the composite video signal (fed into input j1) the potential at pin 6 of amplifier u1 immediately changes by voltage m4 (fig. 2a) to back porch level m1. the voltage m4 is then capable of being measured to provide an analog voltage proportional to the video signal level. having traced the circuit of clamped amplifier a (fig. 2) to its output (pin 6 of transistor u1), we will next discuss the switch which comprises block b of fig. 2 and is also shown surrounded by the dashed line b of fig. 4. this switch is required to prevent the overloading of the rectifier which comprises blcok c of fig. 2. this circuit can be overloaded by too great an input amplitude and is slow to recover from such overloads. since the circuit would be overloaded by the video portion of the composite signal, this signal is gated to its input only during the sync pulse tip occurrences and these levels are maintained near ground by the clamped amplifier a. this portion of the signal is the only required by the rectifier and the part which is not required (and has the troublesome levels) is held off by switch b. the output of clamped amplifier a (pin 6 of transistor u1) feeds input pin 1 of the integrated circuit u3 (of switch b). the construction and mode of operation of that switch and its associated circuitry is as follows. the inverted composite video signal at pin 6 of amplifier u1 has an output that is fed through switch sections u3a to integrated circuit (ic) u4. ic u4 is a buffer for the switch u3a. buffer u4 has no gain, as a voltage follower, and its output is not inverted. switch sections u3a and u3b operate to gate on a signal to buffer u4 during the sync tip portions of the composite video signal. those portions are the only part of the signal that should pass to the noise measuring circuits of the system. switch section u3a is one section of the switch b (fig. 2). switch section u3b is an opposite section. they operate out of phase, that is, when switch section u3a is open, switch section u3b is closed, so that in this condition any feedthrough capacitively coupled across switch section u3a is grounded (by u3b and thus reduced to zero potential. during each sync tip portion of the composite signal, switch section u3a closes, and switch section u3b opens, to allow the signal to be fed into buffer u4, pin 3. the circuits for operating switches u3a and u3b are discussed hereinafter in conjunction with the description of timing circuitry h. resistors r17, r18 and r19 in conjunction with diodes cr1 and cr2 determine the base current of transistor u9b. similarly r21, r22 and r23 in conjunction with diodes cr4 and cr5 determine the base current of transistor u9c. resistors r20 and r24 are collector pull down resistors for transistors u9b and u9c respectively. these pull down the potentials at the collectors of the transistors of u9b and u9c respectively when these transistors are non-conducting, i.e., in their "off" states. diodes cr3 and cr6 prevent transistors u9b and u9c respectively from going into saturation in their "on" states, providing faster switching action. the buffer u4 is a voltage follower circuit which reproduces the signal output of switch b (fig. 2), but at a low impedance level, to drive the input (pin 2 of amplifier u5) of precision half wave rectifier c (fig. 2). we will next describe rectifier c with particular reference to the schematic diagram of fig. 5 where the rectifier c is enclosed in a dashed line marked c. the signal at the input (pin 2) of semiconductor u5 during the closure time of switch u3a is the clamped sync tip with noise on it. at any other time it is at ground level as a result of closure of switch u3b. some of the low frequency noise is wiped off the clamped composite signal's sync tip by the clamp (part a of fig. 2). the time constant of condenser c7 and amplifier u2 is not sufficiently long to let the low frequency noise through. but at higher frequencies, the clamp a (fig. 2) cannot respond fast enough to clamp the signal at a noise peak. it clamps the average value of the sync tip plus noise (averaged over many sync tip duration periods) to ground level. since the average of the noise voltage when averaged in this manner tends to zero, the composite signal is clamped such that its sync tip, minus noise, is at ground level. the positive portion of the noise is inverted by semiconductor u5 and appears at output pin 6 of semiconductor u5 as a negative signal. this causes diode cr7 to conduct which effectively switches resistor r28 and condenser c12 between the output (pin 6) and inverting input (pin 2) of u5. the gain of the amplifier, at this time, is the ratio of the resistance of resistor r28 to the resistance of resistor r27. hence, if resistor r28 has 10,000 ohms and resistor r27 had 499 ohms, the positive input noise peak is inverted and has a gain equal to 10,000.div.499. however, the negative instantaneous noise coming into pin 2 of semidonductor u5 is inverted at its output and produces a positive voltage at pin 6 of semiconductor u5. this turns off diode cr7 and turns on diode cr8 which acts almost as a short circuit between pin 6 and pin 2 of semiconductor u5. there is essentially no gain at all in this circuit at this time since the output is effectively connected to the inverting input via cr8. thus, the negative half of the noise is not passed by semiconductor u5, but the positive half of the input signal noise reaching input pin 2 of semiconductor u5 is passed and inverted with gain. since the negative half was not passed, the rectifier c (figs. 2 and 4) rectified the noise and added gain to the rectified signal. it is only the positive noise pulses, at input pin 2 of semiconductor u5, which are passed, hence, output on pin 6 of semiconductor u5 is a half wave rectified signal with gain. this semiconductor u5 has a fairly wide bandwidth, so that only a small part of the high frequency noise is lost. excessive restriction of the noise bandwidth would degrade the noise measuring performance of circuits a to d (fig. 2). the bandwidth of u5 is not broader than the bandwidth of the frequency modulation. for example, in one embodiment the bandwidth of semiconductor u5 and its associated circuits is approximately 2 megahertz. a wider bandwidth would provide more precise noise measurements, but it is very difficult to obtain a wider bandwidth with existing precision rectifiers capable of operating with low input signal levels. the noise measuring performance is degraded to some extent by the band limiting of half wave rectifier c (fig. 2). pin 5 of semiconductor u5 is only used in this particular integrated circuit because it is one which can be gated on and off, so current is supplied through resistor r29 to this pin 5 to gate it on continuously. there is not a requirement that this particular circuit be turned off as switch b effectively gates the signal into it. the negative supply voltage is fed in to pin 4. condenser c14 is connected from pin 4 to ground and thus connects pin 4 to ac ground level. positive 15 volts is fed into pin 7 which is a positive supply voltage for semiconductor u5. it is by-passed by condenser c13 since circuits such as this (part c of figs. 2 and 4) tend to oscillate or display other signs of instability if they are not by-passed at the supply ports. rectifier cr8 is used to provide the precision rectifying action which characterizes part c (figs. 2 and 4). rectifier cr7 is also used in that rectifying action since it connects the output of rectifier cr8 to the output of part c (figs. 2 and 4). when the input signal on pin 2 of semiconductor u5 is positive, the output signal on pin 6 of semiconductor u5 is negative. condenser c12 is added to enhance stability because the circuit has a relatively wide bandwidth and, therefore, has a tendency to oscillate under certain conditions. condenser c12 reduces the possibility that oscillations will occur in the circuit of part c (figs. 2 and 4). the gain of the circuit of part c (figs. 2 and 4) is determined by the ratio of the resistance values of resistors r28 and r27 since part c (figs. 2 and 4) is connected as an inverting amplifier. the circuit of part c (figs. 2 and 4) would normally operate as an inverting operational amplifier except for the fact of rectifiers cr7 and cr8 are added to make the circuit act as a half wave rectifier instead of an operational voltage amplifier. the half-wave rectifier (part c) is unusual in that it employs an operational transconductance amplifier (ota) in place of a simple conventional operational amplifier. the load presented to the ota is essentially that resulting from the diode feedback circuit shunting its output (part d has a very high input impedance and its loading of part c is negligible). the high frequency performance is essentially determined by how fast the ota's output can slew to turn one of diodes cr7 and cr8 off and the other on in the feedback network. this requires a high open loop gain of the operational amplifier during this time for a fast transition through that region where one diode is switched off and the other on. the ota's open loop gain (a.sub.ol) is proportional to its load impedance. thus, when the diodes cr7 and cr8 are in the switching transition region, both diodes cr7 and cr8 are in high impedance states and the a.sub.ol is high. with both diodes off, there is negligible feedback so that the circuit gain at this time is equal to a.sub.ol and the output slews rapidly. not much phase compensation is required, at this time, since the feedback path is essentially open and there is little feedback. after one diode is on, the feedback path is of low impedance to the ota's output drops, its a.sub.ol drops and the actual feedback does not become adversely high due to the low a.sub.ol at this time. as a result of the moderate feedback under both conditions, not much phase compensation is required which would degrade the high frequency performance. with a conventional operational amplifier, as has traditionally been used in this circuit configuration, the a.sub.ol is constant so that for a high a.sub.ol during the diode switching time (when it is needed), the a.sub.ol remains high after a diode is on. this results in a large amount of feedback requiring a large amount of phase compensation which causes a lowered frequency response limiting the noise bandwith of the amplifier. in order to increase the high frequency response, schottky barrier diodes (cr7 and cr8) are used in the feedback network of the rectifier. these have high switching speeds as a result of their low turn-on voltage and allow the rectifier c to pass through the transition region faster. fast diodes have been advocated for this circuit in literature concerning it. however, so far as is known schottky barrier diodes have not been used, probably because of their relative obscurity in the past. the output of rectifier c (figs. 2 and 4) appears at the upper end of resistor r30, and the lower end of resistor r30 constitutes the input to "sample, average and hold" circuit which is part d of fig. 2 and is enclosed in dash lines denominated d in fig. 5. part d (figs. 2 and 5) is a sample and hold circuit which also performs an averaging function. the input (received at pin 3 of amplifier u6) is a rectified noise voltage that is fed out of precision rectifier c. part d has no voltage gain. it samples for a period of approximately 3 microseconds which occurs during the sync tip portion of the composite signal. amplifier u6 is a gateable operational amplifier. when the transistor switch u8b is in a conducting state, amplifier u6 is gated on and the voltage present at pin 3 of amplifier u6 is amplified, is sent to pin 6 which is the output terminal of amplifier u6, and then charges parallel capacitor network c18 and c19. then, fet q2 is inputted with the voltage appearing across c18 and c19. this is a source follower circuit and has no voltage gain. the voltage across capacitor network c18 and c19 is buffered by fet q2 which isolates them from the output which would otherwise adversely load them, causing the charge on them to leak down and a resulting voltage droop. that output is fed back through resistor r31 and condenser c15 to pin 2 of amplifier u6. this is the inverting input of amplifier u6. this feedback is a negative feedback which results in the overall circuit having a voltage gain of 1, when it is enabled. during the sampling time amplifier u6 is enabled, has a voltage gain of 1, and charges capacitor network c18 and c19 to a voltage level that is equal to the voltage at the input of pin 3 of amplifier u6. the completion of the sampling period occurs when the logic inverters u14c and u14d output a low level biasing off transistor switch u8b. when transistor u8b stops conducting, amplifier u6 is gated into its off mode and the output terminal of amplifier u6 goes to a very high impedance state. this leaves capacitor network c18 and c19 charged and with no discharge path. the voltage across capacitor network c18 and c19 is held and maintained during the off time of amplifier u6, buffered by fet q2, and outputted as voltage v.sub.z from terminals 2 and 4 of fet q2. resistor r33 is a source pull down resistor for fet q2, performing the same function as resistor r13 in the circuit of fet q1. the "off" time of amplifier u6 is, therefore, the hold period of the sample and hold circuit. v.sub.z is an analog of the noise voltage. increase in the noise voltage on the sync tip causes an increase in the absolute value of v.sub.z. decrease in the noise voltage on the sync tip causes a decrease in the absolute value of the voltage v.sub.z. we have, therefore, traced the noise signal through the "sample average and hold" circuit d, and will next trace the noise signal through the noise buffer d' (figs. 2 and 7). v.sub.z is fed to noise buffer d' (fig. 7) consisting of amplifier u15 and its associated circuits. this amplifier u15 is an inverting amplifier and has a voltage gain of approximately 20. voltage gain is determined by the ratio of the resistances of resistors r56 and r54. condensers c37 and c38, across resistors r56, tend to roll off the frequency response of this amplifier and provide low pass filtering action on the input voltage v.sub.z. this is done to remove the higher frequency components of v.sub.z since the response of the output voltage should be fairly low because it is undesirable for the voltage tuned filter 23 (fig. 1) to effect rapid changes in the if bandwidth which might otherwise result with some conditions of video signal-to-noise ratio. diode cr18 functions only if v.sub.z assumes a positive polarity. in the absence of diode cr18, a high positive polarity voltage at v.sub.z might drive amplifier u15 into saturation and possible latch-up so that amplifier u15 will not operate correctly if v.sub.z returns to a negative polarity. there would be a possibility that this could occur if the signal at j1 were lost for any reason and cr18 were not present. the precision rectifier (part c) has a negative output voltage and it is fed into the sample average and hold circuit (part d) as a negative voltage and is outputted as a negative voltage, v.sub.z. however, the noise buffer inverts this negative voltage so that we are back to a positive voltage at the output of noise buffer d'. this output signal of noise buffer d is labeled v.sub.z ' and will be referred to as the video noise level analog. this is a positive voltage and it is fed into the numerator port of analog divider j as will soon appear. we have now traced the output signal from video amplifier 28 (fig. 1) through (a) clamped amplifier a, (b) switch b, (c) precision rectifier c, (d) sample, average and hold circuit d, and (e) buffer d' (figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7), to the output v.sub.z '. in other words, we have traced the signal path in which an analog of the video noise level is produced. we will next trace the signal path in which an analog of the video signal level is produced. the filter e is connected to shunt resistor r34 and the signal from filter e passes through resistor r35 to provide the desired voltage at the input of sample, average and hold circuit f. the output of clamped amplifier a is the clamped composite signal which is inverted. the composite signal has a portion called the back porch (see m1 of fig. 2a). on the back porch is a superimposed signal m2 (fig. 2a) called the color burst. it consists of 8 cycles at a frequency of 3.58 megahertz. it is desirable to remove this 3.58 megahertz color burst. this is done by filter e (figs. 2 and 4) which is a parallel resonance circuit (comprising inductor l.sub.1 and capacitor c20) acting as a trap to knock out signals whose frequency is 3.58 megahertz. this leaves the back porch of the composite signal clean. the output of tuned filter e is fed to the input (pin 3 of amplifier u7) of sample average and hold circuit f (figs. 2 and 5) which is next to be described. we will next describe sample, average and hold circuit f remembering that its function is to derive an analog of the video signal level, which signal is to be fed along with the "noise" signal from sample, average and hold circuit d to the divider j so that it can divide the signals to derive an output which is a function of the video signal-to-noise ratio. the sample average and hold circuit of part f is identical to the sample average and hold circuit d. so the explanation of sample average and hold circuit d also applies to sample average and hold circuit f, the only difference being that the sample is taken at a different time for sample average and hold circuit f. for the sample average and hold circuit d the sample is taken during the sync pulse occurrence of the composite wave form. however, for sample, average and hold circuit f the sample is not taken during the sync pulse but immediately following the sync pulse (the portion of the composite wave form called the back porch, see m1 of fig. 2a). this voltage is sampled during the back porch period stored in capacitor c24, and fed out of part f as voltage v.sub.x. the back porch is sampled and measured with respect to ground. but, since the sync tip is clamped to ground, the back porch sample is really a voltage m4 (fig. 2a) representing the difference between the back porch and the sync tip. the sync tip to back porch level is invariant with respect to the video information. the amplitude from a porch to the sync tip is approximately (in television transmissions in the united states) 28.6% of the maximum possible peak-to-peak amplitude of the composite wave form. the maximum peak-to-peak amplitude is realized only when the video information swings to the reference white level. the output v.sub.x of this sample average and hold circuit f is at any time the amplitude difference between the sync tip and back porch of the preceding sync tip. this is updated for each horizontal line or 525 times per second. the following components of sample average and hold circuits d and f correspond to each other and perform the same function except as inherent in the above discussion: ______________________________________ circuit d circuit f ______________________________________ r31 r36 c15 c21 u6 u7 c16 c22 c17 c23 u8b u8c c18, c19 c24 q2 q3 r33 r37 ______________________________________ resistors r58, r55 and r85 at the inputs of amplifiers u16, u15 and u19 respectively protect those amplifiers from overloads resulting from discharge of condensers c34, c37-c38, and c40-c41, respectively, when the power to television receiver is turned off. condensers c35, c39 and c42, between pin 8 and ground of ic's u16, u15, and u19 respectively enhance the dynamic stability of those ic's. sample average and hold circuit f having produced an output signal v.sub.x, it is next desirable to trace that signal into "singal buffer" f' and to describe the construction and mode of operation of "signal buffer" f'. the "signal buffer" f' (figs. 2 and 6) is an operational amplifier circuit with a gain of about 45. the gain is determined by the ratio of the resistance of resistor r59 to the resistance of resistor r57. operational amplifier u16 is connected in a standard inverting amplifier configuration except for the fact that several diodes are involved in the circuit. the signal is inputted via r57 and fed out from pin 6. the inverted composite video is sampled with the sync tip at zero level and the back porch is at some negative level. hence, the output v.sub.x, of sample average and hold circuit f is a negative signal, but since it is inverted by signal buffer f' the output of signal buffer f' is a positive signal. diode cr12, in conjunction with resistors r60, r61 and r62, constitute a voltage clipper circuit. the purpose of this is to prevent output from signal buffer f' from ever going to zero. the clipper circuit allows signal buffer f' to have an output related to the strength of the composite video signal unless its output voltage falls below approximately 2 volts. at this point, clipper circuit cr12, r60, r61 and r62 limit the voltage at approxiately plus 2 volts, and prevent it from ever going to zero. the purpose of the clipper circuit is that its output voltage is fed to the denominator port of the analog divider j and it is not allowable for this voltage to ever go to zero volts. the reason for this is that the analog divider is trying to divide the voltage at the numerator port of divider j by the voltage at the denominator port. if the denominator port voltage goes too low, the dividend, or output level, becomes very large; in fact, if the denominator port ever got to zero, the analog divider should ideally output an infinite voltage which, of course, it cannot do. thus, the clipper circuit (cr12, r60, r61 and r62) prevents the denominator port voltage from ever going to a very low level. in normal operation, the level where clipping occurs is never reached. if that voltage did go to a low level it would drive the output of the divider j into a saturated mode. this is undesirable because once the divider j is driven into saturation, there is a possibility that it will either latch up or be slow about coming out of saturation again. this problem is overcome since the voltage clipper circuit cr12, r60, r61, and r62 limits the excursion of the denominator port voltage and prevents it from ever dropping down very close to zero volts. the voltage below which the output of the clipper circuit may not fall is dependent on the relative resistance of resistors r60, r61 and r62. buffer f' could be identical with buffer d' but is preferably modified as shown to prevent any possibility of the divider going into saturation. the input to buffer f' is amplified, inverted and feeds the aforesaid clipper circuit cr12, r60, r61 and r62. diode cr11 produces an increase in the output voltage of amplifier u16 to compensate for the drop in voltage across diode cr12. thus, temperature changes cause similar voltage drop changes in diodes cr11 and cr12 and they balance out. normally, the input voltage v.sub.x is negative, and the negative feedback for amplifier and inverter u16 is provided by diode cr10. however, in the event that v.sub.x should ever become positive disconnecting c34 and r59 via cr10, cr11 conducts to provide the required negative feedback for amplifier and inverter u16. capacitor c35 provides phase compensation for dynamic stability of amplifier u16. capacitors c39 and c42 have the same function in connection with amplifiers u15 and u19 respectively. it is clear that a voltage v.sub.z ', or the video noise level analog arrives at the numerator port of the divider j and that a signal dependent on the amplitude of the composite video signal passes from clipper circuit cr12, r60, r61 and r62, through jumper e15, e16 via wire 600 to the denominator port of divider j. this latter signal will be referred to as the video signal level analog. we will next explain how the divider j divides those two signals to produce an output related to the video signal/noise ratio (see fig. 8). the analog divider part j divides the numerator port voltage by the denominator port voltage; and also has an inversion function, that is, its output is reversed in polarity. as both input signals are of positive polarity, the output of the analog divider is a negative voltage appearing at terminal 6 of amplifier u18 (type 308). the analog divider circuit j is explained somewhat in the motorola catalog in connection with the data sheets for the mc1495 integrated circuit. the analog divider j comprises integrated circuits (ic) u17 and u18 and associated circuitry. ic u17 and its associated circuitry is an analog multiplier while ic u18 and its associated circuitry is an operational amplifier. the multiplier u17 is connected as the feedback element of the operational amplifier. the resulting forward transfer function of the combined circuit is the inverse of that of the feedback element, i.e., the inverse of multiplication or division. the output of the operational amplifier, u18 pin 6, is connected via the voltage divider r65 and r66, to input pin 4 of the multiplier u17. the other input to the multiplier u17 is to pin 9, which is inputted with the video signals strength analog from buffer f' via the voltage divider r63 and r64. the differential output of the multiplier u17 is fed (with the proper sense) to the input pins 2 and 3 of the operational amplifier u18. pin 2 of u18 is the summing junction where the noise level analog is summed with the feedback signal from the multiplier u17. the resulting output at u18 pin 6 can be expressed as ##equ1## where v.sub.x ' and v.sub.z ' are as denoted by the schematic diagram. resistor r68 trims the scale factor in the above equation, i.e., sets the scale factor's absolute value to 10. resistor r72 and its associated network adjust the offset of the input at pin 4 of ic u17. resistor r73 and its associated network adjust the offset at pin 9 input of ic u17. resistors r69, r70 and r71 are used to set various currents in this particular ic to values suitable for the scaling factor of the circuit and the input voltage range at pins 4 and 9. resistors r79, r80 and r81 provide the pull-up circuit for the open collector output at ic u17 pin 14. resistors r82 and r83 provide the pull-up circuit for the open collector output at ic u17 pin 2. resistor r81 adjusts the output offset. condensor c36 provides frequency compensation for amplifier u18. the video noise level analog v.sub.z, from the noise signal buffer d' is fed to the summing junction, pin 2 of ic u18, via the input resistor r83. this is the numerator port of the divider while the signal strength buffer f' feeds the denominator port. the absolute value of the resulting output -10(v.sub.z' /v.sub.x') is proportional to the video noise level analog to video signal level analog ratio. therefore, it is ideally directed proportional to the video noise-to-signal ratio or inversely proportional to the video signal-to-noise ratio. resistors r63-r64, r65-r66, r74-r76 and r75-r77 are voltage dividers setting the required voltage levels for the unit. having explained the division function, we will next discuss the parts fed by the output of divider j. the output 900 of the analog divider j is fed to pin 3 of amplifier u19 of scaling and offset amplifier k (figs. 2 and 9). since the output from the analog divider j is negative and the amplifier k is non-inverting the signal, the output of amplifier k remains a negative voltage. amplifier k also provides gain, since a greater voltage swing than is obtained from divider j is desirable. inverting amplifier k includes an offset circuit which consists of resistors r89 through r91 which feed pin 2 of amplifier u19. hence, the signal at the output pin 6 of amplifier u19 (type 308) may be adjusted to provide an offset to an extent that it is desirable. the offset is a fixed dc voltage which is added into the output on pin 6 of amplifier u19. the dc level of the output on pin 6 of amplifier u19 may be varied by the adjustment of potentiometer r90. the low frequency gain of amplifier u19 is determined by the ratio of the sum of the resistances of resistors r85, r86 and r87 to the thevinen equivalent resistance of the offset network. diodes c14 and c15 prevent the voltage at c44 from going negative, and either of these diodes may be omitted since its function is performed by the other. this is necessary to insure that under no conditions could a reverse polarity exist across the polarized condenser c44 which might destroy it. condensers c40 and c41 roll off the high frequency response of amplifier u19, similar to the function of condensers c37 and c38 in conjunction with buffer amplifier u15. condenser c43 filters noise off of the offset correction voltage fed to pin 3 of amplifier u19. condenser c44 and resistor r92 form a low-pass filter in conjunction with the output of amplifier u19 to avoid rapid changes in signal level at the input of comparator l. the output of amplifier k (figs. 2 and 9) may be fed directly (with a suitable coupling circuit) to line 30 and thence to the bandwidth control input of voltage tuned filter 23. if such is the case, the output is taken from terminal e13. the control voltage at this point is ideally directly proportional to the video noise-to-signal ratio and, therefore, inversely proportional to the video signal-to-noise ratio (a hyperbolic function of the video signal-to-noise ratio). this function can be modified by the use of a shaping circuit as will be explained later. when the output at e13 is fed to line 30, the bandwidth of the vtf will be continuously controlled when the video signal-to-noise is below a selectable threshold providing that it has not dropped so low as to drive the amplifier k into saturation (which occurs below a usable video signal-to-noise ratio). in the present illustration of the invention, we have elected to utilize only two different bandwidths of voltage tuned filter 23. the wider bandwidth will pass the entire spectrum of the intelligence on the composite video signal. the other bandwidth is narrow enough to pass most of the intelligence but reject sufficient noise to improve the signal/noise ratio as compared to what said ratio would be at said wider bandwidth. to achieve automatic selection of the desired one of these two different bandwidths analog comparator circuit l (figs. 2 and 9) has been added. amplifier k feeds analog comparator l the output (designated e1) of which is capable of being in two states (a high state and a low state). hence, it is a binary type output. the comparator l has a threshold which is set by potentiometer r98, which sets a reference voltage into pin 3 of amplifier u20 (type 311). the output signal from amplifier k is fed via the low-pass filter comprised of r92 and c44 through r93 into pin 2 of u20. when the voltage at pin 2 of analog comparator u20 is more positive than the voltage at pin 3 of comparator u20, then the output on pin 7 is internally disconnected from pin 1 of u20. the voltage at pin 7 of comparator u20 is then determined by the voltage division effected by resistor network r95, r96 and r97. this is the high level state (more positive level) and its voltage can be adjusted by adjusting variable resistor r97 which is adjustable over approximately a 2 volt range. if the input voltage to comparator l drops to an extent where the voltage of pin 2 of amplifier u20 is less than the voltage of pin 3 of amplifier u20, the amplifier u20 switches states and goes into state we call the low level output state (more negative level) in which pin 7 of amplifier u20 is internally connected to pin 1 of amplifier u20. this results in the output voltage at pin 7 being determined by the voltage divider network consisting of r95, r96, r97, r99 and r100. this causes the output voltage to be more negative than it was for the other state. r97 has a minimal effect on this output voltage level and the level can be adjusted by adjusting r99 to produce the desired vtf bandwidth corresponding to this state. hence, amplifier l outputs two levels, a high level and a low level. whether the level is a high one or a low one is dependent on input voltage fed to amplifier l from amplifier k. the threshold level where the switching occurs is set by potentiometer r98 which sets the reference voltage at pin 3 of amplifier u20. adjusting potentiometer r98 controls the input voltage level from amplifier k that is required to switch from the high level output state to a low output state of output voltage e1. these two levels are adjusted to give the desired bandwidths at the voltage tuned filter 23 as previously explained. the low level (more negative) output on e1 selects the narrow bandwidth state of voltage tuned filter 23, and the high level (more positive) output on e1 selects the wider bandwidth state of voltage tuned filter 23. the high level value of voltage e1 can be adjusted by variable resistor r97 to select the width of the band when the voltage tuned filter 23 is in its "wide" bandwidth state; and the low level value of voltage e1 can be adjusted by potentiometer r99 to select the width of the band of voltage tuned filter 23 when it is in its "narrow" bandwidth state. having explained the apparatus in blocks a to f, d', f' and j to l, we will next explain the sync separator g and the timing circuitry h shown in figs. 2 and 10. the main function of timing circuit h is to provide switch b and the sample and hold circuits d and f with timing signals as will appear. sync separator g comprises a transistor u9a, an rc network c25, c26, c27, and r39, r40, and r41, and operates to separate the sync pulses from the video information so that it outputs a pulse train of sync pulses at logic levels which will be used to trigger components of timing circuitry h. sync separator g is inputted with the inverted clamped composite signal which is outputted from clamped amplifier a. this signal is shown on the wave form diagram (fig. 2a) and comprises the horizontal sync tip m, back porch m1, color burst m2 and video m3. the peak signal in this wave form is always a sync tip. the sync tip is coupled into the base (pin 2) of transistor u9a through an rc network c25, c26, c27 and r40. the horizontal sync tip will cause base current to flow and charge capacitors c25, c26 and c27. these capacitors c25 to c27 develop a negative bias at the base (pin 2) of transistor u9a. transistor u9a is self-biasing, according to the signal level. it will bias itself so that the transistor u9a will not conduct except on peaks of the input signals, which in this case are the horizontal sync tips. transistor u9a is held in a non-conducting state by the negative bias produced by c25 through c27 and is held in this state until a sync tip arrives and causes it to go into conduction. when transistor u9a is turned off a voltage of +5 volts appears at its collector via resistor r42. when transistor u9a is turned "on" the collector voltage is pulled to ground. hence, the output voltage from transistor u9a is a series of negative going pulses with each pulse going from 5 volts down to zero level. they remain at zero level for the duration of the sync tip which is normally about 4.75 microseconds. the signal at the collector of transistor u9a may be called the separated sync tip signal. this constitutes the output of sync separator g, and appears at pin 1 of transistor u9a. timing circuits h consist primarily of "one shot" circuits. each one shot is one-half of an integrated circuit such as u10, u11 and u12. for example, u10 consists of two one shots, u10a and u10b, respectively. each and every one of the one shots may be triggered by either (1) a negative leading edge inputted at either its pin 5 or its pin 11, depending on which section of the ic is used; or (2) a positive going leading edge at either pin 4 or pin 12 of the one shot. the time-out period of one shots is determined by the product of r and c in its timing circuit. for example, in one shot u10b the time constant is determined by the product of the capacity of condenser c29 and resistor r45's resistance. the time constant of the one shot is approximately one-third of the rc time constant. one shot u10b has a time constant very close to 3.8 microseconds, and is triggered by a negative going edge of the separated sync signal (from pin 1 of transistor u9a), inputted at pin 11 of one shot u10b. this negative going leading edge of the separated sync signal causes one shot u10b to "time-out" a pulse. pin 9 of one shot u10b is one of its two complementary outputs and pin 9 is normally in a high level state producing a logic 1 signal (which is a level in the 2.5 volt to 5 volt range), except during the time-out period when it goes to logic zero state (which is approximately zero volts in this case). pin 9 of one shot u10b is outputting a negative going pulse of about 3.8 microseconds (determined by resistor r45 and condenser c29). this pulse is fed to pin 1 of logic element u14b. this is a logic inverting circuit which takes the negative going pulse at one shot u10b, pin 9, and inverts it so it becomes a positive going pulse at pin 2 of logic element u14b. this positive going pulse is fed through resistor r22 and to input pin 3 of transistor switch u9c, the output of which drives fet switch u3b. fet switch u3b is controlled (whether it is in an "off" or in an "on" state) by the voltage at its pin 5 and this is produced by transistor switch u9c. hence the output (pin 9) of one shot u10b is coupled through logic element u14b into switch driver u9c to "turn on" and "turn off" fet switch u3b. also, the output (pin 2) of logic element u14b is fed onto pin 3 of inverter u14a which is another logic inverter. it drives a transistor u9b which controls the analog switch u3a. switch driver u9b outputs a control voltage to pin 13 of analog switch u3a. the control signal from logic element u14b is fed directly into switch driver u9c; however, it is inverted by inverter u14b before it is fed into switch driver u9b. this inversion at logic element u14a causes switch driver u9b to be turned off, when the signal is such as to turn switch driver u9c on and vice versa. similarly, when switch driver u9b is turned on, switch driver u9c is turned off, and this inversion of the switch actions is caused by inverters u14a and u14b putting 2 inversions in front of switch driver u9b whereas switch driver u9c does not have that inversion effected by u14a. in this way, switch u3a switches on when switch u3b is off; this being considered a switch closure for switch b (figs. 2 and 4) since a signal passes u3a, between pins 1 and 2; whereas switch u3b is an open circuit. however, in an opposite state switch u3a will be open and switch u3b (pins 3 and 4) is shorted so that the analog signal coming into switch b (figs. 2 and 4) sees an open circuit in switch u3a and any signal which is capacitively coupled across switch u3a is shorted to ground by switch u3b. summarizing the last two paragraphs, it is noted that the actions of switches u3a and u3b are controlled by one shot u10b. pin 9 of one shot u10b is normally in a logic 1 state holding switch u3a off and switch u3b closed. this prevents the flow of signals to precision rectifier c (figs. 2 and 4) and beyond. however, when the leading edge of a separated sync signal arrives at pin 11 of one shot u10b, that one shot goes to a logic 0 at its output pin 9, for 3.8 microseconds. during this period the logic zero at this pin 9 closes switch u3a and opens switch u3b (see the third and fourth timing waves of fig. 2a) allowing noise signals to pass switch b (figs. 2 and 4) to the precision rectifier c (figs. 2 and 4), and beyond, for the first 3.8 microseconds of the 4.75 microsecond horizontal sync signal. we will next explain how the control voltage, which controls the sampling of the clamping circuit a, is produced. the sample control voltage that is used to cause the clamping circuit a to sample, is also used to cause the noise "sample average and hold" circuit d to sample the noise. one shot u10b feeds, in addition to what has been described before, integrated circuit u14c which is a logic inverter. when one shot u10b times-out a pulse, it produces a negative pulse of about 3.8 microseconds at its pin 9. this pulse is inputted to logic inverter u14c and causes the output of logic inverter u14c to tend to rise to a logic 1 level and would in fact go to a logic 1 level if logic inverter u14d was also tending to go to that level. however, if logic inverter u14c tends to go high, it may nevertheless fail to do so if logic inverter u14d remains at a low level. therefore, let us look at the input to logic inverter u14d at this time. u14d's input is produced at one shot u12b, pin 10. this is a one shot which has a time constant of approximately 8/10 of a microsecond (determined by resistor r53 and condenser c33); see pulse p of the fifth timing wave of fig. 2a. this positive pulse is fed to the input (pin 11) of logic inverter u14d and this holds the output of u14d down to a logic 0 for 8/10 of a microsecond. however, at the end of the time-out period for one shot u12b, the input of logic inverter u14d goes to logic 0 which allows its output to go to logic 1. this allows logic 1 to appear at the junction point of the outputs of one shots u14c and u14d. this logic 1 is fed through resistor r14 (fig. 3) into the transistor switch u8a. a logic 1 level at resistor r14 allows transistor u8a to turn on and allows amplifier u2 to be gated on which causes amplifier u2 to sample the output of amplifier u1. the waveform of this signal is the sixth timing waveform on fig. 2a and comprises a pulse q which is 3 .mu.s, followed by zero volts. thereupon the clamp circuit a is enabled, and also the noise sample average and hold circuit d is enabled (via the wire from pin 8 of logic inverter u14d to resistor r32), allowing them to go into the sample mode for approximately 3 microseconds during the horizontal sync portion of the composite waveform. during this 3 microseconds, clamp circuit a samples and stores clamping information, while the noise "sample average and hold" circuit d is allowed to sample the noise at the output precision rectifier c and hold it as the voltage v.sub.z. the reason that the first 0.8 .mu.s of the 3.8 .mu.s pulse is held to produce the 3 .mu.s command pulse is to ensure that those signals being sampled have fully settled before the sample is taken. in the case of the clamped amplifier a, it allows the sync pulse 0.8 .mu.s for any overshoot or undershoot to settle before it is sampled for 3 .mu.s. in the case of the noise sample, average and hold amplifier d, it allows 0.8 .mu.s for any switching transient introduced by switch b and coupled through the rectifier c to dissipate before the rectified noise is sampled. we will next show how the sample control voltage for sample average and hold circuit f is produced. sample average and hold circuit f samples the back porch m1 of the composite waveform (fig. 2a) for 2.35 .mu.s. the back porch m1 (fig. 2a) includes a color burst m2. this color burst m2 is removed by filter e so that the back porch now is a clean signal. the sync tip m is at zero or ground level due to the fact that it has been clamped to ground. so now sample average and hold circuit f is going to sample the back porch level. it will sample it by a pulse which is labeled t (fig. 2a). this pulse is about 2.35 microseconds in duration and it occurs during the back porch period. we will next show how pulse t (fig. 2a) is produced. one shot u11a has a time-out period of 6 microseconds. the 6 microseconds is determined by the time constant of resistor r46 and capacitor c30. one shot u11a is triggered at pin 5. this is fed by the separated sync signal from sync separator g. the negative edge of this separated sync signal comes from pin 1 of transistor u9a and is active in triggering one shot u11a. this causes one shot u11a to time-out or produce a positive pulse, at its pin 6, which has been labeled r on the timing wave diagram of fig. 2a. this positive pulse has a duration of 6 microseconds. it is fed to one shot u11b pin 11. this pin 11 is triggered by the negative edge (the trailing edge) of the waveform r (fig. 2a). so now, one shot u11b is triggered approximately 6 microseconds after the leading edge of the separated sync pulse. one shot u11b is triggered in the back porch period of the composite signal. one shot u11b has a time-out period of approximately 2.35 microseconds, a period determined by condenser c31 and resistor r47. one shot u11b has an output (pin 10) fed, via 500, to resistor r38 of sample average and hold circuit f. when the output is a logic 1, it applies an input to pin 12 of transistor switch u8c which causes that switch to turn on which in turn gates amplifier u7 on for the "sample" period (2.35 .mu.s) of the sample average and hold circuit f. the timing of pulse t (fig. 3) is such that that pulse, as well as the last-named sample occurs in the middle of the back porch portion m1 of the composite signal. the one shot u12a is fed at its pin 5 by the signal from one shot u11a pin 7. the signal on pin 7 of one shot u11a is not shown on the waveform diagram; however, its waveform is the same as the waveform designated r except it is inverted. in other words waveform r appears at pin 6 of one shot u11a and the waveform at pin 7 of one shot u11a is the complement of this, or r (fig. 2a) inverted. pin 7 of one shot u11a normally produces a signal which goes to zero for 6 microseconds following the leading edge of the separated sync signal from pin 1 of transistor u9a. it stays at zero for 6 microseconds and then it rises. however, the negative edge of this signal at pin 7 of one shot u11a triggers one shot u12a, being applied to pin 5 thereof. this triggers one shot u12a. one shot u12a has a time constant of about 56 microseconds and it is determined by the time constant of resistor r51 and condenser c32. one shot u12a pin 6 has an output that is normally at a logic zero level. during the 56 microsecond time-out period of one shot u12a, it rises to logic 1 level. this is shown by the waveform designated u on fig. 2a. pin 6 of one shot u12a is normally at a logic zero. after one shot u12a is triggered, its output rises for 56 microseconds. this signal is fed to one shot u12b pin 12 and also fed to one shot u11a pin 4 and it is also fed to one shot u10b pin 12. at these ports, a logic 1 inhibits those one shots from being triggered. for the 56 microseconds that pin 6 of one shot u12a is at logic 1, one shots u12b, u11a and u10b are inhibited from being triggered. this function locks out those three one shots for 56 microseconds. this was done so that any noise that might be on the separated sync signal line (pin 1 of u9a) cannot be effective triggering these three one shots. normally if the separated sync signal (which is waveform n of fig. 2a) is a clean signal, no lock out would be needed. but if there is noise on this signal, the three one shots u12b, u11a and u10b should be locked out so that they are not triggered by that noise. they are locked out for 56 microseconds and then they are enabled again so that the next separated sync signal is capable of triggering these one shots. the function of one shot u12a is a lock-out circuit which locks out or inhibits certain other one shots so that they cannot be triggered by noise during the period when they should not be operated. the lock-out pulse ideally would be slightly less than the 63.5 .mu.s quiescent state of the separated sync pulses. the actual pulse is 56 .mu.s. this leaves about 7.5 .mu.s when the one shots being locked out are not protected. the 56 .mu.s nominal pulse width was chosen to ensure that under worst case circuit conditions this pulse could never exceed the 63.5 .mu.s period to over-run the following pulse. this technique is well known and has been adopted in different logic circuits, but not in a television receiver much less in one such as is here involved. included in the composite video signal are some pulses that occur during the vertical retrace time. a series of horizontal sync pulses occur for nearly 1/60 of a second and at the end of this time, the normal pattern used on the composite video waveform is broken up and several pulses are added into the waveform. this is the vertical retrace time. they are not shown in any of the waveforms of fig. 2a. however, during the vertical retrace some pulses appear on the composite video signal called equalizing pulses. these pulses are of the same amplitude but shorter than horizontal sync tip pulses. equalizing pulses are approximately of a duration of 2.5 microseconds. there is a problem with the fact that sync separator circuit g cannot differentiate between sync tips and equalizing pulses so that on occasions, during the vertical retrace time, sync separator g outputs the unwanted equalizing pulses as a result of the equalizing pulses on the composite video signal. they are unwanted since a series of them may cause the sampling circuits (switch b and sample average and hold circuit d) to operate even though the sampling circuits should not operate at this time. hence, one shot u10a and flip-flop u13 are employed to produce an inhibit signal to lock out the separated equalizing pulses, so they must differentiate between separated equalizing pulses and separated horizontal sync pulses. the only way that they can do that is by the differences in the pulse widths between wanted (separated sync) pulses and unwanted (separated equalizing) pulses. the separated sync pulse or the horizontal sync pulse is approximately 4.75 microseconds wide. a separated equalizing pulse is 2.5 microseconds wide. one shot u10a has its pulse out time determined by the time constant of capacitor c25 and resistor r43 resulting in a time constant of about 3.6 microseconds. one shot u10a is triggered by the leading edge of the separated sync signal; that is, the separated sync signal from sync separator g is fed into pin 5 of one shot u10a. this negative (leading) edge triggers one shot u10a. one shot u10a produces a negative going pulse at its pin 7 during its time-out period of approximately 3.6 microseconds. this negative pulse is fed to pin 3 which is the trigger input of flip-flop u13. one shot u10a and the d type flip-flop u13 comprise a circuit which detects "equalizing" pulses. the d type flip-flop is a storage element with a data input at its pin 2 which is fed by the sync separator and a trigger input at its pin 3 which is fed from the pin 7 output of one shot u10a. the d flip-flop when triggered by the positive going edge of a pulse goes to the state which outputs at its pin 7 the complement of the logic input at its pin 2. it holds this logic output and will not respond to its pin 2 input until it is again triggered by a positive going edge of a pulse. pin 2 of flip-flop u13 is fed by the separated sync separator g. flip-flop u13 is triggered on pin 3 by the positive going edge of the output of one shot u10a, so that it is triggered at the end of the 3.6 microseconds (which is the time-out period of one shot u10a). if a pulse emitted from the sync separator g is a true sync tip pulse, it will have a duration of about 4.75 microseconds so that when pin 3 of flip-flop u13 is triggered by pin 7 of one shot u10a, the sync pulse will be at logic zero level (down). this causes flip-flop u13 to output a logic 1 at its pin 6, the complement of the logic 0 at its d (pin 2) input when triggered. this logic 1 level is fed to one shot u10b pin 13; also it is fed to one shot u12b pin 13 and enables these two one shots. it enables them (u10b and u12b) because the separated sync signal n (fig. 2a) has a duration greater than 3.6 microseconds which was produced by one shot u10a which caused flip-flop u13 to output a logic 1 and enables these one shots u10b and u12b. however, a separated equalizing pulse, being less than 3.6 .mu.s long, will pass to pin 2 of flip-flop u13, but flip-flop u13 is not triggered on its input pin 3 by a signal from pin 7 of one shot u10a during the 2.5 .mu.s that the separated equalizing pulse occurs. therefore, if the signal out of sync separator g is an equalizing pulse, it will be only 2.5 microseconds wide and the 2.5 microseconds will expire before flip-flop u13 is triggered on its pin 3. flip-flop u13 is triggered 1.6 .mu.s later by a positive going edge at its trigger input (pin 3), and it will output a zero level at pin 6 since the pulse at the d input has expired and a logic 1 level is left there. this zero level at pin 6 is fed to one shot u10b pin 13 and also to one shot u12b pin 13 which are reset inputs. the logic zero at these inputs places these two one shots u10b and u12b in a reset state and effectively inhibits these two one shots, so that these one shots cannot be triggered by subsequent pulses of a string of equalizing pulses which comes along. thus, the first equalizing pulse causes element u13 to go to a logic 1 state and its output from its pin 6 is a logic zero which inhibits one shots u10b and u12b from being triggered by any equalizing pulses which follow. this prevents the sampling circuits a, b and d from being caused to sample by equalizing pulses which otherwise would result in erroneous samples as is explained later. the sampling circuit f is allowed to be commanded to sample by equalizing pulses. no error is introduced by these samples since they normally are samples of the back-porch level (or blanking level) and the composite signal assumes this level following the equalizing pulses. the first equalizing pulse of a series of equalizing pulses (six) inadvertently gets through to the sampling circuits. this is because the inhibiting circuit u10a/u13 requires 3.6 .mu.s to determine that the pulse was an equalizing pulse and to activate an inhibit line which the following 5 equalizing pulses keep activated. however, the first equalizing pulse triggers the one shots affected before the inhibit line was activated. this causes an erroneous sample to be made by each of the sampling circuits of a, b and d. similarly, most of the first separated sync pulse following a series of equalizing pulses is lost as a result of the time required (3.6 .mu.s) to determine that it is not an equalizing pulse and to remove the sample inhibit signal from the sampling circuits of a, b and d. the total error that the erroneous samples introduce in the control voltage outputted from the vtf control circuit (on wire 30) is less than 1%. resistors r48, r49 and r52 apply logic 1 signal levels to direct "set" (or "reset" inputs as the case may be) of elements u11a, u13 and u12a respectively to disable the direct "set" or "reset" functions which are not required in this application. resistor r50 is a pull-up resistor for the open collector outputs of one shots u14c and u14d. it is desirable to inhibit the sampling of the clamped amplifier's output by u2/q1 since it is desirable only to sample the sync tip level. the equalizing pulse tips are at the same level. the problem occurs in that the sample taken is for a duration of most of the sync pulse's duration and, since the equalizing pulse is much shorter, the sample would over-run the duration of the equalizing pulse and thus include part of the back porch level in the sample. this induces an error which would tend to clamp the average signal level during the sync tip to a level slightly below ground. the switch u3a is also inhibited from operating as a result of equalizing pulses, since this switch when operated will close for the period of most of the sync pulse duration. if it were operated by an equalizing pulse, the switch's closing would over-run the duration of the equalizing pulse and include a portion of the back porch. the back-porch level even if passed by the switch b is negative and should be excluded by the following rectifier circuit. however, the rectifier's speed limitation would allow a short spike to pass corresponding to the rapid and relatively large negative-going excursion of the equalizing pulses' trailing edge. the positive spike would algebraically add to the negative rectified noise when averaged by the sample, average and hold circuit, u6/q2, including an error in the averaged noise signal. summarizing the operation of the timing circuits h, it is noted that the leading edge of the output of sync separator g triggers one shot u10a which then produces an output pulse of 3.8 .mu.s duration. this output operates switches u3a and u3b so that only a portion of the horizontal sync tip (without the back porch or any of the video intelligence) passes through switch b to rectifier c. the output of sync separator g also triggers one shot u12b which emits an output pulse of 8/10 microsecond duration. this pulse is used to hold off the first 0.8 .mu.s of the 3.8 .mu.s pulse produced by u10b. this is accomplished by the operation of u14c and u14d and results in a 3 .mu.s pulse. this is fed to u8a and turns on this transistor to enable u2 of the clamped amplifier a. this allows u2 to sample the sync tip to ground level at the output of u1, amplify this level to increase or decrease the existing charge on the storage element c7. fet q.sub.1 is a voltage follower which buffers c.sub.7 and outputs the voltage across c.sub.7 to the summing junction of u1. this is a negative feedback which adjusts the dc level of the output to maintain the sync tips at virtual ground. the 3 .mu.s sample command pulse from u14c and u14d is also fed to u8b which controls the sample, average and hold circuit d and commands it to sample the rectified noise voltage level from the rectifier c and to time weight average it with past samples. the timing circuits h also samples the back porch m1 (fig. 2a) by operating one shot u11a to produce a 6 .mu.s delay pulse, the trailing edge of which triggers one shot u11b which puts out pulse t (fig. 2a) which occurs in the center of back porch m1. this pulse t is fed to pin 10 of transistor u8b to cause "sample average and hold" circuit f (fig. 2) to sample the amplitude of the back porch m1 and produce an output directly related thereto. other one shot circuitry, within timing circuits h, render a number of one shots inoperative during the 50 .mu.s period of the video intelligence signals to prevent possible unwanted operation of them by equalizing pulses. we will next provide a summary of the operation of the schematic drawings of figs. 3 to 10. the composite video and synchronizing signal from the receiver's video amplifier is fed to a clamped amplifier a, of figs. 2 and 4. this stage inverts the composite signal (this is not necessary but is indigenous to this type of circuit) and clamps the positive peaks of the waveform (the horizontal sync tips) to ground level. the composite signal and hence sync pulse tips normally have noise riding on them. the clamp circuit a clamps the average value of the sync tips to ground level. the time constant of the averaging circuit is long with respect to the periods of the noise frequency components so that the time-weighted average of the noise voltage statistically tends to zero. for this reason, the noise riding on the composite signal (and hence sync tips) has negligible effect upon the clamping of the sync tips. the output of clamping circuit a feeds switch b which is a switch to pass only the sync tip portions of the composite signal's waveform to rectifier c. (switch b is necessary only to prevent the relatively large swings of the video from reaching and overloading subsequent amplifiers and otherwise is not required). rectifier c is a precision rectifier. since the sync tip portion of the clamped composite signal's waveform is passed to rectifier c, and since the average value of the sync tip is clamped to ground, only the noise riding on the sync tip appears as an effective signal at the input to rectifier c. the noise is rectified and passed to sample and hold circuit d. sample, average and hold circuit d averages the rectified noise over the sampling time and holds it at its output until it is updated by the averaged succeeding sample during the next sync pulse (next horizontal line). this voltage level is proportional to the noise riding on the composite (and hence video) signal. the clamped amplifier a feeds filter e which is a trap to remove the color burst (if it is present) from the composite singal. the color burst, when present, occurs during the back porch portion of the composite signal's waveform. the color burst is removed so that the back porch is clean and is at the blanking level. the difference between blanking and sync tip levels is a constant ratio of the composite (and hence video) signal's maximum amplitude. the blanking level (during the back porch of the waveform) is sampled, averaged over the sampling time, and held for each horizontal line. since the sync tip level is clamped to zero, the blanking level (with respect to ground) is a fixed ratio of the composite waveform's amplitude. the averaging is a weighted time averaging having a time constant such that past samples are effective in determining the average at any time. this tends to minimize the effects of noise riding on the signal (the same phenomenon that nullified the effects of noise on the clamped amplifier). the output of sample average and hold circuit f is a voltage level which is proportional to the composite signal's maximum amplitude. this is fed to the analog divider j, into the denominator port while that level proportional to the noise level (from sample average and hold circuit d) is fed to the numerator port. the absolute value of the divider's output is ideally a direct function of the noise-to-signal ratio of the composite signal and, therefore, an inverse function of the signal-to-noise of the composite and hence video signal. this is fed to a scaling and offset amplifier k. this amplifier k has an output control voltage which is a function of the video noise-to-signal ratio. this control voltage may be controlled to some extent. shaping of the control voltage could be effected at this point if it were necessary. this modification of the control voltage may be desirable when the voltage tuned filter is driven directly from this point. figs. 2 and 9 show amplifier k feeding an analog comparator l. this has a two-state output--a high and a low level which drives the voltage tuned filter 23 via wire 30 (fig. 1). a reference voltage is set by potentiometer r98 which feeds the comparator l. when the noise-to-signal ratio signal level is more negative than the reference level, the comparator's output assumes a low level state corresponding to a narrow voltage tuned filter bandwidth. conversely, when the noise-to-signal ratio signal voltage is more positive than the reference level, the output assumes a high level state and the bandwidth is wide. the output voltage from comparator l is fed to the voltage tuned filter (vtf) 23. this circuit is operated in cascade with the receiver's if amplifier stages. it is effective in contributing to the bandwidth shrinkage of the if chain (and hence to that of the receiver). the vtf 23 when operated at its wider bandwidths, has a small contribution to the bandwidth shrinkage. when operated in its narrow bandwidth region, it has a large effect on the if bandwidth causing a bandwidth shrinkage. the bandwidth of vtf 23 varies in inverse proportion to the absolute value of the applied control voltage (the control voltage for the circuits shown is negative). when the analog comparator l is employed to drive vtf 23, a high noise-to-signal ratio results in a high negative output from the comparator producing a narrow bandwidth at vtf 23 and hence a narrow receiver bandwidth. conversely, a low noise-to-signal ratio results in a less negative level output from the comparator l and a corresponding wide bandwidth of vtf 23 and hence, a wide receiver bandwidth. the analog comparator l can be eliminated and vtf 23 driven directly from amplifier k or a shaping circuit following amplifier k. in this manner, the receiver's bandwidth is made to vary continuously as a function of the video noise-to-signal ratio over part of or all of the noise-to-signal range. the vtf control circuit, as is characterized by the circuit diagrams herein, can interface directly with the vtf of the balbes u.s. pat. no. 3,633,119 referred to above. this is true when the output is taken from either e13 (part k's output) or e1 (part l's output). both outputs are negative as is the input required by the vtf and can be adjusted to produce the desired vtf bandwidths. the vtf transfer function expresses the bandwidth as nearly a linear function of the control voltage. when the vtf is fed from e13 of the vtf control circuit, the overall bandwidth vs video noise-to-signal ratio is nearly a linear function. this results in the bandwidth as a function of video signal-to-noise ratio being a hyperbolic function. it may be desirable in some cases to operate the system with the bandwidth varying as a linear function of the video signal-to-noise ratio. this can be achieved by interchanging the signals inputted to the analog divider j's numerator and denominator ports so that the divider outputs an analog of the video signal-to-noise ratio. this would be accomplished by connecting wire 600 to r83 (in place of r63) and wire 608 to r63 (in place of r83). then the video signal level analog (vx' on wire 600) is fed to the numerator port (at r63) while the video noise level analog (vz' on wire 608) is fed to the denominator port (at r63). other than this change, the circuit configuration would remain the same although some resistor values should be changed to readjust signal levels as required. when the vtf is controlled from the e1 output of the vtf control circuit (bandwidth switched to one of two possible preset values), the switching can be made to occur at the same video signal-to-noise ratio regardless of whether the analog divider j is outputting a signal-to-noise ratio analog or a noise-to-signal analog. however, the divider is more accurate when it is operated to output the video noise-to-signal analog (as it does in the configuration shown). this is because it is more accurate when the denominator signal is relatively high and since the composite input signal to the vtf control circuit is maintained with only small variations in the composite signal level as a result of the receivers agc, the signal level variations are much less than the noise. as a result, the signal has less level variations than the noise and can be applied at a higher nominal level than the noise to the divider. for this reason, when the comparator l is used to drive the vtf, it is advantageous to connect the divider j such that it outputs a noise-to-signal ratio analog. the system could be made to work with a positive control voltage from the vtf control circuit to the vtf with the voltage being approximately directly proportional to the video noise-to-signal ratio. various changes in the circuit configurations of both the vtf control circuit and the vtf would be required. however, the bandwidth vs video signal-to-noise ratio would be the same as before and the system so modified would be fully equivalent to the original system. as mentioned earlier, when the vtf is interfaced with the vtf control circuit in such a way as to provide continuous bandwidth control over a given range of the video signal-to-noise ratio, it may be, in some cases, desirable to shape the vtf's transfer function so as to modify the vtf's bandwidth vs video signal-to-noise ratio function. this could be done by outputting amplifier k to a shaping circuit to modify the transfer function. fig. 11 shows a generalized circuit which would achieve the shaping. in this circuit, the non-linear element 30b is in a negative feedback circuit around the operational amplifier 30a. as a result, the transfer function of the resulting circuit has a negative gain factor and a factor which is the inverse of the non-linear elements transfer function. the non-linear element may be one having a continuous transfer function such as an analog multiplier or one having a discontinuous function such as a resistor-diode network. the latter network can be used to approximate a desired continuous transfer function by having the network configured to produce piece-wise continuous functions, i.e., the function consisting of several continuous segments in which the function is redefined in each. these shaping techniques are well known. the second amplifier in fig. 11 is used to reinvert the signal if desired before applying it to the vtf.
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010-481-773-678-490
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NL
|
[
"US"
] |
C01B21/14
| 1974-04-26T00:00:00 |
1974
|
[
"C01"
] |
recycling process for the preparation of cyclohexanone oxime
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an improved cyclic process for producing cyclohexanone oxime is provided wherein the circulating reaction medium is subjected to a heat treatment, at a temperature of at least 120.degree. c in the presence of nitrous gases, and at an absolute pressure of over 1 atmosphere, as it circulates between the oxime synthesis zone and the hydroxylamines synthesis zone. cyclohexanone oxime is a valuable commercial commodity e.g. for the preparation of nylon-6 via .epsilon.-caprolactam.
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1. in a cyclic process for producing cyclohexanone oxime, comprising recycling an acidic buffered aqueous reaction medium containing an ammonium salt as a buffer salt between a zone (a) for the synthesis of hydroxyl-ammonium salt, in which zone hydroxyl-ammonium ions are formed by catalytic reduction of nitrate ions and a zone (b) for the synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime, in which zone the resulting hydroxyl-ammonium ions react with cyclohexanone to form cyclohexanone oxime; wherein nitrate ions and cyclohexanone are fed to zones a and b, respectively, and wherein cyclohexanone oxime is discharged from zone (b); and wherein the said recycled reaction medium is treated after leaving zone (b) and before it is fed back into zone (a) to remove residual amounts of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanone oxime, the improvement consisting of heating at least a portion of said recycled liquid at a temperature of at least 120.degree. c, in the presence of nitrous gases, and at an absolute pressure of over 1 atmosphere, after said recycled liquid has been discharged from zone (b) and before it is fed to the zone for the synthesis of hydroxy-ammonium salt (a). 2. the process according to claim 1, wherein 5 to 12% of the recycling liquid is subjected to said heat treatment, continuously. 3. in a cyclic process for producing cyclohexanone oxime, comprising recycling an acidic buffered aqueous reaction medium containing an ammonium salt as a buffer salt between a zone (a) for the synthesis of hydroxyl-ammonium salt, in which zone hydroxyl-ammonium ions are formed by catalytic reduction of nitrate ions and a zone (b) for the synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime, in which zone the resulting hydroxyl-ammonium ions react with cyclohexanone to form cyclohexanone oxime; wherein nitrate ions and cyclohexanone are fed to zones a and b, respectively, and wherein cyclohexanone oxime is discharged from zone (b); and wherein the said recycled reaction medium is treated after leaving zone (b) and before it is fed back into zone (a) to remove residual amounts of cyclohexanone and cyclohexanone oxime, the improvement consisting of heating at least a portion of said recycled liquid periodically at a temperature of at least 120.degree. c, in the presence of nitrous gases, and at an absolute pressure of over 1 atmosphere, after said recycled liquid has been discharged from zone (b) and before it is fed to the zone for the synthesis of hydroxy-ammonium salt (a). 4. the process according to claim 1, wherein said nitrous gases comprise a nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide, wherein said nitrogen monoxide is present in an amount ranging from between 0.4 to 2.5 moles per mole of nitrogen dioxide. 5. the process according to claim 1, wherein only a portion of said recycled liquid is subjected to said heating step. 6. the process according to claim 5, wherein 20% of said recycling liquid is subjected to the heating step. 7. the process according to claim 5, wherein said heating step is undertaken periodically in the continuous process of recycling said liquid. 8. the process according to claim 3, wherein the whole volume of the recycling liquid is subjected to said heating step.
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background of the invention the invention relates to a cyclic process for the preparation of cyclohexanone oxime from cyclohexanone and a hydroxyl-ammonium salt which includes the steps of preparing a solution of the required hydroxyl-ammonium salt and of reacting the hydroxyl-ammonium salt with cyclohexanone. british patent specification no. 1,283,894 discloses a process wherein a buffered aqueous reaction medium showing an acid reaction is recycled between (1) a zone for the synthesis of hydroxyl-ammonium ions by means of molecular hydrogen, and (2) a zone for the synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime, in which the resulting hydroxyl ammonium ions react with cyclohexanone to form cyclohexanone oxime. in this process the buffering action of the reaction medium is due to the presence of buffer acids and salts thereof, in the reaction medium, e.g., phosphoric acid and/or bisulphate as a buffer acid with a phosphate and/or sulphate, respectively, as a buffer salt. before the recycled aqueous reaction medium is passed into the zone for the synthesis of hydroxyl-ammonium salt, it is enriched with the required nitrate ions either by addition of nitric acid or by absorption of nitrous gases in the aqueous reaction medium, in which instance nitric acid is formed in situ. the catalyst used for the reduction of the nitrate ions is, for instance palladium or a palladium-platinum alloy, and the catalyst support is, for instance, carbon or aluminum oxide. the carrier is loaded with catalyst so that the supporting material contains, e.g., 5-20% by weight of catalyst. the aforementioned reference discloses that the activity of such a catalyst is adversely affected if the catalyst is contaminated with organic substances, such as the cyclohexanone to be converted or the cyclohexanone oxime product. to overcome this problem, the reference teaches reducing the total content of dissolved ketone and oxime in the recycling liquid to a value of at most 0.02% by weight by heating the recycling liquid at a temperature of at least 50.degree. c in the presence of nitrous gases, before the recycling liquid is passed into the zone for the synthesis of the hydroxyl-ammonium salt. the required amount of nitrous gases can then be adjusted by adding nitrous gases or an alkali nitrite to the recycling liquid. this known process for lowering the ketone and oxime content has the following drawbacks: 1. a large amount of recycling liquid per ton of final product must be subjected to said heat-treatment. 2. if an ammonium salt is used as a buffer salt in the recycling liquid, the ammonium-ion content may become too low, because the known reaction of ammonium ions with nitrous gases with simultaneous formation of nitrogen at a temperature of over about 40.degree. c appears to proceed at least equally as quickly as the reaction in which the catalyst poisons are rendered harmless. 3. as any hydroxyl-ammonium salt present during the heat-treatment may decompose, the overall process efficiency in using an excess amount of hydroxyl-ammonium salt in order to obtain cyclohexanone oxime with the lowest possible cyclohexanone content is not always controllable. summary of the invention it has now been found that the above drawbacks can be obviated, and yet the activity and selectivity of the catalyst can be retained, by heating and recycling liquid partly and/or periodically at a temperature of at least 120.degree. c and under pressure in contact with nitrous gases, before it is passed into the zone for the synthesis of hydroxyl-ammonium salt. if the heat treatment is applied to only part of the recycling liquid, e.g. 10%, at atmospheric pressure and at a lower temperature, e.g. 50.degree.-80.degree. c, (1) the desired effect of the improvement of the invention is not realized, and (2) reduction of the activity and selectivity of the catalyst to a considerable extent, apparently, occurs. examination of this adverse effect on the catalyst disclosed that the cyclohexanone oxime still contained in the untreated part of the recycling liquid is reduced to cyclohexylamine, which, when subjected to a heat treatment at a temperature of below 120.degree. c, decomposes and is converted into catalyst poisons. the relation between the temperature of the heat treatment in question and the cyclohexylamine content of an aqueous solution that is comparable to the recycling liquid is apparent from the results of a number of experiments at various temperatures, which are compiled in the table below. in each experiment nitrous gases (obtained by mixing 28 parts by volume of nitrogen monoxide and 72 parts by volume of air) were passed through 1500 grams of aqueous solution for about 2 hours at the rate of 7 liters per minute. the aqueous solution was contained in an autoclave under autogenous pressure (based on atmospheric pressure at room temperature) and contained 1 mole of orthophosphoric acid, 1.1 moles of mono-ammonium phosphate, 2 moles of ammonium nitrate, and 0.4 gram of cyclohexyl amine per kilogram at the start of each experiment. the amount of nitrous gases passed through was considerably larger than was required for the decomposition of the ammonium ions according to the reaction: 2 nh.sub.4.sup.+ no + no.sub.2 .fwdarw. 2 n.sub.2 + 3 h.sub.2 o + 2 h.sup.+ in which the requred nitrogen dioxide was formed by oxidation of the nitrogen monoxide with the oxygen of the air in the nitrous gases used. table __________________________________________________________________________ cyclohexyl amine and catalyst poisons % of original formed therefrom, % of original amount amount of cyclo- temp. in % of original of cyclohexyl amine hexyl amine dis- in amount of cyclohexyl converted into dicar- charged as carbon .degree. c amine boxylic acids dioxide __________________________________________________________________________ 40 98 2 0 60 94 4.5 1.5 80 85 14 1 100 53 36 11 110 20 60 20 125 0 65 35 150 0 55 45 __________________________________________________________________________ as appears from the table, the cyclohexyl amine has completely decomposed at the temperatures 125.degree. and 150.degree. c. the carbon dioxide formed from the cyclohexyl amine is discharged as a gas, while the dicarboxylic acids formed from the cyclohexyl amine, together with the cyclohexanone oxime, are removed from the recycling liquid by extraction. thus, it is an object of the invention to remove from the reaction medium those organic substances which will contaminate the catalyst employed to reduce the nitrate ions. detailed description of the invention the chemical reactions taking place during the successive steps of the process for the preparation of cyclohexanone oxime wherein the reaction medium comprises a solution containing phosphoric acid, are as follows: 1. formation of hydroxyl-ammonium salt in the hydroxyl-ammonium salt synthesis zone: 2 h.sub.3 po.sub.4 + no.sub.3.sup.- + 3 h.sub.2 .fwdarw. nh.sub.3 oh.sup.+ + 2 h.sub.2 po.sub.4.sup.- + h.sub.2 o 2. formation of cyclohexanone oxime in the oximation zone: ##str1## 3. make-up, in the form of hno.sub.3, of nitrate ions consumed, after the oxime formed has been separated from the reaction mixture: h.sub.3 po.sub.4 + h.sub.2 po.sub.4.sup.- + hno.sub.3 .fwdarw. 2 h.sub.3 po.sub.4 + no.sub.3.sup.- the cyclic process for the preparation of oximes from hydroxylamine of a hydroxyl-ammonium salt is carried out in an acidic, buffered, aqueous reaction medium containing buffer acids such as phosphoric acid, bisulfate or buffer salts derived from these acids and mixtures thereof. the reaction medium is circulated between a hydroxyl-ammonium salt synthesis zone, where nitrate ions, which have been added to the reaction medium, are catalytically reduced with molecular h.sub.2 to hydroxylamine, and an oximation zone where a ketone is added to react with the hydroxyl-ammonium salt to produce an oxime. the nitrate ions consumed in the hydroxyl-ammonium synthesis zone are added to the circulating reaction medium just before the reaction medium is introduced into the hydroxyl-ammonium salt synthesis zone. the nitrate ions are generally added in the form of nitric acid of approximately 60 weight percent. the nitrate ions in the hydroxylamine synthesis zone are first converted into hydroxylamine which in turn reacts with the available buffer acid in the reaction medium, forming the corresponding hydroxyl-ammonium salt. the resulting solution obtained, containing hydroxyl-ammonium salt, is withdrawn from the hydroxylamine synthesis zone and circulated to the oximation zone, where the hydroxyl-ammonium salt, together with a ketone, which is also fed to the oximation zone, forms the corresponding oxime, with liberation of acid. the oxime is removed from the oxime synthesis zone. the reaction medium withdrawn from the oxidation zone contains small amounts of oxime and ketone. this aqueous reaction medium is then returned to the hydroxylamine synthesis zone. following the make-up of hno.sub.3, a solution is again available which, after removal of both the water formed by the reaction and the water introduced with the nitric acid make-up, will, theoretically, have the same composition as the initial solution used for the formation of hydroxyl-ammonium salt. this solution is then circulated back to the hydroxylamine synthesis zone. the reduction of the nitrate ions in the hydroxylamine synthesis zone is accomplished in the presence of a catalyst; usually a palladium catalyst is used although a palladium-platinum alloy catalyst can be used. the palladium is suspended on a carrier material of carbon or aluminum oxide. the carrier material is usually loaded to a desired degree, for instance, 5-20 weight percent of palladium, based on the carrier. organic substances, such as the ketone which is to be converted into oxime, and the resulting oxime itself, have an adverse effect on the activity of the catalyst if allowed to come into contact with the catalyst. to prevent the catalyst from being poisoned by these compounds, the circulating reaction medium must be purged of the ketone and oxime contaminants prior to its entering the hydroxylamine synthesis zone. the ketone and oxime content of the reaction medium should preferably be reduced to a value of not more than 0.02% by weight before the reaction medium is recirculated to the hydroxylamine synthesis zone. the invention is directed to a cyclic process for undertaking those three reactions. the cyclic process of the invention is directed to an improvement in a process which comprises recycling an acidic aqueous buffer reaction medium which contains an ammonium salt as the buffer salt from a zone in which the step of catalytically reducing nitrate ions to hydroxyl-ammonium ions (the acid salt of hydroxylamine) is undertaken to a zone in which said hydroxyl ammonium ions react with cyclohexanone to form cyclohexanone oxime, wherein the required amount of nitrate (ions) and cyclohexanone are fed to the respective zones and wherein cyclohexanone oxime is discharged from the zone in which it is produced. the improvement of the invention comprises heating at least a portion of that liquid which is recycled between the two aforementioned zones to a temperature of at least 120.degree. c, at an absolute pressure which is greater than one pressure absolute and in the presence of nitrous gases, wherein heating is undertaken after the liquid has been discharged from the zone in which cyclohexanone oxime is synthesized and before the liquid is fed into that zone in which hydroxyl-ammonium salt is produced. this heating step can be undertaken periodically in the continuous process of recycling said liquid. the temperature in the hydroxylamine synthesis zone ranges from about 40.degree. to about 100.degree. c, while the temperature in the oxime synthesis zone ranges from 40.degree. to 90.degree. c. these two zones may be maintained at atmospheric, sub-atmospheric or at elevated pressures. the heat treatment according to the invention may be carried out at various temperatures over 120.degree. c. the heat treatment, in accordance with the invention, is undertaken at elevated pressure. the elevated pressure is chosen, in relation to the temperature of the heat treatment, to maintain the recycled liquid in the liquid state. as the temperature chosen for heat treatment increases, it is obvious that correspondingly higher pressures will have to be used in order to keep the recycling liquid to be treated in the liquid state. for practical purposes it suffices to use temperatures not exceeding 175.degree. c. at temperatures between 120.degree. and 175.degree. c the required pressure varies between about 1.1 and about 7 atmospheres gauge. periodic treatment of the whole volume of the recycling liquid in the process according to the invention has the drawback that the required composition of the total recycling liquid is changed intermittently, which renders undertaking the recycling of the liquid through the two zones in a continuous way more complex. thus, preferably part of the recycling liquid is always subjected to the heat treatment; e.g. 4-20% of the total recycling liquid. suitably, an amount of 5-12% of the total recycling liquid is subjected to the heat treatment of the invention. during the heat treatment according to the invention, the recycling liquid should be contacted with nitrous gases. the terminology "nitrous gases" here denotes gas containing nitrogen dioxide, in which the nitrogen dioxide can be formed in situ, e.g. from nitrogen monoxide and oxygen, and in which also an inert gas, such as, e.g., nitrogen, may be present. the nitrogen dioxide can optionally be admixed with nitrogen monoxide. preferably nitrous gases which contain 0.4 - 2.5 moles of nitrogen monoxide per mole of nitrogen dioxide are employed. a mixture of this type can be obtained by known methods by catalytic combustion of ammonia with air or by reaction of the acid, e.g. the acid recycling liquid, with an alkali nitrite. the amount of nitrous gases which is contacted with the recycling liquid to be treated should naturally be greater than the amount consumed in the decomposition of the ammonium ions according to the above-mentioned reaction equation. very suitable results can be obtained in practice if the partial nitrous pressure (sum of partial pressures of nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen monoxide) has a value which is higher than the nitrous-gas pressure of nitric acid at a temperature corresponding to the temperature at which the heat treatment is effected. at temperatures ranging between 120.degree. and 175.degree. c, this nitrous-gas pressure exceeds 0.15 atmosphere. an embodiment of the process according to the invention is shown in a simplified way in the drawing. description of the drawing in this figure, a and b denote the zone for the synthesis of hydroxyl-ammonium salt and the zone for the synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime, respectively. hydrogen is fed through conduit 1 to zone a, in which a catalyst containing palladium is suspended in the reaction medium. hydrogen that has not reacted and other vent gases, if any, are removed through conduit 2. through conduit 8, zone a is fed with the recycled reaction medium, which, after being enriched with hydroxyl-ammonium salt, is passed into zone b for the synthesis of cyclohexanone oxime through conduit 3. cyclohexanone, which can optionally be dissolved in an organic solvent which is a solvent for cyclohexanone and cyclohexanone oxime (e.g. toluene, benzene, xylenes, cyclohexane and methylcyclopentane), is fed to zone b through conduit 4, while the resulting cyclohexanone oxime, optionally in solution in the organic solvent, is discharged through conduit 5. the recycling liquid is returned to the zone a for the synthesis of hydroxylamine through conduits 6, 7 and 8. a part flow of the recycling process liquor is passed into a column c by way of control valve 14 and a conduit 9, and subsequently returned to the zone a for the synthesis of hydroxyl amine by way of conduit 10, reaction vessel d, a condensor 15, and conduit 8. nitrous gases are fed to the system through conduit 11. the greater part of the amount of nitrous gases fed in are passed through valve 11a and conduit 12 into absorption column c, where they are absorbed at a comparatively low temperature, e.g. 40.degree.-60.degree. c with simultaneous formation of nitric acid. the remaining part of the amount of nitrous gases supplied through conduit 11 is passed, via valve 11b, into reaction vessel d, which is kept at an absolute pressure of at least 1 atmosphere and a temperature of over 120.degree. c, e.g. 120.degree.-175.degree. c, and where the decomposition of the compounds that are poisonous to the catalyst is effected by the presence of nitrous gases. the amount of nitrous gases to be fed to the column c and the reaction vessel d can be controlled in a simple way by adjustment of the valves 11a and 11b. if so desired, the nitrous gases to be introduced into reaction vessel d may be absorbed separately, at a temperature below 60.degree. c, in liquid from absorption column c, and the liquid enriched with nitrous gases which is so obtained be passed into the reaction vessel d. this vessel may then be designed to have a smaller size. it is also possible to feed the total amount of nitrous gases to reaction vessel d. the amount of nitrous gases will then have to be such that a sufficiently large amount flows from reaction vessel d through conduit 12 to absorption column c in order to form the required amount of nitric acid. non-absorbed gases are discharged through reducing valve 13. the reaction products formed in reaction vessel d are mainly monocarboxylic and dicarboxylic acids which have no poisonous effect on the catalyst. the content of these compounds in the recycling liquid remains at a low level, as these compounds are largely removed through conduit 5 together with the cyclohexanone oxime formed. the invention is further elucidated by the following example. example in the continuous preparation of cyclohexanone oxime according to the diagram shown in the figure, in which the catalyst used in zone a was palladium on coal with 10% by weight of palladium, the composition of the liquid flowing through conduit 6 (at the rate of 16.7 kilograms per hour) was: h.sub.3 po.sub.4 = 1.13 moles per kilogram nh.sub.4 h.sub.2 po.sub.4 = 1.01 moles per kilogram nh.sub.4 no.sub.3 = 1.39 moles per kilogram (nh.sub.3 oh).sub.3 po.sub.4 = 0.02 mole per kilogram h.sub.2 o = 36.55 moles per kilogram the total amount of organic compounds contained in this liquid as impurities was 400 parts by weight per million, calculated as carbon. of the total amount, 1 p.p.m. related to cyclohexanone oxime, 17 p.p.m. to cyclohexylamine, 80 p.p.m. to carboxylic acids, and 302 p.p.m. to unknown amine compounds. an amount of about 6% of the liquid flow through conduit 6 was passed into absorption column c through control valve 14 and conduit 9, and subsequently into reaction vessel d by way of conduit 10. through conduit 11 and the opened valve 11b, 740 liters/h of nitrous gases were passed into reaction vessel d and, subsequently, through conduit 12, into absorption column c. the gas supplied through conduit 11 had an absolute pressure of 6-7 atmospheres and its composition was: 5.2% by volume of no 5.1% by volume of no.sub.2 10% by volume of o.sub.2 79.9% by volume of n.sub.2 the temperature in reaction vessel d was kept at 125.degree. c by means of steam heating (not shown). the temperature in absorption column c was kept at about 40.degree. c by means of a cooler (not shown). the absolute pressure in columns d and c was 6-7 atmospheres. the vent gas discharged through reducing valve 13 had the composition: 0.1% by volume of no 0.005% by volume of n.sub.2 o 6.1% by volume of o.sub.2 6.2% by volume of h.sub.2 o 87.6% by volume of n.sub.2 the liquid discharged from reaction vessel d through conduit 8 contained: h.sub.2 o = 23 moles per kilogram hno.sub.3 = 6.15 moles per kilogram h.sub.3 po.sub.4 = 1.01 moles per kilogram in addition, this liquid contained 260 p.p.m. of organic compounds (calculated as carbon), 258 p.p.m. of which in the form of harmless carboxylic acids. cyclohexanone oxime and cyclohexylamine could no longer be detected in this liquid.
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011-888-530-032-493
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US
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[
"US"
] |
A61B5/1495,A61B5/00,A61B5/145,G16Z99/00,A61B5/1473,G01N33/48,G01D18/00,G16H40/40,G16H40/63,G16H15/00
| 2007-05-14T00:00:00 |
2007
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[
"A61",
"G16",
"G01"
] |
method and apparatus for providing data processing and control in a medical communication system
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methods and apparatus for providing data processing and control for use in a medical communication system are provided.
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1 . (canceled) 2 . a method for calibrating sensor data generated by a continuous analyte sensor, comprising: generating sensor data using a continuous analyte sensor; iteratively determining, with an electronic device, a sensitivity value of the continuous analyte sensor as a function of time by applying a priori information comprising sensor sensitivity information; and calibrating the sensor data based at least in part on the determined sensitivity value. 3 . the method of claim 2 , wherein calibrating the sensor data is performed iteratively throughout a substantially entire sensor session. 4 . the method of claim 2 , wherein iteratively determining a sensitivity value is performed at regular intervals or performed at irregular intervals, as determined by the a priori information. 5 . the method of claim 2 , wherein iteratively determining a sensitivity value is performed throughout a substantially entire sensor session. 6 . the method of claim 2 , wherein determining a sensitivity value is performed in substantially real time. 7 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the a priori information is associated with at least one predetermined sensitivity value that is associated with a predetermined time after start of a sensor session. 8 . the method of claim 7 , wherein the at least one predetermined sensitivity value is associated with a correlation between a sensitivity determined from in vitro analyte concentration measurements and a sensitivity determined from in vivo analyte concentration measurements at the predetermined time. 9 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the a priori information is associated with a predetermined sensitivity function that uses time as input. 10 . the method of claim 9 , wherein time corresponds to time after start of a sensor session. 11 . the method of claim 9 , wherein time corresponds to at least one of time of manufacture or time since manufacture. 12 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the sensitivity value of the continuous analyte sensor is also a function of at least one other parameter. 13 . the method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one other parameter is selected from the group consisting of: temperature, an analyte concentration of a fluid surrounding the continuous analyte sensor during startup of the sensor, and combinations thereof. 14 . the method of claim 2 , wherein calibrating the sensor data is performed without using reference blood glucose data. 15 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the a priori information is associated with a calibration code. 16 . the method of claim 2 , wherein the a priori sensitivity information is stored in the sensor electronics prior to use of the sensor. 17 . a method for calibrating sensor data generated by a continuous analyte sensor, the method comprising: generating sensor data using a continuous analyte sensor; determining, with an electronic device, a plurality of different sensitivity values of the continuous analyte sensor as a function of time and of sensitivity information associated with a priori information; and calibrating the sensor data based at least in part on at least one of the plurality of different sensitivity values. 18 . the method of claim 17 , wherein calibrating the continuous analyte sensor is performed iteratively throughout a substantially entire sensor session. 19 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of different sensitivity values are stored in a lookup table in computer memory. 20 . the method of claim 17 , wherein determining a plurality of different sensitivity values is performed once throughout a substantially entire sensor session. 21 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the a priori information is associated with at least one predetermined sensitivity value that is associated with a predetermined time after start of a sensor session. 22 . the method of 21 , wherein the at least one predetermined sensitivity value is associated with a correlation between a sensitivity determined from in vitro analyte concentration measurements and a sensitivity determined from in vivo analyte concentration measurements at the predetermined time. 23 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the a priori information is associated with a predetermined sensitivity function that uses time as input. 24 . the method of claim 17 , wherein time corresponds to time after start of a sensor session. 25 . the method of claim 17 , wherein time corresponds to time of manufacture or time since manufacture. 26 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of sensitivity values are also a function of at least one parameter other than time. 27 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one other parameter is selected from the group consisting of: temperature, an analyte concentration of a fluid surrounding the continuous analyte sensor during startup of the sensor, and combinations thereof. 28 . the method of claim 17 , wherein calibrating the continuous analyte sensor is performed without using reference blood glucose data. 29 . the method of claim 17 , wherein the a priori information is associated with a calibration code. 30 . a method for processing data from a continuous analyte sensor, the method comprising: receiving, with an electronic device, sensor data from a continuous analyte sensor, the sensor data comprising at least one sensor data point; iteratively determining a sensitivity value of the continuous analyte sensor as a function of time and of an at least one predetermined sensitivity value associated with a predetermined time after start of a sensor session; forming a conversion function based at least in part on the sensitivity value; and determining an analyte output value by applying the conversion function to the at least one sensor data point. 31 . the method of claim 30 , wherein iteratively determining a sensitivity of the continuous analyte sensor is performed continuously. 32 . the method of claim 30 , wherein iteratively determining a sensitivity is performed in substantially real time. 33 . the method of claim 30 , wherein the at least one predetermined sensitivity value is set at a manufacturing facility for the continuous analyte sensor. 34 . the method of claim 30 , further comprising: receiving at least one calibration code; and applying the at least one calibration code to the electronic device at a predetermined time after start of the sensor session. 35 . the method of claim 34 , wherein iteratively determining a sensitivity is performed at regular intervals or performed at irregular intervals, as determined by the at least one calibration code. 36 . the method of claim 35 , wherein the at least one calibration code is associated with the at least one predetermined sensitivity. 37 . the method of claim 35 , wherein the at least one calibration code is associated with a predetermined sensitivity function that uses time of the function of time as input. 38 . the method of claim 30 , wherein time corresponds to time after start of the sensor session. 39 . the method of claim 30 , wherein time corresponds to time of manufacture or time since manufacture. 40 . the method of claim 30 , wherein the sensitivity value of the continuous analyte sensor is also a function of at least one other parameter. 41 . the method of claim 40 , wherein the at least one other parameter is selected from the group consisting of: temperature, an analyte concentration of a fluid surrounding the continuous analyte sensor during startup of the sensor, and combinations thereof. 42 . a method for calibrating a continuous analyte sensor, the method comprising: receiving sensor data from a continuous analyte sensor; forming or receiving a predetermined sensitivity profile corresponding to a change in sensor sensitivity to an analyte over a substantially entire sensor session, wherein the predetermined sensitivity profile is a function of at least one predetermined sensitivity value associated with a predetermined time after start of the sensor session; and applying, with an electronic device, the sensitivity profile in real-time calibrations. 43 . the method of claim 42 , wherein the at least one predetermined sensitivity value, the predetermined sensitivity profile, or both are set at a manufacturing facility for the continuous analyte sensor. 44 . the method of claim 42 , further comprising: receiving at least one calibration code; and applying the at least one calibration code to the electronic device at a predetermined time after start of the sensor session. 45 . the method of claim 44 , wherein the at least one calibration code is associated with the at least one predetermined sensitivity. 46 . the method of claim 44 , wherein the at least one calibration code is associated with a predetermined sensitivity function that uses time as input. 47 . the method of claim 42 , wherein the sensitivity profile is a function of time. 48 . the method of claim 47 , wherein time corresponds to time after start of the sensor session. 49 . the method of claim 47 , wherein time corresponds to time of manufacture or time since manufacture. 50 . the method of claim 42 , wherein the sensitivity value is a function of time, the predetermined sensitivity value, and at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of: temperature, an analyte concentration of a fluid surrounding the continuous analyte sensor during startup of the sensor, and combinations thereof. 51 . a method for processing data from a continuous analyte sensor, the method comprising: receiving, with an electronic device, sensor data from a continuous analyte sensor, the sensor data comprising at least one sensor data point; receiving or forming a sensitivity profile corresponding to a change in sensor sensitivity over a substantially entire sensor session; forming a conversion function based at least in part on the sensitivity profile; and determining an analyte output value by applying the conversion function to the at least one sensor data point. 52 . the method of claim 51 , wherein the sensitivity profile is set at a manufacturing facility for the continuous analyte sensor. 53 . the method of claim 51 , further comprising: receiving at least one calibration code; and applying the at least one calibration code to the electronic device at a predetermined time after start of the sensor session. 54 . the method of claim 53 , wherein the at least one calibration code is associated with the at least one predetermined sensitivity. 55 . the method of claim 53 , wherein the at least one calibration code is associated with the sensitivity profile. 56 . the method of claim 51 , wherein the sensitivity profile is a function of time. 57 . the method of claim 56 , wherein time corresponds to time after start of the sensor session. 58 . the method of claim 56 , wherein time corresponds to time of manufacture or time since manufacture. 59 . the method of claim 51 , wherein the sensitivity is a function of time and at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of: temperature, an analyte concentration of a fluid surrounding the continuous analyte sensor during startup of the sensor, and combinations thereof.
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related applications the present application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/152,648 filed may 14, 2008, which claims priority to u.s. provisional application no. 60/917,850 filed may 14, 2007, entitled “method and apparatus for providing data processing and control in a medical communication system”, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. background analyte, e.g., glucose monitoring systems including continuous and discrete monitoring systems generally include a small, lightweight battery powered and microprocessor controlled system which is configured to detect signals proportional to the corresponding measured glucose levels using an electrometer, and rf signals to transmit the collected data. one aspect of certain analyte monitoring systems include a transcutaneous or subcutaneous analyte sensor configuration which is, for example, partially mounted on the skin of a subject whose analyte level is to be monitored. the sensor cell may use a two or three-electrode (work, reference and counter electrodes) configuration driven by a controlled potential (potentiostat) analog circuit connected through a contact system. the analyte sensor may be configured so that a portion thereof is placed under the skin of the patient so as to detect the analyte levels of the patient, and another portion of segment of the analyte sensor that is in communication with the transmitter unit. the transmitter unit is configured to transmit the analyte levels detected by the sensor over a wireless communication link such as an rf (radio frequency) communication link to a receiver/monitor unit. the receiver/monitor unit performs data analysis, among others on the received analyte levels to generate information pertaining to the monitored analyte levels. to provide flexibility in analyte sensor manufacturing and/or design, among others, tolerance of a larger range of the analyte sensor sensitivities for processing by the transmitter unit is desirable. in view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to have a method and system for providing data processing and control for use in medical telemetry systems such as, for example, analyte monitoring systems. summary in one embodiment, method and apparatus for receiving a calibration parameter to calibrate an in vivo analyte sensor, determining a sensitivity value associated with the received calibration parameter, retrieving a prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor, and determining a composite sensitivity for the analyte sensor based on one or more of the calibration parameter received, the determined sensitivity value and the retrieved prior sensitivity value, is disclosed. these and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a data monitoring and management system for practicing one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; fig. 2 is a block diagram of the transmitter unit of the data monitoring and management system shown in fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 3 is a block diagram of the receiver/monitor unit of the data monitoring and management system shown in fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; figs. 4a-4b illustrate a perspective view and a cross sectional view, respectively of an analyte sensor in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 5 is a flowchart illustrating ambient temperature compensation routine for determining on-skin temperature information in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 6 is a flowchart illustrating digital anti-aliasing filtering routing in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating actual or potential sensor insertion or removal detection routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating receiver unit processing corresponding to the actual or potential sensor insertion or removal detection routine of fig. 7 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating data processing corresponding to the actual or potential sensor insertion or removal detection routine in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a concurrent passive notification routine in the data receiver/monitor unit of the data monitoring and management system of fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a data quality verification routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a rate variance filtering routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a composite sensor sensitivity determination routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an outlier data point verification routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a sensor stability verification routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 16 illustrates analyte sensor code determination in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 17 illustrates an early user notification function associated with the analyte sensor condition in one aspect of the present disclosure; fig. 18 illustrates uncertainty estimation associated with glucose level rate of change determination in one aspect of the present disclosure; fig. 19 illustrates glucose trend determination in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure; and fig. 20 illustrates glucose trend determination in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. detailed description as described in further detail below, in accordance with the various embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a method and apparatus for providing data processing and control for use in a medical telemetry system. in particular, within the scope of the present disclosure, there are provided method and system for providing data communication and control for use in a medical telemetry system such as, for example, a continuous glucose monitoring system. fig. 1 illustrates a data monitoring and management system such as, for example, analyte (e.g., glucose) monitoring system 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. the subject invention is further described primarily with respect to a glucose monitoring system for convenience and such description is in no way intended to limit the scope of the invention. it is to be understood that the analyte monitoring system may be configured to monitor a variety of analytes, e.g., lactate, and the like. analytes that may be monitored include, for example, acetyl choline, amylase, bilirubin, cholesterol, chorionic gonadotropin, creatine kinase (e.g., ck-mb), creatine, dna, fructosamine, glucose, glutamine, growth hormones, hormones, ketones, lactate, peroxide, prostate-specific antigen, prothrombin, rna, thyroid stimulating hormone, and troponin. the concentration of drugs, such as, for example, antibiotics (e.g., gentamicin, vancomycin, and the like), digitoxin, digoxin, drugs of abuse, theophylline, and warfarin, may also be monitored. the analyte monitoring system 100 includes a sensor unit 101 , a transmitter unit 102 coupled to the sensor 101 , and a primary receiver unit 104 which is configured to communicate with the transmitter unit 102 via a communication link 103 . the primary receiver unit 104 may be further configured to transmit data to a data processing terminal 105 for evaluating the data received by the primary receiver unit 104 . moreover, the data processing terminal in one embodiment may be configured to receive data directly from the transmitter unit 102 via a communication link which may optionally be configured for bi-directional communication. also shown in fig. 1 is a secondary receiver unit 106 which is operatively coupled to the communication link 103 and configured to receive data transmitted from the transmitter unit 102 . moreover, as shown in the figure, the secondary receiver unit 106 is configured to communicate with the primary receiver unit 104 as well as the data processing terminal 105 . indeed, the secondary receiver unit 106 may be configured for bi-directional wireless communication with each of the primary receiver unit 104 and the data processing terminal 105 . as discussed in further detail below, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the secondary receiver unit 106 may be configured to include a limited number of functions and features as compared with the primary receiver unit 104 . as such, the secondary receiver unit 106 may be configured substantially in a smaller compact housing or embodied in a device such as a wrist watch, for example. alternatively, the secondary receiver unit 106 may be configured with the same or substantially similar functionality as the primary receiver unit 104 , and may be configured to be used in conjunction with a docking cradle unit for placement by bedside, for night time monitoring, and/or bi-directional communication device. only one sensor 101 , transmitter unit 102 , communication link 103 , and data processing terminal 105 are shown in the embodiment of the analyte monitoring system 100 illustrated in fig. 1 . however, it will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the analyte monitoring system 100 may include one or more sensor 101 , transmitter unit 102 , communication link 103 , and data processing terminal 105 . moreover, within the scope of the present disclosure, the analyte monitoring system 100 may be a continuous monitoring system, or semi-continuous, or a discrete monitoring system. in a multi-component environment, each device is configured to be uniquely identified by each of the other devices in the system so that communication conflict is readily resolved between the various components within the analyte monitoring system 100 . in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor 101 is physically positioned in or on the body of a user whose analyte level is being monitored. the sensor 101 may be configured to continuously sample the analyte level of the user and convert the sampled analyte level into a corresponding data signal for transmission by the transmitter unit 102 . in one embodiment, the transmitter unit 102 is coupled to the sensor 101 so that both devices are positioned on the user's body, with at least a portion of the analyte sensor 101 positioned transcutaneously under the skin layer of the user. the transmitter unit 102 performs data processing such as filtering and encoding on data signals, each of which corresponds to a sampled analyte level of the user, for transmission to the primary receiver unit 104 via the communication link 103 . in one embodiment, the analyte monitoring system 100 is configured as a one-way rf communication path from the transmitter unit 102 to the primary receiver unit 104 . in such embodiment, the transmitter unit 102 transmits the sampled data signals received from the sensor 101 without acknowledgement from the primary receiver unit 104 that the transmitted sampled data signals have been received. for example, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to transmit the encoded sampled data signals at a fixed rate (e.g., at one minute intervals) after the completion of the initial power on procedure. likewise, the primary receiver unit 104 may be configured to detect such transmitted encoded sampled data signals at predetermined time intervals. alternatively, the analyte monitoring system 100 may be configured with a bi-directional rf (or otherwise) communication between the transmitter unit 102 and the primary receiver unit 104 . additionally, in one aspect, the primary receiver unit 104 may include two sections. the first section is an analog interface section that is configured to communicate with the transmitter unit 102 via the communication link 103 . in one embodiment, the analog interface section may include an rf receiver and an antenna for receiving and amplifying the data signals from the transmitter unit 102 , which are thereafter, demodulated with a local oscillator and filtered through a band-pass filter. the second section of the primary receiver unit 104 is a data processing section which is configured to process the data signals received from the transmitter unit 102 such as by performing data decoding, error detection and correction, data clock generation, and data bit recovery. in operation, upon completing the power-on procedure, the primary receiver unit 104 is configured to detect the presence of the transmitter unit 102 within its range based on, for example, the strength of the detected data signals received from the transmitter unit 102 or a predetermined transmitter identification information. upon successful synchronization with the corresponding transmitter unit 102 , the primary receiver unit 104 is configured to begin receiving from the transmitter unit 102 data signals corresponding to the user's detected analyte level. more specifically, the primary receiver unit 104 in one embodiment is configured to perform synchronized time hopping with the corresponding synchronized transmitter unit 102 via the communication link 103 to obtain the user's detected analyte level. referring again to fig. 1 , the data processing terminal 105 may include a personal computer, a portable computer such as a laptop or a handheld device (e.g., personal digital assistants (pdas)), and the like, each of which may be configured for data communication with the receiver via a wired or a wireless connection. additionally, the data processing terminal 105 may further be connected to a data network (not shown) for storing, retrieving and updating data corresponding to the detected analyte level of the user. within the scope of the present disclosure, the data processing terminal 105 may include an infusion device such as an insulin infusion pump or the like, which may be configured to administer insulin to patients, and which may be configured to communicate with the receiver unit 104 for receiving, among others, the measured analyte level. alternatively, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to integrate an infusion device therein so that the receiver unit 104 is configured to administer insulin therapy to patients, for example, for administering and modifying basal profiles, as well as for determining appropriate boluses for administration based on, among others, the detected analyte levels received from the transmitter unit 102 . additionally, the transmitter unit 102 , the primary receiver unit 104 and the data processing terminal 105 may each be configured for bi-directional wireless communication such that each of the transmitter unit 102 , the primary receiver unit 104 and the data processing terminal 105 may be configured to communicate (that is, transmit data to and receive data from) with each other via a wireless communication link. more specifically, the data processing terminal 105 may in one embodiment be configured to receive data directly from the transmitter unit 102 via a communication link, where the communication link, as described above, may be configured for bi-directional communication. in this embodiment, the data processing terminal 105 which may include an insulin pump, may be configured to receive the analyte signals from the transmitter unit 102 , and thus, incorporate the functions of the receiver 104 including data processing for managing the patient's insulin therapy and analyte monitoring. in one embodiment, the communication link 103 may include one or more of an rf communication protocol, an infrared communication protocol, a bluetooth® enabled communication protocol, an 802.11x wireless communication protocol, a zigbee transmission protocol, or an equivalent wireless communication protocol which would allow secure, wireless communication of several units (for example, per hipaa requirements) while avoiding potential data collision and interference. fig. 2 is a block diagram of the transmitter of the data monitoring and detection system shown in fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to the figure, the transmitter unit 102 in one embodiment includes an analog interface 201 configured to communicate with the sensor 101 ( fig. 1 ), a user input 202 , and a temperature detection section 203 , each of which is operatively coupled to a transmitter processor 204 such as a central processing unit (cpu). further shown in fig. 2 are a transmitter serial communication section 205 and an rf transmitter 206 , each of which is also operatively coupled to the transmitter processor 204 . moreover, a power supply 207 such as a battery is also provided in the transmitter unit 102 to provide the necessary power for the transmitter unit 102 . additionally, as can be seen from the figure, clock 208 is provided to, among others, supply real time information to the transmitter processor 204 . as can be seen from fig. 2 , the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) is provided four contacts, three of which are electrodes—work electrode (w) 210 , guard contact (g) 211 , reference electrode (r) 212 , and counter electrode (c) 213 , each operatively coupled to the analog interface 201 of the transmitter unit 102 . in one embodiment, each of the work electrode (w) 210 , guard contact (g) 211 , reference electrode (r) 212 , and counter electrode (c) 213 may be made using a conductive material that is either printed or etched, for example, such as carbon which may be printed, or metal foil (e.g., gold) which may be etched, or alternatively provided on a substrate material using laser or photolithography. in one embodiment, a unidirectional input path is established from the sensor 101 ( fig. 1 ) and/or manufacturing and testing equipment to the analog interface 201 of the transmitter unit 102 , while a unidirectional output is established from the output of the rf transmitter 206 of the transmitter unit 102 for transmission to the primary receiver unit 104 . in this manner, a data path is shown in fig. 2 between the aforementioned unidirectional input and output via a dedicated link 209 from the analog interface 201 to serial communication section 205 , thereafter to the processor 204 , and then to the rf transmitter 206 . as such, in one embodiment, via the data path described above, the transmitter unit 102 is configured to transmit to the primary receiver unit 104 ( fig. 1 ), via the communication link 103 ( fig. 1 ), processed and encoded data signals received from the sensor 101 ( fig. 1 ). additionally, the unidirectional communication data path between the analog interface 201 and the rf transmitter 206 discussed above allows for the configuration of the transmitter unit 102 for operation upon completion of the manufacturing process as well as for direct communication for diagnostic and testing purposes. as discussed above, the transmitter processor 204 is configured to transmit control signals to the various sections of the transmitter unit 102 during the operation of the transmitter unit 102 . in one embodiment, the transmitter processor 204 also includes a memory (not shown) for storing data such as the identification information for the transmitter unit 102 , as well as the data signals received from the sensor 101 . the stored information may be retrieved and processed for transmission to the primary receiver unit 104 under the control of the transmitter processor 204 . furthermore, the power supply 207 may include a commercially available battery. the transmitter unit 102 is also configured such that the power supply section 207 is capable of providing power to the transmitter for a minimum of about three months of continuous operation after having been stored for about eighteen months in a low-power (non-operating in low power modes in the non-operating state, for example, drawing no more than approximately 1 μa of current. indeed, in one embodiment, the final step during the manufacturing process of the transmitter unit 102 may place the transmitter unit 102 in the lower power, non-operating state (i.e., post-manufacture sleep mode). in this manner, the shelf life of the transmitter unit 102 may be significantly improved. moreover, as shown in fig. 2 , while the power supply unit 207 is shown as coupled to the processor 204 , and as such, the processor 204 is configured to provide control of the power supply unit 207 , it should be noted that within the scope of the present disclosure, the power supply unit 207 is configured to provide the necessary power to each of the components of the transmitter unit 102 shown in fig. 2 . referring back to fig. 2 , the power supply section 207 of the transmitter unit 102 in one embodiment may include a rechargeable battery unit that may be recharged by a separate power supply recharging unit (for example, provided in the receiver unit 104 ) so that the transmitter unit 102 may be powered for a longer period of usage time. moreover, in one embodiment, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured without a battery in the power supply section 207 , in which case the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to receive power from an external power supply source (for example, a battery) as discussed in further detail below. referring yet again to fig. 2 , the temperature detection section 203 of the transmitter unit 102 is configured to monitor the temperature of the skin near the sensor insertion site. the temperature reading is used to adjust the analyte readings obtained from the analog interface 201 . the rf transmitter 206 of the transmitter unit 102 may be configured for operation in the frequency band of 315 mhz to 322 mhz, for example, in the united states. further, in one embodiment, the rf transmitter 206 is configured to modulate the carrier frequency by performing frequency shift keying and manchester encoding. in one embodiment, the data transmission rate is 19,200 symbols per second, with a minimum transmission range for communication with the primary receiver unit 104 . referring yet again to fig. 2 , also shown is a leak detection circuit 214 coupled to the guard contact (g) 211 and the processor 204 in the transmitter unit 102 of the data monitoring and management system 100 . the leak detection circuit 214 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure may be configured to detect leakage current in the sensor 101 to determine whether the measured sensor data is corrupt or whether the measured data from the sensor 101 is accurate. fig. 3 is a block diagram of the receiver/monitor unit of the data monitoring and management system shown in fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 3 , the primary receiver unit 104 includes a blood glucose test strip interface 301 , an rf receiver 302 , a user input 303 , a temperature detection section 304 , and a clock 305 , each of which is operatively coupled to a receiver processor 307 . as can be further seen from the figure, the primary receiver unit 104 also includes a power supply 306 operatively coupled to a power conversion and monitoring section 308 . further, the power conversion and monitoring section 308 is also coupled to the receiver processor 307 . moreover, also shown are a receiver serial communication section 309 , and an output 310 , each operatively coupled to the receiver processor 307 . in one embodiment, the test strip interface 301 includes a glucose level testing portion to receive a manual insertion of a glucose test strip, and thereby determine and display the glucose level of the test strip on the output 310 of the primary receiver unit 104 . this manual testing of glucose can be used to calibrate sensor 101 . the rf receiver 302 is configured to communicate, via the communication link 103 ( fig. 1 ) with the rf transmitter 206 of the transmitter unit 102 , to receive encoded data signals from the transmitter unit 102 for, among others, signal mixing, demodulation, and other data processing. the input 303 of the primary receiver unit 104 is configured to allow the user to enter information into the primary receiver unit 104 as needed. in one aspect, the input 303 may include one or more keys of a keypad, a touch-sensitive screen, or a voice-activated input command unit. the temperature detection section 304 is configured to provide temperature information of the primary receiver unit 104 to the receiver processor 307 , while the clock 305 provides, among others, real time information to the receiver processor 307 . each of the various components of the primary receiver unit 104 shown in fig. 3 is powered by the power supply 306 which, in one embodiment, includes a battery. furthermore, the power conversion and monitoring section 308 is configured to monitor the power usage by the various components in the primary receiver unit 104 for effective power management and to alert the user, for example, in the event of power usage which renders the primary receiver unit 104 in sub-optimal operating conditions. an example of such sub-optimal operating condition may include, for example, operating the vibration output mode (as discussed below) for a period of time thus substantially draining the power supply 306 while the processor 307 (thus, the primary receiver unit 104 ) is turned on. moreover, the power conversion and monitoring section 308 may additionally be configured to include a reverse polarity protection circuit such as a field effect transistor (fet) configured as a battery activated switch. the serial communication section 309 in the primary receiver unit 104 is configured to provide a bi-directional communication path from the testing and/or manufacturing equipment for, among others, initialization, testing, and configuration of the primary receiver unit 104 . serial communication section 309 can also be used to upload data to a computer, such as time-stamped blood glucose data. the communication link with an external device (not shown) can be made, for example, by cable, infrared (ir) or rf link. the output 310 of the primary receiver unit 104 is configured to provide, among others, a graphical user interface (gui) such as a liquid crystal display (lcd) for displaying information. additionally, the output 310 may also include an integrated speaker for outputting audible signals as well as to provide vibration output as commonly found in handheld electronic devices, such as mobile telephones presently available. in a further embodiment, the primary receiver unit 104 also includes an electro-luminescent lamp configured to provide backlighting to the output 310 for output visual display in dark ambient surroundings. referring back to fig. 3 , the primary receiver unit 104 in one embodiment may also include a storage section such as a programmable, non-volatile memory device as part of the processor 307 , or provided separately in the primary receiver unit 104 , operatively coupled to the processor 307 . the processor 307 is further configured to perform manchester decoding as well as error detection and correction upon the encoded data signals received from the transmitter unit 102 via the communication link 103 . in a further embodiment, the one or more of the transmitter unit 102 , the primary receiver unit 104 , secondary receiver unit 106 , or the data processing terminal/infusion section 105 may be configured to receive the blood glucose value wirelessly over a communication link from, for example, a glucose meter. in still a further embodiment, the user or patient manipulating or using the analyte monitoring system 100 ( fig. 1 ) may manually input the blood glucose value using, for example, a user interface (for example, a keyboard, keypad, and the like) incorporated in the one or more of the transmitter unit 102 , the primary receiver unit 104 , secondary receiver unit 106 , or the data processing terminal/infusion section 105 . additional detailed description of the continuous analyte monitoring system, and it's various components including the functional descriptions of the transmitter are provided in u.s. pat. no. 6,175,752 issued jan. 16, 2001 entitled “analyte monitoring device and methods of use”, and in application ser. no. 10/745,878 filed dec. 26, 2003 entitled “continuous glucose monitoring system and methods of use”, each assigned to the assignee of the present application, and each of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. figs. 4a-4b illustrate a perspective view and a cross sectional view, respectively of an analyte sensor in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 4a , a perspective view of a sensor 400 , the major portion of which is above the surface of the skin 410 , with an insertion tip 430 penetrating through the skin and into the subcutaneous space 420 in contact with the user's biofluid such as interstitial fluid. contact portions of a working electrode 401 , a reference electrode 402 , and a counter electrode 403 can be seen on the portion of the sensor 400 situated above the skin surface 410 . working electrode 401 , a reference electrode 402 , and a counter electrode 403 can be seen at the end of the insertion tip 430 . referring now to fig. 4b , a cross sectional view of the sensor 400 in one embodiment is shown. in particular, it can be seen that the various electrodes of the sensor 400 as well as the substrate and the dielectric layers are provided in a stacked or layered configuration or construction. for example, as shown in fig. 4b , in one aspect, the sensor 400 (such as the sensor unit 101 fig. 1 ), includes a substrate layer 404 , and a first conducting layer 401 such as a carbon trace disposed on at least a portion of the substrate layer 404 , and which may comprise the working electrode. also shown disposed on at least a portion of the first conducting layer 401 is a sensing layer 408 . referring back to fig. 4b , a first insulation layer such as a first dielectric layer 405 is disposed or stacked on at least a portion of the first conducting layer 401 , and further, a second conducting layer 409 such as another carbon trace may be disposed or stacked on top of at least a portion of the first insulation layer (or dielectric layer) 405 . as shown in fig. 4b , the second conducting layer 409 may comprise the reference electrode 402 , and in one aspect, may include a layer of silver/silver chloride (ag/agcl). referring still again to fig. 4b , a second insulation layer 406 such as a dielectric layer in one embodiment may be disposed or stacked on at least a portion of the second conducting layer 409 . further, a third conducting layer 403 which may include carbon trace and that may comprise the counter electrode 403 may in one embodiment be disposed on at least a portion of the second insulation layer 406 . finally, a third insulation layer is disposed or stacked on at least a portion of the third conducting layer 403 . in this manner, the sensor 400 may be configured in a stacked or layered construction or configuration such that at least a portion of each of the conducting layers is separated by a respective insulation layer (for example, a dielectric layer). additionally, within the scope of the present disclosure, some or all of the electrodes 401 , 402 , 403 may be provided on the same side of the substrate 404 in a stacked construction as described above, or alternatively, may be provided in a co-planar manner such that each electrode is disposed on the same plane on the substrate 404 , however, with a dielectric material or insulation material disposed between the conducting layers/electrodes. furthermore, in still another aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more conducting layers such as the electrodes 401 , 402 , 403 may be disposed on opposing sides of the substrate 404 . referring back to the figures, in one embodiment, the transmitter unit 102 ( fig. 1 ) is configured to detect the current signal from the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) and the skin temperature near the sensor unit 101 , which are preprocessed by, for example, the transmitter processor 204 ( fig. 2 ) and transmitted to the receiver unit (for example, the primary receiver unit 104 ( fig. 1 )) periodically at a predetermined time interval, such as for example, but not limited to, once per minute, once every two minutes, once every five minutes, or once every ten minutes. additionally, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to perform sensor insertion detection and data quality analysis, information pertaining to which are also transmitted to the receiver unit 104 periodically at the predetermined time interval. in turn, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to perform, for example, skin temperature compensation as well as calibration of the sensor data received from the transmitter 102 . for example, in one aspect, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to oversample the sensor signal at a nominal rate of four samples per second, which allows the analyte anti-aliasing filter in the transmitter unit 102 to attenuate noise (for example, due to effects resulting from motion or movement of the sensor after placement) at frequencies above 2 hz. more specifically, in one embodiment, the transmitter processor 204 may be configured to include a digital filter to reduce aliasing noise when decimating the four hz sampled sensor data to once per minute samples for transmission to the receiver unit 104 . as discussed in further detail below, in one aspect, a two stage kaiser fir filter may be used to perform the digital filtering for anti-aliasing. while kaiser fir filter may be used for digital filtering of the sensor signals, within the scope of the present disclosure, other suitable filters may be used to filter the sensor signals. in one aspect, the temperature measurement section 203 of the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to measure once per minute the on skin temperature near the analyte sensor at the end of the minute sampling cycle of the sensor signal. within the scope of the present disclosure, different sample rates may be used which may include, for example, but not limited to, measuring the on skin temperature for each 30 second periods, each two minute periods, and the like. additionally, as discussed above, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to detect sensor insertion, sensor signal settling after sensor insertion, and sensor removal, in addition to detecting for sensor—transmitter system failure modes and sensor signal data integrity. again, this information is transmitted periodically by the transmitter unit 102 to the receiver unit 104 along with the sampled sensor signals at the predetermined time intervals. referring again to the figures, as the analyte sensor measurements are affected by the temperature of the tissue around the transcutaneously positioned sensor unit 101 , in one aspect, compensation of the temperature variations and affects on the sensor signals are provided for determining the corresponding glucose value. moreover, the ambient temperature around the sensor unit 101 may affect the accuracy of the on skin temperature measurement and ultimately the glucose value determined from the sensor signals. accordingly, in one aspect, a second temperature sensor is provided in the transmitter unit 102 away from the on skin temperature sensor (for example, physically away from the temperature measurement section 203 of the transmitter unit 102 ), so as to provide compensation or correction of the on skin temperature measurements due to the ambient temperature effects. in this manner, the accuracy of the estimated glucose value corresponding to the sensor signals may be attained. in one aspect, the processor 204 of the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to include the second temperature sensor, and which is located closer to the ambient thermal source within the transmitter unit 102 . in other embodiments, the second temperature sensor may be located at a different location within the transmitter unit 102 housing where the ambient temperature within the housing of the transmitter unit 102 may be accurately determined. referring now to fig. 5 , in one aspect, an ambient temperature compensation routine for determining the on-skin temperature level for use in the glucose estimation determination based on the signals received from the sensor unit 101 . referring to fig. 5 , for each sampled signal from the sensor unit 101 , a corresponding measured temperature information is received ( 510 ), for example, by the processor 204 from the temperature measurement section 203 (which may include, for example, a thermister provided in the transmitter unit 102 ). in addition, a second temperature measurement is obtained ( 520 ), for example, including a determination of the ambient temperature level using a second temperature sensor provided within the housing the transmitter unit 102 . in one aspect, based on a predetermined ratio of thermal resistances between the temperature measurement section 203 and the second temperature sensor (located, for example, within the processor 204 of the transmitter unit 102 ), and between the temperature measurement section 203 and the skin layer on which the transmitter unit 102 is placed and coupled to the sensor unit 101 , ambient temperature compensation may be performed ( 530 ), to determine the corresponding ambient temperature compensated on skin temperature level ( 540 ). in one embodiment, the predetermined ratio of the thermal resistances may be approximately 0.2. however, within the scope of the present disclosure, this thermal resistance ratio may vary according to the design of the system, for example, based on the size of the transmitter unit 102 housing, the location of the second temperature sensor within the housing of the transmitter unit 102 , and the like. with the ambient temperature compensated on-skin temperature information, the corresponding glucose value from the sampled analyte sensor signal may be determined. referring again to fig. 2 , the processor 204 of the transmitter unit 102 may include a digital anti-aliasing filter. using analog anti-aliasing filters for a one minute measurement data sample rate would require a large capacitor in the transmitter unit 102 design, and which in turn impacts the size of the transmitter unit 102 . as such, in one aspect, the sensor signals may be oversampled (for example, at a rate of 4 times per second), and then the data is digitally decimated to derive a one-minute sample rate. as discussed above, in one aspect, the digital anti-aliasing filter may be used to remove, for example, signal artifacts or otherwise undesirable aliasing effects on the sampled digital signals received from the analog interface 201 of the transmitter unit 102 . for example, in one aspect, the digital anti-aliasing filter may be used to accommodate decimation of the sensor data from approximately four hz samples to one-minute samples. in one aspect, a two stage fir filter may be used for the digital anti-aliasing filter, which includes improved response time, pass band and stop band properties. referring to fig. 6 , a routine for digital anti-aliasing filtering is shown in accordance with one embodiment. as shown, in one embodiment, at each predetermined time period such as every minute, the analog signal from the analog interface 201 corresponding to the monitored analyte level received from the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) is sampled ( 610 ). for example, at every minute, in one embodiment, the signal from the analog interface 201 is over-sampled at approximately 4 hz. thereafter, the first stage digital filtering on the over-sampled data is performed ( 620 ), where, for example, a ⅙ down-sampling from 246 samples to 41 samples is performed, and the resulting 41 samples is further down-sampled at the second stage digital filtering ( 630 ) such that, for example, a 1/41 down-sampling is performed from 41 samples (from the first stage digital filtering), to a single sample. thereafter, the filter is reset ( 640 ), and the routine returns to the beginning for the next minute signal received from the analog interface 201 . while the use of fir filter, and in particular the use of kaiser fir filter, is within the scope of the present disclosure, other suitable filters, such as fir filters with different weighting schemes or iir filters, may be used. referring yet again to the figures, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured in one embodiment to periodically perform data quality checks including error condition verifications and potential error condition detections, and also to transmit the relevant information related to one or more data quality, error condition or potential error condition detection to the receiver unit 104 with the transmission of the monitored sensor data. for example, in one aspect, a state machine may be used in conjunction with the transmitter unit 102 and which may be configured to be updated four times per second, the results of which are transmitted to the receiver unit 104 every minute. in particular, using the state machine, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to detect one or more states that may indicate when a sensor is inserted, when a sensor is removed from the user, and further, may additionally be configured to perform related data quality checks so as to determine when a new sensor has been inserted or transcutaneously positioned under the skin layer of the user and has settled in the inserted state such that the data transmitted from the transmitter unit 102 does not compromise the integrity of signal processing performed by the receiver unit 104 due to, for example, signal transients resulting from the sensor insertion. that is, when the transmitter unit 102 detects low or no signal from the sensor unit 102 , which is followed by detected signals from the sensor unit 102 that is above a given signal, the processor 204 may be configured to identify such transition is monitored signal levels and associate with a potential sensor insertion state. alternatively, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to detect the signal level above the other predetermined threshold level, which is followed by the detection of the signal level from the sensor unit 101 that falls below the predetermined threshold level. in such a case, the processor 204 may be configured to associate or identify such transition or condition in the monitored signal levels as a potential sensor removal state. accordingly, when either of potential sensor insertion state or potential sensor removal state is detected by the transmitter unit 102 , this information is transmitted to the receiver unit 104 , and in turn, the receiver unit may be configured to prompt the user for confirmation of either of the detected potential sensor related state. in another aspect, the sensor insertion state or potential sensor removal state may be detected or determined by the receiver unit based on one or more signals received from the transmitter unit 102 . for example, similar to an alarm condition or a notification to the user, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to display a request or a prompt on the display or an output unit of the receiver unit 104 a text and/or other suitable notification message to inform the user to confirm the state of the sensor unit 101 . for example, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to display the following message: “new sensor inserted?” or a similar notification in the case where the receiver unit 104 receives one or more signals from the transmitter unit 102 associated with the detection of the signal level below the predetermined threshold level for the predefined period of time, followed by the detection of the signal level from the sensor unit 101 above another predetermined threshold level for another predefined period of time. additionally, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to display the following message: “sensor removed?” or a similar notification in the case where the receiver unit 104 received one or more signals from the transmitter unit 102 associated with the detection of the signal level from the sensor unit 101 that is above another predetermined threshold level for another predefined period of time, which is followed by the detection of the signal level from the sensor unit 101 that falls below the predetermined threshold level for the predefined period of time. based on the user confirmation received, the receiver unit 104 may be further configured to execute or perform additional related processing and routines in response to the user confirmation or acknowledgement. for example, when the user confirms, using the user interface input/output mechanism of the receiver unit 104 , for example, that a new sensor has been inserted, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to initiate new sensor insertion related routines including, such as, for example, sensor calibration routine including, for example, calibration timer, sensor expiration timer and the like. alternatively, when the user confirms or it is determined that the sensor unit 101 is not properly positioned or otherwise removed from the insertion site, the receiver unit 104 may be accordingly configured to perform related functions such as, for example, stop displaying of the glucose values/levels, or deactivating the alarm monitoring conditions. on the other hand, in response to the potential sensor insertion notification generated by the receiver unit 104 , if the user confirms that no new sensor has been inserted, then the receiver unit 104 in one embodiment is configured to assume that the sensor unit 101 is in acceptable operational state, and continues to receive and process signals from the transmitter unit 102 . in this manner, in cases, for example, when there is momentary movement or temporary dislodging of the sensor unit 101 from the initially positioned transcutaneous state, or when one or more of the contact points between sensor unit 101 and the transmitter unit 102 are temporarily disconnected, but otherwise, the sensor unit 101 is operational and within its useful life, the routine above provides an option to the user to maintain the usage of the sensor unit 101 without replacing the sensor unit 101 prior to the expiration of its useful life. in this manner, in one aspect, false positive indications of sensor unit 101 failure may be identified and addressed. for example, fig. 7 is a flowchart illustrating actual or potential sensor insertion or removal detection routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to the figure, the current analyte related signal is first compared to a predetermined signal characteristic. in one aspect, the predetermined signal characteristic may include one of a signal level transition from below a first predetermined level (for example, but not limited to 18 adc (analog to digital converter) counts) to above the first predetermined level, a signal level transition from above a second predetermined level (for example, but not limited to 9 adc counts) to below the second predetermined level, a transition from below a predetermined signal rate of change threshold to above the predetermined signal rate of change threshold, and a transition from above the predetermined signal rate of change threshold to below the predetermined signal rate of change threshold. in this manner, in one aspect of the present disclosure, based on a transition state of the received analyte related signals, it may be possible to determine the state of the analyte sensor, and based on which the user or the patient may confirm whether the analyte sensor is in the desired or proper position, has been temporarily dislocated, or otherwise, removed from the desired insertion site so as to require a new analyte sensor. in this manner, in one aspect, when the monitored signal from the sensor unit 101 crosses a transition level (for example, from no or low signal level to a high signal level, or vice versa), the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to generate an appropriate output data associated with the sensor signal transition, for transmission to the receiver unit 104 ( fig. 1 ). additionally, as discussed in further detail below, in another embodiment, the determination of whether the sensor unit 101 has crossed a transition level may be determined by the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 based, at least in part on the one or more signals received from the transmitter unit 102 . fig. 8 is a flowchart illustrating receiver unit processing corresponding to the actual or potential sensor insertion or removal detection routine of fig. 7 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring now to fig. 8 , when the receiver unit 104 receives the generated output data from the transmitter unit 102 ( 810 ), a corresponding operation state is associated with the received output data ( 820 ), for example, related to the operational state of the sensor unit 101 . moreover, a notification associated with the sensor unit operation state is generated and output to the user on the display unit or any other suitable output segment of the receiver unit 104 ( 830 ). when a user input signal is received in response to the notification associated with the sensor state operation state ( 840 ), the receiver unit 104 is configured to execute one or more routines associated with the received user input signal ( 850 ). that is, as discussed above, in one aspect, if the user confirms that the sensor unit 101 has been removed, the receiver unit 104 may be configured to terminate or deactivate alarm monitoring and glucose displaying functions. on the other hand, if the user confirms that a new sensor unit 101 has been positioned or inserted into the user, then the receiver unit 104 may be configured to initiate or execute routines associated with the new sensor insertion, such as, for example, calibration procedures, establishing calibration timer, and establishing sensor expiration timer. in a further embodiment, based on the detected or monitored signal transition, the receiver/monitor unit may be configured to determine the corresponding sensor state without relying upon the user input or confirmation signal associated with whether the sensor is dislocated or removed from the insertion site, or otherwise, operating properly. fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating data processing corresponding to the actual or potential sensor insertion or removal detection routine in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 9 , a current analyte related signal is received and compared to a predetermined signal characteristic ( 910 ). thereafter, an operation al state associated with an analyte monitoring device such as, for example, the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) is retrieved ( 920 ) from a storage unit or otherwise resident in, for example, a memory of the receiver/monitor unit. additionally, a prior analyte related signal is also retrieved from the storage unit, and compared to the current analyte related signal received ( 930 ). an output data is generated which is associated with the operational state, and which at least in part is based on the one or more of the received current analyte related signal and the retrieved prior analyte related signal. referring again to fig. 9 , when the output data is generated, a corresponding user input command or signal is received in response to the generated output data ( 950 ), which may include one or more of a confirmation, verification, or rejection of the operational state related to the analyte monitoring device. fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a concurrent passive notification routine in the data receiver/monitor unit of the data monitoring and management system of fig. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 10 , a predetermined routine is executed for a predetermined time period to completion ( 1010 ). during the execution of the predetermined routine, an alarm condition is detected ( 1020 ), and when the alarm or alert condition is detected, a first indication associated with the detected alarm or alert condition is output concurrent to the execution of the predetermined routine ( 1030 ). that is, in one embodiment, when a predefined routine is being executed, and an alarm or alert condition is detected, a notification is provided to the user or patient associated with the detected alarm or alert condition, but which does not interrupt or otherwise disrupt the execution of the predefined routine. referring back to fig. 10 , upon termination of the predetermined routine, another output or second indication associated with the detected alarm condition is output or displayed ( 1040 ). more specifically, in one aspect, the user interface notification feature associated with the detected alarm condition is output to the user only upon the completion of an ongoing routine which was in the process of being executed when the alarm condition is detected. as discussed above, when such alarm condition is detected during the execution of a predetermined routine, a temporary alarm notification such as, for example, a backlight indicator, a text output on the user interface display or any other suitable output indication may be provided to alert the user or the patient of the detected alarm condition substantially in real time, but which does not disrupt an ongoing routine. within the scope of the present disclosure, the ongoing routine or the predetermined routine being executed may include one or more of performing a finger stick blood glucose test (for example, for purposes of periodically calibrating the sensor unit 101 ), or any other processes that interface with the user interface, for example, on the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 ( fig. 1 ) including, but not limited to the configuration of device settings, review of historical data such as glucose data, alarms, events, entries in the data log, visual displays of data including graphs, lists, and plots, data communication management including rf communication administration, data transfer to the data processing terminal 105 ( fig. 1 ), or viewing one or more alarm conditions with a different priority in a preprogrammed or determined alarm or notification hierarchy structure. in this manner, in one aspect of the present disclosure, the detection of one or more alarm conditions may be presented or notified to the user or the patient, without interrupting or disrupting an ongoing routine or process in, for example, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 of the data monitoring and management system 100 ( fig. 1 ). referring now back to the figures, fig. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a data quality verification routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 11 , initially the data quality status flags are cleared or initialized or reset ( 1110 ). thereafter, data quality checks or verifications are performed, for example, as described above ( 1120 ). thereafter, data quality flag is generated and associated with the data packet when data quality check has failed ( 1130 ). in one aspect, the generated data quality flag may be based on data quality verification such that when the underlying condition being verified is determined to be acceptable, the data quality flag may return a value of zero (or one or more predetermined value). alternatively, in the case where the underlying condition being verified is determined to be not within the acceptable criteria (or above the acceptable level), the associated data quality flag may return a value of one (or one or more predetermined value associated with the determination of such condition). referring to fig. 11 , the data packet including the raw glucose data as well as the data quality flags are transmitted, for example, to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 for further processing ( 1140 ). as described above, the data quality checks may be performed in the transmitter unit 102 ( fig. 1 ) and/or in the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 in the data monitoring and management system 100 ( fig. 1 ) in one aspect of the present disclosure. fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a rate variance filtering routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 12 , when glucose related data is detected or received ( 1210 ), for example, for each predetermined time intervals such as every minute, every five minutes or any other suitable time intervals, a plurality of filtered values based on the received or detected glucose related data is determined ( 1220 ). for example, as discussed above, in one aspect, using, for example, an fir filter, or based on a weighted average, a plurality of filtered values for a 15 minute and two minute glucose related data including the currently received or detected glucose related are determined. referring back to fig. 12 , weighting associated with the plurality of filtered values is determined ( 1230 ). thereafter, a rate of change of the glucose level based in part on the detected or received glucose related data is determined as well as a standard deviation of the rate of change based on the glucose related data ( 1240 ). further, a weighted average associated with the current detected or monitored glucose related data is determined based on the plurality of filtered values and the determined standard deviation of the rate of change and/or the rate of change of the glucose level ( 1250 ). for example, when the rate of change is determined to be high relative to the rate of change variation, the filtered value based on the two minute data is weighted more heavily. on the other hand, when the rate of change is determined to be low relative to the rate of change variation, the filtered glucose related data includes the one of the plurality of filtered values based on the 15 minute data which is weighted more heavily. in this manner, in one aspect, there is provided a rate variance filtering approach which may be configured to dynamically modify the weighting function or data filtering to, for example, reduce undesirable variation in glucose related signals due to factors such as noise. fig. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a composite sensor sensitivity determination routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 13 , during scheduled calibration time periods or otherwise manual calibration routines to calibrate the analyte sensor, when a current blood glucose value is received or detected ( 1310 ), a current or present sensitivity is determined based on the detected blood glucose value ( 1320 ). for example, the current sensitivity may be determined by taking a ratio of the current glucose sensor value and the detected blood glucose value. referring to fig. 13 , a prior sensitivity previously determined is retrieved, for example, from the storage unit ( 1330 ). in one aspect, the prior sensitivity may include a previous sensitivity determined during a prior sensor calibration event, or may be based on the nominal sensor sensitivity based on the sensor code from manufacturing, for example. returning again to fig. 13 , a first weighted parameter is applied to the current sensitivity, and a second weighted parameter is applied to the retrieved prior sensitivity ( 1340 ). for example, based on the time lapsed between the calibration event associated with the retrieved prior sensitivity value and the current calibration event (associated with the current or received blood glucose value), the first and second weighted parameters may be modified (e.g., increased or decreased in value) to improve accuracy. referring back to fig. 13 , based on applying the first and the second weighted parameters to the current sensitivity and the retrieved prior sensitivity, a composite sensitivity associated with the analyte sensor for the current calibration event is determined ( 1350 ). for example, using a time based approach, in one embodiment, the sensitivity associated with the analyte sensor for calibration may be determined to, for example, reduce calibration errors or accommodate sensitivity drift. fig. 14 is a flowchart illustrating an outlier data point verification routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 14 , and as discussed in detail above, in determining composite sensitivity associated with the analyte sensor calibration, in one aspect, an outlier data point may be detected and accordingly corrected. for example, in one aspect, two successive sensitivities associated with two successive calibration events for the analyte sensor is compared ( 1410 ). if it is determined that the comparison between the two sensitivities are within a predetermined range ( 1420 ), the composite sensitivity for the current calibration of the analyte sensor is determined based on the two successive sensitivity values ( 1430 ), using, for example, the weighted approach described above. referring back to fig. 14 , if it is determined that the comparison of the two successive sensitivities results in the compared value being outside of the predetermined range, then the user may be prompted to enter or provide a new current blood glucose value (for example, using a blood glucose meter) ( 1440 ). based on the new blood glucose value received, an updated or new sensitivity associated with the analyte sensor is determined ( 1450 ). thereafter, the new or updated sensitivity determined is compared with the two prior sensitivities compared (at 1420 ) to determine whether the new or updated sensitivity is within a predefined range of either of the two prior sensitivities ( 1460 ). if it is determined that the new or updated sensitivity of the analyte sensor is within the predefined range of either of the two prior successive sensitivities, a composite sensitivity is determined based on the new or updated sensitivity and the one of the two prior successive sensitivities within the defined range of which the new or updated sensitivity is determined ( 1470 ). on the other hand, if it is determined that the new or updated sensitivity is not within the predefined range of either of the two prior sensitivities, then the routine repeats and prompts the user to enter a new blood glucose value ( 1440 ). fig. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a sensor stability verification routine in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 15 , and as discussed above, between predetermined or scheduled baseline calibration events to calibrate the sensor, the analyte sensor sensitivity stability may be verified, to determine, for example, if additional stability calibrations may be needed prior to the subsequent scheduled baseline calibration event. for example, referring to fig. 15 , in one embodiment, after the second baseline calibration event to calibrate the analyte sensor, the user may be prompted to provide a new blood glucose value. with the current blood glucose value received ( 1510 ), the current sensor sensitivity is determined ( 1520 ). thereafter, the most recent stored sensor sensitivity value from prior calibration event is retrieved (for example, from a storage unit) ( 1530 ), and the determined current sensor sensitivity is compared with the retrieved stored sensor sensitivity value to determine whether the difference, if any, between the two sensitivity values are within a predefined range ( 1540 ). referring back to fig. 15 , if it is determined that the difference between the current and retrieved sensitivity values are within the predefined range, then the stability associated with the sensor sensitivity is confirmed ( 1550 ), and no additional calibration is required prior to the subsequent scheduled baseline calibration event. on the other hand, if it is determined that the difference between the current sensitivity and the retrieved prior sensitivity is not within the predefined range, then after a predetermined time period has lapsed ( 1560 ), the routine returns to the beginning and prompts the user to enter a new blood glucose value to perform the stability verification routine. in this manner, in one aspect, the stability checks may be performed after the outlier check is performed, and a new composite sensitivity determined as described above. accordingly, in one aspect, analyte sensor sensitivity may be monitored as the sensitivity attenuation is dissipating to, among others, improve accuracy of the monitored glucose data and sensor stability. fig. 16 illustrates analyte sensor code determination in accordance with one embodiment. referring to the figure, a batch of predetermined number of analyte sensors, for example, glucose sensors are selected during the manufacturing process ( 1610 ). the batch of predetermined number of glucose sensors may be a set number, or a variable number depending upon other manufacturing or post-manufacturing parameters (for example, such as testing, quality control verification, or packaging). referring to fig. 16 , the sensitivity of each selected glucose sensor is determined ( 1620 ). for example, in one aspect, in vitro sensitivity determination is performed for each selected glucose sensor to determine the corresponding sensitivity. thereafter, a variation between the determined sensitivity of each glucose sensor is determined ( 1630 ). that is, in one aspect, the determined in vitro sensitivity associated with each selected glucose sensor is compared to a predefined variation tolerance level ( 1640 ). in one aspect, if the variation of the sensitivity is greater than the predefined variation tolerance level for one of the selected glucose sensors in the selected batch of predetermined number of glucose sensors ( 1660 ), then the entire batch or lot may be rejected and not used. in another aspect, the rejection of the selected batch of predetermined number of glucose sensors may be based on a predetermined number of sensors within the selected batch that are associated with a sensitivity value that exceeds the predefined variation tolerance level. for example, in a batch of 30 glucose sensors, if 10 percent (or 3 sensors) has sensitivity that exceeds the predefined variation tolerance level, then the entire batch of 30 glucose sensors is rejected and not further processed during the manufacturing routine, for example, for use. within the scope of the present disclosure, the number of sensors in the selected batch, or the number of sensors within the selected batch that exceeds the predefined variation tolerance level to result in a failed batch may be varied depending upon, for example, but not limited to, sensor manufacturing process, sensor testing routines, quality control verification, or other parameters associated with sensor performance integrity. referring back to fig. 16 , if it is determined that the sensitivity of the selected glucose sensors are within the predefined variation tolerance level, a nominal sensitivity is determined for the batch of the predetermined number of glucose sensors ( 1650 ). further, a sensor code is associated with the determined nominal sensitivity for the batch of predetermined number of analyte sensors ( 1670 ). in one aspect, the sensor code may be provided on the labeling for the batch of glucose sensors for use by the patient or the user. for example, in one aspect, the analyte monitoring system may prompt the user to enter the sensor code into the system (for example, to the receiver unit 104 / 106 fig. 1 ) after the sensor has been initially positioned in the patient and prior to the first sensor calibration event. in a further aspect, based on the sensor code, the analyte monitoring system may be configured to retrieve the nominal sensitivity associated with the batch of predetermined number of sensors for, for example, calibration of the transcutaneously positioned glucose sensor. fig. 17 illustrates an early user notification function associated with the analyte sensor condition in one aspect of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 17 , upon detection of the sensor insertion ( 1710 ), for example, in fluid contact with the patient or user's analyte (e.g., interstitial fluid), one or more adverse data condition occurrence associated with the patient or the user's analyte level is monitored ( 1720 ). examples of the adverse data condition occurrence may include, for example, a persistent low sensor signal (for example, continuous for a predefined time period), identified data quality flags or identifiers associated with erroneous or potentially inaccurate sensor signal level or sensor condition (for example, dislodged or improperly positioned sensor). referring to fig. 17 , when it is determined that the monitored adverse data condition occurrence exceeds a predetermined number of occurrences during a predefined time period ( 1730 ), a notification is generated and provided to the user to either replace the sensor, or to perform one or more verifications to confirm, for example, but not limited to, that the sensor is properly inserted and positioned, so the transmitter unit is in proper contact with the sensor ( 1740 ). on the other hand, if the number of adverse data condition occurrence has not occurred during the predefined time period, in one aspect, the routine continues to monitor for the occurrence of such condition during the set time period. in one aspect, the predetermined time period during which the occurrence of adverse data condition occurrence may be approximately one hour from the initial sensor positioning. alternatively, this time period may be shorter or longer, depending upon the particular system configuration. in this manner, in the event that adverse condition related to the sensor is determined and persists for a given time period from the initial sensor insertion, the user or the patient is notified to either replace the sensor or to perform one or more troubleshooting steps to make sure that the components of the analyte monitoring system are functioning properly. indeed, in one aspect, when an adverse condition related to the sensor is identified early on, the user is not inconvenienced by continuing to maintain the sensor in position even though the sensor may be defective or improperly positioned, or is associated with one or more other adverse conditions that will not allow the sensor to function properly. fig. 18 illustrates uncertainty estimation associated with glucose level rate of change determination in one aspect of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 18 , based on the monitored glucose level from the glucose sensor, a rate of change estimate of the glucose level fluctuation is determined ( 1810 ). further, an estimation of an uncertainty range or level associated with the determined rate of change of the glucose level is determined ( 1820 ). that is, in one aspect, a predefined rate of uncertainty determination may be performed, such as for example, a rate of change variance calculation. if the uncertainty determination is within a predetermined threshold level ( 1830 ), then an output is generated and/or provided to the user ( 1840 ). for example, when it is determined that the determined uncertainty measure is within the threshold level, the analyte monitoring system may be configured to display or output an indication to the user or the patient, such as a glucose level trend indicator (for example, a visual trend arrow or a distinctive audible alert (increasing or decreasing tone, etc)). on the other hand, if it is determined that the uncertainty measure related to the rate of change estimate exceeds the predetermined threshold, the determined rate of change of glucose level may be rejected or discarded (or stored but not output to the user or the patient). in one aspect, the uncertainty measure may include a predefined tolerance parameter associated with the accuracy of the determined rate of change of the monitored glucose level. in one aspect, the uncertainty measure or the tolerance level related to the rate of change of monitored glucose level may include, for example, but not limited to, corrupt or erroneous data associated with the monitored glucose level, unacceptably large number of missing data associated with the monitored glucose level, rate of acceleration or deceleration of the monitored glucose level that exceeds a defined or acceptable threshold level, or any other parameters that may contribute to potential inaccuracy in the determined rate of change of the monitored glucose level. accordingly, in one aspect, the accuracy of the analyte monitoring system may be maintained by, for example, disabling the output function associated with the rate of change determination related to the monitored glucose level, so that the user or the patient does not take corrective actions based on potentially inaccurate information. that is, as discussed above, in the event when it is determined that the determined uncertainty measure or parameter exceeds an acceptable tolerance range, the output function on the receiver unit 104 / 106 in the analyte monitoring system 100 may be disabled temporarily, or until the uncertainty measure of parameter related to the rate of change of the glucose level being monitored is within the acceptable tolerance range. when the monitored rate of change of the glucose level is steady (or within a defined range) and medically significant with respect to the monitored glucose measurement, a prediction of future or anticipated glucose level may be considered reliable based on the determined rate of change level. however, the monitored glucose level time series is such that the determined rate of change estimate may be less certain. accordingly, in one aspect, the present disclosure accounts for the rate of change estimates having varying degrees of certainty. since clinical treatment decisions may be made based on these estimates, it is important to discount, or not display or output to the user, the determined rate of change estimates with a high degree of uncertainty. in one aspect, the rate of change value and its uncertainty determine a probability distribution. this distribution may be assumed to be gaussian, for example. within the scope of the present disclosure, the uncertainty measure may be calculated in various ways. in one embodiment, it may include a standard deviation determination. another possibility is to use the coefficient of variation (cv), which is the standard deviation of the rate of change divided by the rate of change. a combination of these uncertainty measures may also be used. in one aspect, various ranges of rates of change may be combined into bins. for example, bin edges at ±2 mg/dl and at ±1 mg/dl may be defined in one embodiment resulting in five bins. each bin may be represented by a position of a trend arrow indicator, associated with the monitored glucose level. when the rate of change is included in one of the determined bins, the associated trend arrow position may be displayed. further, the presence of uncertainty may modify the trend arrow position that is displayed to the user or the patient. in one aspect, a determination that involves the uncertainty measure results in a metric value which may be a simple comparison of the uncertainty value to a predefined threshold. there are also other possible metrics. another approach may use a different predefined threshold value for each bin. in one aspect, an unacceptable metric value may cause no trend arrow indicator to be displayed. alternatively, this condition may be indicated by a change in the characteristics of the display to the user or the patient. for example, the trend arrow indicator may flash, change color, change shape, change size, change length or change width, among others. a further embodiment may include the trend arrow indicator showing no significant rate-of-change. within the scope of the present disclosure, other user output configurations including audible and/or vibratory output are contemplated. in one aspect, the uncertainty measure may be characterized a number of ways. one is the standard deviation of the monitored glucose levels over the period in which the rate of change is estimated. another is the coefficient of variation (cv), which, as discussed above, is the standard deviation of the monitored glucose trend divided by the rate of change value. a further characterization may include a probabilistic likelihood estimate. yet a further characterization is the output of a statistical filter or estimator such as a kalman filter. the uncertainty comparison may be based on one of these techniques or a combination of two or more of these techniques. also, different uncertainty characteristics may be used for different rate-of-change results. for instance, in one embodiment, a cv formulation may be used for high glucose values and a standard deviation formulation may be used for low glucose values. fig. 19 illustrates glucose trend determination in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 19 , a current value associated with a monitored glucose level is received ( 1910 ). one or more prior values associated with the monitored glucose level (previously stored, for example) is retrieved ( 1920 ). with the current and prior values associated with the monitored glucose level, a most recent calibration scale factor is applied to the current and prior values associated with the monitored glucose level ( 1930 ). after applying the calibration scale factor to the current and prior values, the trend associated with the monitored glucose level is determined ( 1940 ). in this manner, in one aspect, with the updated calibration of the glucose sensor including a newly determined sensitivity, buffered or stored values associated with the monitored glucose level may be updated using, for example, the updated calibration information, resulting, for example, in revised or modified prior values associated with the monitored glucose level. as such, in one embodiment, stored or buffered values associated with the monitored glucose level may be updated and, the updated values may be used to determine glucose trend information or rate of change of glucose level calculation. in this manner, accuracy of the glucose trend information may be improved by applying the most recent calibration parameters to previously detected and stored values associated with the monitored glucose level, when, for example, the previously detected and stored values are used for further analysis, such as, glucose trend determination or rate of change of glucose level calculation. fig. 20 illustrates glucose trend determination in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. referring to fig. 20 , a current value associated with a monitored glucose level is received ( 2010 ). one or more prior values associated with the monitored glucose level (previously stored, for example) is retrieved ( 2020 ). with the current and prior values associated with the monitored glucose level, a rate of change estimate of the monitored glucose level is determined ( 2030 ). referring back to fig. 20 , an uncertainty parameter associated with the rate of change estimate is determined ( 2040 ). in one aspect, an uncertainty parameter may be predetermined and programmed into the analyte monitoring system 100 (for example, in the receiver unit 104 / 106 ). alternatively, the uncertainty parameter may be dynamically configured to vary depending upon the number of data available for determination of the glucose level rate of change determination, or upon other programmable parameters that may include user specified uncertainty parameters. within the scope of the present disclosure, the uncertainty parameter may include the number of acceptable missing or unavailable values when performing the monitored glucose level rate of change estimation. referring back to fig. 20 , when it is determined that the uncertainty parameter is within an acceptable predetermined tolerance range, the rate of change of the monitored glucose level is determined and output to the user or the patient ( 2050 ). in one embodiment, the uncertainty parameter may be associated with the time spacing of the current and prior values, such that when the rate of change estimation requires a preset number of values, and no more than a predetermined number of values (optionally consecutively, or non consecutively) are unavailable, the rate of change estimation is performed. in this manner, for example, when a large number of values associated with the monitored glucose level (for example, 5 consecutive one minute data—tolerance range) are unavailable, corrupt or otherwise unusable for purposes of rate of change determination, the uncertainty parameter is deemed to exceed the predetermined tolerance range, and the rate of change calculation may not be performed, or may be postponed. as discussed, the rate of change in glucose for a patient or a user may be used by glucose monitoring devices to direct glucose trend indicators for display to the patient or the user such that the patient or the user may base treatment decisions not only on the current glucose levels but also on the current direction or change in the glucose level. the rate of change estimate may also be used to project into the future if a predetermined glucose threshold (upper or lower range or limit) is not exceeded within a specific time period based on the current glucose level and rate of change information. within the scope of the present disclosure, other projection approaches may be based on higher order derivatives of the rate of change, and/or other statistical likelihood formulations that can be contemplated for prediction of a future event. one approach to determine the rate of change is to calculate the difference between two glucose samples and dividing the result by the time difference between the samples. another approach may be to fit a time series of glucose readings to a function, such as a polynomial, using techniques such as the least squares techniques. the number of samples and the time period of the samples may impact the accuracy of the rate of change estimate in the form of a trade off between noise reduction properties and lag introduced. referring again to the figures, in one aspect, the transmitter unit 102 may be configured to perform one or more periodic or routine data quality checks or verification before transmitting the data packet to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 . for example, in one aspect, for each data transmission (e.g., every 60 seconds, or some other predetermined transmission time interval), the transmitter data quality flags in the data packet are reset, and then it is determined whether any data field in the transmission data packet includes an error flag. if one error flag is detected, then in one aspect, the entire data packet may be considered corrupt, and this determination is transmitted to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 . alternatively, the determination that the entire data packet is corrupt may be performed by the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 . accordingly, in one aspect, when at least one data quality check fails in the transmitter data packet, the entire packet is deemed to be in error, and the associated monitored analyte level is discarded, and not further processed by the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 . in another aspect, the data quality check in the transmitter unit 102 data packet may be performed so as to identify each error flag in the data packet, and those identified error flag are transmitted to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 in addition to the associated monitored analyte level information. in this manner, in one aspect, if the error flag is detected in the transmitter data packet which is not relevant to the accuracy of the data associated with the monitored analyte level, the error indication is flagged and transmitted to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 in addition to the data indicating the monitored analyte level. in one aspect, examples of error condition that may be detected or flagged in the transmitter unit 102 data packet include sensor connection fault verification by, for example, determining, among others, whether the counter electrode voltage signal is within a predetermined range, resolution of the data associated with the monitored analyte level, transmitter unit temperature (ambient and/or on-skin temperature) out of range, and the like. as discussed above, the data quality check in the transmitter unit 102 may be performed serially, such that detection of an error condition or an error flag renders the entire data packet invalid or deemed corrupt. in this case, such data is reported as including error to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , but not used to process the associated monitored analyte level. in another aspect, all data quality fields in the data packet of the transmitter unit 102 may be checked for error flags, and if there are error flags detected, the indication of the detected error flags is transmitted with the data packet to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 for further processing. in one embodiment, on the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 side, for each periodic data packet received (for example every 60 seconds or some other predetermined time interval), the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 may be configured to receive the raw glucose data including any data quality check flags from the transmitter unit 102 , and to apply temperature compensation and/or calibration to the raw data to determine the corresponding glucose data (with any data quality flags as may have been identified). the unfiltered, temperature compensated and/or calibrated glucose data is stored along with any data quality flags in a fifo buffer (including, for example, any invalid data identifier). alternatively, a further data quality check may be performed on the temperature compensated and calibrated glucose data to determine the rate of change or variance of the measured glucose data. for example, in one embodiment, a high variance check or verification is performed on 30 minutes of glucose data stored in the fifo buffer. if it is determined that the rate of variance exceeds a predetermined threshold, then the data packet in process may be deemed invalid. on the other hand, if the rate of variance does not exceed the predetermined threshold, the results including the glucose data and any associated validity or error flags are stored in the fifo buffer. thereafter, the data processing is performed on the stored data to determine, for example, the respective glucose level estimation or calculation. that is, the stored data in the fifo buffer in one embodiment is filtered to reduce unwanted variation in signal measurements due to noise or time delay, among others. in one aspect, when the rate of change or variance of glucose data stored in the fifo buffer, for example, is within a predetermined limit, the glucose measurements are filtered over a 15 minute period. on the other hand, if it is determined that the rate of change is greater than the predetermined limit, a more responsive 2 minute filtering is performed. in one aspect, the filtering is performed for each 60 second glucose data. in this manner, in one embodiment, a rate variance filter is provided that may be configured to smooth out the variation in the glucose measurement when the glucose level is relatively stable, and further, that can respond quickly when the glucose level is changing rapidly. the rate variance filter may be implemented in firmware as an fir filter which is stable and easy to implement in integer-based firmware, for example, implemented in fixed point math processor. in one embodiment, for each 60 second glucose data received, two filtered values and two additional parameters are determined. that is, using an fir filter, for example, a weighted average for a 15 minute filtered average glucose value and a 2 minute average filtered glucose value are determined. in addition, a rate of change based on 15 minutes of data as well as a standard deviation associated with the rate estimate is determined. to determine the final filtered glucose value for output and/or display to the user, a weighted average of the two determined filtered glucose values is determined, where when the rate of change of the glucose values is high, then weighting is configured to tend towards the 2 minute filtered value, while when the rate of change of the glucose value is low the weighting tends towards the 15 minute filtered value. in this manner, when the rate of change is high, the 2 minute filtered value is weighted more heavily (as the 15 minute filtered average value potentially introduces lag, which at higher rates of change, likely results in large error). referring back, during the calibration routine, in one embodiment, when the discrete blood glucose value is received for purposes of calibration of the glucose data from the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ), the processing unit of the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 is configured to retrieve from the fifo buffer two of the last five valid transmitter data packets that do not include any data quality flags associated with the respective data packets. in this manner, in one aspect, the calibration validation check may be performed when the blood glucose value is provided to the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 determined using, for example, a blood glucose meter. in the event that two valid data packets from the last five data packets cannot be determined, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 is configured to alarm or notify the user, and the calibration routine is terminated. on the other hand, if the calibration validation check is successful, the sensitivity associated with the sensor 101 ( fig. 1 ) is determined, and its range verified. in one aspect, if the sensitivity range check fails, again, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 may be configured to alarm or otherwise notify the user and terminate the calibration routine. otherwise, the determined sensitivity is used for subsequent glucose data measurement and processing (until a subsequent calibration is performed). referring back to the figures, in one aspect, determination of optimal sensitivity evaluates one or more potential error sources or conditions present in blood glucose value for calibration and the potential sensitivity drift. accordingly, using a weighted average of the current sensitivity determined for calibration and previously determined sensitivity, the sensitivity accuracy may be optimized. for example, in one embodiment, a weighted average of the two most recent sensitivities determined used for calibration may be used to determine a composite sensitivity determination to improve accuracy and reduce calibration errors. in this aspect, earlier blood glucose values used for calibration are discarded to accommodate for sensitivity drift. in one embodiment, the number of blood glucose values used for determining the weighted average, and also, the weighting itself may be varied using one or more approaches including, for example, a time based technique. for example, for each sensor calibration routine, the sensitivity derived from the current blood glucose value from the current blood glucose test and the stored sensitivity value associated with the most recent prior stored blood glucose value may be used to determine a weighted average value that is optimized for accuracy. within the scope of the present disclosure, as discussed above, the weighting routine may be time based such that if the earlier stored blood glucose value used for prior calibration is greater than a predetermined number of hours, then the weighting value assigned to the earlier stored blood glucose may be less heavy, and a more significant weighting value may be given to the current blood glucose value to determine the composite sensitivity value. in one embodiment, a lookup table may be provided for determining the composite sensitivity determination based on a variable weighting average which provides a non-linear correction to reduce errors and improve accuracy of the sensor sensitivity. the determined composite sensitivity in one embodiment may be used to convert the sensor adc counts to the corresponding calibrated glucose value. in one aspect, the composite sensitivity determined may be used to minimize outlier calibrations and unstable sensitivity during, for example, the initial use periods. that is, during the data validation routines, an outlier check may be performed to determine whether the sensitivity associated with each successive calibration is within a predetermined threshold or range. for example, the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) may require a predetermined number of baseline calibrations during its use. for a five day operational lifetime of a sensor, four calibrations may be required at different times during the five day period. moreover, during this time period, additional stability related calibrations may be required if the sensor sensitivity is determined to be unstable after the second baseline calibration is performed, for example, at the 12 th hour (or other suitable time frame) of the sensor usage after the initial calibration within the first 10 hours of sensor deployment. in one aspect, during the outlier check routine, it is determined whether the sensitivity variance between two successive calibrations are within a predetermined acceptable range. if it is determined that the variance is within the predetermined range, then the outlier check is confirmed, and a new composite sensitivity value is determined based on a weighted average of the two sensitivity values. as discussed above, the weighted average may include a time based function or any other suitable discrete weighting parameters. if on the other hand, the variance between the two sensitivities is determined to be outside of the predetermined acceptable range, then the second (more recent) sensitivity value is considered to be an outlier (for example, due to esa, change in sensitivity or due to bad or erroneous blood glucose value), and the user is prompted to perform another fingerstick testing to enter a new blood glucose value (for example, using a blood glucose meter). if the second current sensitivity associated with the new blood glucose value is determined to be within the predetermined acceptable range from the prior sensitivity, then the earlier current sensitivity value is discarded, and the composite sensitivity is determined based on applying a weighting function or parameter on the prior sensitivity value, and the second current sensitivity value (discarding the first current sensitivity value which is outside the predetermined acceptable range and considered to be an outlier). on the other hand, when the second current sensitivity value is determined to be within the predetermined acceptable range of the first current sensitivity value, but not within the predetermined acceptable range of the prior sensitivity value (of the two successive calibrations described above), then it is determined in one embodiment that a sensitivity shift, rather than an outlier, has occurred or is detected from the first current sensitivity value to the second current sensitivity value. accordingly, the composite sensitivity may be determined based, in this case, on the first and second current sensitivity values (and discarding the prior sensitivity). if, for example, the second current sensitivity value is determined to be outside the predetermined range of both of the two successive sensitivities described above, then the user in one embodiment is prompted to perform yet another blood glucose test to input another current blood glucose value, and the routine described above is repeated. furthermore, in accordance with another aspect, the determination of the sensitivity variance between two successive calibrations are within a predetermined acceptable range may be performed prior to the outlier check routine. referring to the figures, during the period of use, as discussed above, the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) is periodically calibrated at predetermined time intervals. in one aspect, after the second baseline calibration (for example, at 12 th hour of sensor unit 101 transcutaneously positioned in fluid contact with the user's analyte), sensor sensitivity stability verifications may be performed to determined whether, for example, additional stability calibrations may be necessary before the third baseline calibration is due. in one aspect, the sensitivity stability verification may be performed after the outlier checks as described above is performed, and a new composite sensitivity is determined, and prior to the third scheduled baseline calibration at the 24 th hour (or at another suitable scheduled time period). that is, the sensor sensitivity may be attenuated (e.g., esa) early in the life of the positioned sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ), and if not sufficiently dissipated by the time of the first baseline calibration, for example, at the 10 th hour (or later), and even by the time of the second calibration at the 12 th hour. as such, in one aspect, a relative difference between the two sensitivities associated with the two calibrations are determined. if the determined relative difference is within a predefined threshold or range (for example, approximately 26% variation), then it is determined that the sufficient stability point has reached. on the other hand, if the relative difference determined is beyond the predefined threshold, then the user is prompted to perform additional calibrations at a timed interval (for example, at each subsequent 2 hour period) to determine the relative difference in the sensitivity and compared to the predefined range. this may be repeated for each two hour interval, for example, until acceptable stability point has been reached, or alternatively, until the time period for the third baseline calibration is reached, for example, at the 24 th hour of sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) use. in this manner, in one aspect, the stability verification may be monitored as the sensitivity attenuation is dissipating over a given time period. while the description above is provided with particular time periods for baseline calibrations and additional calibration prompts for stability checks, for example, within the scope of the present disclosure, other time periods or calibration schedule including stability verifications may be used. in addition, other suitable predefined threshold or range of the relative sensitivity difference to determine acceptable attenuation dissipation other than approximately 26% may be used. moreover, as discussed above, the predetermined calibration schedule for each sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) may be modified from the example provided above, based on, for example, the system design and/or sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) configuration. additionally, in one aspect, the user may be prompted to perform the various scheduled calibrations based on the calibration schedule provided. in the case where the scheduled calibration is not performed, in one embodiment, the glucose value determination for user display or output (on the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , for example) based on the received sensor data may be disabled after a predetermined time period has lapsed. further, the glucose value determination may be configured to resume when the prompted calibration is successfully completed. in a further aspect, the scheduled calibration timing may be relative to the prior calibration time periods, starting with the initial sensor positioning. that is, after the initial transcutaneous positioning of the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) and the scheduled time period has elapsed to allow the sensor unit 101 to reach a certain stability point, the user may be prompted to perform the first baseline calibration as described above (for example, at the 10 th hour since the initial sensor placement). thereafter, in the case when the user waits until the 11 th hour to perform the initial baseline calibration, the second scheduled calibration at the 12 th hour, for example, may be performed at the 13 th hour, so that the two hour spacing between the two calibrations are maintained, and the second calibration timing is based on the timing of the first successful baseline calibration performed. in an alternate embodiment, each scheduled calibration time period may be based on the timing of the initial sensor positioning. that is, rather than determining the appropriate subsequent calibration time periods based on the prior calibration performed, the timing of the scheduled calibration time periods may be made to be absolute and based from the time of the initial sensor placement. furthermore, in one aspect, when the scheduled calibration is not performed at the scheduled time periods, the glucose values may nevertheless be determined based on the sensor data for display to the user for a limited time period (for example, for no more than two hours from when the scheduled calibration time period is reached). in this manner, a calibration time window may be established or provided to the user with flexibility in performing the scheduled calibration and during which the glucose values are determined for output display to the user, for example. in one aspect, if within the calibration time window, the scheduled calibrations are not performed, the glucose values may be deemed in error, and thus not provided to the user or determined until the calibration is performed. for example, after the initial successful baseline calibration at the 10 th hour, for example, or at any other suitable scheduled initial baseline calibration time, glucose values are displayed or output to the user and stored in a memory. thereafter, at the next scheduled calibration time period (for example, at the 12 th hour), the user may be prompted to perform the second calibration. if the user does not perform the second calibration, a grace period of two hours, for example, is provided during which valid glucose values are provided to the user (for example, on the display unit of the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 ) based on the prior calibration parameters (for example, the initial baseline calibration performed at the 10 th hour). however, if the second calibration is still not performed after the grace period, in one aspect, no additional glucose values are provided to user, and until the scheduled calibration is performed. in still another aspect, the user may supplement the scheduled calibrations, and perform manual calibration based on the information that the user has received. for example, in the case that the user determines that the calibration performed and determined to be successful by the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , for example, is not sufficiently accurate, rather than replacing the sensor, the user may recalibrate the sensor even if the scheduled calibration time has not been reached. for example, based on a blood glucose test result, if the determined blood glucose level is not close to or within an acceptable range as compared to the sensor data, the user may determine that additional calibration may be needed. indeed, as the sensitivity value of a given sensor tends to stabilize over time, a manual user forced calibration later in the sensor's life may provide improved accuracy in the determined glucose values, as compared to the values based on calibrations performed in accordance with the prescribed or predetermined calibration schedule. accordingly, in one aspect, additional manual calibrations may be performed in addition to the calibrations based on the predetermined calibration schedule. in a further aspect, user notification functions may be programmed in the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , or in the transmitter unit 102 ( fig. 1 ) to notify the user of initial conditions associated with the sensor unit 101 ( fig. 1 ) performance or integrity. that is, alarms or alerts, visual, auditory, and/or vibratory may be configured to be triggered when conditions related to the performance of the sensor is detected. for example, during the initial one hour period (or some other suitable time period) from the sensor insertion, in the case where data quality flags/conditions (described above) are detected, or in the case where low or no signal from the sensor is detected from a given period of time, an associated alarm or notification may be initiated or triggered to notify the user to verify the sensor position, the sensor contacts with the transmitter unit 102 ( fig. 1 ), or alternatively, to replace the sensor with a new sensor. in this manner, rather than waiting a longer period until the acceptable sensor stability point has been reached, the user may be provided at an early stage during the sensor usage that the positioned sensor may be defective or has failed. in addition, other detected conditions related to the performance of the sensor, calibration, and detected errors associated with the glucose value determination may be provided to the user using one or more alarm or alert features. for example, when the scheduled calibration has been timely performed, and the grace period as described above has expired, in one embodiment, the glucose value is not processed for display or output to the user anymore. in this case, an alarm or alert notifying the user that the glucose value cannot be calculated is provided so that the user may timely take corrective actions such as performing the scheduled calibration. in addition, when other parameters that are monitored such as the temperature, sensor data, and other variables that are used to determine the glucose value, include error or otherwise is deemed to be corrupt, the user may be notified that the associated glucose value cannot be determined, so that the user may take corrective actions such as, for example, replacing the sensor, verifying the contacts between the sensor and the transmitter unit, and the like. in this manner, in one embodiment, there is provided an alarm or notification function that detects or monitors one or more conditions associated with the glucose value determination, and notifies the user of the same when such condition is detected. since the alarms or notifications associated with the glucose levels (such as, for example, alarms associated with potential hyperglycemic, hypoglycemic, or programmed trend or rate of change glucose level conditions) will be inactive if the underlying glucose values cannot be determined, by providing a timely notification or alarm to the user that the glucose value cannot be determined, the user can determine or be prompted/notified that these alarms associated with glucose levels are inactive. in one aspect of the present disclosure, glucose trend information may be determined and provided to the user, for example, on the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 . for example, trend information in one aspect is based on the prior monitored glucose levels. when calibration is performed, the scaling used to determine the glucose levels may change. if the scaling for the prior glucose data (for example, one minute prior) is not changed, then in one aspect, the trend determination may be deemed more error prone. accordingly, in one aspect, to determine accurate and improved trend determination, the glucose level determination is performed retrospectively for a 15 minute time interval based on the current glucose data when each successive glucose level is determined. that is, in one aspect, with each minute determination of the real time glucose level, to determine the associated glucose trend information, the stored past 15 minute data associated with the determined glucose level is retrieved, including the current glucose level. in this manner, the buffered prior glucose levels may be updated with new calibration to improve accuracy of the glucose trend information. in one aspect, the glucose trend information is determined based on the past 15 minutes (or some other predetermined time interval) of glucose data including, for example, the current calibration parameter such as current sensitivity. thereafter, when the next glucose data is received (at the next minute or based on some other timed interval), a new sensitivity is determined based on the new data point associated with the new glucose data. also, the trend information may be determined based on the new glucose data and the past 14 minutes of glucose data (to total 15 minutes of glucose data). it is to be noted that while the trend information is determined based on 15 minutes of data as described above, within the scope of the present disclosure, other time intervals may be used to determine the trend information, including, for example, 30 minutes of glucose data, 10 minutes of glucose data, 20 minutes of glucose data, or any other appropriate time intervals to attain an accurate estimation of the glucose trend information. in this manner, in one aspect of the present disclosure, the trend information for the historical glucose information may be updated based on each new glucose data received, retrospectively, based on the new or current glucose level information, and the prior 14 glucose data points (or other suitable number of past glucose level information). in another aspect, the trend information may be updated based on a select number of recent glucose level information such that, it is updated periodically based on a predetermined number of determined glucose level information for display or output to the user. in still another aspect, in wireless communication systems such as the data monitoring and management system 100 ( fig. 10 ), the devices or components intended for wireless communication may periodically be out of communication range. for example, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 may be placed out of the rf communication range of the transmitter unit 102 ( fig. 1 ). in such cases, the transmitted data packet from the transmitter unit 102 may not be received by the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , or due to the weak signaling between the devices, the received data may be invalid or corrupt. in such cases, while there may be missing data points associated with the periodically monitored glucose levels, the trend information may be nevertheless determined, as the trend information is determined based on a predetermined number of past or prior glucose data points (for example, the past 15 minutes of glucose data). that is, in one aspect, even if there are a certain number of glucose data points within the 15 minute time frame that may be either not received by the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , or alternatively be corrupt or otherwise invalid due to, for example, weakness in the communication link, the trend information may be determined. for example, given the 15 minutes of glucose data, if three or less non consecutive data points are not received or otherwise corrupt, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 may determine the glucose trend information based on the prior 12 glucose data points that are received and considered to be accurate. as such, the features or aspects of the analyte monitoring system which are associated with the determined trend information may continue to function or operate as programmed. that is, the projected alarms or alerts programmed into the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , or any other alarm conditions associated with the detection of impending hyperglycemia, impending hypoglycemia, hyperglycemic condition or hypoglycemic condition (or any other alarm or notification conditions) may continue to operate as programmed even when there are a predetermined number or less of glucose data points. however, if and when the number of missing glucose data points exceed the tolerance threshold so as to accurately estimate or determine, for example, the glucose trend information, or any other associated alarm conditions, the display or output of the associated glucose trend information or the alarm conditions may be disabled. for example, in one aspect, the glucose trend information and the rate of change of the glucose level (which is used to determine the trend information) may be based on 15 minute data (or data based on any other suitable time period) of the monitored glucose levels, where a predetermined number of missing data points within the 15 minutes may be tolerated. moreover, using least squares approach, the rate of change of the monitored glucose level may be determined to estimate the trend, where the monitored glucose data is not evenly spaced in time. in this approach, the least squares approach may provide an uncertainty measure of the rate of change of the monitored glucose level. the uncertainly measure, in turn, may be partially dependent upon the number of data points available. indeed, using the approaches described above, the trend information or the rate of change of the glucose level may be estimated or determined without the need to determine which data point or glucose level is tolerable, and which data point is not tolerable. for example, in one embodiment, the glucose data for each minute including the missing data is retrieved for a predetermined time period (for example, 15 minute time period). thereafter, least squares technique is applied to the 15 minute data points. based on the least squares (or any other appropriate) technique, the uncertainly or a probability of potential variance or error of the rate of glucose level change is determined. for example, the rate of change may be determined to be approximately 1.5 mg/dl/minute +/−0.1 mg/dl/minute. in such a case, the 0.1 mg/dl/minute may represent the uncertainly information discussed above, and may be higher or lower depending upon the number of data points in the 15 minutes of data that are missing or corrupt. in this manner, in one aspect, the glucose trend information and/or the rate of change of monitored glucose level may be determined based on a predefined number of past monitored glucose level data points, even when a subset of the predefined number of past monitored glucose level data points are missing or otherwise determined to be corrupt. on the other hand, when the number of past glucose level data points based on which the glucose trend information is determined, exceeds the tolerance or acceptance level, for example, the display or output of the glucose trend information may be disabled. additionally, in a further aspect, if it is determined that the underlying data points associated with the monitored glucose level based on which the trend information is determined, includes uncertainly or error factor that exceeds the tolerance level (for example, when there are more than a predetermined number of data points which deviate from a predefined level), the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 , for example, may be configured to disable or disallow the display or output of the glucose trend information. for example, when the 15 minute glucose data including the current glucose level as well as the past 14 minutes of glucose level data is to be displayed or output to the user, and the determined rate variance of the 15 data points exceeds a preset threshold level (for example, 3.0), the glucose trend information display function may be disabled. in one aspect, the variance may be determined based on the square function of the standard deviation of the 15 data points. in one aspect, this approach may be performed substantially on a real time basis for each minute glucose data. accordingly, as discussed above, the glucose trend information may be output or displayed substantially in real time, and based on each new glucose data point received from the sensor/transmitter unit. additionally, when it is determined that the 15 data points (or any other suitable number of data points for determining glucose trend information, for example), deviate beyond a predetermined tolerance range, in one aspect, the 15 minute data may be deemed error prone or inaccurate. in this case, rather than outputting or displaying glucose trend information that may be erroneous, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 may be configured to display the output or display function related to the output or display of the determined glucose trend information. the same may apply to the output or display of projected alarms whose estimates may be based in part, on the determined trend information. accordingly, in one aspect, there may be instances when the projected alarm feature may be temporarily disabled where the underlying monitored glucose data points are considered to include more than acceptable levels of uncertainly or error. in a further aspect, it is desired to determine an estimate of sensor sensitivity, and/or a range of acceptable or reasonable sensitivity. for example, during determination or verification of the glucose rate of change prior to calibration, the estimated sensor sensitivity information is necessary, for example, to determine whether the rate of change is within or below an acceptable threshold level, and/or further, within a desired range. moreover, when determining whether the sensor sensitivity is within an acceptable or reasonable level, it may be necessary to ascertain a range of reasonable or acceptable sensitivity—for example, a verification range for the sensitivity value for a given sensor or batch of sensors. accordingly, in one aspect, during sensor manufacturing process, a predetermined number of sensor samples (for example, 16 samples) may be evaluated from each manufacturing lot of sensors (which may include, for example, approximately 500 sensors) and the nominal sensitivity for each lot (based, for example, on a mean calculation) may be determined. for example, during the manufacturing process, the predetermined number of sensors (for example, the 16 sensors) are sampled, and the sensitivity of each sampled sensor is measured in vitro. thereafter, a mean sensitivity may be determined as an average value of the 16 sampled sensor's measured sensitivity, and thereafter, the corresponding sensor code is determined where the determined mean sensitivity falls within the preassigned sensitivity range. based on the determined sensor code, the sensor packaging is labeled with the sensor code. for example, each sensor code value (e.g., 105 , 106 , 107 or any suitable predetermined number or code) may be preassigned a sensitivity range (for example, code 105 : s1-s2, code 106 : s2-s3, and code 107 : s3-s4), where each sensitivity range (e.g., s1-s2, or s2-s3, or s3-s4) is approximately over a 10 percent increment (for example, s1 is approximately 90% of s2). also, each sensor code (e.g., 105 , 106 , 107 etc) is assigned a nominal sensitivity value (sn) that is within the respective preassigned sensitivity range. referring back, when the user inserts the sensor or positions the sensor transcutaneously in place, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 in one embodiment prompts the user to enter the associated sensor code. when the user enters the sensor code (as derived from the sensor packing label discussed above), the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 is configured to retrieve or look up the nominal sensitivity associated with the user input sensor code (and the nominal sensitivity which falls within the preassigned sensitivity range associated with that sensor code, as described above). thereafter, the receiver/monitor unit 104 / 106 may be configured to use the sensor code in performing associated routines such as glucose rate of change verification, data quality checks discussed above, and/or sensor sensitivity range acceptability or confirmation. in a further aspect, the sensor codes may be associated with a coefficient of variation of the predetermined number of sampled sensors discussed above in addition to using the mean value determined as discussed above. in one embodiment, the coefficient of variation may be determined from the predetermined number of sampled sensors during the manufacturing process. in addition, the mean response time of the sampled sensors may be used by separately measuring the predetermined number of sampled sensors which may be used for lag correction adjustments and the like. in this manner, in one aspect, the manufacturing process control described above ensures that the coefficient of variation of the sampled sensors is within a threshold value. that is, the value of the nominal sensitivity is used to determine a sensor code, selected or looked up from a predetermined table, and that is assigned to the sensors from the respective sensor lot in manufacturing. the user then enters the sensor code into the receiver/monitor unit that uses the sensor code to determine the glucose rate of change for purposes of data quality checking, for example, and also to determine validity or reasonableness of the sensitivity that is determined. in one embodiment, a method may comprise receiving a calibration parameter to calibrate an in vivo analyte sensor, determining a sensitivity value associated with the received calibration parameter, retrieving a prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor, and determining a composite sensitivity for the analyte sensor based on one or more of the calibration parameter received, the determined sensitivity value and the retrieved prior sensitivity value. the calibration parameter may include a blood glucose value. the retrieved prior sensitivity value may be associated with a prior calibration parameter used to calibrate the analyte sensor. the prior calibration parameter may include a blood glucose value. one aspect may include determining the composite sensitivity including applying a first weighted parameter to the determined sensitivity value and applying a second weighted parameter to the retrieved prior sensitivity value. the first weighted parameter and the second weighted parameter may be different. the first weighted parameter and the second weighted parameter may be substantially the same. the first weighted parameter and the second weighted parameter may be time based. the prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor may be based on a prior calibration parameter used to calibrate the in vivo analyte sensor prior to a predetermined time period of receiving the calibration parameter. the first weighted parameter may be associated with a current in vivo analyte sensor calibration event, and the second weighted parameter may be associated with a prior in vivo analyte sensor calibration event. in one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise an interface unit to receive one or more signals associated with a continuously monitored analyte level and a blood glucose value, and a processing unit coupled to the interface unit configured to determine a sensitivity value associated with a received blood glucose value, to retrieve a prior sensitivity value associated with an in vivo analyte sensor, and to determine a composite sensitivity based on the determined sensitivity value and the retrieved prior sensitivity value. the retrieved prior sensitivity value may be associated with a prior calibration parameter used to calibrate the in vivo analyte sensor. the processing unit may be configured to apply a first weighted parameter to the determined sensitivity value and to apply a second weighted parameter to the retrieved prior sensitivity value. the first weighted parameter and the second weighted parameter may be different. the prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor may be based on a prior calibration event to calibrate the analyte sensor prior to a predetermined time period of receiving the blood glucose value. one aspect may include a housing coupled to the interface unit, the housing including a blood glucose test strip port. the processing unit may be coupled to the housing, and may include a display unit to display one or more information associated with the composite sensitivity. the displayed one or more information associated with the composite sensitivity may include an in vivo analyte sensor calibration completion event. the composite sensitivity may be determined based on a weighted average of the determined sensitivity value and the prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor. in one embodiment, a glucose monitoring system may comprise a transcutaneously positionable in vivo analyte sensor for monitoring an analyte level, an analyte monitoring device coupled to the analyte sensor for receiving signals from the analyte sensor associated with the monitored analyte level, and a data processing unit coupled to the analyte monitoring device configured to determine a sensitivity value associated with a received blood glucose value, to retrieve a prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor, and to determine a composite sensitivity based on the determined sensitivity value and the retrieved prior sensitivity value. the analyte sensor may include a glucose sensor. the data processing unit may be in signal communication with the analyte monitoring device based on a predetermined communication protocol. the predetermined communication protocol may include one of an rf communication protocol, an infrared communication protocol, a bluetooth® communication protocol, a zigbee communication protocol, or an 802.11x communication protocol. the retrieved prior sensitivity value may be associated with a prior calibration parameter used to calibrate the in vivo analyte sensor. the data processing unit may be configured to apply a first weighted parameter to the determined sensitivity value and to apply a second weighted parameter to the retrieved prior sensitivity value. the prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor may be based on a prior calibration event to calibrate the analyte sensor prior to a predetermined time period of receiving the blood glucose value. the composite sensitivity may be determined based on a weighted average of the determined sensitivity value and the prior sensitivity value associated with the analyte sensor. various other modifications and alterations in the structure and method of operation of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. although the invention has been described in connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should be understood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited to such specific embodiments. it is intended that the following claims define the scope of the present disclosure and that structures and methods within the scope of these claims and their equivalents be covered thereby.
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012-097-679-219-93X
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IN
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[
"WO"
] |
G07F7/00,G07F15/00
| 2006-09-29T00:00:00 |
2006
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[
"G07"
] |
method and system for granting redeemable energy credits on deemed energy savings
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this document discusses, among other things, method and system to provide redeemable energy credit points on energy credit notes to users in exchange for the energy that they save. these energy credit notes are issued by an identified nodal agency. further, they can redeem these energy credit points in exchange for power or cash at identified outlets providing this service. the system also computes the credit points based on the energy savings on decided protocols. it also manages and tracks all the energy credit notes. it also maintains a record of all the transactions and updated credit for each user in the form of a networked database. the instant invention attempts to encourage the conservation of energy and save power.
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we claim: 1. a method for granting redeemable energy credits to a user for energy saved, said method comprising the steps of: - determining the user's existing energy consumption over a predetermined period and establishing an energy consumption benchmark for said user - determining actual energy consumption by said user against his benchmark - identifying the energy savings for said user and granting equivalent energy credit points on said user's energy credit note if his actual consumption is less than his energy consumption benchmark and recording and updating credit and transaction details in the account of the said user and on his energy credit note 2. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the user is penalized if his actual consumption is more than his energy consumption benchmark. 3. a method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of redeeming said credit points by verifying the authentication information of the user. 4. a method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the said credit points may be exchanged for energy or cash. 5. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein if the user does not hold an energy credit note, then the said note is generated, comprising the following steps: processing the user details - assigning an identification and an authentication number to the user 6. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit notes are granted through a nodal agency. 7. a method as claimed in claim 5 wherein said nodal agency is any identified institution. 8. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said user is a domestic or commercial user. 9. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said energy includes energy used for domestic or commercial purposes. 10. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said benchmark is calculated as per a decided protocol over the predetermined period. 11. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said energy credit points are calculated as per a decided protocol over the difference between the benchmark energy usage and actual energy usage of said user. 12. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said penalty is calculated as per a decided protocol over the difference between the benchmark energy usage and actual energy usage of said user. 13. a method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising recording and updating the granted and subsequent credits or debits for the energy credit note held by a user at the account of the said user. 14. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the identity of the user is stored on issuance of a new energy credit note to the said user. 15. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the relevant information pertaining to a user is stored and updated at the account of the said user in a database. 16. a method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the said database maintains the transaction history of each user. 17. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit note is tradable as a negotiable derivative. 18. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit note is a smart card or a paper document. 19. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit note grants the credits granted and records the debits made. 20. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit note records all the transactions made by the user holding the said energy credit note. 21. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit note records the authentication details of the user holding the said energy credit note. 22. a method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the said energy credit note records the personal details of the user holding the said energy credit note. 23. a computing system for granting redeemable energy credits to a user for energy saved on energy credit notes, the said computing system comprising: - input means responsive to operator commands enabling an operator to read data from the energy credit note input means responsive to operator commands enabling an operator to enter data to access or alter the database, data depicting energy usage, compute energy credit points or penalty or access his account memory for storing the database containing records pertaining to the details of the user - processor coupled to the input and the memory programmed to process and analyze the input pertaining to the energy consumption benchmark and the actual energy consumed to compute credit points and maintain the same in the database - output means responsive to operator commands enabling an operator to feed in the upgraded data into the energy credit note 24. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said data being read from the energy credit note relates to authentication details of the user holding the said energy credit note. 25. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said data being fed into the energy credit note relates to transaction details of the transaction carried out by the user holding the said energy credit note. 26. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein data being fed into the energy credit note relates to updated credit points of the user holding the said energy credit note. 27. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein data being fed into the energy credit note relates to altered personal details of the user holding the said energy credit note. 28. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein data being fed into the energy credit note relates to altered authentication details of the user holding the said energy credit note. 29. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said data pertaining to the database relates to the actual energy consumption of said user to ascertain the corresponding energy credit points as against his calculated benchmark. 30. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein the said data pertaining to the database relates to the user's authentication details to access said user's account through various communication protocols. 31. a computing system as claimed in claim 22, wherein said details comprise account details, including credit, debit and transaction details, of the user. 32. a remote access apparatus for providing end-user access through a human interface to a desired remote utility service on a remote host computer, comprising: - a local host computer at a nodal agency - a remote host computer at any agency registered with said nodal agency (where the energy consumption of the user is tracked, or where a user can redeem his credit points or change his authentication details) - a network connection between said local host computer and said remote host computer allowing data transfer there between 33. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein said nodal agency is any identified institution. 34. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein energy consumption of the user is tracked at said identified agency. 35. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein the user can redeem his credit points at said identified agency. 36. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein the user can change his authentication details at said identified agency. 37. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein said local host computer further comprises: - a human interface service means, for handling input from, and output to, an end-user - a human interface server, for mediating requests for human interface services, said requests from human interface clients resident on at least one of said remote host computer and said local host computer, said human interface server operative to process said requests from said human interface clients during normal operation and exception operation - a starter client means, for issuing requests to a starter server means on said remote host computer, said requests for initiating interaction with the desired remote utility service on said remote host computer - a database to store records pertaining to each user holding an energy credit note serviced at said registered agency 38. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein said database stores the transaction details of each transaction made by each user serviced at said agency. 39. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31, wherein said remote host computer further comprises: - said starter service means, for responding to requests from said starter client means a desired remote utility service, resident on said remote host computer and platform-independent of said local host computer - a remote object client, for issuing requests for human interface services to said human interface server, for issuing requests for said desired remote utility service and for translating a response from said desired remote utility service into a request for human interface services issued to said human interface server - a starter service means, for initiating a remote object client indicated by said starter server means - a database to store records pertaining to each user holding an energy credit note 40. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein said database stores the authentication details and personal details of each user. 41. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein said database stores the account details, including credit and debit details of each user. 2. a remote access apparatus as claimed in claim 31 , wherein said database stores the transaction details of each transaction made by each user.
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method and system for granting redeemable energy credits on deemed energy savings field of the invention the present invention pertains to a method and system for granting and trading redeemable energy credits. background of the invention energy is essential to life and its conservation has become an absolute necessity. conservation and efficient use of energy in the industry have for a long time been a priority of the government. people all over the world are becoming aware of the problem of consuming too much energy and are making a conscious effort to conserve it. by conserving energy we also lower the amount of pollutants we release into the air and thereby help to keep the air clean. concerns over the inefficient uses of energy are growing both globally and regionally. such concerns require great national and international efforts to promote energy efficiency and conservation. more efficient energy use can increase productivity and economic competitiveness. conserving energy by taking actions like insulating the house and purchasing energy star certified (high efficiency) appliances is the smartest and most economical action to take. minimizing the energy we need is the first step towards conservation. us patent no 6978931 describes a method of providing an energy credit system for providing redeemable energy or mass transit credits to users who contribute power to a shared electric power grid wherein the excess power generated by each user to the power grid is measured and energy credits are awarded to those users who contribute power to the power grid. each user receiving energy credits is allowed to redeem those credits by acquiring fuel, power or mass transit tickets. in one embodiment of the invention, a separate energy brokerage house is provided which receives compensation from the operator of the power grid for power provided to the grid by the users and compensates the fuel or energy provider or mass transit system for the energy credits redeemed by each user. in a second embodiment, the operator of the power grid compensates the providers of fuel, energy or mass transit directly for the redeemed energy credits. us patent no 6529883 describes a pre-payment energy metering system with two-way smart card communications. a pre-payment energy metering system uses two-way smart card communications. secure power tine carrier communications are provided at the user locations communication between a customer terminal and the utility meter. two-way secure communication of data is provided through the use of a smart card or memory card which conveys data from the utility service provider to the customer's terminal and also conveys information from the customer's terminal back to the utility. the pre-payment power system of the present invention allows users to pay for electricity prior to consumption through the use of the smart card, which is loaded with funds at a fully automatic point-of-sale (pos) terminal or at the utility service providers staffed customer service center. back office software interfaces between the pos terminals and customer service centers, and utility service providers customer information systems. the instant invention aims at encouraging saving power in order to conserve it. it do so by providing redeemable energy credits to various players in the industry thereby enabling the industry to reduce its power cost or alternatively meet its own demand. it is similar to carbon emission reduction (cer) certificates (or carbon credits under the kyoto protocol) wherein each unit of carbon emissions reduced creates an entitlement or quota for industries in developing countries to sell these entitlements to industries in developed countries where their emissions are higher than the limit set out for them. each cer unit is representative of 1 kg of carbon emissions reduced by substitution or upgradation of processes causing fewer emissions. objects and summary of the invention it is an object of the instant invention to obviate the above drawbacks and provide a method and system for granting and trading redeemable energy credits on deemed energy savings. it is an object of the instant invention to provide the user with energy credit points on his energy credit note equivalent to the energy savings made by a user if his actual consumption is less than his energy consumption benchmark. it is yet another object of the instant invention to redeem these credit points in exchange for energy or cash as desired by the user. to achieve the aforementioned objectives the invention provides a method and system to grant redeemable energy credits to the users and suppliers of power. it provides a medium for trading these credits by means of an energy credit note. the invention focuses on renewable energy sources like agro wastes or waste fuel like high ash coal etc. it also maintains data in the form of a network so that it is spread over multiple agencies at various places. the instant invention provides a method for granting redeemable energy credits to a user for energy saved, comprising determining the user's existing energy consumption over a predetermined period and establishing an energy consumption benchmark for said user, determining actual energy consumption by said user against his benchmark, identifying the energy savings for said user and granting equivalent energy credit points on said user's energy credit note if his actual consumption is less than his energy consumption benchmark and recording and updating credit and transaction details in the account of the said user and on his energy credit note. the instant invention further provides a computing system for granting redeemable energy credits to a user for energy saved on energy credit notes, comprising input means responsive to operator commands enabling an operator to read data from the energy credit note, input means responsive to operator commands enabling an operator to enter data to access or alter the database, data depicting energy usage, compute energy credit points or penalty or access his account, memory for storing the database containing records pertaining to the details of the user, processor coupled to the input and the memory programmed to process and analyze the input pertaining to the energy consumption benchmark and the actual energy consumed to compute credit points and maintain the same in the database and output means responsive to operator commands enabling an operator to feed in the upgraded data into the energy credit note. the instant invention also provides a remote access apparatus for providing end-user access through a human interface to a desired remote utility service on a remote host computer comprising a local host computer at a nodal agency, a remote host computer at any agency registered with said nodal agency (where the energy consumption of the user is tracked, or where a user can redeem his credit points or change his authentication details) and a network connection between said local host computer and said remote host computer allowing data transfer there between. brief description of the drawings • fig 1 defines a flowchart depicting the basic operation of the instant invention • fig 2 is defines a flowchart depicting the process for granting an energy credit note to a new user • fig 3 illustrates a flowchart depicting the procedure for changing the personal or authentication details of a user detailed description of the invention the instant invention provides a system wherein energy credit notes will be provided to all users who apply to this scheme which include domestic and commercial users. in a preferred embodiment of the instant invention, these energy credit notes would be certified and issued by a nodal agency. the said nodal agency is any identified entity that is authorized for doing the same. it is also responsible for the computation and management of credit points. also, it tracks all the energy credit notes it issues. it grants energy credit points made on the energy savings made. the instant invention attempts to encourage the conservation of power and energy by lowering the consumption of power or using technologically advanced equipment that draws less power. thus the instant invention aims at saving power. in an embodiment of the instant invention, the energy savings are based on the actual consumption benchmarked. the said energy includes energy that may be used for domestic purposes as well as commercial purposes. energy may be saved by either non-consumption or short drawl of energy achieved by substitution or up-gradation of technology. the actual consumption of electricity is benchmarked against existing consumption over a predetermined period. the decided predetermined period is at least one day. after benchmarking, credit points are granted to users who consume power below the benchmarked unit. however, users who consume electricity in excess of benchmarked units are penalized. in yet another embodiment of the instant invention, the credit points on the energy credit note may be traded preferably, but not limiting to, at industries that consume power at a higher rate or they may be exchanged for various forms of power with institutions that supply power. this will consequently enable the industry to reduce its power cost or alternatively meet its own demand. the said energy credit note may be a smart card provided by a bank or any other financial institution or an electricity board office or any other designated office or institution. it may also be a paper document or any other means that serve as a negotiable derivative and a tool to aid financial transactions. the details of the said energy credit note are maintained in a record book or any other paper format or any electronic format. the data includes the identification of the user, his authentication means, and a record of his transactions, which includes details of debit and credit. the said data relating to any user is maintained in the form of an account and is assigned an account number. the account contains the updated details of the available or sold credits. there are also provided various communication protocols to enable the users to access their accounts through various agencies including nationalized or private banks or any other identified institutions or organizations. alternatively, the users can get details of their accounts by telecommunication or from call centers. figure 1 illustrates a flowchart for calculating the energy savings for a user and the equivalent credit points or penalty and grant the same on his energy credit note. this procedure is carried out once in every decided time period. in step 101 , the user's existing energy consumption is determined. next, in step 102, the energy consumption benchmark is established using a decided protocol over a predetermined period for the said user. in step 103, the user is informed about his calculated energy consumption benchmark so that he can take measures to ensure his energy consumption is less than the decided benchmark to earn energy credit points. further, in step 104, the user's actual energy consumption is determined as against his benchmark. next, in step 105, the energy savings for the user are calculated by comparing his actual consumption and his energy consumption benchmark. if the user does not already hold an energy credit note, as determined in step 106, he is provided with a new energy credit note. if the user already holds an energy credit note, then in step 107, his authentication details are read from his energy credit note. further, in step 108, these authentication details are verified from the database at the server. if the user's authentication details are valid as determined in step 109, then in step 110, it is established if the actual energy consumption of the user is less than his energy consumption benchmark. if the user's actual energy consumption is less than his energy consumption benchmark, then in step 111 , his equivalent credit points are calculated according to his savings using a decided protocol and they are granted on his energy credit note in step 113. if the user's actual energy consumption is more than his energy consumption benchmark, then the equivalent penalty is calculated for him in step 112 and it is either debited from his energy credit note or implemented in some other decided manner if the credit points to be debited exceed his existing credit points in step 114. next, in step 115, the updated credits are recorded at the database at the server end, client end and in the energy credit note. figure 2 illustrates a flowchart for granting an energy credit note to a new user. in step 201 , the agency takes in the required user details and verifies them with the said user. next, in step 202, the said user is provided with a unique identification number and authentication means to validate him at the time of selling fuel or redeeming his credit points. in step 203, an account is opened for the said user to keep track of his credits, debits and transactions. these details are then recorded in step 204, onto his newly issued energy credit note and sent to the remote computer at the server in the nodal agency. finally, in step 205, the said user is informed of his identification number and authentication means. figure 3 illustrates a flowchart for changing the personal or authentication details of a user. in step 301 , the user is asked if he would like to change his personal details or his authentication details. personal details include details like birth date, address, contact number etc. authentication details include the user's unique identification number and his authentication means. however, a user cannot alter his unique identification number. next, in step 303, if the user wishes to alter his personal details as ascertained in step 302, then they are acquired from the database at the server. else, in step 304, the authentication details to be altered are read from the said user's energy credit note. now, in step 305, the altered details are acquired from the said user. in step 306, it is ascertained if the above-mentioned details are valid. as decided in step 307, if the authentication details are to be changed, the changed authentication details are recorded onto the energy credit note of the user in step 308. further, in step 309, the updated details are sent to the server to be recorded at the database. the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement, or any specific embodiment, or any specific use, disclosed herein, since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated.
|
013-136-182-227-075
|
DE
|
[
"EP",
"US",
"DE"
] |
C22C38/02,C21D8/02,C21D9/42,C21D9/46,C22C38/04,C22C38/22,C22C38/44,F41H5/02,F41H7/04,C22C38/42,C22C38/54,C22C38/08
| 2005-03-24T00:00:00 |
2005
|
[
"C22",
"C21",
"F41"
] |
armour for vehicle
|
a vehicle is armored the steps of sequentially making a steel plate with a thickness of 4 mm to 15 mm of by weight 0.2 to 0.4%carbon,0.3 to 0.8%silicon,1.0 to 2.5%manganese,max. 0.02%phosphorous,max. 0.02%sulfur,max. 0.05%aluminum,max. 2%copper,0.1 to 0.5%chromium,max. 2%nickel0.1 to 1%molybdenum,0.001 to 0.01%boron,0.01 to 1%tungsten,max. 0.05%nitrogen, andbalanceiron and impurities. this plate is heated to above the ac 3 temperature and deformed without cooling in a press. while still in the press, the steel plate is cooled and cured. then the deformed and cured steel plate is taken out of the press and mounted on the motor vehicle without significant further working or shaping.
|
1. a method of armoring a vehicle comprising the steps of sequentially: making a steel plate with a thickness of 4 mm to 15 mm of by weight 0.2 to 0.4%carbon,0.3 to 0.8%silicon,1.0 to 2.5%manganese,max. 0.02%phosphorous,max. 0.02%sulfur,max. 0.05%aluminum,max. 2%copper,0.1 to 0.5%chromium,max. 2%nickel0.1 to 1%molybdenum,0.001 to 0.01%boron,0.01 to 1%tungsten,max. 0.05%nitrogen, andbalanceiron and impurities; heating the steel plate to above the ac 3 temperature; deforming the heated steel plate in a press; while still in the press, cooling and curing the steel plate; and taking the deformed and cured steel plate out of the press and mounting it on the motor vehicle without further shaping steps. 2. the method defined in claim 1 , further comprising the step of tempering the plate in the press. 3. the method defined in claim 1 wherein the ratio of copper to nickel is 1:1. 4. a shaped armor steel plate made by the method of claim 1 . 5. the shaped armor steel plate defined in claim 1 wherein the plate is formed into a piece of a vehicle body. 6. the shaped armor steel plate defined in claim 5 wherein the plate is deformed through angle greater than 4°. 7. the shaped armor steel plate defined in claim 4 wherein the plate has a ratio on nickel to copper equal substantially to 1:1.
|
field of the invention the present invention relates to vehicle armor. more particularly this invention concerns an vehicle armor element made of hardened steel between 4 mm and 15 nm thick. background of the invention vehicles nowadays are armored against projectiles with steel parts (ballistic protection) where to starts with a special type of armor steel is used. armor steel is slightly alloyed steels of great hardness. ep 1,052,296 describes by way of example, a steel alloy characterized by a low carbon content and carbon/nitride-forming vanadium. the alloy is formed in mass percentages, namely, out of, by weight 0.15 to 0.2%carbon,0.1 to 0.5%silicon,0.7 to 1.7%manganese,max. 0.02%phosphorus,max. 0.005%sulfur,max. 0.01%nitrogen,0.009 to 0.1%aluminum,0.5 to 1.0%chromium,0.2 to 0.7%molybdenum,1.0 to 2.5%nickel,0.05 to 0.25%vanadium,max. 0.005%boron, andbalance iron including standard impurities. this alloy has a yield point of more than 1100 n/mm 2 and a minimum strength of 1250 n/mm 2 . its strength-to-break is above 10%. known ballistic steels are armox 500 t, 560 t and 600 t of ssab or secure 400, 450, 500 and 600 of thyssen krupp stahl. according to the tempering of the steel, it has either high strength and low ductility, or a sufficient ductility with a lesser hardness. if the steel has to be made into armor plate in particular bent, it is necessary to use relatively expensive bending methods and tools. as a result, standard armored-steel plating is only machined a little for minor changes in dimensions. in particular, it can only be bent up to about 4% without breaking or cracking. as a result of these problems, armor, as a rule, is made up of many small parts that are held together in order to make a complex shape. welding together the armor-steel parts decreases their hardness greatly in the heated regions. in order to get protection against projectiles for the armor, further armor plates are applied over the welded seams. alternatively, the welded seams are backed up by an aramide layer. armor that is not visible from the outside, therefore, takes up considerable inside space. the loss of space can lead to limiting of the functionality of the vehicle when these functions can no longer be built in. an example of this in conventional vehicles is the installation of side and overhead air bags. german 103 06 063 describes a method of working armor steel. each workpiece of armor steel is annealed to a temperature above the curie point for a predetermined time to create an austenitic crystalline structure. subsequently, the workpiece is cooled at a controlled speed above the critical cooling temperature of martensitic crystalline formation, and the still soft workpiece is shaped. then the shaped workpiece is brought back to above the curie point to recreate its hardness. the problem with this method is that reheating and rehardening after shaping creates stress and some deformation in the part. maintaining exact dimensions is, however, very important for an armored part built into a motor vehicle. german 24 52 486 describes a method for preshaping and hardening a steel sheet of modest thickness so as to approach accurate dimensioning. here a plate of boron-alloyed steel is shaped, in less than five seconds, into its final shape between two indirectly cooled tools while being substantially deformed and held in the press while being cooled so quickly that a martensitically or bainetic fine-grained crystalline structure is produced. this method is recommended for extra strong, relatively thin parts and complex shaped and accurate dimensions for structural and safety-related parts, such as a and b-columns or shock absorbers in the civilian motor-vehicle industry. as a result, one of the typical sheets has a thickness of 3 mm or less, and steel with a low carbon content is used. tests of these steels with respect to the ballistic strength produces a substantially poorer outcome relative to the armor steels available on the market, in particular, it is necessary to use substantially lighter pieces. german 197 43 802. describes a method of making a metallic-shaped parts for motor vehicles for regions of high ductility. to this end, a plate is prepared of a steel alloy that has as a percentage of weight a content of 0.18% to 0.3%carbon,0.1% to 0.7%silicon,1.0% to 2.5%manganese,max. 0.025%phosphorous,0.1% to 0.8%chromium,0.1% to 0.5%molybdenum,max. 0.01%sulfur,0.02% to 0.05%titanium,0.002% to 0.005%boron,0.01% to 0.06%aluminum, andbalance iron, inc. smelting impurities. this known alloy is particularly good for hot shaping and for armor purposes, however, the wall thickness must be so large that its use is almost ruled out because of weight. ep 1 335 036 describes a method for making a structural element protected by aluminum against corrosion and produced by piece coating and hot shaping. the goal is to avoid the cool shaping of the aluminum layer. german 102 08 216 describes a method for producing a partially hardened part where regions of the part are maintained isothermally after austenitizing until the ferrite or perlite is converted and in the subsequent hardening process the regions do not harden into martensite. german 102 46 164 describes a hot-shaping process for plates made from a flexible rolled strip. german 103 07 184 describes the prerough and finish shaping of a plate from preheat without intermediate heat. german 100 49 660 describes the hot shaping of a patchwork plate. german 197 23 655 describes the hot-shaping method of a steel-plate product where the steel is hardened but kept in fluent condition by parts or recesses of a tool in regions in which it is to be worked afterward. german 100 16 798 describes armor for a security vehicle where the element according to the invention is comprised of hot-rolled, austenitic manganese steel that has no edge carbide layer and that becomes very hard when cool-shaped. according to the method, the hot rolled-edge carbide layer is trimmed off both sides, or the formation of this layer is avoided by the use of a protective gas. u.s. pat. no. 5,458,704 describes a hot-rolled armor steel that contains by weight 0.25 to 0.32%carbon,0.05 to 0.75%silicon,0.10 to 1.50%manganese,0.90 to 2.00%chromium,0.10 to 0.70%molybdenum,1.20 to 4.50%nickel,0.01 to 0.08%aluminum,max. 0.015%phosphorous,max. 0.005%sulfur,max. 0.012%nitrogen, andbalance iron and smelting impurities. this steel is provided for armor with a wall thickness of at is least 50 mm. german 200 14 361 describes a one-piece hot-shaped b-column with a very strong upper part and a relatively ductile lower part in its construction, where parts of the lower part are insulated in the oven to prevent austenitizing, or before hardening, are cooled without reaching the critical temperature. german 697 07 066 describes a hot-shaped b-column with a special hardness distribution that extends arcuately so when cooled the highest hardness level is in the middle of the b-column. objects of the invention it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved method of making an improved armor steel. another object is the provision of such an improved method of making an improved armor steel that overcomes the above-given disadvantages, in particular that is very hard, but that can be accurately shaped into relatively complex shapes. summary of the invention a vehicle is armored according to the invention the steps of sequentially making a steel plate with a thickness of 4 mm to 15 mm of by weight 0.2 to 0.4%carbon,0.3 to 0.8%silicon,1.0 to 2.5%manganese,max. 0.02%phosphorous,max. 0.02%sulfur,max. 0.05%aluminum,max. 2%copper,0.1 to 0.5%chromium,max. 2%nickel0.1 to 1%molybdenum,0.001 to 0.01%boron,0.01 to 1%tungsten,max. 0.05%nitrogen, andbalanceiron and impurities. this plate can to start with be generally flat and planar. it is then heated to above the ac 3 temperature and deformed without cooling in a press. while still in the press, the steel plate is cooled and cured. then the deformed and cured steel plate is taken out of the press and mounted on the motor vehicle without further shaping steps. shaping here is intended to include deep drawing, bending, or forging, but not edge trimming or separation into several different parts. it is worth noting that, relative to thinner plate, substantially longer heating time is used. thus the basic crystalline structure of the workpiece is austenitized above the ac 3 temperature. the austenitized steel plate is shaped in a die that can be cooled. during the shaping process the heated steel plate is cooled by conduction into the dies so that there is formation of martensite and bainite. in this manner the steel is hardened. in order to harden it all the way through, the plate has to be heated above the ac 3 temperature. the method further has according to the invention the step of tempering the plate in the press. it is important to note that substantially longer heating time is used than what is used with hot shaping of thin plate. in this manner, the crystalline structure of the workpiece is austenitized above the ac 3 temperature all the way through. the austenitized steel plate is shaped in a tool that is cooled or that can be cooled. during the shaping process, the heated steel plate is cooled by conduction from the tool such that there is a martensitic and bainetic conversion. in this manner, the steel is hardened. if the plate is not heated all the way through to above the ac 3 point, there is only a partial crystal conversion and only a partial hardening. according to application, the reduced hardness can be enough for steel for use as armoring. what is important are the substantially greater shaping properties and the dimensionally accurate crack-free final shaping and hardening produced in the tool during the shaping step of the hardened workpiece. although hot shaping and hardening in a tool are well known, there is, nonetheless, no teaching of application to a ballistic steel and the required wall thickness up to 15 mm. the deep-drawing and shaping possibilities and limitations are unknown in this application. it is also unknown to what thickness a through-going hardening of ballistic steel is possible. in general experiments that form the basis of this invention, produce armor-steel plate up to 8 mm thick, preferably with a wall thickness of 5 mm and 6 mm by heating above the ac 3 point for austenitizing with subsequent hardening in a die. with this process it is possible to produce extremely strong armor elements with very accurate dimensions. since the shape corresponds perfectly to that needed on the inside of the vehicle, it is possible to make the armor very light. at the same time the number of weld seams is reduced to a fraction so that additional precautions regarding these seams are not needed. as a result of better material use it is possible to use this armor plate, for example, in a vehicle door or side or roof panel provided with side and head air bags. in order to finish the armor steel, it can be tempered. as a result armor can be produced whose final shape corresponds exactly to what is needed in the armored vehicle where it will be installed, with the armor plate being fully hardened in this final shape. as a result, it is above all possible to bend through more than 4°. by deep-drawing and/or bending, it is possible to make 90° bends. thus the actual vehicle parts can themselves be made out of armor steel, these parts constituting, for example, a b-column or even a complete deep-drawn door that is itself fully made of armor steel. this can replace a part that is made according to the prior art or a large number of small welded together pieces. this reduces the number of weld seams and the associated safety problem as well as the cost to reduce these safety risks. the single part is very accurately dimensioned so that it can easily be formed into virtually all the pieces needed to virtually make up a motor vehicle. the process of hot shaping and hardening in a die produces the desired ballistic resistance, since the finished part is much harder than the known conventional parts. this means that the steel being used must be temperable and simultaneously very durable. it is, therefore, necessary to develop a material that on the one hand is extremely durable, much more than standard hot-shaped steel, and on the other hand can be made hard enough to be comparable to conventional ballistic steel. durability can be increased with additives such as s manganese, molybdenum and chromium. extreme hardness is obtained using such additives as carbon, silicon and tungsten. in particular, tungsten encourages formation of carbides and increases the strength, yield point and ductility. it is particularly advantageous to use a steel alloy that has the following percentages by weight 0.2 to 0.4%carbon,0.3 to 0.8%silicon,1.0 to 2.5%manganese,max. 0.02%phosphorous,max. 0.02%sulfur,max. 0.05%aluminum,max. 2%copper,0.1 to 0.5%chromium,max. 2%nickel0.1 to 1%molybdenum,0.001 to 0.1%boron,0.01 to 1%tungsten,max. 0.05%nitrogen, andbalanceiron and impurities. this steel alloy has a hardness of up to 580 hv30. a particular advantage embodiment of the invention has by weight the following composition of 0.29 to 0.31%carbon,0.4 to 0.65%silicon,1.5 to 1.6%manganese,0.012 to 0.016%phosphorous,0.0008 to 0.0017%sulfur0.02 to 0.03%aluminum,max. 1.05%copper,0.25 to 0.265%,chromiummax. 1.05%nickel,0.4 to 0.5%molybdenum,0.002 to 0.003%boron,0.01 to 0.35%wolfram0.01 to 0.015%nitrogen, andbalance iron and smelting impurities. the values of copper and nickel can vary within the above given range. in a preferred embodiment both of these metals stand at a ratio of 1:1. the steel alloy according to the invention is particularly good with respect to the ease with which it can be shaped when soft and annealed in a die so as to be hardened to the level needed as use for armor. the steel alloy according to the invention is not only particularly useful for armoring vehicles, for example, armored cars and also can be used as armored elements in motor vehicle construction. the invention is not limited to this application. it could also be used in military tanks and personnel transporters with a plate thickness in the 12 mm range. in battlefield vehicles such as a leopard, the shaped parts according to the invention can be used as armor. normally these shaped parts as a result of their considerable wall thickness are normally only part of the armor and do not themselves provide full armor capacity. brief description of the drawing the above and other objects, features, and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle armor part according to the invention; and fig. 2 is a simplified section showing how the part is made. specific description fig. 1 shows a hot-shaped and hardened part 1 of steel armor steel plate. the plate has a composition by weight of 0.29 to 0.31%carbon0.4 to 0.65%silicon,1.5 to 1.6%manganese,0.012 to 0.016%phosphorous,0.0008 to 0.0017%sulfur,0.02 to 0.03%aluminum,max. 1.05%copper,0.25 to 0.265%chromium,max. 1.05%nickel,0.4 to 0.5%molybdenum,0.002 to 0.003%boron,0.01 to 0.35%wolfram,0.01 to 0.015%nitrogen,balance iron and smelting impurities. the part 1 has a wall thickness 2 of 60 mm. it has parts 3 to 6 that are highly shaped. in the regions 3 , 5 and 6 an angle greater than 45° has been formed. in the part 4 , there is an acute angle α whose lower line 4 a extends at an angle. the part 1 in spite of its complex shape is totally unitary and has no weld seams. the necessary hardness for ballistic protection exists at every location even in the deformed regions 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 . the part 1 is hardened to its final shape in a die. it is thus dimensionally very accurate. fig. 2 shows how the part 1 is made, starting from an unillustrated plate that is heated above the ac 3 point and compressed between two dies 7 and 8 that deform it. it is then hardened and subsequently cooled between the two dies 7 and 8 .
|
015-029-256-654-248
|
US
|
[
"CN",
"US",
"MX",
"WO",
"IL",
"EP",
"ZA",
"KR",
"AU",
"JP",
"CA",
"PL",
"EA"
] |
A61K39/395,A61L2/00,A61L2/08,A61L2/10,A61L2/16,C07K16/26,G21K5/00,A61L/
| 2001-09-24T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"A61",
"C07",
"G21"
] |
methods of sterilizing biological materials containing non-aqueous solvents
|
methods are disclosed for sterilizing biological materials to reduce the level of one or more active biological contaminants or pathogens therein, such as viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia , rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for tses and/or single or multicellular parasites. the methods involve sterilizing biological materials containing one or more non-aqueous solvents with irradiation.
|
1 . a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation, said method comprising irradiating said biological material and a combination of stabilizers comprising dmso, mannitol and trehalose with gamma radiation for a time effective to sterilize said biological material at a rate effective to sterilize said biological material and to protect said biological material from said radiation. 2 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein the biological material contains a non-aqueous solvent. 3 - 6 . (canceled) 7 . the method according to claim 2 , wherein said non-aqueous solvent is an organic solvent. 8 . the method according to claim 2 , wherein said effective rate is not more than about 3.0 kgy/hour. 9 - 12 . (canceled) 13 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said effective rate is at least about 6.0 kgy/hour. 14 - 16 . (canceled) 17 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said biological material is maintained in a low oxygen atmosphere. 18 - 19 . (canceled) 20 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said biological material is maintained in a vacuum. 21 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said biological material contains residual solvent. 22 - 28 . (canceled) 29 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one sensitizer is added to said biological material prior to said step of irradiating said biological material. 30 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said biological material comprises at least one biological contaminant or pathogen selected from the group consisting of viruses, bacteria, yeasts, molds, fungi, parasites and prions. 31 - 50 . (canceled) 51 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said gamma irradiation is conducted at ambient temperature. 52 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said gamma irradiation is conducted at a temperature below ambient temperature. 53 - 73 . (canceled) 74 . the method according to claim 2 , wherein said non-aqueous solvent is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, ethanol, acetone and ppg. 75 - 88 . (canceled) 89 . the method according to claim 1 , wherein said biological material is selected from the group consisting of tissues, blood or blood components and proteins. 90 . (canceled)
|
background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to methods for sterilizing biological materials to reduce the level of one or more active biological contaminants or pathogens therein, such as viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia , rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for tses and/or single or multicellular parasites. the present invention particularly relates to methods of sterilizing biological materials containing one or more non-aqueous solvents with irradiation. 2. background of the related art many biological materials that are prepared for human, veterinary, diagnostic and/or experimental use may contain unwanted and potentially dangerous biological contaminants or pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia , rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for tses and/or single or multicellular parasites. consequently, it is of utmost importance that any biological contaminant or pathogen in the biological material be inactivated before the product is used. this is especially critical when the material is to be administered directly to a patient, for example in blood transfusions, blood factor replacement therapy, organ transplants and other forms of human therapy corrected or treated by intravenous, intramuscular or other forms of injection or introduction. this is also critical for the various biological materials that are prepared in media or via culture of cells or recombinant cells which contain various types of plasma and/or plasma derivatives or other biologic materials and which may be subject to mycoplasma, prion, bacterial, viral and other biological contaminants or pathogens. most procedures for producing biological materials have involved methods that screen or test the biological materials for one or more particular biological contaminants or pathogens rather than removal or inactivation of the contaminant(s) or pathogen(s) from the material. materials that test positive for a biological contaminant or pathogen are merely not used. examples of screening procedures include the testing for a particular virus in human blood from blood donors. such procedures, however, are not always reliable and are not able to detect the presence of certain viruses, particularly in very low numbers. this reduces the value or certainty of the test in view of the consequences associated with a false negative result. false negative results can be life threatening in certain cases, for example in the case of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids). furthermore, in some instances it can take weeks, if not months, to determine whether or not the material is contaminated. moreover, to date, there is no reliable test or assay for identifying prions within a biological material that is suitable for screening out potential donors or infected material. this serves to heighten the need for an effective means of destroying prions within a biological material, while still retaining the desired activity of that material. therefore, it would be desirable to apply techniques that would kill or inactivate contaminants or pathogens during and/or after manufacturing the biological material. the importance of these techniques is apparent regardless of the source of the biological material. all living cells and multi-cellular organisms can be infected with viruses and other pathogens. thus the products of unicellular natural or recombinant organisms or tissues carry a risk of pathogen contamination. in addition to the risk that the producing cells or cell cultures may be infected, the processing of these and other biological materials creates opportunities for environmental contamination. the risks of infection are more apparent for multicellular natural and recombinant organisms, such as transgenic animals. interestingly, even products from species as different from humans as transgenic plants carry risks, both due to processing contamination as described above, and from environmental contamination in the growing facilities, which may be contaminated by pathogens from the environment or infected organisms that co-inhabit the facility along with the desired plants. for example, a crop of transgenic corn grown out of doors, could be expected to be exposed to rodents such as mice during the growing season. mice can harbour serious human pathogens such as the frequently fatal hanta virus. since these animals would be undetectable in the growing crop, viruses shed by the animals could be carried into the transgenic material at harvest. indeed, such rodents are notoriously difficult to control, and may gain access to a crop during sowing, growth, harvest or storage. likewise, contamination from overflying or perching birds has to potential to transmit such serious pathogens as the causative agent for psittacosis. thus any biological material, regardless of its source, may harbour serious pathogens that must be removed or inactivated prior to the administration of the material to a recipient. in conducting experiments to determine the ability of technologies to inactivate viruses, the actual viruses of concern are seldom utilized. this is a result of safety concerns for the workers conducting the tests, and the difficulty and expense associated with the containment facilities and waste disposal. in their place, model viruses of the same family and class are used. in general, it is acknowledged that the most difficult viruses to inactivate are those with an outer shell made up of proteins, and that among these, the most difficult to inactivate are those of the smallest size. this has been shown to be true for gamma irradiation and most other forms of radiation as these viruses' diminutive size is associated with a small genome. the magnitude of direct effects of radiation upon a molecule are directly proportional to the size of the molecule, that is the larger the target molecule, the greater the effect. as a corollary, it has been shown for gamma-irradiation that the smaller the viral genome, the higher the radiation dose required to inactive it. among the viruses of concern for both human and animal-derived biological materials, the smallest, and thus most difficult to inactivate, belong to the family of parvoviruses and the slightly larger protein-coated hepatitis virus. in humans, the parvovirus b19, and hepatitis a are the agents of concern. in porcine-derived materials, the smallest corresponding virus is porcine parvovirus. since this virus is harmless to humans, it is frequently chosen as a model virus for the human b19 parvovirus. the demonstration of inactivation of this model parvovirus is considered adequate proof that the method employed will kill human b19 virus and hepatitis a, and by extension, that it will also kill the larger and less hardy viruses such as hiv, cmv, hepatitis b and c and others. more recent efforts have focussed on methods to remove or inactivate contaminants in the products. such methods include heat treating, filtration and the addition of chemical inactivants or sensitizers to the product. according to current standards of the u.s. food and drug administration, heat treatment of biological materials may require healing to approximately 60° c. for a minimum of 10 hours, which can be damaging to sensitive biological materials. indeed, heat inactivation can destroy 50% or more of the biological activity of certain biological materials. filtration involves filtering the product in order to physically remove contaminants. unfortunately, this method may also remove products that have a high molecular weight. further, in certain cases, small viruses may not be removed by the filter. the procedure of chemical sensitization involves the addition of noxious agents which bind to the dna/rna of the virus and which are activated either by uv or other radiation. this radiation produces reactive intermediates and/or free radicals which bind to the dna/rna of the virus, break the chemical bonds in the backbone of the dna/rna, and/or cross-link or complex it in such a way that the virus can no longer replicate. this procedure requires that unbound sensitizer is washed from products since the sensitizers are toxic, if not mutagenic or carcinogenic, and cannot be administered to a patient. irradiating a product with gamma radiation is another method of sterilizing a product. gamma radiation is effective in destroying viruses and bacteria when given in high total doses (keathly et al., “is there life after irradiation? part 2 ,” biopharm july-august, 1993, and leitman, use of blood cell irradiation in the prevention of post transfusion graft-vs-hostdisease,” transfusion science 10:219-239 (1989)). the published literature in this area, however, teaches that gamma radiation can be damaging to radiation sensitive products, such as blood, blood products, protein and protein-containing products. in particular, it has been shown that high radiation doses are injurious to red cells, platelets and granulocytes (leitman). u.s. pat. no. 4,620,908 discloses that protein products must be frozen prior to irradiation in order to maintain the viability of the protein product. this patent concludes that “[i]f the gamma irradiation were applied while the protein material was at, for example, ambient temperature, the material would be also completely destroyed, that is the activity of the material would be rendered so low as to be virtually ineffective”. unfortunately, many sensitive biological materials, such as monoclonal antibodies (mab), may lose viability and activity if subjected to freezing for irradiation purposes and then thawing prior to administration to a patient. in view of the difficulties discussed above, there remains a need for methods of sterilizing biological materials that are effective for reducing the level of active biological contaminants or pathogens without an adverse effect on the material. the above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background. summary of the invention an object of the invention is to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter. accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide methods of sterilizing biological materials by reducing the level of active biological contaminants or pathogens without adversely effecting the material. other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in the detailed description of preferred embodiments that follows, and in part will be apparent from the description or may be learned by practice of the invention. these objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the compositions and methods particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof. in accordance with these and other objects, a first embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising irradiating the biological material with radiation for a time effective to sterilize the material at a rate effective to sterilize the material and to protect the material from radiation. another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) adding to a biological material at least one stabilizer in an amount effective to protect the biological material from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the material. another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material to a level effective to protect the biological material from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material. another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) reducing the temperature of a biological material to a level effective to protect the biological material from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material. another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) applying to the biological material a stabilizing process selected from the group consisting of: (a) reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material, (b) adding to the biological material at least one stabilizer, and (c) reducing the temperature of the biological material; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material, wherein the stabilizing process and the rate of irradiation are together effective to protect the biological material from radiation. another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) applying to the biological material at least two stabilizing processes selected from the group consisting of: (a) reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material, (b) adding to the biological material at least one stabilizer, and (c) reducing the temperature of the biological material; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material, wherein the stabilizing processes may be performed in any order and are together effective to protect the biological material from radiation. the invention also provides a composition comprising a biological material and a non-aqueous solvent in an amount effective to preserve the preparation for its intended use following sterilization with radiation. the invention also provides a composition comprising at least one biological material, a least one non-aqueous solvent and at least one stabilizer, wherein the non-aqueous solvent and stabilizer are together present in an amount effective to preserve the material for its intended use following sterilization with radiation. additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. the objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims. brief description of the drawings the invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements wherein: fig. 1 is a graph showing the effect of gamma radiation on dried urokinase suspended in polypropylene glycol (ppg) 400 or phosphate buffered saline (pbs). fig. 2 is a graph showing the activity of immobilized anti-insulin monoclonal antibody after irradiation in the presence of various forms of polypropylene glycol. fig. 3 is a graph showing the effect of gamma radiation on trypsin suspended in polypropylene glycol at varying levels of residual solvent (water) content. figs. 4( a )- 4 ( d ) show the effects of porcine heart valves gamma irradiated in the presence of polypropylene glycol 400 (ppg400) and, optionally, a scavenger. figs. 5( a )- 5 ( e ) show the effects of gamma irradiation on porcine heart valve cusps in the presence of 50% dmso and, optionally, a stabilizer, and in the presence of polypropylene glycol 400 (ppg400). figs. 6( a )- 6 ( e ) show the effects of gamma irradiation on frozen porcine av heart valves soaked in various solvents and irradiated to a total dose of 30 kgy at 1584 kgy/hr at −20° c. figs. 7( a )- 7 ( h ) show the effects of gamma irradiation on frozen porcine av heart valves soaked in various solvents and irradiated to a total dose of 45 kgy at approximately 6 kgy/hr at −70° c. detailed description of preferred embodiments a. definitions unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein are intended to have the same meaning as is commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the relevant art. as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include the plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. as used herein, the term “sterilize” is intended to mean a reduction in the level of at least one active biological contaminant or pathogen found in the biological material being treated according to the present invention. as used herein, the term “biological material” is intended to mean any substance derived or obtained from a living organism. illustrative examples of biological materials include, but are not limited to, the following: cells; tissues; blood or blood components; proteins, including recombinant and transgenic proteins, and proteinaceous materials; enzymes, including digestive enzymes, such as trypsin, chymotrypsin, alpha-galactosidase and iduronodate-2-sulfatase; immunoglobulins, including mono and polyimmunoglobulins; botanicals; food and the like. preferred examples of biological materials include, but are not limited to, the following: ligaments; tendons; nerves; bone, including demineralized bone matrix, grafts, joints, femurs, femoral heads, etc.; teeth; skin grafts; bone marrow, including bone marrow cell suspensions, whole or processed; heart valves; cartilage; corneas; arteries and veins; organs, including organs for transplantation, such as hearts, livers, lungs, kidneys, intestines, pancreas, limbs and digits; lipids; carbohydrates; collagen, including native, afibrillar, atelomeric, soluble and insoluble, recombinant and transgenic, both native sequence and modified; chitin and its derivatives, including no-carboxy chitosan (nocc); stem cells, islet of langerhans cells and other cells for transplantation, including genetically altered cells; red blood cells; white blood cells, including monocytes; and platelets. as used herein, the term “non-aqueous solvent” is intended to mean any liquid other than water in which a biological material may be dissolved or suspended and includes both inorganic solvents and, more preferably, organic solvents. illustrative examples of suitable non-aqueous solvents include, but are not limited to, the following: alkanes and cycloalkanes, such as pentane, 2-methylbutane (isopentane), heptane, hexane, cyclopentane and cyclohexane; alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, 2-methoxyethanol, isopropanol, n-butanol, t-butyl alcohol, and octanol; esters, such as ethyl acetate, 2-methoxyethyl acetate, butyl acetate and benzyl benzoate; aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, pyridine, xylene; ethers, such as diethyl ether, 2-ethoxyethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether and methyl t-butyl ether; aldehydes, such as formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde; ketones, such as acetone and 3-pentanone (diethyl ketone); glycols, including both monomeric glycols, such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, and polymeric glycols, such as polyethylene glycol (peg) and polypropylene glycol (ppg), e.g., ppg 400, ppg 1200 and ppg 2000; acids and acid anhydrides, such as formic acid, acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, phosphoric acid and acetic anhydride; oils, such as cottonseed oil, peanut oil, culture media, polyethylene glycol, poppyseed oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil and vegetable oil; amines and amides, such as piperidine, n,n-dimethylacetamide and n,n-dimethylformamide; dimethylsulfoxide (dmso); nitriles, such as benzonitrile and acetonitrile; hydrazine; detergents, such as polyoxyethylenesorbitan monolaurate (tween 20) and monooleate (tween 80), triton and sodium dodecyl sulfate; carbon disulfide; halogenated solvents, such as dichloromethane, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1,2-dichloroethane, tetrachloroethylene and 1-chlorobutane; furans, such as tetrahydrofuran; oxanes, such as 1,4-dioxane; and glycerin/glycerol. particularly preferred examples of suitable non-aqueous solvents include non-aqueous solvents which also function as stabilizers, such as ethanol and acetone. as used herein, the term “biological contaminant or pathogen” is intended to mean a biological contaminant or pathogen that, upon direct or indirect contact with a biological material, may have a deleterious effect on the biological material or upon a recipient thereof. such other biological contaminants or pathogens include the various viruses, bacteria (including inter- and intracellular bacteria, such as mycoplasmas, ureaplasmas, nanobacteria, chlamydia , rickettsias), yeasts, molds, fungi, prions or similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for tses and/or single or multicellular parasites known to those of skill in the art to generally be found in or infect biological materials. examples of other biological contaminants or pathogens include, but are not limited to, the following: viruses, such as human immunodeficiency viruses and other retroviruses, herpes viruses, filoviruses, circoviruses, paramyxoviruses, cytomegaloviruses, hepatitis viruses (including hepatitis a, b and c and variants thereof), pox viruses, toga viruses, ebstein-barr viruses and parvoviruses; bacteria, such as escherichia, bacillus, campylobacter, streptococcus and staphatococcus ; nanobacteria; parasites, such as trypanosoma and malarial parasites, including plasmodium species; yeasts; molds; fungi; mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas; chlamydia ; rickettsias, such as coxiella burnetii ; and prions and similar agents responsible, alone or in combination, for one or more of the disease states known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (tses) in mammals, such as scrapie, transmissible mink encephalopathy, chronic wasting disease (generally observed in mule deer and elk), feline spongiform encephalopathy, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease), creutzfeld-jakob disease (including variant cjd), fatal familial insomnia, gerstmann-straeussler-scheinker syndrome, kuru and alpers syndrome. as used herein, the term “active biological contaminant or pathogen” is intended to mean a biological contaminant or pathogen that is capable of causing a deleterious effect, either alone or in combination with another factor, such as a second biological contaminant or pathogen or a native protein (wild-type or mutant) or antibody, in the biological material and/or a recipient thereof. as used herein, the term “blood components” is intended to mean one or more of the components that may be separated from whole blood and include, but are not limited to, the following: cellular blood components, such as red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets; blood proteins, such as blood clotting factors, enzymes, albumin, plasminogen, fibrinogen and immunoglobulins; and liquid blood components, such as plasma, plasma protein fraction (ppf), cryoprecipitate, plasma fractions and plasma-containing compositions. as used herein, the term “cellular blood component” is intended to mean one or more of the components of whole blood that comprises cells, such as red blood cells, white blood cells, stem cells and platelets. as used herein, the term “blood protein” is intended to mean one or more of the proteins that are normally found in whole blood. illustrative examples of blood proteins found in mammals, including humans, include, but are not limited to, the following: coagulation proteins, both vitamin k-dependent, such as factor vii and factor ix, and non-vitamin k-dependent, such as factor viii and von willebrands factor; albumin; lipoproteins, including high density lipoproteins and low density lipoproteins; complement proteins; globulins, such as immunoglobulins iga, igm, igg and ige; and the like. a preferred group of blood proteins includes factor i (fibrinogen), factor ii (prothrombin), factor iii (tissue factor), factor v (proaccelerin), factor vi (accelerin), factor vii (proconvertin, serum prothrombin conversion), factor viii (antihemophiliac factor a), factor ix (antihemophiliac factor b), factor x (stuart-prower factor), factor xi (plasma thromboplastin antecedent), factor xii (hageman factor), factor xiii (protransglutamidase), von willebrands factor (vwf), factor iia, factor iia, factor iiia, factor va, factor via, factor viia, factor viiia, factor ixa, factor xa, factor xia, factor xiia and factor xiiia. another preferred group of blood proteins includes proteins found inside red blood cells, such as hemoglobin and various growth factors, and derivatives of these proteins. yet another preferred group of blood proteins include proteins found in commercially available plasma protein fraction products, such as plasma-plex® (centeon/aventis behring). protenate® (baxter laboratories), plasmanate® (bayer biological) and plasmatein® (alpha therapeutic). as used herein, the term “liquid blood component” is intended to mean one or more of the fluid, non-cellular components of whole blood, such as plasma (the fluid, non-cellular portion of the whole blood of humans or animals as found prior to coagulation) and serum (the fluid, non-cellular portion of the whole blood of humans or animals as found after coagulation). as used herein, the term “a biologically compatible solution” is intended to mean a solution to which a biological material may be exposed, such as by being suspended or dissolved therein, and remain viable, i.e., retain its essential biological and physiological characteristics. as used herein, the term “a biologically compatible buffered solution” is intended to mean a biologically compatible solution having a ph and osmotic properties (e.g., tonicity, osmolality and/or oncotic pressure) suitable for maintaining the integrity of the material(s) therein. suitable biologically compatible buffered solutions typically have a ph between 4 and 8.5 and are isotonic or only moderately hypotonic or hypertonic. biologically compatible buffered solutions are known and readily available to those of skill in the art. as used herein, the term “stabilizer” is intended to mean a compound or material that reduces damage to the biological material being irradiated to a level that is insufficient to preclude the safe and effective use of the material. illustrative examples of stabilizers include, but are not limited to, the following: antioxidants; free radical scavengers, including spin traps, such as tert-butyl-nitrosobutane (tnb), α-phenyl-tert-butylnitrone (pbn), 5,5-dimethylpyrroline-n-oxide (dmpo), tert-butylnitrosobenzene (bnb), α-(4-pyridyl-1-oxide)-n-tert-butylnitrone (4-pobn) and 3,5-dibromo-4-nitroso-benzenesulphonic acid (dbnbs); combination stabilizers, i.e., stabilizers which are effective at quenching both type i and type ii photodynamic reactions; and ligands, such as heparin, that stabilize the molecules to which they bind. preferred examples of stabilizers include, but are not limited to, the following: ethanol; acetone; fatty acids, including 6,8-dimercapto-octanoic acid (lipoic acid) and its derivatives and analogues (alpha, beta, dihydro, bisno and tetranor lipoic acid), thioctic acid, 6,8-dimercapto-octanoic acid, dihydrolopoate (dl-6,8-dithioloctanoic acid methyl ester), lipoamide, bisonor methyl ester and tatranor-dihydrolipoic acid, furan fatty acids, oleic and linoleic and palmitic acids and their salts and derivatives; flavonoids, phenylpropanoids, and flavenols, such as quercetin, rutin and its derivatives, apigenin, aminoflavone, catechin, hesperidin and, naringin; carotenes, including beta-carotene; co-q10; xanthophylls; polyhydric alcohols, such as glycerol, mannitol; sugars, such as xylose, glucose, ribose, mannose, fructose and trehalose; amino acids and derivatives thereof, such as histidine, n-acetylcysteine (nac), glutamic acid, tryptophan, sodium caprylate, n-acetyl tryptophan and methionine; azides, such as sodium azide; enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (sod) and catalase; uric acid and its derivatives, such as 1,3-dimethyluric acid and dimethylthiourea; allopurinol; thiols, such as glutathione and reduced glutathione and cysteine; trace elements, such as selenium; vitamins, such as vitamin a, vitamin c (including its derivatives and salts such as sodium ascorbate and palmitoyl ascorbic acid) and vitamin e (and its derivatives and salts such as tocopherol acetate and alpha-tocotrienol); chromanol-alpha-c6; 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroma-2 carboxylic acid (trolox) and derivatives; extraneous proteins, such as gelatin and albumin: tris-3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazolin-5-one (mci-186); citiolone; puercetin; chrysin; dimethyl sulfoxide (dmso); piperazine diethanesulfonic acid (pipes); imidazole; methoxypsoralen (mops); 1,2-dithiane-4,5-diol; reducing substances, such as butylated hydroxyanisole (bha) and butylated hydroxytoluene (bht); cholesterol; probucol; indole derivatives; thimerosal; lazaroid and tirilazad mesylate; proanthenols; proanthocyanidins; ammonium sulfate; pegorgotein (peg-sod); n-tert-butyl-alpha-phenylnitrone (pbn); 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (tempol); mixtures of ascorbate, urate and trolox c (asc/urate/trolox c); proteins and peptides, such as glycylglycine and carnosine, in which each amino acid may be in its d or l form; diosmin; pupurogalin; gallic acid and its derivatives including but not limited to propyl gallate, sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate and silymarin. particularly preferred examples include single stabilizers or combinations of stabilizers that are effective at quenching both type i and type ii photodynamic reactions and volatile stabilizers, which can be applied as a gas and/or easily removed by evaporation, low pressure and similar methods. such individual or combinations of stabilizers are referred to herein as “combination stabilizers”. as used herein, the term “residual solvent content” is intended to mean the amount or proportion of freely-available liquid in the biological material. freely-available liquid means the liquid, such as water or an organic solvent (e.g., ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, polyethylene glycol, etc.), present in the biological material being sterilized that is not bound to or complexed with one or more of the non-liquid components of the material. freely-available liquid includes intracellular water. the residual solvent contents related as water referenced herein refer to levels determined by the fda approved, modified karl fischer method (meyer and boyd, analytical chem., 31:215-219, 1959; may, et al., j. biol. standardization, 10:249-259, 1982; centers for biologics evaluation and research, fda, docket no. 89d-0140, 83-93; 1990) or by near infrared spectroscopy. quantitation of the residual levels of other solvents may be determined by means well known in the art, depending upon which solvent is employed. the proportion of residual solvent to solute may also be considered to be a reflection of the concentration of the solute within the solvent. when so considered, the greater the concentration of the solute, the lower the amount of residual solvent. as used herein, the term “sensitizer” is intended to mean a substance that selectively targets viral, bacterial, prion and/or parasitic contaminants, rendering them more sensitive to inactivation by radiation, therefore permitting the use of a lower rate or dose of radiation and/or a shorter time of irradiation than in the absence of the sensitizer. illustrative examples of suitable sensitizers include, but are not limited to, the following: psoralen and its derivatives and analogs (including 3-carboethoxy psoralens); inactines and their derivatives and analogs; angelicins, khellins and coumarins which contain a halogen substituent and a water solubilization moiety, such as quaternary ammonium ion or phosphonium ion; nucleic acid binding compounds; brominated hematoporphyrin; phthalocyanines; purpurins; porphorins; halogenated or metal atom-substituted derivatives of dihematoporphyrin esters, hematoporphyrin derivatives, benzoporphyrin derivatives, hydrodibenzoporphyrin dimaleimade, hydrodibenzoporphyrin, dicyano disulfone, tetracarbethoxy hydrodibenzoporphyrin, and tetracarbethoxy hydrodibenzoporphyrin dipropionamide; doxorubicin and daunomycin, which may be modified with halogens or metal atoms; netropsin; bd peptide, s2 peptide; s-303 (ale compound); dyes, such as hypericin, methylene blue, eosin, fluoresceins (and their derivatives), flavins, merocyanine 540; photoactive compounds, such as bergapten; and se peptide. in addition, atoms which bind to prions, and thereby increase their sensitivity to inactivation by radiation, may also be used. an illustrative example of such an atom would be the copper ion, which binds to the prior protein and, with a z number higher than the other atoms in the protein, increases the probability that the prion protein will absorb energy during irradiation, particularly gamma irradiation. as used herein, the term “proteinaceous material” is intended to mean any material derived or obtained from a living organism that comprises at least one protein or peptide. a proteinaceous material may be a naturally occurring material, either in its native state or following processing/purification and/or derivatization, or an artificially produced material, produced by chemical synthesis or recombinant/transgenic technology and, optionally, process/purified and/or derivatized. illustrative examples of proteinaceous materials include, but are not limited to, the following: proteins and peptides produced from cell culture; milk and other dairy products; ascites; hormones; growth factors; materials, including pharmaceuticals, extracted or isolated from animal tissue, such as heparin and insulin, or plant matter; plasma, including fresh, frozen and freeze-dried, and plasma protein fraction; fibrinogen and derivatives thereof, fibrin, fibrin i, fibrin ii, soluble fibrin and fibrin monomer, and/or fibrin sealant products; whole blood; protein c; protein s; alpha-1 anti-trypsin (alpha-1 protease inhibitor); butyl-cholinesterase; anticoagulants, such as coumarin drugs (warfarin); streptokinase; tissue plasminogen activator (tpa); erythropoietin (epo); urokinase; neupogen; anti-thrombin-3; alpha-glucosidase: (fetal) bovine serum/horse serum; meat; immunoglobulins, including anti-sera, monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies and genetically engineered or produced antibodies; albumin; alpha-globulins; beta-globulins; gamma-globulins; coagulation proteins; complement proteins; and interferons. as used herein, the term “radiation” is intended to mean radiation of sufficient energy to sterilize at least some component of the irradiated biological material. types of radiation include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) corpuscular (streams of subatomic particles such as neutrons, electrons, and/or protons); (ii) electromagnetic (originating in a varying electromagnetic field, such as radio waves, visible (both mono and polychromatic) and invisible light, infrared, ultraviolet radiation, x-radiation, and gamma rays and mixtures thereof); and (iii) sound and pressure waves. such radiation is often described as either ionizing (capable of producing ions in irradiated materials) radiation, such as gamma rays, and non-ionizing radiation, such as visible light. the sources of such radiation may vary and, in general, the selection of a specific source of radiation is not critical provided that sufficient radiation is given in an appropriate time and at an appropriate rate to effect sterilization. in practice, gamma radiation is usually produced by isotopes of cobalt or cesium, while uv and x-rays are produced by machines that emit uv and x-radiation, respectively, and electrons are often used to sterilize materials in a method known as “e-beam” irradiation that involves their production via a machine. visible light, both mono- and polychromatic, is produced by machines and may, in practice, be combined with invisible light, such as infrared and uv, that is produced by the same machine or a different machine. as used herein, the term “to protect” is intended to mean to reduce any damage to the biological material being irradiated, that would otherwise result from the irradiation of that material, to a level that is insufficient to preclude the safe and effective use of the material following irradiation. in other words, a substance or process “protects” a biological material from radiation if the presence of that substance or carrying out that process results in less damage to the material from irradiation than in the absence of that substance or process. thus, biological material may be used safely and effectively after irradiation in the presence of a substance or following performance of a process that “protects” the material, but could not be used safely and effectively after irradiation under identical conditions but in the absence of that substance or the performance of that process. as used herein, an “acceptable level” of damage may vary depending upon certain features of the particular method(s) of the present invention being employed, such as the nature and characteristics of the particular biological material and/or non-aqueous solvent(s) being used, and/or the intended use of the biological material being irradiated, and can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. an “unacceptable level” of damage would therefore be a level of damage that would preclude the safe and effective use of the biological material being sterilized. the particular level of damage in a given biological material may be determined using any of the methods and techniques known to one skilled in the art. b. particularly preferred embodiments a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising irradiating the biological material with radiation for a time effective to sterilize the material at a rate effective to sterilize the material and to protect the material from radiation. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) adding to a biological material at least one stabilizer in an amount effective to protect the biological material from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the material. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material to a level effective to protect the biological material from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) reducing the temperature of a biological material to a level effective to protect the biological material from radiation; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) applying to the biological material a stabilizing process selected from the group consisting of: (a) reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material, (b) adding to the biological material at least one stabilizer, and (c) reducing the temperature of the biological material; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material, wherein the stabilizing process and the rate of irradiation are together effective to protect the biological material from radiation. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sterilizing a biological material that is sensitive to radiation and contains a non-aqueous solvent comprising: (i) applying to the biological material at least two stabilizing processes selected from the group consisting of: (a) reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material, (b) adding to the biological material at least one stabilizer, and (c) reducing the temperature of the biological material; and (ii) irradiating the biological material with radiation at an effective rate for a time effective to sterilize the biological material, wherein the stabilizing processes may be performed in any order and are together effective to protect the biological material from radiation. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a composition comprising a biological material and a non-aqueous solvent in an amount effective to preserve the preparation during sterilization with radiation, such that it remains suitable and effective for its intended use. another preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to a composition comprising at least one biological material, a least one non-aqueous solvent and at least one stabilizer, wherein the non-aqueous solvent and stabilizer are together present in an amount effective to preserve the material for its intended use following sterilization with radiation. the non-aqueous solvent is preferably a non-aqueous solvent that is not prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation, and more preferably a non-aqueous solvent that is not prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation and that has little or no dissolved oxygen or other gas(es) that is (are) prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation. volatile non-aqueous solvents are particularly preferred, even more particularly preferred are non-aqueous solvents that are stabilizers, such as ethanol and acetone. according to certain embodiments of the present invention, the biological material may contain a mixture of water and a non-aqueous solvent, such as ethanol and/or acetone. in such embodiments, the non-aqueous solvent(s) is preferably a non-aqueous solvent that is not prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation, and most preferably a non-aqueous solvent that is not prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation and that has little or no dissolved oxygen or other gas(es) that is (are) prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation. volatile non-aqueous solvents are particularly preferred, even more particularly preferred are non-aqueous solvents that are stabilizers, such as ethanol and acetone. according to certain methods of the present invention, a stabilizer is added prior to irradiation of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent with radiation. this stabilizer is preferably added to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent in an amount that is effective to protect the biological material from the radiation. alternatively, the stabilizer is added to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent in an amount that, together with the non-aqueous solvent, is effective to protect the biological material from the radiation. suitable amounts of stabilizer may vary depending upon certain features of the particular method(s) of the present invention being employed, such as the particular stabilizer being used and/or the nature and characteristics of the particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being irradiated and/or its intended use, and can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. according to certain methods of the present invention, the residual solvent content of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is reduced prior to irradiation of the biological material with radiation. the residual solvent content is preferably reduced to a level that is effective to protect the biological material from the radiation. suitable levels of residual solvent content may vary depending upon certain features of the particular method(s) of the present invention being employed, such as the nature and characteristics of the particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being irradiated and/or its intended use, and can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. there may be biological materials for which it is desirable to maintain the residual solvent content to within a particular range, rather than a specific value. according to certain embodiments of the present invention, when the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent also contains water, the residual solvent (water) content of a biological material may be reduced by dissolving or suspending the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent in a non-aqueous solvent that is capable of dissolving water. when the biological material is in liquid phase, the same result may also be achieved by the dilution of the residual solvent (water) by the addition of liquid non-aqueous solvent. preferably, such a second non-aqueous solvent is not prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation and has little or no dissolved oxygen or other gas(es) that is (are) prone to the formation of free-radicals upon irradiation. when the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is in a liquid phase, reducing the residual solvent content may be accomplished by any of a number of means, such as by increasing the solute concentration. in this manner, the concentration of protein in the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent dissolved within the solvent may be increased to generally at least about 0.5%, typically at least about 1%, usually at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, even more preferably at least about 20%, still even more preferably at least about 25%, and most preferably at least about 50%. in certain embodiments of the present invention, the residual solvent content of a particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may be found to lie within a range, rather than at a specific point. such a range for the preferred residual solvent content of a particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. while not wishing to be bound by any theory of operability, it is believed that the reduction in residual solvent content reduces the degrees of freedom of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent, reduces the number of targets for free radical generation and may restrict the solubility of these free radicals. similar results might therefore be achieved by lowering the temperature of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent below its eutectic point or below its freezing point, or by vitrification to likewise reduce the degrees of freedom of the biological material. these results may permit the use of a higher rate and/or dose of radiation than might otherwise be acceptable. thus, the methods described herein may be performed at any temperature that doesn't result in unacceptable damage to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent, i.e., damage that would preclude the safe and effective use of the biological material. preferably, the methods described herein are performed at ambient temperature or below ambient temperature, such as below the eutectic point or freezing point of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being irradiated. the residual solvent content of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may be reduced by any of the methods and techniques known to those skilled in the art for reducing solvent from a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent without producing an unacceptable level of damage to the biological material. such methods include, but are not limited to, addition of solute, evaporation, concentration, centrifugal concentration, vitrification and spray-drying. a particularly preferred method for reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is lyophilization. another particularly preferred method for reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is the addition of solute. another particularly preferred method for reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is spray-drying. another particularly preferred method for reducing the residual solvent content of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is vitrification, which may be accomplished by any of the methods and techniques known to those skilled in the art, including the addition of solute and or additional solutes, such as sucrose, to raise the eutectic point of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent, followed by a gradual application of reduced pressure to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent in order to remove the residual solvent. the resulting glassy material will then have a reduced residual solvent content. according to certain methods of the present invention, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent to be sterilized may be immobilized upon a solid surface by any means known and available to one skilled in the art. for example, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent to be sterilized may be present as a coating or surface on a biological or non-biological substrate. the radiation employed, in the methods of the present invention may be any radiation effective for the sterilization of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being treated. the radiation may be corpuscular, including e-beam radiation. preferably the radiation is electromagnetic radiation, including x-rays, infrared, visible light, uv light and mixtures of various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation. a particularly preferred form of radiation is gamma radiation. according to the methods of the present invention, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is irradiated with the radiation at a rate effective for the sterilization of the biological material, while not producing an unacceptable level of damage to that material. suitable rates of irradiation may vary depending upon certain features of the methods of the present invention being employed, such as the nature and characteristics of the particular biological material, which may contain a non-aqueous solvent, being irradiated, the particular form of radiation involved and/or the particular biological contaminants or pathogens being inactivated. suitable rates of irradiation can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. preferably, the rate of irradiation is constant for the duration of the sterilization procedure. when this is impractical or otherwise not desired, a variable or discontinuous irradiation may be utilized. according to the methods of the present invention, the rate of irradiation may be optimized to produce the most advantageous combination of product recovery and time required to complete the operation. both low (≦3 kgy/hour) and high (>3 kgy/hour) rates may be utilized in the methods described herein to achieve such results. the rate of irradiation is preferably selected to optimize the recovery of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent while still sterilizing the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent. although reducing the rate of irradiation may serve to decrease damage to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent, it will also result in longer irradiation times being required to achieve a particular desired total dose. a higher dose rate may therefore be preferred in certain circumstances, such as to minimize logistical issues and costs, and may be possible when used in accordance with the methods described herein for protecting a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent from irradiation. according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rate of irradiation is not more than about 3.0 kgy/hour, more preferably between about 0.1 kgy/hr and 3.0 kgy/hr, even more preferably between about 0.25 kgy/hr and 2.0 kgy/hour, still even more preferably between about 0.5 kgy/hr and 1.5 kgy/hr and most preferably between about 0.5 kgy/hr and 1.0 kgy/hr. according to another particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rate of irradiation is at least about 3.0 kgy/hr, more preferably at least about 6 kgy/hr, even more preferably at least about 16 kgy/hr, and even more preferably at least about 30 kgy/hr and most preferably at least about 45 kgy/hr or greater. according to the methods of the present invention, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent to be sterilized is irradiated with the radiation for a time effective for the sterilization of the biological material. combined with irradiation rate, the appropriate irradiation time results in the appropriate dose of irradiation being applied to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent. suitable irradiation times may vary depending upon the particular form and rate of radiation involved and/or the nature and characteristics of the particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being irradiated. suitable irradiation times can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. according to the methods of the present invention, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent to be sterilized is irradiated with radiation up to a total dose effective for the sterilization of the biological material, while not producing an unacceptable level of damage to that material. suitable total doses of radiation may vary depending upon certain features of the methods of the present invention being employed, such as the nature and characteristics of the particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being irradiated, the particular form of radiation involved and/or the particular biological contaminants or pathogens being inactivated. suitable total doses of radiation can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. preferably, the total dose of radiation is at least 25 kgy, more preferably at least 45 kgy, even more preferably at least 75 kgy, and still more preferably at least 100 kgy or greater, such as 150 kgy or 200 kgy or greater. the particular geometry of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being irradiated, such as the thickness and distance from the source of radiation, may be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. a preferred embodiment is a geometry that provides for an even rate of irradiation throughout the preparation. a particularly preferred embodiment is a geometry that results in a short path length for the radiation through the preparation, thus minimizing the differences in radiation dose between the front and back of the preparation. this may be further minimized in some preferred geometries, particularly those wherein the preparation has a constant radius about its axis that is perpendicular to the radiation source, by the utilization of a means of rotating the preparation about said axis. similarly, according to certain methods of the present invention, an effective package for containing the preparation during irradiation is one which combines stability under the influence of irradiation, and which minimizes the interactions between the package and the radiation. preferred packages maintain a seal against the external environment before, during and post-irradiation, and are not reactive with the preparation within, nor do they produce chemicals that may interact with the preparation within. particularly preferred examples include but are not limited to containers that comprise glasses stable when irradiated, stoppered with stoppers made of rubber that is relatively stable during radiation and liberates a minimal amount of compounds from within, and sealed with metal crimp seals of aluminum or other suitable materials with relatively low z numbers. suitable materials can be determined by measuring their physical performance, and the amount and type of reactive leachable compounds post-irradiation and by examining other characteristics known to be important to the containment of biological materials empirically by one skilled in the art. according to certain methods of the present invention, an effective amount of at least one sensitizing compound may optionally be added to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent prior to irradiation, for example to enhance the effect of the irradiation on the biological contaminant(s) or pathogen(s) therein, while employing the methods described herein to minimize the deleterious effects of irradiation upon the biological material. suitable sensitizers are known to those skilled in the art, and include psoralens and their derivatives and inactines and their derivatives. according to the methods of the present invention, the irradiation of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may occur at any temperature that is not deleterious to the biological material being sterilized. according to one preferred embodiment, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is irradiated at ambient temperature. according to an alternate preferred embodiment, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is irradiated at reduced temperature, i.e., a temperature below ambient temperature, such as 0° c., −20° c., −40° c., −60° c., −78° c. or −196° c. according to this embodiment of the present invention, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is preferably irradiated at or below the freezing or eutectic point of the biological material. according to another alternate preferred embodiment, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is irradiated at elevated temperature, i.e., a temperature above ambient temperature, such as 37° c., 60° c., 72° c. or 80° c. while not wishing to be bound by any theory, the use of elevated temperature may enhance the effect of irradiation on the biological contaminant(s) or pathogen(s) and therefore allow the use of a lower total dose of radiation. most preferably, the irradiation of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent occurs at a temperature that protects the preparation from radiation. suitable temperatures can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. in certain embodiments of the present invention, the temperature at which irradiation is performed may be found to lie within a range, rather than at a specific point. such a range for the preferred temperature for the irradiation of a particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. according to the methods of the present invention, the irradiation of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may occur at any pressure which is not deleterious to the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent being sterilized. according to one preferred embodiment, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is irradiated at elevated pressure. more preferably, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is irradiated at elevated pressure due to the application of sound waves or the use of a volatile. while not wishing to be bound by any theory, the use of elevated pressure may enhance the effect of irradiation on the biological contaminant(s) or pathogen(s) and/or enhance the protection afforded by one or more stabilizers, and therefore allow the use of a lower total dose of radiation. suitable pressures can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. generally, according to the methods of the present invention, the ph of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent undergoing sterilization is about 7. in some embodiments of the present invention, however, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may have a ph of less than 7, preferably less than or equal to 6, more preferably less than or equal to 5, even more preferably less than or equal to 4, and most preferably less than or equal to 3. in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may have a ph of greater than 7, preferably greater than or equal to 8, more preferably greater than or equal to 9, even more preferably greater than or equal to 10, and most preferably greater than or equal to 11. according to certain embodiments of the present invention, the ph of the preparation undergoing sterilization is at or near the isoelectric point of one of the components of the biological material. suitable ph levels can be determined empirically by one skilled in the art. similarly, according to the methods of the present invention, the irradiation of the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may occur under any atmosphere that is not deleterious to the biological material being treated. according to one preferred embodiment, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is held in a low oxygen atmosphere or an inert atmosphere. when an inert atmosphere is employed, the atmosphere is preferably composed of a noble gas, such as helium or argon, more preferably a higher molecular weight noble gas, and most preferably argon. according to another preferred embodiment, the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is held under vacuum while being irradiated. according to a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent (lyophilized, liquid or frozen) is stored under vacuum or an inert atmosphere (preferably a noble gas, such as helium or argon, more preferably a higher molecular weight noble gas, and most preferably argon) prior to irradiation. according to an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention, a liquid biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is held under low pressure, to decrease the amount of gas, particularly oxygen, dissolved in the liquid, prior to irradiation, either with or without a prior step of solvent reduction, such as lyophilization. such degassing may be performed using any of the methods known to one skilled in the art. in another preferred embodiment, where the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent contains oxygen or other gases dissolved within or associated with it, the amount of these gases within or associated with the preparation may be reduced by any of the methods and techniques known and available to those skilled in the art, such as the controlled reduction of pressure within a container (rigid or flexible) holding the preparation to be treated or by placing the preparation in a container of approximately equal volume. in certain embodiments of the present invention, when the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent to be treated is a tissue, at least one stabilizer is introduced according to any of the methods and techniques known and available to one skilled in the art, including soaking the tissue in a solution containing the stabilizer(s), preferably under pressure, at elevated temperature and/or in the presence of a penetration enhancer, such as dimethylsulfoxide. other methods of introducing at least one stabilizer into a tissue include, but are not limited to, applying a gas containing the stabilizer(s), preferably under pressure and/or at elevated temperature, injection of the stabilizer(s) or a solution containing the stabilizer(s) directly into the tissue, placing the tissue under reduced pressure and then introducing a gas or solution containing the stabilizer(s) and combinations of two or more of these methods. one or more sensitizers may also be introduced into a tissue according to such methods. it will be appreciated that the combination of one or more of the features described herein may be employed to further minimize undesirable effects upon the biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent caused by irradiation, while maintaining adequate effectiveness of the irradiation process on the biological contaminant(s) or pathogen(s). for example, in addition to the use of a stabilizer, a particular biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent may also be lyophilized, held at a reduced temperature and kept under vacuum prior to irradiation to further minimize undesirable effects. the sensitivity of a particular biological contaminant or pathogen to radiation is commonly calculated by determining the dose necessary to inactivate or kill all but 37% of the agent in a sample, which is known as the d 37 value. the desirable components of a biological material may also be considered to have a d 37 value equal to the dose of radiation required to eliminate all but 37% of their desirable biological and physiological characteristics. in accordance with certain preferred methods of the present invention, the sterilization of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is conducted under conditions that result in a decrease in the d 37 value of the biological contaminant or pathogen without a concomitant decrease in the d 37 value of the biological material. in accordance with other preferred methods of the present invention, the sterilization of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is conducted under conditions that result in an increase in the d 37 value of the material. in accordance with the most preferred methods of the present invention, the sterilization of a biological material which contains a non-aqueous solvent is conducted under conditions that result in a decrease in the d 37 value of the biological contaminant or pathogen and a concomitant increase in the d 37 value of the biological material. examples the following examples are illustrative, but not limiting, of the present invention. other suitable modifications and adaptations are of the variety normally encountered by those skilled in the art and are fully within the spirit and scope of the present invention. unless otherwise noted, all irradiation was accomplished using a 60 co source. example 1 in this experiment, the effect of gamma radiation on dried urokinase suspended in polypropylene glycol (ppg) 400 or phosphate buffered saline (pbs) was determined. method six 15 ml polypropylene microfuge tubes containing urokinase and ppg400 (tubes 2 and 5), pbs (tubes 3 and 6) or dry urokinase alone (tubes 1 and 4) were prepared as indicated in the table below. tubes 4-6 were gamma irradiated at 45 kgy (1.9 kgy/hr) at 4° c. tubes 1-3 were controls (4° c.). weightof dryvolumeurokinaseppg400volumetubesample(mg)(ul)pbs (ul)1dry urokinase alone3.2002urokinase suspended in ppg4003.1612603urokinase suspended in pbs3.0801234dry urokinase alone3.38005urokinase suspended in ppg4003.313206urokinase suspended in pbs3.520141 after irradiation, the samples were centrifuged at room temperature for 5 minutes at 14 k rpm. ppg400 solvent was removed from tubes 2 and 5 and 120 μl pbs were added to those two tubes. 128 μl and 135 μl pbs were added to tubes 1 and 4, respectively (urokinase concentration of 40,000 iu/ml). all samples were then diluted 50-fold with pbs and absorbance at 280 nm was determined. 50 μl of each diluted sample were then added to a 96-well microtiter plate, followed by 50 μl of 3 mm substrate in 2× assay buffer. the plates were incubated at 37° c. with shaking and absorption read at both 405 and 620 nm every 20 minutes beginning 5 minutes after substrate addition. the absorption at 630 nm (background) was subtracted from the value at 405 nm to obtain a corrected absorption value. the final concentration of urokinase was 1000 iu/ml. materials urokinase—sigma cat. # u-5004, lot 29h1054; 2.5 mg=4000 iu urokinase. ppg400—fluka cat. # 81350. substrate—urokinase substrate 1, colormetric—calbiochem. cat. # 672157, lot b23901, 5 mg vials, final concentration 15 mm. 2× assay buffer—100 mm tris (ph 8.8), 100 mm nacl, 0.2% peg8000. results urokinase suspended in ppg400 and then gamma irradiated to a total dose of 45 kgy maintained the same percent activity as gamma irradiated dry powder urokinase (80%). in contrast, urokinase suspended in pbs subjected to the same gamma irradiation maintained only 6% activity. the results of this experiment are presented in fig. 1 . example 2 in this experiment, the activity (as shown by the ability to bind antigen) of immobilized anti-insulin monoclonal antibody was determined after irradiation in the presence of various forms of polypropylene glycol (molecular weights of 400, 1200 and 2000). method in two 96-well microliter plates (falcon plates—probind polystyrene cat. # 353915), the wells were washed four times with full volume pbs (ph 7.4). once the two plates were prepared as described above, they were coated with 100 μl/well of freshly prepared 2 μg/ml anti-insulin in coating buffer and left overnight at 4° c. the plates were then washed briefly three times with pbs (ph 7.4) and 100 μl of ppg400, ppg1200 or ppg2000 were added to specific wells. each solution was prepared in a 11, i.e., 2-fold, dilution series with pbs. both plates were covered tightly with a cap mat (greiner cap mat cat. # 381070 (usa scientific)) and irradiated at either 0 kgy/hr or 45 kgy (1.92 kgy/hr), both at 4° c. following irradiation, approximately 380 μl full volume blocking buffer were then added to all wells and the plates were incubated for two hours at 37° c. the plates were washed four times with tbst and 100 μl of 50 ng/ml biotin-labelled insulin in binding buffer were added to each well. the plates were covered with a plate sealer (dynatech acetate plate sealers) and incubated at 37° c. with shaking (labline titer plate shaker set at 3) for 1.5 hours. the plates were washed four times with tbst and 100 μl of 0.5 μg/ml phosphatase-labelled streptavidin in binding buffer were added to each well. the plates were covered with a plate sealer and incubated at 37° c. for one hour with shaking. the plates were then washed four times with tbst and 100 μl of 1 mg/ml phosphatase substrate in dea buffer were added to each well and the plates were incubated at 37° c. with shaking. absorption was read at both 405 and 620 nm at 5 minute intervals as needed. the absorption at 630 nm (background) was subtracted from the value at 405 nm to obtain a corrected absorption value. materials blocking buffer—2% bsa/pbs (ph 7.4). tbst—tris buffered saline (ph 7.4) with 0.05% tween 20. biotin-labelled insulin—from bovine pancreas—sigma 1-2258 lot 110h8065, 5 mg insulin, 1.2 mol. fitc per mol, insulin, reconstituted in 5 ml sterile water at 1.0 mg/ml stored at 4° c. binding buffer—0.25% bsa/pbs (ph 7.4). phosphatase-labelled streptavidin—kpl cat. # 15-30-00; 05 mg/ml in 50% glycerol/h 2 o (stock diluted 1:1000). dea buffer—per 1 l-97 ml diethanolamine (sigma d-8885), 0.1 g mgcl 2 .6h 2 o, 0.02% sodium azide, stored at 4° c. phosphatase substrate—p-nitrophenyl phosphate—sigma 104-105, 5 mg/tablet. the phosphatase substrate was prepared fresh as a 1 mg/ml solution in phosphatase substrate buffer, i.e., dea buffer. the solution is light sensitive so it had to be stored in the dark until ready to dispense. monoclonal igg1 anti-human insulin—biodesign int. cat. # e86102m, lot 8j2877. coating buffer—carbonate/bicarbonate (ph 9.4). polypropylene glycol p400—fluka cat. # 81350. polypropylene glycol p1200—fluka cat. # 81370. polypropylene glycol p2000—fluka cat. # 81380. results irradiated samples containing ppg exhibited approximately 50-63% of binding activity of unirradiated control. in contrast, irradiated samples containing pbs exhibited no binding activity. the results are presented in fig. 2 . example 3 in this experiment, liquid thrombin containing 50% glycerol and spiked with porcine parvovirus (ppv) was irradiated to varying total doses of radiation. method 1. add 100 μl 100% glycerol, 20 μl thrombin (100 u/ml thrombin) spiked with 50 μl ppv and optionally 20 μl (200 mm) sodium ascorbate as a stabilizer (adjusted to a total volume of 1 ml with h 2 o) to wheaton 3 ml tubes (in duplicate), and irradiate to a total dose of 10, 30 or 45 kgy at 1.8 kgy/hr at 4° c.2. label and seed 96-well cell culture plates to allow at least 4 well per dilution (seeding to be done one day before inoculation). add 200 μl of cell suspension per well at a concentration of 4×10 4 /ml. the same cell culture medium is used for cell growth and maintenance after virus inoculation.3. perform virus inoculation when the cells sheets are 70-90% confluent. in this experiment 800 ul pk-13 growth media was added to 200 ul samples first.4. make appropriate dilution (1:5) of samples with pk-13 growth media, then filter sterilize each sample using low-protein-binding disc filters.5. add 50 μl of the pre-diluted sample to column 1 of a 96-well plate. in column 1 mix the medium and the sample together by pipetting up and down 4-5 times. with fresh tips transfer the necessary amount (50 μl) to the next column and repeat the mixing process. empty all the liquid out of the tips and using the same set of tips, transfer the sample to the next column. repeat this process in each column until column 12 is reached. when the sample in column 12 is mixed, empty the liquid out of the tips, withdraw the sample amount and dispose of this extra liquid in a waste bottle. this gives you 12 samples dilutions.6. return plates to the incubator at 37° c.7. observe microscopically and record the cytopathic effect in inoculated cultures on day 4-5 and day 7. the tcid 50 is calculated from cpe reading according to the method of kärber.8. positive controls were done by adding 50 μl ppv infecting stock, and negative controls were done by adding 50 μl pk-13 growth media followed by serial 1:5 dilutions. materials wheaton tubes—glass serum vials, wheaton # 223684, lot # 1154132-02. thrombin—bovine origin, 5000 us units (5000 u/ml stock). sodium ascorbate—aldrich chem. co. cat. # 26,855-0 (milw, wi 53201). porcine parvovirus (ppv)—atcc # vr-742; ppv infecting stock was prepared by peg8000 preparation wherein ⅕ volume of peg8000 (20% in 2.5 m nacl) was added to ppv and incubated at refrigerated temperatures for 24 hours after which, ppv was pelleted by 15,000 rpm for 45 minutes in a beckman sw-28 rotor, and resuspended in 1/10 volume of peg buffer. ppv titer of porcine parvovirus was determined by tcid 50 and was about 9.0 log/ml (032301 stock). ppv spike ratio was 1:4 (50 μl ppv stock mixed with 150 μl protein solution) into liquid thrombin. peg buffer—0.1 m nacl, 0.01 m tris (ph 7.4), 1 mm edta. siliconized stoppers were used in the experiment obtained from american stemli (princeton, n j.), 6720gc rubber formulation, lot # g009/7202. cells—pk-13 (atcc # crl-6489), passage # 14. cells are maintained in pk-13 growth medium (dulbecco's modified eagle medium supplemented with 10% fbs and 1× pencillin/streptomycin/l-glutamine). results tcid 50 titersampleper 0.05 mllog reduction0 kgy/+200 mm sodium ascorbate6.290 kgy/no stabilier6.37510 kgy/+200 mm sodium ascorbate4.971.3210 kgy/no stabilizer2.973.40530 kgy/+200 mm sodium ascorbate3.053.2430 kgy/no stabilizer2.354.02545 kgy/+200 mm sodium ascorbate3.053.2445 kgy/no stabilizer3.053.325 with a 10 kgy total dose, there was a 1.32 log and a 3.405 log reduction in ppv levels in the presence and absence of sodium ascorbate, respectively. similarly, with a 30 kgy total dose, there was a 3.24 log and a 4.025 log reduction in ppv levels in the presence or absence, respectively, of sodium ascorbate. with a 45 kgy total dose, there was a 3.24 log and a 3.325 log reduction in ppv levels with or without ascorbate, respectively. this experiment demonstrates that inactivation of even small non-enveloped viruses is effective in the presence of a non-aqueous solvent both with and without an effective stabilizer. example 4 in this experiment, trypsin suspended in polypropylene glycol 400 was subjected to gamma irradiation at varying levels of residual solvent (water) content. method trypsin was suspended in polypropylene glycol 400 at a concentration of about 20,000 u/ml and divided into multiple samples. a fixed amount of water (0%, 1%, 2.4%, 4.8%, 7%, 9%, 10%, 20%, 33%) was added to each sample; a 100% water sample was also prepared which contained no ppg 400. samples were irradiated to a total dose of 45 kgy at a rate of 1.9 kgy/hr and a temperature of 4° c. following irradiation, each sample was centrifuged to pellet the undissolved trypsin. the ppg/water soluble fraction was removed and the pellets resuspended in water alone for activity testing. assay conditions: 5 u/well trypsin (50 u/ml)+bapna substrate (05 mg/ml) was serially diluted 3-fold down a 96-well plate. the assay was set up in two 96-well plates and absorption read at both 405 and 620 nm at 5 and 20 minutes. the absorption at 630 nm (background) was subtracted from the value at 405 nm to obtain a corrected absorption value. the change in this value over time between 5 and 15 minutes of reaction time was plotted and vmax and km determined in sigma plot using the hyperbolic rectangular equation). results the irradiated samples containing a mixture of polypropylene glycol (ppg 400) and water (up to 33% water) retained about 80% of the activity of an unirradiated trypsin control and activity equal to that of a dry (lyophilized) trypsin control irradiated under identical conditions. no activity was detected in the 100% water sample irradiated to 45 kgy. the results of this experiment are shown graphically in fig. 3 . example 5 in this experiment, porcine heart valves were gamma irradiated in the presence of polypropylene glycol 400 (ppg400) and, optionally, a scavenger, to a total dose of 30 kgy (1.584 kgy/hr at −20° c.). materials: tissue—porcine pulmonary valve (pv) heart valves were harvested prior to use and stored. tissue preparation reagents— polypropylene glycol 400. fluka, cat# 81350 lot# 386716/1trolox c. aldrich, cat# 23, 881-3 lot#02507tscoumaric acid. sigma, cat# c-9008 lot# 49h3600n-propyl gallate. sigma, cat# p-3130 lot# 117h0526α-lipoic acid. calbiochem, cat# 437692 lot#b34484dulbecco's pbs. gibco brl cat# 14190-144 lot# 10950272.0 ml screw cap tubes. vwr scientific products, cat# 20170-221 lot# 0359 tissue hydrolysis reagents— nerl h 2 o, nerl diagnostics cat# 9800-5 lot# 03055151acetone. em science cat# ax0125-5, lot# 370597116 n constant boiling hcl. pierce cat# 24309, lot# ba42184int-pyd (acetylated pyridinoline) hplc internal standard. metra biosystems inc. cat# 8006, lot# 9hydrochloric acid. vwr scientific cat# vw3110-3, lot# n/aheptafluorobutyric acid (hfba) sigma cat# h-7133, lot# 20k3482 fw 214.0 store at 2-8° c.sp-sephadex c-25 resin. pharmacia cat# 17-0230-01, lot# 247249 (was charged with nacl as per manufacturer suggestion) hydrolysis vials—10 mm×100 mm vacuum hydrolysis tubes. pierce cat# 29560, lot #bb627281 heating module—pierce, reacti-therm. model it 18870, s/n 1125000320176 savant—savant speed vac system: 1. speed vac model sc110, model # sc110-120, serial # sc110-sd171002-1h a. refrigerated vapor trap model rvt100, model u rvt100-120v, serial # rvt100-58010538-1bb. vacuum pump, vp 100 two stage pump model vp100, serial # 93024 column—phenomenex, luna 5μ c18(2) 100 å, 4.6×250 mm. part # 00g-4252-e0, s/n#68740-25, b/n# 5291-29 hplc system: shimadzu system controller scl-10a shimadzu automatic sample injector sil-10a (50 μl loop)shimadzu spectrofluorometric detector rf-10ashimadzu pumps lc-10adsoftware—class-vp version 4.1 low-binding tubes—minisorp 100×15 nunc-immunotube. batch # 042950, cat# 468608 methods: a. preparation of stabilizer solutions: trolox c: mw=250; therefore, want 250 mg/ml for 1m or 125 mg/ml for 0.5 mactual weight=250.9 mg250÷125 mg/ml=2.0 ml not soluble; therefore an additional 2 ml of ppg was added. after water bath sonication and time, trolox c is soluble at 125 mm. coumaric acid: mw=164; therefore, 164 mg/ml for 1 mactual weight=164.8 mg164.8 mg÷164 mg/ml=1.0 ml water bath sonicated for approximately 15 minutes—not 100% soluble. an additional 1 ml ppg was added and further water bath sonicated. n-propyl gallate:mw=212.2; therefore, 212 mg/ml for 1m or 106 mg/ml for 0.5 mactual weight=211.9 mg211.9 mg÷106 mg/ml=2.0 ml soluble after a 20-30 minute water bath sonication. 1 m α-lipoic acid: mw=206; therefore, 206 mg/mlactual weight=412 mg412 mg÷206 mg/ml=2.0 ml very soluble after 10 minute water bath sonication.final stocks of scavengers: 125 mm trolox c—4 ml1 m lipoic acid—2 ml0.5 m coumaric acid—2 ml0.5 m n-propyl gallate—2 ml b. treatment of valves prior to gamma-irradiation. 1. pv heart valves were thawed on wet ice. 2. cusps were dissected out from each valve and pooled into 50 ml conical tubes containing cold dulbecco's pbs. 3. cusps were washed in pbs at 4° c. for approximately 15 hrs; changing pbs during that time a total of 6×. 4. 2 cusps were placed in each 2 ml screw cap tubes. 5. 1.2 ml of the following were added to two tubes (for 0 and 30 kgy): ppg125 mm trolox c in ppg scb stabilizer mixture—comprising of 1.5 ml 125 mm trolox c, 300 μl 1 m lipoic acid, 600 μl 0.5 m coumaric acid and 600 μl 0.5 m n-propyl gallate. (final concentrations: 62.5 mm, 100 mm, 100 mm and 100 mm respectively.) 6. tubes were incubated at 4° c., with rocking. 7. stabilizer solutions and cusps were transferred into 2 ml glass vials for gamma-irradiation. 8. all vials were frozen on dry ice. 9. control samples were kept in-house at −20° c. c. gamma-irradiation of tissue. samples were irradiated at a rate of 1.584 kgy/hr at −20° c. to a total dose of 30 kgy. d. processing tissue for hydrolysis/extraction. 1. since ppg is viscous, pbs was added to allow for easier transfer of material. 2. each pair of cusps (2 per condition) were placed into a 50 ml falcon tube filled with cold pbs and incubated on ice-inverting tubes periodically. 3. after one hour pbs was decanted from the tubes containing cusps in ppg/0 and 30 and replenished with fresh cold pbs. for the ppg samples containing trolox c or stabilizer cocktail, fresh 50 ml falcon tubes filled with cold pbs were set-up and the cusps transferred. 4. an additional 3 washes were done. 5. one cusp was transferred into a 2 ml eppendorf tube filled with cold pbs for extraction. the other cusp was set-up for hydrolysis. e. hydrolysis of tissue. hydrolysis of tissue: 1. each cusp was washed 6× with acetone in an eppendorf tube (approximately 1.5 ml/wash). 2. each cusp was subjected to speedvac (with no heat) for approximately 15 minutes or until dry. 3. samples were weighed, transferred to hydrolysis vials and 6 n hcl added at a volume of 20 mg tissue/ml hcl: sample iddry weight (mg)μl 6 n hcl1. ppg/06.493252. ppg/307.263633. ppg t/05.802904. ppg t/308.204105. ppg scb/06.413216. ppg scb/308.60430 4. samples were hydrolyzed at 110° c. for approximately 23 hours. 5. hydrolysates were transferred into eppendorf tubes and centrifuged @ 12,000 rpm for 5 min. 6. supernatent was then transferred into a clean eppendorf. 7. 50 μl of hydrolysate was diluted in 8 ml nerl h 2 o (diluting hcl to approximately 38 mm). 8. spiked in 200 μl of 2×int-pyd. mixed by inversion. (for 1600 μl 2×int-pyd:160 μl 20×int-pyd+1440 μl nerl h 2 o.) 9. samples were loaded onto sp-sephadex c25 column (approximately 1×1 cm packed bed volume) that had been equilibrated in water. (column was pre-charged with nacl) 10. loaded flow through once again over column. 11. washed with 20 ml 150 mm hq. 12. eluted crosslinks with 5 ml 2 n hcl into a low binding tube. 13. dried entire sample in savant. f. analysis of hydrolysates. set-up the following: sampleμlμl h 2 oμl hfba1. ppg/0 kgy1818022. ppg/30 kgy5913923. ppg t/0 kgy6717124. ppg t/30 kgy6413425. ppg scb/0 kgy1018826. ppg scb/30 kgy321662 results: the hplc results are shown in figs. 4a-4c . in the presence of ppg 400, the results were nearly identical whether the heart valve had been irradiated or not. the addition of a single stabilizer (trolox c) or a stabilizer mixture produced even more effective results. the gel analysis, shown in fig. 4d , confirmed the effectiveness of the protection provided by these conditions. example 6 in this experiment, the effects of gamma irradiation were determined on porcine heart valve cusps in the presence of 50% dmso and, optionally, a stabilizer, and in the presence of polypropylene glycol 400 (ppg400). preparation of tissue for irradiation: 1. 5 vials of pv and 3 vials of atrial valves (av) were thawed on ice. 2. thaw media was removed and valves rinsed in beaker filled with pbs. 3. transferred each valve to 50 ml conical containing pbs. washed by inversion and removed. 4. repeated wash 3×. 5. dissected out the 3 cusps (valves). 6. stored in pbs in 2 ml screw top eppendorf vials (eppendorfs) and kept on ice. preparation of stabilizers: all stabilizers were prepared so that the final concentration of dmso is 50%. 1 m ascorbate in 50% dmso: aldrich cat# 26,855-0 lot# 10801hu 200 mg dissolved in 300 μl h 2 o. add 500 μl dmso. the volumn was adjusted to 1 ml with h 2 o final ph is ≈8.0 1 m coumaric acid: sigma cat# c-9008 lot# 49h3600. mw 164.2 dissolve 34.7 mg in 106 μl dmso, ph=≈3.0 138 μl h 2 o was added. sample crashed out. coumaric went back into solution once ph was adjusted to 7.5 with 1 n naoh. 1 m n-propyl gallate: sigma cat# p-3130 lot# 117h0526. mw 212.2 dissolve 58.2 mg in 138 μl dmso. add 138 μl h 2 o. final ph is 6.5 or slightly lower. stabilizer mixture: 1.0 ml 500 mm ascorbate 500 μl 1 m coumaric acid 300 μl 1 m n-propyl gallate 1.2 ml 50% dmso 3.0 ml method: 1.6 ml of a solution (stabilizer mixture or ppg400) was added to each sample and then the sample was incubated at 4° c. for 25 days. valves and 1 ml of the solution in which they were incubated were then transferred into 2 ml irradiation vials. each sample was irradiated with gamma irradiation at a rate of 1.723 kgy/hr at 3.6° c. to a total dose of 25 kgy. hydrolysis of tissue: 1. washed each cusp 6× with acetone in a 2 ml eppendorf vial. 2. after final acetone wash, dried sample in savant (without heat) for approximately 10-15 minutes or until dry. 3. weighed the samples, transferred them to hydrolysis vials and then added 6 n hcl at a volume of 20 mg tissue/ml hcl: sample iddry weight (mg)μl 6 n hcl1. pbs/0 kgy11.45702. pbs/25 kgy6.03003. dmso/0 kgy6.423214. dmso/25 kgy8.144075. dmso/sc-a/0 kgy8.74356. dmso/sc-a/25 kgy8.154087. ppg/0 kgy13.096558. ppg/25 kgy10.88544 5. samples were hydrolyzed at 110° c. for approximately 23 hours. 6. hydrolysates were transferred into eppendorf vials and centrifuged at 12,000 rpm for 5 min. 7. supernatent was transferred into a clean eppendorf vial. 8. 50 μl hydrolysate was diluted in 8 ml nerl h 2 o (diluting hcl to approximately 37 mm). 9. spiked in 200 μl of 2×int-pyd. mixed by inversion. (for 2000 μl 2×int-pyd: 200 μl 20×int-pyd+1.8 ml nerl h 2 o.) 10. samples were loaded onto sp-sephadex c25 column (approximately 1×1 cm packed bed volume) that had been equilibrated in water. (column was pre-charged with nacl) 11. loaded flow through once again over column. 12. washed with 20 ml 150 mm hcl. 13. eluted crosslinks with 5 ml 2 n hcl into a low binding tube. 50 ml 2 n hcl: 8.6 ml concentrated hcl adjusted to a volume of 50 ml with nerl h 2 o. 14. dried entire sample in savant. guanidine hcl extraction and deae-sepharose purification of proteoglycans: 4m guanidine hcl extraction: 1. removed all three cusps from gamma irradiation vial and transferred to separate 50 ml conical tube. 2. washed cusps five times with 50 ml dpbs (at 4° c. over approx. 5 hours) and determined wet weight of one cusp after damping on kimwipe. 3. transferred one cusp from each group to 1.5 ml microfuge tube and added appropriate volume of 4m guanidine hcl/150 mm sodium acetate buffer ph 5.8 with 2 μg/ml protease inhibitors (aprotinin, leupeptin, pepstatin a) to have volume to tissue ratio of 15 (see methods in enzymology vol. 144 p. 321—for optimal yield use ratio of 15 to 20). 4. diced cusps into small pieces with scissors. 5. nutated at 4° c. for ˜48 hours. 6. centrifuged at 16,500 rpm on hermle z-252m, 4° c.×10 min. 7. collected guanidine soluble fraction and dialyze against pbs in 10k mwco slide-a-lyzer overnight against 5 l pbs (3 slide-a-lyzers with one 5 l and 5 slide-a-lyzers in another 5 l) to remove guanidine. 8. changed pbs and dialyzed for additional 9 hours at 4° c. with stirring. 9. collected the dialysate and store at 4° c. 10. centrifuged at 16,500 rpm on hermle z-252m, 4° c.×5 min 11. removed pbs soluble fraction for deae-sepharose chromatography. deae-sepharose chromatography 1. increase the nacl concentration of 500 μl of pbs soluble guanidine extract to 300 mm nacl (assumed pbs soluble fractions were already at ˜150 mm nacl, so added 15 μl 5m nacl stock to each 500 ul sample). 2. equilibrated ˜1 ml of packed deae-sepharose (previously washed with 1m nacl/pb ph 7.2) into 300 mm nacl/pb ph 7.2 (note: to make 300 mm nacl/pb ph7.2—added 3 ml of 5m nacl stock to 100 ml pbs). 3. added 200 ul of 1 μl slurry of resin to 515 ul of guhcl extracts (both at 300 mm nacl). 4. nutated at ambient temperature for ˜one hour. 5. centrifuged gently to pellet resin. 6. removed “unbound” sample and stored at −20° c. 7. washed resin 5 times with ˜1.5 ml of 300 mm nacl/pbs ph7.2. 8. after last wash, removed all extra buffer using a 100 ul hamilton syringe. 9. eluted at ambient temperature with three 100 μl volumes of 1m nacl/pb ph 7.2. stored at −20° c. sds-page: 5-20% gradient gels for analysis of pbs soluble guanidine hcl extracts and deae-sepharose chromatography. 1. gel#1: guhcl extracts/pbs soluble fractions—toluidine blue and then coomassie blue stained. 2. gel#2: deae-sepharose eluant fraction#1—toluidine blue stained then coomassie blue stained. quantification of collagen crosslinks by hplc: 1. prepare 100-200 ul 1× solution in 1% heptafluorobutyric acid (hfba).2. inject 50 ul on c18 hplc column equilibrated with mobile phase.3. spectrofluorometer is set for excitation at 295 nm and emission at 395 nm.4. calculate the integrated fluorescence of internal-pyridinoline (int-pyd) per 1 ul of 1× solution of int-pyd. results: the hplc results are shown in figs. 5a-d . the major peak represents the internal-pyridinoline (int-pyd) peak. irradiation in an aqueous environment (pbs) produced pronounced decreases in the smaller peaks ( fig. 5a ). reduction of the water content by the addition of a non-aqueous solvent (ppg 400) produced a nearly superimposable curve ( fig. 5b ). dmso was less effective ( fig. 5c ), while dmso plus a mixture of stabilizers ( fig. 5d ) was more effective at preserving the major peak although some minor peaks increased somewhat. the area under the pyd peak for each sample was calculated as shown in the table below. these results confirm the above conclusions and show that the amino acid crosslinks (pyd) found in mature collagen are effectively conserved in the samples containing ppg and dmso with a scavenger mixture. gel analysis is shown in fig. 5e and reflects the major conclusions from the hplc analysis, with significant loss of bands seen in pbs and retention of the major bands in the presence of non-aqueous solvents. samplearea of pyd peakpbs/0 kgy94346pbs/25 kgy60324dmso/0 kgy87880dmso/25 kgy49030dmso/sca/0 kgy75515dmso/sca/25 kgy88714ppg/0 kgy99002ppg/25 kgy110182 example 7 in this experiment, frozen porcine av heart valves soaked in various solvents were gamma irradiated to a total dose of 30 kgy at 1.584 kgy/hr at −20° c. materials: 1. porcine heart valve cusps were obtained and stored at −80° c. in a cryopreservative solution (containing fetal calf serum, penicillin-streptomycin, m199 media, and approximately 20% dmso). 2. dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline: gibco brl cat#14190-144 lot 1095027 3. 2 ml screw cap vials: vwr cat# 20170-221 lot #0359 4. 2 ml glass vials: wheaton cat# 223583 lot#370000-01 5. 13 mm stoppers: stelmi 6720gc lot#g006/5511 6. dmso: jt baker cat# 9224-01 lot# h406307. sodium ascorbate: aldrich cat#26,855-0 lot 10801hu; prepared as a 2m stock in nerl water. 8. fetal calf serum 9. penicillin-streptomycin 10. m199 media 11. dmso methods: cryopreservative procedure: preparation of solutions: freeze medium: fetal calf serum (fcs) (10%)=50 mlpenicillin-streptomycin=2.5 mlm199=qs500 ml 2m dmso dmso=15.62 gfreeze medium=qs 100 ml 3m dmso dmso=23.44 gfreeze medium=qs 100 ml1. place dissected heart valves (with a small amount of conduit/muscle attached) into glass freezing tubes (label with pencil).2. add 2 ml of freeze medium.3. at 21° c., add 1 ml 2m dmso solution.4. at 5 minutes, add 1 ml 2m dmso solution.5. at 30 minutes, add 4 ml 3m dmso solution.6. at 45 minutes and 4° c., place freezing tubes on ice.7. at 50 minutes and −7.2° c., seed bath.8. at 55 minutes and −7.2° c., nucleate.9. at 70 minutes, cool to −40° c. at 1° c./minute. remove from bath and place in canister of ln 2 , and store in cryogenic storage vessel. procedure for irradiation of heart valves: 1. thawed av heart valve cusps on wet ice. 2. pooled cusps into 50 ml tubes. 3. washed cusps with ˜50 ml dpbs at 4° c. while nutating. changed pbs 5× over the course of 5 hrs. 4. transferred cusps into 2 ml screw cap tubes (2 cusps/tube). 5. added 1.0 ml of the following to two of each of two tubes: dpbs, 50% dmso and 50% dmso with 200 mm sodium ascorbate (2m sodium ascorbate stock was diluted as follows: 400 μl (2m)+1.6 ml water+2 ml 100% dmso). 6. incubated tubes at 4° c. with nutating for ˜46 hours. 7. transferred solutions and cusps to glass 2 ml vials, stoppered and capped. 8. all vials were frozen on dry ice. 9. frozen samples were then irradiated at −20° c. at a rate of 1.584 kgy/hr to a total dose of 30 kgy. results: the results of the hplc analysis are shown in figs. 6a-6d . irradiation in an aqueous environment (pbs) produced decreases in the smaller peaks ( fig. 6a ). reduction of the water content by the addition of a non-aqueous solvent (20% dmso) reproduced these peaks more faithfully ( fig. 6b ). increasing the dmso concentration to 50% was slightly more effective ( fig. 6c ), while dmso plus a mixture of stabilizers ( fig. 6d ) was very effective at preserving both the major and minor peaks (the additional new peaks are due to the stabilizers themselves). gel analysis is shown in fig. 6e and reflects the major conclusions from the hplc analysis, with significant loss of bands seen in pbs and retention of the major bands in the presence of non-aqueous solvents with and without stabilizers. example 8 in this experiment, frozen porcine av heart valves soaked in various solvents were gamma irradiated to a total dose of 45 kgy at approximately 6 kgy/hr at −70° c. materials: 1. porcine heart valve cusps were obtained and stored at −80° c. in a cryopreservative solution (same solution as that in example 7).2. 2. dulbecco's phosphate buffered saline: gibco brl cat#14190-144 lot 10950273. 2 ml screw cap vials: vwr cat# 20170-221 lot #03594. 2 ml glass vials: wheaton cat# 223583 lot#370000-015. 13 mm stoppers: stelmi 6720gc lot#g006/55116. dmso: jt baker cat# 9224-01 lot# h406307. sodium ascorbate: aldrich cat# 26,855-0 lot 10801hu; prepared as a 2m stock in nerl water.8. polypropylene glycol 400 (ppg400): fluka cat#81350 lot#386716/1 methods: cryopreservative procedure is the same as that shown in example 7. 1. thawed av heart valve cusps on wet ice. dissected out cusps and washed the pooled cusps 6× with cold pbs. 2. dried each cusp and transferred cusps into 2 ml screw cap tubes (2 cusps/tube). 3. added 1.2 ml of the following to two of each of two tubes: dpbs, dpbs with 200 mm sodium ascorbate, ppg400, ppg400 for rehydration, 50% dmso and 50% dmso with 200 mm sodium ascorbate (2m sodium ascorbate stock was diluted as follows: 400 μl (2m)+1.6 ml water+2 ml 100% dmso). 4. incubated tubes at 4° c. with nutating for ˜46 hours. 5. replaced all solutions with fresh (with the following exception: for one ppg400 set, ppg400 was removed, the cusp washed with pbs+200 mm ascorbate, which was then removed and replaced with fresh pbs+200 mm ascorbate). 6. incubated tubes at 4° c. with nutating for ˜46 hours. 7. changed the solution on the ppg400 dehyd./pbs+ascorbate rehydration cusps prepared in step 5). 8. incubated tubes at 4° c. with nutating for ˜6 hours. 9. transferred solutions and cusps to glass 2 ml vials, stoppered and capped. 10. all vials were frozen on dry ice. 11. frozen samples were then irradiated at −70° c. at a rate of 6 kgy/hr to a total dose of 45 kgy. results: the results of the hplc analysis are shown in figs. 7a-7f . irradiation in an aqueous environment (pbs) resulted in changes in the minor peaks and a right shift in the major peak. the inclusion of various non-aqueous solvents, reduction in residual water, and the addition of stabilizers produced profiles that more closely matched those of the corresponding controls. the gel analysis is shown in figs. 7g-7h and shows a significant loss of bands in pbs, while the other groups demonstrated a significant retention of these lost bands. when comparing the results from example 8 to the results from examples 5, 6, and 7, it becomes apparent that lowering the temperature for the gamma irradiation usually results in a decrease in the amount of modification or damage to the collagen crosslinks. one illustration of this temperature dependence is the sample containing 50% dmso and ascorbate, in which the additional peaks are markedly decreased as the temperature is lowered from −20° c. to −80° c. having now fully described this invention, it will be understood to those of ordinary skill in the art that the methods of the present invention can be carried out with a wide and equivalent range of conditions, formulations and other parameters without departing from the scope of the invention or any embodiments thereof. all patents and publications cited herein are hereby fully incorporated by reference in their entirety. the citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as an admission that such publication is prior art or that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention. the foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. the present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. the description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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015-481-954-717-104
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US
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[
"US",
"WO"
] |
H02J7/02,H02J7/00,H02J50/23,H02J50/40,H02J50/80,H02J50/90,H02J17/00
| 2013-07-19T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"H02"
] |
method for 3 dimensional pocket-forming
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the present disclosure describes a methodology for wireless power transmission based on pocket-forming. the method includes a transmitter device capable of forming pockets of energy used by a receiver device to charge an electronic device such as a computers, cell phones, tablet and/or devices of the like. the method may include using an array of antennas at the transmitter to locate the position of a receiver device. the transmitter may identify the position of the device by capturing a signal from a receiving device using two subsets from the array of antennas. the subset of antennas may then be adjusted to form pockets of energy at the appropriate location of the receiving device. previously stored data pertaining to each antenna in the array may serve to determine the proper adjustments for the entire array of antennas based on the results from the subsets used to capture the receivers signal.
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1. a method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission, comprising the steps of: capturing a first signal from a receiver with a first subset of antennas from an antenna array on a transmitter; switching to a different subset of antennas on the transmitter; capturing a second signal from the receiver with a second subset of antennas from the antenna array on the transmitter; and processing the first and second signals by a microprocessor on the transmitter in order to adjust the antenna array on the transmitter to form pockets of energy directed to the receiver to charge or power an electronic device. 2. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 1 , wherein the first signal is captured with a row of antennas and the second signal is captured by a column of antennas in the transmitter array of antennas. 3. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 2 , wherein the row of antennas provide a horizontal degree orientation such as an azimuth in a spherical coordinate system and wherein the column of antennas provide a vertical degree orientation such as elevation in the spherical coordinate system. 4. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 3 , wherein the first and second subset of antennas are aligned in a cross structure in order to cover 360 degrees around the transmitter. 5. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 1 , further includes the step of measuring the horizontal and vertical values to determine appropriate values of phase and gain to determine a position of the receiver to the antenna array of the transmitter. 6. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 5 , wherein the values of phase and gain are used by the microprocessor to adjust transmitter antennas to form pockets of energy used by the receiver in order to charge or power the electronic device. 7. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 1 , further comprising the step of communicating between the electronic device receiver and the transmitter through short rf waves or pilot signals on conventional wireless communication protocols including bluetooth, wi-fi, zigbee or fm radio signal with the power level information for the electronic device to be charged. 8. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 1 , further comprising the steps of calculating the data pertaining to initial test values of all antennas in the transmitter and saving previously stored data of test values for use by the microprocessor to assist in the future calculation of appropriate values for the transmitter antennas in the array at different frequencies. 9. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 8 , wherein the microprocessor determines appropriate adjustments for phase and gain in the row of transmitter antennas in order to form pockets of energy at the appropriate locations based on the receiver location. 10. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 8 , further including the step of utilizing previously stored data about the transmitter antennas for adjusting the antenna array accordingly with the results from the row of antennas and from the column of antennas. 11. the method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 1 , further including two diagonal subsets of antennas for capturing the first and second signals and based upon the signals captured adjustments are made and data about the antennas are stored then the rest of the antenna in the array are accordingly adjusted. 12. a device for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission, comprising: a receiver connected to a portable electronic device to receive charging or powering from a transmitter with an antenna array; a first subset of antennas within the antenna array on the transmitter for capturing a first signal generated by the receiver; a second subset of antennas within the antenna array on the transmitter for capturing a second signal generated by the receiver; and a microprocessor mounted within the transmitter for processing the first and second signals in order to adjust the first and second subset of antennas within the antenna array to transmit pockets of energy to the receiver for charging or powering the electronic device. 13. the device for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 12 , wherein the first signal is captured with a row of antennas and the second signal is captured by a column of antennas in the transmitter array of antennas. 14. the device for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 12 , wherein the row of antennas provide a horizontal degree orientation such as an azimuth in a spherical coordinate system and wherein the column of antennas provide a vertical degree orientation such as elevation in the spherical coordinate system. 15. the device for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 12 , wherein the microprocessor calculates the measurements of the horizontal and vertical values of the first and second signals for appropriate values of phase and gain to determine appropriate values for all antennas in the transmitter array in order to adjust all of the antennas in the transmitter array. 16. the device for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 12 , wherein each transmitter operates at different frequencies, power intensities and different ranges to power the electronic device. 17. an apparatus for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission, comprising: a receiver connected to an electronic device for communicating with a transmitter by generating first and second signals representative of horizontal and vertical orientation or values in a spherical system; and a first and second subset of antenna elements for capturing the horizontal and vertical values of the receiver for a microprocessor to calculate the appropriate values of the phase and gain for the vertical and horizontal antenna elements used to capture the signals and used by the microprocessor to adjust antenna elements of the transmitter for forming pockets of energy used by the receiver to charge and power the electronic device. 18. the apparatus for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 17 , further including communication circuitry in the receiver and transmitter wherein the communication circuitry utilizes bluetooth, infrared, wi-fi, fm radio or zigbee for the communication protocols. 19. the apparatus for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 17 , wherein the antenna elements are flat antenna elements, patch antenna elements, dipole antenna elements with heights from approximately ⅛ inches to about 1 inch and widths from approximately ⅛ inches to about 1 inch. 20. the apparatus for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 17 , wherein the antenna elements of the transmitter operate in frequency bands of 900 mhz, 2.5 ghz or 5.8 ghz. 21. the apparatus for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 17 , wherein the antenna elements of the transmitter operate in independent frequencies that allow a multichannel operation of pocket-forming in a single array, pair array, quad array or other suitable arrangement. 22. the apparatus for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission of claim 17 , wherein the antenna elements of the transmitter include polarization of vertical pole, horizontal pole, circularly polarized, left hand polarized, right hand polarized or a combination of polarizations.
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cross-references to related applications the present disclosure is related to u.s. non-provisional patent application ser. no. 13/891,430 filed may 10, 2013, entitled “methodology for pocket-forming”; ser. no. 13/891,455 filed may 10, 2013, entitled “transmitters for wireless power transmission”; and ser. no. 13/925,469 filed jun. 24, 2013, entitled “methodology for multiple pocket-forming” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by these references. field of invention the present disclosure relates to wireless power transmission, and more particularly to a method for wireless power transmission based on pocket-forming. background of the invention portable electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets, notebooks and others have become an everyday need in the way we communicate and interact with others. the frequent use of these devices may require a significant amount of power, which may easily deplete the batteries attached to these devices. therefore, a user is frequently needed to plug in the device to a power source, and recharge such device. this may be inconvenient and troublesome if the user forgets to plug in or otherwise charge a device, the device may run out of power and be of no use to the user until the user is again able to charge the device. there are many approaches in the literature that have tried to reduce the impact of the changing needs of portable electronic devices. in some cases the devices have rechargeable batteries. however, the aforementioned approach requires a user to carry around extra batteries, and also make sure that the extra set of batteries is charged. solar-powered battery chargers are also known, however, solar cells are expensive, and a large array of solar cells may be required to charge a battery of any significant capacity. other approaches involve a mat or pad that allows to charge a device without physically connecting a plug of the device, by using electromagnetic signals, in this case, the device still requires to be placed in a certain location for a period of time in order to be charged. assuming a single source power transmission of electro-magnetic (em) signal, an em signal gets reduced by a factor of 1/r 2 inches magnitude over a distance r. thus, the received power at a large distance from the em transmitter is a small fraction of the power transmitted. to increase the power of the received signal, the transmission power would have to be boosted. assuming that the transmitted signal has an efficient reception at three centimeters from the em transmitter, receiving the same signal power over a useful distance of three meters would entail boosting the transmitted power by 10,000×. such power transmission is wasteful, as most of the energy would be transmitted and not received by the intended devices, it could be hazardous to living tissue, it would most likely interfere with most electronic devices in the immediate vicinity, and it may be dissipated as heat. in yet another approach such as directional power transmission, it would generally require knowing the location of the device to be able to point the signal in the right direction to enhance the power transmission efficiency. however, finding the location of a device when managing an array of antennas may be computationally intensive and may require a large amount of resources, even when the device is located, efficient transmission is not guaranteed due to reflections and interference of objects in the path or vicinity of the receiving device. therefore, a wireless power transmission method solving the aforementioned problems is desired. summary of the invention the present invention provides a methodology for pocket-forming. the methodology includes at least one transmitter and one or more receivers. in one or more aspects of the present disclosure, the transmitter may include a housing having at least two antenna elements, at least one radio frequency integrated circuit (rfic), at least one digital signal processor or micro-controller which may be connected to a power source. the housing may also include a communications component. in another aspect of the present disclosure, a receiver may include a housing having at least one antenna element, one rectifier, one power converter, and one or more communications component. the method for pocket-forming starts when the receiver generates a short signal (e.g., rf) through one or more antenna elements. the transmitter, which may have an array of antenna elements, intercepts this signal with a first subset and a second subset of antenna elements and sends it to a micro-controller. the micro-controller decodes the signal and identifies the gain and phase from the signal sent by the receiver, and hence determining the direction for sending the pockets of energy. the transmitter may then adjust the array of antennas based on the direction and may form a channel or path between the transmitter and receiver. once the channel is established, the transmitter may transmit controlled radio frequency (rf) waves which may converge in 3-d space. these rf waves may be controlled through phase and/or relative amplitude adjustments to form constructive and destructive interference patterns (pocket-forming). pockets of energy may form at constructive interference patterns and can be 3-dimensional in shape whereas mill-spaces may be generated at destructive interference patterns. a receiver may then utilize pockets of energy produced by pocket-forming for charging or powering an electronic device, for example a laptop computer and thus effectively providing wireless power transmission. in other situations there can be multiple transmitters and/or multiple receivers for powering various electronic equipment for example smartphones, tablets, music players, toys and others at the same time. a method for 3-dimensional pocket-forming in wireless power transmission, comprises the steps of determining a receiver location connected to a portable electronic device for charging or powering the device; capturing a first signal from the receiver with a first subset of antennas from an antenna array on a transmitter; switching to a different subset of antennas on the transmitter; capturing a second signal from the receiver with a second subset of antennas from the antenna array on the transmitter; and processing the first and second signals by a microprocessor on the transmitter in order to adjust the antenna array on the transmitter to form pockets energy directed to the receiver to charge or power the electronic device. brief description of the drawings embodiments of the present disclosure are described by way of example with reference to the accompanying figures, which are schematic and may not be drawn to scale. unless indicated as representing prior art, the figures represent aspects of the present disclosure. the main features and advantages of the present disclosure will be better understood with the following descriptions, claims, and drawings, where: fig. 1 illustrates a wireless power transmission example situation using pocket-forming. fig. 2 illustrates a component level embodiment for a transmitter. fig. 3 illustrates an example transmitter configuration that can be used in accordance with various embodiments. fig. 4 is a method of identifying a receiver location and adjusting transmitter antennas accordingly. fig. 5 is an example embodiment an antenna array configuration for capturing receiver signals. fig. 6 is another example embodiment of an antenna array configuration for capturing receiver signals. detailed description of the drawings definitions “pocket-forming” may refer to generating two or more rf waves which converge in 3-d space, forming controlled constructive and destructive interference patterns. “pockets of energy” may refer to areas or regions of space where energy or power may accumulate in the form of constructive interference patterns of rf waves. “null-space” may refer to areas or regions of space where pockets of energy do not form because of destructive interference patterns of rf waves. “transmitter” may refer to a device, including a chip which may generate two or more rf signals, at least one rf signal being phase shifted and gain adjusted with respect to other rf signals, substantially all of which pass through one or more rf antenna such that focused. re signals are directed to a target. “receiver” may refer to a device including at least one antenna element, at least one rectifying circuit and at least one power converter, which may utilize pockets of energy for powering, or charging an electronic device. “adaptive pocket-forming” may refer to dynamically adjusting pocket-forming to regulate power on one or more targeted receivers. description of the drawings in the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. in the drawings, which may not be to scale or to proportion, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. the illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings and claims, are not meant to be limiting. other embodiments may be used and/or and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. fig. 1 illustrates wireless power transmission 100 using pocket-forming. a transmitter 102 may transmit controlled radio rf waves 104 which may converge in 3-d space. these radio frequencies (rf) waves may be controlled through phase and/or relative amplitude adjustments to form constructive and destructive interference patterns (pocket-forming). pockets of energy 108 may be formed at constructive interference patterns and can be 3-dimensional in shape whereas null-spaces may be generated at destructive interference patterns. a receiver 106 may then utilize pockets of energy 108 produced by pocket-forming for charging or powering an electronic device, for example a laptop computer 110 and thus effectively providing wireless power transmission. in other situations there can be multiple transmitters 102 and/or multiple receivers 10 $ for powering various electronic equipment for example smartphones, tablets, music players, toys and others at the same time. in other embodiments, adaptive pocket-forming may be used to regulate power on electronic devices. fig. 2 depicts a basic block diagram of a transmitter 200 which may be utilized for wireless power transmission. such transmitter 200 may include one or more antenna elements 202 , one or more radio frequency integrated circuit (rfic 204 ), one or more microcontroller 206 , a communication component 208 , a power source 210 and a housing 212 , which may allocate all the requested components for transmitter 200 . components in transmitter 200 may be manufactured using meta-materials, micro-printing of circuits, nano-materials, and the like. transmitter 200 may be responsible for the pocket-forming, adaptive pocket-forming and multiple pocket-forming through the use of the components mentioned in the foregoing paragraph. transmitter 200 may send wireless power transmission to one or more receivers 106 in form of radio signals, such signals may include any radio signal with any frequency or wavelength. antenna elements 202 may include flat antenna elements 202 , patch antenna elements 202 , dipole antenna elements 202 and any suitable antenna for wireless power transmission. suitable antenna types may include, for example, patch antennas with heights from about ⅛ inches to about 1 inch and widths from about ⅛ inches to about 1 inch. shape and orientation of antenna elements 202 may vary in dependency of the desired features of transmitter 200 , orientation may be flat in x, y, and z axis, as well as various orientation types and combinations in three dimensional arrangements. antenna elements 202 materials may include any suitable material that may allow radio signal transmission with high efficiency, good heat dissipation and the like. number of antenna elements 202 may vary in relation with the desired range and power transmission capability on transmitter 200 , the more antenna elements 202 , the wider range and higher power transmission capability. antenna elements 202 may include suitable antenna types for operating in frequency bands such as 900 mhz, 2.5 ghz or 5.8 ghz as these frequency bands conform to federal communications commission (fcc) regulations part 18 (industrial, scientific and medical equipment). antenna elements 202 may operate in independent frequencies, allowing a multichannel operation of pocket-forming. in addition, antenna elements 202 may have at least one polarization or a selection of polarizations. such polarization may include vertical pole, horizontal pole, circularly polarized, left hand polarized, right hand polarized, or a combination of polarizations. the selection of polarizations may vary in dependency of transmitter 200 characteristics. in addition, antenna elements 202 may be located in various surfaces of transmitter 200 . antenna elements 202 may operate in single array, pair array, quad array and any other suitable arrangement, which may be designed in accordance with the desired application. rfic 204 may include a plurality of rf circuits which may include digital and/or analog components, such as, amplifiers, capacitors, oscillators, piezoelectric crystals and the like. rfic 204 may control features of antenna elements 202 , such as gain and/or phase for pocket-forming and manage it through direction, power level, and the like. the phase and the amplitude of pocket-forming in each antenna elements 202 may be regulated by the corresponding rfic 204 in order to generate the desired pocket-forming and null steering. in addition rfic 204 may be connected to microcontroller 206 , which may include a digital signal processor (dsp), pic-class microprocessor, central processing unit, computer and the like. microcontroller 206 may control a variety of features of rfic 204 such as, time emission of pocket-forming, direction of the pocket-forming, bounce angle, power intensity and the like. furthermore, microcontroller 206 may control multiple pocket-forming over multiple receivers or over a single receiver. furthermore, transmitter 200 may allow distance discrimination of wireless power transmission. in addition, microcontroller 206 may manage and control communication protocols and signals by controlling communication component 208 . microcontroller 206 may process information received by communication component 208 which may send and receive signals to and from a receiver in order to track it and concentrate pocket of energy 108 on it. in addition, other information may be transmitted from and to receiver 106 ; such information may include authentication protocols among others. communication component 208 may include and combine bluetooth technology, infrared communication, wi-fi, fm radio among others. microcontroller 206 may determine optimum times and locations for pocket-forming, including the most efficient trajectory to transmit pocket forming in order to reduce losses because obstacles. such trajectory may include direct pocket-forming, bouncing, and distance discrimination of pocket-forming. transmitter 200 may be fed by a power source 210 which may include ac or dc power supply. voltage, power and current intensity provided by power source 210 may vary in dependency with the required power to be transmitted. conversion of power to radio signal may be managed by microcontroller 206 and carried out by rfic 204 , which may utilize a plurality of methods and components to produce radio signals in a wide variety of frequencies, wavelength, intensities and other features. as an exemplary use of a variety of methods and components for radio signal generation, oscillators and piezoelectric crystals may be used to create and change radio frequencies in different antenna elements 202 . in addition, a variety of filters may be used for smoothing signals as well as amplifiers for increasing power to be transmitted. transmitter 200 may emit pocket-forming with a power capability from few watts to over hundreds of watts. each antenna may manage a certain power capacity. such power capacity may be related with the application. in addition to housing 212 , an independent base station may include microcontroller 206 and power source 210 , thus, several transmitters 200 may be managed by a single base station and a single microcontroller 206 . such capability may allow the location of transmitters 200 in a variety of strategic positions, such as ceiling, decorations, walls and the like. antenna elements 202 , rfic 204 and microcontroller 206 may be connected in a plurality of arrangements and combinations, which may depend on the desired characteristics of transmitter 200 . fig. 3 is an example of a transmitter configuration 300 that includes a plurality of antenna elements 202 . antenna elements 202 may form an array by arranging rows of antennas 302 and columns of antennas 304 . transmitter configuration 300 may include at least one rfic 204 to control features of antenna elements 202 , such as gain and/or phase for pocket-forming and manage it through direction, power level, and the like. the array of antenna elements 202 may be connected to a microcontroller 206 , which may determine optimum times and locations for pocket-forming, including the most efficient trajectory to transmit pocket forming in order to reduce losses because of obstacles. such trajectory may include direct pocket-forming, bouncing, and distance discrimination of pocket-forming. a transmitter 102 device may utilize antenna elements 202 to determine the location of a receiver 106 in order to determine how to adjust antenna elements 202 to form pockets of energy 108 in the appropriate location. a receiver 106 may send a train signal to transmitter 102 in order to provide information. the train signal may be any conventional know signals that may be detected by antenna elements 202 . the signal sent by receiver 106 may contain information such as phase and gain. fig. 4 is a method for determining receiver location 400 using antenna elements 202 . method for determining receiver location 400 may be a set of programmed rules or logic managed by microcontroller 206 . the process may begin by capturing first signal 402 with a first subset of antennas from the antenna array. the process may follow immediately by switching to a different subset of antenna elements 202 and capturing second signal 404 with a second subset of antennas. for example, a first signal may be captured with a row of antennas 302 and the second capturing may be done with a column of antennas 304 . a row of antennas 302 may provide a horizontal degree orientation such an azimuth in a spherical coordinate system. a column of antennas 304 may provide a vertical degree orientation such as elevation. antenna elements 202 used for capturing first signal 402 and capturing second signal 404 may be aligned in straight vertical, horizontal or diagonal orientation. the first subset and second subset of antennas may be aligned in a cross like structure in order to cover 360 degrees around transmitter 102 . once both vertical and horizontal values have been measured, microcontroller 206 may determine the appropriate values 406 of phase and gain for the vertical and horizontal antenna elements 202 used to capture the signal. appropriate values for phase and gain may be determined by the relationship of the position of the receiver 106 to the antenna elements 202 used. the values may be used by microcontroller 206 in order to adjust antenna elements 202 to form pockets of energy 108 that may be used by a receiver 106 in order to charge an electronic device. data pertaining to initial values of all antenna elements 202 in transmitter 102 may be calculated and stored previously for use by microcontroller 206 in order to assist in the calculation of appropriate values for antenna elements 202 . after the appropriate values for the vertical and horizontal antennas used for capturing the signal have been determined, the process may continue by using the stored data to determine appropriate values for all the antennas in the array 408 . stored data may contain initial test values of phase and gain for all antenna elements 202 in the array at different frequencies. different sets of data may be stored for different frequencies and microcontroller 206 may select the appropriate data set accordingly. microcontroller 206 may then adjust all antennas 410 through rfic 204 in order to form pockets of energy 108 at the appropriate locations. fig. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of an array subset configuration 500 that may be used in method for determining receiver location 400 . transmitter 200 may include an array of antennas 502 . a row of antennas 504 may be used first for capturing a signal sent by a receiver 106 . row of antennas 504 may then transfer the signal to the rfic 204 (not shown in fig. 5 ), where the signal may be converted from a radio signal to a digital signal and passed on to microcontroller 206 for processing. microcontroller 206 may then determine appropriate adjustments for phase and gain in row of antennas 504 in order to form pockets of energy 108 at the appropriate locations based on the receiver 106 locations. a second signal may be captured by a column of antennas 508 . column of antennas 508 may then transfer the signal to the rfic 204 (not shown in fig. 5 ), where the signal may be converted from a radio signal to a digital signal and passed on to microcontroller 206 for processing. microcontroller 206 may then determine appropriate adjustments for phase and gain in column of antennas 508 in order to form pockets of energy 108 at the appropriate locations based on the receiver 106 locations. once the appropriate adjustments have been determined for row of antennas 504 and column of antennas 508 microcontroller 206 may determine the appropriate values for the rest of antenna elements 202 in array of antennas 502 by using previously stored data about the antennas and adjusting accordingly with the results from row of antennas 504 and column of antennas 508 . fig. 6 illustrates another example embodiment of an array subset configuration 600 . in array subset configuration 600 both initial signals are captured by two diagonal subsets of antennas 602 . the process follows the same path, such that each subset is adjusted accordingly. based on adjustments made and the previously stored data, the rest of antenna elements 202 in array of antennas 502 are adjusted. while various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments may be contemplated. the various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.
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015-753-898-456-347
|
KR
|
[
"KR",
"EP",
"US",
"WO",
"CN"
] |
A46B15/00,A61C17/22,A46B5/00,A46B9/04,A46B13/02,A61C19/06,A61N1/05,H01M10/42,H01M50/202,H01M50/247,H01M50/271,H01M50/284
| 2020-09-14T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"A46",
"A61",
"H01"
] |
electric toothbrush
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the present invention relates to an electric toothbrush comprising: a head unit; and a handle unit which is combined with the head unit and supplies driving voltage to the head unit depending on control of a user. the head unit includes a toothbrush head; a head body; a head cover; and a first electrode rod and a second electrode rod. the toothbrush head includes a plurality of bristles in which toothbrush hairs are arranged, and a first penetrating hole and a second penetrating hole which are spaced apart from each other. the head body is extended from the toothbrush head and forms an inner passage connected to the first penetrating hole and the second penetrating hole. the head cover closes the inner passage of the head body. the first electrode rod and the second electrode rod are inserted through the inner passage of the head body, allow one end unit to be positioned in each of the first penetrating hole and the second penetrating hole, and allow the other end unit to be exposed to each outside by passing through the head cover. the present invention can easily remove foreign substances in the electrode rods.
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an electric toothbrush comprising: a head part; and a handle part having a shape that is capable of being coupled to the head part and supplying a driving voltage to the head part according to a user's control; wherein the head part includes: a toothbrush head having a plurality of bristle holes in which bristles are disposed and a first through hole and a second through hole spaced apart from each other; a head body extending from the toothbrush head and having an inner passage connected to the first through hole and the second through hole; a head cover closing the inner passage of the head body; and a first electrode rod and a second electrode that are inserted through the inner passage of the head body, have one ends positioned within the first through hole and the second through hole, respectively, and have the other ends exposed to the outside through the head cover, respectively. the electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein at least one row of bristle holes are disposed between the first through hole and the second through hole. the electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the width of the first electrode rod and the second electrode rod is 0.1mm to 7mm. the electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein one end of the first electrode rod and one end of the second electrode rod are exposed to the outside from the front and rear surfaces of the toothbrush head through the first through hole and the second through hole, respectively. the electric toothbrush according to claim 4, wherein one end of the first electrode rod and one end of the second electrode rod do not protrude outward with respect to the front and rear surfaces of the toothbrush head. the electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the handle part includes a battery; a switch for controlling power supply by the battery; a circuit unit generating a driving voltage using the voltage of the battery; and a first connection pin and a second connection pin contacting the other end of the first electrode rod and the other end of the second electrode rod, respectively when the head part and the handle part are coupled for transferring the driving voltage generated in the circuit unit to the head part. the electric toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein the driving voltage generated by the circuit unit is set to a frequency of 1 khz to 1,000 mhz. the electric toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein the circuit unit includes: a dc-dc converter receiving the voltage of the battery; a signal generator generating a driving voltage using the output voltage of the dc-dc converter; a filter performing a filtering operation on the driving voltage generated by the signal generator; and a calibration unit for performing and outputting voltage calibration for the driving voltage supplied from the filter. the electric toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein the handle part further includes: an inner case including a battery accommodating part in which the battery is located and a coupling part in which the first connection pin and the second connection pin are installed; and a circuit board on which the circuit unit is mounted and fixedly installed to the inner case. the electric toothbrush according to claim 9, further comprises: an upper cover made of an insulating material installed on the coupling part of the inner case and having a first opening and a second opening for exposing the first connection pin and the second connection pin to the outside, respectively; an outer case accommodating the inner case and having a switch pressing area corresponding to the switch; and a battery cap coupled to one end of the outer case to close the battery accommodating part. the electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein an accommodating groove and a first wall part located inside the accommodating groove and connected to the inner passage are formed at the distal end of the head body. the electric toothbrush according to claim 11, wherein the head cover is fused to the first wall part. the electric toothbrush according to claim 11, wherein at least one first protrusion is formed on the head cover, and at least one insertion hole to which the first protrusion is coupled is formed in the first wall part. the electric toothbrush according to claim 11, wherein a second wall part extending outward and having at least one second protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface is formed at one end of the outer case, and at least one insertion groove into which the second protrusion is inserted and coupled is formed on an inner surface of the distal end of the head body. the electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the driving voltage is generated by superposing an alternating voltage having amplitude of a volt (v) and a direct current voltage of b volt (v). the electric toothbrush according to claim 15, wherein the ratio of the a and the b is set to 1: 0.5 to 10.
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technical field the present invention relates to an electric toothbrush, and more particularly, to an electric toothbrush capable of effectively removing dental plaque. background art dental plaque is a sticky and transparent film that adheres to the surface of teeth. the dental plaque is formed as numerous germs (bacteria) living in the mouth adhered to certain components in saliva. the dental plaque may be formed not only on and around the teeth, but also around prostheses, braces, and dentures. when the dental plaque in the form of a very thin and transparent film is created, the bacteria in the plaque proliferate also increase exponentially using the sugar supplied when food is consumed. the acidic substances produced by the bacteria in the plaque dissolve the lime in the teeth, causing tooth decay, and the toxins cause inflammation in the gums. the dental plaque itself is difficult to see with the naked eye, and it mainly occurs in deep valleys of teeth, narrow gaps between teeth, and narrow gaps between teeth and gums. because the plaque causes problems to teeth and surrounding tissues in such a small space, it is important to remove the plaque without missing every corner, but there is a problem in that it is difficult to effectively remove such plaque using only a conventional toothbrush. disclosure technical problem in order to solve the above problems, the present invention is to provide an electric toothbrush capable of effectively removing the dental plaque from humans or companion animals to solve the above problems. in addition, the present invention is to provide an electric toothbrush capable of preventing tooth decay and periodontal disease through a removal of the dental plaque. in addition, the present invention is to provide an electric toothbrush capable of preventing discomfort such as foreign body sensation that may occur to a user because electrodes providing an electric field do not protrude outside the toothbrush head. in addition, the present invention is to provide an electric toothbrush capable of easily removing foreign substances present in a through hole or an electrode rod by disposing the electrode rod in the through hole formed in the toothbrush head. technical solution an electric toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a head part and a handle part having a shape connectable to the head part and supplying a driving voltage to the head part according to a user's control, wherein the head part may include a toothbrush head formed with a plurality of bristle holes where toothbrush bristles are disposed and a first through hole and a second through hole spaced apart from each other, a head body extending from the toothbrush head and having an inner passage connected to the first through hole and the second through hole, a head cover which closes the inner passage of the head body, and a first electrode rod and a second electrode rod inserted through the inner passage of the head body, whose one ends being positioned in the first through hole and the second through hole, respectively, and the other ends being exposed to the outside through the head cover, respectively. in addition, at least one row of bristle holes may be disposed between the first through hole and the second through hole. in addition, the width of the first electrode rod and the second electrode rod may be set to 0.1 mm to 7 mm. in addition, one end of the first electrode rod and one end of the second electrode rod may be exposed to the outside from the front and rear surfaces of the toothbrush head through the first through hole and the second through hole, respectively. in addition, one end of the first electrode rod and one end of the second electrode rod may be characterized in that they do not protrude toward the outside relative to the front and rear surfaces of the toothbrush head. in addition, the handle part may include a battery, a switch for controlling power supply by the battery, a circuit unit for generating a driving voltage using the voltage of the battery, and a first connection pin and a second connection pin contacting the other end of the first electrode rod and the other end of the second electrode rod, respectively when the head part and the handle part are coupled, in order to transfer the driving voltage generated in the circuit unit to the head part. in addition, the driving voltage generated by the circuit unit may be set to a frequency of 1 khz to 1,000 mhz. in addition, the circuit unit may include a dc-dc converter receiving the voltage of the battery, a signal generator generating a driving voltage using the output voltage of the dc-dc converter, a filter performing a filtering operation on the driving voltage generated by the signal generator, and a calibration unit which performs and outputs voltage calibration for the driving voltage supplied from the filter. in addition, the handle part may further include an inner case including a battery accommodating part in which the battery is located and a coupling part in which the first connection pin and the second connection pin are installed, and a circuit board where the circuit unit is mounted and fixed to the inner case. in addition, the electric toothbrush may further include an upper cover made of an insulating material installed on the coupling part of the inner case and having a first opening and a second opening for exposing the first connection pin and the second connection pin to the outside, respectively, an outer case accommodating the inner case and having a switch pressing area corresponding to the switch, and a battery cap coupled to one end of the outer case to close the battery accommodating part. in addition, an accommodating groove and a first wall part located inside the accommodating groove and connected to the inner passage may be formed at the distal end of the head body. in addition, the head cover may be fused to the first wall part. in addition, at least one first protrusion may be formed in the head cover, and at least one insertion hole to which the first protrusion is coupled may be formed in the first wall part. in addition, a second wall part extended outward and having at least one second protrusion formed on the outer circumferential surface is formed at one end of the outer case, at least one insertion groove where the second protrusion is inserted and coupled may be formed on an inner surface of the distal end of the head body. in addition, the driving voltage may be generated by overlapping an ac voltage having amplitude of a volts (v) and a dc voltage of b volts (v). in addition, a ratio of the a and the b may be set to 1:0.5 to 10. advantageous effects according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric toothbrush capable of effectively removing the dental plaque from humans or companion animals. in addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric toothbrush capable of preventing an occurrence of tooth decay and periodontal disease through the removal of the dental plaque. in addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric toothbrush capable of preventing discomfort such as foreign body sensation that may occur to a user because the electrode providing an electric field does not protrude outside the toothbrush head. in addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric toothbrush capable of easily removing foreign substances present in the through hole or the electrode rod by disposing the electrode rod in the through hole formed in the toothbrush head. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a view showing an electric toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 2 is a view showing a separated state of the electric toothbrush shown in fig. 1 . fig. 3 is a view showing an exploded state of a head part according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 4 is a view showing a coupled state of a head part according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a view showing the rear side of a toothbrush head according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 is a view showing a partial cross-section of a head part according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 7 is a view showing a handle part according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 8 is a view showing an exploded state of a handle part according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 9 is a view showing an exploded state of an inner case according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 10 is a view showing a coupling method of an electric toothbrush according to another embodiment of the present invention. fig. 11 is a diagram showing a circuit unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 12a to 12c are diagrams for explaining driving voltages according to an embodiment of the present invention. best mode hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. however, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various different forms. also, it should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, or replacements thereof are included within the subject matter and scope of the present invention. in describing elements of the present invention, terms such as first, second, a, b, (a), and (b) may be used. these terms are only used to distinguish one element from other elements, and the nature, sequence, or order of that element is not limited by the term. further, it should be understood in this specification that if an element is described as being "connected", "combined", or "coupled" to/with any other element, the element may be directly connected, combined, or coupled to/with the other element, but another element may also be connected, combined, or coupled between both elements. in the case of being "connected", "combined", or "coupled", it may be understood as being physically or electrically connected, combined, or coupled, but is also electrically "connected", "combined", or "coupled" " as needed.. hereinafter, an electric toothbrush according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to drawings related to the embodiments of the present invention. fig. 1 is a view showing an electric toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is a view showing a separated state of the electric toothbrush shown in fig. 1 . referring to figs. 1 and 2 , an electric toothbrush 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention may comprise a head part 100 and a handle part 200. the head part 100 may include a toothbrush head 110 and a head body 130, and may be designed in a form capable of being combined with and separated from the handle part 200. accordingly, when replacement of the head part 100 is required due to deterioration or the like, a user can easily replace an existing head part 100 with a new head part 100. the toothbrush head 110 may have bristles 111, a first electrode rod 131, and a second electrode rod 132 disposed thereon. the bristles 111 may be inserted into and fixed to a plurality of bristle holes 112 formed on the surface of the toothbrush head 110. the arrangement structure, number, size, etc. of these bristles 111 are not particularly limited and may be changed in various forms. the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be disposed on the toothbrush head 110 while being spaced apart from each other. the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may form an electric field based on electric energy supplied from the handle part 200. since this electric field can weaken the dental plaque structure, the user can effectively remove the dental plaque in the oral cavity using the electric toothbrush 1. the head body 130 may be extended from the toothbrush head 110 to form the body of the head part 100. the head body 130 may be designed to have a length suitable for use, and a distal end of the head body 130 may be coupled to the handle part 200. the handle part 200 is a main body of the electric toothbrush 1 and may be designed in a form that the user can hold it when in use. in addition, the handle part 200 may be combined with the head part 100 and may have a separate component for fixed coupling with the head part 100. a battery 310 (see fig. 11 ) for supplying power may be accommodated inside the handle part 200, and a separate battery cap 215 for replacement of the battery 310 may be provided on the handle part 200. in addition, the handle part 200 may include an outer case 210 for accommodating and protecting inner components, and a switch pressing area 211 may be formed in the outer case 210. the switch pressing area 211 is formed at a position corresponding to the switch 330 (see fig. 8 ) disposed therein, and the user can control on/off of the internal switch 330 by pressing the switch pressing area 211. the user can turn on the power of the electric toothbrush 1 by pressing the switch pressing area 211 when brushing teeth, and thus the driving voltage generated from the handle part 200 is supplied to the first electrode rod 131 and/or the second electrode rod 132 of the head part 100 to generate an electric field for dental plaque removal. in addition, a second wall part 230 extending outward may be formed at one end of the outer case 210, and at least one second protrusion 231 may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the second wall part 230. fig. 3 is a view showing an exploded state of the head part according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 4 is a view showing a coupled state of the head part according to an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5 is a view showing the back side of the toothbrush head according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 6 is a view showing a partial cross section of the head part according to an embodiment of the present invention. referring to fig. 3 , a plurality of bristle holes 112 where the bristles 111 are disposed and a first through hole 121 and a second through hole 122 spaced apart from each other may be formed in the toothbrush head 110 according to the embodiment of the present invention. the bristle holes 112 may be formed on the front surface 110a of the toothbrush head 110, and at least one row of bristle holes 112 may be placed between the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122. the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122 may be formed to be elongated along the longitudinal direction (for example, vertical direction) of the head part 100. the head body 130 may extend long from the toothbrush head 110 in a downward direction, and an inner passage 140 connected to the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122 may be formed inside the head body 130. for example, one end of the inner passage 140 is connected to the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122, and the other end of the inner passage 140 is opened at the distal end of the head body 130. the other end of the inner passage 140 may be coupled to a head cover 150 later. the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be formed to be elongated along the length direction (for example, vertical direction) of the head part 100 and have a long straight rod or bar shape. the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be installed in a state of being partially fixed to the head cover 150 in a state of being spaced apart from each other, and the other end 131b of the first electrode rod 131 and the other end 132b of the second electrode rod 132 may pass through the head cover 150 and be exposed to the outside, respectively. the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be inserted into the head body 130 through the inner passage 140, such that one end 131a of the first electrode rod 131 and one end 132a of the second electrode rod 132 may be located in the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122, respectively. since the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122 have a shape penetrating the toothbrush head 110, one end 131a of the first electrode rod 131 and one end 132a of the second electrode rod 132 located in the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122 may both be exposed to the outside from the front surface 110a and the rear surface 110b of the toothbrush head 110. when one side of the through holes 121 and 122 accommodating the electrode rods 131 and 132 is closed, foreign substances caused by the use of the electric toothbrush 1 enter the through holes 121 and 122 and accumulate therein, thereby increasing the risk of bacterial growth. however, when the through holes 121 and 122 are opened to both sides of the toothbrush head 110 as in the embodiment of the present invention, the space in which foreign substances are accumulated is not only removed, but also the user can easily clean the inside of the through holes 121 and 122 and the electrode rods 131 and 132 using running water. in addition, since one end 131a of the first electrode rod 131 and one end 132b of the second electrode rod 132 are located inside the first through hole 121 and the second through hole 122, they may not protrude outward based on the front surface 110a and the rear surface 110b of the toothbrush head 110. through this configuration, it is possible to prevent discomfort such as foreign body sensation caused by the electrode rods 131 and 132 protruding outward from the toothbrush head 110. in this case, the head cover 150 may close the inner passage 140 of the head body 130. for the coupling of the head body 130 and the head cover 150, a separate first wall part 162 may be formed at the distal end of the head body 130. for example, a circular accommodating groove 161 may be formed at the distal end of the head body 130, and the first wall part 162 connected to the inner passage 140 may be placed inside the accommodating groove 161. that is, the first wall part 162 may be formed in a wall shape surrounding the inlet side of the inner passage 140, and at least one insertion hole 163a, 163b may be formed in the first wall part 162. correspondingly, at least one first protrusion 151a, 151b may be formed in the head cover 150, and the first protrusions 151a and 151b of the head cover 150 are fastened to the insertion holes 163a and 163b of the first wall part 162, respectively, thus the head cover 150 may be coupled to the head body 130 as shown in fig. 4 , in general, the head cover 150 may be fused to the first wall part 162 of the head body 130. that is, when separate insertion holes 163a and 163b are not formed in the first wall part 162, the head cover 150 may be coupled to the head body 130 through a fusion process using ultrasonic wave, vibration, heat, or the like. in addition, at least one insertion groove 135a, 135b corresponding to the second projections 231a, 231b of the second wall part 230 described above may be formed on the inner surface of the distal end of the head body 130 adjacent to the accommodating groove 161. referring to fig. 6 , the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be designed to have the same width w as a whole. for example, the width w of the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be set to 0.1 mm to 7 mm. when the width w of the electrode rods 131 and 132 is set to less than 0.1 mm, the corresponding electrode rods 131 and 132 are difficult to process and have low strength, and thus there is a possibility that contact failure may occur with the connection pins 311 and 312 of the handle part 200 (see fig. 7 ). in addition, when the width w of the electrode rods 131 and 132 exceeds 7 mm, structural difficulties exist in placing them inside the toothbrush head 110 in consideration of the thickness of the toothbrush head 110. on the other hand, when the electric toothbrush 1 is driven, the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be set as positive and negative electrodes, respectively. in addition, the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 may be formed of any materials such as brass, aluminum, conducting polymer, conducting silicon, stainless steel, or the like, but are not limited thereto, and any materials having conductivity may be used as the corresponding electrode material. fig. 7 is a view showing a handle part according to an embodiment of the present invention, fig. 8 is a view showing an exploded state of the handle part according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 9 is a view showing an exploded state of the inner case according to an embodiment of the present invention. referring to figs. 7 to 9 , the handle part 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an inner case 300, a battery 310 (see fig. 11 ), a first connection pin 311, and a second connection pin 312, a switch 330, a circuit board 350, and an upper cover 380. the inner case 300 is accommodated inside the outer case 210 and may provide an area and space for installing components such as the battery 310, the switch 330, and the circuit board 350. a battery accommodating part 320 in which a battery 310 is located is located at the bottom of the inner case 300, and a circuit board seating part 301 in which a circuit board 350 is seated on the upper side of the battery accommodating part 320 may be provided. in addition, a plate shaped coupling part 370 in which the connection pins 311 and 312 and the upper cover 380 are installed may be formed on the upper part of the inner case 300. a battery terminal electrically connected to the circuit board 350 may be installed in the battery accommodating part 320, and the battery 310 may be inserted into the battery accommodating part 320 and electrically connected to the battery terminal. for example, the battery 310 may be set as a primary battery or a secondary battery. when the battery 310 is a primary battery, the user may periodically replace the battery 310, and when the battery 310 is a secondary battery, charging may be performed through various charging methods. for example, the battery 310 may be charged through a wireless charging method or a wired charging method while being located in the battery accommodating part 320, and may be separated from the battery accommodating part 320 and charged through a separate charging device. the switch 330 is for controlling power supply by the battery 310 and may be installed on the circuit board 350. the circuit board 350 may be fixedly installed to the inner case 300, and for example, may be fixedly installed to the circuit board seating part 301 through a separate fastening member. in addition, a circuit unit 400 (see fig. 11 ) generating a driving voltage using the voltage of the battery 310 may be mounted on the circuit board 350. the circuit unit 400 may generate a driving voltage using the voltage of the battery 310 supplied when the switch 330 is turned on. the first connection pin 311 and the second connection pin 312 are each disposed in a form penetrating the coupling part 370, and when the head part 100 and the handle part 200 are coupled, may be in contact with the first electrode rod 131 and the second electrode rod 132 of the head part 100, respectively, so to serve to transfer the driving voltage generated in the circuit unit 400 to the head part 100. to this end, lower ends of the connection pins 311 and 312 protruding downward of the coupling part 370 may be connected to the circuit board 350 on which the circuit unit 400 is mounted, and upper ends of the connection pins 311 and 312 protruding upward from the coupling part 370 may be exposed to the outside through the upper cover 380. thus, upper ends of the connection pins 311 and 312 may pass through the head cover 150 and contact the other ends 131b and 132b of the electrode rods 131 and 132 exposed, respectively. for example, the first connection pin 311 and the second connection pin 312 may be implemented as a pogo pin having a built in spring. the upper cover 380 may be installed on the coupling part 370 of the inner case 300 and may be formed of, for example, an insulating material such as silicon. the upper cover 380 may include a first opening 381 for exposing the first connection pin 311 to the outside and a second opening 382 for exposing the second connection pin 312 to the outside. the first connection pin 311, the second connection pin 312, and the upper cover 380 may be exposed to the outside through an upper opening of the outer case 210. an outer case 210 may be installed outside the inner case 300 where the switch 330, the circuit board 350, and the upper cover 380 are assembled, and a battery cap 215 may be coupled to a lower part of the inner and outer cases 300 and 210. an o-ring (not shown) for sealing and a spring 222 electrically connected to a specific battery terminal may be installed in the battery cap 215. in addition, a second wall part 230 extending outward may be formed at one end of the upper side of the outer case 210, and at least one second protrusion part 231a or 231b may be formed on an outer circumferential surface of the second wall part 230. the connection pins 311 and 312 and the upper cover 380 may be positioned inside the second wall part 230. in addition, when the handle part 200 is coupled to the head part 100, the second wall part 230 can be inserted into the accommodating groove 161 of the head body 130, and the second protrusions 231a and 231b may be fastened to at least one insertion groove 135a, 135b formed on the inner surface of the distal end of the head body 130. fig. 10 is a view showing a coupling method of an electric toothbrush according to another embodiment of the present invention. referring to fig. 10 , a head part 100' and a handle part 200' of an electric toothbrush 1' according to another embodiment of the present invention may be coupled to fasteners 281a and 281b formed in a head body 130' through extension pieces 291a and 291b formed in an outer case 210 '. for example, a first fastener 281a and a second fastener 281b may be formed at the distal end of the head body 130', and a first extension piece 291a and a second extension piece 291b may formed on the upper side of the outer case 210'. in this case, the first extension piece 291a and the second extension piece 291b may extend upward from the outer case 210' and have a protruding area at their distal ends. accordingly, the user fastens the extension pieces 291a and 291b of the outer case 210' to the corresponding fasteners 281a and 281b of the head body 130', respectively, so that the head part 100' and the handle part 200' may be fixedly coupled. fig. 11 is a diagram showing a circuit unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, and figs. 12a to 12c are diagrams for explaining driving voltages according to an embodiment of the present invention. referring to fig. 11 , the circuit unit 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a dc-dc converter 410, a signal generator 420, a filter 430, and a calibration unit 440. the dc-dc converter 410 may receive voltage from the battery 310 and convert it to a voltage of a predetermined level. for example, when the switch 330 is turned on, the dc-dc converter 410 may operate by receiving the battery voltage, and when the switch 330 is turned off, the operation of the dc-dc converter 410 may be stopped. the signal generator 420 operates based on the voltage supplied from the dc-dc converter 410, and may generate a driving voltage using the output voltage of the dc-dc converter 410. in this case, the driving voltage may be set to a frequency of 1 khz to 1,000 mhz. this is because when the driving voltage is set to a low frequency of less than 1 khz, the removal effect of dental plaque is reduced, and even when the driving voltage is set to a very high frequency exceeding 1,000 mhz, the removal effect of the dental plaque is reduced. meanwhile, the frequency of the driving voltage may be set to a frequency of 5 mhz to 15 mhz suitable for removing the dental plaque. the signal generator 420 may be implemented using well-known components such as an oscillator and a function generator. the filter 430 may perform a filtering operation on the driving voltage generated by the signal generator 420. for example, the filter 430 may include a low pass filter to convert a driving voltage in the form of a saw tooth wave into a sine wave form. however, the type of filter 430 is not limited thereto, and various filters may be employed depending on the design structure. the calibration unit 440 may perform voltage calibration on the driving voltage supplied from the filter 430 and output the same. in this case, the calibration unit 440 may receive an alternating current (ac) type of driving voltage and apply a direct current (dc) voltage to the corresponding driving voltage to adjust an offset of the driving voltage. accordingly, the driving voltage may be generated by overlapping an alternating current (ac) voltage and a direct current (dc) voltage. referring to fig. 12a , the calibration unit 440 may receive an ac voltage having amplitude of a volt (v) from the filter 430, and by superimposing a dc voltage of b volts (v) as shown in fig. 12b on the corresponding ac voltage, a final driving voltage as shown in fig. 12c may be generated. in this case, the ratio of the amplitude a of the ac voltage and the voltage value b of the dc voltage may be set to 1:0.5 to 10. for example, when the amplitude a of the ac voltage is set to 0.2v to 0.3v, the voltage value b of the dc voltage may be set to 0. 1v to 3.0v. as described above, the driving voltage is set in the form of overlapping the ac voltage and the dc voltage, thereby reducing the risk of electric shock and the pain that may cause to the body compared to the case where only the dc voltage is applied. however, it is not limited thereto, and the driving voltage may be composed of only a direct current voltage or an alternating current voltage as needed. although not separately shown, a separate controller may be additionally installed in the circuit unit 400. meanwhile, the driving voltage supplied from the circuit unit 400 to the head part 100 may be set to a voltage of 0.1 mv to 3 v this is because it is difficult to expect a plaque removal effect when the driving voltage is less than 0.1 mv, and when the driving voltage exceeds 3v, toxic substances may be generated due to electrolysis of bodily fluids. in addition, the driving voltage may have a form of a pulse wave, a square wave, a triangle wave, or the like, in addition to a sine wave. those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that the present disclosure can be embodied in other specific forms without changing its subject matter or essential features. therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative only and not restrictive. the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present disclosure.
|
016-982-991-772-526
|
US
|
[
"EP",
"US",
"WO",
"CN"
] |
B01D45/16,B01D50/00,B04C3/06,F02M35/02,F02M35/022,B04C3/00
| 2018-05-18T00:00:00 |
2018
|
[
"B01",
"B04",
"F02"
] |
precleaner arrangement for use in air filtration
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a precleaner arrangement for separating a portion of entrained material from air flow air entering an engine air cleaner. the precleaner arrangement includes a precleaner housing and at least a first flexible air deflection vane with a fixed portion secured to the precleaner housing and a deflectable portion. the deflectable portion includes a curved section extending from the fixed portion and a tail section extending from the curved section. the deflectable portion is configured to deflect in response to a sufficient air flow rate change through the precleaner arrangement, in use. some arrangements will also include a second stage, outlet vane assembly.
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a precleaner arrangement (24) for separating a portion of entrained material from air flow air entering an engine air cleaner; the precleaner arrangement (24) comprising: (a) a precleaner housing (34) comprising a central hub (38) and an outer ring (40) surrounding the hub (38); (b) at least a first flexible air deflection vane (42) with a fixed portion (44) secured to the precleaner housing and a deflectable portion (46); the at least first flexible air deflection vane (42) being positioned between the central hub (38) and the outer ring (40), each flexible air deflection vane being secured to the central hub and outer ring at the fixed portion of each vane; (i) the deflectable portion (46) including a curved section (52) extending from the fixed portion (44) and a tail section (54) extending from the curved section (52); (ii) the fixed portion of the first air deflection vane (42) defining an upper terminal edge (48); and (iii) the deflectable portion (46) of the first air deflection vane (42) defining a perimeter (56) including an inner side edge (58) oriented adjacent to the central hub (38) and an outer side edge (60) oriented adjacent to the outer ring (40) and a lower terminal edge (62) bridging the inner and outer side edges; each of the inner and outer side edges extending from the fixed portion (44); the tail section (54) defining the lower terminal edge (62); characterized in that (iv) the tail section (54) has a variable thickness in a radial direction being greatest at the inner side edge (58) and decreasing in thickness to the outer side edge (60). the precleaner arrangement (24) of claim 1 wherein: (a) the curved section (52) has a center of curvature along the inner side edge (58) and a center of curvature (70) along the outer side edge (60); (i) the center of curvature (70) along the inner side edge (58) being spaced from the upper terminal edge (48) a greater axial distance than the center of curvature (70) along the outer side edge (60) is spaced from the upper terminal edge (48). the precleaner arrangement (24) of any one of claims 1 and 2 wherein: (a) the central hub (38) comprises a central longitudinal axis (74) passing therethrough; and (b) the lower terminal edge (62) being angled at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle relative to a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis (74). the precleaner arrangement (24) of any one of claims 2 and 3 wherein: (a) the tail section defines an inner corner (80) at an intersection of the inner side edge (58) and the lower terminal edge (62), and an outer corner (82) at an intersection of the outer side edge (60) and the lower terminal edge (62); and (b) the outer corner (82) is axially spaced closer to the upper terminal edge (48) than the inner corner (80) is from the upper terminal edge (48). the precleaner arrangement (24) of claim 3 wherein: (a) the tail section defines an inner corner at an intersection of the inner side edge (58) and the lower terminal edge (62), and an outer corner (82) at an intersection of the outer side edge (60) and the lower terminal edge (62); and (b) the outer corner (82) is angled from a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis (74) at a first non-zero angle; and the inner corner (80) is angled from a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis (74) at a second non-zero angle. the precleaner arrangement (24) of claim 5 wherein the first angle (p1) and second angle (p2) are zero. the precleaner arrangement (24) of any one of claims 5 and 6 wherein the second angle (p2) is not greater than or equal to the first angle (pi); and wherein the first angle (p1) and second angle (p2) range between 15° and 60°. the precleaner arrangement (24) of any one of claims 1 and 2 wherein: (a) the at least first flexible air deflection vane (42) includes a plurality of flexible air deflection vanes (42), wherein the deflectable portion (46) of each vane (42) is configured to deflect in response to a sufficient air flow rate increase through the precleaner arrangement (24), in use. the precleaner arrangement (24) of claim 8 wherein there are at least 6 flexible air deflection vanes (42). the precleaner arrangement (24) of any one of claims 8 and 9 wherein the plurality of flexible air deflection vanes (42) circumferentially overlap; and wherein the overlap is no greater than 60° as measured from the central hub (38). the precleaner arrangement (24) of claim 8 wherein: (a) each of the fixed portions of the of flexible air deflection vanes (42) defines an upper terminal edge (48); (b) each of the deflectable portions of the flexible air deflection vanes (42) defines a perimeter (56) including an inner side edge (58) and an outer side edge (60) and a lower terminal edge (62) bridging the inner and outer side edges; each of the inner and outer side edges extending from the fixed portion; the tail section (54) defining the lower terminal edge; (c) an inner radial gap (90) is defined between each of the inner side edges and the central hub (38); and (d) an outer radial gap (92) is defined between each of the outer side edges and the outer ring (40). the precleaner arrangement (24) of any one of claims 1-11 wherein: (a) the precleaner arrangement (24) comprises an inlet vane system (30) comprising the at least first flexible air deflection vane (42); and (b) the precleaner arrangement (24) further includes an outlet vane system (32) downstream of the inlet vane system (30); the outlet vane system (32) having a plurality of rigid vanes fixed to the precleaner housing (34) (c) the inlet vane system (30) induces a vortical air flow; and (d) the outlet vane system (32) deswirls the vortical air flow of the inlet vane system (30).
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technical field this disclosure relates to air filtration. in particular, this disclosure relates to precleaner assemblies for air cleaners, which provide for a precleaning to remove dust or other material from the air prior to the air being passed through filter media within an air cleaner. background gas streams often carry material entrained (for example dust or moisture) therein. in many instances, it is desirable to remove some or all of the entrained material from a gas flow stream. for example, air intake streams to engines for motorized vehicles, construction equipment or for power generation equipment, often include moisture or particulate material therein. the particulate material, should it reach the internal workings of the various mechanisms involved, can cause substantial damage thereto. the moisture can also damage equipment. it is therefore preferred, for such systems, to reduce the level of particulate and moisture in the gas flow upstream of the engine or other equipment involved. a variety of air filter arrangements have been developed for such removal. in general, however, continued improvements are sought. wo2019/054915a1 discloses a cyclone separator for separating particles from a flow of fluid. the cyclone separator comprises a housing and at least one guide blade arranged in the housing between an inflow opening and an outflow opening. the at least one guide blade extends radially with respect to an axis and is provided with a pitch angle to provide a cyclone around the axis. each of the least one guide blade comprises a blade portion movably arranged between a first and second position. the blade portion is biased towards the first position, and the blade portion is configured to be moved from the first position towards the second position by the force of the flow of fluid acting on the blade portion. wo2005/040593a1 discloses a precleaner arrangement for use in separating a portion of entrained material in air from air entering an air cleaner. the precleaner arrangement includes a vane structure positioned to direct air into a circular or cyclonic pattern, to facilitate material separation. the vane structure includes one or more adjustable air deflection vanes. each adjustable air deflection vane is constructed: to have a first position under no air flow or low air flow rate conditions; and, to deflect to import a more open, lower restriction, orientation under increased air flow rates. summary it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a precleaner arrangement which improves the prior art, according to claim 1. in one aspect, a precleaner arrangement is provided for separating a portion of entrained material from air flow air entering an engine air cleaner. the precleaner arrangement includes a precleaner housing and at least a first flexible air deflection vane with a fixed portion secured to the precleaner housing and a deflectable portion. the deflectable portion includes a curved section extending from the fixed portion and a tail section extending from the curved section. the fixed portion of the first air deflection vane can define an upper terminal edge (i.e, leading edge). the deflectable portion of the first air deflection vane can define a perimeter including an inner side edge and outer side edge and a lower terminal edge bridging the inner and outer side edges. each of the inner and outer side edges extends from the fixed portion. the tail section defines the lower terminal edge (i.e., trailing edge). in example embodiments, the curved section has a center of curvature along the inner side edge and a center of curvature along the outer side edge. the center of curvature along the inner side edge is spaced from the upper terminal edge a greater axial distance than the center of curvature along the outer side edge is spaced from the upper terminal edge. in example embodiments, the precleaner housing has a central hub with a central longitudinal axis passing therethrough. the lower terminal edge is angled at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle relative to a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis. in example embodiments, the tail section defines an inner corner at an intersection of the inner side edge and the lower terminal edge, and an outer corner at an intersection of the outer side edge and the lower terminal edge. the outer corner is axially spaced closer to the upper terminal edge than the inner corner is from the upper terminal edge. in one or more embodiments, the tail section defines an inner corner at an intersection of the inner side edge and the lower terminal edge, and an outer corner at an intersection of the outer side edge and the lower terminal edge. the outer corner is angled from a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis at a first non-zero angle; and the inner corner is angled from a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis at a second non-zero angle. in some embodiments, the first angle and the second angle are equal. in some embodiments, the second angle is not greater than the first angle. in some embodiments, the first angle and second angle range between 15° and 60°. in some embodiments, the first angle is greater the second angle. according to the invention, the tail section has a radial thickness greater at the inner side edge and decreasing in thickness to the outer side edge. some embodiments include the thickness at the inner side edge being up to ten times the thickness of the outer side edge. according to the invention, the precleaner housing has a central hub; and the at least first flexible air deflection vane includes a plurality of flexible air deflection vanes positioned around the central hub, each with a fixed portion secured to the precleaner housing and a deflectable portion. the deflectable portion of each vane includes a curved section extending from the fixed portion and a tail section extending from the curved section. the deflectable portion of each vane is configured to deflect in response to a sufficient air flow rate increase through the precleaner arrangement, in use. according to the invention, the precleaner housing further includes an outer ring, and each of the flexible air deflection vanes is positioned between the outer ring and the central hub. each flexible air deflection vane is secured to the central hub and outer ring at the fixed portion of each vane. in some embodiments, there are at least six flexible air deflection vanes. in some arrangements, there are at least ten flexible air deflection vanes. according to the invention, the tail section of each flexible air deflection vane has a variable thickness in a radial direction. a largest thickness being along the central hub and lessening to a portion of the vane next to the outer ring. in some implementations, the plurality of flexible air deflection vanes circumferentially overlap. in some implementations, the circumferential overlap of the vanes is no greater than 60°, as measured from the central hub. in many examples, each of the fixed portions of the flexible air deflection vanes defines an upper terminal edge, and each of the deflectable portions of the air deflection vanes defines a perimeter. the perimeter includes an inner side edge and an outer side edge and a lower terminal edge bridging the inner and outer side edges. each of the inner and outer side edges extend from the fixed portion. the tail section defines the lower terminal edge. many arrangements include an inner radial gap defined between each of the inner side edges and the central hub, and an outer radial gap defined between each of the outer side edges and the outer ring. in some embodiments, each of the flexible air deflection vanes has a width extending between the inner side edge and the outer side edge. the inner radial gap has a width that is no more than 50% of the width of each vane. the outer radial gap has a width that is no more than 50% of the width of each vane. in many implementations, the at least first flexible air deflection vane comprises in the inlet vane system. the precleaner arrangement can further include an outlet vane system downstream of the inlet vane system. the outlet vane system may have a plurality of rigid vanes fixed to the precleaner arrangement. the inlet vane system may induce a vortical air flow in one of a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, while the outlet vane system will reverse the vortical air flow of the inlet vane system. the deflectable portion can be configured to deflect in response to a sufficient air flow rate change through the precleaner arrangement, in use. examples of dimensions, configurations, and materials are provided to indicate various ways in which principles of this disclosure can be implemented. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a schematic view of a precleaner and air cleaner for use with an engine; fig. 2 is a perspective view of a precleaner usable in fig. 1 , and showing an inlet vane system and outlet vane system, constructed in accordance with principles of this disclosure; fig. 3 is a perspective view of the inlet vane system of fig. 2 ; fig. 4 is another perspective view of the inlet vane system of fig. 3 ; fig. 5 is a perspective view of one of the vanes used in the inlet vane system of figs. 3 and 4 in a relaxed and unrelaxed state; fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the vanes used in the inlet vane system of figs. 3 and 4 ; fig. 7 is a top view of the precleaner arrangement of fig. 2 ; fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the precleaner arrangement of fig. 7 , the cross-section being taken along the line 8-8 of fig. 7 ; fig. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the inlet vane system shown in fig. 9 ; fig. 10 is a bottom view of the inlet vane system of figs. 3 and 4 ; fig. 11 is a bottom view of the precleaner arrangement of fig. 2 ; fig. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the precleaner arrangement of fig. 11 , the cross-section being taken along the line 12-12 of fig. 11 ; fig. 13 is a perspective view of the outlet vane system depicted in fig. 2 ; fig. 14 is a perspective view of one of the outlet vanes used in the outlet vane system of fig. 13 ; fig. 15 is an end view of a precleaner, in which several of the inlet vane systems of fig. 3 are used in parallel to each other; and fig. 16 is a schematic view of two of the inlet vanes and showing a helix trim angle. detailed description fig. 1 depicts a schematic view of an air cleaner assembly 20 of the type typically used for filtering engine intake air for internal combustion engines. the air cleaner assembly 20 can include a main air cleaner 22. upstream of the main air cleaner 22 is a precleaner arrangement 24. in alternative systems, the precleaner arrangement 24 can operate as the sole air cleaner, and no main air cleaner is needed downstream. the main air cleaner 22 typically will have a serviceable air filter or air filter element, which can be removed and replaced. in typical operation, air enters the air cleaner assembly 20 by entrance into the precleaner arrangement 24 in the direction arrow 26. the air exits the air cleaner 22 in the direction of arrow 28, to be directed to an engine intake manifold, or other equipment structure. the precleaner arrangement 24 allows for separation of a portion of dust or other material entrained within air to be cleaned, prior to the air passing through the air filter element within the main air cleaner 22. the precleaner arrangement 24 generally operates by imparting a circular, vortical or coiled momentum to the incoming air including the entrained material, as opposed to passage of the air through a filter media. this vortical or coiled momentum causes a deposition or separation of a portion of the entrained material from the air flow, before the air is transferred into the main air cleaner 22, which includes the filter element. precleaners generally provide restriction to air flow. the reason for this is that the vanes (sometimes referred to as blades or fins) which divert the air into a circular or vortical pattern generally need to be positioned an extension across the direction of inlet air flow 26 to impart the desired tangential momentum to the flow. this causes restriction. the precleaner arrangement 24 of the present disclosure is helpful in reducing restriction that is typical of many types of prior art precleaners. one example embodiment of precleaner arrangement 24 is shown in fig. 2 . in general, the precleaner arrangement 24 has an inlet vane assembly 30 with vanes that flex under the load applied by the fluid (incoming air) on the vane surface. the inlet vane assembly 30 is designed to a low flow condition and passably flexes as flow rate increases to a higher flow condition, resulting in a lower pressure drop than a fixed vane would and maintaining particle separation performance in a pre-specified, e.g. about 4:1, turn down ratio situation. while the inlet vane assembly 30 can be used alone or independently with the main air cleaner 22, many preferred embodiments will additionally include an outlet vane assembly 32 to help with efficiency and pressure drop. the precleaner arrangement 24 includes precleaner housing 34. an exterior of the precleaner housing 34 is shown at 35 in fig. 1 , while interior components 36 are shown in fig. 2 . the exterior 35 of the housing 34 contains within it the inlet vane assembly 30. embodiments that also include the outlet vane assembly 32 will also have the outlet vane assembly 32 in an interior portion of the housing 34. in this embodiment, the housing 34 has a central hub 38 and an outer skirt or ring 40. the outer ring 40 surrounds or circumscribes the hub 38. there is at least a first flexible air deflection vane 42 secured to the precleaner housing 34. in reference now to figs. 4 and 5 , the first flexible air deflection vane 42 has a fixed portion 44 and a deflectable portion 46. the fixed portion 44 is secured to the housing 34. while many different embodiments are possible, in the one shown, the vane 42 is positioned between the outer ring 40 and the central hub 38. the fixed portion 44 can be secured to the hub 38 and the outer ring 40. fig. 4 shows the inlet vane assembly 30 having a plurality of flexible air deflection vanes 42 positioned around the central hub 38, each having the fixed portion 44 cured to the precleaner housing 34. in fig. 4 , the air deflection vanes 42 are shown in a resting state, with little or no air flow passing therethrough. attention is directed to figs. 5 and 6 , which show enlarged views of one air deflection vane 42. the fixed portion 44 of the vane 42 defines an upper terminal edge 48. the deflectable portion 46 extends from the fixed portion 44. the fixed portion 44, in this embodiment, includes opposite leading edges 50, 51. the leading edges 50, 51 are illustrated as generally being straight. the upper terminal edge 48 extends between and bridges the two leading edges 50, 51. the deflectable portion 46 includes a curved section 52. the curved section 52 extends from the fixed portion 44. the deflectable portion 46 further includes a tail section 54. the tail section 54 extends from the curved section 52. the deflectable portion 46 is configured to deflect in response to a sufficient air flow rate increase through the precleaner arrangement 24, in use. in many preferred embodiments, the vane 42 is made of a material so that the deflectable portion 46 has a first orientation and a second orientation. the deflectable portion 46 will have a memory bias toward the first orientation. this first orientation is shown generally in fig. 4 . the second orientation is shown in phantom lines at fig. 5 . in the second orientation, the vanes 42 are deflected along arrow 55 from the orientation of fig. 4 , which allows less air flow to flow through, to the more open orientation, in which there is more open air space between adjacent vanes 42, and which allows more air flow, decreasing the restriction. still in reference to figs. 5 and 6 , in this example embodiment, the deflectable portion 46 defines a perimeter 56. the perimeter 56 includes an inner side edge 58, which is oriented adjacent to the hub 38, and an opposite outer side edge 60, which is oriented adjacent to the outer ring 40. the perimeter 56 further includes a lower terminal edge 62. the lower terminal edge 62 extends or bridges the outer side edges 58, 60. the tail section 54 defines the lower terminal edge 62. in this embodiment, the lower terminal edge 62 is shown as straight. there can be many variations including parabolic, wavy, concave, convex, exponential, or others. the shape of the lower terminal edge 62 can be used to help tune restriction or efficiency. the inner side edge 58 extends from the fixed portion 44. in this example, the inner side edge 58 extends from the leading edge 50 of the fixed portion 44. the outer side edge 60 extends from the fixed portion 44. in this example, the outer side edge 60 extends from the leading edge 51 of the fixed portion 44. as can be seen in fig. 6 , the vane 42 has an upstream surface 64 and an opposite downstream surface 66. the upstream surface 64 is the surface first encountered by the inlet air when passing through the inlet vane assembly 30. the downstream surface 66 is the surface of the vane 42 that is opposite of the upstream surface 64. as mentioned previously, the deflectable portion 46 includes curved section 52. the curved section 52 connects the leading edges 50, 51 of the fixed portion 44 to the tail section 54. in many arrangements, and in the example embodiment shown, the curved section 52 is designed to adjust for axial flex of the vane 42 and radial flex of the vane 42. in particular, the curved section 52 helps with coarse tuning of radial deflection of the vane 42. the curved section 52 can have a radius of curvature along the inner side edge 58 which is spaced from the upper terminal edge 48 a different distance than the center of curvature is spaced from the upper terminal edge 58 along the outer side edge 60. in many preferred embodiments, the center a curvature 68 along the inner side edge is spaced from the upper terminal edge 48 an axial distance further than the center of curvature 70 along the outer side edge is spaced from the upper terminal edge 48. this helps to control and allow for axial flex of the vane 42 while tuning the radial flex. attention is directed to fig. 9 , which is an enlarged view of a cross section shown in fig. 8 . the lower terminal edge 62 is shown in cross-section. the lower terminal edge 62 is angled at a non-zero and non-perpendicular angle 72 relative to a plane orthogonal to a central longitudinal axis 74 ( fig. 8 ) passing through the central hub 38. a difference in height is shown at 76 in fig. 9 along the lower terminal edge 62 from the inner side edge 68 to the outer side edge 60. this height difference 76 is also referred to as the vane tilt 77. in reference again to fig. 5 , by reviewing the drawing of the vane 42, it can be appreciated that the tail section 54 defines an inner corner 80 at an intersection of the inner side edge 58 and the lower terminal edge 62. the tail section 54 also defines an outer corner 82 at an intersection of the outer side edge 60 and the lower terminal edge 62. in most preferred embodiments, the vane 42 will include the vane tilt 77 and result in the outer corner 82 being axially spaced closer to the upper terminal edge 48 than the inner corner 80 is spaced from the upper terminal edge 48. the vane tilt 77 will be dependent upon the particular geometry, and in some embodiments, it can be no tilt such that the inner corner 80 and outer corner 82 are even with each other. the precleaner arrangement 24 may also be designed to control the tangential velocity and vortex shape. one way of doing this is by adjusting the pitch of the vane 42. attention is directed to figs. 6 and 8. fig. 8 illustrates the central longitudinal axis 74. a plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis 74 defines a horizontal plane. in fig. 6 , the outer corner 82 is angled from the plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis 74 at a first non-zero angle p1. the inner corner 80 is angled from the plane orthogonal to the central longitudinal axis 74 at a second non-zero angle p2. in many embodiments, the first angle p1 will be greater than the second angle p2. for example, the first angle p1 and second angle p2 can range between 15° and 60°. in some embodiments, the second angle p2 can be equal or about the same as the first angle p1. in most embodiments, the second angle p2 is no greater than equal to the first angle p1. many embodiments are possible. as mentioned previously, the positions of the vanes 42 can be adjusted to allow for axial flexing and minimizing radial flexing. the vane tilt 77 is used for coarse tuning of the radial deflection. for fine tuning of the radial deflection, the vanes 42 may have a variable thickness. fig. 9 shows a cross-section of one of the vanes 42. in this embodiment, the tail section 54 has a radial thickness t1 which is greatest at the inner side edge 58 and decreases in thickness continuously to the outer side edge 60. the thickness at the outer side edge 60 is shown at t2. many embodiments are possible. the thickness t1 at the inner side edge 58 may be up to 10 times the thickness t2 at the outer side edge 60. in some applications, the entire vane 42 has a non-uniform thickness. as can be seen in fig. 4 , the air deflection vanes 42 are positioned around the central hub 38. each of the vanes 42 has fixed portion 44 secured to the precleaner housing 24. the deflectable portion 46 of each of the vanes 42 is free and unattached to the housing 34. in the embodiment shown in fig. 4 , each of the vanes 42 is positioned between the outer ring 40 and the central hub 38. in many examples, the vanes 42 are secured to the central hub 38 and the outer ring 40 at the fixed portion 44 of each vane 42. the vanes 42 can be secured to the housing 34 using a variety of techniques. for example, the vanes 42 can be secured to the hub 38 and outer ring 40 using molding. the molding can be in the form of a single shot mold or in the form of multi-stage injection molding. other techniques can be used to secure the vanes 42 to the hub 38 and outer ring 40 including interference or snap-fitting, or by use of ultrasonic welding. fig. 5 shows a connection piece 84 which forms a part of the upper terminal edge 48 and is part of the fixed portion 44. the connection piece 84 includes an inner side piece 85 adjacent to the hub 38 and an opposite outer side piece 86 adjacent to the outer ring 40. the inner side piece 85 can be the only portion of the vane 42 that is secured to the hub 38. a remaining portion of the vane 42 is free of connection to the hub 38. similarly, the outer side piece 86 can be the only portion of the vane 42 connected to the outer ring 40, freeing the remaining portion of the vane 42 from any connection to the ring 40. as can be appreciated from fig. 5 , inner side piece 85 is joined by the curved section 52 and the inner side edge 58. the outer side piece 86 is joined by the curved section 52 and the outer side edge 60. the number of vanes 42 will vary depending upon the inner radius of the outer ring 40 and the modulus of elasticity of the material of the vane 42. in many cases, there are at least six flexible air deflection vanes 42, and in many cases, there can be at least ten flexible air deflection vanes 42. in many cases, there will be fewer than 20 air deflection vanes 42. the vanes 42 can be arranged around the hub 38 to have a circumferential overlap. the amount of overlap is selected to affect the overall separation efficiency. fig. 10 is a bottom view of the inlet vane assembly 30. the downstream surfaces 66 of the vanes 42 can be seen. angle 88 in fig. 10 illustrates the amount of circumferential overlap of two of the vanes 42. in some cases, there may be no overlap, but rather, open air gaps between adjacent vanes 42. in other cases, the overlap 88 can be no greater than 60° as measured from the central hub 38. in cases where there is separation between the vanes 42, typically there will be about 50° at angle 88. to allow the deflectable portion 46 of each of the vanes 42 to move and deflect, it is helpful to have an inner radial gap 90 between the inner side edge 58 and the hub 38 (see fig. 9 ). it is also helpful to have an outer radial gap 92 ( fig. 9 ) between each of the outer side edges 60 and the outer ring 40. the size of the gaps 90, 92 is selected to allow for movement of the deflectable portions 42 of the vanes 42, but small enough to minimize air bypass. in many instances, the inner and outer radial gaps, 90, 92 are at a dimension (width) that no more than 50% of the width of each vane 42. the width of each vane 42 is the dimension extending between the inner side edge 58 and outer side edge 60. in some cases, the width of the gaps 90, 92 can be zero so that the edges 58, 60 just barely touch the hub 38 and outer ring 40. fig. 16 is a schematic view of two of the vanes 42. fig. 16 shows a helix trim angle at 110. the helix trim angle 110 can be adjusted to tune the radial deflection of the vanes 42 and can be rotated in the positive or negative direction. a plane 112 is defined by the z-axis (centerline) through the beginning of the pitch curve on the vane 42. the z axis, coming out of the paper, is illustrated at 114, and it passes through the end point of the pitch curve. the precleaner arrangement 24 can include a plurality of inlet vane assemblies 30, arranged within the precleaner housing and in parallel to each other, as illustrated in fig. 15 . as mentioned previously, the precleaner arrangement 24 includes the inlet vane assembly 30 and may also include an optional outlet vane assembly 32. the outlet vane assembly 32 can be provided based on the expected flow rate and pitch p1, p2 ( fig. 6 ) of the inlet vanes 42 in order to recover pressure loss in the precleaner arrangement 24, and the expected scavenge rate relative to the primary flow rate. figs. 12-14 show one example embodiment of the outlet vane assembly 32. the outlet vane assembly 32 includes a plurality of fins or vanes 96 surrounding a central hub 98. surrounding each of the vanes 96 is an outer ring 100. the ring 100 has a diameter 102 ( fig. 12 ) that is chosen based upon the desired separation efficiency. a height of each of the outlet vanes 96 is shown at 104 in fig. 12 . the height 104 will be selected depending upon the method of scavenging and the attachment of the vanes 96 to the hub 98 and also helps with efficiency. the outlet vane assembly 32 is placed downstream of the inlet vane assembly 30 at a desired baffle to baffle distance 106. this distance 106 will be not greater than ten times the radius of the outer ring 40 of the inlet vane assembly 30. the distance 106 will be at least the height 104 of the ring 100. the number of outlet vanes 96 can vary, and typically be dependent on the modulus of the vane 96 used and the radius of the ring 40. for example, there can be at least three vanes 96, for example at least five vanes 96, and no greater than 20 vanes 96. in the example shown in fig. 13 , there are six vanes 96. the vanes 96 can be made to have a pitch, such as shown in fig. 14 . there are two pitches shown in fig. 14 , p3 and p4. the pitches p3, p4 will be dependent upon the pitches p1, p2 of the inlet vanes 42. in the example shown, the pitches p3, and p4 are multiple times greater than the pitches p1 and p2. the thickness of the vanes 96 can range from 0.2-6.0 mm, for example, 0.25 mm to 5.0 mm. the vanes 96 in the outlet vane assembly 32 are twisted to oppose the vortical air flow from the direction of air flow that is induced by the inlet vane assembly 30. the inlet vane assembly 30 can be arranged to induce a vortical air flow in one of a clockwise or counter clockwise direction. the outlet vane system 32 is arranged to "de-swirl" or to reverse the direction of vortical air flow of the inlet vane assembly 30. for example, if the inlet vane assembly 30 induces flow in a clockwise direction, when it encounters the vanes 96 of the outlet vane assembly 32, the vanes 96 will work to straighten the air flow and de-swirl it by trying to cause the airflow to go in counter clockwise direction and result in a substantially straight flow. it should be appreciated that the vanes 42 can be selected to have materials and dimensions that will have an effect on system performance. the deflectable portion 46 of the vanes 42 will be "deflectable." "deflectable", within this context, will be vanes having a modulus of elasticity as high as 10,000 mpa and typically at least 10 mpa. one useful material for the deflectable portion 46 of the vanes 42 is an injection molding grade resin made from hytrel having a modulus of elasticity that is consistent over the range of temperature between -40° to 85° c. other materials are possible. deflectable vanes 42, within this context, will have a thickness typically no greater than 5mm and at least 0.25mm. the deflectable portion 46 is configured to deflect in response to a sufficient air flow rate change through the precleaner arrangement, in use, to affect the pressure drop and efficiency. the diameter of the ring 40 can depend upon the modulus of elasticity of the vane 42. the diameter of the hub 38 will be no greater than 75% of the diameter of the ring 40 and at least 16% of the diameter of the ring 40. the precleaner arrangement 24 can be designed to result in desired responses. for example, if it is desirable to affect the shape of the vortex and separation efficiency, the pitches p1, p2, p3, p4 of the vanes 42, 96 can be modified. other variables to affect vortex shape and separation efficiency include the inner and outer radial gaps 90, 92; the overlap angle 88; the baffle to baffle distance 106, and the scavenge ring diameter 102. to affect the pressure drop of the precleaner arrangement 24, the following factors can be adjusted; the modulus of elasticity of the vanes 42, 96; the amount of vane deflection; the radius of the hub 38 and ring 40; the vane pitches p1, p2, p3, p4; and the vane overlap 88. to affect the amount of vane deflection, the following variables can be adjusted: the modulus of elasticity; the vane thickness; the radius of the ring 40; the number of vanes 42; the overlap angle 88; and the vane tilt 77. the precleaner arrangement 24 can be used in a method of precleaning air. the air to be filtered is directed into an air cleaner assembly 20 at arrow 26. the inlet vane assembly 30 induces vortical air flow, which causes dust or other debris to inertially separate from a remaining portion of the air flow. the vortical air, without at last some of the dust or debris then flows either directly into the main air cleaner 22 or passes through an outlet vane assembly 32. if passing through an outlet vane assembly 32, outlet vanes will reverse the vortical air flow induced by the inlet vane assembly 30 to substantially straighten or deswirl the air flow. the substantially straightened air flow is then directed to the main air cleaner. during the step of having the air flow through the inlet vane assembly 30, as the rate of flow increases to higher flow conditions, the inlet vanes 42 will deflect, resulting in a lower pressure drop. the flexing of the vanes 42 will move each adjacent vane 42 in a direction axially away from the next adjacent vane 42, which lowers the pressure drop across the vane assembly 30. when the air flow goes back to a lower flow condition, the inlet vanes 42 will return to their original shape. the above represents example principles. many embodiments can be made using these principles.
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019-126-775-289-297
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US
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[
"US"
] |
F02M25/07,F02M29/04
| 1977-03-09T00:00:00 |
1977
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[
"F02"
] |
exhaust recycle mixer
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a fuel/air and recycled-exhaust mixer is disclosed which is devoid of valves or interruptions in the exhaust-recycle path and which is effective with multi-barrel and multi-stage carburetors, either as original equipment for new vehicles or as a conversion unit for existing vehicles.
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1. a charge-forming mixer for internal combustion engines having a carburetor, an intake member and an exhaust member, said mixer comprising a body having at least one fuel/air duct extended therethrough, said fuel/air duct having an inlet for receiving a fuel/air mixture from the carburetor and an outlet for discharging a combustible mixture therefrom to the intake member, means defining a staggered flow path for fluids passed enroute from said inlet to said outlet, a settling chamber on a side of said body remote from said fuel/air duct, a transfer duct extended in heat transfer relationship through a wall of said body, said duct including, a transfer aperture communicating with said settling chamber and a delivery aperture in communication with said fuel/air duct adjacent said inlet, and recycling means for recycling a portion of the exhaust gases from the exhaust member to the settling chamber, said recycling means including an unobstructed recycle path free of valves. 2. a charge-forming mixer according to claim 1 in which said settling chamber is formed internally in said body. 3. a charge-forming mixer according to claim 2 in which said recycling means includes an exhaust inlet port positioned in said settling chamber at a level below said transfer aperture. 4. a charge-forming mixer according to claim 3 in which said body includes a second fuel/air duct and said transfer duct is positioned at least in part in a wall between said first and second fuel/air ducts. 5. a charge-forming mixer according to claim 3 in which said body includes first and second secondary fuel/air ducts positioned to receive a supplemental flow of fuel and air, and said transfer duct is positioned at least in part in a wall separating said secondary ducts. 6. a charge-forming mixer according to claim 5 in which said settling chamber is positioned at least partially intermediate said secondary fuel/air ducts and in close heat-transfer relationship therewith. 7. a conversion unit for engines having four-barrel, two-stage carburetors comprising a body having a carburetor flange and an intake flange, a primary fuel/air duct opening between said flanges and positioned to underly said primary carburetor barrels, means defining a staggered flow path for fluids passed through said primary fuel/air duct, a pair of secondary fuel/air ducts positioned individually to underly the secondary third and fourth barrels of the carburetor and opening between said flanges, a settling chamber adjacent said secondary fuel/air ducts, a transfer duct within a wall separating said pair of secondary fuel/air ducts, said transfer duct including a transfer aperture communicating with said settling chamber and a delivery aperture communicating with said primary fuel/air duct adjacent said inlet, and means for freely admitting recycled exhaust gases into said settling chamber for unobstructed passage into said primary fuel/air duct via a recycle path free of valves. 8. a conversion unit according to claim 7 in which said settling chamber is integral with said body and has a portion positioned at least partially intermediate said secondary fuel/air ducts.
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background of the invention the present invention is concerned with charge-forming mixers for internal combustion engines and is concerned, more particularly, with exhaust-recycle mixers for conserving fuel and reducing pollutant emissions from such engines. brief discussion of the prior art it has been known for many years that the efficiency of internal combustion engines is insufficient to prevent the loss of combustible matter of significant fuel values into the exhaust gases. accordingly, many attempts have been made to find a successful manner in which to recycle a fraction of the exhaust gases to augment the fresh fuel incoming to the engine intake. these attempts have had to accomodate the problems of hot-gas pre-ignition of the fuel, recycling of solids from the exhaust to the chambers of the engine, proper heating of the remix without overheating, and the proper proportioning of the exhaust-recycle and the incoming fuel. some of the earlier attempts in the mixing of fuel and a recycled exhaust portion are typified in the following u.s. patents: u.s. pat. no. 1,201,977 to lovejoy u.s. pat. no. 1,382,285 to harris u.s. pat. no. 1,440,956 to ballenger u.s. pat. no. 1,568,642 to thompson u.s. pat. no. 2,300,774 to cartmell these patents employed various means to break up and intermix the flow of fuel and exhaust recycle including multiple perforations, intersecting angles of flow and random paths such as are provided by a substance like a steel wool in a mixing chamber. however, mixers which impose a significant pressure drop or backpressure between the carburetor and the mixed-fuel intake involve a problem for engines which are to be operated under a wide variety of loads and circumstances, such as are encountered in contemporary automotive vehicles. a mixer designed for optimum operation at one rpm may starve the engine at higher rpms or under conditions of heavy acceleration. below the optimum rpm, the mixer is prone to supply a greater amount of whichever fuel source imposes the least resistance and may provoke a choked condition supplying excessive fresh fuel. however, fuel mixers exhibiting relatively low back-pressures are also well known and are typified by low-restriction, zig-zag or staggered flows. early examples of such zig-zag fuel-charge mixers include, for example, the following u.s. patents: u.s. pat. no. 284,557 to hopkins u.s. pat. no. 664,025 to nash u.s. pat. no. 748,822 to wallman u.s. pat. no. 2,188,072 to brown most recently, popular concern for minimizing air polution, as well as the increasing problems of fuel supply and fuel costs, have caused a renewed intensity of interest in finding a satisfactory system for recycling at least a satisfactory portion of the useable hydrocarbons and incompletely burned exhaust components to achieve both fuel economy and low emissions of undesireable gases. categorically, these recent attempts have tried to solve a very complex problem with collections of mechanical complexities which are so delicate of adjustment and so prone to fouling by the exhaust gases they recycle that they have been more successful in their sophistication of machinery and control stages than in their performance and practical utility and, consequently, their acceptance in commerce. for example, u.s. pat. no. 3,421,485 to fessenden employs axial-flow fans and rotating homogenizers to draw exhaust gases and to impel them into mixture with fresh fuel. u.s. pat. no. 3,530,843 to fessenden discloses a zig-zag blender having a special heat-conducting circuit and further complicated by two-stage check valves which control the flow of exhaust gases from the exhaust system to the mixing chamber. a subsequent patent, u.s. pat. no. 3,587,546 to fessenden, discloses a fully pressurized fuel-metering unit which is intended to replace conventional carburetors, particularly in association with mixers or blenders. accordingly, prior systems for recycling exhaust-gas portions have relied upon mechanical complexities which provoke service problems or have invited the use of complex and expensive accessory items. therefore, prior exhaust recycle systems have not been found to be entirely satisfactory. summary of the invention in general, the preferred form of the present invention comprises a fuel/air duct defining a staggered flow path between a fuel/air carburetor and an intake of an internal combustion engine and providing for an uninterrupted flow path for recycled exhaust gases from a location in the exhaust system and through a separating chamber to the fuel/air duct for mixing with the fuel/air mixture in the duct. objects of the invention it is an object of the present invention to provide a mixer for fuel/air mixtures and exhaust-recycle portions which is simple and without frequent maintenance requirements. it is another object of the present invention to provide a simple mixer for fuel/air mixtures and exhaust-recycle portions which will accomodate multi-stage carburation without requiring adjustments or compensation. it is another object of the present invention to provide a simple, compact and versatile fuel, air and exhaust mixer which provides an uninterrupted recycle flow path for exhaust gases which is free of close tolerances and consequent obstruction by exhaust deposits. it is still another object of the present invention to provide a simple exhaust-recycle and fuel charge mixer which accomodates solid components contained in the recycled exhaust gases and varying flow rates without close clearances and moving parts. it is yet another object of the present invention to provide a simple exhaust-recycle and fuel charge mixer which will accomodate surges in the heat content of the recycled exhaust by absorption thereof in the body of the mixer prior to entrance into the mixing duct. it is a particular object of the present invention to provide a mixer for combining fuel, air and recycled gas portions which is operable over substantial ranges of engine speeds and with multiple-stage carburation without valving the exhaust-recycle flow and while accomodating variations in entrained matter and heat content of the recycled exhaust. brief description of the drawings these and other objects of the invention, as well as a better understanding thereof, may be derived from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the preferred form of mixer; fig. 2 is a plan view thereof and taken on lines 2--2 of fig. 1, and fig. 3 is an exploded view of the staggered-flow insert of the mixing chamber. detailed description of the preferred embodiment as shown in the drawings, the preferred form of mixer of the present invention comprises a body 1 of cast aluminum alloy, or a comparable material, shaped to fit between an automotive intake manifold 2 and its appropriate carburetor 3 with interposed gaskets 4 and 5 closing against the adjacent flange surfaces 6 and 7 of the mixer body. the body also includes four bolt bores 8 for receiving assembly bolts 9 therethrough to engage mating fittings in the carburetor and manifold. as shown in the drawings, the mixer is shaped to fit the four-barrel carburetors of large-displacement, general motors automotive engines. the body 1 has a rectangular primary fuel/air duct 10 extended therethrough between an inlet 11 underlying the first-stage barrels 12 of the carburetor and an outlet 13 overlying the inlet 14 of the manifold. the outlet 13 of the primary duct is preferably rectangular, as shown, but may take any desired shape. adjacent the outlet 13, the body has a ledge 15 supporting a series of alternating spacers 16 and plates 17-19 loosely positioned therein. as best shown in fig. 3, the lowermost plate 17 has a pair of ports 20 overlying the outlet 13. the next plate 18 has a centered, rectangular port 21; the next two plates 19, 19' have four notched ports 22 in their periphery and the uppermost plate 18' has a centered, rectangular port 21'. the spaced, inward and outwardly ported plates 17-18 thus provide a staggered or zig-zag flow path through the primary fuel/air duct and a consequent thorough mixing of the several components of the combustion charge passing through the duct. other forms of staggered-flow assemblies may be employed, if desired, but the disclosed series of loose plates and loose, peripheral spacers are especially advantageous with regard to simplicity of cost and installation and their lack of service requirements. the overall assembly is simply retained in the primary fuel/air duct between the ledge 15 and a portion of the flange or gasket associated with the carburetor. the body 1 also includes a pair of second-stage or secondary fuel/air ducts 23 and 23' which are aligned with the outlets of the two second-stage barrels of the carburetor and communicate therewith via inlets 24, 24' and with the intake manifold via outlets 25, 25; respectively. a wall 26 intermediate the secondary ducts 23 and 23' has a thickened portion 27 in its upper region near the inlets 24 and 24' and has a bore 28 of about one-fourth inch diameter extended therethrough to adjacent the primary duct 10. the upper portion of the primary duct 10 has a delivery bore 29 of about one-eighth inch diameter intersecting the bore 28 and opening the bore 28 to the inlet portion of the primary duct 10. the uppermost spacer 16 is notched or otherwise relieved as at 30, to provide free communication of the bore 29 and the primary duct. as best shown in fig. 2, the body includes a settling chamber 31 extended along and partially between the secondary ducts 23 and 23' and in direct communication via a port 32 with the bore 28 which passes between the secondary ducts. the chamber 31 is closed by a plate 33 secured on the body by screws 34 about its periphery. the plate has a threaded inlet port 35 for receiving a fitting 36 associated with an exhaust return line 37. preferably, the port 35 is located at a level below the level of the transfer port 32 and duct 28. the chamber 31 thus includes a substantial volume and further provides for heat-transfer contact with the resulting thin, curvate walls 38, 38' of the secondary ducts 23 and 23'. in operation, the mixer is installed between the carburetor and manifold, as shown, and the tube 37 is connected to a point or points in the exhaust system intermediate the exhaust manifold and a muffler or resonator. when the engine is then started, exhaust gases are drawn through an uninterrupted flow path from the point of connection in the exhaust system through to the inlet zone of the primary fuel/air duct 10. in the primary duct, the exhaust-recycle is thoroughly mixed with the fresh fuel/air mixture and delivered to the engine as part of the fuel charge. any particulate matter returned with the exhaust is free to fall out of entrainment in the enlarged settling chamber 31. accumulations thereof may be removed quickly with a screwdriver at intervals coinciding with other services such as oil changes. the intimate association of the returned gases with a large internal area of the mixer body allows the body to absorb heat freely from the gases, adjacent the second-stage ducts 23, 23', before the recycled gases are presented to the fresh fuel/air mixture and thereby help accomodate fluctuations in exhaust-gas temperatures while retaining the heat value in the flow path of the carburation. it is important to note that the mixer of the present system is the essence of simplicity, being entirely without metering valves, check valves or similar close-tolerance complications. however, it is significant that, in spite of its simplicity and lack of complex and sensitive adjustments, the mixer of the present invention is capable of extremely effective performance of fuel economy and pollutant-reduction over a wide range of engine-operating conditions. as stated before, the specific shape of the mixer disclosed in the drawings is intended for use with large-displacement, general motors blocks. a mixer as disclosed herein has been so tested and proven most effective. the test vehicle was a 1970 cadillac fleetwood having a 472cid engine, more than 70,000 miles, and its original four-barrel carburetor, a "rochester quadro jet". the vehicle has a curb weight of 5,260 pounds. when used in the "carburetor" tests reported below, the vehicle was thoroughly tuned for optimum gas mileage with the carburetor as installed at the factory. in the "carb/mixer" tests, the vehicle was altered only by addition of the mixer intermediate the carburetor and intake and an exhaust take-off in the system to supply the exhaust recycle. in the mileage tests, a one-gallon reservoir and a recently-checked speedometer were used for measurement, with the following average results: ______________________________________ carburetor carb/mixer ______________________________________ "regular" fuel - 12.6 mph 19.4 mph "no-lead"fuel - 11.8 mph 19.1 mph ______________________________________ accordingly, it is apparent that the present invention provides not only a dramatic increase in miles per gallon of gasoline, but accomplishes performance and economy with regular gas, instead of the high-octane premium gases normally necessary in that engine. however, the mileage performance is only a part of the surprising results provided by the present invention. emission analyses were conducted by a commercial test facility, in both the "carburetor" and "carb/mixer" configurations, with the following results: ______________________________________ carburetor carb/mixer hydro- carbon hydro- carbon carbons monoxide carbons monoxide ______________________________________ idle (650 rpm) 2060 ppm 4.10% 40 ppm 0.46% run (2500 rpm) 2060 ppm 10.12% 30 ppm 0.04% ______________________________________ therefore, it is apparent that the new mixer drastically reduces the hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide contents of the exhaust gases finally emitted, to the point that a seven year old car with more that seventy thousand miles can operate well below the upper limits for hydrocarbons (250 - 280 ppm) and for carbon monoxide (1.5 - 2.5%) now specified or forthcoming in some of the more severe jurisdictions. this is accomplished without catalytic converters or other complexities or sophistications. the present invention thus provides a simple exhaust recycle system which equals or exceeds the performances of the more complex prior systems. various changes may be made in the details of the invention, as disclosed, such as adaptation to different carburetors and engines, without sacrificing the advantages thereof or departing from the scope of the appended claims.
|
021-212-057-443-029
|
DK
|
[
"EP",
"WO",
"AU",
"NZ",
"CN",
"ES"
] |
E02D27/42,E02D27/50,F03D11/04
| 2008-11-26T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"E02",
"F03"
] |
a foundation and a method for forming a foundation for a wind turbine tower
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the invention involves a foundation (1) for a wind turbine tower (2), comprising a rock flange (10) having a first set of through anchor holes (14) each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction (lt) of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes (15) each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction (lt) of the wind turbine tower when erected, wherein the first and second angles are different from each other, and wherein upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation.
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a foundation for a wind turbine tower, comprising a rock flange having a first set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, characterized in that the first and second angles are different from each other, and wherein upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation. a foundation according to claim 1, wherein the anchor holes of the second set of anchor holes are arranged to extend, when the wind turbine tower is erected, outwards when followed in a downwards direction. a foundation according to any one of the claims 1-2, wherein, where the wind turbine tower is erected, upper ends of the anchor holes in the first set of anchor holes are located externally of the foundation. a foundation according to any one of the claims 1-3, wherein the rock flange has an upper surface, said surface having a first and a second surface portion, said first surface portion having the first set of through anchor holes, and said second surface portion having the second set of through anchor holes, wherein said first and second surface portions form an angle to each other. a foundation according to claim 4, wherein the second surface portion is facing the centre of the wind turbine tower. a foundation according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising a support structure adapted to form an interface to the wind turbine tower, said support structure being attached to the rock flange. a foundation according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the rock flange is adapted to form an interface to the wind turbine tower. method for forming a foundation for a wind turbine tower, comprising drilling holes in the ground, arranging a rock flange on the ground, said rock flange having a first set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, wherein the first and second angles are different from each other, and wherein upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation, arranging said rock flange with said first and second sets of through anchor holes meshing with said drilled holes, and arranging anchors in said first and second sets of anchor holes. method according to claim 8, further comprising fixing the anchors in the ground by an adhesive. method according to any one of claims 8-9, wherein the rock flange is used as a template when drilling the holes. method according to any one of claims 8-10, further comprising tensioning the anchors. a rock flange for a wind turbine tower foundation, comprising a first set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, characterized in that the first and second angles are different from each other, and wherein upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation. a wind turbine comprising a foundation according to any one of claims 1-7. use of a foundation according to any one of claims 1-7 in a wind turbine.
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technical field the present invention generally relates to a foundation for a wind turbine tower. the present invention further relates to a method for forming a foundation for a wind turbine tower, a rock flange for a wind turbine tower, a wind turbine comprising such a foundation, and use of such a foundation in a wind turbine. background of the invention a wind turbine tower is generally 30-80 m in height and has a diameter of 2-10 m. typical modern tower weights are 40 tons for a 50 m tower for a turbine with a 44 m rotor diameter (600 kw), and 80 tons for a 60 m tower for a 72 m rotor diameter. due to the height and weight of the wind turbine tower, forces formed by the rotational movements of the wind turbine blades, and the very large surface of the tower being exposed to the wind, the tower must be steadily fastened to the ground. depending on soil conditions, for example rock, soil or gravel, different kinds of foundations are used for securing the wind turbine tower to the ground. one way of forming a foundation on a solid rock is to form a concrete foundation in a cavity, arrange a support structure on the concrete foundation, forming a connection to the tower, and arrange anchors into drilled holes in the rock. due to the very large forces that the foundation for the wind turbine tower is exposed to, it is desirable to improve the stability and the rigidity of the foundation. further, it is desirable that the design of the foundation does not hinder transport of the wind turbine tower, or affect the design of the wind turbine tower. wo 2005/012651 discloses a reinforced foundation for a wind turbine generator. the foundation comprises a concrete slab, a plurality of tensioned tendons and a plurality of ground anchors. the ground anchors extend in the vertical direction. the tensioned tendons are of two types, straight tendons that extend through the concrete slab in two sets, each extending between opposing faces of the octagonal concrete slab, and arcuate tendons having a semi-circular shape and surrounding the ground anchors. the bottom portion of the tower is attached to a cylindrical can being partly embedded in the concrete slab. instead of using a cylindrical portion for connecting the tower to the foundation as in wo 2005/012651 , it is known to use a foundation including a concrete foundation formed on the rock, a circular element arranged directly on the concrete foundation, a vertically extending support structure having in its upper part an interface to the tower, and supports extending between the circular element and the support structure, for stabilizing and maintaining the rigidity of the circular element. similarly to the above-described solution, ground anchors are provided at the inner and outer periphery of the circular element for securing the foundation to the rock. consequently, the ground anchors are arranged on both sides of the leg. dk200300203u3 discloses a rock foundation with two sets of anchors, the anchors in one of the sets being parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tower, and the anchors of the other set being angled downwards and outwards. a disadvantage with this arrangement is that it requires, due to the angled anchors, a conical support, which is relatively complicated and therefore expensive to manufacture. further, us 2004/0 131 428a discloses a foundation according to the preamble of claim 1. summary of the invention in view of the above, an objective of the invention is to provide an improvement or alternative to the prior-art foundations for wind turbine towers. in particular, an objective is to provide a foundation for a wind turbine tower providing a more stable support for the wind turbine tower. a further objective is to provide a foundation not affecting the diameter of the wind turbine tower in view of restrictions due to transport. a further objective is to provide a more compact foundation for a wind turbine tower. a further objective is to provide a foundation for a wind turbine tower not requiring any supports. a still further objective is to reduce the material required for the foundation. another objective is to provide a simpler arrangement at a wind turbine foundation. according to a first aspect, the invention is realized by a foundation for a wind turbine tower, comprising a rock flange having a first set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, wherein the first and second angles are different from each other, and wherein, where the wind turbine tower is erected, upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation. it is understood that the upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation where the wind turbine tower is erected. the location internally of the foundation means that the anchor hole upper ends are located on an internal side of the tower or a tower support when the turbine is erected. preferably, the anchor holes of the second set of anchor holes are arranged to extend, when the wind turbine tower is erected, outwards when followed in a downwards direction. since upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation, the foundation can have a support structure that is cylindrical instead of conical, which simplifies its manufacturing and therefore reduces costs of its production. the invention also allows for a lower end of the tower to connect to the rock flange, again eliminating the need for a conical support structure. preferably, where the wind turbine tower is erected, upper ends of the anchor holes in the first set of anchor holes are located externally, i.e. on an external side of the foundation. preferably, the rock flange has an upper surface, said surface having a first and a second surface portion, said first surface portion having the first set of through anchor holes, and said second surface portion having the second set of through anchor holes, wherein said first and second surface portions form an angle to each other. an advantage according to the present invention is that the foundation is secured to a larger rock volume compared to prior art solutions having anchors extending only in the vertical direction. anchors may be introduced into the first and second set of anchor holes, the anchors thus extending along the first and second longitudinal axes forming an angle to each other. thereby, a more stable and rigid foundation is provided. a further advantage is that the extension of the rock flange in the radial direction of the tower is smaller compared to the corresponding element in the prior art solutions. thereby, the design of the rock flange does not affect, or affects to a lower extent, the maximum diameter of the tower. the maximum diameter of the tower is restricted by transport limitations, such as the maximum width being possible to transport on a long distance truck and on the road network. the length of the portion of the foundation protruding outside the boundaries of the lowermost portion of the tower is reduced compared to a similar prior art foundation. thereby, the diameter of the tower may be maximized without taking consideration to the foundation. another advantage is that the height of the rock flange is reduced and no supports are required in order to maintain the stability and the rigidity of the rock flange. as the extension of the rock flange in the radial direction is reduced, the distance between the anchors arranged at the inner and the outer end of the rock flange, respectively, is reduced. thereby, the torque actuating on the rock flange is reduced. in the prior art solutions, the rock flange had to be reinforced, either by supports or by increasing the height of rock flange, in order to withstand the torque. further, as the inventive foundation requires no supports, more space for installing the foundation and the anchors is provided. thereby, forming and installation of the foundation is simplified. due to the more compact design of the foundation and that no supports are required, the inventive foundation offers material savings compared to the prior art solutions. the first longitudinal axis may be perpendicular to the first surface portion, and the second longitudinal axis may be perpendicular to the second surface portion. thus, when the anchors are introduced in the anchor holes, the force resulting from the tensioned anchors is directed perpendicular to the surface of the first and second surface portion, respectively. the rock flange may have a circumferential extension corresponding to the circumferential shape of the wind turbine tower. thereby, the rock flange provides a stable support surface for the wind turbine tower. the foundation may further comprise a support structure adapted to form an interface to the wind turbine tower, said support structure being attached to the rock flange. the support structure forms a connecting part between the rock flange and the wind turbine tower. the rock flange may be adapted to form an interface to the wind turbine tower. thereby, the rock flange is directly attached to the wind turbine tower with no connecting parts. the rock flange may be adapted to be arranged on a concrete foundation. the concrete foundation provides a steady and rigid foundation for arranging the foundation and compensates for any irregularities in the rock. the first surface portion may be parallel with an upper surface of the concrete foundation. the second surface portion may be facing the centre of the wind turbine tower. thereby, the anchors arranged in the second set of anchors holes are extending outwards in the radial direction from the rock flange into the ground. consequently, a larger rock volume may be reached by the anchors. the first and the second sets of anchor holes may be adapted to receive anchors. the anchors are adapted to attach and secure the foundation, and the wind turbine tower attached to the foundation, to the rock. according to a second aspect, the present invention is realized by a method for forming a foundation for a wind turbine tower, comprising drilling holes in the ground, arranging a rock flange on the ground, said rock flange having a first set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, wherein the first and second angles are different from each other, and wherein upper ends of the anchor holes in the second set of anchor holes are located internally of the foundation, arranging said rock flange with said first and second sets of through anchor holes meshing with said drilled holes, and arranging anchors in said first and second sets of anchor holes. an advantage of the inventive method is that a more stable and rigid foundation is obtained as the foundation is secured to a larger rock volume compared to prior art solutions having anchors extending in the vertical direction only. a further advantage is that a foundation being more compact is achieved by the inventive method. the extension of the rock flange in the radial direction of the tower is smaller compared to the corresponding element in the prior art solutions. thereby, the design of the foundation, and especially the rock flange, does not affect, or affects to a lower extent, the maximum diameter of the tower. the maximum diameter of the tower is restricted by transport limitations, such as the maximum width being possible to transport on a long distance truck and on the road network. the length of the portion of the foundation protruding outside the boundaries of the lowermost portion of the tower is reduced compared to a similar prior art foundation. thereby, the diameter of the tower may be maximized without taking consideration to the foundation. another advantage is that the height of the rock flange is reduced and no supports are required in order to maintain the stability and the rigidity of the rock flange. as the extension of the rock flange in the radial direction is reduced, the distance between the anchors arranged at the inner and the outer end of the rock flange, respectively, is reduced. thereby, the torque actuating on the rock flange is reduced. in the prior art solutions, the rock flange had to be reinforced, either by supports or by increasing the height of rock flange, in order to withstand the torque. further, as the inventive foundation has no supports, more space for installing the foundation and the anchors is provided. thereby, forming and installation of the foundation is simplified. due to the more compact design of the support structure and that no supports are required, forming a foundation in accordance with the inventive method offers material savings compared to the prior art solutions. the method may further comprise forming a concrete foundation on the ground. the concrete foundation provides a steady and rigid foundation for arranging the support structure and compensates for any irregularities in the rock. the method may further comprise elevating the rock flange from the ground when forming the concrete foundation. when the rock flange is used as a template for drilling the anchor holes in the ground, the rock flange may be elevated from the ground in order to enable forming of the concrete foundation. the anchors may be arranged before the concrete foundation has been formed. the method may further comprise fixing the anchors in the ground by an adhesive. thereby, the foundation is even more firmly attached to the rock. the rock flange may be used as a template when drilling the holes. the method may further comprise tensioning the anchors. thereby, the rock flange is further pressed against the concrete foundation such that a stable foundation is formed. the method may further comprise arranging the rock flange such that the second surface portion is facing the centre of the wind turbine tower. thereby, the anchors arranged in the second set of anchors holes are extending outwards in the radial direction from the rock flange into the ground. consequently, a larger rock volume may be reached by the anchors. according to a third aspect, the present invention is realized by a rock flange for a wind turbine tower foundation, comprising a first set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero first angle to, or parallel to, a longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, and a second set of through anchor holes each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle to the longitudinal direction of the wind turbine tower when erected, wherein the first and second angles are different from each other. the rock flange incorporates all the advantages of the inventive foundation, which previously has been discussed, whereby the previous discussion is applicable also for the rock flange. according to a fourth aspect, the present invention is realized by a wind turbine comprising a foundation according to the first aspect of the present invention. the wind turbine comprising the foundation according to the first aspect of the present invention incorporates all the advantages of the foundation, which previously has been discussed, whereby the previous discussion is applicable also for the wind turbine. according to a fifth aspect, the present invention is realized by use of a foundation according to the first aspect of the present invention in a wind turbine. use of the foundation according to the first aspect of the present invention in a wind turbine incorporates all the advantages of the foundation, which previously has been discussed, whereby the previous discussion is applicable also for use of the inventive foundation in a wind turbine. other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached claims as well as from the drawings. generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. all references to "a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc]" are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of said element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. the steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated. brief description of the drawings the above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, with reference to the appended drawings, where the same reference numerals will be used for similar elements, wherein: fig 1 schematically illustrates a cross section of a foundation for a wind turbine tower according to one embodiment of the present invention. fig 2 schematically illustrates the foundation in fig 1 as seen from above. fig 3a schematically illustrates a cross section of a portion of the foundation shown in fig 1 . fig 3b schematically illustrates a cross section of a portion of the foundation, wherein the wind turbine tower is attached directly to the rock flange. fig. 4 schematically illustrates a cross section of a foundation for a wind turbine tower according to another embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of preferred embodiments fig 1 illustrates a foundation 1 for a wind turbine tower 2. the foundation 1 is adapted to engage a lower part of the tower 2 and provide a stable support for the tower 2. the tower 2 may be formed of a plurality of tower segments in the circumferential direction, each forming a portion of the tower 2. in the vertical direction, the tower 2 may be formed of a plurality of tower sections, one tower section being placed on top of the other. the foundation 1 is especially suitable to be placed on a rock or on rocky grounds. the foundation 1 comprises a rock flange 10. the shape of the rock flange 10 corresponds to the shape of the outer periphery of the tower 2. for example, the rock flange 10 may be annular shaped as shown in fig 2 , or have any other shape essentially corresponding to the shape of the tower 2. a plurality of anchors 16, 17 are provided for securing the foundation to the ground 3. in the embodiment shown in fig 1 , the foundation 1 further comprises a support structure 20 being attached to the rock flange 10 and extending in a vertical direction. the support structure 20 has a shape corresponding to the shape of the tower 2. the support structure 20 may be annular shaped. the support structure 20 is adapted to engage and to be attached to the tower 2. the support structure 20 will be described in more detail with reference to fig 3a . in another embodiment, which will be described in more detail with reference to fig 3b , the rock flange 10 is attached directly to the tower 2. the rock flange 10 is arranged on a concrete foundation 30 formed on the ground or in a cavity in the ground. the concrete foundation 30 may be reinforced with reinforcement bars 31. referring to figs 1 , 2 , 3a and 3b , the rock flange 10 will be described in more detail. the rock flange 10 comprises an upper surface 11 having a first surface portion 12 and a second surface portion 13. the first and the second surface portion 12, 13 form an angle to each other. the first surface portion 12 is parallel with an upper surface of the concrete foundation 30. the second surface portion 13 is facing the centre of the tower 2. the second surface portion 13 is sloping downwardly towards the ground from the first surface portion 12. the first surface portion 12 is provided with a first set of through anchor holes 14. the second surface portion 13 is provided with a second set of through anchor holes 15. the first and second set of anchor holes 14, 15 are extending through the rock flange 10 and are arranged along the, for example, annular extension of the rock flange 10. the first set of through anchor holes 14 and the second set of through anchor holes 15 may be displaced in relation to each other in a horizontal plane, as shown in fig 2 . the first and second set of anchor holes 14, 15 are adapted to receive anchors 16, 17 adapted to secure the foundation to the ground 3. typically, approximately one hundred anchors 16 and corresponding anchor holes 14 may be provided in the first surface portion 12, and approximately one hundred anchors 17 and corresponding anchor holes 15 may be provided in the second surface portion 13 (in fig 2 , the number of anchors has been reduced and are shown schematically). naturally, the number of anchors depends on the diameter of the rock flange 10. the first and second sets of anchor holes 14, 15 may be recessed and adapted to at least partly receive a head of the anchors, such the head of the anchors 16, 17 does not protrude outside the upper surface 11 of the rock flange 10. the first set of anchor holes 14, extending from the first surface portion 12, extends in a first longitudinal direction l1. the first longitudinal direction l1 may be perpendicular to the first surface portion 12. the second set of anchor holes 15, extending from second surface portion 13, extends in a second longitudinal direction l2. the second longitudinal direction l2 may be perpendicular to the second surface portion 13. thereby, an angle between the first longitudinal direction l1 and the second longitudinal direction l2 is formed. the angle between the first longitudinal direction l1 and the second longitudinal direction l2 is preferably 5-50°, and more preferably 5-25°. the first longitudinal direction l1 is in this example parallel to a longitudinal direction lt of the wind turbine tower when erected, and the second longitudinal direction l2 is in a non-zero second angle a2 to the longitudinal direction lt of the wind turbine tower. anchors 16, 17 are introduced in the first and second set of anchor holes 14, 15 and into pre-drilled holes in the ground 32, 33 extending in the same direction as the first and second set of anchor holes 14, 15, i.e. in the longitudinal directions l1 and l2. when introducing a first set of anchors 16 in the first set of anchor holes 14, the first set of anchors 16 is guided by the extension of the first set of anchor holes 14. thereby, the first set of anchors 16 are extending in the first longitudinal direction l1. the second set of anchors 17 are introduced in and guided by the second set of anchor holes 15. the second set of anchors 17 extend outwards from the centre of the tower seen in the radial direction. thereby, the second set of anchors 17 are extending in the second longitudinal direction l2. by displacing the first set of anchor holes 14 in relation to the second set of anchor holes 15, the first set of anchors 16 do not interfere with the second set of anchors 17. by arranging the first set of anchors 16 in the first set of through anchor holes 14 extending along a first longitudinal axis l1, and arranging the second set of anchors 17 in the second set of through anchor holes 15 extending along a second longitudinal axis l2, wherein the first and the second longitudinal axes form an angle to each other, the first and the second sets of anchors form an angle to each other. thereby, the foundation 1 is connected to a large rock volume, thus improving the stability of the foundation 1. the rock flange 10 may be made of metal such as steel. as an alternative, the rock flange 10 may be formed of concrete, and may be made integral with the concrete foundation 30. referring to fig 3a , the support structure 20 forming an interface to the tower 2 will be described in more detail. the support structure 20 is annular formed and comprises a flange 21 in its upper part. the flange 21 may for example be an l-flange or a t-flange. the flange 21 is adapted to engage a corresponding flange arranged in the tower segment, for example by passing a bolt 23 through a hole 22. the flange 21 comprises a plurality of holes 22 along the annular extension, thereby the tower 2 is firmly attached to the support structure 20 by passing a bolt 23 through each of the holes 22. referring to fig 3b , another embodiment of the foundation 1 will be described. in this embodiment, the rock flange 10 is attached to the tower 2. no support structure is arranged between the rock flange 10 and the tower 2. the inventive foundation may be formed in two alternative ways. in the first way, the inventive method comprises drilling a plurality of holes 32, 33 by using a template showing where the holes are to be placed. the first set of holes 32 are extending along the first longitudinal direction l1 and the second set of holes 33 are extending along the second longitudinal direction l2. after drilling the holes 32, 33, anchors 16, 17 are arranged into the holes 32, 33. the anchors 16, 17 are fixed into the holes 32, 33 by an adhesive and are tensioned. thereafter, the concrete foundation 30 is formed on the ground, for example in a preformed cavity. reinforcements 31, if needed, may be arranged in the concrete foundation 30. after forming the concrete foundation 30, the rock flange 10 is placed on the concrete foundation 30 such that the anchor holes 14, 15 of the rock flange 10 are meshing with the drilled holes 32, 33. finally, the anchors 16, 17 are re-tensioned such that the rock flange 10 is pressed against the concrete foundation 30. in order to place the rock flange 10 after the anchors 16, 17 have been installed, the second surface portion 13 and its anchor holes 15 must be designed such that it is possible to pass the rock flange 10 over the anchor 17, for example by forming a recess in the rock flange 10 or enlarging the anchor holes 15. as an alternative to the method previously disclosed, the rock flange 10 itself may be used as a template when drilling the holes 32, 33. firstly, the rock flange 10 is elevated approximately 10-20 cm over the ground on the place where the foundation 1 is to be located. for example, blocks may be placed under the rock flange 10. in this case, the first and second sets of anchor holes 14, 15 of the rock flange 10 are used for ensuring that the drilled holes 32, 33 in the ground are correctly located. thereby, the first set of holes 32 is extending along the first longitudinal direction l1 and the second set of holes 33 are extending along the second longitudinal direction l2. after drilling the holes 32, 33 using the rock flange 10 as a template, the anchors 16, 17 are arranged in the drilled holes 32, 33 and in the anchor holes 14, 15. the anchors 16, 17 are fixed into the holes 32, 33 by an adhesive and are tensioned. after arranging the anchors 16, 17, a concrete foundation 30 can now be formed below the rock flange 10. reinforcements 31 may be arranged in the concrete foundation 30 in order to reinforce the concrete foundation. after having formed the concrete foundation 30, the rock flange 10 is lowered and placed on the concrete foundation 30. finally, the anchors 16, 17 are re-tensioned such that the rock flange 10 is pressed against the concrete foundation 30. for both alternatives of forming the foundation, the tower 2 may be attached to the support structure 20 as previously described. the support structure 20 may already be attached to the rock flange 10, or may be attached to the rock flange 20 after the rock flange 20 has been placed on the concrete foundation 30. alternatively, the rock flange 20 may be attached directly to the tower 2 with no part there between. for this alternative, the rock flange 20 may already be attached to the tower 2, if it is possible due to transportation restrictions, or the tower 2 is attached to the rock flange 10 when the foundation 1 is formed. it is contemplated that the support structure providing support for a portion of the tower may be of a different type having a different interface to the tower. although an annular rock flange is disclosed in the drawings, the rock flange may have any other shape. further, it is contemplated that the cross section of the rock flange may have any other form, and that the rock flange may comprise more than two upper surfaces. it is also contemplated that the rock flange may be formed of plurality of rock flange segments in the circumferential direction. fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the invention. the foundation comprises a rock flange having a first set of through anchor holes 14 each arranged to extend in parallel to the longitudinal direction lt of the wind turbine tower when erected. a second set of through anchor holes 15 are each arranged to extend in a non-zero second angle a2 to the longitudinal direction lt of the wind turbine tower. the first and second set of anchor holes 14, 15 are adapted to receive anchors 16, 17 adapted to secure the foundation to the ground. as in the embodiment described above, the anchor holes 15 of the second set of anchor holes are arranged to extend outwards when followed in a downwards direction. upper ends of the anchor holes 14 in the first set of anchor holes are located externally, i.e. on an external side es of the foundation, and upper ends of the anchor holes 15 in the second set of anchor holes are located internally, i.e. on an internal side is of the foundation. the rock flange has an upper surface, said surface having a first and a second surface portion 12, 13, said first surface portion having the first set of through anchor holes, and said second surface portion having the second set of through anchor holes. the first and second surface portions 12, 13 form an angle to each other, and first surface portion 12 is located on the external side es of the foundation, and the second surface portion 13 is located on the internal side is of the foundation. it should be noted that alternatively the anchor holes 14 in the first set of through anchor holes could be each arranged to extend in a first angle to the longitudinal direction lt of the wind turbine tower, the first angle being different from the second angle a2. the first angle could be such that the anchor holes 14 of the first set of anchor holes are arranged to extend outwards when followed in a downwards direction, or such that the anchor holes 14 are arranged to extend, inwards when followed in a downwards direction. the invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments, as defined by the appended patent claims.
|
022-745-089-953-849
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G02F1/017,G02F1/11,G02F1/125,G02F1/33,G02F1/335
| 1990-03-30T00:00:00 |
1990
|
[
"G02"
] |
surface acoustic wave optical modulator
|
an acousto-optic modulator is described which comprises a first support layer and a second layer of piezoelectric semiconductor material disposed over the support layer. the second layer includes a plurality of active sublayers, each active sublayer having a planar surface and thickness dimension which is such as to enable the active layer to exhibit quantum-well effects. a surface acoustic wave structure is disposed on the second layer for creating an acoustic wave in the second layer. the acoustic wave induces electric field variations therein which are perpendicular to the planar surface of the active sublayers and alter an optical property thereof. an optical beam is directed through the second layer, which beam is modulated by the altered optical properties of the active sublayers.
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1. an acousto-optic modulator for modulating an optical beam from an external source, said modulator comprising: a first support layer; a second layer of piezoelectric semiconductor material disposed over said support layer for receiving said optical beam, said second layer including a plurality of active sublayers, each said active sublayer having a planar surface and thickness dimension, said thickness dimensions being such as to enable said active sublayers to host exitons which exhibit stark effects and enable said active layer's optical absorption and refractive properties to be altered by an applied electric field; and means for launching a surface acoustic wave in said second layer, said wave inducing an electric field in said second layer which alters an absorption/refraction property of said active sublayers to thereby modulate said optical beam. 2. the acousto-optical modulator as defined in claim 1 wherein said electric field is induced in said second layer in a direction perpendicular to said planar surface thereof. 3. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 2, wherein said optical beam is oriented in a direction parallel to said planar surface of said active sublayers. 4. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 3, wherein said launching means is a saw transducer which includes a plurality of wavefronts into said second layer, each said wavefront inducing a perpendicular electric field into said second layer. 5. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 4, wherein said optical beam is incident at an angle which is orthogonal to a side of said acousto-optic modulator. 6. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 4, wherein said optical beam is incident at a bragg angle .theta..sub.b with respect to said wavefronts, said bragg angle .theta..sub.b being derivable from the expression n.lambda.=2.lambda. sin .theta..sub.b where: n is the order of diffraction, .lambda. is the wavelength of the optical beam in the second layer, and .lambda.= saw wavelength between said wavefronts. 7. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claims 5 or 6, wherein said saw transducer is arrayed on said second layer. 8. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 2, wherein said optical beam is incident at a perpendicular angle to said planar surface of said active sublayers. 9. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 8, wherein said induced perpendicular electric field alters the absorption coefficient of said active regions to enable modulation of said optical beam by said induced field. 10. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 9, wherein said first support layer includes a concave portion through which said optical beam is directed, said concave portion reducing absorption of said optical beam by said first support layer. 11. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 10, wherein said launching means induces a plurality of wavefronts into said second layer, each said wavefront inducing a perpendicular electric field into said second layer. 12. the acousto-optic modulator of claim 11, wherein said launching means is an inter-digitated saw transducer arrayed on said second layer. 13. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 1, wherein said launching means comprises: a third layer of piezoelectric semiconductor material disposed over said second layer; a conductive barrier layer disposed over said third layer and defining a channel in said third piezoelectric conductor material beneath the barrier layer; and means for injecting into said channel an input electrical signal, said launching means establishing a surface acoustic wave layer that propagates through said channel, which wave carries packets of charge from said input signal, said packets of charge inducing electric field variations in said second layer. 14. the acoustic-optic modulator as defined in claim 13, wherein said injection means comprises signal means for applying a voltage to said channel. 15. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 13, wherein said injection means comprises a source of radiant energy. 16. the acousto-optic modulator of claim 13 where said optical beam is incident at a perpendicular angle to said planar surface of said active sublayers. 17. the acousto-optic modulator as defined in claim 1, wherein said launching means comprises: a separate piezoelectric crystal having an interdigitated saw transducer fabricated thereon, said second layer and first support layer positioned on said crystal, located remote from said transducer, and in the path of a surface acoustic wave generated thereby. 18. the acousto-optic modulator of claim 17, wherein said second layer is spaced from said separate piezoelectric crystal by dielectric spacers.
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field of the invention this invention relates to optical modulators, and more particularly, to optical modulators which employ a semiconductor superlattice whose optical properties can be affected by induced electrical fields. background of the invention semiconductor superlattice devices are well known in the art and comprise portions of light emitting devices, light modulators etc. a compositional superlattice is a periodic array of ultra- thin layers of two different semiconductors in alternation. each layer is about a hundred angstroms thick to enable quantum effects to govern their electronic properties. the periodic alternation of layers gives rise to a periodic variation of electric potential, and each layer with the smaller band gap produces what is called a quantum or potential well. the most widely used superlattice devices employ thin layers of gaas interspersed between layers of algaas. typically, the thickness of each gaas layer is approximately 50-100 angstroms with the algaas layer thickness being in the same range. recently, others have found that the excitonic optical absorption and refractive index characteristics of a superlattice multiple quantum-well (mqw) device can be altered by the application of electric fields, either perpendicular to the superlattice planes or parallel thereto (referred to as the stark effect). a comprehensive study of these phenomena can be found in "electric field dependence of optical absorption near the band gap of quantum-well structures", miller et al. physical review b, vol. 32 no. 2, pp. 1043-1060, 15 july, 1985. fig. 1 herein illustrates a device structure used by miller et al. to investigate the effects of a perpendicular electric field on the optical properties of an mqw structure. in fig. 1, an mqw active region 10 comprises a plurality of gaas/algaas layers with each gaas layer being 29 angstroms in thickness and each algaas layer being 69 angstroms. on either side of mqw region 10 is a pair of superlattice buffer regions 12 which are, in turn, sandwiched between a pair of p and n-type contact layers 14. a further algaas p+ contact region 16 forms a support for contact metallization 18. an optical beam 20 enters the semiconductor structure via opening 22 in metallization layer 18. on the opposite side of the structure, an algaas n+ region is employed as an etch stop. a further gaas n+ buffer region is positioned adjacent a gaas substrate n+ region which, in turn, provides the support for contact metallization 30. the optical beam exits from region 24, as indicated by arrow 32. while the miller et al. paper describes the effects of applied, perpendicular and parallel electric fields on the optical properties of excitons confined in the mqw region 10, it is the effect of the perpendicularly applied electric field which is most interesting. referring to fig. 2, there is reproduced from miller et al., a plot of absorption spectra at various electric field values for a perpendicularly applied field to the structure shown in fig. 1. the perpendicular electric field is created by applying an appropriate dc bias between contacts 18 and 30. curve 40 indicates the absorption coefficient as function of the incident photon energy for the structure of fig. 1 with an applied electric field of approximately 1 .times.10.sup.4 v/cm. curves 42 and 44 show changes in the absorption coefficient for mqw layer 10, as the applied field is increased to 4.7 .times.10.sup.4 v/cm and 7.3 .times.10.sup.4 v/cm, respectively. the zero lines 46 and 44 for curves 42 and 44 are displaced from zero line 48 for clarity's sake. as the applied electric field is increased, there is a substantial decrease in photon energy of the peak absorption coefficient for mqw layer 10. thus, if an optical beam exhibiting a photon energy of approximately 1.45 ev is applied to the device of fig. 1, and the electric field is varied between the values for curves 40 and 42, the absorption of that beam will vary significantly for the two different field values. high field values are required to achieve the significant changes in absorption coefficient due to the fact that the optical beam interacts with excitons in a very narrow thickness of mqw region. further investigation of a structure similar to that of miller et al. is described in "field effects o the refractive index and absorption coefficient in algaas quantum well structures and their feasibility for electrooptic device applications", kan et al., ieee journal of quantum electronics, vol. qe-23, no. 12, dec. 1987, pp. 2167-2179 kan et al. investigated the changes of both absorption coefficient .alpha. and refractive index n for a superlattice device similar to that shown in fig. 1. those results are reproduced in figs. 3 and 4. in fig. 3, changes in both refractive index and absorption coefficient are plotted against wavelength. curve 50 shows the variation of refractive index n over various wavelengths when no electric field is applied dotted curve 52 shows changes in refractive index n when the applied field is increased to 6 .times.10.sup.4 v/cm. curves 54 and 56 in fig. 3 show the corresponding changes in absorption coefficient .alpha. for identical changes in the electric field value, as plotted against wavelength of the applied light. in fig. 4, the refractive index variation .delta. n and absorption variation .delta..alpha. is plotted against wavelength. it can be seen that the change varies in .delta. n varies significantly between approximately 843 nm to 850 nm and the absorption variation .delta..alpha. varies significantly between approximately 847 nm to 852 nm. the results of kan et al. show, for selected wavelengths, that both the absorption coefficient and refractive index of a superlattice mqw structure can be significantly altered by the application of a perpendicular electric field for instance, as shown by curves 50 and 52, at 850 nm the refractive index varies significantly when an applied perpendicular electric field is varied. kan et al. suggest the use, as a modulator, of a structure similar to that in fig. 1. as with miller et al. a high value perpendicular electric field is required to accomplish the desired modulation due to the short interaction length between mqw region and the optical beam. a further application of this type of structure is considered in "quantum-well charge coupled devices for charge-coupled device addressed multiple-quantum-well spatial light modulators", goodhue et al., journal of vacuum science technology, b4(3), may/june 1986, pp. 769-772. goodhue et al. describe a spatial light modulator which employs an mqw region, on which a charge-coupled-device (ccd) shift register has been constructed. the ccd shift register has interspersed opaque and transparent electrical contacts. thus, when a signal charge packet in the channel is transported under the transparent electrode, it modifies the magnitude of the perpendicular electric field into the mqw layers which, in turn, alters its absorption characteristics. light passing through the transparent ccd electrode and into the mqw is thus selectively, locally absorbed, depending upon the voltage present on the transparent electrode by necessity, the ccd modulation structure covers a significant portion of the face of the device and restricts the amount of surface area available for light modulation in addition, it requires 3-phase clock circuitry and associated lithography to transport charge packets. another type of prior art optical modulator is the acousto-optic modulator that employs a surface acoustic wave (saw) to modulate an optical signal. such a structure is described in "correlator based on an integrated optical spatial light modulator", verber et al., applied optics, vol. 20, no. 9, 1 may, 1981, pp. 1626-1629. verber et al. employ a saw structure on lithium niobate to induce electric fields therein, which fields diffract an optical beam. the modulator divides a single broad beam, incident at the bragg angle, into two angularly separated beams. the saw is modulated with a binary data pattern, so that optical beam segments which encounter either two gratings or no gratings, exit at the same angle they entered, while beams which encounter only one grating are deflected by twice the bragg angle. the effect used in verber's device is not based on confined excitonic phenomena taking place only in mqw structures. a further development in saw devices is disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 4,633,285 to hunsinger et al. and in "heterojunction acoustic charge transport device technology", cullen et al., 1988 ultrasonics symposium, pp. 135-143, 1988, ieee. both hunsinger et al. and cullen et al. employ the piezoelectric properties of a gaas/algaas semiconductor structure to configure a saw device. both show the use of a buried channel of gaas disposed between confining algaas layers. a surface acoustic wave is induced in the buried channel and electric charges are injected therein via a schottky barrier contact. the surface acoustic wave carries the injected charges along the channel to a sensing electrode. in addition to being employed as a delay line, hunsinger et al. also disclose the use of the saw structure as an image detector, such that light falling upon the structure causes charges to be injected into the buried channel and carried along by the surface acoustic wave. to the inventors' knowledge, no prior art has combined the benefits accruing from the use of a surface acoustic wave device and an mqw structure hosting confined excitons to perform optical modulation. accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved saw-based, acousto-optic light modulator. it is a further object of this invention to provide an improved acousto-optic light modulator which makes use of electric-field induced variations in the optical properties of an mqw structure. it is still another object of this invention to provide an acousto-optic modulator particularly adapted for integration into monolithic semiconductor structures. summary of the invention an acousto-optic modulator is described which comprises a first support layer and a second layer of piezoelectric semiconductor material disposed over the support layer. the second layer includes a plurality of active sublayers, each active sublayer having a planar surface and thickness dimension which is such as to enable the active layer to exhibit quantum-well excitonic effects. a surface acoustic wave transducer structure is disposed on the second layer for creating an acoustic wave in the second layer the acoustic wave induces electric field variations in the active sublayers which in turn alter the optical properties thereof. an optical beam is directed through the second layer, which beam is modulated by the altered optical properties of the active sublayers. description of the drawings fig. 1 is a section of a prior art mqw optical modulator. fig. 2 is a plot of photon energy vs. absorption coefficient for the device of fig. 1. fig. 3 is a plot, for different applied electric fields, of wavelength vs. absorption coefficient and refractive index for a prior art device similar to that shown in fig. 1. fig. 4 is a plot of wavelength vs. refractive index variation and absorption variation for a prior art device similar to that shown in fig. 1. fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a side entry mqw optical modulator structure constructed in accordance with the invention. fig. 6 is a section of the structure of fig. 5 taken along line 6--6. fig. 7 is a plot of perpendicular electric field vs. depth, showing the variation of field strength with depth into the structure of fig. 5, as normalized to the applied wavelength. fig. 8 is a schematic perspective view of the modulator of fig. 5 when it is employed as a bragg angle modulator. fig. 9 is a schematic perspective view of a top entry optical modulator structure constructed in accordance with the invention. fig. 10 is a sectional view of a further embodiment of the top entry modulator which employs a buried channel-saw structure. fig. 11 is a version of the device of fig. 10 employing optical injection. fig. 12 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional saw structure on which an mqw modulator is positioned with the superlattice structure placed face down. detailed description of the invention as indicated in the introduction hereto, mqw structures are known to exhibit significant changes in both absorption coefficient and refractive index as the result of an application of a perpendicular electric field. in the structures to be discussed below, a surface acoustic wave is employed to induce a perpendicular electric field manifestation in the mqw structure. this enables optical modulation to occur through changes in either the refractive index or the absorption coefficient of the active layers within the mqw structure. turning now to figs. 5 and 6, mqw optical modulator 100 includes a substrate 102 on which an active mqw region 104 has been grown. substrate 102 may typically be an undoped or semiinsulating gaas with mqw region 104 grown thereon by an appropriate process, i.e., molecular beam epitaxy or metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (mocvd). as shown in more detail in fig. 6, mqw region 104 comprises a plurality of active gaas layers 106 which are sandwiched between confining algaas layers 108. it is the active gaas layers 106 which exhibit the quantum confined stark effect (qcse) alteration in absorption coefficient and refractive index, and which, as will be hereinafter understood, act upon an incident optical beam of appropriate wavelength to alter its angle of incidence or level of absorption. disposed on uppermost surface 110 of mqw modulator 100 are a plurality of interdigitated saw transducers 112, which are energized from an appropriate source via conductors 114. using this arrangement, a surface acoustic wave may be launched directly on (and into) mqw region 104 along the x direction, indicated by arrow 115. while not shown, a reflector may be positioned behind transducer 112 to assure in-phase addition of the portion of the surface acoustic wave which is induced and travels in the direction opposite to arrow 115. the surface acoustic wave induced in mqw region 104 creates both parallel and perpendicular electric fields which extend into the depth thereof and effect the optical properties of excitons hosted in active layers 106 disposed therein. in fig. 7, a plot is shown of the normalized perpendicular electric field induced in mqw region 104 vs. the depth of mqw region 104 (normalized to the applied wavelength of the saw signal). from curve 120, it can be seen that the perpendicular electric field is strongest in mqw region 104 which has a thickness of approximately 10% or less of the wavelength of the applied saw frequency. thus, the major optical effects induced by the perpendicular electric field are experienced at or less than that depth in mqw region 104. returning to fig. 5, an optical beam (arrows 116) is directed at the side of mqw device 100 in the y direction so that it is orthogonal to the surface acoustic wave which propagates in the x direction therethrough. the beam may emanate from an optical waveguide or any other appropriate source of optical energy. by applying the optical beam 116 along the y axis of the structure, the beam is acted upon by active regions 106 over their full planar width. as a result, the perpendicular electric field required to achieve the desired modulation effect on optical beam 116 can be lessened due to the much greater interaction length between the beam and the active modulating region. the surface acoustic wave signal inducing the electric field into mqw region 104 must be sufficient to cause the shifts in refractive index and/or absorption coefficient illustrated in figs. 3 and 4. the preferred structure, as shown, requires no external biasing of the modulator such as used in p-i-n type optical modulators. typical dimensions and frequencies for the device shown in fig. 5 are listed in table 1 below. in operation, saw transducer 112 is energized and launches a surface acoustic wave in the x direction, which wave induces perpendicular electric field variations within mqw region 104 as it propagates along the device. the perpendicular electric field modifies the excitonic absorption coefficient of active regions 106, thereby causing them to periodically absorb and modulate the intensity of optical beam 116. turning now to fig. 8, the optical modulator of fig. 5 employ changes in its refractive index rather than its absorption coefficient to provide optical beam modulation. as above stated, saw transducer 112 launches a surface acoustic wave in region 104, with its wavefronts being schematically shown by dotted line 152. in this instance, optical beam 150 is directed so that it exhibits an angle .theta..sub.b with respect to surface acoustic wavefronts 152, .theta..sub.b being equivalent to the bragg angle. in other words, light beam 150 is in the xy plane but is offset from the y axis b .theta..sub.b. the bragg angle .theta..sub.b can be determined from the equation .lambda.n =.lambda.sin .theta., where n = the order of diffraction (n=1 being the most significant case) .lambda.=the wavelength of the light in the medium .lambda.=the saw wavelength (distance between adjacent wavefronts). as each wavefront 152 propagates down the x direction of modulator 100, it induces a perpendicular electric field which modifies the refractive index of the active optical areas 106 and makes those regions appear as an optical grating. as a result incoming optical beam 150 is bragg diffracted (first order) as shown by arrow 154. in the absence of a surface acoustic wave, the exiting optical beam intensity is undiffracted and is illustrated by arrow 156, with the angle between optical beams 154 and 156 being 2.theta..sub.b. table 1, below, gives .delta.n/n values as a function of the perpendicular field for a gaas/algaas mqw modulator having a one ghz saw at power levels of 10 and 20 mw. the values of .delta. n/n are for the gaas quantum-wells. adjustments should be made to account for the inactive volume, i.e., the volume of the algaas barrier layers which sandwich the gaas quantum-wells. table 1 ______________________________________ typical saw-induced electric field magnitudes total saw saw fre- e.sub..parallel. .times. 10.sup.4 e.sub..perp. .times. 10.sup.4 power p mw quency fhz w/.lambda. v/cm v/cm .delta.n/n ______________________________________ 10 400 mhz 10 0.7 0.88 -- 20 400 mhz 10 0.989 1.244 -- 10 1 ghz 10 1.75 2.2 0.81% 20 1 ghz 10 2.47 3.11 1.15% ______________________________________ w = transducer aperture = 27 .mu.m at 16 ghz .lambda. = saw wavelength = 2.8 .mu.m at 1 ghz it is to be noted that n and .alpha., and changes in their magnitudes in the presence of a perpendicular electric field are dependent on the operating wavelength of the optical beam as well as the parameters of the mqw layers. generally, maximum values of .delta. n occur at wavelengths which are associated with significant absorption coefficient values. for the bragg modulator shown in fig. 8, the operating wavelength and mqw parameters should be selected such that the losses due to absorption are reasonable over the interaction length, even if .delta.n values are somewhat lower. turning now to fig. 9, a further embodiment of the invention is shown which employs a top-oriented normal optical beam configuration rather than the side entries shown in figs. 5 and 8. in this instance, arrows 160 represent the optical beam and indicate its entry into the modulator structure normal to the xy plane of mqw region 104. because substrate 102 is comprised of gaas which is an absorber of optical frequencies, a portion of it is etched away to produce a concave area 162 through which optical beam 106 can exit from modulator 100. the operation of the modulator of fig. 9 is much the same as previously described with respect to fig. 5 except that, in this instance, it is the alteration of the absorption coefficient .alpha. which is utilized. furthermore, the interaction length of optical beam 160 with mqw region 104 is much shorter than for the side entry beam configuration of fig. 5. as a result, higher electric fields are required to achieve significant absorption of optical beam 160 as it passes through structure 100. the modulation of the absorption coefficients is, as aforedescribed, achieved by propagating saw wavefronts down the x dimension of modulator 100, so that the induced perpendicular electric fields modify the absorption coefficients of the interspersed active regions 106. in fig. 10, another embodiment of the invention is shown which also employs a normal entry, optical beam configuration. this modulator structure comprises two parts, one including a saw configuration similar to that described by hunsinger et al. and cullen et al. and a second including an mqw structure such as that described above. in specific, the modulator structure includes an undoped gaas cap 164 which is positioned over an n doped algaas layer 166. that is followed by an undoped algaas spacer layer 168 which is in turn positioned on a gaas channel region 170. the surface acoustic waves generated by the transducer 184, carry charge packets along into the modulating region (the region through which optical beam 190 passes). gaas region 170 is followed by an undoped algaas layer which forms one boundary of an mqw region 174 (approximately 40-60 layers). a p-doped algaas layer 176 supports mqw region 174 and it is, in turn, followed by an algaas buffer layer 178 which rests on gaas substrate 180. substrate 180 is etched to provide a concave area 182 for the same reasons given for the device of fig. 9. in the manner described by hunsinger et al. and cullen et al., a saw transducer 184 induces a surface acoustic wave into gaas channel region 170 and an input ohmic source 186 and schottky charge control source 188 serve to inject charge packets into region 170. those charge packets are transported along region 170 by the induced surface acoustic waves therein. the magnitude of a propagating charge packet controls the magnitude of the electric field in mqw layers 174. this in turn affects the excitonic absorption experienced by the optical beam 190 in those layers and, effects the modulation of beam 190. turning now to fig. 11 a modulator structure is shown which is substantially identical to that shown in fig. 10 except that both the ohmic and schottky signal inputs have been removed and an imaging signal/control beam 200 is applied to insert charge packets into the channel 170. the charge packets are transported in the channel by saw and the optical beam 190 is modulated in a manner described for fig. 10. in fig. 12, still another embodiment of the invention is shown wherein a modulator 100 (i.e. the same as shown in fig. 5) is mounted on a piezoelectric (e.g., lithium niobate) substrate 202. here it will be noted that the saw transducers have been removed from modulator 100 and emplaced upon the upper surface of substrate 202. the gap between the upper surface of substrate 202 and the modulator 100 is realized by sparsely placed dielectric (e.g. sio.sub.2) spacers 206. the thickness of the spacers is of the order of 2000.ang.. substrate 202 exhibits a much larger piezoelectric effect than the gaas/algaas structure of device 100. therefore, when saw transducer 204 induces a surface acoustic wave in substrate 202, that wave, as it passes beneath device 100, induces a perpendicular electric field thereinto and alters the absorption and diffraction characteristics thereof. thus, by relying upon the much higher field densities generated by the induced wave within substrate 202, the saw transducer on device 100 can be dispensed with, while still maintaining the optical modulation properties of device 100. it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention. various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention. for instance, the magnitude of the surface acoustic wave-induced electric field can be enhanced in modulator 100 by depositing a thin layer of zinc oxide over the mqw layers and then emplacing the saw transducers thereon. accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives (such as raman-nath diffraction), modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims. the mqw material system may be chosen from other semiconductor systems such as ingaas/inp, ingaasp/inp, znse/gaas etc. strained layer multiple quantum wells may also be used in lieu of non-strained mqw layers.
|
023-209-735-481-178
|
TR
|
[
"TR",
"EP",
"US",
"WO"
] |
A47C27/05,A47C27/14,A47C27/20,B68G7/00,B68G15/00,B23P21/00
| 2020-06-08T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"A47",
"B68",
"B23"
] |
a carrying mechanism for use in mattress production
|
a carrying mechanism for providing placement of at least one flexion item to a sponge pool having a lower sponge and a lateral sponge particularly used in mattress production includes at least one holder for fixing said flexion item thereon, at least one compression mechanism configured to at least partially compress the flexion item from the sides towards the center thereof, and at least one pushing group configured to separate the flexion item from the carrying mechanism in the sponge pool.
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1 . a carrying mechanism for providing placement of at least one flexion item to a sponge pool having a lower sponge and a lateral sponge particularly used in mattress production, wherein the carrying mechanism comprises at least one holder for fixing the at least one flexion item on the at least one holder, at least one compression mechanism configured to at least partially compress the at least one flexion item from sides towards a center of the at least one compression mechanism, and at least one pushing group configured to separate the at least one flexion item from the carrying mechanism in the sponge pool. 2 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one compression mechanism comprises at least one resting arm connected onto at least one body. 3 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one resting arm is connected to at least one arm movement group for providing movement of the at least one resting arm in an axis x and in an axis y on the at least one body. 4 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one arm movement group has at least one first plate and at least one second plate. 5 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one first plate is connected to at least one first guide for providing movement of the at least one first plate essentially in the axis y on the at least one body. 6 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 4 , wherein to provide movement of the at least one second plate in the axis x, at least one second guide is provided between the at least one first plate and the at least one second plate. 7 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one second plate is connected to at least one third guide for providing movement of the at least one second plate in the axis y. 8 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 7 , wherein the at least one third guide is associated with at least one fourth guide for providing movement of the at least one third guide in the axis x. 9 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein at least one first drive element is provided which is configured to provide movement of the at least one resting arm in the axis y. 10 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 9 , wherein at least one first movement transmission element is provided which is connected to the at least one first drive element for providing movement of the at least one resting arm in the axis y, and the at least one first movement transmission element is configured to actuate arm movement groups. 11 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 2 , wherein at least one second drive element is configured to provide movement of the at least one resting arm in the axis x. 12 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 11 , wherein at least one second movement transmission element is connected to the at least one second drive element for providing movement of the at least one resting arm in the axis x, and the at least one second movement transmission element is configured to actuate a third guide. 13 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein at least one connection group is provided for connection to an actuation system. 14 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein at least one pushing profile is provided in the at least one pushing group. 15 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one pushing profile is moved in an axis z by at least one third drive element. 16 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 14 , wherein the at least one pushing profile is fixed, and the at least one holder is at least partially moved in an axis z. 17 . the carrying mechanism according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one holder is made to have pneumatic magnetic characteristic.
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cross references to the related applications the application is the national phase entry of international application no. pct/tr2021/050308, filed on apr. 5, 2021, which is based on and claims priority on turkish patent application no. 2020/08802, filed on jun. 8, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. background mattresses are used as household goods which are lied down into or onto for purposes like sleeping, having a rest. in the mattress structure, there are lower sponge, upper sponge and springs positioned in between. in order to prevent viewing of the springs from outside, there are lateral sponges which are from the edges of the lower sponge and the upper sponge towards each other. thanks to the sponges, the user, who contacts the mattress, is prevented from being injured by the springs, and the springs provide comfortable lying and seating for the user. in mattress production, first of all, the spring element is positioned on the lower sponge, and the upper sponge is positioned on the spring element. said lateral sponge is connected by seaming or adhering to the lower sponge and to the upper sponge. thanks to this, the springs are isolated from the outer medium, and the whole periphery of the mattress is made suitable to the person usage conditions. in mattress production, non-aesthetical joining faults can be faced in the process of joining the lateral sponges to the lower sponge and to the upper sponge. because of the flexion of the spring element and because of the non-rigid structure of the sponges, offset faults can occur while the sponges are being adhered to each other. even though these faults can be eliminated manually by the workers as much as possible, production faults cannot be avoided. the occurrence of such faults leads to extra labor force and cost for the companies. as a result, because of the abovementioned problems, an improvement is required in the related technical field. summary the present invention relates to a carrying mechanism, for eliminating the abovementioned disadvantages and for bringing new advantages to the related technical field. an object of the present invention is to provide a carrying mechanism for providing improvement of mattress production. in order to realize the abovementioned objects and the objects which are to be deducted from the detailed description below, the present invention is at least one carrying mechanism for providing placement of at least one flexion item to the sponge pool having a lower sponge and lateral sponge particularly used in mattress production. accordingly, the improvement of the present invention is that the subject matter carrying mechanism comprises at least one holder for fixing said flexion item thereon, at least one compression mechanism configured to at least partially compress the flexion item from the sides towards the center thereof, and at least one pushing group configured to separate the flexion item from the carrying mechanism in the sponge pool. thus, the flexion item, used in mattress production, can be placed between the lower sponge and the lateral sponges. in a possible embodiment of the present invention, said compression mechanism comprises at least one resting arm connected onto at least one body. thus, the flexion item is pressed towards the center by means of the resting arm through the lateral sides. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, said resting arm is connected to at least one arm movement group for providing movement of said resting arm in at least one axis x and in at least one axis y on said body. thus, the resting arm is moved on the body. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, said arm movement group has at least one first plate and at least one second plate. thus, movement capability is provided to the arm movement group in two axes. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, said first plate is connected to at least one first guide for providing movement of said first plate essentially in axis y on the body. thus, the first plate moves linearly in axis y. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, in order to provide movement of said second plate in axis x, at least one second guide is provided between the first plate and the second plate. thus, the second plate moves linearly in axis x. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, the second plate is connected to at least one third guide for providing movement of the second plate in axis y. thus, the second plate moves linearly in axis y. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, said third guide is associated with at least one fourth guide for providing movement of said third guide in axis x. thus, the third guide moves linearly in axis x. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, at least one first drive element is provided which is configured to provide movement of the resting arm in axis y. thus, the resting arm is driven in axis y. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, at least one first movement transmission element is provided which is connected to said first drive element for providing movement of the resting arm in axis y, and said first movement transmission element is configured to actuate the arm movement groups. thus, the resting arm is driven in axis y. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, at least one second drive element is provided which is configured to provide movement of the resting arm in axis x. thus, the resting arm is driven in axis x. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, at least one second movement transmission element is provided which is connected to said second drive element for providing movement of the resting arm in axis x, and said second movement transmission element is configured to actuate the third guide. thus, the resting arm is driven in axis x. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, at least one connection group is provided for connection to the actuation system. thus, the carrying mechanism is connected to the robotic system or to different actuation groups which have guides. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, at least one pushing profile is provided in said pushing group. thus, the pushing profile is rested to the flexion item and is separated from the holder. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, said pushing profile is moved in an axis z by at least one third drive element. thus, the pushing profile provides movement in the direction of separating the flexion item from the holder. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, the pushing profile is fixed, and the holder is at least partially moved in said axis z. thus, the holder is moved and the flexion item is rested to the pushing profile and is separated from the holder. in another possible embodiment of the present invention, the holder is made so as to have pneumatic magnetic characteristic. thus, the flexion item can be held and released without needing a pushing group. brief description of the drawings in fig. 1 , a representative top view of the subject matter carrying mechanism is given. in fig. 2 , a representative perspective view of the subject matter carrying mechanism is given. in fig. 3 , a representative perspective view of the subject matter carrying mechanism is given. in fig. 4 , a representative perspective view of the subject matter carrying mechanism and of the pushing group positioned thereon is given. in the figures, the reference numbers are as follows. 10 carrying mechanism11 holder12 roller13 connection group14 compression mechanism20 body21 first guide22 second guide23 third guide24 fourth guide25 guide bracket30 resting arm31 first resting arm group32 second resting arm group40 arm movement group41 first plate42 second plate50 first drive element51 first movement transmission element52 second drive element53 second movement transmission element60 pushing group61 pushing profile62 third drive element(i) axis x(ii) axis y(iii) axis z detailed description of the embodiments in this detailed description, the subject matter is explained with references to examples without forming any restrictive effect only in order to make the subject more understandable. in fig. 1 , a representative top view of the subject matter carrying mechanism ( 10 ) is given. accordingly, the present invention relates to a carrying mechanism ( 10 ). the subject matter carrying mechanism ( 10 ) can be positioned on the actuation systems. said actuation system can be a robotic element or a movement group having guide. the actuation system holds the flexion elements used in mattress production by means of the carrying mechanism ( 10 ) and leaves them into a sponge pool. the carrying mechanism ( 10 ) takes the flexion items from one place and at least partially compresses the flexion items by means of a compression mechanism ( 14 ) and places the flexion items between the base sponge and the lateral wall sponges in the sponge pool. in a possible embodiment of the present invention, said flexion element can be a spring-based element and can be a sponge-based element. the carrying mechanism ( 10 ) has at least one body ( 20 ). said body ( 20 ) provides holding of the flexion element thanks to the items provided on the body ( 20 ). the connection of the body ( 20 ) on the actuation system is provided by means of at least one connection group ( 13 ). said connection group ( 13 ) is configured to be compliant to the system whereon the carrying mechanism ( 10 ) will be used. holding of the flexion items on the body ( 20 ) is provided by means of at least one holder ( 11 ). in possible embodiments of the present invention, said holder ( 11 ) is essentially a neodymium-based magnetic holder, needle holder or a holder with compression through the edges. by means of the holder, the flexion item is held and moved together with the body. in fig. 2 , a representative perspective view of the subject matter carrying mechanism ( 10 ) is given. accordingly, in the compression mechanism ( 14 ) provided on the body ( 20 ), there is at least one resting arm ( 30 ) for providing compressing of the flexion item at least partially from the lateral sides thereof. in a possible embodiment of the present invention, said resting arm ( 30 ) essentially has “l” form and is configured to push the flexion item from the corner towards the middle thereof. in a possible embodiment of the present invention, four resting arms ( 30 ) are provided in order to exert pressure through the four corners of a flexion item having four corners in the carrying mechanism ( 10 ). the resting arms ( 30 ) can move in an axis x (i) and in an axis y (ii) on the body ( 20 ). thanks to this, the flexion item is pushed from the corners towards the other corners, and the dimensions of the flexion item is at least partially reduced and compressed. in the compression mechanism ( 14 ), the resting arms ( 30 ) are configured to move together in the form of groups of two. in axis y (ii), the resting arms ( 30 ), positioned in the same direction, are named as the first resting arm group ( 31 ) and as the second resting arm group ( 32 ), and the resting arms ( 30 ), which exist in the same group, make symmetric movements with each other. connection of the resting arm ( 30 ) to the body ( 20 ) is provided by means of at least one arm movement group ( 40 ). said arm movement group ( 40 ) provides actuation of the resting arm ( 30 ) in axis x (i) and in axis y (ii), and said arm movement group ( 40 ) is provided in number, which is equal to the number of resting arms ( 30 ), on the body ( 20 ). in order to provide actuation of the arm movement groups ( 40 ), there is at least one first guide ( 21 ), at least one second guide ( 22 ), at least one third guide ( 23 ) and at least one fourth guide ( 24 ) in the compression mechanism ( 14 ). said guides facilitate movement of the resting arms ( 30 ) on the body ( 20 ) in predetermined directions. said first guide ( 21 ) and said third guide ( 23 ) are essentially positioned in a parallel manner to axis y (ii) and provide movement of the arm movement group ( 40 ) in axis y (ii). said second guide ( 22 ) and said fourth guide ( 24 ) are positioned in a parallel manner to axis x (i) and provide movement of the arm movement group ( 40 ) in axis x (i). the third guide ( 23 ) and the fourth guide ( 24 ) are essentially positioned in an orthogonal manner to each other and they are associated with each other by means of at least one guide bracket ( 25 ). while said guide bracket ( 25 ) is essentially connected in a fixed manner on the third guide ( 23 ), the fourth guide ( 24 ) is associated in a manner making sliding movement on the bracket. at the arm movement groups ( 40 ) in the compression mechanism ( 14 ), there is at least one first plate ( 41 ) and at least one second plate ( 42 ). the movement of the arm movement groups ( 40 ) both in axis x (i) and axis y (ii) is provided by means of the two-pieced structure thereof. said first plate ( 41 ) is essentially positioned on the first guide ( 21 ) and can move in the direction of axis y (ii) at least partially. in a possible embodiment of the present invention, the first plate ( 41 ) is connected to two first guides ( 21 ) that are parallel to each other. in other words, two each separate first guides ( 21 ) are provided for the first resting arm group ( 31 ) and the second resting arm group ( 32 ). said second plate ( 42 ) can move essentially in axis x (i) on the first plate ( 41 ). in order to realize this movement, said second guide ( 22 ) is positioned between the first body ( 20 ) and the second body ( 20 ). moreover, the second guide ( 22 ) is connected to said third guide ( 23 ) from one side and can move in axis x (i) from one side and can move in axis y (ii) from the other side. the resting arms ( 30 ) provided in the same resting arm groups can be approached to each other and moved away from each other at the same distance on the third guide ( 23 ). the first resting arm group ( 31 ) and the second resting arm group ( 32 ) can be approached to each other and moved away from each other by means of sliding of the third guides ( 23 ) on said fourth guide ( 24 ). in fig. 3 , a representative perspective view of the subject matter carrying mechanism ( 10 ) is given. accordingly, at least one first drive element ( 50 ) and at least one second drive element ( 52 ) are positioned in the carrying mechanism ( 10 ). said first drive element ( 50 ) is configured to provide movement of the resting arms ( 30 ) in axis y (ii). said second drive element ( 52 ) provides movement of the resting arms ( 30 ) in axis x (i). in order for the first drive element ( 50 ) to move the resting arms ( 30 ), at least one first movement transmission element ( 51 ) is positioned on the body ( 20 ). said first movement transmission element ( 51 ) is essentially a toothed rack, a screwed shaft or a belt and is essentially provided in “u” form on the body ( 20 ). the first movement transmission element ( 51 ) provides wrapping and movement by means of at least one roller ( 12 ) positioned on the body ( 20 ) with the first resting arm group ( 31 ) and the second resting arm group ( 32 ) because of the form of the first movement transmission element ( 51 ). pluralities of rollers ( 12 ) can be provided on the body ( 20 ) and can be essentially rotated around the own axis thereof. the first movement transmission element ( 51 ) is connected to the first plates ( 41 ) of the resting arms ( 30 ) by means of gears (not shown in the figures). thanks to this, the resting arms ( 30 ), provided on the same arm group, can be moved towards each other. in order to provide movement of the resting arms ( 30 ) by the second drive element ( 52 ), at least one second movement transmission element ( 53 ) is positioned on the body ( 20 ). said second movement transmission element ( 53 ) can essentially be a toothed rack, a screwed shaft or a belt like the first movement transmission element ( 51 ). the second movement transmission element ( 53 ) is essentially positioned in the direction of axis x (i) on the body ( 20 ) and provides movement of the third guide ( 23 ) on the fourth guide ( 24 ). in fig. 4 , a representative perspective view of the subject matter carrying mechanism ( 10 ) and of at least one pushing group ( 60 ) positioned thereon is given. accordingly, said pushing group ( 60 ) is configured to provide pushing of the flexion item, held by the holder ( 11 ) and narrowed through the lateral sides by means of the compression mechanism ( 14 ), into the sponge pool. in order to realize this, the pushing group ( 60 ) has at least one pushing profile ( 61 ) on the body ( 20 ). said pushing profile ( 61 ) is positioned around the holder ( 11 ) and can move in an axis z (iii) at least partially. the movement of the pushing profile ( 61 ) is provided by means of at least one third drive element ( 62 ). thanks to this, the flexion item is separated from the holder ( 11 ) and can be placed without needing loosening of the compression mechanism ( 14 ). in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the pushing profile ( 61 ) is motionless, and the holder ( 11 ) can be moved in axis z (iii). in this case, the flexion item can be rested to the pushing profile ( 61 ) and can be separated from the holder ( 11 ). in another alternative embodiment of the present invention, the holder ( 11 ) is a cylinder with pneumatic magnetic characteristics. in this case, the holder ( 11 ) can both hold and push the flexion item on the body ( 20 ) without needing the pushing group ( 60 ). in a possible usage of the present invention, the carrying mechanism ( 10 ) positioned on the actuation system is positioned at the upper vicinity of the flexion item and holds the flexion item by means of the holder ( 11 ). force is exerted to the lateral sides of the held flexion item by means of the compression mechanism ( 14 ) and the flexion item is compressed towards the middle thereof. afterwards, the flexion item is placed between the sponges prepared for mattress production and the pushing group ( 60 ) separates the flexion item from the holder ( 11 ). during these processes, the resting arms ( 30 ) are actuated by means of arm movement groups ( 40 ) and by means of the elements which move the arm movement groups ( 40 ). by means of all these embodiments, the joining faults are prevented, which occur in the process of joining of the lateral sponges to the lower sponge and to the upper sponge depending on the volume of the flexion items in mattress production. the labor, time and cost losses needed for elimination of these faults are prevented. the protection scope of the present invention is set forth in the annexed claims and cannot be restricted to the illustrative disclosures given above, under the detailed description. it is because a person skilled in the relevant art can obviously produce similar embodiments under the light of the foregoing disclosures, without departing from the main principles of the present invention.
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025-653-226-242-666
|
EP
|
[
"BR",
"CN",
"WO",
"EP"
] |
C11D3/20,C11D3/386,C11D3/16,C11D3/32,C11D3/60
| 2019-10-18T00:00:00 |
2019
|
[
"C11"
] |
storage-stable hydrolase-containing liquids
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a homogeneous, storage-stable liquid enzyme formulation comprising component (a): at least one enzyme selected from the group consisting of hydrolases (ec3); and component (b): an enzyme stabilization system comprising (bi) at least one compound of general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl wherein the alkyl group may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, and r2 is selected from h, c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl wherein the alkyl group may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups; r2, r3, r4 are independently selected from the group consisting of h, linear c1-c5 alkyl, branched c3-c10 alkyl, c6-c10-aryl unsubstituted or substituted by one or more carboxylic acid esters or hydroxyl groups, and c6-c10-aryl-alkyl wherein the alkyl group of the latter is selected from linear c1-c8 alkyl or branched c3-c8 alkyl wherein at least one of r2, r3 and r4 is not h; and (bii) at least one compound selected from the group consisting of boron-containing compounds and peptide stabilizers, and component (c): at least one diol, and optionally component (d): at least one compound selected from the group consisting of (di) solvents and (dii) compounds stabilizing the enzyme preparation itself.
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1. a homogenous, storage-stable liquid enzyme preparation, comprising component (a): at least one enzyme selected from the group of hydrolases (ec 3); and component (b): an enzyme-stabilizing system comprising (bi) at least one compound according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear cr c 5 alkyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -cio-aryl, non- substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hy droxyl groups, and c 6 -cio-aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h; and (bii) at least one compound selected from boron containing compound and peptide stabilizer, and component (c): at least one diol having terminal -oh groups containing 4 to 8 c-atoms. 2. enzyme preparation according to claim 1 , wherein r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from linear c 2 -c alkyl. 3. enzyme preparation according to claims 1 and 2, additionally comprising component (d): 10-30% by weight of at least one compound selected from organic sol vents, wherein % by weight is relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. 4. enzyme preparation according to claims 1 to 3, wherein at least one diol in component (c) is comprised in amounts in the range of 10% to 30% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. 5. enzyme preparation according to claims 1 to 4, wherein component (c) comprises at least one second diol selected from diols having vicinally positioned -oh groups containing 4 to 10 c-atoms, preferably in amounts of 2% to 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. 6. enzyme preparation according to claim 1 to 5, wherein component (c) comprises a mix ture of diols having vicinally positioned -oh groups containing 4 to 10 c-atoms and diols is selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms in a mixing ratio of 1 :10. 7. enzyme preparation according to claim 1 to 6, wherein component (bii) comprises at least one peptide stabilizer selected from compounds according to formula (db), wherein r 1 and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co and nh-chr 2 -co each is an l or d-amino acid residue selected from ala, cys, gly, pro, ser, thr, val, nva or nle, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue selected from tyr, m-tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, phe, val, ala, met, nva, leu, lie or nle, and the n-terminal protection group z is selected from benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), p-me- thoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), benzoyl (bz), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb), p- methoxyphenyl (pmp), formyl, acetyl (ac), methyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, methoxycarbonyl, fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (fmoc), or tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc). 8. a liquid detergent formulation comprising at least component (a): at least one enzyme selected from the group of hydrolases (ec 3); and component (b): an enzyme-stabilizing system comprising (bi) at least one compound according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear cr c 5 alkyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -cio-aryl, non- substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hy droxyl groups, and c 6 -cio-aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h; and (bii) at least one compound selected from boron containing compound and peptide stabilizer, component (c): at least one diol having terminal -oh groups containing 4 to 8 c-atoms and at least one detergent component. 9. the detergent formulation according to claim 8, wherein the detergent formulation com prises at least one complexing agent selected from citrates, silicates, carbonates, phos- phonates, and aminocarboxylates. 10. the detergent formulation according to claims 8 to 9, wherein the detergent formulation comprises one or more complexing agents in a total amount of complexing agents in the range from about 15% to 30% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formu lation. 11. the detergent formulation according to claims 8 to 10, wherein the detergent formulation comprises at least one surfactant, preferably selected from non-ionic surfactant, more preferably selected from low-sudsing surfactants. 12. the detergent formulation according to claims 8 to 11, wherein the detergent formulation is free from bleaches. 13. use of at least one diol having terminal -oh groups containing 4 to 8 c-atoms to provide homogenous and storage-stable enzyme preparations comprising at least component (a): at least one enzyme selected from the group of hydrolases (ec 3); and component (b): an enzyme-stabilizing system comprising (bi) at least one compound according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear cr c 5 alkyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -cio-aryl, non- substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hy droxyl groups, and c 6 -cio-aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h; and (bii) at least one compound selected from boron containing compound and peptide stabilizer. 14. use of at least one diol selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms to improve enzyme stability of at least one hydrolase and/or enzyme preparation stability in the presence of a compound according to according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear c1-c5 alkyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -cio-aryl, non-substituted or substituted with one or more car- boxylate or hydroxyl groups, and c 6 -ci 0 -aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h. 15. use according to claim 14, wherein the hydrolase-stability is improved in the presence of a compound according to formula (a) and an enzyme stabilizer selected from boron- containing compounds and peptide stabilizers.
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storage-stable hydrolase containing liquids description enzymes are usually produced commercially as a liquid concentrate, frequently derived from a fermentation broth. the enzyme tends to lose enzymatic activity if it is stored in an aqueous environment. hence it is conventional practice to convert it to an anhydrous form: aqueous con centrates may be lyophilized or spray-dried e.g. in the presence of a carrier material to form aggregates. however, usually solid enzyme products need to be “dissolved” prior to use. enzyme inhibitors are usually employed to stabilize enzymes in liquid products. to inhibit en zyme activity temporarily, reversible enzyme inhibitors may be used, which are released in final application of an enzyme but are kept bound to the enzyme under storage conditions. as there is a continuous request for liquid enzyme containing products, a need arises for provid ing compositions or formulations allowing storage of such liquids without losing to much of the activity of a certain enzyme. specifically, there is a need to provide liquid enzyme preparations comprising at least one hydrolase, preferably a hydrolase effective in washing and/or cleaning processes, and components to improve stability of one or more enzymes comprised and the liquid product itself. the liquid product itself may need to be prevented from microbial contami nation or in changes of its physical appearance. enzyme preparations usually comprise relatively high amounts of hydrolase which need to be stabilized by relatively high amounts of enzyme stabilizers. different solubilization characteris tics of the components may result in non-homogeneous liquids. non-homogeneous liquids often do not provide the optimal product performance and are therefore preferably to be avoided. the objective of the current invention was to provide a homogenous, storage-stable enzyme preparation comprising at least one hydrolase and an enzyme stabilizer system, which may be flexibly formulated into a final product such as a detergent formulation. the current invention provides a homogenous, storage-stable liquid enzyme preparation, com prising component (a): at least one enzyme selected from the group of hydrolases (ec 3); and component (b): an enzyme-stabilizing system comprising (bi) at least one compound according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear cr c 5 alkyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -ci 0 -aryl, non- substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hy droxyl groups, and c 6 -ci 0 -aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h; and (bii) at least one compound selected from boron containing compound and peptide stabilizer, and component (c): at least one diol, and optionally component (d): at least one compound selected from (i) solvents, and (ii) compounds stabiliz ing the liquid enzyme preparation as such. enzyme names are known to those skilled in the art based on the recommendations of the no menclature committee of the international union of biochemistry and molecular biology (iubmb). enzyme names include: an ec (enzyme commission) number, recommended name, alternative names (if any), catalytic activity, and other factors.; see http://www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/ec3/ in the version last updated on 4th october, 2019. the enzyme preparations of the invention are liquid at 20°c and 101.3 kpa. liquids include so lutions, emulsions and dispersions, gels etc. as long as the liquid is fluid and pourable. in one embodiment of the present invention, liquid detergent formulations according to the present in vention have a dynamic viscosity in the range of about 500 to about 20,000 mpa*s, determined at 25°c according to brookfield, for example spindle 3 at 20 rpm with a brookfield viscosimeter l vt -ii. the enzyme preparations of the invention are homogenous at a temperature of about 8°c, about 20°c or about 37°c, and normal pressure of about 101.3 kpa. homogenous means that the enzyme preparation does not show visible precipitate formation or turbidity. visible precipi tate herein preferably means any kind of visible particles. the enzyme preparations of the invention are storage-stable at a temperature of about 8°c, about 20°c or about 37°c for up to 6 weeks. storage-stable in this context means that the liquid enzyme preparation does not show visible precipitate formation or turbidity after storage of the liquid enzyme preparation, preferably after up to 6 or 8 weeks of storage at 8°c or 37°c. prefer ably, the liquid enzyme preparation is storage-stable at storage between 8°c and 37°c for up to 6 months. the enzyme preparations of the invention are preferably formulated into detergent formulations to provide storage-stable enzyme containing detergent formulations. storage- stable in this context means that at least one enzyme comprised in the enzyme containing de tergent formulation shows reduced loss of enzyme activity after storage at 37°c for up to 42 days when compared to a control detergent formulation. the control detergent formulation com prises at least one enzyme, at least one peptide stabilizer but lacks (i) a compound according to formula (a) as disclosed being part of the enzyme stabilizing system disclosed as component (b) herein and (ii) component (c). “formulated into” preferably means that the enzyme preparations are combined with one or more detergent components in one or more steps in any order. component (a) at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) is selected from hydrolases (ec 3), hereinaf ter also referred to as enzyme (component (a)). preferred enzymes are selected from the group of enzymes acting on ester bond (e.c. 3.1), glycosylases (e.c. 3.2), and peptidases (e.c. 3.4). enzymes acting on ester bond (e.c. 3.1), are hereinafter also referred to as lipases, and dnases. glycosylases (e.c. 3.2) are hereinafter also referred to as either amylases, cellulases, or mannanases. peptidases (e.c. 3.4) are hereinafter also referred to as proteases. hydrolases comprised in component (a) are identified by polypeptide sequences (also called amino acid sequences herein). the polypeptide sequence specifies the three-dimensional struc ture including the “active site” of an enzyme which in turn determines the catalytic activity of the same. polypeptide sequences may be identified by a seq id no. according to the world intel lectual property office (wipo) standard st.25 (1998) the amino acids herein are represented using three-letter code with the first letter as a capital or the corresponding one letter. any enzyme comprised in component (a) according to the invention relates to parent enzymes and/or variant enzymes, both having enzymatic activity. enzymes having enzymatic activity are enzymatically active or exert enzymatic conversion, meaning that enzymes act on substrates and convert these into products. the term “enzyme” herein excludes inactive variants of an en zyme. a “parent” sequence (of a parent protein or enzyme, also called “parent enzyme”) is the starting sequence for introduction of changes (e.g. by introducing one or more amino acid substitutions, insertions, deletions, or a combination thereof) to the sequence, resulting in “variants” of the parent sequences. the term parent enzyme (or parent sequence) includes wild-type enzymes (sequences) and synthetically generated sequences (enzymes) which are used as starting se quences for introduction of (further) changes. the term “enzyme variant” or “sequence variant” or “variant enzyme” refers to an enzyme that differs from its parent enzyme in its amino acid sequence to a certain extent. if not indicated otherwise, variant enzyme “having enzymatic activity" means that this variant enzyme has the same type of enzymatic activity as the respective parent enzyme. in describing the variants of the present invention, the nomenclature described as follows is used: amino acid substitutions are described by providing the original amino acid of the parent en zyme followed by the number of the position within the amino acid sequence, followed by the substituted amino acid. amino acid deletions are described by providing the original amino acid of the parent enzyme followed by the number of the position within the amino acid sequence, followed by *. amino acid insertions are described by providing the original amino acid of the parent enzyme followed by the number of the position within the amino add sequence, followed by the original amino acid and the additional amino acid. for example, an insertion at position 180 of lysine next to glycine is designated as “gly180glyl_ys” or “g180gk”. in cases where a substitution and an insertion occur at the same position, this may be indicated as s99sd+s99a or in short s99ad. in cases where an amino acid residue identical to the existing amino acid residue is inserted, it is clear that degeneracy in the nomenclature arises. if for example a glycine is in serted after the glycine in the above example this would be indicated by g180gg. where differ ent alterations can be introduced at a position, the different alterations are separated by a comma, e.g. “arg170tyr, glu” represents a substitution of arginine at position 170 with tyrosine or glutamic acid. alternatively different alterations or optional substitutions may be indicated in brackets e.g. arg170[tyr, gly] or arg170{tyr, gly}; or in short r170 [y,g] or r170 {y, g}; or in long r170y, r170g. enzyme variants may be defined by their sequence identity when compared to a parent en zyme. sequence identity usually is provided as “% sequence identity” or “% identity". for calcu lation of sequence identities, in a first step a sequence alignment has to be produced. according to this invention, a pairwise global alignment has to be produced, meaning that two sequences have to be aligned over their complete length, which is usually produced by using a mathemati cal approach, called alignment algorithm. according to the invention, the alignment is generated by using the algorithm of needleman and wunsch (j. mol. biol. (1979) 48, p. 443-453). preferably, the program “needle” (the europe an molecular biology open software suite (emboss)) is used for the purposes of the current invention, with using the programs default parameter (gap open=10.0, gap extend=0.5 and ma- trix=eblosum62). according to this invention, the following calculation of %-identity applies: %-identity = (identical residues / length of the alignment region which is showing the respective sequence of this in vention over its complete length) *100. in one embodiment of this invention, enzyme variants are described as an amino acid sequence which is at least n% identical to the amino acid sequence of the respective parent enzyme with “n” being an integer between 10 and 100. in one embodiment, variant enzymes are at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 81 %, at least 82%, at least 83%, at least 84%, at least 85%, at least 86%, at least 87%, at least 88%, at least 89%, at least 90%, at least 91 %, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, or at least 99% identical when compared to the full-length amino acid sequence of the parent en zyme, wherein the enzyme variant has enzymatic activity. enzyme variants may be defined by their sequence similarity when compared to a parent en zyme. sequence similarity usually is provided as “% sequence similarity” or “%-similarity”. % sequence similarity takes into account that defined sets of amino acids share similar properties, e.g by their size, by their hydrophobicity, by their charge, or by other characteristics. herein, the exchange of one amino acid with a similar amino acid may be called “conservative mutation”. for determination of %-similarity according to this invention the following applies: amino acid a is similar to amino acids s; amino acid d is similar to amino acids e and n; amino acid e is simi lar to amino acids d and k and q; amino acid f is similar to amino acids w and y; amino acid h is similar to amino acids n and y; amino acid i is similar to amino acids l and m and v; amino acid k is similar to amino acids e and q and r; amino acid l is similar to amino acids i and m and v; amino acid m is similar to amino acids i and l and v; amino acid n is similar to amino acids d and h and s; amino acid q is similar to amino acids e and k and r; amino acid r is similar to amino acids k and q; amino acid s is similar to amino acids a and n and t; amino acid t is similar to amino acids s; amino acid v is similar to amino acids i and l and m; amino acid w is similar to amino acids f and y; amino acid y is similar to amino acids f and h and w. conservative amino acid substitutions may occur over the full-length of the sequence of a poly peptide sequence of a functional protein such as an enzyme. in one embodiment, such muta tions are not pertaining the functional domains of an enzyme. in one embodiment, conservative mutations are not pertaining the catalytic centers of an enzyme. to take conservative mutations into account, a value for sequence similarity of two amino acid sequences may be calculated from the same alignment, which is used to calculate %-identity. according to this invention, the following calculation of %-similarity applies: %-similarity = [ (identical residues + similar residues) / length of the alignment region which is showing the re spective sequence(s) of this invention over its complete length ] *100. according to this invention, enzyme variants may be described as an amino acid sequence which is at least m% similar to the respective parent sequences with “m” being an integer be tween 10 and 100. in one embodiment, variant enzymes are at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, or at least 99% similar when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of the parent enzyme, wherein the variant enzyme has enzy matic activity. “enzymatic activity” means the catalytic effect exerted by an enzyme, which usually is ex pressed as units per milligram of enzyme (specific activity) which relates to molecules of sub strate transformed per minute per molecule of enzyme (molecular activity). variant enzymes have enzymatic activity according to the present invention when said enzyme variants exhibit at least 20%, at least 25%, at least 30%, at least 35%, at least 40%, at least 45%, at 10 least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 95%, or 100% of the enzymatic activity of the respective parent enzyme. in one aspect of the invention, at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) is part of a liq uid enzyme concentrate. “liquid enzyme concentrate” herein means any liquid enzyme comprising product comprising at least one enzyme. “liquid” in the context of enzyme concen trate is related to the physical appearance at 20°c and 101.3 kpa. the liquid enzyme concentrate may result from dissolution of solid enzyme in solvent. the sol vent may be selected from water and an organic solvent. a liquid enzyme concentrate resulting from dissolution of solid enzyme in solvent may comprise amounts of enzyme up to the satura tion concentration. dissolution herein means, that solid compounds are liquified by contact with at least one solvent. dissolution means complete dissolution of a solid compound until the satu ration concentration is achieved in a specified solvent, wherein no phase-separation occurs. in one aspect of the invention, component (a) of the resulting enzyme concentrate is free of wa ter, meaning that no significant amounts of water are present. non-significant amounts of water herein means, that the enzyme concentrate comprises less than 25%, less than 20%, less than 15%, less than 10%, less than 7%, less than 5%, less than 4%, less than 3%, less than 2% by weight water, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme concentrate, or no water. in one em bodiment, enzyme concentrate free of water means that the enzyme concentrate does not comprise significant amounts of water but does comprise organic solvents in amounts of 30- 80% by weight, relative to the total weight of the enzyme concentrate. in one embodiment, liquid enzyme concentrates comprise water in amounts of at least 25% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme concentrate may be called “aqueous enzyme concentrates”. aqueous enzyme concentrates may be enzyme-comprising solutions, wherein solid enzyme product has been dissolved in water. in one embodiment “aqueous enzyme con centrate” means enzyme-comprising products resulting from enzyme production by fermenta tion. fermentation means the process of cultivating recombinant cells which express the desired enzyme in a suitable nutrient medium allowing the recombinant host cells to grow and express the desired protein. at the end of the fermentation, fermentation broth usually is collected and further processed, wherein the fermentation broth comprises a liquid fraction and a solid frac tion. depending on whether the enzyme has been secreted into the liquid fraction or not, the desired protein or enzyme may be recovered from the liquid fraction of the fermentation broth or from cell lysates. recovery of the desired enzyme uses methods known to those skilled in the art. suitable methods for recovery of proteins or enzymes from fermentation broth include but are not limited to collection, centrifugation, filtration, extraction, and precipitation. liquid enzyme concentrates, usually comprise amounts of enzyme in the range of 0.1% to 40% by weight, or 0.5% to 30% by weight, or 1 % to 25% by weight, or 3% to 25% by weight, or 5% to 25% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme concentrate. in a preferred em bodiment, liquid enzyme concentrates are resulting from fermentation and are aqueous. aqueous enzyme concentrates resulting from fermentation usually comprise water in amounts of more than about 50% by weight, more than about 60% by weight, more than about 70% by weight, or more than about 80% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme concen trate. aqueous enzyme concentrates which result from fermentation, may comprise residual components such as salts originating from the fermentation medium, cell debris originating from the production host cells, metabolites produced by the production host cells during fermentation. in one embodiment, residual components may be comprised in liquid enzyme concentrates in amounts less than 30% by weight, less than 20% by weight less, than 10% by weight, or less than 5% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the aqueous enzyme concentrate. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations of the invention comprise at least one enzyme in amounts of about 0.1-10% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. more preferably, the enzyme preparations comprise at least one enzyme in amounts of about 2- 8%, or about 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation, wherein at least one enzyme is selected from hydrolases, preferably from proteases, amylases, lipases, cellulases, and mannanases. protease in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise at least one protease in amounts rang ing from about 4% to 6.5% by weight, or of about 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation, wherein at least one protease is preferably selected from the group of ser ine endopeptidases (ec 3.4.21), most preferably selected from the group of subtilisin type pro teases (ec 3.4.21.62). serine proteases or serine peptidases are characterized by having a serine in the catalytically active site, which forms a covalent adduct with the substrate during the catalytic reaction. a ser ine protease in the context of the present invention may be selected from the group consisting of chymotrypsin (e.g., ec 3.4.21.1), elastase (e.g., ec 3.4.21.36), elastase (e.g., ec 3.4.21.37 or ec 3.4.21.71), granzyme (e.g., ec 3.4.21.78 or ec 3.4.21.79), kallikrein (e.g., ec 3.4.21.34, ec 3.4.21.35, ec 3.4.21.118, or ec 3.4.21.119,) plasmin (e.g., ec 3.4.21.7), trypsin (e.g., ec 3.4.21.4), thrombin (e.g., ec 3.4.21.5), and subtilisin. subtilisin is also known as subtilopepti- dase, e.g., ec 3.4.21.62, the latter hereinafter also being referred to as “subtilisin''. a sub-group of the serine proteases tentatively designated as subtilases has been proposed by siezen et al. (1991), protein eng. 4:719-737 and siezen et al. (1997), protein science 6:501- 523. subtilases includes the subtilisin family, thermitase family, the proteinase k family, the lan- tibiotic peptidase family, the kexin family and the pyrolysin family. a subgroup of the subtilases are the subtilisins which are serine proteases from the family s8 as defined by the merops database (http://merops.sanger.ac.uk). peptidase family s8 com prises the serine endopeptidase subtilisin and its homologues. the subtilisin related class of serine proteases shares a common amino acid sequence defining a catalytic triad which distinguishes them from the chymotrypsin related class of serine proteas es. subtilisins and chymotrypsin related serine proteases both have a catalytic triad comprising aspartate, histidine and serine. examples include the subtilisins as described in wo 89/06276 and ep 0283075, wo 89/06279, wo 89/09830, wo 89/09819, wo 91/06637 and wo 91/02792. proteases are active proteins exerting “protease activity” or “proteolytic activity”. proteolytic activity is related to the rate of degradation of protein by a protease or proteolytic enzyme in a de fined course of time. the methods for analyzing proteolytic activity are well-known in the literature (see e.g. gupta et al. (2002), appl. microbiol. biotechnol. 60: 381-395). proteolytic activity may be determined by using succinyl-ala-ala-pro-phe-p-nitroanilide (suc-aapf-pna, short aapf; see e.g. delmar et al. (1979), analytical biochem 99, 316-320) as substrate. pna is cleaved from the substrate molecule by proteolytic cleavage, resulting in release of yellow color of free pna which can be quantified by measuring od405. proteolytic activity may be provided in units per gram enzyme. for example, 1 u protease may correspond to the amount of protease which sets free 1 pmol folin-positive amino acids and peptides (as tyrosine) per minute at ph 8.0 and 37°c (casein as substrate). proteases of the subtilisin type (ec 3.4.21.62) may be bacterial proteases originating from a microorganism selected from bacillus, clostridium, enterococcus, geobacillus, lactobacillus, lactococcus, oceanobacillus, staphylococcus, streptococcus, or streptomyces protease, or a gram-negative bacterial polypeptide such as a campylobacter, e. coli, flavobacterium, fuso- bacterium, helicobacter, llyobacter, neisseria, pseudomonas, salmonella, and ureaplasma. in one aspect of the invention, at least one protease is selected from bacillus alcalophilus, ba cillus amyloliquefaciens, bacillus brevis, bacillus circulans, bacillus clausii, bacillus coagulans, bacillus firmus, bacillus gibsonii, bacillus lautus, bacillus lentus, bacillus licheniformis, bacillus megaterium, bacillus pumilus, bacillus sphaericus, bacillus stearothermophilus, bacillus subtilis, or bacillus thuringiensis protease. in one embodiment of the present invention, component (a) comprises at least one protease selected from the following: subtilisin from bacillus amyloliquefaciens bpn' (described by vasantha et al. (1984) j. bacteriol. volume 159, p. 811-819 and ja wells et al. (1983) in nucle ic acids research, volume 11 , p. 7911-7925); subtilisin from bacillus licheniformis (subtilisin carlsberg; disclosed in el smith et al. (1968) in j. biol chem, volume 243, pp. 2184-2191 , and jacobs et al. (1985) in nucl. acids res, vol 13, p. 8913-8926); subtilisin pb92 (original se- quence of the alkaline protease pb92 is described in ep 283075 a2); subtilisin 147 and/or 309 (esperase®, savinase®, respectively) as disclosed in wo 89/06279; subtilisin from bacillus lentus as disclosed in wo 91/02792, such as from bacillus lentus dsm 5483 or the variants of bacillus lentus dsm 5483 as described in wo 95/23221 ; subtilisin from bacillus alcalophilus (dsm 11233) disclosed in de 10064983; subtilisin from bacillus gibsonii (dsm 14391) as dis closed in wo 2003/054184; subtilisin from bacillus sp. (dsm 14390) disclosed in wo 2003/056017; subtilisin from bacillus sp. (dsm 14392) disclosed in wo 2003/055974; sub tilisin from bacillus gibsonii (dsm 14393) disclosed in wo 2003/054184; subtilisin having seq id no: 4 as described in wo 2005/063974; subtilisin having seq id no: 4 as described in wo 2005/103244; subtilisin having seq id no: 7 as described in wo 2005/103244; and subtilisin having seq id no: 2 as described in application de 102005028295.4. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least subtilisin 309 (which might be called savinase herein) as disclosed as sequence a) in table i of wo 89/06279 or a variant thereof which is at least 80% similar and/or identical thereto and has proteolytic activity. examples of useful proteases in accordance with the present invention comprise the variants described in: wo 92/19729, wo 95/23221 , wo 96/34946, wo 98/20115, wo 98/20116, wo 99/11768, wo 01/44452, wo 02/088340, wo 03/006602, wo 2004/03186, wo 2004/041979, wo 2007/006305, wo 2011/036263, wo 2011/036264, and wo 2011/072099. suitable exam ples comprise especially variants of subtilisin protease derived from seq id no:22 as de scribed in ep 1921147 (which is the sequence of mature alkaline protease from bacillus lentus dsm 5483) with amino acid substitutions in one or more of the following positions: 3, 4, 9, 15, 24, 27, 33, 36, 57, 68, 76, 77, 87, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 106, 118, 120, 123, 128, 129, 130, 131 , 154, 160, 167, 170, 194, 195, 199, 205, 206, 217, 218, 222, 224, 232, 235, 236, 245, 248, 252 and 274 (according to the bpn' numbering), which have proteolytic activity. in one embodiment, such a protease is not mutated at positions asp32, his64 and ser221 (according to bpn’ numbering). in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one protease variant having proteolytic activity which are at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of the parent enzyme as disclosed above. in one embodiment, at least one protease comprised in component (a) has seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147, or a protease which is at least 80% similar and/or identical thereto and has proteolytic activity. a protease having seq id no:22 as described in ep1921147 means a protease having an amino acid sequence according to seq id no:22 as disclosed in ep 1921147. in one embodiment, said protease is characterized by having amino acid glutamic acid (e), or aspartic acid (d), or asparagine (n), or glutamine (q), or alanine (a), or glycine (g), or serine (s) at position 101 (according to bpn’ numbering) and has proteolytic activity. in one embodiment, said protease comprises one or more further substitutions: (a) threonine at posi tion 3 (3t), (b) isoleucine at position 4 (4i), (c) alanine, threonine or arginine at position 63 (63a, 63t, or 63r), (d) aspartic acid or glutamic acid at position 156 (156d or 156e), (e) proline at position 194 (194p), (f) methionine at position 199 (199m), (g) isoleucine at position 205 (205i), (h) aspartic acid, glutamic acid or glycine at position 217 (217d, 217e or 217g), (i) combina tions of two or more amino acids according to (a) to (h). at least one protease may be at least 80% similar and/or identical to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 and is characterized by comprising one amino acid (according to (a)-(h)) or combinations according to (i) together with the amino acid 101 e, 101 d, 101 n, 101q, 101a, 101g, or 101 s (according to bpn’ numbering) and having proteolytic activity. in one embodiment, said protease is characterized by comprising the mutation (according to bpn’ numbering) r101 e, or s3t + v4i + v205i, or r101e and s3t, v4i, and v205i, or s3t + v4i + v199m + v205i + l217d, and having proteo lytic activity. in one embodiment, the protease having an amino acid sequence according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 is characterized by comprising the mutation (according to bpn’ numbering) s3t + v4i + s9r + a15t + v68a + d99s + r101s + a103s + 1104v + n218d, and having proteolytic activity. in one embodiment of the present invention, component (a) comprises a combination of at least two proteases, preferably selected from the group of serine endopeptidases (ec 3.4.21), more preferably selected from the group of subtilisin type proteases (ec 3.4.21.62) - all as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one protease selected from proteases according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, as disclosed above. at least one protease variant thereof preferably is a protease 80% similar and/or identical to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 having r101 e. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one protease selected from subtilisin 309 as disclosed in table i a) of wo 89/06279 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, as dis closed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one protease as disclosed above, pref erably selected from proteases according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, preferably a protease 80% similar and/or identical to seq id no:22 as de scribed in ep 1921147 having r101e and subtilisin 309 as disclosed in table i a) of wo 89/06279 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity and at least one further enzyme preferably selected from amylase, lipase, cellulase, man- nanase, and dnase - all es disclosed herein. amylase at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from the group of amylases. “amylases” according to the invention (alpha and/or beta) include those of bacteri al or fungal origin (ec 3.2.1.1 and 3.2.1.2, respectively). preferably, component (a) comprises at least one alpha-amylase (ec 3.2.1.1). chemically modified or protein engineered mutants are included. amylases comprised in component (a) according to the invention have “amylolytic activity” or “amylase activity” involving (endo)hydrolysis of glucosidic linkages in polysaccharides alpha- amylase activity may be determined by assays for measurement of alpha-amylase activity which are known to those skilled in the art. examples for assays measuring alpha-amylase activity are: • alpha-amylase activity can be determined by a method employing phadebas tablets as substrate (phadebas amylase test, supplied by magle life science). starch is hydrolyzed by the alpha-amylase giving soluble blue fragments. the absorbance of the resulting blue solution, measured spectrophotometrically at 620 nm, is a function of the alpha-amylase activity. the measured absorbance is directly proportional to the specific activity (activi ty/mg of pure alpha-amylase protein) of the alpha-amylase in question under the given set of conditions • alpha-amylase activity can also be determined by a method employing the ethyliden-4- nitro-phenyl-alpha-d-maltoheptaosid (eps). d-maltoheptaoside is a blocked oligosaccha ride which can be cleaved by an endo-amylase. following the cleavage, the alpha- glucosidase included in the kit to digest the substrate to liberate a free pnp molecule which has a yellow color and thus can be measured by visible spectrophotometry at 405nm. kits containing eps substrate and alpha-glucosidase is manufactured by roche costum biotech (cat. no. 10880078103). the slope of the time dependent absorption- curve is directly proportional to the specific activity (activity per mg enzyme) of the alpha- amylase in question under the given set of conditions. amylolytic activity may be provided in units per gram enzyme. for example, 1 unit alpha- amylase may liberate 1.0 mg of maltose from starch in 3 min at ph 6.9 at 20°c. at least one amylase comprised in component (a) may be selected from the following: • amylases from bacillus licheniformis having seq id no:2 as described in wo 95/10603. suitable variants are described in wo 95/10603 comprising one or more substitutions in the following positions: 15, 23, 105, 106, 124, 128, 133, 154, 156, 178, 179, 181, 188, 190, 197, 201, 202, 207, 208, 209, 211, 243, 264, 304, 305, 391, 408, and 444 which have amylolytic activity. variants are described in wo 94/02597, wo 94/018314, wo 97/043424 and seq id no:4 of wo 99/019467; • amylases from b. stearothermophilus having seq id no:6 as disclosed in wo 02/10355 or an amylase with optionally having a c-terminal truncation over the wildtype sequence. suitable variants of seq id no:6 include those comprising a deletion in positions 181 and/or 182 and/or a substitution in position 193; • amylases from bacillus sp.707 having seq id no:6 as disclosed in wo 99/19467. pre ferred variants of seq no: 6 are those having a substitution, a deletion or an insertion in one or more of the following positions: r181, g182, h183, g184, n195, i206, e212, e216 and k269; • amylases from bacillus halmapalus having seq id no:2 or seq id no:7 as described in wo 96/23872, also described herein as sp-722. preferred variants are described in wo 97/3296, wo 99/194671 and wo 2013/001078; • amylases from bacillus sp. dsm 12649 having seq id no:4 as disclosed in wo 00/22103; • amylases from bacillus strain ts-23 having seq id no:2 as disclosed in wo 2009/061380; • amylases from cytophaga sp. having seq id no:1 as disclosed in wo 2013/184577; • amylases from bacillus megaterium dsm 90 having seq id no:1 as disclosed in wo 2010/104675; • amylases from bacillus sp. comprising amino acids 1 to 485 of seq id no:2 as described in wo 00/60060; • amylases from bacillus amyloliquefaciens or variants thereof, preferably selected from amylases according to seq id no: 3 as described in wo 2016/092009; • amylases having seq id no: 12 as described in wo 2006/002643 or amylase variants comprising the substitutions y295f and m202litv within said seq id no:12; • amylases having seq id no:6 as described in wo 2011/098531 or amylase variants comprising a substitution at one or more positions selected from the group consisting of 193 [g,a,s,t or m], 195 [f,w,y,l,i or v], 197 [f,w,y,l,i or v], 198 [q or n], 200 [f,w,y,l,i or v], 203 [f,w,y,l,i or v], 206 [f,w,y,n,l,i,v,h,q,d or e], 210 [f,w,y,l,i or v], 212 [f,w,y,l,i or v], 213 [g,a,s,t or m] and 243 [f,w,y,l,i or v] within said seq id no:6; amylases having seq id no:1 as described in wo 2013/001078 or amylase variants comprising an alteration at two or more (several) positions corresponding to positions g304, w140, w189, d134, e260, f262, w284, w347, w439, w469, g476, and g477 within said seq id no:1; • amylases having seq id no:2 as described in wo 2013/001087 or amylase variants comprising a deletion of positions 181 + 182, or 182+183, or 183+184, within said seq id no:2, optionally comprising one or two or more modifications in any of positions corre- sponding to w140, w159, w167, q169, w189, e194, n260, f262, w284, f289, g304, g305, r320, w347, w439, w469, g476 and g477 within said seq id no:2; • amylases which are hybrid alpha-amylases from above mentioned amylases as for exam ple as described in wo 2006/066594; • hybrid amylases according to wo 2014/183920 with a and b domains having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no:2 of wo 2014/183920 and a c domain having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no:6 of wo 2014/183920, wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% similar and/or identical to seq id no: 23 of wo 2014/183920 and having amylolytic activ ity; • hybrid amylase according to wo 2014/183921 with a and b domains having at least 75% similarity and/or identity to seq id no: 2, seq id no: 15, seq id no: 20, seq id no: 23, seq id no: 29, seq id no: 26, seq id no: 32, and seq id no: 39 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and a c domain having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no: 6 of wo 2014/183921 , wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; prefera bly, the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% similar and/or identical to seq id no: 30 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and having amylolytic activity. suitable amylases comprised in component (a) include amylase variants of the amylases dis closed herein having amylase activity which are at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of the parent enzyme as disclosed above. in one embodiment of the present invention, component (a) may comprise a combination of at least two amylases as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises a combination of at least one amylase, preferably selected from • amylase from bacillus sp.707 or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably se lected from amylases having seq id no:6 as disclosed in wo 99/19467 and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase selected from those comprising amino acids 1 to 485 of seq id no:2 as de scribed in wo 00/60060 those having seq id no: 12 as described in wo 2006/002643, and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus halmapalus or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases having seq id no: 1 and 2 as disclosed in wo 2013/001078; having seq id no:6 as described in wo 2011/098531; and variants thereof having amy lolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus amyloliquefaciens or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases according to seq id no: 3 of wo 2016/092009; • hybrid amylases according to wo 2014/183920 with a and b domains having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no:2 of wo 2014/183920 and a c domain having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no:6 of wo 2014/183920, wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% similar and/or identical to seq id no: 23 of wo 2014/183920 and having amylolytic activ ity; • hybrid amylase according to wo 2014/183921 with a and b domains having at least 75% similarity and/or identity to seq id no: 2, seq id no: 15, seq id no: 20, seq id no: 23, seq id no: 29, seq id no: 26, seq id no: 32, and seq id no: 39 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and a c domain having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no: 6 of wo 2014/183921 , wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; prefera bly, the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% similar and/or identical to seq id no: 30 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and having amylolytic activity. and at least one further enzyme preferably selected from proteases, lipases, cellulases, man- nanases, and dnases - all as disclosed herein. preferably, one further enzyme is selected from subtilisin proteases (ec 3.4.21.62). more preferably, said subtilisin protease is selected from • proteases according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, preferably a protease 80% identical to seq id no:22 as de scribed in ep 1921147 having r101 e, and • subtilisin 309 as disclosed in table i a) of wo 89/06279 or variants thereof having proteo lytic activity. lipase at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from the group of lipases. “lipases”, “lipolytic enzyme”, “lipid esterase”, all refer to an enzyme of ec class 3.1.1 (“carboxylic ester hydrolase”). lipase means active protein having lipase activity (or lipolytic activity; triacylglycerol lipase, ec 3.1.1.3), cutinase activity (ec 3.1.1.74; enzymes having cu- tinase activity may be called cutinase herein), sterol esterase activity (ec 3.1.1.13) and/or wax- ester hydrolase activity (ec 3.1.1.50). the methods for determining lipolytic activity are well-known in the literature (see e.g. gupta et al. (2003), biotechnol. appl. biochem. 37, p. 63-71). e.g. the lipase activity may be measured by ester bond hydrolysis in the substrate para-nitrophenyl palmitate (pnp-palmitate, c:16) and releases pnp which is yellow and can be detected at 405 nm. “lipolytic activity” means the catalytic effect exerted by a lipase, which may be provided in lipo lytic units (lu). for example, 1lu may correspond to the amount of lipase which produces 1 pmol of titratable fatty acid per minute in a ph stat. under the following conditions: temperature 30°c.; ph=9.0; substrate may be an emulsion of 3.3 wt.% of olive oil and 3.3% gum arabic, in the presence of 13 mmol/l ca 2+ and 20 mmol/l naci in 5 mmol/l tris-buffer. lipases preferably comprised in component (a) include those of bacterial or fungal origin. in one aspect of the invention, a suitable lipase (component (a)) is selected from the following: lipases from humicola (synonym thermomyces), e.g. from h. lanuginosa (t. lanuginosus) as described in ep 258068, ep 305216, wo 92/05249 and wo 2009/109500 or from h. insolens as de scribed in wo 96/13580; lipases derived from rhizomucor miehei as described in wo 92/05249; lipase from strains of pseudomonas (some of these now renamed to burkholderia), e.g. from p. alcaligenes or p. pseudoalcaligenes (ep 218272, wo 94/25578, wo 95/30744, wo 95/35381, wo 96/00292), p. cepacia (ep 331376), p. stutzeri (gb 1372034), p. fluo- rescens, pseudomonas sp. strain sd705 (wo 95/06720 and wo 96/27002), p. wisconsinensis (wo 96/12012), pseudomonas mendocina (wo 95/14783), p. glumae (wo 95/35381, wo 96/00292); lipase from streptomyces griseus (wo 2011/150157) and s. pristinaespiralis (wo 2012/137147), gdsl-type streptomyces lipases (wo 2010/065455); lipase from thermobifida fusca as disclosed in wo 2011/084412; lipase from geobacillus stearothermophilus as dis closed in wo 2011/084417; bacillus lipases, e.g. as disclosed in wo 00/60063, lipases from b. subtilis as disclosed in dartois et al. (1992), biochemica et biophysica acta, 1131 , 253-360 or wo 2011/084599, b. stearothermophilus (jp s64-074992) or b. pumilus (wo 91/16422); lipase from candida antarctica as disclosed in wo 94/01541; cutinase from pseudomonas mendocina (us 5389536, wo 88/09367); cutinase from magnaporthe grisea (wo 2010/107560); cutinase from fusarum solani pisi as disclosed in wo 90/09446, wo 00/34450 and wo 01/92502; and cutinase from humicola lanuginosa as disclosed in wo 00/34450 and wo 01/92502. suitable lipases also include those referred to as acyltransferases or perhydrolases, e.g. acyl- transferases with homology to candida antarctica lipase a (wo 2010/111143), acyltransferase from mycobacterium smegmatis (wo 2005/056782), perhydrolases from the ce7 family (wo 2009/67279), and variants of the m. smegmatis perhydrolase in particular the s54v variant (wo 2010/100028). component (a) in one embodiment comprises at least one lipase variant of the above described lipases which have lipolytic activity. such suitable lipase variants are e.g. those which are de veloped by methods as disclosed in wo 95/22615, wo 97/04079, wo 97/07202, wo 00/60063, wo 2007/087508, ep 407225 and ep 260105. component (a) in one embodiment comprise at least one lipase variant having lipolytic activity which are at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of the parent enzyme as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one lipase selected from fungal triacyl- glycerol lipase (ec class 3.1.1.3). fungal triacylglycerol lipase may be selected from thermo- myces lanuginosus lipase. in one embodiment, thermomyces lanuginosus lipase is selected from triacylglycerol lipase according to amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438 and variants thereof having lipolytic activity. triacylglycerol lipase according to amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438 means a lipase having an amino acid sequence according to ami no acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 as disclosed in us 5869438 and may be called lipolase herein. thermomyces lanuginosus lipase in one embodiment is selected from variants having lipolytic activity which are at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438. thermomyces lanuginosus lipase may be selected from variants having lipolytic activity com prising conservative mutations only, which do however not pertain the functional domain of ami no acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438. thermomyces lanuginosus lipase variant pref- erably is at least 80% similar and/or identical to seq id no:2 of us 5869438 characterized by having amino acid t231 r and n233r. said thermomyces lanuginosus lipase may further com prise one or more of the following amino acid exchanges: q4v, v60s, a150g, l227g, p256k. according to the present invention, component (a) in one embodiment comprises a combination of at least two lipases, preferably selected from triacylglycerol lipase according to amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438 and variants thereof having lipolytic activity as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one lipase as disclosed above, prefera bly selected from selected from triacylglycerol lipase according to amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438 and variants thereof having lipolytic activity, and at least one further en zyme preferably selected from protease, amylase, cellulase, mannanase, and dnase - all as disclosed herein. cellulase at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from the group of cellulases. at least one cellulase is selected from cellobiohydrolase (1 ,4-p-d-glucan cellobio- hydrolase, ec 3.2.1.91), endo-ss-1 ,4-glucanase (endo-1 ,4-p-d-glucan 4-glucanohydrolase, ec 3.2.1.4) and ss-glucosidase (ec 3.2.1.21). preferably, component (a) comprises at least one cellulase of the glycosyl hydrolase family 7 (gh7, pfam00840), preferably selected from en- doglucanases (ec 3.2.1.4). "cellulases", “cellulase enzymes” or “cellulolytic enzymes” (component (a)) are enzymes in volved in hydrolysis of cellulose. assays for measurement of “cellulase activity” or “cellulolytic activity” are known to those skilled in the art. for example, cellulolytic activity may be deter mined by virtue of the fact that cellulase hydrolyses carboxymethyl cellulose to reducing carbo hydrates, the reducing ability of which is determined colorimetrically by means of the ferricya- nide reaction, according to hoffman, w. s., j. biol. chem. 120, 51 (1937). cellulolytic activity may be provided in units per gram enzyme. for example, 1 unit may liberate 1 .0 pmole of glucose from cellulose in one hour at ph 5.0 at 37°c (2 hour incubation time). in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one cellulase selected of the glycosyl hydrolase family 7 (gh7, pfam00840), preferably selected from endoglucanases (ec 3.2.1.4). cellulases according to the invention include those of bacterial or fungal origin. in one embodi ment, at least one cellulase is selected from cellulases comprising a cellulose binding domain. in one embodiment, at least one cellulase is selected from cellulases comprising a catalytic do main only, meaning that the cellulase lacks cellulose binding domain. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one cellulase originating from humicola insolens dsm 1800, bacillus sp, thielavia terrestris, fusarium oxysporum, and trichoderma reesei. suitable cellulases include also those, which are variants of the above described cellulases which have cellulolytic activity. in one embodiment cellulase variants include variants with at least 40 to 100% identity when compared to the full length polypeptide sequence of the parent enzyme as disclosed above. in one embodiment cellulase variants having cellulolytic activity are at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical to the full length polypeptide sequence of the parent enzyme as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one humicola insolens dsm 1800 en- doglucanase (ec 3.2.1.4) having the amino acid sequence disclosed in fig. 14a-e of wo 91/17244, preferably amino acids 20-434 according said sequence, more preferably having one or more substitutions at positions selected from 182, 223, and 231 , most preferably select ed from p182s, a223v, and a231v. in one embodiment, the endoglucanase is at least 80% similar and/or identical to a polypeptide according to seq id no: 2 of wo 95/02675. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least a bacillus sp. cellulase (ec 3.2.1.4) se lected from a polypeptide at least 80% similar and/or identical to the amino acid sequence of position 1 to position 773 of seq id no: 2 of wo 2004/053039 or a catalytically active fragment thereof. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least a thielavia terrestris cellulase (ec 3.2.1.4) having a polypeptide at least 80% similar and/or identical to the amino acid sequence of position 1 to position 299 of seq id no: 4 of wo 2004/053039 or a catalytically active fragment thereof. according to the present invention, component (a) in one embodiment comprises a combination of at least two cellulases, preferably selected from endoglucanases (ec 3.2.1.4) as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one cellulase of the gh7 family, prefera bly selected from endoglucanases (ec 3.2.1.4) and at least one further enzyme preferably se lected from proteases, amylases, lipases, mannanases, and dnases - all as disclosed herein. mannanase at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from the group of mannan degrading enzymes. at least one mannan degrading enzyme is selected from b- mannosidase (ec 3.2.1.25), endo-1,4^-mannosidase (ec 3.2.1.78), and 1 ,4-p-mannobiosidase (ec 3.2.1.100). preferably, at least one mannan degrading enzyme is selected from the group of endo-1 ,4- -mannosidase (ec 3.2.1.78), a group of enzymes which may be called endo-b- 1 ,4-d-mannanase, b-mannanase, or mannanase herein. a polypeptide having mannanase activity may be tested for mannanase activity according to standard test procedures known in the art, such as by applying a solution to be tested to 4 mm diameter holes punched out in agar plates containing 0.2% azcl galactomannan (carob), i. e. substrate for the assay of endo-1 ,4-beta-d-mannanase available as catno. i-azgma from the company megazyme (megazyme's internet address: http://www. megazyme.com/purchase/index. html). mannan degrading activity may be tested in a liquid assay using carob galactomannan dyed with remazol brilliant bue as described in mccleary, b. v. (1978). carbohydrate research, 67(1), 213-221. another method for testing mannan degrading activity uses detection of reduc ing sugars when incubated with substrate such as guar gum or locust bean gut - for reference see miller, g. l. use of dinitrosalicylic acid reagent for determination of reducing sugars. analytical chemistry 1959; 31: 426-428. component (a) in one embodiment comprises at least one mannanase selected from alkaline mannanase of family 5 or 26. the term “alkaline mannanase” is meant to encompass man- nanases having an enzymatic activity of at least 40% of its maximum activity at a given ph ranging from 7 to 12, preferably 7.5 to10.5. at least one mannanase comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from man- nanases originating from bacillus organisms, such as described in jp-0304706 [beta- mannanase from bacillus sp.], jp-63056289 [alkaline, thermostable beta-mannanase], jp- 63036774 [bacillus microorganism ferm p-8856 producing beta-mannanase and beta- mannosidase at an alkaline ph], jp-08051975 [alkaline beta-mannanases from alkalophilic ba cillus sp. am-001], wo 97/11164 [mannanase from bacillus amyloliquefaciens], wo 91/18974 [mannanase active at an extreme ph and temperature], wo 97/11164 [mannanase from bacil lus amyloliquefaciens], wo 2014/100018 [endo-(3-mannanase1 cloned from a bacillus circu- lans or bacillus lentus strain cmg1240 (blemanl; see us 5,476,775)]. suitable mannanases are described in wo 99/064619. at least one mannanase comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from man- nanases originating from trichoderma organisms, such as disclosed in wo 93/24622 and wo 2008/009673. component (a) in one embodiment comprises mannanase variants having mannanase activity which are at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of the corre sponding parent enzyme as disclosed above. component (a) may comprise a commercially available mannanase such as mannaway® (no- vozymes ais). in one embodiment, at least one mannanase comprised in component (a) is selected from mannanases having a sequence according to positions 31-490 of seq id no:388 of wo 2005/003319 and variants which are preferably at least 90% identical thereto. according to the present invention, component (a) in one embodiment comprise a combination of at least two mannanases, preferably one of them being an alkaline mannanase; at least one mannanase is selected from the group of endo-1,4-p-mannosidase (ec 3.2.1.78) as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one alkaline mannanase, preferably se lected from the group of endo-1 ,4-p-mannosidase (ec 3.2.1.78) as disclosed above, and at least one further enzyme preferably selected from protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, and dnase - all as disclosed herein. dnase at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) in one embodiment is selected from the group of dna degrading enzymes. said enzymes usually catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of phos- phodiester linkages in dna. the dnases are classified e.g. in e.c. 3.1.11 , e.c. 3.1.12, e.c. 3.1.15, e.c. 3.1.16, e.c. 3.1.21 , e.c 3.1.22, e.c 3.1.23, e.c 3.1.24 and e.c.3.1.25 as well as ec 3.1.21.x, where x=1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or 9. dnase activity may be determined on dnase test agar with methyl green (bd, franklin lakes, nj, usa), which should be prepared according to the manual from supplier. briefly, 21 g of agar is dissolved in 500 ml water and then autoclaved for 15 min at 121°c. autoclaved agar is tem- perated 10 to 48°c in water bath, and 20 ml of agar is to be poured into petridishes with and allowed to solidify by incubation o/n at room temperature. on solidified agar plates, 5 pi of en- zyme solution is added and dnase activity is observed as colorless zones around the spotted enzyme solutions. dnase activity may be determined by using the dnasealert™ kit (11-02-01-04, idt intergrated dna technologies) according to the supplier's manual. briefly, 95 pi dnase sample is mixed with 5 pi substrate in a microtiter plate, and fluorescence is immediately measured using e.g. a clariostar microtiter reader from bmg labtech (536 nm excitation, 556 nm emission). at least one dnase comprised in component (a) may be selected from dnases originating from bacillus such as from bacillus cibi, bacillus horikoshii, bacillus horneckiae, bacillus idriensis, bacillus algicola, bacillus vietnamensis, bacillus hwajinpoensis, paenibacillus mucilanginosus, bacillus indicus, bacillus luciferensis, bacillus marisflavi; and variants thereof. in one embodi ment, at least one dnase in component (a) is selected from polypeptides 80% identical to seq id no: 1 of wo 2019/081724. said polypeptide may comprise one or more substitutions at po sitions selected from t1 , g4, s7, k8, s9, s13, n16, t22, s25, s27, d32, l33, s39, g41 , s42, d45, q48, s57, s59, n61 , t65, s66, v76, f78, p91, s101 , s106, q109, a112, s116, t127, s130, t138, q140, s144, a147, c148, w154, t157, y159, g162, s167, q174, g175, l177, s179, and c180 — all as disclosed in wo2019/081724 and wo 2019/081721. component (a) in one embodiment comprises dnase variants having dna degrading activity which are at least 40%, at least 45%, at least 50%, at least 55%, at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of the corre sponding parent enzyme as disclosed above. according to the present invention, component (a) in one embodiment comprises a combination of at least two dnases. component (b) the enzyme preparations of the invention comprise an enzyme stabilizing system (component (b)). said enzyme stabilizing system (component (b)) comprises (bi) a compound of general formula (a) - (component bi); and (bii) at least one compound selected from boron containing compound and peptide stabilizer - (component bii). component (bi) the enzyme stabilizing system according to the invention comprises component (bi). component (bi) comprises at least one compound according to formula (a): wherein the variables in formula (a) are defined as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear ci-c 8 alkyl, and branched c 3 -cs alkyl, c 6 -cio-aryl, non-substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hydroxyl groups, and c 6 -ci 0 -aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h. examples of linear ci-c 8 alkyl are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-pentyl, etc. examples of branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl are 2- propyl, 2-butyl, sec.-butyl, tert.-butyl, 2-pentyl, 3-pentyl, iso-pentyl, etc. examples of c 6 -ci 0 -aryl, non-substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hydroxyl groups, are phenyl, 1- naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, ortho-phenylcarboxylic acid group, meta-phenylcarboxylic acid group, pa- ra-phenylcarboxylic acid group, ortho-hydroxyphenyl, para-hydroxyphenyl, etc. in one embodiment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is selected from h, acetyl and propionyl. in one embodiment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is h. in one embod iment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is acetyl. in one embodiment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is propionyl. in one embodiment, r 2 in the compound according to formula (a) is h, and r 3 , r 4 are inde pendently from each other selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl, and branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, c 6 -ci 0 - aryl, non-substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hydroxyl groups, and c 6 - cio-aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl. in one embodiment, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 in the compound according to formula (a) are the same, wherein r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl, and branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, c 6 -ci 0 -aryl, non- substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hydroxyl groups, and c 6 -ci 0 -aryl- alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl. pref erably, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are selected from linear c 2 -c alkyl, preferably c 2 and c 4 alkyl. in one embodiment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is h, and r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are se lected from linear c 2 -c alkyl, phenylmethyl, and ortho-phenylcarboxylic acid group (salicyl). in one embodiment, r 1 , r 2 and r 3 in the compound according to formula (a) are h, and r 4 is selected from linear c 2 -c 4 alkyl, preferably c 2 alkyl. in one embodiment, r 1 , and r 2 in the com pound according to formula (a) are h, and r 3 and r 4 are selected from linear c 2 -c alkyl, pref erably c 2 alkyl. in one embodiment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is h, and r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are se lected from linear c 2 -c alkyl, preferably c 2 and c alkyl. in one embodiment, r 1 in the compound according to formula (a) is acetyl, and r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are selected from linear c 2 -c alkyl, preferably c 2 and c alkyl. component (bi) includes salts of the compound according to formula (a). salts include alkali metal and ammonium salts e.g those of mono- and triethanolamine. preference is given to po tassium salts and sodium salts. in one embodiment of the present invention, enzyme preparations, preferably liquid enzyme preparations, comprise component (bi) in amounts in the range of 1% to 50% by weight, relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. the enzyme preparations preferably comprise component (bi) in amounts in the range of 5% to 45% by weight, 8% to 30% by weight, 10% to 35% by weight, 12% to 30% by weight, or 15% to 25% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. in one embodiment of the present invention, component (bi) comprises at least one at least par tially hydrolyzed derivative of compound (bi) as impurity. in one embodiment of the present in vention, component (bi) comprises as an impurity of a fully hydrolyzed compound (bi’) which is as follows: r- - oh wherein the variables r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 are the same as described for component (bi) above. such impurity may amount to up to 50 mol-%, preferably 0.1 to 20 mol-%, even more preferably 1 to 10 mol-% of component (bi). although the impurities may originate from the synthesis of component (bi) and may be removed by purification methods it is not preferred to remove it. component (bii) the enzyme stabilizing system according to the invention comprises component (bii), wherein component (bii) comprises at least one compound selected from boron containing compound, and peptide stabilizer. in one embodiment, component (bii) comprises at least one compound selected from 4-fpba and tripeptide stabilizers, wherein tripeptide stabilizers are preferably compounds according to formula (da). component (bii) in one embodiment comprises at least one boron-containing compound: boron-containing compounds are selected from boric acid or its derivatives and from boronic acid or its derivatives such as aryl boronic acids or its derivatives, from salts thereof, and from mixtures thereof. boric acid herein may be called orthoboric acid. in one embodiment, boron-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of aryl boronic acids and its derivatives. in one embodiment, boron-containing compound is selected from the group consisting of benzene boronic acid (bba) which is also called phenyl boronic acid (pba), derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof. in one embodiment, phenyl boronic acid derivatives are selected from the group consisting of the derivatives of formula (ca) and (cb) formula: wherein r1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, non-substituted or substituted ci-c 6 alkyl, and non-substituted or substituted ci-c 6 alkenyl; in a preferred embodiment, r is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, and non-substituted ci alkyl; r2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, non-substituted or substituted ci-c 6 alkyl, and non-substituted or substituted ci-c 6 alkenyl; in a preferred embodiment, r is selected from the group consisting of h, hydroxy, and substituted ci alkyl. in one embodiment phenyl-boronic acid derivatives are selected from the group consisting of 4- formyl phenyl boronic acid (4-fpba), 4-carboxy phenyl boronic acid (4-cpba), 4-(hydroxy- methyl) phenyl boronic acid (4-hmpba), and p-tolylboronic acid (p-tba). other suitable derivatives include: 2-thienyl boronic acid, 3-thienyl boronic acid, (2-acetamid- ophenyl) boronic acid, 2-benzofuranyl boronic acid, 1-naphthyl boronic acid, 2-naphthyl boronic acid, 2-fpba, 3-fbpa, 1-thianthrenyl boronic acid, 4-dibenzofuran boronic acid, 5-methyl-2-thi- enyl boronic acid, 1-benzothiophene-2 boronic acid, 2-furanyl boronic acid, 3-furanyl boronic acid, 4,4 biphenyl-diboronic acid, 6-hydroxy-2-naphthaleneboronic acid, 4-(methylthio) phenyl boronic acid, 4-(trimethylsilyl) phenyl boronic acid, 3-bromothiophene boronic acid, 4-methyl- thiophene boronic acid, 2-naphthyl boronic acid, 5-bromothiophene boronic acid, 5-chlorothio- phene boronic acid, dimethylthiophene boronic acid, 2-bromophenyl boronic acid, 3-chloro- phenyl boronic acid, 3-methoxy-2-thiophene boronic acid, p-methyl-phenylethyl boronic acid, 2-thianthrenyl boronic acid, di-benzothiophene boronic acid, 9-anthracene boronic acid, 3,5 di- chlorophenyl boronic, acid, diphenyl boronic acid anhydride, o-chlorophenyl boronic acid, p-chlorophenyl boronic acid, m-bromophenyl boronic acid, p-bromophenyl boronic acid, p-fluorophenyl boronic acid, octyl boronic acid, 1 ,3,5 trimethylphenyl boronic acid, 3-chloro-4- fluorophenyl boronic acid, 3-aminophenyl boronic acid, 3,5-bis-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl boronic acid, 2,4 dichlorophenyl boronic acid, 4-methoxyphenyl boronic acid, and mixtures thereof. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 0.1-2% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation of at least one boron-containing compound. preferably, the enzyme preparations comprise about 0.15-1%, or 0.2-0.5%, or about 0.3% by weight rela tive to the total weight of the enzyme preparation of at least one boron-containing compound. more preferably, the enzyme preparations comprises about 0.3% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation of 4-fpba. component (bii) preferably comprises at least one peptide stabilizer. peptide stabilizers are se lected from di-, tri- or tetrapeptide aldehydes and aldehyde analogues (either of the form b1- bo-r wherein, r is h, ch 3 , cx 3 , chx 2 , or ch 2 x (x=halogen), bo is a single amino acid resi due (in one embodiment with an optionally substituted aliphatic or aromatic side chain); and b1 consists of one or more amino acid residues (in one embodiment one, two or three), optionally comprising an n-terminal protection group, or as described in wo 09/118375 and wo 98/13459, or a protease inhibitor of the protein type such as rasi, basi, wasi (bifunctional alpha-amylase/subtilisin inhibitors of rice, barley and wheat) or cl 2 or ssi. at least one peptide stabilizer in one embodiment is selected from a compound of formula (da) or a salt thereof or from a compound of formula (db): wherein r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , r 5 and z within formulae (da) and (db) are defined as follows: r 1 , r 2 and r 3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkyl, optionally substituted c 2-6 alkenyl, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkoxy, op tionally substituted 3- to 12-membered cycloalkyl, and optionally substituted 6- to 10-membered aryl; or wherein each r 1 , r 2 and r 3 is independently selected as -(ch 2 )3- which is also attached to the nitrogen atom of -nh-c(h)- so that -n-c(h)r 1 ,2 or 3 - forms a 5-membered heterocyclic ring; r 4 and r 5 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkyl, optionally substituted c 2.6 alkenyl, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkoxy, op tionally substituted ci- acyl, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkyl phenyl (e.g. benzyl), and optionally substituted 6- to 10-membered aryl; or wherein r 4 and r 5 are joined to form an optionally sub stituted 5- or 6-membered ring; z is selected from hydrogen, an n-terminal protection group, and one or more amino acid resi dues optionally comprising an n-terminal protection group. preferably, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of gly, ala, val, leu, lie, met, pro, phe, trp, ser, thr, asp, gin, tyr, cys, lys, arg, his, asn, glu, m- tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, nva, or nle. more preferably, r 1 is a group such that nh- chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, val, gly, arg, leu, phe, lie, his or thr. even more preferably, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, val, gly, arg, leu, lie or his. preferably, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of gly, ala, val, leu, lie, met, pro, phe, trp, ser, thr, asp, gin, tyr, cys, lys, arg, his, asn, glu, m- tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, nva, or nle. more preferably, r 2 is a group such that nh- chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, cys, gly, pro, ser, thr, val, nva or nle. even more preferably, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, val, gly, arg, leu, lie or his and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d- amino acid residue of ala, val, gly, arg, leu, lie or his and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 - co is an l or d-amino acid residue of gly. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh- chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, val, gly, arg, leu, lie or his and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of pro. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, val, gly, arg, leu, lie or his and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid resi due of gly and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of arg and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d- amino acid residue of leu and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of lie and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of his and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, gly, pro or val. in one embodiment, r 3 is a group selected from optionally substituted ci- 8 alkyl, such as ch 2 si(ch 3 )3, ci- 8 alkylphosphates such as (ch 2 ) n po(or) 2 , ci- 8 alkylnitriles such as ch 2 cn, ci- 8 alkylsulfones such as ch 2 s0 2 r, ci- 8 alkylethers such as (ch 2 ) n or, ci- 8 alkylesters such as ch 2 c0 2 r, and ci- 8 alkylamides; optionally substituted ci- 8 alkoxy, optionally substituted 3- to 12-membered cycloalkyl, such as cyclohexylmethyl; and optionally substituted 6- to 10- membered aryl, wherein r is independently selected from the group consi sting of hydrogen, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkyl, optionally substituted ci- 8 alkoxy, optionally substituted 3- to 12- membered cycloalkyl, optionally substituted 6- to 10-membered aryl, and optionally substituted 6- to 10-membered heteroaryl and n is an integer from 1 to 8, i.e. 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8. preferably, r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of tyr, m- tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, phe, val, ala, met, nva, leu, lie or nle or other non natural amino acids carrying alkyl groups. more preferably, r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 - co is an l or d-amino acid residue of tyr, phe, val, ala or leu. in one embodiment, r 1 , r 2 and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co, nh-chr 2 -co and nh- chr 3 -co each is an l or d-amino acid residue of gly, ala, val, leu, lie, met, pro, phe, trp, ser, thr, asp, gin, tyr, cys, lys, arg, his, asn, glu, m-tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, nva or nle. in one embodiment, r 1 and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co and nh-chr 2 -co each is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, cys, gly, pro, ser, thr, val, nva or nle, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of tyr, m-tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphe nylalanine, phe, val, ala, met, nva, leu, lie or nle. in one embodiment, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of gly or val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of tyr, ala, or leu. in one embodiment, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of leu. in one embodiment, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of gly, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of tyr. in one embodiment, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala. in one embodiment, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of norleucine. in one embodiment, r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of norvaline. in one embodiment, r 4 and r 5 are each independently selected from hydrogen, methyl, ethyl, i- propyl, n-propyl, i-butyl, s-butyl, n-butyl, i-pentyl, 2-pentyl, 3-pentyl, neopentyl, cyclopentyl, cy clohexyl, and benzyl. r 4 and r 5 may each independently be selected from methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, 2-butyl or 3-pentyl. more preferably, r 4 and r 5 are both methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, 2-butyl or 3-pentyl. z is selected from hydrogen, an n-terminal protection group, and one or more amino acid resi dues optionally comprising an n-terminal protection group. preferably, z is an n-terminal pro tection group. the n-terminal protection group may be selected from formyl, acetyl (ac), benzoyl (bz), tri- fluoroacetyl, fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (fmoc), methoxysuccinyl, aromatic and aliphatic ure thane protecting groups, benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc), adaman- tyloxycarbonyl, p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb) or p- methoxyphenyl (pmp), methoxycarbonyl (moc); methoxyacetyl (mac); methyl carbamate, a me- thylamino carbonyl/methyl urea group, tityl (trt), 3,5-dimethoxyphenylisoproxycarbonyl (ddz), 2- (4-biphenyl)isopropoxycarbonyl (bpoc), 2-nitrophenylsulfenyl (nps), 2-(4-nitrophenylsulfonyl)- ethoxycarbonyl (nsc), 1,1-dioxobenzo[b]thiophene-2-ylmethyloxycarbonyl (bsmoc), (1,1-di- oxonaphtho[1 ,2-b]thiophene-2-yl)methyloxycarbonyl (a-nsmoc), 1 -(4,4-dimethyl-2,6-dioxo- cyclohex-1-ylidene)-3-methylbutyl (ivdde), 2,7-di-tert-butyl-fmoc (fmoc*), 2-fluoro-fmoc (fmoc(2f)), 2-monoisooctyl-fmoc (mio-fmoc) and 2,7-diisooctyl-fmoc (dio-fmoc), tetrachlo- rophthaloyl (tcp), 2-phenyl(methyl)sulfonio)ethyloxycarbonyl tetrafluoroborate (pms), ethane- sulfonylethoxycarbonyl (esc), 2-(4-sulfophenylsulfonyl)ethoxycarbonyl (sps), allyloxycarbonyl (alloc), o-nitrobenzenesulfonyl (onbs), 2,4-dinitrobenzenesulfonyl (dnbs), benzothiazole-2-sul- fonyl (bts), 2,2,2-trichloroethyloxycarbonyl (troc), dithiasuccinoyl (dts), p-nitrobenzyloxycarbo- nyl (pnz), a-azidoacids, propargyloxycarbonyl (poc), o-nitrobenzyloxycarbonyl (onz), 4-nitro- veratryloxycarbonyl (nvoc), 2-(2-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl (nppoc), 2-(3,4-methylene- dioxy-6-nitrophenyl)propyloxycarbonyl (mnppoc), 9-(4-bromophenyl)-9-fluorenyl (brphf), az- idomethyloxycarbonyl (azoc), hexafluoroacetone (hfa), 2-chlorobenzyloxycarbonyl (cl-z), trifluoroacetyl (tfa), 2-(methylsulfonyl)ethoxycarbonyl (msc), tetrachlorophthaloyl (tcp), phe- nyldisulphanylethyloxycarbonyl (phdec), 2-pyridyldisulphanylethyloxycarbonyl (pydec), or 4- methyltrityl (mtt). if z is one or more amino acid residue(s) comprising an n-terminal protection group, the n- terminal protection group is preferably a small aliphatic group, e.g., formyl, acetyl, fluorenylme thyloxycarbonyl (fmoc), tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc), methoxycarbonyl (moc); methoxyacetyl (mac); methyl carbamate or a methylamino carbonyl/methyl urea group. in the case of a tripep tide, the n-terminal protection group is preferably a bulky aromatic group such as benzoyl (bz), benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb) or p-methoxyphenyl (pmp). further suitable n-terminal protection groups are described in greene’s protective groups in organic synthesis, fifth edition by peter g. m. wuts, published in 2014 by john wiley & sons, inc and in isidro-llobet et al. , amino acid-protecting groups, chem. rev. 2009 109(6), 2455- 2504. preferably, the n-terminal protection group is selected from benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), p- methoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), benzoyl (bz), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb), p- methoxyphenyl (pmp), formyl, acetyl (ac), methyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, methoxycarbonyl, fluo- renylmethyloxycarbonyl (fmoc), or tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc). most preferably, the n-terminal protection group is benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz). in a preferred embodiment, the peptide stabilizer is selected from compounds according to for mula (db), wherein r 1 and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co and nh-chr 2 -co each is an l or d-amino acid residue selected from ala, cys, gly, pro, ser, thr, val, nva or nle, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue selected from tyr, m-tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphe- nylalanine, phe, val, ala, met, nva, leu, lie or nle; and the n-terminal protection group z is selected from benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), benzoyl (bz), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb), p-methoxyphenyl (pmp), formyl, acetyl (ac), methyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, methoxycarbonyl, fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (fmoc), or tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc). in a more preferred embodiment, the peptiptide stabilizer according to formula (db) is character ized in r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh- chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of leu; and the n-terminal protection group z is selected from benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), benzoyl (bz), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb), p-methoxyphenyl (pmp), formyl, acetyl (ac), methyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, methoxycarbonyl, fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl (fmoc), or tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc); preferably, the n-terminal protection group z is ben zyloxycarbonyl (cbz). in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 0.1-2% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation of at least one peptide stabilizer. preferably, the enzyme preparations comprise about 0.15-1%, or 0.2-0.5%, or about 0.3% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation of at least one peptide stabilizer. more preferably, the enzyme preparations comprise about 0.3% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme prepara tion of a peptide stabilizer according to formula (db) characterized in r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh- chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of leu; and the n-terminal protection group z is benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz). component (b) optionally comprises further compounds stabilizing enzymes such as • at least one polyol selected from sorbitol, mannitol, erythriol, glucose, fructose, and lac tose; • at least one salt selected from naci, kci, and alkali salts of lactic acid and formic acid; • at least one water-soluble source of zinc (ii), calcium (ii) and/or magnesium (ii) ions that provide such ions to the enzymes, as well as other metal ions (e.g. barium (ii), scandium (ii), iron (ii), manganese (ii), aluminum (iii), tin (ii), cobalt (ii), copper (ii), nickel (ii), and oxovanadium (iv)). the enzyme preparations of the invention in one embodiment comprise a total amount of pep tide stabilizer in the range from about 0.05% to 2%, in the range from about 0.08% to 1%, or in the range from 0.1 to 0.5% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. preferably, the enzyme preparations comprise about 0.3% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation of a peptide stabilizer as disclosed above. component (c) the liquid enzyme preparations of the invention comprise at least one diol (component (c)). component (c), in one embodiment, is comprised in a total amount of about 10% to 35% by weight, preferably 12% to 31 % by weight, relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. at least one diol (component (c)) is selected from diols containing from 4 to 10 c-atoms. in one aspect of the invention the -oh groups in the diols are vicinally positioned, as e.g. in 1 ,2- pentane diol. in another aspect of the invention, the -oh groups are localized terminally, as e.g. 1 ,6-hexane diol. in one embodiment, the diols having vicinally positioned -oh groups contain 4 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms, more preferably 4 to 6 c-atoms, most preferably 4 to 5 c-atoms. the diol may be selected from 1 ,2-butandiol and 1 ,2-pentandiol. the diol having vicinally positioned -oh groups may be comprised in the enzyme preparations in amounts in the range of 1% to 5% by weight, or in amounts of about 4% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. in one embodiment, the diols having terminal -oh groups contain 3 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms. the diol preferably is selected from 1 ,4-butanediol, 1 ,6-hexanediol and 1 ,8- octanediol. the diol having terminal -oh groups preferably is comprised in the enzyme prepara tions in amounts in the range of 10% to 30% by weight, or 12% to 27% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. in one embodiment, at least one diol having terminal -oh groups preferably is comprised in the enzyme preparations in amounts in the range of 25% to 30% by weight, of about 27% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme prepara tion. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises a combination of at least two diols, wherein at least one of the diols is selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c- atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms. more preferably, the diol having terminal -oh groups is se lected from 1 ,4-butanediol, 1 ,6-hexanediol and 1 ,8-octanediol. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises at least two diols, wherein • the first diol is selected from diols having vicinally positioned -oh groups containing 4 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms, more preferably 4 to 6 c-atoms, most preferably 4 to 5 c-atoms; said diol may be selected from 1 ,2-butandiol and 1 ,2-pentandiol; and • the second diol is selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c- atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms; said diol may be selected from 1 ,4-butanediol, 1 ,6- hexanediol and 1 ,8-octanediol. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises a mixture of diols having vicinally positioned -oh groups containing 4 to 10 c-atoms and diols is selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms in a mixing ratio of 1 :10, 1 :9, 1 :8, 1 :7, or 1 :6. in one embodiment, the mixing ratio is within the range of 1 :6 to 1 :8, more preferably within the range of 1 :7 to 1 :6. the mixing ratio is preferably 1 :6.75. mixing ratio preferably means weight ratio. component (c) may be comprised in the enzyme preparations in amounts of about 1-40% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. component (c) may be comprised in the enzyme preparations in amounts of about 2-35%, 4-30%, or 10-27% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 2-5% by weight 1 ,2-butandiol in combination with about 10-30% by weight of at least one diol selected from 1 ,4-butanediol, 1 ,6- hexanediol and 1 ,8-octanediol; % by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme prepara tion. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 2-5% by weight 1 ,2-pentandiol in combination with about 10-30% by weight of at least one diol selected from 1 ,4-butanediol, 1 ,6- hexanediol and 1 ,8-octanediol; % by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme prepara tion. in one embodiment, the weight ratio of component (bi) and component (c) comprised in the en zyme preparations of the invention is in the range of about 2.5:1 to about 0.8:1. in a preferred embodiment, the weight ratio of component (bi) to at least one diol having terminally positioned -oh containing 4-8 c-atoms is in the range of 2.1 : 1 to 0.9: 1 , preferably, the weight ratio is 0.9:1. component (d) the liquid enzyme preparations of the invention optionally comprise component (d) which com prises at least one compound selected from (di) solvents, (component (di)) and (dii) compounds stabilizing the liquid enzyme preparation as such (component (dii)). the inventive enzyme preparations comprise water in amounts in the range of 5% to 50% by weight, in the range of 5% to 30% by weight, in the range of 5% to 25% by weight, or in the range of 10% to 40% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. component (di): organic solvents in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations of the invention comprise at least one organic solvent selected from ethanol, n-propanol, iso-propanol, n-butanol, iso-butanol, sec.-butanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,2-propane diol, 1,3-propane diol, 1,2-butane diol, glycerol (1 ,2,3-propanetriol), diglycol, propyl diglycol, butyl diglycol, hexylene glycol, (poly) ethylene gly col methyl ether (methoxy polyethylene glycol; mpeg), ethylene glycol ethyl ether, ethylene glycol propyl ether, and phenoxyethanol, preferred are ethanol, isopropanol or propylene glycol. further, the enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise at least one organic solvent selected from compounds such as 2-butoxyethanol, isopropyl alcohol, and d-limonene. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 1-40% by weight, preferably about 5-35% by weight, more preferably about 10-30% by weight, even more preferably <20% by weight with a lower limit of about 5-10% by weight of an organic solvent, preferably selected from ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,2-propane diol (propylene glycol; mpg), 1,3-propane diol, 1,2-butane diol, glycerol, diglycol, propyl diglycol, butyl diglycol, hexylene glycol, (poly) eth ylene glycol methyl ether, ethylene glycol ethyl ether, ethylene glycol propyl ether, and phenox- yethanol, preferred are ethanol, isopropanol, mpeg or propylene glycol (1,2-propane diol). in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 10-30% by weight 1,2-propane diol. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise about 10-30% by weight polyethylene glycol methyl ether. all % by weight are relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise at least one organic solvent, preferably selected from 1,2-propane diol and polyethylene glycol methyl ether, and component (c) in a weight ratio of about 1 :2 to about 1 :3.3. in a preferred embodiment, component (c) comprises at least one diol selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms, pref erably 4 to 8 c-atoms; said diol may be selected from 1,4-butanediol, 1,6-hexanediol and 1 ,8- octanediol. in a preferred embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise at least one organic solvent, preferably selected from 1 ,2-propane diol and polyethylene glycol methyl ether, and component (c) in a weight ratio of about 1 :2 to about 1 :3.3, wherein component (c) comprises at least 1 ,6- hexanediol. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations comprise at least one organic solvent, preferably selected from 1,2-propane diol and polyethylene glycol methyl ether, and component (c) in a weight ratio of about 1 :2 to about 1 :3.3, wherein component (c) comprises a mixture of 1 ,6- hexanediol and at least one diols having vicinally positioned -oh as disclosed above, preferably selected from 1,2-butan diol and 1 ,2-pentandiol, wherein the weight ratio of 1,6-hexane diol to the diol having vicinally positioned -oh is 10:1, 9:1 , 8:1, 7:1, or 6:1, preferably within the range of 6:1 to 8:1 , more preferably within the range of 7:1 to 6:1, most preferably 6.75:1. component (dii): compound stabilizing the liquid enzyme preparation as such the enzyme preparations of the invention preferably comprise at least one compound stabiliz ing the liquid enzyme preparation as such. compounds stabilizing the liquid enzyme preparation as such means any compound except enzyme stabilizers needed to establish storage stability of a liquid preparation in amounts effective to ensure the storage stability. storage stability in the context of liquid preparations to those skilled in the art usually includes aspects of appearance of the product and uniformity of dosage. appearance of the product is influenced by the ph of the product and by the presence of com pounds such as preservatives, antioxidants, viscosity modifiers, emulsifiers etc. uniformity of dosage is usually related to the homogeneity of a product. inventive enzyme preparations may be alkaline or exhibit a neutral or slightly acidic ph value, such as 5 to 14, 5.3 to 13, 5.5 to 9, or 5.5 to 8.5. in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations vea ph of 5-8. the liquid enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise at least one preservative. pre servatives are added in amounts effective in preventing microbial growth in the liquid enzyme preparation, preferably the aqueous enzyme preparation. in one embodiment, at least one pre servative is selected from: benzylhemiformal, synonym: (benzyloxy)methanol (cas no. 14548-60-8); (ethylenedioxy)dimethanol, synonyms: dascocide 9;(ethylenedioxy)dimethanol (reaction prod ucts of ethylene glycol with paraformaldehyde (egform)) (cas. no.3586-55-8); .alpha...alpha.',. alpha. "-trimethyl-1, 3, 5-triazine-1 ,3,5(2h,4h,6h)-triethanol, synonyms: tris(n- hydroxypropyl) hexahydrotriazine, hexahydro-1 ,3-5-tris(2-hydroxypropyl)-s-triazine (hpt, cas no. 25254-50-6); 2.2-dibromo-2-cyanoacetamide (dbnpa, cas no. 10222-01-2); 2,2'-dithiobis[n-methylbenzamide] (dtbma, cas no. 2527-58-4); 2-bromo-2-(bromomethyl)pentanedinitrile (dbdcb, cas no. 35691-65-7); 2-butanone, peroxide, synonym: 2-butanone-peroxide (cas no. 1338-23-4); 2-butyl-benzo[d]isothiazol-3-one (bbit, cas no. 4299-07-4); 2-methyl-2h-isothiazol-3-one (mit, cas no 2682-20-4); 2-octyl-2h-isothiazol-3-one (oit, cas no. 26530-20-1); 5-chloro-2-methyl-2h-isothiazol-3-one (cit, cmit, cas no. 26172-55-4); mixture of 5-chloro-2-methyl-2h- isothiazol-3-one (cmit, einecs 247-500-7) and 2-methyl-2h- isothiazol-3-one (mit, einecs 220-239-6) (mixture of cmit/mit, cas no. 55965-84-9); 1.2-benzisothiazol-3(2h)-one (bit, cas no. 2634-33-5); 3,3'-methylenebis[5-methyloxazolidine] (oxazolidin/mbo, cas no. 66204-44-2); 4,4-dimethyloxazolidine (cas no. 51200-87-4); 7a-ethyldihydro-1 h,3h,5h-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazole (edho, cas no. 7747-35-5); benzyl alcohol (cas no. 100-51-6); biphenyl-2-ol (cas no. 90-43-7); biphenyl -2-ol, and its salts, o-phenylphenol, mea-o-phenylphenate, potassium phenylphenate, sodium phenylphenate; sodium 2-biphenylate (cas no. 132-27-4); cis-1-(3-chloroallyl)-3,5,7-triaza-1- azoniaadamantane chloride (cis ctac, cas no. 51229-78- 8); didecyldimethylammonium chloride (ddac, cas no. 68424-95-3 and cas no. 7173-51-5); dodecylguanidine monohydrochloride (cas no 13590-97-1); ethanol (cas.no 64-17-5); n-propanol (1-propanol, cas no. 71-23-8) hexa-2,4-dienoic acid (sorbic acid, cas no. 110-44-1) and its salts, e.g. calcium sorbate, sodi um sorbate potassium (e,e)-hexa-2,4-dienoate (potassium sorbate, cas no. 24634-61-5); hydrogen peroxide (cas no. 7722-84-1); lactic acid and its salts; l-(+)-lactic acid (cas no. 79-33-4); 2-methyl-1,2-benzothiazol-3(2h)-one (mbit, cas no. 2527-66-4); methenamine 3-chloroallylochloride (ctac, cas no. 4080-31-3); monochloramine generated from ammonium carbamate and a chlorine source n,n'-methylenebismorpholine (mbm, cas no. 5625-90-1); n-(3-aminopropyl)-n-dodecylpropane-1, 3-diamine (diamine, cas no. 2372-82-9); n-(trichloromethylthio)phthalimide (folpet, cas no. 133-07-3); p-[(diiodomethyl)sulphonyl]toluene (cas no. 20018-09-1); peracetic acid (cas no. 79-21-0); polyhexamethylene biguanide hydrochloride (phmb, cas no 1802181-67-4), polyhexameth- ylene biguanide hydrochloride (phmb, cas no. 27083-27-8), e.g. poly(iminoimidocarbonyl)- iminohexamethylene hydrochloride, poly(iminocarbonimidoyliminocarbonimidoylimino -1,6- hexanediyl), polyaminopropyl biguanide; pyridine-2-thiol 1-oxide, sodium salt (sodium pyrithione, cas no. 3811-73-2); pyrithione zinc (zinc pyrithione, cas no. 13463-41-7); reaction mass of titanium dioxide and silver chloride, silver chloride (cas no. 7783-90-6); sodium azide (cas no. 26628-22-8); tetrahydro-1 ,3,4,6-tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)imidazo[4,5-d]imidazole-2,5 (1 h,3h)-dione (tmad, cas no 5395-50-6); tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulphate (2:1) (thps, cas no. 55566-30-8); salts of benzoic acid e.g. ammonium benzoate, calcium benzoate, magnesium benzoate, mea- benzoate, potassium benzoate; esters of benzoic acid, e.g. butyl benzoate, ethyl benzoate, isobutyl benzoate, isopropyl benzo ate, methyl benzoate, phenyl benzoate, propyl benzoate; benzoic acid and its sodium salt (cas no 65-85-0, cas no. 532-32-1); propionic acid and its salts, e.g. ammonium propionate, calcium propionate, magnesium propi onate, potassium propionate, sodium propionate; salicylic acid and its salts, e.g. calcium salicylate, magnesium salicylate, mea salicylate, sodi- um salicylate, potassium salicylate, tea salicylate; inorganic sulphites and hydrogensulphites, e.g. sodium sulfite, ammonium sulfite, ammonium bisulfite, potassium sulfite, potassium hydrogene sulfite, sodium bisulfite, sodium metasulfite, potassium metasulfite, potassium metabisulfite; chlorobutanol (cas no 57-15-8); butyl 4 -hydroxybenzoate and its salts e.g. butylparaben, sodium butyl paraben, potassium butyl paraben; propyl 4-hydroxybenzoate and its salts, e.g. propyl paraben, sodium propyl paraben, potassium propyl paraben; lsopropyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid and its salts and esters; lsobutyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid and its salts and esters; benzyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid and its salts and esters; pentyl-4-hydroxybenzoic acid and its salts and esters; 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and its salts and esters, e.g. methyl paraben, ethyl paraben, potassium ethyl paraben, potassium paraben, potassium methyl paraben, sodium methyl paraben, sodium ethyl paraben, sodium paraben, calcium paraben, calcium methyl paraben, calcium ethyl para ben; 3-acetyl-6-methylpyran-2,4(3h)-dione and its salts, e.g. dehydroacetic acid, sodium dehydroa- cetic acid (cas nos 520-45-6, 4418-26-2, 16807-48-0); 3,3'-dibromo-4,4'-hexamethylenedioxydibenzamidine and its salts (including isethionate), e.g. dibromohexamidine isethionate (cas no. 93856-83-8); thiomersal (cas no 54-64-8); phenylmercuric salts (including borate), e.g. phenyl mercuric acetate, phenyl mercuric benzoate (cas nos. 62-38-4 and 94-43-9); undec-10-enoic acid and its salts, e.g. undecylenic acid, potassium undecylenic acid, sodium undecylenic acid, calcium undecylenic acid, mea-undecylenic acid, tea-undecylenic acid; 5-pyrimidinamine, 1,3-bis(2-ethylhexyl)hexahydro-5-methyl-, e.g. hexetidine (cas no. 141-94- 6); 1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)urea, e.g. triclocarban (cas no 101-20-2); chlorocresol, e,g, p-chloro-m-cresol (cas no. 59-50-7); chloroxylenol (cas nos 88-04-0, 1321-23-9); n,n"-methylenebis[n'-[3-(hydroxymethyl)-2,5-dioxoimidazolidin-4-yl]urea], synonym: imidazoli- dinyl urea (cas no. 39236-46-9); methenamine (cas no. 100-97-0); methenamine 3 -chloroallylochloride, synonym: quaternium 15 (cas no 4080-31-3), 1-(4-chlorophenoxy)-1-(imidazol-1-yl)-3,3-dimethylbutan-2-one, synonym: climbazole (cas no 38083-17-9); 1.3-bis(hydroxymethyl)-5,5-dimethylimidazolidine-2,4-dione, synonym: dmdm hydantoin (cas no 6440-58-0); 1-hydroxy-4-methyl-6-(2,4,4-trimethylpentyl)-2 pyridon and its monoethanolamine salt, e.g. 1- hydroxy-4-methyl-6-(2,4,4-trimethylpentenyl)-2-pyridon, piroctone olamine (cas nos 50650-76- 5, 68890-66-4); 2,2'-methylenebis(6-bromo-4-chlorophenol), synonym: bromochorophene (cas no 15435-29- 7); 4-lsopropyl-m-cresol, synonym: o-cymen-5-ol (cas no 3228-02-2); 2-benzyl-4-chlorophenol, synonym: chlorophene (cas no 120-32-1); 2-chloroacetamide (cas no 79-07-2); n,n'-bis(4-chlorophenyl)-3,12-diimino-2,4,11,13-tetraazatetradecanediamidine and its diglu conate, diacetate and dihydrochloride, e.g. chlorohexidine, chlorhexidine digluconate, chloro- hexidine diacetate, chlorhexidine dihydrochloride (cas nos 55-56-1 , 56-95-1, 18472-51-0, 3697-42-5); alkyl (c12-c22) trimethyl ammonium bromide and chloride, e.g. behentrimonium chloriode, cetri- monium bromide, cetrimonium chloride, laurtrimonium bromide, laurtrimonium chloride, stear- trimonium bromide, steartrimonium chloride (cas nos 17301 -53-0, 57-09-0, 112-02-7, 1119-94- 4, 112-00-5, 1120-02-1, 112-03-8); 4.4-dimethyl-1 ,3-oxazolidine (cas no 51200-87-4); n-(hydroxymethyl)-n-(dihydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxo-2,5-imidazolidinyl-4)-n'-(hydroxymethyl)urea, synonym: diazolidinyl urea (cas no 78491-02-8); benzenecarboximidamide, 4,4'-(1,6-hexanediylbis(oxy))bis-, and its salts (including isothionate and p-hydroxybenzoate), e.g. hexamidine, hexamidine diisethionate, hexamidine paraben (cas nos 3811-75-4, 659-40-5, 93841-83-9); 5-ethyl-3,7-dioxa-1-azabicyclo[3.3.0] octane, synonym: 7-ethylbicyclooxazolidine (cas no 7747-35-5); 3-(p-chlorophenoxy)-propane-1 ,2-diol, synonym: chlorophenesin (cas no 104-29-0); sodium hydroxymethylamino acetate, synonym: sodium n-(hydroxymethyl)glycinate, sodium hydroxymethylglycinate (cas no 70161-44-3); benzenemethanaminium, n,n -dimethyl-n-[2-[2-[4-(1 ,1,3,3, -tetramethylbutyl)phenoxy]ethoxy]- ethyl]-, chloride, synonym: benzethonium chloride cas no 121-54-0); benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate, e.g. benzalkonium chloride, benzalkonium bromide, benzalkonium saccharinate (cas nos 8001-54-5, 63449-41-2, 91080-29-4, 68989-01- 5, 68424-85-1, 68391-01-5, 61789-71-7, 85409-22-9); methanol, (phenylmethoxy), synonym: benzylhemiformal (cas no 14548-60-8); 3-lodo-2-propynylbutylcarbamate (ipbc, cas no 55406-53-6) ethyl lauroyl arginate hci (cas no 60372-77-2); 1 ,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, 2-hydroxy-, monohydrate and 1 ,2,3-propanetricarboxylic acid, 2-hydroxy-silver(1+) salt, monohydrate, i nci : citric acid (and) silver citrate; tetrahydro-3,5-dimethyl-1 ,3,5-thiadia-zine-2-thione (further names: 3,5-dimethyl-1 ,3-5- thiadiazinane-2-thione, protectol® dz, protectol® dz p, dazomet, cas no. 533-74-4); 2,4-dichlorobenzyl alcohol (cas-no. 1777-82-8, further names: dichlorobenzyl alcohol, 2,4- dichloro-benzenemethanol, (2,4-dichloro-phenyl)-methanol, dcba, protectol® da); 1-propanol (cas-no. 71-23-8, further names: n-propanol, propan-1-ol, n-propyl alcohol, protec tol® np s); 5-bromo-5-nitro-1 ,3-dioxane (cas-no. 30007-47-7, further names: 5-bromo-5-nitro-m-dioxane, bronidox ®); 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1 ,3-diol (cas-no. 52-51-7, further names: 2-bromo-2-nitro-1 ,3- propanediol, bronopol®, protectol® bn, myacide as); glutaraldehyde (cas-no. 111-30-8, further names: 1-5-pentandial, pentane-1 ,5-dial, glutaral, glutardialdehyde, protectol® ga, protectol® ga 50, myacide® ga); glyoxal (cas no. 107-22-2; further names: ethandial, oxylaldehyde, 1 ,2-ethandial, protectol® gl); 2,4,4'-trichloro-2'-hydroxydiphenyl ether (cas no. 3380-34-5, further names: triclosan, irgasan® dp 300, irgacare® mp, tcs); 4,4’-dichloro 2-hydroxydiphenyl ether (cas-no. 3380-30-1), further names: 5-chloro-2-(4- chlorophenoxy) phenol, diclosan, dcpp, which is commercially available as a solution of 30 wt% of 4,4’-dichloro 2-hydroxydiphenyl ether in 1 ,2 propyleneglycol under the trade name tino- san® hp 100; 2-phenoxyethanol (cas-no. 122-99-6, further names: phenoxyethanol, methylphenylglycol, phenoxetol, ethylene glycol phenyl ether, ethylene glycol monophenyl ether, protectol® pe); phenoxypropanol (cas-no. 770-35-4, cas no 4169-04-4, propylene glycol phenyl ether, phe- noxyisopropanol 1-phenoxy-2-propanol, 2-phenoxy-1 -propanol); glucoprotamine (cas-no. 164907-72-6, chemical description: reaction product of glutamic acid and alkylpropylenediamine, further names: glucoprotamine 50); cyclohexyl hydroxyl diazenium-1 -oxide, potassium salt (cas no. 66603-10-9, further names: n- cyclohexyl-diazenium dioxide, potassium hdo, xyligene, protectol® kd); formic acid (cas-no. 64-18-6, further names: methanoic acid, protectol® fm, protectol® fm 75, protectol® fm 85, protectol® fm 99, lutensol® fm) and its salts, e.g. sodium formiate (cas no 141-53-7); performic acid and its salts; anorganic silver complexes such as silver zeolites and silver glass compounds (e.g. irgaguard® b5000, irgaguard® b6000, irgaguard® b7000) and others described in wo-a-99/18790, ep1041879b1 ; 1 ,3,5-tris-(2-hydroxyethyl)-hexahydro-1 ,3,5-triazin (cas-no. 4719-04-4, further names: hex- yhydrotriazine, tris(hydroethyl)-hexyhydrotriazin, hexyhydro-1,3-5-tris(2-hydroxyethyl)-s- triazine, 2,2',2"-(hexahydro-1 ,3,5-triazine-1 ,3,5- triyl)triethanol, protectol® ht); in one embodiment, an enzyme preparations of the invention comprise at least one preservative selected from the group consisting of 2-phenoxyethanol, glutaraldehyde, 2-bromo-2- nitropropane-1 ,3-diol, and formic acid in acid form or as its salt, and 4,4’-dichloro 2- hydroxydiphenylether. the enzyme preparations of the invention in one embodiment comprise at least one preserva tive in amounts ranging from 2 ppm to 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. the enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise phenoxyethanol in amounts ranging from 0.1% to 2% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. the enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol in amounts ranging from 20 ppm to 1000 ppm. the enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise glutaralde hyde in amounts ranging from 10 ppm to 2000 ppm. the enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise formic acid and/or formic acid salt in amounts ranging from 0.05% to 0.5% by weight relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. the enzyme preparations of the invention may comprise 4,4’-dichloro 2-hydroxydiphenylether in amounts ranging from 0.001% to 3% by weight, 0.002% to 1% by weight, or 0.01% to 0.6% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the enzyme preparation. in a preferred embodiment, the enzyme preparations of the invention comprise component (a): at least one enzyme selected from the group of subtilisin type proteases (ec 3.4.21.62), preferably a protease 80% identical to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 having r101e optionally in combination with at least one fur ther enzyme, preferably selected from the group of alpha-amylases; and component (b): an enzyme-stabilizing system comprising at least one compound according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear c1-c5 al kyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -ci 0 -aryl, non-substituted or substituted with one or more carboxylate or hydroxyl groups, and c 6 -ci 0 -aryl-alkyl, wherein al kyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h; and at least one compound selected from peptide stabilizers selected from com pounds according to formula (db), wherein r 1 and r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co and nh-chr 2 -co each is an l or d-amino acid residue selected from ala, cys, gly, pro, ser, thr, val, nva or nle, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue selected from tyr, m-tyrosine, 3,4-dihydroxyphe-nylalanine, phe, val, ala, met, nva, leu, lie or nle; and the n-terminal protection group z is selected from benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz), p-methoxybenzyl carbonyl (moz), benzyl (bn), benzoyl (bz), p-methoxybenzyl (pmb), p-methoxyphenyl (pmp), formyl, acetyl (ac), methyloxy, alkoxycarbonyl, methoxycarbonyl, fluorenylmethyloxycarbon- yl (fmoc), or tert-butyloxycarbonyl (boc). and component (c): one or more diols, preferably selected from diol having vicinally positioned -oh groups containing 4 to 5 c-atoms, and diol having terminal -oh groups containing 4 to 8 c-atoms and component (d): at least one compound selected from (i) solvents, and (ii) compounds stabiliz ing the liquid enzyme preparation as such. preferably, component (d) comprises at least one solvent as disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (d) is free of preservatives. process of making enzyme preparation: the invention relates to a process for making an enzyme preparation, said process comprising the step of mixing in one or more steps at least component (a) as disclosed above, component (b) as disclosed above, and component (c) as disclosed above, and optionally component (d) as disclosed above. preferably, mixing in one or more steps is made in any order. in one embodiment, the invention relates to a process for making an enzyme preparation, said process comprising the step of mixing components (a), (b), and (c) as disclosed above, wherein component (a) preferably comprises at least one protease; and optionally at least one enzyme selected from the group of amylases, lipases, cellulases, and mannanases - all as disclosed above. at least one protease is preferably selected from subtilisin proteases as disclosed above, more preferably from • proteases according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, preferably a protease 80% similar and/or identical to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 having r101 e, and • subtilisin 309 as disclosed in table i a) of wo 89/06279 or variants thereof having proteo lytic activity. at least one amylase is preferably selected from the group of alpha-amylases (ec 3.2.1.1) as disclosed above, more preferably at least one amylase is selected from • amylase from bacillus sp.707 or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably se lected from amylases having seq id no:6 as disclosed in wo 99/19467 and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase selected from those comprising amino acids 1 to 485 of seq id no:2 as de scribed in wo 00/60060 those having seq id no: 12 as described in wo 2006/002643, and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus halmapalus or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases having seq id no: 1 and 2 as disclosed in wo 2013/001078; having seq id no:6 as described in wo 2011/098531 ; and variants thereof having amy lolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus amyloliquefaciens or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases according to seq id no: 3 of wo 2016/092009; • hybrid amylases according to wo 2014/183920 with a and b domains having at least 90% identity to seq id no:2 of wo 2014/183920 and a c domain having at least 90% identity to seq id no:6 of wo 2014/183920, wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% identical to seq id no: 23 of wo 2014/183920 and having amylolytic activity; • hybrid amylase according to wo 2014/183921 with a and b domains having at least 75% identity to seq id no: 2, seq id no: 15, seq id no: 20, seq id no: 23, seq id no: 29, seq id no: 26, seq id no: 32, and seq id no: 39 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and a c domain having at least 90% identity to seq id no: 6 of wo 2014/183921 , wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably, the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% identical to seq id no: 30 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and having amylolytic activity. in one embodiment, component (a) comprises at least one protease and at least one amylase, both as disclosed above. component (b) comprises component (bi) and (bii) as disclosed above. component (bi) and (bii) in one embodiment are added to component (a) together or separately from each other. component (a) in one embodiment is liquid, wherein at least one enzyme may be comprised in a liquid enzyme concentrate as disclosed above. liquid component (a) may be supplemented with component (bii) prior or after its supplementation with component (bi). liquid component (a) may be supplemented with component (bi), wherein component (bi) dis solves at least partly in liquid component (a). in one embodiment, liquid component (a) is pref erably resulting from fermentation. preferably, component (bi) is dissolved in its entirety after addition of component (c) prior or after addition to component (a). in one embodiment, the process of making the enzyme preparations of the invention comprises at least the steps of (1) mixing component (bi) and/or component (bii) with component (c) and (2) adding component (a). in one embodiment, the process of making the enzyme preparations of the invention comprise at least the steps of (1) mixing component (bi) and/or component (bii) with component (d), (2) adding component (c) and (3) adding component (a) is added. component (bi) and/or (bii) may be solid. solid component (bi) and/or (bii) may be added to solid component (a) prior to contact with component (c). contact with component (c) preferably results in solubilization of at least one molecule component (bi) and/or at least one molecule component (bii) and/or at least one molecule of component (a), resulting in stabilization of at least one molecule component (a). in one embodiment, the enzyme preparations resulting are homogenous and storage-stable fulfilling the criteria as disclosed herein. in one aspect, the invention relates to the use of at least one diol selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms to improve enzyme stability of at least one hydrolase and/or enzyme preparation stability in the presence of a compound according to according to general formula (a) wherein the variables in formula (a) are as follows: r 1 is selected from h and c1-c10 alkylcarbonyl, wherein alkyl may be linear or branched and may bear one or more hydroxyl groups, r 2 , r 3 , r 4 are independently from each other selected from h, linear c1-c5 alkyl, and branched c3-c10 alkyl, c 6 -cio-aryl, non-substituted or substituted with one or more car- boxylate or hydroxyl groups, and c 6 -cio-aryl-alkyl, wherein alkyl of the latter is selected from linear ci-c 8 alkyl or branched c 3 -c 8 alkyl, wherein at least one of r 2 , r 3 , and r 4 is not h. preferably, the hydrolase-stability is improved in the presence of a compound according to for mula (a) and an enzyme stabilizer selected from boron-containing compounds and peptide sta bilizers. the hydrolase-stability is preferably improved in liquid enzyme preparations and/or liq uid detergent formulations. “improved hydrolase stability” preferably relates to an improvement when compared to a hydrolase in the absence of component (c). “enzyme preparation stability” preferably relates to homogenous, storage-stable enzyme prepa rations fulfilling the criteria as disclosed herein. “improved enzyme preparation stability” preferably relates to an improvement when compared to an enzyme preparation lacking component (c). in one aspect, the invention relates to the use of component (c) to provide homogenous and storage-stable enzyme preparations comprising at least components (a) and (b). the enzyme preparations of the invention are homogenous at a temperature of about 8°c, about 20°c or about 37°c, and normal pressure of about 101.3 kpa. homogenous means that the enzyme preparation does not show visible precipitate formation or turbidity. the enzyme preparations of the invention are storage-stable at a temperature of about 8°c, about 20°c or about 37°c for up to 6 weeks. storage-stable in this context means that the liquid enzyme preparation does not show visible precipitate formation or turbidity after storage of the liquid enzyme preparation, preferably after up to 6 or 8 weeks of storage at 8°c or 37°c. prefer ably, the liquid enzyme preparation is storage-stable at storage between 8°c and 37°c for up to 6 months. detergent formulations the invention in one aspect relates to the use of the liquid enzyme preparation of the invention to be formulated into detergent formulations such as l&l and homecare formulations for laundry and hard surface cleaning, wherein at least components (a) and (b) are mixed in no specified order in one or more steps with one or more detergent components. in one embodiment, at least components (a), (b) and (c) as disclosed above are mixed in no specified order in one or more steps with one or more detergent components. in one aspect of the invention relates to detergent formulations comprising the liquid enzyme preparations of the invention and one or more detergent components. the addition of the en zyme preparations of the invention to detergent formulations, preferably liquid detergent formu lations, usually occurs in a weight ratio enzyme preparatiomdetergent formulation of about 1:1000, 1 :500, 1:100, 1:50, 1:30, 1:25, 1:20, or 1:10. liquid detergent formulations of the invention therefore comprise different amounts of compo nents (a), (b) and (c) of the liquid compositions, for example those listed in the table below (by weight means relative to the total weight of the liquid detergent): component (a) in the table above preferably comprises at least one subtilisin protease as dis closed herein. component (c) in one embodiment comprises a mixture of at least one diol hav ing terminally positioned -oh and at least one diols having vicinally positioned -oh as disclosed above, the latter preferably selected from 1 ,2-butan diol and 1 ,2-pentandiol, wherein the weight ratio of one diol having terminally positioned -oh to the diol having vicinally positioned -oh is 10:1, 9:1, 8:1, 7:1, or 6:1, preferably within the range of 6:1 to 8:1 , more preferably within the range of 7:1 to 6:1 , most preferably 6.75:1. in one aspect, the invention relates to detergent formulations comprising components (a) and (b) and (c) and optionally (d) as disclosed above and one or more detergent components. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation of the invention comprises at least one enzyme (component (a)) selected from the group of serine proteases (ec 3.4.21), triacylglycerol lipase (ec 3.1.1.3), alpha amylases (ec 3.2.1.1), endoglucanases (ec 3.2.1.4), endo-1 ,4-p- mannosidase (ec 3.2.1.78), and dna degrading enzymes. the invention relates to a method for preparation of detergent formulations according to the invention, wherein components (a) and (b) and (c) and optionally (d) as disclosed above, and at least one detergent component are mixed in one or more steps in any order. “detergent formulation” or “cleaning formulation” herein means formulations designated for cleaning soiled material. cleaning may mean laundering or hard surface cleaning. soiled mate rial according to the invention includes textiles and/or hard surfaces. the term “laundering” relates to both household laundering and industrial laundering and means the process of treating textiles with a solution comprising a detergent formulation of the present invention. the laundering process may be carried out by using technical devices such as a household or an industrial washing machine. alternatively, the laundering process may be done by hand. the term “textile" means any textile material including yarns (thread made of natural or synthetic fibers used for knitting or weaving), yarn intermediates, fibers, non-woven materials, natural materials, synthetic materials, as well as fabrics (a textile made by weaving, knitting or felting fibers) made of these materials such as garments (any article of clothing made of textile), cloths and other articles. the term “fibers” includes natural fibers, synthetic fibers, and mixtures thereof. examples of natural fibers are of plant (such as flax, jute and cotton) or animal origin, comprising proteins like collagen, keratin and fibroin (e.g. silk, sheeps wool, angora, mohair, cashmere). examples for fibers of synthetic origin are polyurethane fibers such as spandex® or lyaa®, polyester fibers, polyolefins such as elastofin, or polyamide fibers such as nylon. fibers may be single fibers or parts of textiles such as knitwear, wovens, or nonwovens. the term “hard surface cleaning” is defined herein as cleaning of hard surfaces wherein hard surfaces may include any hard surfaces in the household, such as floors, furnishing, walls, sani tary ceramics, glass, metallic surfaces including cutlery or dishes. the term “hard surface cleaning” may therefore may mean “dish washing” which refers to all forms of washing dishes, e.g. by hand or automatic dish wash (adw). dish washing includes, but is not limited to, the cleaning of all forms of crockery such as plates, cups, glasses, bowls, all forms of cutlery such as spoons, knives, forks and serving utensils as well as ceramics, plastics such as melamine, metals, chi na, glass and acrylics. the inventive washing and/or cleaning process is being carried out at temperatures in the range of from 10 to 90°c. in embodiments wherein the inventive cleaning process is carried out as a laundering process, it is preferably carried out at a temperature in the range of from 10 to 60°c, more preferably 20 to 40°c. in embodiments wherein the inventive cleaning process is carried out as an automatic dishwashing process, it is preferably carried out at a temperature in the range of from 45 to 65°c, more preferably 50 to 60°c. said temperatures refer to the tempera ture of the water being used in the inventive process. detergent components vary in type and/or amount in a detergent formulation depending on the desired application such as laundering white textiles, colored textiles, and wool. the compo nents) chosen further depend on physical form of a detergent formulation (liquid, solid, gel, provided in pouches or as a tablet, etc). the component(s) chosen e.g. for laundering formula tions further depend on regional conventions which themselves are related to aspects like washing temperatures used, mechanics of laundry machine (vertical vs. horizontal axis ma chines), water consumption per wash cycle etc. and geographical characteristics like average hardness of water. individual detergent components and usage in detergent formulations are known to those skilled in the art. suitable detergent components comprise inter alia surfactants, builders, polymers, alkaline, bleaching systems, fluorescent whitening agents, suds suppressors and stabilizers, hydrotropes, and corrosion inhibitors. further examples are described e.g. in “complete technology book on detergents with formulations (detergent cake, dishwashing detergents, liquid & paste detergents, enzyme detergents, cleaning powder & spray dried washing powder)”, engineers india research institute (eiri), 6 th edition (2015). another reference book for those skilled in the art may be “detergent formulations encyclopedia”, solverchem publications, 2016. it is understood that the detergent components are in addition to the components comprised in the enzyme preparations of the invention. if a component comprised in the enzyme preparations of the invention is also a detergent component, it might be the concentrations that need to be adjusted that the component is effective for the purpose desired in the detergent formulation. the total weight of at least one organic solvent comprised in component (d) as disclosed above, preferably selected from 1 ,2-propane diol and mpeg in liquid detergent formulations, preferably those comprised in a container made of water-soluble polymeric film, may be added up to a total weight of 35% by weight, relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. “added up” in this context means that additionally to the organic solvent that is added to the detergent formulation by adding the enzyme preparation of the invention, the total content of said organic solvent is added up to 30% by weight, up to 25% by weight, up to 20% by weight, up to 15% by weight, up to 10% by weight, up to 8% by weight, up to 7% by weight, or up to 6% by weight. the total amount of said organic solvent in liquid detergent formulations preferably ranges from about 0.05% to 30% by weight, about 0.5% to 20% by weight, about 1% to 10% by weight, from about 2% to 8% by weight, from about 3% to 7% by weight, or from about 4% to 6% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the liquid detergent formulation. detergent components may have more than one function in the final application of a detergent formulation, therefore any detergent component mentioned in the context of a specific function herein, may also have another function in the final application of a detergent formulation. the function of a specific detergent component in the final application of a detergent formulation usually depends on its amount within the detergent formulation, i.e. the effective amount of a detergent component. the term “effective amount” includes amounts of individual components to provide effective stain removal and/or effective cleaning conditions (e.g. ph, quantity of foaming), amounts of certain components to effectively provide optical benefits (e.g. optical brightening, dye transfer inhibition), and/or amounts of certain components to effectively aid the processing (maintain physical characteristics during processing, storage and use; e.g. viscosity modifiers, hy drotropes, desiccants). in one embodiment, a detergent formulation is a formulation of more than two detergent com ponents, wherein at least one component is effective in stain-removal, at least one component is effective in providing the optimal cleaning conditions, and at least one component is effective in maintaining the physical characteristics of the detergent. detergent formulations of the invention comprising component (a) and component (b) and com ponent (c) and optionally component (d), wherein component (a) and component (b) and com ponent (c) and optionally component (d) in one embodiment are part of a liquid formulation which is physically isolated from detergent components. in an embodiment the physical isolation occurs by using multi-compartment containers, prefera bly multi-compartment pouches. such pouches may be formed by water-soluble polymeric films. pouches can be of any form, shape and material which is suitable for holding a formulation, e.g., without allowing the release of said formulation from the pouch prior to water contact. the pouches may comprise a solid formulation and/or a liquid formulation in different compartments. the compartment for liquid components can be different in formulation than compartments con taining solids (see e.g. ep 2014756). in another embodiment physical isolation occurs by microencapsulation. the aim of microen capsulation is, at the one hand, the isolation of the liquid core formulation from its surrounding, and, on the other hand, release of the core formulation at the time of use (the liquid core formu lation must be released timely). capsule contents may be released by melting the wall, or dis solving it under particular conditions. in other systems, the wall is broken by solvent action, en zyme attack, chemical reaction, hydrolysis, or slow disintegration. most prominently, the limiting factor for suitability in detergent formulations is a rapid release of the core formulation at the time when a detergent formulation is diluted in water but ensuring non-release of the core for mulation during storage in detergent formulations. microcapsules may be dispersed in liquid formulations with optional stabilization of such dispersions by means such as rheology modifica tion through addition of thickeners. stabilization of dispersions may be achieved by supplemen tation with dispersing agents. formulation may mean that such dispersions are stabilized against microbial growth by the addition of preservatives. microencapsulated liquid formulations may be part of a solid detergent formulation after drying of the microcapsules. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention is liquid at 20°c and 101.3 kpa. the liquid detergent formulation may comprise water or may be essentially free of water, the latter meaning that no significant amounts of water are present. non-significant amounts of wa ter herein means, that the liquid detergent formulation comprises less than 15%, less than 10%, less than 7%, less than 5%, less than 4%, less than 3%, less than 2% by weight water, all rela tive to the total weight of the liquid detergent formulation, or no water. in one embodiment, liquid detergent formulations free of water means that the liquid detergent formulation does not com prise significant amounts of water but does comprise organic solvents in amounts of 30-80% by weight, relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. solvent in this context means any compound as disclosed as solvent according to component (d). water-comprising liquid detergent formulations may comprise essentially water as solvent. “es sentially water as solvent” means that organic solvents have only been introduced into the de tergent formulation by individual components such as the enzyme preparations according to the invention. in embodiments, mixtures of water with one or more water-miscible solvents are used as aque ous medium. the term water-miscible solvent refers to organic solvents that are miscible with water at ambient temperature without phase-separation. examples are ethylene glycol, 1 ,2- propylene glycol, isopropanol, and diethylene glycol. preferably, at least 50% by volume of the respective aqueous medium is water, referring to the solvent. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation of the invention comprises about 1-10% by weight or about 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation of an organic solvent selected from glycerol (1 ,2,3- propanetriol) and 1,2-propane diol. detergent formulations of the invention comprise at least one compound selected from surfac tants, builders, polymers, fragrances and dyestuffs. the detergent formulations of the invention comprise at least one surfactant selected from non ionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, anionic surfactants, and cationic surfactants. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise 0.1 to 60% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation of surfactant. the detergent formulations preferably comprise at least one compound selected from anionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants, am photeric surfactants, and amine oxide surfactants as well as combinations of at least two of the foregoing. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention comprise 5 to 30 % by weight of anionic surfactant and at least one non-ionic surfactant, for example in the range of from 3 to 20% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation, wherein the detergent formulation is preferably liquid. non-ionic surfactant means a surfactant that contains neither positively nor negatively charged (i.e. ionic) functional groups. in contrast to anionic and cationic surfactants, non-ionic surfac tants do not ionize in solution. at least one non-ionic surfactant in one embodiment is selected from alkoxylated alcohols, di- and multiblock copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and reaction products of sorbitan with ethylene oxide or propylene oxide, alkyl polyglycosides (apg), hydroxyalkyl mixed ethers and amine oxides. non-ionic surfactants may be compounds of the general formulae (la) and (lb): r 1 is selected from c 1 -c 23 alkyl and c 2 -c 23 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched; examples are n-cyhis, n-c 9 hi 9 , n-cnh 23 , n-ci 3 h 2 7, n-ci 5 h 3i , n- c 17 h35, i-c 9 h 19 , 1-c 12 h 25 · r 2 is selected from h, c1-c20 alkyl and c2-c20 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched. r 3 and r 4 , each independently selected from c1-c16 alkyl, wherein alkyl is linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched; examples are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert- butyl, n-pentyl, isopentyl, sec-pentyl, neopentyl, 1,2-dimethylpropyl, isoamyl, n-hexyl, isohexyl, sec-hexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, 2-ethylhexyl, n-nonyl, n-decyl, isodecyl. r 5 is selected from h and c1-c18 alkyl, wherein alkyl is linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched. the integers of the general formulae (la) and (lb) are defined as follows: m is in the range of zero to 200, preferably 1-80, more preferably 3-20; n and 0, each inde- pendently in the range of zero to 100; n preferably is in the range of 1 to 10, more preferably 1 to 6; 0 preferably is in the range of 1 to 50, more preferably 4 to 25. the sum of m, n and 0 is at least one, preferably the sum of m, n and 0 is in the range of 5 to 100, more preferably in the range of from 9 to 50. compounds according to formula (la) may be called alkyl polyethyleneglycol ether (aeo) here- in. compounds according to formula (lb) may be called alkylphenol polyethyleneglycol ether (apeo) herein. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein said non-ionic surfactant is characterized in r 1 being n-ci 3 h 2 7, r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 3-20, n and 0 = 0. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein said non-ionic surfactant is characterized in r1 being linear or branched cm alkyl, r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 3-14, n and o = 0. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least two non-ionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein one of said non-ionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being n-ci 5 h 3i , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 11-80, n and o = 0, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being n-ci 7 h35, r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 11-80, n and 0 = 0. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation comprises at least one non-ionic surfactant selected from general formula (la), wherein m is in the range of 3 to 11 , preferably not more than 10, more preferably not more than 7; n and 0 is 0, r 1 is linear c9-c17 alkyl, r 2 and r 5 is h. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least two non-ionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein one of said non-ionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being n-ci 2 h 2 5, r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 3-30, preferably 7, n and 0 = 0, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being n-ci h 29 , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 3-30, preferably 7, n and 0 = 0. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least two non-ionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein one of said non-ionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being n-cn h 23 , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 4-10, n and 0 = 0, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 selected from n-cnh 23 and n-ci7h 35 , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 4-10, n and o = 0. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least two non-ionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein one of said non-ionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being n-c 9 hi 9 , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 5-7, n and 0 = 0, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being n-ci7h 35 , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 5-7, n and 0 = 0. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation comprises at least two non-ionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein one of said non-ionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being n-cnh 23 , r 5 being h, m is 7, n and 0 = 0, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being c i3 h 2 7, r 5 being h, m being 7, n and 0 = 0. the non-ionic surfactants of the general formulae (la) and (lb) can be of any structure, is it block or random structure, and is not limited to the displayed sequence of formulae (la) and (lb). in one embodiment, detergent formulations according to the invention comprises at least one compound according to formula (la) or (lb) in the range of about 0.3% to 30% by weight, in the range of about 0.4% to 20% by weight, or in the range of about 0.5% to 10%, all relative to the total weight of a detergent formulation. at least one non-ionic surfactant is preferably selected from a surfactant according to general formula (la), and wherein m is 7; n and 0 is 0, r 1 is c12- ci4, r 2 and r 5 is h. in an embodiment, the detergent formulation comprises two non-ionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (la), wherein one of said non-ionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being c12, r 2 and r 5 being h, m is 7, n and 0 = 0, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being c h , r 2 and r 5 being h, m being 7, n and 0 = 0, wherein preferably the total amount of the non-ionic surfactants is in the range of about 0.3% to 30% by weight, in the range of about 0.4% to 20% by weight, or in the range of about 0.5% to 10%, all relative to the total weight of a detergent formulation. non-ionic surfactants may further be compounds of the general formula (ii), which might be called alkyl-polyglycosides (apg): the variables of the general formula (ii) are defined as follows: r 1 is selected from c 1 -c 17 alkyl and c 2 -c 17 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched; examples are n-c 7 hi 5 , n-c 9 hi 9 , n-cnh 23 , n-ci 3 h 27 , n-ci 5 h 3i , n- c17h35, i-c9h19, i-c12h25· r 2 is selected from h, c1-c17 alkyl and c2-c17 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched. g 1 is selected from monosaccharides with 4 to 6 carbon atoms, such as glucose and xylose. the integer w of the general formula (ii) is in the range of from 1.1 to 4, w being an average number. non-ionic surfactants in one embodiment are compounds of general formula (iv): the variables of the general formula (iv) are defined as follows: ao being identical or different alkylene oxides, selected from ch2-ch2-o, (ch 2 ) 3 -0, (ch 2 ) 4 -0, ch 2 ch(ch 3 )-0, ch(ch 3 )-ch 2 -0- and ch 2 ch(n-c 3 h 7 )-0. r 1 is selected from linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched c -c 3 o-alkyl, and from straight- chain or branched c 4 -c 3 o-alkylene with at least one c-c double bond. r 1 may be straight- chain or branched c -c 30 -alkyl, n-c -c 30 -alkyl, h-0 7 -0i 5 alkyl, or n-ci 0 -ci 2 -alkyl. r 2 is selected from linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched crc 30 -alkyl, and from straight- chain or branched c 2 -c 30 -alkylene with at least one c-c double bond. r 2 may be straight- chain or branched c 6 -c 20 -alkyl, preferably straight-chain or branched c 8 -ci 2 -alkyl, more preferably straight-chain or branched ci 0 -ci 2 -alkyl. the integer x of the general formula (iv) may be a number in the range of 5 to 70, 10 to 60, 15 to 50, or 20 to 40. in one embodiment of the present invention, (ao) x is selected from (ch 2 ch 2 0) xi , x1 being se lected from one to 50. in one embodiment of the present invention, (ao) x is selected from -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 -(ch 2 ch(ch 3 )-0) x3 and -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 -(ch(ch 3 )ch 2 -0) x3 , x2 and x3 being identi cal or different and selected from 1 to 30. in one embodiment of the present invention, (ao) x is selected from -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x , x4 = being in the range of from 10 to 50, ao being eo, and r 1 and r 2 each being independently selected from cs-ci -alkyl. in the context of the present invention, x or x1 or x2 and x3 or x4 are to be understood as aver age values, the number average being preferred. therefore, each x or x1 or x2 or x3 or x4 - if applicable - can refer to a fraction although a specific molecule can only carry a whole number of alkylene oxide units. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation of the invention comprises at least one non-ionic surfactant according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n-c 3 -ci 7 alkyl, r 2 is linear or branched c 8 -ci alkyl. preferably ao is selected from -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 -(ch 2 ch(ch 3 )-0) x3 , -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 - (ch(ch 3 )ch 2 -0) x3 , and -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x , wherein x2 and x4 is a number in the range of 15-50 and x3 is a number in the range of 1 to 15. at least one non-ionic surfactant in one embodiment is a compound according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n-c 8 alkyl, r 2 is branched cn alkyl, ao is ch 2 -ch 2 -0, and x is 22. at least one non-ionic surfactant in one embodiment is a compound according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n-c 8 alkyl, r 2 is n-c 8 -ci 0 alkyl, ao is ch 2 -ch 2 -0, and x is 40. at least one non-ionic surfactant in one embodiment is a compound according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n-c 8 alkyl, r 2 is n-ci 0 alkyl, ao is selected from -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 - (ch 2 ch(ch 3 )-0) x3 , -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 -(ch(ch 3 )ch 2 -0) x3 , wherein x2 = 22 and x3 = 1. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation, preferably a liquid detergent formulation accord ing to the invention, comprises at least one compound according to formula (iv) in the range of about 0.3% to 10% by weight, in the range of about 0.5% to 5% by weight, or in the range of about 1% to 3%, all relative to the total weight of a detergent formulation. at least one non-ionic surfactant preferably is a compound according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n-c 8 alkyl, r 2 is branched cn alkyl, ao is ch 2 -ch 2 -0, and x is 22. non-ionic surfactants in one embodiment are selected from sorbitan esters and/or ethoxylated or propoxylated sorbitan esters. non-limiting examples are products sold under the trade names span and tween. non-ionic surfactants in one embodiment are selected from alkoxylated mono- or di- alkylamines, fatty acid monoethanolamides (fama), fatty acid diethanolamides (fada), ethox ylated fatty acid monoethanolamides (efam), propoxylated fatty acid monoethanolamides (pfam), polyhydroxy alkyl fatty acid amides, or n-acyl n-alkyl derivatives of glucosamine (glu- camides, ga, or fatty acid glucamide, faga), and combinations thereof. surfactants in one embodiment are compounds comprising amphoteric structures of general formula (v), which might be called modified amino acids (proteinogenic as well as non- proteinogenic): the variables in general formula (v) are defined as follows: r 8 is selected from h, c1-c4 alkyl, c 2 -c 4 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched. r 9 is selected from ci-c 22 - alkyl, c 2 -c 22 - alkenyl, ci 0 -c 22 alkylcarbonyl, and ci 0 -c 22 alkenylcar- bonyl. r 10 is selected from h, methyl, -(ch 2 ) 3 nhc(nh)nh 2 , -ch 2 c(0)nh 2 , -ch 2 c(0)0h, - (ch 2 ) 2 c(0)nh 2 , -(ch 2 ) 2 c(0)0h, (imidazole-4-yl)-methyl, -ch(ch 3 )c 2 h 5 , -ch 2 ch(ch 3 ) 2 , - (ch 2 ) nh 2 , benzyl, hydroxymethyl, -ch(oh)ch 3 , (indole-3-yl)-methyl, (4-hydroxy-phenyl)- methyl, isopropyl, -(ch 2 ) 2 sch 3 , and -ch 2 sh. r x is selected from h and ci-c -alkyl. surfactants in one embodiment are compounds comprising amphoteric structures of general formulae (via), (vlb), or (vic), which might be called betaines and/or sulfobetaines: the variables in general formulae (via), (vlb) and (vic) are defined as follows: r 11 is selected from linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched c7-c22 alkyl and linear (straight- chain; n-) or branched c7-c22 alkenyl. r 12 are each independently selected from linear (straight-chain; n-) c 1 -c 4 alkyl. r 13 is selected from c1-c5 alkyl and hydroxy c1-c5 alkyl; for example 2-hydroxypropyl. a is selected from carboxylate and sulfonate. the integer r in general formulae (via), (vlb), and (vic) is in the range of 2 to 6. surfactants in one embodiment are compounds comprising amphoteric structures of general formula (vii), which might be called alkyl-amphocarboxylates: the variables in general formula (vii) are defined as follows: r 11 is selected from c 7 -c 22 alkyl and c 7 -c 22 alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched, preferably linear. r 14 is selected from -ch 2 c(0)0-|\/l + , -ch 2 ch 2 c(0)0-m + and -ch 2 ch(0h)ch 2 s0 3 -m + . r 15 is selected from h and -ch 2 c(0)0 the integer r in general formula (vii) is in the range of 2 to 6. non-limiting examples of further suitable alkyl-amphocarboxylates include sodium cocoampho- acetate, sodium lauroamphoacetate, sodium capryloamphoacetate, disodium cocoamphodiace- tate, disodium lauroamphodiacetate, disodium caprylamphodiacetate, disodium capryloam- phodiacetate, disodium cocoamphodipropionate, disodium lauroamphodipropionate, disodium caprylamphodipropionate, and disodium capryloamphodipropionate. surfactants in one embodiment are compounds comprising amphoteric structures of general formula (viii), which might be called amine oxides (ao): the variables in general formula (viii) are defined as follows: r 16 is selected from cs-cis alkyl, hydroxy cs-cis alkyl, acylamidopropoyl and c 8 -ci 8 alkyl phenyl group; wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched. r 17 is selected from c2-c3 alkylene, hydroxy c 2 -c 3 alkylene, and mixtures thereof. r 18 : each residue can be independently selected from c1-c3 alkyl and hydroxy c1-c3; r 15 groups can be attached to each other, e.g., through an oxygen or nitrogen atom, to form a ring structure. the integer x in general formula (viii) is in the range of 0 to 5, preferably from 0 to 3, most pref erably 0. non-limiting examples of further suitable amine oxides include cio-ci 8 alkyl dimethyl amine ox ides and c 8 -ci 8 alkoxy ethyl dihydroxyethyl amine oxides. examples of such materials include dimethyloctyl amine oxide, diethyldecyl amine oxide, bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)dodecyl amine oxide, dimethyldodecylamine oxide, dipropyltetradecyl amine oxide, methylethylhexadecyl amine ox ide, dodecylamidopropyl dimethyl amine oxide, cetyl dimethyl amine oxide, stearyl dimethyl amine oxide, tallow dimethyl amine oxide and dimethyl-2-hydroxyoctadecyl amine oxide. a further example of a suitable amine oxide is cocamidylpropyl dimethylaminoxide, sometimes also called cocamidopropylamine oxide. mixtures of two or more different amphoteric surfactants may be present in detergent formula tions according to the present invention. in one embodiment, detergent formulations according to the invention comprises at least one amphoteric surfactant, wherein the total amount of amphoteric surfactant may be in the range from 0.01 % to 10%, in the range from 0.1 to 5%, or in the range from 0.5 to 1% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. at least one anionic surfactant is selected from alkali metal and ammonium salts of c 8 -ci 8 -alkyl sulfates, of c 8 -ci 8 -fatty alcohol polyether sulfates, of sulfuric acid half-esters of ethoxylated c - ci2-alkylphenols (ethoxylation: 1 to 50 mol of ethylene oxide/mol), ci 2 -ci 8 sulfo fatty acid alkyl esters, for example of ci 2 -ci 8 sulfo fatty acid methyl esters, furthermore of ci 2 -ci 8 -alkylsulfonic acids and of cio-ci 8 -alkylarylsulfonic acids. preference is given to the alkali metal salts of the aforementioned compounds, particularly preferably the sodium salts. anionic surfactant means a surfactant with a negatively charged ionic group. anionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, surface-active compounds that contain a hydrophobic group and at least one water-solubilizing anionic group, usually selected from sulfates, sulfonate, and car- boxylates to form a water-soluble compound. anionic surfactants in one embodiment are compounds of general formula (ixa) or (ixb): the variables in general formulae (ixa and ixb) are defined as follows: r 1 is selected from crc 2 3-alkyl (such as 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- crc 2 3-alkyl) and c 2 -c 23 -alkenyl, where in alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched, and wherein 2-, 3-, or 4- alkyl; examples are n-c 7 hi 5 , n-c 9 hi 9 , n-cnh 23 , n-ci 3 h 27 , n-ci 5 h 3i , n-ci 7 h 3 5, i-c 9 hi 9 , i- ci 2 h 25 . r 2 is selected from h, ci-c 20 -alkyl and c 2 -c 20 -alkenyl, wherein alkyl and/or alkenyl are linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched. r 3 and r 4 , each independently selected from crci 6 -alkyl, wherein alkyl is linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched; examples are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, sec- butyl, tert-butyl, n-pentyl, isopentyl, sec-pentyl, neopentyl, 1,2-dimethylpropyl, isoamyl, n- hexyl, isohexyl, sec-hexyl, n-heptyl, n-octyl, 2-ethylhexyl, n-nonyl, n-decyl, isodecyl. a is selected from -rcoo , -s0 3 and rs0 3 , wherein r is selected from linear (straight- chain; n-) or branched ci-c 8 -alkyl, and ci-c hydroxyalkyl, wherein alkyl is. compounds might be called (fatty) alcohol/alkyl (ethoxy/ether) sulfates [(f)a(e)s] when a is s0 3 , (fat ty) alcohol/alkyl (ethoxy/ether) carboxylat [(f)a(e)c] when a is -rcoo . m + is selected from h and salt forming cations. salt forming cations may be monovalent or mul tivalent; hence m + equals 1/v m v+ . examples include but are not limited to sodium, potas sium, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, and the ammonium salt of mono-, di, and trieth anolamine. the integers of the general formulae (ixa) and (ixb) are defined as follows: m is in the range of zero to 200, preferably 1-80, more preferably 3-20; n and o, each inde pendently in the range of zero to 100; n preferably is in the range of 1 to 10, more preferably 1 to 6; o preferably is in the range of 1 to 50, more preferably 4 to 25. the sum of m, n and o is at least one, preferably the sum of m, n and o is in the range of 5 to 100, more preferably in the range of from 9 to 50. anionic surfactants of the general formulae (ixa) and (ixb) can be of any structure, block copol ymers or random copolymers. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention comprises at least one anionic surfactant according to formula (ixa), wherein r 1 is n-cnh 2 3, r 2 is h, a is s0 3 , m, n and o be ing 0. m + preferably is nh + . such compounds may be called ammonium lauryl sulfate (als) herein. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention comprises at least one anionic surfactant according to formula (ixa), wherein r 1 is n-cnh 2 3, r 2 is selected from h, a is s0 3 , m being 2-5, preferably 3, and n and o being 0. m + preferably is na + . such compounds may be called laurylethersulfates (les) herein, preferably sodium laurylethersulfates (sles). further suitable anionic surfactants include salts (m + ) of ci 2 -ci 8 sulfo fatty acid alkyl esters (such as ci2-ci8 sulfo fatty acid methyl esters), cio-ci 8 -alkylarylsulfonic acids (such as n-ci 0 - cis-alkylbenzene sulfonic acids) and ci 0 -ci 8 alkyl alkoxy carboxylates. m + in all cases is selected from salt forming cations. salt forming cations may be monovalent or multivalent; hence m + equals 1/v m v+ . examples include but are not limited to sodium, potassi um, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, and the ammonium salt of mono-, di, and triethanola mine. the detergent formulations in one embodiment comprise at least two anionic surfactants, se lected from compounds of general formula (ixa), wherein one of said anionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being cn, r 2 being h, m being 2, n and o = 0, a being s0 3 , m + being na + and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being ci 3 , r 2 being h, m being 2, n and o = 0, a being s0 3 , m + being na + . non-limiting examples of further suitable anionic surfactants include branched alkylbenzenesul- fonates (babs), phenylalkanesulfonates, alpha-olefinsulfonates (aos), olefin sulfonates, al- kene sulfonates, alkane-2, 3-diylbis(sulfates), hydroxyalkanesulfonates and disulfonates, sec ondary alkanesulfonates (sas), paraffin sulfonates (ps), sulfonated fatty acid glycerol esters, alkyl- or alkenylsuccinic acid, fatty acid derivatives of amino acids, diesters and monoesters of sulfo-succinic acid. in one embodiment, detergent formulations comprise at least one anionic surfactant selected from compounds of general formula (x): wherein r 1 in formula (x) is c10-c13 alkyl. detergent formulations of the invention may comprise salts of compounds according to formula (x), preferably sodium salts. the detergent formulation may comprise at least two anionic surfactants, selected from compounds of general formula (x), wherein one of said anionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being c10, and the other surfac tant is characterized in r 1 being c13. the detergent formulation may comprise at least two ani onic surfactants, selected from sodium salts of compounds of general formula (x), wherein one of said anionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being c10, and the other surfactant is charac terized in r 1 being c13. compounds like this may be called las (linear alkylbenzene sulfonates) herein. anionic surfactants in one embodiment are compounds of general formula (xi), which might be called n-acyl amino acid surfactants: the variables in general formula (xi) are defined as follows: r 19 is selected from linear (straight-chain; n-) or branched c 6 -c 2 2-alkyl and linear (straight- chain; n-) or branched c 6 -c 2 2-alkenyl such as oleyl. r 20 is selected from h and ci-c -alkyl. r 21 is selected from h, methyl, -(ch 2 ) 3 nhc(nh)nh 2 , -ch 2 c(0)nh 2 , -ch 2 c(0)0h, - (ch 2 ) 2 c(0)nh 2 , -(ch 2 ) 2 c(0)0h, (imidazole-4-yl)-methyl, -ch(ch 3 )c 2 h 5 , -ch 2 ch(ch 3 ) 2 , - (ch 2 ) 4 nh 2 , benzyl, hydroxymethyl, -ch(oh)ch 3 , (indole-3-yl)-methyl, (4-hydroxy-phenyl)- methyl, isopropyl, -(ch 2 ) 2 sch 3 , and -ch 2 sh. r 22 is selected from -coox and -ch 2 s0 3 x, wherein x is selected from li + , na + and k + . non-limiting examples of suitable n-acyl amino acid surfactants are the mono- and di- carboxylate salts (e.g., sodium, potassium, ammonium and ammonium salt of mono-, di, and triethanolamine) of n-acylated glutamic acid, for example, sodium cocoyl glutamate, sodium lauroyl glutamate, sodium myristoyl glutamate, sodium palmitoyl glutamate, sodium stearoyl glutamate, disodium cocoyl glutamate, disodium stearoyl glutamate, potassium cocoyl gluta mate, potassium lauroyl glutamate, and potassium myristoyl glutamate; the carboxylate salts (e.g., sodium, potassium, ammonium and ammonium salt of mono-, di, and triethanolamine) of n-acylated alanine, for example, sodium cocoyl alaninate, and triethanolamine lauroyl alaninate; the carboxylate salts (e.g., sodium, potassium, ammonium and ammonium salt of mono-, di, and triethanolamine) of n-acylated glycine, for example, sodium cocoyl glycinate, and potassi um cocoyl glycinate; the carboxylate salts (e.g., sodium, potassium, ammonium and ammonium salt of mono-, di, and triethanolamine) of n-acylated sarcosine, for example, sodium lauroyl sar- cosinate, sodium cocoyl sarcosinate, sodium myristoyl sarcosinate, sodium oleoyl sarcosinate, and ammonium lauroyl sarcosinate. anionic surfactants in one embodiment are selected from the group of soaps. suitable are salts (m + ) of saturated and unsaturated ci 2 -ci 8 fatty acids, such as lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, behenic acid, oleic acid, (hydrated) erucic acid. m + is selected from salt form ing cations. salt forming cations may be monovalent or multivalent; hence m + equals 1/v m v+ . examples include but are not limited to sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, ammonium, and the ammonium salt of mono-, di, and triethanolamine. further non-limiting examples of suitable soaps include soap mixtures derived from natural fatty acids such as tallow, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, laurel oil, olive oil, or canola oil. such soap mixtures comprise soaps of lauric acid and/or myristic acid and/or palmitic acid and/or stearic acid and/or oleic acid and/or linoleic acid in different amounts, depending on the natural fatty acids from which the soaps are derived. further non-limiting examples of suitable anionic surfactants include salts (m + ) of sulfates, sul fonates or carboxylates derived from natural fatty acids such as tallow, coconut oil, palm kernel oil, laurel oil, olive oil, or canola oil. such anionic surfactants comprise sulfates, sulfonates or carboxylates of lauric acid and/or myristic acid and/or palmitic acid and/or stearic acid and/or oleic acid and/or linoleic acid in different amounts, depending on the natural fatty acids from which the soaps are derived. in one embodiment, detergent formulations according to the invention comprise at least one anionic surfactant, wherein the total amount of anionic surfactant may be in the range from 0.5 to 80%, preferably in the range from 1 to 70% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. detergent formulations according to the invention in one embodiment comprise anionic surfac tants in total amounts in the range of about 0.5-25% by weight, in the range of about 1-20% by weight, or in the range of about 1 .5-15%, all relative to the total weight of a detergent formula tion. in an embodiment, detergent formulations comprises two anionic surfactants selected from compounds of general formula (ixa), and wherein one of said anionic surfactants is character ized in r 1 being cn, r 2 being h, m being 2, n and o = 0, a being s0 3 , m + being na + , and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being ci 3 , r 2 being h, m being 2, n and o = 0, a being s0 3 , m + being na + . in an embodiment, the detergent formulation comprises two anionic surfac tants selected from compounds of general formula (x), wherein one of said anionic surfactants is characterized in r 1 being cm, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being ci 3 . in an embodiment, the detergent formulation comprises two anionic surfactants selected from sodium salts of compounds of general formula (x), wherein one of said anionic surfactants is character ized in r 1 being cm, and the other surfactant is characterized in r 1 being cm. mixtures of two or more different anionic surfactants may also be present in detergent formula tions according to the present invention. in one embodiment, mixtures of non-ionic and/or amphoteric and/or anionic surfactants are pre sent in detergent formulations according to the present invention. detergent formulations of the invention comprise one or more compounds selected from com- plexing agents (chelating agents, sequestrating agents), precipitating agents, and ion exchange compounds, which may form water-soluble complexes with calcium and magnesium. such compounds may be called “builders” or “building agents” herein, without meaning to limit such compounds to this function in the final application of a detergent formulation. non-phosphate based builders according to the invention include sodium gluconate, citrate(s), silicate(s), carbonate(s), phosphonate(s), amino carboxylate(s), polycarboxylate(s), polysul- fonate(s), and polyphosphonate(s). detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise one or more citrates. the term “citrate(s)” includes the mono- and the dialkali metal salts and in particular the mono- and preferably the trisodium salt of citric acid, ammonium or substituted ammonium salts of citric acid as well as citric acid as such. citrate can be used as the anhydrous compound or as the hydrate, for example as sodium citrate dihydrate. in one embodiment, the detergent formula tions of the invention comprise citric acid in amounts in the range of 0.5% to 30.0% by weight, in the range of 1.0% to 25.0% by weight, or in the range of 5.0% to 20.0% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. the citric acid may be provided as a mixture with formiate, e.g. na-citrate:na-formiate=9:1. detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise one or more silicates. “silicate^)" in the context of the present invention include in particular sodium disilicate and sodium metasilicate, aluminosilicates such as sodium aluminosilicates like zeolith a (i.e. nai 2 (ai0 2 )i 2 (si0 2 )i 2* 27h 2 0), and sheet silicates, in particular those of the formula alpha- na 2 si 2 0 5 , beta-na 2 si 2 0 5 , and delta-na 2 si 2 0 5 . detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise one or more carbonates. the term “carbonate(s)” includes alkali metal carbonates and alkali metal hydrogen carbonates, preferred are the sodium salts. particularly suitable is sodium carbonate (na 2 c0 3 ). detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise one or more phospho- nates. “phosphonates” include, but are not limited to 2-phosphinobutane-1 ,2,4-tricarboxylic acid (pbtc); ethylenediaminetetra(methylenephosphonic acid) (edtmpa); 1-hydroxyethane-1,1- diphosphonic acid (hedp), ch 2 c(oh)[po(oh) 2 ]2; aminotris(methylenephosphonic acid) (atmp), n[ch 2 po(oh) 2 ]3; aminotris(methylenephosphonate), sodium salt (atmp), n[ch 2 po(ona) 2 ]3; 2-hydroxyethyliminobis(methylenephosphonic acid), h0ch 2 ch 2 n[ch 2 p0(0h) 2 ] 2 ; diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonic acid) (dtpmp), (ho) 2 poch2n[ch2ch2n[ch 2 po(oh)2]2]2; diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonate), sodium salt, cghps- xj nsna x oisps (x=7); hexamethylenediamine(tetramethylenephosphonate), potassium salt, cioh ( 28- x) n 2 k x oi 2 p4 (x=6); and bis(hexamethylene)triamine(pentamethylene- phosphonic acid), (h0 2 )p0ch 2 n[(ch 2 ) 2 n[ch 2 p0(0h) 2 ] 2 ] 2 . salts thereof may be suitable, too. the detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise at least one phospho- nate, preferably selected from derivatives polyphosphonic acids such as of diphosphonic acid such as sodium salt of hedp, derivatives of aminopolyphosphonic acid such as aminoalkylene phosphonic acids such as dtpmp in amounts in the range of 0.1 % to 5.0% by weight, in the range of 0.5% to 3.0% by weight, or in the range of 1.0% to 2.0% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise one or more aminocarbox- ylates. non-limiting examples of suitable “amino carboxylates” include, but are not limited to: diethanol glycine (deg), dimethylglycine (dmg), nitrilitriacetic acid (nta), n- hydroxyethylaminodiacetic acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta), n- (2hydroxyethyl)iminodiacetic acid (heida), hydroxyethylenediaminetriacetic acid, n- hydroxyethyl-ethylenediaminetriacetic acid (hedta), hydroxyethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (dtpa), and methylglycinediacetic acid (mgda), glutamic acid-diacetic acid (glda), iminodisuccinic acid (ids), hydroxyiminodisuccinic acid, ethylenedi- aminedisuccinic acid (edds), aspartic acid-diacetic acid, and alkali metal salts or ammonium salts thereof. further suitable are aspartic acid-n-mono-acetic acid (asma), aspartic acid-n, n- diacetic acid (asda), aspartic acid-n- monopropionic acid (asmp), n-(2-sulfomethyl) aspartic acid (smas), n-(2-sulfoethyl) aspartic acid (seas), n-(2-sulfomethyl) glutamic acid (smgl), n- (2-sulfoethyl) glutamic acid (segl), n-methylimino-diacetic acid (mida), alpha-alanine-n,n- diacetic acid (alpha-alda), serine-n,n-diacetic acid (seda), isoserine-n,n-diacetic acid (is- da), phenylalanine-n,n-diacetic acid (phda), anthranilic acid-n ,n-diacetic acid (anda), sul- fanilic acid-n, n-diacetic acid (slda), taurine-n,n-diacetic acid (tuda) and sulfomethyl-n,n- diacetic acid (smda) and alkali metal salts or ammonium salts thereof. the term “ammonium salts” as used in in this context refers to salts with at least one cation that bears a nitrogen atom that is permanently or temporarily quaternized. examples of cations that bear at least one nitro gen atom that is permanently quaternized include tetramethylammonium, tetraethylammonium, dimethyldiethyl ammonium, and n-cio-c 2 o-alkyl trimethyl ammonium. examples of cations that bear at least one nitrogen atom that is temporarily quaternized include protonated amines and ammonia, such as monomethyl ammonium, dimethyl ammonium, trimethyl ammonium, mo noethyl ammonium, diethyl ammonium, triethyl ammonium, n-cio-c 2 o-alkyl dimethyl ammonium 2-hydroxyethylammonium, bis(2-hydroxyethyl) ammonium, tris(2-hydroxyethyl)ammonium, n- methyl 2-hydroxyethyl ammonium, n,n-dimethyl-2-hydroxyethylammonium, and especially nh 4 + . in one embodiment, detergent formulations of the invention comprise more than one builder. preferably, inventive detergent formulations contain less than 0.2% by weight of nitrilotriacetic acid (nta), or 0.01 to 0.1% nta by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formula tion. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention comprise at least one ami- nocarboxylate selected from ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta), diethylenetriaminepent- aacetic acid (dtpa), methylglycine diacetate (mgda), and glutamic acid diacetate (glda), which all may be (partially) neutralized with alkali, in amounts in the range of 0% to 30.0% by weight, in the range of 0.1% to 25.0% by weight, in the range of 1.0% to 20.0% by weight, in the range of 2.5% to 25.0% by weight, in the range of 5.0 to 20% by weight, or in the range of 2.5 to 10% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. preferably, detergent formulations of the invention comprise amounts of mgda and/or glda in the range of 1 % to 20% by weight, in the range of 2.5 to 15% by weight, or in the range of 2.5 to 12.5% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. the term alkali refers to alkali metal cations, same or different, for example cations of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and combinations of at least two of the foregoing. pre- ferred examples of alkali metal cations are sodium and potassium and combinations of sodium and potassium. in an embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention comprises at least: one alkali metal salt of methyl glycine diacetic acid (mgda), with an average of more than two and less than three of the carboxyl groups being neutralized with alkali, and/or one alkali metal salt of l- and d-enantiomers of glutamic acid diacetic acid (glda) or of enanti- omerically pure l-glda, with an average of more than three of the carboxyl groups being neu tralized with alkali, preferably an average of more than three and less than four of the carboxyl groups are neutralized with alkali. in one embodiment of the present invention, alkali metal salts of mgda are selected from com pounds of the general formula (xii): [ch 3 -ch(coo)-n(ch 2 -coo) 2 ]m 3 -xi- yi (nh 4 )zi hxi (xii) the variables of formula (xii) are defined as follows: m is selected from alkali metal cations, same or different, for example cations of lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, and combinations of at least two of the foregoing. preferred ex amples of alkali metal cations are sodium and potassium and combinations of sodium and po tassium. x1 is selected from 0.0 to 1.0, preferably 0.1 to 0.5, more preferably up to 0.1 to 0.3; z1 is selected from 0.0 to 1.0, preferably 0.0005 to 0.5; however, the sum of x1+z1 in formula (xii) is greater than zero, for example 0.05 to 0.6. examples of m 3 -xi-zi(nh 4 )zi hxi are na 3-xi h xi , [nao 7 (nh 4 )o 3 ] 3-xi h xi , [(nh 4 )o 7 nao 3 ] 3-xi h xi , [(nh 4 )o7nao 3 ]3-xi hxi . in one embodiment of the present invention, mgda is selected from at least one alkali metal salt of racemic mgda and from alkali metal salts of mixtures of l- and d-enantiomers according to formula (xii), said mixture containing predominantly the respective l-isomerwith an enantio meric excess (ee) in the range of from 5 to 99%, preferably 5 to 95 %, more preferably from 10 to 75% and even more preferably from 10 to 66%. preferably, mgda and its respective alkali metal salts are selected from the racemic mixture and from mixtures containing in the range of from 55 to 85 mole-% of the l-isomer, the balance being d-isomer. particularly preferred are mixtures containing in the range of from 60 to 80 mole-% of the l-isomer, the balance being d- isomer. other particularly preferred embodiments are racemic mixtures. in one embodiment of the present invention, the total degree of alkali neutralization of mgda is in the range of from 0.80 to 0.98 mol-%, preferred are 0.90 to 0.97%. the total degree of alkali neutralization does not take into account any neutralization with ammonium. in one embodiment of the present invention, alkali metal salts of glda are selected from com pounds of the general formula (xiii) [ooc-(ch 2 )2-ch(coo)-n(ch2-coo)2]m4- x 2- z 2(nh4) z 2h x 2 (xiii) the variables of formula (xiii) are defined as follows: m is selected from alkali metal cations, same or different, as defined above for compounds of general formula (xiii) x2 is selected from 0.0 to 2.0, preferably 0.02 to 0.5, more preferably up to 0.1 to 0.3; z2 is selected from 0.0 to 1 .0, preferably 0.0005 to 0.5; however, the sum of x2+z2 in formula (xiii) is greater than zero, for example 0.05 to 0.6. examples of m 3-x 2- z 2(nh 4 ) z 2h xi are na 3-x 2h x2 , [nao 7 (nh 4 )o 3 ] 3-x2 h x2 , [(nh 4 )o 7 nao 3 ] 3-x2 h x2 . in one embodiment of the present invention, alkali metal salts of glda may be selected from alkali metal salts of the l- and d- enantiomers according to formula (xiii), said mixture contain ing the racemic mixture or preferably predominantly the respective l-isomer, for example with an enantiomeric excess (ee) in the range of from 5 to 99%, preferably 5 to 95%. preferably, glda and its respective alkali metal salts are selected from the racemic mixture and from mix tures containing in the range of from 55 to 99 mole-% of the l-isomer, the balance being d- isomer. particularly preferred are mixtures containing in the range of from 60 to 98.5 mole-% of the l-isomer, the balance being d-isomer. other particularly preferred embodiments are race mic mixtures. the enantiomeric excess can be determined, e.g., by measuring the polarization (polarimetry) or preferably by chromatography, for example by hplc with a chiral column, for example with one or more cyclodextrins as immobilized phase or with a ligand exchange (pirkle-brush) con cept chiral stationary phase. preferred is determination of the enantiomeric excess by hplc with an immobilized optically active ammonium salt such as d-penicillamine. generally, in the context of the present invention, small amounts of mgda and/or glda may also bear a cation other than alkali metal. it is thus possible that small amounts of builder, such as 0.01% to 5 mol-% of total builder may bear alkali earth metal cations such as, e.g., mg 2+ or ca 2+ , or a transition metal cation such as, e.g., a fe 2+ or fe 3+ cation. “small amounts” of mgda and/or glda herein refer to a total of 0.1 % to 1 w/w%, relative to the respective builder. in one embodiment of the present invention, mgda and/or glda comprised in detergent for mulations may contain in the range of 0.1% to 10% by weight relative to the respective builder of one or more optically inactive impurities, at least one of the impurities being at least one of the impurities being selected from iminodiacetic acid, formic acid, glycolic acid, propionic acid, acetic acid and their respective alkali metal or mono-, di- or triammonium salts. in one embodiment of the present invention, the detergent formulations comprise at least one polycarboxylate, for example alkali metal salts of (meth)acrylic acid homopolymers or (meth)acrylic acid copolymers. examples of suitable comonomers are monoethylenically unsaturated dicarboxylic acids such as maleic acid, fumaric acid, maleic anhydride, itaconic acid and citraconic acid. a suitable pol ymer is in particular polyacrylic acid, which preferably has an average molecular weight mw in the range from 2000 to 40 000 g/mol, preferably 2000 to 10 000 g/mol, in particular 3000 to 8000 g/mol. also of suitability are copolymeric polycarboxylates, in particular those of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid and of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid with maleic acid and/or fumaric acid, and in the same range of molecular weight. it is also possible to use copolymers of at least one monomer from the group consisting of mo noethylenically unsaturated c3-c10-mono- or c4-c10-dicarboxylic acids or anhydrides thereof, such as maleic acid, maleic anhydride, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, fumaric acid, itaconic acid and citraconic acid, with at least one hydrophilic or hydrophobic monomer as listed below. suitable hydrophobic monomers are, for example, isobutene, diisobutene, butene, pentene, hexene and styrene, olefins with 10 or more carbon atoms or mixtures thereof, such as, for ex ample, 1-decene, 1-dodecene, 1-tetradecene, 1-hexadecene, 1-octadecene, 1-eicosene, 1- docosene, 1-tetracosene and 1-hexacosene, c22-a-olefin, a mixture of c20-c24-a-olefins and polyisobutene having on average 12 to 100 carbon atoms per molecule. suitable hydrophilic monomers are monomers with sulfonate or phosphonate groups, and also nonionic monomers with hydroxyl function or alkylene oxide groups. by way of example, men tion may be made of: allyl alcohol, isoprenol, methoxypolyethylene glycol (meth)acrylate, meth- oxypolypropylene glycol (meth)acrylate, methoxypolybutylene glycol (meth)acrylate, methoxy- poly(propylene oxide-co-ethylene oxide) (meth)acrylate, ethoxypolyethylene glycol (methacry late, ethoxypolypropylene glycol (meth)acrylate, ethaxypolybutylene glycol (meth)acrylate and ethoxypoly(propylene oxide-co-ethylene oxide) (meth)acrylate. polyalkylene glycols here may comprise 3 to 50, in particular 5 to 40 and especially 10 to 30 alkylene oxide units per molecule. particularly preferred sulfonic-acid-group-containing monomers here are 1-acrylamido-1-propa- nesulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-propanesulfonic acid, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane-1-sulfonic acid (amps), 2-methacrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, 3-methacrylamido-2-hydroxypro- panesulfonic acid, allylsulfonic acid, methallylsulfonic acid, allyloxybenzenesulfonicacid, me- thallyloxybenzenesulfonic acid, 2-hydroxy-3-(2-propenyloxy)propanesulfonic acid, 2-methyl-2- propene-1-sulfonic acid, styrenesulfonic acid, vinylsulfonic acid, 3-sulfopropyl acrylate, 2- sulfoethyl methacrylate, 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate, sulfomethacrylamide, sulfomethylmethac- rylamide, and salts of said acids, such as sodium, potassium or ammonium salts thereof. particularly preferred phosphonate-group-containing monomers are vinylphosphonic acid and its salts. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations of the invention comprise polyacrylic acid having a molecular weight in the range of 4000-6000 g/mol, preferably having a molecular weight of 5000 g/mol, in amounts of 1-10% by weight, in amounts of 2-8% by weight, or in the range of 2- 2.5% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. in one embodiment, the detergent formulations comprise carboxymethyl inulin. in one embodiment, detergent formulations of the invention comprise at least one polymer with complexing groups like, for example, polyethylenimine in which 20 to 90 mole-% of the n-atoms bear at least one ch 2 coo group, and the respective alkali metal salts of the above seques- trants, especially their sodium salts. further examples of suitable polymers are polyalkylenimines, for example polyethylenimines and polypropylene imines. polyalkylenimines may be used as such or as polyalkoxylated de rivatives, for examples ethoxylated or propoxylated. polyalkylenimines comprise at least three alkylenimine units per molecule. in one embodiment of the present invention, said alkylenimine unit is a c 2 -cio-alkylendiamine unit, for example a 1 ,2-propylendiamine, preferably an a,u>-c 2 -cio-alkylendiamine, for example 1 ,2-ethylendiamine, 1 ,3-propylendiamine, 1 ,4-butylendiamine, 1 ,5-pentylendiaminne, 1 ,6-he- xandiamine (also being referred to as 1 ,6-hexylendiamine), 1 ,8-diamine or 1 ,10-decandiamine, even more preferred are 1 ,2-ethylendiamine, 1 ,3-propylendiamine, 1 ,4-butylendiamine, and 1 ,6- hexandiamine. in another embodiment of the present invention, said polyalkylenimine is selected from poly- alkylenimine unit, preferably a polyethylenimine or polypropylenimine unit. the term “polyethylenimine” in the context of the present invention does not only refer to poly ethylenimine homopolymers but also to polyalkylenimines comprising nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -nh structur al elements togetherwith other alkylene diamine structural elements, for example nh-ch 2 -ch 2 - ch 2 -nh structural elements, nh-ch 2 -ch(ch 3 )-nh structural elements, nh-(ch 2 ) -nh structural elements, nh-(ch 2 ) 6 -nh structural elements or (nh-(ch 2 ) 8 -nh structural elements but the nh- ch 2 -ch 2 - nh structural elements being in the majority with respect to the molar share. pre ferred polyethylenimines comprise nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -nh structural elements being in the majority with respect to the molar share, for example amounting to 60 mol-% or more, more preferably amounting to at least 70 mol-%, referring to all alkylenimine structural elements. in a special embodiment, the term polyethylenimine refers to those polyalkylenimines that bear only one or zero alkylenimine structural element per polyethylenimine unit that is different from nh-ch 2 - ch 2 -nh. the term “polypropylenimine” in the context of the present invention does not only refer to poly- propylenimine homopolymers but also to polyalkylenimines comprising nh-ch 2 -ch(ch 3 )-nh structural elements together with other alkylene diamine structural elements, for example nh- ch 2 -ch 2 -ch 2 -nh structural elements, nh-ch 2 -ch 2 -nh structural elements, nh-(ch 2 ) -nh structural elements, nh-(ch 2 ) 6 -nh structural elements or (nh-(ch 2 ) 8 -nh structural elements but the nh-ch 2 -ch(ch 3 )-nh structural elements being in the majority with respect to the molar share. preferred polypropylenimines comprise nh-ch 2 -ch(ch 3 )-nh structural elements being in the majority with respect to the molar share, for example amounting to 60 mol-% or more, more preferably amounting to at least 70 mol-%, referring to all alkylenimine structural ele ments. in a special embodiment, the term polypropylenimine refers to those polyalkylenimines that bear only one or zero alkylenimine structural element per polypropylenimine unit that is dif ferent from nh-ch 2 -ch(ch 3 )-nh. branches may be alkylenamino groups such as, but not limited to -ch 2 -ch 2 -nh 2 groups or (ch 2 ) 3 -nh 2 -groups. longer branches may be, for examples, -(ch 2 ) 3 -n(ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 nh 2 ) 2 or -(ch 2 ) 2 -n(ch 2 ch 2 nh 2 ) 2 groups. highly branched polyethylenimines are, e.g., polyethylenimine dendrimers or related molecules with a degree of branching in the range from 0.25 to 0.95, preferably in the range from 0.30 to 0.80 and particularly preferably at least 0.5. the degree of branching can be determined for example by 13 c-nmr or 15 n-nmr spectroscopy, preferably in d 2 0, and is defined as follows: db = d+t/d+t+l, with d (dendritic) corresponding to the frac tion of tertiary amino groups, l (linear) corresponding to the fraction of secondary amino groups and t (terminal) corresponding to the fraction of primary amino groups. within the context of the present invention, branched polyethylenimine units are polyethyl enimine units with db in the range from 0.25 to 0.95, particularly preferably in the range from 0.30 to 0.90% and very particularly preferably at least 0.5. preferred polyethylenimine units are those that exhibit little or no branching, thus predominantly linear or linear polyethylenimine units. in the context of the present invention, ch 3 -groups are not being considered as branches. in one embodiment of the present invention polyalkylenimine may have a primary amine value in the range of from 1 to 1000 mg koh/g, preferably from 10 to 500 mg koh/g, most preferred from 50 to 300 g koh/g. the primary amine value can be determined according to astm d2074-07. in one embodiment of the present invention polyalkylenimine may have a secondary amine val ue in the range of from 10 to 1000 mg koh/g, preferably from 50 to 500 mg koh/g, most pre ferred from 50 to 500 mg koh/g. the secondary amine value can be determined according to astm d2074-07. in one embodiment of the present invention polyalkylenimine may have a tertiary amine value in the range of from 1 to 300 mg koh/g, preferably from 5 to 200 mg koh/g, most preferred from 10 to 100 mg koh/g. the tertiary amine value can be determined according to astm d2074- 07. in one embodiment of the present invention, the molar share of tertiary n atoms is determined by 15 n-nmr spectroscopy. in cases that tertiary amine value and result according to 13 c-nmr spectroscopy are inconsistent, the results obtained by 13 c-nmr spectroscopy will be given preference. in one embodiment of the present invention, the average molecular weight m w of said poly alkylenimine is in the range of from 250 to 100,000 g/mol, preferably up to 50,000 g/mol and more preferably from 800 up to 25,000 g/mol. the average molecular weight m w of polyalkylen imine may be determined by gel permeation chromatography (gpc) of the intermediate respec tive polyalkylenimine, with 1.5 % by weight aqueous formic acid as eluent and cross-linked poly- hydroxyethyl methacrylate as stationary phase. said polyalkylenimine may be free or alkoxylated, said alkoxylation being selected from ethoxy- lation, propoxylation, butoxylation and combinations of at least two of the foregoing. preference is given to ethylene oxide, 1,2-propylene oxide and mixtures of ethylene oxide and 1 ,2-pro- pylene oxide. if mixtures of at least two alkylene oxides are applied, they can be reacted step wise or simultaneously. in one embodiment of the present invention, an alkoxylated polyalkylenimine bears at least 6 nitrogen atoms per unit. in one embodiment of the present invention, polyalkylenimine is alkoxylated with 2 to 50 moles of alkylene oxide per nh group, preferably 5 to 30 moles of alkylene oxide per nh group, even more preferred 5 to 25 moles of ethylene oxide or 1,2-propylene oxide or combinations there from per nh group. in the context of the present invention, an nh 2 unit is counted as two nh groups. preferably, all - or almost all - nh groups are alkoxylated, and there are no detectable amounts of nh groups left. depending on the manufacture of such alkoxylated polyalkylenimine, the molecular weight dis tribution may be narrow or broad. for example, the polydispersity q = m w /m n in the range of from 1 to 3, preferably at least 2, or it may be greater than 3 and up to 20, for example 3.5 to 15 and even more preferred in the range of from 4 to 5.5. in one embodiment of the present invention, the polydispersity q of alkoxylated polyalkylen imine is in the range of from 2 to 10. in one embodiment of the present invention alkoxylated polyalkylenimine is selected from poly- ethoxylated polyethylenimine, ethoxylated polypropylenimine, ethoxylated a,w-hexandiamines, ethoxylated and propoxylated polyethylenimine, ethoxylated and propoxylated polypropyl enimine, and ethoxylated and poly-propoxylated a,w-hexandiamines. in one embodiment of the present invention the average molecular weight m n (number average) of alkoxylated polyethylenimine is in the range of from 2,500 to 1,500,000 g/mol, determined by gpc, preferably up to 500,000 g/mol. in one embodiment of the present invention, the average alkoxylated polyalkylenimine are se lected from ethoxylated a,w-hexanediamines and ethoxylated and poly-propoxylated a,w- hexanediamines, each with an average molecular weight m n (number average) in the range of from 800 to 500,000 g/mol, preferably 1 ,000 to 30,000 g/mol. detergent formulations of the invention in one embodiment comprise one or more complexing agent other than edta, dtpa, mgda and glda, e.g. citrate, phosphonic acid derivatives, for example the disodium salt of hydroxyethane-1 ,1-diphosphonic acid (“hedp”), for example trisodium citrate, and phosphates such as stpp (sodium tripolyphosphate). in one embodiment, the detergent formulation of the invention comprises a builder system com prising • ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (edta) and/or diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (dtpa) and/or methylglycine diacetate (mgda) and/or glutamic acid diacetate (glda), as disclosed above in amounts in the range of 0.1% to 25.0% by weight, in the range of 1.0% to 15.0% by weight, in the range of 3.0% to 10.0% by weight, or in the range of 2.5 to 10% by weight all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; • optionally citric acid in amounts in the range of 0.1 % to 10.0% by weight, in the range of 0.5% to 8.0% by weight, in the range of 1.0% to 5.0% by weight, or in the range of 2.0% to 4% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; the citric acid may be provided as a mixture with formiate, e.g. na-citrate:na-formiate=9:1; • optionally at least one phosphonate, preferably selected from derivatives polyphosphonic acids such as of diphosphonic acid such as sodium salt of hedp, and derivatives of aminopolyphosphonic acid such as aminoalkylene phosphonic acids such as dtpmp in amounts in the range of 0.1% to 5.0% by weight, in the range of 0.5% to 3.0% by weight, or in the range of 1.0% to 2.0% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; • optionally at least one polycarboxylate selected from homopolymers with the repeating monomer being the same unsaturated carboxylic acid, such as polyacrylic acid (paa) and copolymers with the repeating monomers being at least two different unsaturated carbox ylic acids, such as copolymers of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid, copolymers of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid and maleic acid and/or fumaric acid, in amounts in the range of 0% to 10% by weight, 0.5% to 7% by weight, 1.0% to 5% by weight, or 2.5% to 5.0% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; in one embodiment, detergent formulations of the invention comprise • methylglycine diacetate (mgda) and/or glutamic acid diacetate (glda), as disclosed above in amounts in the range of 1% to 20% by weight, in the range of 2.5 to 15% by weight, or in the range of 2.5 to 12.5% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the de tergent formulation; • preferably additionally citric acid and/or at least one phosphonate and/or at least one pol ycarboxylate; in one embodiment of the present invention, the formulation according to the invention is free from phosphates and polyphosphates, with hydrogenphosphates being subsumed, for example free from trisodiumphosphate, pentasodiumtripolyphosphate and hexasodiummetaphosphate. in connection with phosphates and polyphosphates, in the context of the present invention, “free from” is to be understood as meaning that the content of phosphate and polyphosphate is in total in the range from 10 ppm to 0.2% by weight, determined by gravimetry and relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. liquid detergent formulations of the invention may comprise one or more corrosion inhibitors. in the present case, this is to be understood as including those compounds that inhibit the corro sion of metal. non-limiting examples of suitable corrosion inhibitors include sodium silicate, tria zoles such as benzotriazoles, bisbenzotriazoles, aminotriazoles, alkylaminotriazoles, phenol derivatives such as hydroquinone, pyrocatechol, hydroxyhydroquinone, gallic acid, phloroglu- cinol and pyrogallol, further polyethylenimine and salts of bismuth or zinc. corrosion inhibitors may be formulated into liquid detergent formulations of the invention in amounts of 0.05 to 1.5 % w/w relative to the overall weight of the liquid detergent formulation. in one embodiment, detergent formulations comprising the components of the liquid composi tions of the invention are liquid automated dishwashing detergents. the liquid compositions of the invention are preferably comprised in liquid automated dishwashing detergents in a weight ratio liquid compositiomdetergent of about 1:1000, 1:500, 1:100, 1:50, 1:30, 1.25, 1:20, or 1:10. usually, automated dishwashing detergents do not comprise anionic surfactants. preferably, liquid automated dishwashing detergents of the invention comprise at least one non-ionic sur factant according to formula (iv), more preferably wherein r 1 is n-c 8 alkyl, r 2 is branched cn alkyl, ao is ch 2 -ch 2 -0, and x is 22. the automated dishwashing detergents preferably com prise such compounds in amounts in the range of about 0.3% to 10% by weight, in the range of about 0.5% to 5% by weight, or in the range of about 1% to 3%, all relative to the total weight of the liquid automated dishwashing detergent. preferably, automated dishwashing detergents comprises a builder system comprising • methylglycine diacetate (mgda) and/or glutamic acid diacetate (glda), as disclosed above in amounts in the range of 1% to 20% by weight, in the range of 2.5 to 15% by weight, or in the range of 2.5 to 12.5% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the de tergent formulation; • preferably additionally citric acid in amounts in the range of 0.1% to 10.0% by weight, in the range of 0.5% to 8.0% by weight, in the range of 1.0% to 5.0% by weight, or in the range of 2.0% to 4% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; the citric acid may be provided as a mixture with formiate, e.g. na-citrate:na-formiate=9:1; • preferably additionally at least one phosphonate, preferably selected from derivatives pol- yphosphonic acids such as of diphosphonic acid such as sodium salt of hedp, and deriv atives of aminopolyphosphonic acid such as aminoalkylene phosphonic acids such as dtpmp in amounts in the range of 0.1% to 5.0% by weight, in the range of 0.5% to 3.0% by weight, or in the range of 1.0% to 2.0% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; • preferably additionally at least one polycarboxylate selected from homopolymers with the repeating monomer being the same unsaturated carboxylic acid, such as polyacrylic acid (paa) and copolymers with the repeating monomers being at least two different unsatu rated carboxylic acids, such as copolymers of acrylic acid with methacrylic acid, copoly mers of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid and maleic acid and/or fumaric acid, in amounts in the range of 0% to 10% by weight, 0.5% to 7% by weight, 1.0% to 5% by weight, or 2.5% to 5.0% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation; in one embodiment, liquid automated dishwashing detergents of the invention, comprise at least one hydrolase as disclosed herein, preferably selected from at least one subtilisin protease and at least one alpha-amylase, both as disclosed herein. preferably, at least one protease is com prised in amounts of about 0.10% to 0.25% by weight, relative to the total weight of the deter- gent formulation. at least one alpha-amylase preferably is comprised in amounts of about 0.002% to 0.015% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. in one embodiment of the present invention, detergent formulations, especially when used as automatic dishwashing detergents, may comprise at least one zinc salt. zinc salts may be se lected from water-soluble and water-insoluble zinc salts. in this connection, within the context of 20 the present invention, water-insoluble is used to refer to those zinc salts which, in distilled water at 25°c, have a solubility of 0.1 g/l or less. zinc salts which have a higher solubility in wa ter are accordingly referred to within the context of the present invention as water-soluble zinc salts. the zinc salt may be selected from zinc benzoate, zinc gluconate, zinc lactate, zinc formate, znci2, zns04, zinc acetate, zinc citrate, zn(n03)2, zn(ch3s03)2 and zinc gallate, preferably znci2, zns04, zinc acetate, zinc citrate, zn(n03)2, zn(ch3s03)2 and zinc gallate. in another embodiment of the present invention, zinc salt is selected from zno, zno aq, zn(oh)2 and znc03. preference is given to zno aq. in one embodiment of the present invention, zinc salt is selected from zinc oxides with an aver age particle diameter (weight-average) in the range from 10 nm to 100 pm. the cation in zinc salt can be present in complexed form, for example complexed with ammonia ligands or water ligands, and in particular be present in hydrated form. to simplify the notation, within the context of the present invention, ligands are generally omitted if they are water lig ands. depending on how the ph of mixture according to the invention is adjusted, zinc salt can change. thus, it is for example possible to use zinc acetate or znci2 for preparing formulation according to the invention, but this converts at a ph of 8 or 9 in an aqueous environment to zno, zn(oh)2 or zno aq, which can be present in non-complexed or in complexed form. zinc salt may be present in those inventive automatic dishwashing formulations which are solid at room temperature are preferably present in the form of particles which have for example a 10 average diameter (number-average) in the range from 10 nm to 100 pm, preferably 100 nm to 5 pm, determined for example by x-ray scattering. zinc salt may be present in those detergent formulation for home care applications that are liq uid at room temperature in dissolved or in solid or in colloidal form. in one embodiment of the present invention, inventive automatic dishwashing formulations comprise in total in the range from 0.05 to 0.4% by weight of zinc salt, based in each case on the solids content of the formulation in question. herein, the fraction of zinc salt is given as zinc or zinc ions. from this, it is possible to calculate the counterion fractbn. liquid detergent formulations of the invention may comprise at least one graft copolymer com posed of at least one graft base selected from nonionic monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccha rides and polysaccharides, and side chains obtained by grafting on of at least one ethylenically unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid and at least one compound of the general formula (xiv), wherein the variables are defined as follows: r 1 is selected from methyl and hydrogen, a 1 is selected from c 2 -c -alkylene, r 2 are identical or different and selected from crc 4 -alkyl, x is selected from halide, mono-ci-c -alkyl sulfate and sulfate. liquid detergent formulations of the invention may comprise one or more buffers such as mo- noethanolamine and n,n,n-triethanolamine. liquid detergent formulations of the invention may be adapted in sudsing characteristics for sat isfying various purposes. hand dishwashing detergents usually request stable suds. automatic dishwasher detergents are usually requested to be low-sudsing. laundry detergents may range from high sudsing through a moderate or intermediate range to low. low-sudsing laundry deter gents are usually recommended for front-loading, tumbler-type washers and washer-dryer com binations. those skilled in the art are familiar with using suds stabilizers or suds suppressors as detergent components in detergent formulations which are suitable for specific applications. examples of suds stabilizers include but are not limited to alkanolamides and alkylamine oxides. examples of suds suppressors include but are not limited to alkyl phosphates, silicones, paraf fine oils, and soaps. automatic dishwashing detergents may comprise suds suppressors in amounts in the range from 0.05% to 0.5% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation, preferably a liquid detergent formulation of the invention comprises at least one low-sudsing surfactant selected from the group of nonionic surfactants which are modified either by degree of alkoxylation or by modified alkyl chain. espe cially the low-sudsing and foam suppressing surfactants are used as an additional additive in ware washing or automatic dish washing formulations (adw) and further l&l applications like bottle cleaning and dairy cleaning. in one embodiment, a low-sudsing surfactant according to the invention is selected from non-ionic surfactants according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n- c3-c17 alkyl, r 2 is linear or branched c 8 -ci alkyl. preferably ao is selected from -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 - (ch 2 ch(ch 3 )-0) x3 , -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x2 -(ch(ch 3 )ch 2 -0) x3 , and -(ch 2 ch 2 0) x4 , wherein x2 and x4 is a number in the range of 15-50 and x3 is a number in the range of 1 to 15. liquid detergent formulations may comprise at least one compound selected from organic sol vents, preservatives, viscosity modifiers, hydrotropes, fragrances, dyestuffs, buffers, disinte- grants for tabs, and/or acids such as methylsulfonic acid. liquid detergent formulations of the invention may comprise one or more fragrances such as benzyl salicylate, 2-(4-tert.-butylphenyl) 2-methylpropional, commercially available as lilial®, and hexyl cinnamaldehyde. liquid detergent formulations of the invention may comprise one or more dyestuffs such as acid blue 9, acid yellow 3, acid yellow 23, acid yellow 73, pigment yellow 101 , acid green 1 , sol vent green 7, and acid green 25. in one embodiment of the present invention, liquid detergent formulations comprise amounts of organic solvents are 0.5 to 25% by weight, relative to the total weight of the liquid detergent formulation. especially when inventive liquid detergent formulations are provided in pouches or the like, 8 to 25% by weight of organic solvent(s) relative to the total weight of the liquid deter gent formulation may be comprised. organic solvents are those disclosed above in the context of component (d). in one embodiment of the present invention, liquid detergent formulations comprise one or more hydrotropes which may be organic solvents such as ethanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol, 1,2- propylene glycol, and further organic solvents that are water-miscible under normal conditions without limitation. further examples of suitable hydrotropes are the sodium salts of toluene sul fonic acid, of xylene sulfonic acid, and of cumene sulfonic acid. hydrotropes may be comprised in amounts that facilitate or enables the dissolution of compounds that exhibit limited solubility in water. inventive liquid detergent formulations may comprise one or more preservatives selected from those disclosed above (see component (d)) in amounts effective in avoiding microbial contami nation of the liquid detergent formulation. in one embodiment, a liquid detergent formulation of the invention comprises at least one pre servative selected from the group consisting of 2-phenoxyethanol, glutaraldehyde, 2-bromo-2- nitropropane-1 ,3-diol, and formic acid in acid form or as its salt, and 4,4’-dichloro 2-hydroxy- diphenylether. the liquid detergent formulation may comprise at least one preservative in amounts ranging from 2 ppm to 5% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formu lation. the liquid detergent formulation of the invention may comprise phenoxyethanol in amounts ranging from 0.1% to 2% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent formula tion. the liquid detergent formulation of the invention may comprise 2-bromo-2-nitropropane- 1 ,3-diol in amounts ranging from 20 ppm to 1000 ppm. the liquid detergent formulation of the invention may comprise glutaraldehyde in amounts ranging from 10 ppm to 2000 ppm. the liq uid detergent formulation of the invention may comprise formic acid and/or formic acid salt in amounts ranging from 0.05% to 0.5% by weight relative to the total weight of the detergent for mulation. the liquid detergent formulation of the invention may comprise 4,4’-dichloro 2- hydroxydiphenylether in amounts ranging from 0.001% to 3% by weight, 0.002% to 1 % by weight, or 0.01 % to 0.6% by weight, all relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. in one embodiment of the present invention, liquid detergent formulations comprise one or more viscosity modifiers. depending on the physical form, detergent formulations of the invention may comprise one or more rheology modifiers, which may be called thickener herein. “thickener(s)” according to the invention are selected from the following: polymeric structuring agents: non-limiting examples of naturally derived polymeric structurants include hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydrophobically modified hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, polysaccharide deriv atives, and mixtures thereof. suitable polysaccharide derivatives include but are not limited to pectine, alginate, arabinogalactan (gum arabic), carrageenan, gellan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum and mixtures thereof. non-limiting examples of synthetic polymeric structurants include: polycarboxylates, polyacry lates, hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethanes, hydrophobically modified non-ionic poly ols and mixtures thereof. a polycarboxylate polymer may for example be polyacrylate, polymethacrylate or mixtures thereof. the polyacrylate may be for example a copolymer of un saturated mono- or di-carbonic acid and c1-c30 alkyl ester of the (meth)acrylic acid. di-benzylidene polyol acetal derivative a formulation according to the invention may comprise one or more dibenzylidene polyol acetal derivatives (dbpa). the dbpa derivative may comprise a dibenzylidene sorbitol acetal deriva tive (dbs). said dbs derivative may be selected from the group consisting of: 1 ,3:2, 4- dibenzylidene sorbitol; 1 ,3:2,4-di(p-methylbenzylidene) sorbitol; 1 ,3:2,4-di(p-chlorobenzylidene) sorbitol; 1 ,3:2,4-di(2,4-dimethyldibenzylidene) sorbitol; 1 ,3:2,4-di (p-ethyl-benzylidene) sorbitol; 1 ,3:2,4-di(3,4-dimethyldibenzylidene) sorbitol; and mixtures thereof. di-amido-gellants in one aspect, the external structuring system may comprise a di-amido gellant having a molec ular weight from about 150g/mol to about 1 ,500g/mol, or even from about 500g/mol to about 900 g/mol. such di-amido gellants may comprise at least two nitrogen atoms, wherein at least two of said nitrogen atoms form amido functional substitution groups. in one aspect, the amido groups are different. in another aspect, the amido functional groups are the same. the di-amido gellant has the following formula (xv): wherein the variables of the di-amido gellant in formula (xv) are defined as follows: r 3 and r 4 is an amino functional end-group, or even amido functional end-group, in one aspect r 3 and r 4 may comprise a ph-tunable group, wherein the ph-tunable amido-gellant may have a pka of from about 1 to about 30, or even from about 2 to about 10. in one aspect, the ph tuna ble group may comprise a pyridine. in one aspect, r 3 and r 4 may be different. in another as pect, r 3 and r 4 may be the same. l is a linking moiety of molecular weight from 14 to 500 g/mol. in one aspect, l may comprise a carbon chain comprising between 2 and 20 carbon atoms. in another aspect, l may comprise a ph-tunable group. in one aspect, the ph-tunable group is a secondary amine. in one aspect, at least one of r 3 , r 4 or l may comprise a ph-tunable group. bacterial cellulose the term "bacterial cellulose" encompasses any type of cellulose produced via fermentation of a bacteria of the genus acetobacter such as cellulon ® by cpkelco u.s. and includes materi als referred to popularly as microfibrillated cellulose, reticulated bacterial cellulose, and the like. in one aspect, said fibres may have cross sectional dimensions of 1.6 nm to 3.2 nm by 5.8 nm to 133 nm. additionally, the bacterial cellulose fibres may have an average microfibre length of at least about 100nm, or from about 100 to about 1 ,500nm. in one aspect, the bacterial cellu- lose microfibres may have an aspect ratio, meaning the average microfibre length divided by the widest cross sectional microfibre width, of from about 100: 1 to about 400: 1 , or even from about 200:1 to about 300:1. in one aspect of the invention, the bacterial cellulose is at least partially coated with a polymeric structuring agents (see i. above). in one aspect the at least partially coated bacterial cellulose comprises from about 0.1% to about 5% w/w, or even from about 0.5% to about 3% w/w of bac terial cellulose relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. suitable bacterial cellu lose may include the bacterial cellulose described above and suitable polymeric structuring agents include carboxymethylcellulose, cationic hydroxymethylcellulose, and mixtures thereof. cellulose fibers non-bacterial cellulose derived cellulosic fibers may be extracted from vegetables, fruits or wood. commercially available ex amples are avicep from fmc, citri-fi from fiberstar or betafib from cosun. non-polymeric crystalline hydroxyl-functional materials in one aspect of the invention, the formulation may comprise non-polymeric crystalline, hydroxyl functional structurants. said non-polymeric crystalline, hydroxyl functional structurants may comprise a crystallizable glyceride which can be pre-emulsified to aid dispersion into the final liquid detergent formulation. in one aspect, crystallizable glycerides may include hydrogenated castor oil or"hco" or derivatives thereof, provided that it is capable of crystallizing in the liquid detergent formulation. in one embodiment, the detergent formulation of the invention comprises at least one naturally derived polymeric structurant, preferably selected from polysaccharide derivatives such as xan- than gum in amounts in the range of 0.1% to about 1% by weight, or even from about 0.2% to about 0.5% by weight, relative to the total weight of the detergent formulation. in one embodiment of the present invention, the formulation according to the invention is free from those heavy metal compounds apart from zinc compounds. within the context of the pre sent, this may be understood as meaning that inventive compositions are free from those heavy metal compounds which do not act as bleach catalysts, in particular from compounds of iron. in connection with heavy metal compounds in the context of the present invention, “free from” is to be understood as meaning that the content of heavy metal compounds which do not act as bleach catalysts is in total in the range from 0 to 100 ppm, preferably 1 to 30 ppm, determined by the leach method. preferably, detergent formulations according to the invention have, apart from zinc, a heavy metal content below 0.05 ppm, based on the solids content of the formulation in question. in the context of the present invention, “heavy metals” are all metals with a specific density of at least 6 g/cm 3 , with the exception of zinc and bismuth. in particular, the heavy met- als are metals such as bismuth, iron, copper, lead, tin, nickel, cadmium and chromium. prefera bly, inventive automatic dishwashing formulations comprise no measurable fractions of bismuth compounds, i.e. for example less than 1 ppm. when inventive liquid detergent formulations are provided in compartmented pouches or the like, the compartment comprising the liquid enzyme preparation of the invention is provided separated from the compartment comprising bleaches, such as inorganic peroxide compounds or chlorine bleaches such as sodium hypochlorite. in one embodiment, the compartment com prising the liquid enzyme preparation also comprises at least one complexing agent such as edta and/or dtpa and/or mgda and/or glda, wherein mgda and glda are as disclosed above. in one embodiment, liquid detergent formulations of the invention are free from bleaches, for example free from inorganic peroxide compounds or chlorine bleaches such as sodium hypo chlorite, meaning that liquid detergent formulations according to the invention comprise in total 0.8%, 0.5%, 0.1% or 0.01 % by weight or less of inorganic peroxide compound and chlorine bleach, relative in each case on total weight of the liquid detergent formulation. enzyme stabilization the invention relates to a method of stabilizing at least one hydrolase comprised in component (a) by the step of adding an enzyme stabilizing system [component (b)] and optionally at least one diol (component (c)), wherein components (a) and (b) and (c) are those disclosed above. in one embodiment, component (a) is liquid. in one embodiment, the invention relates to a method of stabilizing component (a) by the step of adding component (b) and optionally component (c), wherein component (a) comprises at least one protease and/or at least one amylase and/or at least one lipase and/or at least one cellulase and/or at least one mannanase. in one embodi ment, the enzyme stabilization is improved by adding component (c) to components (a) and (b), when compared to enzyme stabilization in the absence of component (c). the enzyme stability is improved when compared to a mixture lacking component (c). in one embodiment, the enzyme stabilization is improved by adding a mixture of component (c) and component (d) to components (a) and (b), when compared to enzyme stabilization in the absence of component (c). the enzyme stability is improved when compared to a mixture lack ing components (c) and (d). in one embodiment, component (c) comprises at least one diol selected from diols having ter minal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms; said diol may be se lected from 1 ,4-butanediol, 1 ,6-hexanediol and 1 ,8-octanediol. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises a mixture of 1 ,6-hexanediol and at least one diols having vicinally positioned -oh as disclosed above, preferably selected from 1 ,2-butan diol and 1 ,2-pentandiol, wherein the weight ratio of 1,6-hexane diol to the diol having vicinally positioned -oh is 10:1, 9:1 , 8:1, 7:1, or 6:1 , preferably within the range of 6:1 to 8:1, more preferably within the range of 7:1 to 6:1, most preferably 6.75:1 in one embodiment, component (d) comprises at least one organic solvent, preferably selected from 1,2-propane diol and polyethylene glycol methyl ether. in a preferred embodiment, component (d) and component (c) are present in a weight ratio of about 1:2 to about 1:3.3, wherein component (c) comprises at least 1 ,6-hexanediol. in one embodiment, at least one protease comprised in component (a) is stabilized, wherein the protease is selected from the group of subtilisin proteases (ec 3.4.21.62), preferably from • a protease according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, preferably a protease 80% similar and/or identical to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 having r101e, and • a protease selected from subtilisin 309 as disclosed in table i a) of wo 89/06279 or vari ants thereof having proteolytic activity. in one embodiment, at least one amylase comprised in component (a) is stabilized wherein at least one amylase is selected from alpha-amylases (ec 3.2.1.1) as disclosed above, more pref erably at least one amylase is selected from • amylase from bacillus sp.707 or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably se lected from amylases having seq id no:6 as disclosed in wo 99/19467 and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase selected from those comprising amino acids 1 to 485 of seq id no:2 as de scribed in wo 00/60060 those having seq id no: 12 as described in wo 2006/002643, and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus halmapalus or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases having seq id no: 1 and 2 as disclosed in wo 2013/001078; having seq id no:6 as described in wo 2011/098531; and variants thereof having amy lolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus amyloliquefaciens or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases according to seq id no: 3 of wo 2016/092009; • hybrid amylases according to wo 2014/183920 with a and b domains having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no:2 of wo 2014/183920 and a c domain having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no:6 of wo 2014/183920, wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% similar and/or identical to seq id no: 23 of wo 2014/183920 and having amylolytic activ ity; • hybrid amylase according to wo 2014/183921 with a and b domains having at least 75% similarity and/or identity to seq id no: 2, seq id no: 15, seq id no: 20, seq id no: 23, seq id no: 29, seq id no: 26, seq id no: 32, and seq id no: 39 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and a c domain having at least 90% similarity and/or identity to seq id no: 6 of wo 2014/183921 , wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; prefera bly, the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% similar and/or identical to seq id no: 30 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and having amylolytic activity. in one embodiment, at least one lipase comprised in component (a) is stabilized wherein at least one lipase may be thermomyces lanuginosus lipase selected from variants having lipolytic activity which are at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98% or at least 99% similar and/or identical when compared to the full-length polypeptide sequence of amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438. preferably, said thermomyces lanuginosus lipase comprises conservative muta tions only, which do however not pertain the functional domain of amino acids 1-269 of seq id no:2 of us 5869438. said thermomyces lanuginosus lipase may be characterized by having at least amino acid substitutions t231 r and n233r within seq id no:2 of us 5869438. in one embodiment, at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) is stabilized in the pres ence of at least one surfactant by adding the enzyme preparation of the invention or at least component (b), preferably additionally component (c), preferably additionally component (d) is added to at least one surfactant, wherein at least one surfactant is selected from non-ionic sur factants, amphoteric surfactants, anionic surfactants, and cationic surfactants, all as described herein. in one embodiment, the surfactant is part of a liquid formulation, preferably a liquid de tergent formulation. the components of the enzyme preparations of the invention in one embod iment are added separately to the surfactant or the detergent formulation. stabilization of an enzyme preferably relate to stability in the course of time (e.g. storage stabil ity), thermal stability, ph stability, and chemical stability. the term “enzyme stability” herein preferably relates to the retention of enzymatic activity as a function of time e.g. during storage or operation. the term “storage” herein means to indicate the fact of products or compositions or formulations being stored from the time of being manufactured to the point in time of being used in final application. retention of enzymatic activity as a function of time during storage is called “storage stability”. in one embodiment, storage means storage for at least 20 days at 37°c. storage may mean storage for 21 , 28, or 42 days at 37°c. to determine changes in enzymatic activity over time, the “initial enzymatic activity” of an enzyme may be measured under defined conditions at time zero (i.e. before storage) and the “enzymatic activity after storage” may be measured at a certain point in time later (i.e. after stor age). the enzymatic activity after storage divided by the initial enzymatic activity multiplied by 100 gives the “residual enzymatic activity” (a%). an enzyme is stable according to the invention, when its residual enzymatic activity is at least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, at least 99.5% or 100% when compared to the initial enzymatic activity be fore storage. subtracting a% from 100% gives the “loss of enzymatic activity during storage” when compared to the initial enzymatic activity before storage. in one embodiment, an enzyme is stable accord ing to the invention when essentially no loss of enzymatic activity occurs during storage, i.e. loss in enzymatic activity equals 0% when compared to the initial enzymatic activity before stor age. essentially no loss of enzymatic activity within this invention may mean that the loss of enzymatic activity is less than 30%, less than 25%, less than 20%, less than 15%, less than 10%, less than 9%, less than 8%, less than 7%, less than 6%, less than 5%, less than 4%, less than 3%, less than 2%, or less than 1% when compared to the initial enzymatic activity before storage. in one aspect of the invention at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) shows reduced loss of enzymatic activity during storage in the presence of components (b) and (c) and option ally (d) when compared to the same enzyme in the presence of component (b) only. in one em bodiment, at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) shows reduced loss of enzymatic activity during storage in the presence of components (b) and (c) and optionally (d) when com pared to the same enzyme in the presence of component (bi) only. in one embodiment, at least one enzyme comprised in component (a) shows reduced loss of enzymatic activity during stor age in the presence of components (b) and (c) and optionally (d) when compared to the same enzyme in the absence of component (c) and optionally (d). in one embodiment, component (c) comprises at least one diol selected from diols having ter minal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms; said diol may be se lected from 1,4-butanediol, 1 ,6-hexanediol and 1,8-octanediol. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises a mixture of 1,6-hexanediol and at least one diols having vicinally positioned -oh as disclosed above, preferably selected from 1,2-butan diol and 1 ,2-pentandiol, wherein the weight ratio of 1,6-hexane diol to the diol having vicinally positioned -oh is 10:1, 9:1 , 8:1, 7:1, or 6:1 , preferably within the range of 6:1 to 8:1, more preferably within the range of 7:1 to 6:1, most preferably 6.75:1. in one embodiment, component (d) comprises at least one organic solvent, preferably selected from 1,2-propane diol and polyethylene glycol methyl ether. in a preferred embodiment, component (d) and component (c) are present in a weight ratio of about 1:2 to about 1:3.3, wherein component (c) comprises at least 1 ,6-hexanediol. calculation of % reduced loss of enzymatic activity is done as follows: (% loss of enzymatic ac tivity of stabilized enzyme) - (% loss of enzymatic activity of non-stabilized enzyme). reduced loss of enzymatic activity within this invention may mean that the loss of enzymatic activity is reduced in the presence of component (a) by at least 5%, by at least 10%, by at least 15%, by at least 20%, by at least 25%, by at least 30%, by at least 40%, by at least 50%, by least 60%, at least 65%, at least 70%, at least 75%, at least 80%, at least 85%, at least 90%, at least 91%, at least 92%, at least 93%, at least 94%, at least 95%, at least 96%, at least 97%, at least 98%, at least 99%, or at least 99.5%, when compared to the loss of enzymatic activity in the absence of component (a). enzyme stabilization occurs in one aspect within a liquid formulation comprising at least one surfactant, preferably within a liquid detergent formulation. stabilization in this context may mean stabilization during storage at 37°c for 21, 28 and/or 42 days. in one aspect of the invention, at least one subtilisin protease is stabilized in the presence of components (b) and (c) when compared to the protease in the presence of component (b) only, in one embodiment, at least one subtilisin protease is stabilized in the presence of components (b) and (c) when compared to the protease in the presence of component (bii) only. preferably the subtilisin protease shows residual proteolytic activity after storage of >72%, >75%, or >80%, when compared to the initial proteolytic activity before storage at 37°c for up to 42 days. in one embodiment, the subtilisin protease is selected from subtilisin 147 and/or 309 as disclosed in wo 89/06279 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, subtilisin from bacillus lentus as disclosed in wo 91/02792 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity, and subtilisin according to seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 or variants thereof having proteolytic activity. in one aspect of the invention, at least one alpha amylase is stabilized in the presence of com ponents (b) and (c) when compared to the protease in the presence of component (b) only. in one embodiment, at least one subtilisin protease is stabilized in the presence of components (b) and (c) when compared to the protease in the presence of component (bii) only. preferably the alpha amylase shows residual amylolytic activity after storage of >60%, >70%, or >80%, when compared to the initial proteolytic activity before storage at 37°c for up to 42 days. in one em bodiment said alpha amylase is selected from • amylase from bacillus sp.707 or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably se lected from amylases having seq id no:6 as disclosed in wo 99/19467 and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase selected from those comprising amino acids 1 to 485 of seq id no:2 as de scribed in wo 00/60060 those having seq id no: 12 as described in wo 2006/002643, and variants thereof having amylolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus halmapalus or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases having seq id no: 1 and 2 as disclosed in wo 2013/001078; having seq id no:6 as described in wo 2011/098531 ; and variants thereof having amy lolytic activity; • amylase from bacillus amyloliquefaciens or variants thereof having amylolytic activity, preferably selected from amylases according to seq id no: 3 of wo 2016/092009; • hybrid amylases according to wo 2014/183920 with a and b domains having at least 90% identity to seq id no:2 of wo 2014/183920 and a c domain having at least 90% identity to seq id no:6 of wo 2014/183920, wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% identical to seq id no: 23 of wo 2014/183920 and having amylolytic activity; • hybrid amylase according to wo 2014/183921 with a and b domains having at least 75% identity to seq id no: 2, seq id no: 15, seq id no: 20, seq id no: 23, seq id no: 29, seq id no: 26, seq id no: 32, and seq id no: 39 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and a c domain having at least 90% identity to seq id no: 6 of wo 2014/183921 , wherein the hybrid amylase has amylolytic activity; preferably, the hybrid alpha-amylase is at least 95% identical to seq id no: 30 as disclosed in wo 2014/183921 and having amylolytic activity. the stabilization of at least one enzyme as disclosed above preferably occurs in the presence of components (b) and (c), wherein component (bi) is selected from triethylcitrate, tributylcitrate, and acetoxytriethylcitrate; prefera bly triethlcitrate; component (bii) is selected from 4-fpba and a peptide stabilizer according to formula (db) characterized in r 1 is a group such that nh-chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of leu; and the n-terminal protection group z is benzyloxycarbonyl (cbz); component (c) comprises at least one diol selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms, preferably selected from 1 ,4 butanediol, 1,6 hexanediol and 1,8 octanediol; and a combination of at least two diols, wherein the first diol is selected from diols having terminal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms, more preferably selected from 1,4 butanediol, 1,6 hexanediol and 1 ,8 octanediol; and a second diol is selected from diols having vicinally positioned -oh groups containing 4 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c- atoms, more preferably 4 to 6 c-atoms, most preferably 4 to 5 c-atoms; especially preferably selected from 1,2 butandiol and 1 ,2 pentandiol. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises at least one diol selected from diols having ter minal -oh groups containing 3 to 10 c-atoms, preferably 4 to 8 c-atoms; said diol may be se lected from 1,4-butanediol, 1 ,6-hexanediol and 1,8-octanediol. in one embodiment, component (c) comprises a mixture of 1,6-hexanediol and at least one diols having vicinally positioned -oh as disclosed above, preferably selected from 1 ,2-butan diol and 1 ,2-pentandiol, wherein the weight ratio of 1,6-hexane diol to the diol having vicinally positioned -oh is 10:1, 9:1 , 8:1, 7:1, or 6:1 , preferably within the range of 6:1 to 8:1, more preferably within the range of 7:1 to 6:1, most preferably 6.75:1. in one embodiment, the stabilization of at least one enzyme as disclosed above preferably oc curs in the presence of components (b) and (c) and (d). preferably, component (d) comprises at least one organic solvent, preferably selected from 1,2-propane diol and polyethylene glycol methyl ether. in a preferred embodiment, component (d) and component (c) are present in a weight ratio of about 1 :2 to about 1 :3.3, wherein component (c) comprises at least 1 ,6- hexanediol. examples the invention will be further illustrated by working examples. general remarks: percentages are weight percent unless specifically noted otherwise. tested compounds compounds according to formula (a) - (component (b) as disclosed above): a.1 triethylcitrate - purchased from sigma aldrich a.2 tributylcitrate - purchased from sigma aldrich a.3 acetoxytriethylcitrate - purchased from sigma aldrich storage stability of enzyme preparation enzyme preparations have been produced by mixing of the ingredients according to table 1 below. table 1: liquid enzyme preparation (ep) protease used: seq id no:22 as described in ep 1921147 having the mutation r101 e (ac cording to bpn’ numbering). peptidealdehyde used: cbz-val-ala-leu-h (formula (db): z=cbz, r 1 is a group such that nh- chr 1 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of val, r 2 is a group such that nh-chr 2 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of ala, and r 3 is a group such that nh-chr 3 -co is an l or d-amino acid residue of leu). the formulations ep-... according to table 1 were stored at 8°c, 20°c and 37°c for 6 weeks and evaluated qualitatively for turbidity and phase separation (see table 2). * compound according to formula (a) as disclosed above table 2: optical evaluation of enzyme preparations a - - immediate turbidity; phase separation within 12h; - turbidity and minor phase separation within 72h; 0 slight turbidity, no phase separation between 8°c and 37°c + opalescence or slight turbidity ++ remains clear, no phase separation at storage between 8°c and 37°c for more than 6 months enzyme stability in liquid detergent formulations the enzyme preparations of ii. have been formulated into detergent formulations (df) accord- ing to table 3. table 3: liquid detergent formulation (comp.1): mgda 50% solution (trilon m max liquid) (comp.2): citric acid (comp.3): glda 50% solution (comp.4): paa, polyacrylic acid mw 5.000 g/mol (homo-polyacrylic acid) (comp.5): glycerol (g) or propanediol (p) (comp.6): non-ionic surfactant according to formula (iv), wherein r 1 is n-c 8 alkyl, r 2 is branched cn alkyl, ao is ch 2 -ch 2 -0, and x is 22. (comp.7): na 4 hedp (comp.8): thickener xanthan gum amyl = stainzyme, amy2 = amplify, amy3 = stainzyme plus l (12l) the liquid detergent formulations were stored at a temperature of 37° for 8 weeks (42 days). this corresponds to a storage of approximately 9 months at room temperature or >15 month at 8°c. the amylase activity after storage was measured quantitatively by the release of the chromo- phore para-nitrophenol (pnp) from the substrate (ethyliden-blocked-pnpg7, roche applied science 10880078103). the alpha-amylase degrades the substrate into smaller molecules and a-glucosidase (roche applied science 11626329103), which is present in excess compared to the a-amylase, process these smaller products until pnp is released; the release of pnp, measured via an increase of absorption at 405 nm, is directly proportional to the a-amylase ac tivity of the sample. amylase standard: termamyl 120 l (sigma 3403). the protease activity after storage was analyzed by measuring the reactivity towards the pep- tidic substrate suc-aapf-pna. here pna is cleaved from the substrate molecule at 30°c, ph 8.6 using 100mm tris buffer. the rate of cleavage, directly proportional to the protease activi ty, can be determined by the increase of the yellow color of free pna in the solution by measur ing od405, the optical density at 405 nm. table 4 displays amylase and protease activity measured in liquid formulations before and after storage for 42 days at 37°c. the amylolytic and proteolytic activity values provided were calcu lated referring to the value determined in the reference formulation at the time 0, in which the compound according to formula (a) (part of component(b)) and diol (component (c)) are miss ing. table 4: protease and amylase activity before and after 42 d storage at 37°c; enz: enzyme so lution containing 4.8% protease stabilized with 0.3% peptide aldehyde in aqueous solution.
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025-781-066-695-40X
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
C25B1/46,C25B15/08
| 1978-07-13T00:00:00 |
1978
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[
"C25"
] |
electrolyte series flow in electrolytic chlor-alkali cells
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in an electrolytic chlor-alkali cell, or bank of cells, having a plurality of electrolyte compartments containing electrode pairs (anodes and cathodes) and wherein a hydraulically-impermeable membrane separates the electrolyte compartments into catholyte portions and anolyte portions, said cell or cells being employed to produce chlorine at the anodes and caustic and hydrogen at the cathodes by the electrolysis of an aqueous alkali metal chloride electrolyte, improved operation is attained by flowing anolyte liquor from anolyte portion to anolyte portion, sequentially, while simultaneously, and in the opposite direction, flowing catholyte liquor from catholyte portion to catholyte portion, sequentially. the membrane substantially prevents cl.sup.- from entering the catholyte liquor from the anolyte, and a high purity caustic, substantially free of salt, is produced.
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1. in the process of producing hydrogen, aqueous alkali metal hydroxide and chlorine gas by the electrolysis of aqueous alkali metal chloride solution in a bank of a plurality of membrane cells, said hydrogen and alkali metal hydroxide being produced at cathodes in catholyte portions, said chlorine being produced at anodes in anolyte portions, said membrane providing a substantially hydraulically-impermeable divider between catholyte portions and anolyte portions, the improvement which comprises flowing an aqueous alkali metal chloride as anolyte for the anolyte portions, said flowing being done in sequence from anolyte portion to anolyte portion, removing spent anolyte from the last anolyte portion of the sequence, and flowing an aqueous catholyte from catholyte portion to catholyte portion in sequence and in countercurrent manner to the anolyte flow, removing caustic-enriched catholyte from the last catholyte portion of the sequence. 2. the process of claim 1 wherein the flow of cell liquor in each electrolyte portion is in a generally upward direction. 3. the process of claim 1 wherein the anodes are dimensionally stable metal anodes comprising an electroconductive valve metal substrate having on at least a portion of its surface thereof a layer of at least one electroconductive metal oxide selected from oxides of the group of metals consisting of cobalt, rhodium, palladium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, and platinum. 4. the process of claim 1 wherein the anodes are dimensionally stable metal anodes comprising a titanium substrate having on at least a portion of its surface thereof a layer of at least one electroconductive metal oxide selected from the group consisting of ruthenium oxide and spinels of cobalt. 5. the process of claim 1 wherein the cathodes comprise a ferrous metal. 6. the process of claim 1 wherein the cathodes comprise a ferrous metal coated on at least a portion thereof with porous nickel. 7. the process of claim 1 wherein the catholyte concentration removed from the last catholyte portion is in the range of about 5 to about 50%. 8. the process of claim 1 wherein the catholyte concentration removed from the last catholyte portion is in the range of about 10 to about 30%. 9. the process of claim 1 wherein the spent anolyte contains at least about 8% alkali metal chloride by weight. 10. the process of claim 1 wherein the spent anolyte contains at least about 8% nacl by weight. 11. the process of claim 1 wherein the spent anolyte contains about 10 to about 23% alkali metal chloride by weight. 12. the process of claim 1 wherein the spent anolyte contains about 10 to about 23% nacl by weight. 13. the process of claim 1 wherein the membrane comprises a hydrolyzed copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and sulfonated perfluorovinyl ether.
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background of the invention the electrolytic production of chlorine and caustic by the electrolysis of brine has been well known for many years. historically, diaphragm cells using a hydraulically-permeable asbestos diaphragm, vacuum-deposited onto foraminous steel cathodes, have been widely commercialized. such diaphragm cells, employing permeable diaphragms, produce nacl-containing naoh catholytes because nacl passes through the diaphragm from the anolyte to the catholyte. such nacl-containing caustic generally requires a de-salting process to obtain a low-salt caustic for industrial purposes. in recent years, the chlor-alkali industry has focused much of its attention on developing membrane cells to produce low-salt or salt-free caustic in order to improve quality and avoid the costly de-salting processes. membranes have been developed for that purpose which are substantially hydraulically-impermeable, but which will permit hydrated na.sup.+ ions to be transported from the anolyte portion to the catholyte portions, while substantially preventing transport of cl.sup.- ions. such cells are operated by flowing a brine solution into the anolyte portion and by providing salt-free water to the catholyte portion to serve as the caustic medium. hydrogen is evolved from the cathode, and chlorine from the anode, regardless of whether a membrane cell or a diaphragm cell is employed. as early as 1918, various patents have suggested the flow of electrolytes from one cell to another, in sequence. for instance u.s. pat. no. 1,284,618 teaches and claims an apparatus wherein the catholyte liquor flows from cell to cell, gaining in caustic strength in each succeeding cell. by so doing, the average caustic concentration across all the cells is less than in the final cell; this permits greater caustic efficiency throughout the cells. the patent also teaches that the anolyte may also flow from cell to cell, either in the same direction as the catholyte series flow or in the opposite direction. the patent teaches that there is some percolation of cell liquor through the diaphragm, but postulates that the catholyte series flow would be even more advantageous if the diaphragm was impervious to hydraulic flow between the anolyte and catholyte. according to the patent, it is immaterial whether or not the anolyte is fed separately or in parallel, or fed in series with the catholyte. the patent teaches that the "spent" anolyte from the final cell of a series can be fed to the catholyte portion to serve as the catholyte liquor in which the concentration of caustic is incrementally increased through the series flow. the "spent" anolyte, however, is known to still contain a substantial amount of salt. it is well known that caustic efficiency depends on, and is generally inversely related to, the caustic concentration of the catholyte in membrane cells and diaphragm cells. it has been reported (44th annual conference, water pollution control federation, san francisco, calif., oct. 3-8, 1971, page 12--paper by s. a. michalek et al, ionics, inc.) that caustic efficiency does not substantially depend on the salt concentration (salt utilization) of the anolyte. it is also reported there that the membrane employed was "an xr cation-transfer membrane" and that the anode was a "dsa" anode supplied by electrode corporation. it is believed that "an xr cation-transfer membrane" refers to nafion.rtm. developed by e. i. du pont de nemours as an electrolytic membrane and that "dsa" refers to a dimensionally-stable anode comprising a titanium substrate coated with a layer of ruthenium oxide. the article discloses (page 9) that " - - - the most economical and practical design was a simple two compartment membrane cell with independent water feed to the cathode." the cell is used in electrolyzing aqueous nacl to produce h.sub.2 and naoh at the cathode and cl.sub.2 at the anode; then the so-formed naoh and cl.sub.2 is reacted to make sodium hypochlorite which is used in sewage treatment. it is an object of the present invention to produce a highly pure aqueous caustic solution by the electrolysis of alkali metal halide. another object is to provide a process whereby the overall efficiency of a chlor-alkali electrolytic membrane cell, or bank of cells, is improved. a further object is to provide a process whereby the alkali metal chloride in the anolyte of a chlor-alkali electrolytic cell is more efficiently used without a significant loss of caustic efficiency. still another object is to provide an electrolytic cell which is capable of operating for extended periods of time without suffering a substantial loss of current efficiency or undergoing a rapid rate of wear. summary of the invention an electrolytic chlor-alkali membrane cell, or bank of cells, is provided whereby an aqueous alkali metal chloride is electrolyzed to produce caustic, hydrogen, and chlorine, said cell, or bank of cells, comprising a plurality of electrolyte compartments containing electrode pairs (anodes and cathodes) said electrolyte compartments being separated by hydraulically-impermeable membranes situated between electrode pairs so as to provide anolyte portions and catholyte portions, with electrical circuitry provided for supplying current to each cell with means for series flowing of anolyte liquor from anolyte portion to anolyte portion, sequentially, in a given direction and means for series flowing of catholyte liquid in the opposite direction from catholyte portion to catholyte portion, with means for removing hydrogen from the catholyte portions and for removing chlorine from the anolyte portions, with means for feeding an alkali metal chloride brine as anolyte liquor to the first anolyte portion in the anolyte flow sequence and means for removing spent anolyte liquor from the last anolyte portion in the anolyte flow sequence, and with means for feeding water as catholyte liquor to the first catholyte portion in the catholyte flow sequence and means for removing caustic-enriched catholyte liquor from the last catholyte portion in the catholyte flow sequence. preferably the cathodes are comprised of ferrous metal coated with a porous nickel layer to provide low-overvoltage cathodes and the anodes are dimensionally stable metal anodes comprised of an electrically-conductive substrate coated with an electrically-conductive protective coating of a noble metal, an insoluble oxide of a metal of the platinum group, or an insoluble spinel of cobalt. detailed description of the invention fig. 1 illustrates or depicts the principal features, not drawn to scale, of an embodiment to provide a graphical or visual aid in the description of the invention. figs. 2, 3, and 4 are graphs depicting data curves of experimental comparisons to aid in describing the invention. experimental (fig. 2) for purposes of illustration, a single-cell operation, a catholyte-cascade operation, and a counter-current cascade (anolyte and catholyte) are compared as to the effect of caustic concentration on caustic efficiency at a given nacl concentration in the anolyte. fig. 2 depicts data showing that counter-current cascade (curve a) has higher caustic efficiency at a given caustic concentration than catholyte-cascade (curve b) or single-cell operation (curve c). in all three instances, the brine feed is 25% nacl, the catholyte concentration is varied by varying water feed rate, brine conversion is about 45%, and anolyte overflow is about 18% nacl. in the single-cell operation (curve c), 25% nacl brine is fed to, and anolyte containing 18% nacl is withdrawn from, the anolyte portion of a single-cell chlor-alkali cell equipped with a woven wire-mesh steel cathode, a dimensionally-stable metal anode, and a nafion.rtm. membrane. by "single-cell operation" it is meant that anolyte flows through only one anolyte portion and catholyte flows through only one catholyte portion; it is representative of membrane cells wherein anolyte from a common source is fed to each of several anolyte portions simultaneously and wherein water is fed to each of several catholyte portions simultaneously. in the catholyte-cascade operation (curve b), 25% nacl brine is simultaneously fed to, and anolyte containing 18% nacl withdrawn from, each of five anolyte portions and water is fed to the first cell of the five corresponding catholyte portions from whence it flows, sequentially, through each of the four remaining catholyte portions, accruing caustic strength as it flows from cell to cell. in the counter-current operation (curve a), 25% nacl brine is fed to the anolyte portion of the last cell of the 5-cell series from whence it flows sequentially through the four other cells until it leaves the first cell as "spent" anolyte containing 18% nacl; simultaneously, water is fed to the first catholyte portion from whence it flows, counter-currently to the anolyte flow, through the four other cells until it leaves the last cell enriched with caustic. in all three operations (a, b, and c) the inter-electrode gap is about 0.3 cm, the membranes being deposed between anodes and cathodes and having a thickness of about 0.02 cm. the cells are operated at a current density of about 150 ma/cm.sup.2, the temperature is about 80.degree. c. and the cell voltage average is about 3.1 volts. the brine is regulated at a rate to obtain about 18% nacl in the anolyte overflow and the catholyte flow is regulated to achieve the various caustic concentrations in the catholyte effluent. caustic efficiency is determined by weighing the caustic actually produced and comparing that to the theoretical amount possible. experimental (fig. 3) in similar manner to curves a and b in fig. 2, curves a' and b' in fig. 3 illustrate a comparison between catholyte-cascade (curve b') and counter-current cascade (curve a'), but using an anolyte overflow of 13% nacl, or about 75% brine conversion. catholyte flow rate is regulated so as to attain various caustic concentrations in the catholyte effluent. in comparing curves a and b of fig. 2 with curves a' and b' of fig. 3, it can be seen that the caustic efficiency, at a given caustic concentration is substantially greater with the higher nacl anolyte concentration with the catholyte-cascade only process, but is only slightly affected by nacl anolyte concentration in the counter-current cascade process. caustic efficiency is also greater with the counter-current cascade than with the catholyte-cascade only. thus it is possible to attain high conversions of brine in a series of cells by employing counter-current cascading and still attain relatively high caustic efficiencies at high caustic loadings. experimental (fig. 4) fig. 4 depicts single-cell operation (no cascading) at two levels of nacl concentration in the anolyte overflow. curve d illustrates results attained using an anolyte overflow concentration of 24% nacl and curve e illustrates an anolyte overflow concentration of 14% nacl. at caustic concentration of about 10-12%, the curves are essentially the same, but at higher caustic concentrations, the effect of the greater nacl concentration is seen to result in higher caustic efficiency. the foregoing examples are for illustrative purposes and the present invention is not limited to the particular counter-current cascade embodiments shown. anolyte concentrations may vary from about 8 to 26% nacl and even higher if nacl slurries are used; ordinarily, a preferred range of about 10 to 23% nacl is employed and a brine feed at about 25-26% nacl is used. catholyte concentrations from the cells may be from about 5 to 50% naoh, preferably about 10 to 30% naoh. it will be readily appreciated by chloralkali artisans that as the catholyte flows from cell to cell, it accrues not only caustic values, but also additional water because of the electroosmotic flux (transport) of water through the membrane, even though the membrane is substantially impervious to the hydraulic transport of water. such flux of water from the anolyte to the catholyte tends to dilute the catholyte as it accrues caustic, and tends to concentrate the anolyte as the nacl is spent. nevertheless, the efficiency of the process is sufficient that the intrinsic gain in caustic strength and the intrinsic depletion of anolyte strength is not seriously offset by the electroosmotic flux of water through the membrane.
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026-591-497-390-164
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KR
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[
"US"
] |
G11B7/007,G11B19/12,G11B20/00,G11B27/30,G11B27/32
| 1998-07-30T00:00:00 |
1998
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[
"G11"
] |
optical disk having anti-piracy function and method of fabricating and authenticating the optical disk
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the present invention relates to an optical disk having data duplication prevention function, a method of authenticating such optical disk, and a method of fabricating such optical disk discriminated from a duplicated disk. for the optical disk, a prescribed field of subcode data, which is obtained from data recorded in a program area, is set to a value in such a manner that the value is different from that in the corresponding field of table-of-content data which is recorded in a lead-in area. or reproduction control information associated with data recorded in a prescribed region in the program area is recorded in the reverse order. depending on the existence of these unusual data patterns, the optical disk is judged as a legitimate production or an illegal production.
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1. an optical storage medium having values in a predetermined field of reproduction control data in a program area that are written in the inverse order that values in the corresponding field of a table-of-content data in a lead-in area are written in. 2. an optical storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the reproduction control data with the values in the predetermined field is recorded in a larger area whose size is larger than that of tracks for an optical pickup to swing on pause mode. 3. an optical storage medium according to claim 1 , comprising a recorded program, the function of the program being to check whether an optical storage medium is an original or not based on the order difference between values respectively written in the predetermined fields of the reproduction control data and the table-of-content data. 4. an optical storage medium according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined field is control field within q channel data composed from headers of data frames. 5. a method of authenticating an optical storage medium loaded, comprising the steps of: 6. a method of authenticating an optical storage medium loaded, comprising the steps of:
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates generally to anti-piracy of data on optical disks, more specifically, to optical disk having prevention function to protect data on an original optical disk, a method of authenticating such optical disk, and a method of fabricating such optical disk discriminated from a duplicated disk. 2. description of the related art as information storage medium in the multimedia environment, optical disks have been widely used for storage of music, movies, and software due to their high storage capacity. the optical disks have several advantages over other storage media in that mass-production is possible at a low price and that the quality of information thereon is not degraded even though reproduction or duplication thereof is made repeatedly. the price of optical disks that are writable once and reproducible in ordinary optical disk players is lowering. low-priced optical disk fabricating apparatuses have been, moreover, released into the market. hence, optical disks containing commercial high-priced software tend to be duplicated illegally and spread as pirate disks, resulting in enormous economic loss in the software industry. strong policies have been made to inhibit or limit the illegal duplication of optical disks, but perfect prevention of the illegal duplication is impossible because the illegally copied disks can be fabricated readily and distributed privately. accordingly, technologies are strongly demanded to inhibit illegal duplication of optical disks. many methods have been proposed to accomplish the duplication prevention. as one of them, korean patent application s/n. 97-32576, proposed by these inventors, discloses a signal recording method for an optical disk with a copy-protection function and a method of preventing illegal duplication of the optical disk using the recording method. in the method, a non-standard symbol or an unusual pit pattern is recorded on a prescribed area of an optical disk. the non-standard symbol is formed by shifting or delaying some part of a chosen standard symbol or codeword by a predetermined length, so that it can be equally reproduced as either of two distinct standard symbols. therefore, an optical disk with one or more non-standard symbols is determined to be a legitimate production if they are reproduced into distinct symbols. however, in order to form the unusual pit pattern in some areas of an optical disk, the delayed pit pattern must be written precisely into an undefined region, that is, a region located between consecutive pits outside of an allowed limit for normal pits. accordingly, an optical disk production apparatus with a high precision is required to control the delay of a pit which is chosen to make the unusual pit pattern. however, the high-precise production apparatus costs high, resulting in the increase of the production cost. the undefined region depends on manufacturers of optical disk drivers. hence, the unusual pit pattern with the delayed pit is regarded as a non-standard symbol in some optical disk drivers, it is always reproduced as a standard symbol in the others. in the latter case, the desired authentication function does not work even though the optical disk is legitimate one. summary of the invention it is an object of this invention to provide an optical disk with a duplication prevention function in which a value recorded in a prescribed field of reproduction control data is not coincident with that of the corresponding field of table-of-content (toc) data, an authenticating method of such optical disk, and a fabrication method of such optical disk. it is another object of this invention to provide an optical disk with a duplication prevention function in which some of reproduction control data are recorded in the reverse order, an authenticating method of such optical disk, and a fabrication method of such optical disk. the optical disk with duplication prevention function according to the present invention is characterized in that a value in a prescribed field in a control data needed for reproduction and search is not coincident with that of the corresponding field in a toc data. the optical disk with duplication prevention function according to the present invention is further characterized in that some of reproduction control data are recorded thereon in the reverse order. a method of authenticating the above-mentioned optical disk according to the present invention comprises the steps of reading out a table-of-content data from an lead-in area of the optical disk; extracting subcode data from data recorded in a program area of the optical storage medium; checking whether or not data in a prescribed field of the subcode data is coincident with that in the corresponding field of the table-of-content data; and determining whether the optical disk is a legitimate production or illegally-duplicated production on the basis of the checking result. another method of authenticating the above-mentioned optical disk according to the present invention comprises the steps of reading out data of a predetermined size from a prescribed area in the optical disk; checking whether or not some of reproduction control data within the read-out data exist in the reversed order; and determining whether the optical disk is a legitimate production or illegally-duplicated production on the basis of the checking result. an optical disk according to the present invention is fabricated in such a manner that a prescribed field of a q-channel data which is collected from header information of a predetermined number of frames has a value different from that in the corresponding field of a toc data. when the optical disk is loaded in an optical disk driver, a toc data is first read out from a lead-in area of the optical disk. then, a q channel data is obtained from data recorded in a program area of the disk. a comparison is made as to whether or not a value in the prescribed field of the q-channel data is coincident with that in the corresponding field of the toc data. the optical disk is judged as a legitimate disk if they are not equal to each other. an optical disk according to of the present invention is fabricated in such a manner that data to be recorded are written to the optical disk in units of a predetermined size of data, and that reproduction control data corresponding to some of data in the units are written in the reverse order. when reproduction of the optical disk is requested, a predetermined amount of data are read out from a prescribed area of the optical disk and is then divided into several groups of a predetermined size of data. then, it is checked whether some reversed reproduction control data exist in the data groups. if they are detected, the optical disk is judged as a legitimate production. the present invention makes it possible to inhibit optical disks which are duplicated illegally from an optical disk of original record from being reproduced, thereby contributing the prevention of illegal duplication. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, illustrate preferred embodiments of this invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present invention. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a schematic representation showing the structure of a frame on an optical disk and a subcode data; figs. 2a and 2b are schematic representations respectively showing a toc data in a lead-in area and q-channel data in a program area; fig. 3 is a schematic diagram showing part of a fabrication process of an optical disk; fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an optical disk reproduction apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 5 is a flow chart of a method of authenticating an optical disk according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a cd-rom reproduction apparatus embodying the present invention; figs. 7a and 7b are flow charts showing a method of authenticating a cd-rom in the reproduction apparatus of fig. 6 ; fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing an optical disk fabrication apparatus for producing an optical disk with duplication prevention function according to the present invention; fig. 9 illustrates an operation of reversing reproduction time information belonging to a data unit of recording; fig. 10 is a flow chart of a method of authenticating an optical disk according to another embodiment of the present invention; fig. 11 illustrates a duplication process performed by a specialized optical disk duplication apparatus; and fig. 12 is a flow chart showing another method of authenticating a cd-rom in the reproduction apparatus of fig. 6 . description of the preferred embodiments the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail referring to the accompanying drawings. the structure of a frame, a smallest unit of recording in optical disk systems, is shown in fig. 1 . the first 24 bits are used for synchronization data and the subsequent 14 bits are used for subcode data area. pieces of subcode data are fetched from 95 frames, or a block and gathered to form a subcode data (988 bit) constituting data of p-, q-, r-, s-, t-, u-, v-, w-channels. of those channels, q-channel data are used for management for accessing. sub-q channel data (denoted by data in figs. 2a and 2b ) in the q-channel data are generally used for fine access control. on the other hand, the sub-q data stored in a lead-in area (track 0 to 1) represents a table-of-content (toc) information. hereinafter, the q-channel data in the lead-in area is referred to as toc data. meanwhile, it should be noted that the toc data and the q-channel data in an optical disk are not copied to another optical disk when an optical disk is duplicated. this is because they are generated internally in an optical disk writer at the recording operation. as shown in figs. 2a and 2b , both toc data and q-channel data have a 4-bit control field specifying the attributes of the recorded data on the optical disk, and their the 4-bit control fields have the same value. for example, in case of cd-da, an audio mode indicator code is recorded in the control fields of both toc data and q-channel data. in a method for fabricating optical disks according to the present invention, a value is written to the control field of a q-channel data in such a manner that the value is not coincident with that of the control field in the toc data. specifically, in case where an optical disk is cd-da, audio mode indicator code is written to the control field of the toc data, but data mode indicator code is recorded in the control field of all or part of the q-channel data in a program area of the optical disk. in case of cd-rom, in addition to the operation of writing the control data as mentioned above, a program is written to a predetermined area to perform authentication of the cd-rom by checking whether the control fields of the toc data and the q-channel data have different values from each other. generally, fabrication of optical disks requires several processes like manufacturing of the original record, master, and stamper. optical disks are duplicated and mass-produced from the stamper in accordance with the injection molding technique. resin which is to be hardened by ultraviolet is, first, filled between a glass-made surface-ground substrate and a stamper, and a pressure is then applied to the substrate ((a) of fig. 9 ). ultraviolet is irradiated toward the substrate and the resin being ((b) of fig. 9 ). then, an optical disk is developed where the data to be recorded and their associated subcodes are formed ((c) of fig. 9 ). an optical disk fabricated as above is not prevented from being reproduced in general optical disk drivers. this is because general optical disk drivers do not care whether or not the two control fields have identical values during read-out and reproduction operation. fig. 4 depicts a functional block diagram of an optical disk reproduction apparatus to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied, comprising an optical pickup 11 for reading out information recorded in an optical disk 10 by using a light beam irradiated by an led; a sled motor 12 a for moving the optical pickup in the radial direction of the optical disk; a spindle motor 12 b for rotating the optical disk; a driving unit 30 for driving the sled motor 12 a and the spindle motor 12 b ; an radio-frequency (rf) demodulator 20 for demodulating and filtering the signal picked up by the optical pickup; a servo unit 40 for servo-controlling the driving unit on the basis of focus error signal, tracking error signal, and the rotational speed, and detecting synchronization signal from the rf demodulated signal; a digital signal processor 50 for processing the demodulated rf signal on the basis of the synchronization signals; a controlling unit 60 for performing operations needed to check if the optical disk loaded is a legitimate disk; a memory 61 for storing a toc data; and a display unit 70 for displaying the authentication result. a method of authenticating an optical disk according the present invention is described below in detail with reference to fig. 4 and a flowchart of fig. 5 . once an optical disk 10 is inserted and loaded (s 10 ), before reproducing a specified song (in case of cd-da) or an recorded item (in case of cd-rom), the controlling unit 60 controls the optical pickup 11 through the driving unit 30 to read out a toc data recorded in a lead-in area of the optical disk. the toc data, that is, the q-channel data recorded in the lead-in area represents the information such as the track number. the sub-q data is made up each of 8 bits. as shown in fig. 2a , the track number is recorded in the lead-in area. next to the track number, the point (point) is recorded, followed by minutes (min), seconds (sec) and the frame number (frame) specifying the elapsed time in the track. then, pmin, psec and pframe are recorded. the rf signal containing the toc data is filtered out by the r/f demodulator 20 and is then converted into digital data by the digital signal processor 50 based on synchronization signals detected by the servo unit 40 . the controlling unit 60 reads the toc data into the memory 61 (s 11 ), and then the optical pickup 11 is moved into a program area under control of the driving unit 30 and the servo unit 40 . at this time, in case of the optical disk in which the 4-bit control field data in all of q-channel data are different from that of the toc data, the optical pickup 11 may be moved to an arbitrary position on the program area. on the other hand, in case where q-channel data recorded on a predetermined region of the program area, the size of which is slightly larger than that of tracks for the optical pickup to swing while optical pickup is paused, e.g., about 4 minutes in terms of reproduction time, have different the 4-bit control field data, the optical pickup 11 is moved to the predetermined region with reference to information contained the toc data. after the pickup is moved to the target location on the program area, a block of 98 frames is read out at that location (s 12 ). the controlling unit 60 extracts header information from 98 frames (s 13 ) and then a q-channel data is formed from the header information (s 14 ). after that, a comparison is made as to whether or not the control field of the q-channel data is coincident with that of the corresponding toc data (s 15 ). whether the optical disk loaded is a legitimate disk or not is judged based on the comparison result (s 20 ). if they are not the same, the optical disk is judged as a legitimate disk (s 21 ). on the other hand, it is judged as an illegally-duplicated disk (s 23 ). the judgement is displayed on the display unit 70 (s 22 ). fig. 6 shows a functional block diagram of an optical disk reproduction apparatus to which a preferred embodiment of the present invention is applied, comprising an optical disk driver a including a general cd-rom driver and a ring buffer 80 for data transmission to a host computer system; and a personal computer system pc including a memory 110 for storing a program which is received from the ring buffer 80 ; a keyboard 130 for receiving a user command; a hard disk 140 for storing program; and a cpu 120 for executing a program. a method of authenticating an optical disk in the optical disk reproduction apparatus of fig. 6 is described below in detail with reference to flowcharts of figs. 7a and 7b . if a cd-rom having a program required for the authentication operation is loaded in the optical disk driver a (s 30 ), a disk driving program is loaded from the hard disk 140 into the memory 110 . a user requests the installation of application program on the cd-rom through the keyboard 130 (s 31 ). specifically, the driving program running on cpu 120 requests the transmission of an installation program to install the application program on the cd-rom to the controlling unit 60 of the cd-rom driver through the ring buffer 80 . on receiving the request, the optical pickup 11 is, under control of the controlling unit 60 , moved to a prescribed area where the installation program is recorded. the data stored in the prescribed area is read out through the r/f demodulator 20 , the servo unit 40 , and the digital signal processor 50 . the installation program is stored temporarily in the ring buffer 80 and is then sequentially transmitted to the memory 110 of the host computer system. note that none of subcodes is sent to the host computer system in this transmission time. once the transmission is completed, the installation program is executed on the cpu 120 (s 32 ). a toc read-out command signal is first sent to the controlling unit 60 through the ring buffer 80 . on receiving the command signal, the controlling unit 60 controls the optical pickup 11 to read in a toc data in the lead-in area (track 0 to track 1) (s 33 ). the toc data is then sent to the host computer system through the ring buffer 80 . receiving the toc data, the installation program requests the controlling unit 60 to read out and send q-channel data recorded in a predetermined area where the control field data of q-channel data is different from that of the toc data. the size of the predetermined area is slightly larger than average of the track width for the optical pickup to swing while movement of the optical pickup is paused, e.g., about 4 minutes in terms of reproduction time. in response to the request, the controlling unit 60 moves the optical pickup 11 to the beginning of the predetermined area on the cd-rom and pause the pickup around that location (s 34 ). once the movement is completed, the optical pickup 11 starts to read out data while repeatedly tracking the predetermined area and, at the same time, the installation program requests the controlling unit 60 to send q-channel data in the data read out through the ring buffer 80 . in response to the request, the controlling unit 60 gathers header information from the data read out in the predetermined area to form a q-channel data (s 35 ,s 36 ,s 37 ). the q-channel data is transmitted to the host computer system through the ring buffer 80 and is then inputted for the installation program running therein. a comparison is made as to whether or not data in the control field of the q-channel data is coincident with that of the toc data stored already in the memory (s 38 , s 40 ). if it is determined that they are equal to each other (s 50 ), the cd-rom is judged as a duplicated disk. duplicated disk and warning messages on the display unit is displayed (s 51 ), followed by stop and termination of the operation of the program (s 52 ). if the cd-rom is judged as a legitimate disk, the installation program continues to be executed (s 42 ). another preferred embodiment of the present invention, different from the foregoing embodiment, is described below in detail referring to figs. 8 to 12 . the functional block diagram of an optical disk production apparatus according to this embodiment is shown in fig. 8 . the disk production apparatus comprises a subcode generator 2 for generating sub-p channel data and sub-q channel data with reproduction time information for every predetermined size of data from a digital master tape; a data mixer 3 for composing the channel data and the data to be recorded in accordance with the frame format in an optical disk; a mastering unit 4 for producing an optical disk; and a controller 1 for controlling the subcode generator so that reproduction time information included in the sub-q channel data is generated in the reverse order. the detailed disk production process in the apparatus of fig. 8 is as follows. the subcode generator 2 generates p/q channel data for source data from a digital master tape (e.g., music, moving pictures, or program) in accordance with the standard specification. for example, for the beginning part of each data having a predetermined size, e.g., the data amounting to a song, sub-p channel data have 1 for at least two seconds, but 0 thereafter. in addition, sub-q channel data, shown in fig. 2b , is generated by the subcode generator 2 and is then inputted to the data mixer 3 , together with the sub-p channel data. then, the data mixer 3 composes the channel data and the data to be recorded in accordance with the frame format of fig. 1 . meanwhile, during the generation of the channel data, the controller 1 makes the subcode generator 2 output reproduction time information in the reverse order for a chosen data. specifically, the absolute time address or absolute frame number is generated sequentially for every one block of data (98 frames). for a predetermined number of blocks, the subcode generator 2 generates the absolute time address or absolute frame number in the reverse order. fig. 9 illustrates that absolute time addresses (min, sec) for three blocks of 98 frames 98n, 98(n1) and 98(n2) is reversed. the frame data and their associated reversed absolute time addresses are combined by the data mixer 3 in accordance with the data format of fig. 1 . the mastering unit 4 produces a stamper in accordance with the data outputted from the data mixer 3 . an optical disk where reproduction time information associated with a predetermined interval of data is revered is manufactured by using the stamper, as shown in fig. 3 . after that, a reflective thin layer is formed on the optical disk and then a protective thin layer is deposited on the reflective thin-layer to prevent oxidization thereof. like cd-da, cd-rom titles can be manufactured according the above-mentioned fabrication process, but it is preferred that the reversed reproduction time information is recorded in a prescribed area and that a program, which is needed to check whether or not the cd-rom title is a legitimate production, is further provided in part of the program area other than the prescribed area. an optical disk having some of reversed reproduction time information is not prevented from being reproduced in general optical disk drivers. this is because general optical disk drivers reproduce and output the data recorded on an optical disk in the recording order without respect to reproduction time information thereon. furthermore, if data which are associated with reproduction time information to be reversed is confined in a physical track, track jump operation which is performed based on sub-q channel data is not affected by the reversed reproduction time information in the sub-q channel data. in case where an optical disk is duplicated in general optical disk duplication apparatuses like cd-rw driver, reproduction time information on the source disk is not copied into the target disk. that is, even though absolute time addresses corresponding to the data being used for authentication such as country road take me . . . of fig. 9 are reversed in the source disk like 10 : 01 : 54 , 10 : 01 : 52 , 10 : 01 : 50 , the data is just read out from the source disk without referring to the absolute time addresses and only the data is copied to the target disk along with arbitrary absolute time addresses which are internally generated, e.g., 21 : 05 : 41 , 21 : 05 : 43 , 21 : 05 : 45 . as a result, the duplicated disk does not have any reversed absolute time addresses. in case of specialized optical disk duplication apparatuses like cd-da duplication apparatus, the data on the original source disk, as shown in (a) of fig. 11 are stored temporarily in its internal buffer of a large capacity. once the buffering is completed, the data in the buffer are retrieved on the basis of their own reproduction time information, not in the order in which they were stored in the buffer. accordingly, the data on the source disk shown in (a) of fig. 11 are recorded on the duplicated disk in the form of (b) of fig. 11 . the recorded data associated with the reversed reproduction time information are recorded in a duplicated disk in an arbitrary order in accordance with the reversed reproduction time information. hence, music or the like on the duplicated disk sounds scrambled and programs on the duplicated disk does not work. when reproduction time information is reversed, frame number (frame of fig. 2b ) can be used in this embodiment in place of the absolute time addresses. a method of authenticating an optical disk according to this embodiment of the present invention is described below in detail with reference to a flowchart of fig. 10 and a reproduction apparatus of fig. 4 . if an optical disk is loaded (s 60 ), the controlling unit 60 controls the optical pickup 11 through the driving unit 30 and the servo unit 40 so that the optical pickup 11 is moved to the prescribed area on the optical disk in which reversed reproduction time information is recorded and blocks of 98 frames at that location are read out (s 61 ). the rf signal read out by the pickup 11 is shaped into binary pulses by the r/f demodulator 20 and is then converted into digital data by the digital signal processor 50 based on phase synchronization clock. sub-q channel data including the reproduction time information are extracted from blocks, each consisting of 98 frames, by the controlling unit 40 (s 62 ). the sub-q channel data are then checked whether the reproduction time information therein is in the reverse order (s 63 ). if it is determined that they are in the reversed order (s 70 ), the optical disk is judged as a legitimate disk (s 71 ). otherwise, the optical disk is judged as a duplicated disk (s 73 ). duplicated disk and warning messages on the displaying unit 70 is then displayed (s 72 ). instead of reversing reproduction time information of contiguously located blocks, each consisting of 98 frames, as described above, reproduction time information of about 70 bocks, which amounts to 1 second in terms of reproduction time, can be reordered arbitrarily without concern of display of the reordered time information. this is because most optical disk reproduction apparatus displays reproduction time in units of second. a method of authenticating an optical disk according to this embodiment of the present invention in the optical disk reproduction apparatus of fig. 6 is described below in detail with reference to a flowchart of fig. 12 . if a cd-rom where a program required for the authentication operation is recorded in a specified area as a file is loaded into the optical disk driver a (s 80 ), the authentication program is transmitted to the host computer system and is loaded in the memory 110 through the procedures previously described in the foregoing embodiment (s 81 ). once the transmission is completed, the authentication program is executed on the cpu 120 (s 82 ). a control command signifying that reproduction and sending of data in a prescribed area or a specified file together with their associated reproduction time information is sent to the controlling unit 60 of the disk driver through the ring buffer 80 . on receiving the command, the controlling unit 60 controls the optical pickup 11 to read out blocks in the prescribed area or the specified file (s 83 ) and to send the data to the host computer system through the ring buffer 80 . the authentication program running on the cpu checks whether or not the reproduction time information included in the sub-q channel data is in the reverse order (s 84 ,s 85 ,s 90 ). depending on the check result, the cd-rom is judged as either legitimate disk or duplicated disk (s 91 ,s 93 ), followed by the same subsequent operations as those of the foregoing embodiment (s 92 ,s 94 ,s 95 ). moreover, a subprogram may be further recorded on the optical disk where reproduction time information in a prescribed area is recorded in the reverse order so as to automatically detect the prescribed area having the reversed reproduction time information. some errors in the authentication process due to errors in sub-q channel data may be prevented. although foregoing embodiments have been described with p- and q-channel data, the present invention can be embodied with other subcodes such as r-, s-, t-, u-, v-, and w-channel data. the foregoing is provided only for the purpose of illustration and explanation of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, so changes, variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
|
026-704-954-570-995
|
DE
|
[
"DE",
"US",
"CN",
"EP",
"WO"
] |
H03K17/955,B60R16/02,B60R25/24,E05F15/73,B60R25/20,E05B81/78,E05B83/18,G07C9/00
| 2013-07-03T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"H03",
"B60",
"E05",
"G07"
] |
method for detecting a function actuation on vehicles
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a method for detecting a function actuation on a motor vehicle with a sensor device includes monitoring the signals of a proximity sensor as to a first signal reply s 1 . the signals of the proximity sensor are monitored for a time period t s wherein the method is interrupted when the signal reply changes by more than a value s t within the period of time t s . the signal device is actuated after time t s has expired in order to signal to the user that the actuation of time has expired. the signals of the proximity sensor are monitored for time t e wherein the method is continued when the signal of the proximity sensor changes by more than a predetermined value s e within the period of time t e . otherwise, the method is interrupted. if the method is continued, the actuation of the function of the motor vehicle is detected and the function trigger is signaled to a control device in the motor vehicle.
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1 . a method for detecting a function actuation on a motor vehicle with a sensor device, wherein the sensor device detects a proximity sensor for detecting the approach of a user, comprising the steps of: monitoring the signals of the proximity sensor with regard to a signal change in the form of a characteristic first signal reply s 1 , which indicates an approach to the proximity sensor, monitoring the signals of the proximity sensor for a period of time t s , wherein the method is interrupted when the signal reply of the proximity sensor changes by more than a predetermined value s t within the period of time t s , actuating a signal device after the period of time t s has expired in order to signal to the user that the actuation time has expired, monitoring the signals of the proximity sensor for a period of time t e , wherein the method is continued when the signal of the proximity sensor changes by more than a predetermined value s e within the period of time t e , and otherwise the method is interrupted, wherein when the method is continued, the actuation of the function on the motor vehicle is detected and the function trigger is signaled to a control device in the motor vehicle. 2 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein prior to a function trigger, a wireless request is transmitted to an id transponder, which the user can carry along, asking to verify the authorization for accessing the requested function. 3 . a method according to claim 2 , wherein the request of the id transponder is made prior to actuating the signal device and the method is continued only when a successful authorization has taken place. 4 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein a capacitive sensor is used as proximity sensor. 5 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein an optical signal device is used as the signal device. 6 . a method according to claim 5 , wherein the sensor device is integrated in a vehicle badge. 7 . a method according to claim 6 , wherein a badge light is used as the signal device. 8 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein an audible signal device or a signal device with tactile feedback is used as the signal device. 9 . a method according to claim 5 , wherein the sensor device is integrated in a door handle or a push button or a cover. 10 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein the function to be triggered results in opening a trunk lid of a motor vehicle. 11 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the periods of time t e and t s can be adjusted by means of a user input, preferably at a central control device of the vehicle. 12 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein parallel to the above-mentioned operating procedure a second, alternative operating procedure is monitored, wherein an actuation is detected, when the signal reply of the proximity sensor changes by more than a threshold value s a from its quiescent value within a first period of time t a , and the signal reply of the proximity sensor approaches again the quiescent value within a double period of time 2t a and differs from this quiescent value by less than the threshold value s a . 13 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein in testing the second, alternative operating procedure an actuation is detected only when the signal progression increases in a monotonous manner during the period of time 2t a for at least one third of this period of time and decreases in a monotonous manner for at least one third of this period of time. 14 . a method according to claim 1 , wherein the period of time t s amounts to less than four seconds. 15 . a method according to claim 14 , wherein the period of time t s amounts to less than three seconds. 16 . a method according to claim 15 wherein the period of time t s amounts to less than two seconds. 17 . a method according to claim 9 wherein the cover comprises a tank cover.
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the invention relates to a detection method for actuating a switching device on a motor vehicle. in particular, the invention relates to a method for detecting actuation gestures performed by a user for the purpose of accessing a vehicle function. devices for non-contact actuation of motor vehicle functions are known from prior art. for example, de 10 2008 063 366 describes a trunk lid that can be actuated without direct contact. this device allows a user to perform an actuation gesture in the foot area below the rear bumper in order to actuate the trunk lid. for this purpose, this device comprises capacitance sensors which are arranged to detect within their detection range different space regions and which are able to detect an actuation gesture by means of their signals. such non-contact actuation of a trunk lid is conducive to comfort and safety when for various reasons it is difficult for a person to actuate the trunk lid manually. the detection of a movement can include a body movement, for example, an apparent kick-motion, lifting and swiveling the leg or the like. however, it should be avoided that actuations are detected and a function is triggered when a respective actuation gesture is not specifically performed. for example, this can happen when objects (balls, pets or the like) get into the detection range. de 10 2004 041 709 discloses a device for a non-contact actuation of a trunk lid which proposes to use two sensor devices with separate detection ranges. for this purpose, it is possible to use as one of the sensor devices an ultrasound distance detection system, which has been provided on the motor vehicle for distance measurements. u.s. pat. no. 8,091,280 discloses a non-contact actuation device wherein a foot is optically detected in an optically marked area. however, with regard to their actuation, the above-mentioned detection systems have disadvantages in different areas. if, because of physical restrictions or behavior constraints, it is not possible to perform a specific movement, such actuation systems are not suitable due to the required dynamics of motion. it is the object of the invention to provide a detection and evaluation method for non-contact sensor devices which increases detection accuracy and which can be performed by the user in an easy and safe manner. this object is achieved with a method including the characteristics of claim 1 . the invention-based method for detecting a function actuation on a vehicle makes use of a sensor device. the sensor device has at least one proximity sensor for detecting the approach of a user or one of his body parts. at the same time, the proximity sensor can comprise any type of proximity sensor, for example, an optical, capacitive or inductive sensor. the sensor is designed to output signals, wherein the signals are representative of an approach or a general change of the surroundings in the range of the sensor. for example, it is possible to output variable voltage values or digital values when the sensor is equipped with an appropriate converter circuit. the proximity sensor is connected with electronic logic. if required these can also control and read further sensors of the sensor device in addition to the proximity sensor. the invention-based method is implemented in logic, for example, by using a respectively programmed microcontroller. subsequently, the steps of the invention-based method are described in more detail. the signals of the proximity sensor are monitored continually or periodically with a predetermined scanning frequency (for example, 100 hz) with regard to a signal change in the form of a characteristic first signal reply s 1 . in the case of non-performance, i.e., in complete absence of a user, a signal reply on the level of an idle signal can be expected. changed general ambient conditions (weather conditions, humidity, etc.) always comprise a slower change rate for several minutes or at least several seconds so that the level of the idle signal can be enabled in the control and evaluation logic. for example, this can be performed by means of floating notifications over the previous minutes, respectively. however, an actuation produces a short-term, clear signal change. the entire quantity and the process of the signal change, here depicted as characteristic signal reply, depend on the type and installation of the respective sensor. for example, the signal change s 1 can be manifested in a significant signal increase or signal decrease. here change rate and value depend on the speed and degree of approach by the user. a characteristic signal reply for a specific sensor type has been disclosed in prior art and can be determined by means of simple empirical testing. for example, capacitive sensors involve a significant change of capacitance of an electrode arrangement (for example, see wo2012/034768). when such a signal reply s 1 is detected, i.e., the proximity sensor signals an approach, according to the invention the start of a timer is triggered, or a time measurement is started. as a result, the so-called fixed phase of the operating procedure is started. starting with this moment of approach, the signal of the proximity sensor continues to be monitored within a period of time t s (t-fixed). if during this time period a significant signal change takes place, in particular one indicating a removal from the proximity sensor, the method is interrupted. if within the period of time t s the signal changes by more than a predetermined value s t , it is indicated that the approach is cancelled, or not continued, and therefore no actuation is desired. at the same time, a certain tolerance has to be allowed because a user cannot remain completely motionless in his position. only when the approach is maintained, i.e., the hand, the finger, the arm, the hip or the foot remain in the approached position, the period of time has been successfully completed and the method shall be continued. when this is the case, i.e., the approach continues for the period of time t s , a signal device is activated. this occurs in order to signal the user the process of the fixed actuation time. the signal device can be considered as a user-defined signal generator for human reception. in particular, it can involve a device that can be perceived optically or audibly. the user has to be able to perceive the signal device from his position in the operating area in which he is located. it is possible to use appropriate signaling devices available on the vehicle (stop lights, turn signals, reverse lights, audible devices, etc.) or signaling devices specifically designed and provided for this purpose. through his fixed, continuous approach for the period of time t s , the user has basically indicated his intention for actuation. however, it is important to reduce operating errors which can occur, for example, through unintentional approach, leaning against or touching the motor vehicle when cleaning or maintaining the vehicle, or the like. therefore, the user receives a feedback when successfully completing the fixed phase. this indicates the introduction of the dynamic phase of the operating procedure. the user is required to cancel the approach or move away from the proximity sensor. alternatively, provision can be made to change the approach in a different predetermined manner. however, according to the invention, this change has to take place within a predetermined maximum period of time. for this purpose, starting with the process of signaling the user, the signals of the proximity sensor are monitored during the dynamic phase for a period of time t e . the method of detecting the actuation is only continued when the signal of the proximity sensor changes by more than a predetermined value s e within the period of time t e . the change of the signal has to indicate a significant change in the approach, for example, a removal or elimination of the approaching body part. the temporal restriction in connection with the process of signaling the user, faulty operation is largely excluded. correspondingly, the time frame for removal is arranged for a few seconds. it is unlikely that an error detection takes place because for a successful actuation an approach and persistence for a fixed phase of the period of time t s is required, as well as a reaction to the signaling process within the reaction and removal phase t e . instead of a reaction in the form of removing the body part, it is also possible to require a different signal change. for example, for the fixed phase it can be required to perform an approach as a reaction to the signaling process which has to be concluded with a further approach or contact within the period of the dynamic phase. it is important that the operation is detected by means of at least two time specifications, namely a period of time t s during which the user has to leave his body part in a detection range and a period of time t e during which the body part, which has been changed in its position after the signaling process by the vehicle, has to be removed again. when these requirements are successfully maintained, the method is continued and the actuation of the function on the motor vehicle is signaled to a control device of the vehicle. the invention-based method makes it also possible for persons with physical restrictions to use the vehicle function. the operation is also possible for people who do not want to perform a specific actuation gesture because such a gesture is considered to be inappropriate in their cultural group. appropriate periods of time t s and t e involve the second range, for example, a period of time t s of several seconds (for example, between 1 and 5 seconds) and a period of time t e also amounting to several seconds (for example, between 0.5 and 3 seconds) so as to provide the user with enough time for a reaction and to detect a clear intention for actuation. according to the invention, the dynamics of detection of an actuation are slowed down. for this purpose, provision has been made that the actuation is detected when a user tracks a specific behavior in a predetermined time frame. in particular, this requires that a body part of the user stays in the detection range and is moved away from the detection range after the signaling process of the vehicle. the invention-based method is resilient against error detection, for example, in situations in which the sensor is exposed to rain or drives through car-washing systems with moving parts. in addition, it is easy for the user to learn the actuation and can be comprehended by drivers of all ages. in an advantageous embodiment of the invention, a request is sent to a portable id transponder before a function is actuated. it is a wireless request asking for authorization to access the requested function. respective id transponders are known from the field of keyless-go systems and communicate wirelessly in the high frequency range (hf) with the control system of the vehicle, wherein the id transponder can be triggered also in the low frequency range. this communication with the id transponder ensures that an actuation can be performed only by an authorized person located in a predetermined are in the vehicle. through an antenna arrangement and antenna control, the request is restricted to a specific vehicle region, for example, the rear part, provided the actuation involves the trunk lid. advantageously, the request of the id transponder can depend on the question of whether the fixed phase has been successfully completed. then the id transponder request is subordinate to the first sensor detection. however, this dependence is not absolutely necessary. the call of the id transponder can be made also prior to the sensor request, for example, in that the vehicle is repeatedly emitting requests to the id transponder (polling system). in this case, the authorization is already available when the approach is detected by the first sensor. for reasons of energy conservation and in order to avoid irritations, it is advantageous, but not absolutely necessary, to perform the request by the id transponder before activating the signal device. as a result, the signaling process only takes place when authorization has been successful. prior to the signaling process of the second phase, the id transponder is tested so as to avoid an unnecessary signaling process, triggered by unauthorized persons. in addition, it is advantageous when the invention-based method is performed and provided with parameters in such a way that during the first phase it is required that a user approaches the sensor device, but a minimal approach, for example, a contact results in an interruption of the method. this means that the user has to move a body part, for example, his hand, into the proximity of the sensor but the body part has to remain in close proximity, for example, between 1 cm and 15 cm before the sensor. a sensor can reliably detect such an approach, but at the same time, it is able to distinguish it from actually touching the sensor device. this embodiment has the advantage that undesirable actuations of the sensor device attached there for opening the trunk lid can be avoided when a vehicle owner is standing with his valid id transponder behind the vehicle. if a physical contact would be detected as a valid actuation, rain running over the sensor or a polishing cloth could trigger the actuation of the trunk lid, even if this is not desired. however, because of the fact that this embodiment requires an approach without final contact such faulty operation is eliminated. this embodiment merely requires specific parameter setting or calibration of the sensor which measures the sensor signals for different degrees of approach and predetermines a valid signal range for the fixed phase, which precludes the contact of the sensor. in a preferred embodiment of the method, capacitive sensor devices are used to form the approach sensor. in particular, the capacitive sensor devices have proven to be valuable for detecting approaches in the exterior area of a vehicle because they allow for reliable function and operate dependably in various weather and ambient conditions. in addition, in contrast to optical sensor devices, capacitive sensor devices provide signals that are easy to evaluate in the form of discreet charge values, capacitance and voltage values, which can be supplied to relatively simple and cost-effective evaluation logics. however, for more complex embodiments, it is also possible to use an optical sensor device, for example, also in combination with a capacitive sensor device. it is also possible to use inductive sensor devices. by means of already available optical sensor devices, which fulfill multiple purposes, it is also possible to detect especially the region behind the vehicle, for example, by means of rear view cameras, which can then assume the function of the second sensor device. the invention-based method can be used for multiple operating devices on the vehicle, for example, on door handles, or on operating components in the interior space, such as the glove compartment, or on sliding doors or motorized swinging doors. if the operating devices already have signal devices (for example, lock illuminations, door handle lights or so-called apron lighting), these can be used for signaling the operating procedure to the user. it is especially preferred when the invention-based method is used for opening a trunk lid of a vehicle. because of the fact that the rear part of the vehicle is often used as storage space for additional load and manual operation of the trunk lid is often impractical because of the load carried by the user, the reduced dynamics of this actuation have great advantages when compared to customary actuation gestures. according to the invention, the actuation can be performed by means of a simple, reliable actuation with the hand, foot, hip or leg, the dynamics of which are reduced when compared to well-known methods. in the above-mentioned case it is practical to arrange the detection zone of the proximity sensor into an area behind the vehicle. there is a user who requires access to the rear storage space. preferably, in addition to signaling the sequence of the period of time t s , i.e., the signal for removing the body part from the detection range, a signaling process is also performed for the upcoming opening of the trunk or the cover. this serves as a warning signal for the user, reminding him to move out of the swivel range of the trunk lid. in the context of the invention, it is advantageous to provide the user with the signaling process as an operating aid in the form of an optical signal. optical signals are less disturbing for the surrounding area than audible signals. for this purpose, it is possible to use a separate led or a laser diode. however, it is especially advantageous to use available signals of the vehicle, for example, optical signals in the form of vehicle lamps (see above). a sensor device for performing the invention-based method can be arranged at various places on the vehicle. for example, the sensor device can be integrated in handle strips or in lighting devices, especially in the rear part of the vehicle. special protection for such a sensor device can be provided by integrating it into the plastic bodies of lights in the rear part of the vehicle. a proximity sensor with the invention-based range of function can also be inserted in the actuation buttons on the vehicle. for example, an actuation of a trunk lid can be triggered by manual pressure application, as well as by performing an operating scheme, which is detected by means of the proximity sensor. in an especially advantageous embodiment of the invention, the proximity sensor is integrated in a vehicle or manufacturer badge on the vehicle. in particular, in the rear part the badges of the vehicle manufacturer are located on prominent places. there, it is possible to place proximity sensors in various designs. when instructed, the user can easily find and reach this place, which allows for safe and easy operation. in a further development of the invention, the signal device is also integrated in the badge. for example, the badge is backlit by means of an led, if required in combination with an optical conductor or diffuser. by means of such illumination, it is possible to provide the indication for actuating a removal from the proximity sensor (sequence of the period of time t s ), as well as the indication for an upcoming opening of the trunk lid (for example, by rapid flashing or change of color). in the context of the invention, it is preferably possible to adjust the process-determining time periods t s , t e with an operating device on the vehicle. for this purpose, it is possible to provide time frames in the vehicle. the user is then able to choose between extremely error-proof time frames with high requirements for the performance by the user and more tolerant time frames. according to the invention, it can also be provided to monitor the signals with regard to additional actuation gestures alongside the detection of actuation according to the method described. the same function can be triggered by different gestures. the method described above does not place high requirements on the user because he is guided through the operation by means of the signaling process. however, an experienced user can prefer a gesture that can be rapidly performed. in particular, this operating scheme can be provided in the form of a swipe gesture as an alternative operating possibility. in this case, in a characteristic signal change parallel to the method described, it is tested whether within a predetermined time period the detected approach increases up to a value of maximum approach and then rapidly decreases. at the same time, attention is paid to a monotonous increase (or decrease, depending on the signal and sensor) and an opposite return to the initial value. this means that in addition to the above-mentioned operating procedure a second, alternative operating procedure is monitored and the actuation is detected when the signal reply of the proximity sensor changes from its quiescent value within a first period of time t a by more than a threshold value s a , the signal reply of the proximity sensor approaches again the quiescent value within the double period of time 2t a and differs from this quiescent value by less than the threshold value s a . in a further embodiment, in a test of the second, alternative operating procedure, an actuation is only detected when the signal progression increases in monotonous manner during the period of time 2t a for at least one third of this period of time and decreases in monotonous manner for at least one third of this period of time. in this way, the user is allowed to use comfortable, easy to learn gestures, as well as efficient, more sophisticated gestures. the operating concept can also include direct contact with or covering the sensor device for a predetermined time, wherein direct contact can be equated with a maximum approach. the invention is now described in more detail by means of the enclosed drawing. figs. 1a and 1b show a diagram of the arrangement for performing an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2 shows a diagram of the monitored signal progression and the time frame of the invention-based method; fig. 3 shows a diagram of the monitored schedule and the time frame of the invention-based method. figs. 1a and 1b show a vehicle in which a proximity sensor 2 in the form of a sensor electrode is arranged in the rear part. this sensor electrode 2 is connected with a control unit 4 which controls the sensor electrode as a capacitive electrode and periodically determines its respective capacitance. this control unit 4 , in turn, is coupled with a central control device 5 of the vehicle. the control unit 4 assumes the control of the electrodes 2 and the signal evaluation, i.e., the determination of the signal replies and allocation to an operating signal. a possibly generated operating signal is transmitted from the control unit 4 to the central control device 5 which can perform the closing function and electrical opening of the trunk kid. the electrode 2 is arranged as a component of a sensor device in the upper rear part, integrated in a manufacturer badge at the trunk lid. the manufacturer badge is provided with a lighting device which is designed as a signaling device for guiding the user. the detection range 2 a of the sensor device faces backward, as shown in fig. 1 b. fig. 1b shows the hand of a user. the hand can approach the proximity sensor 2 so that it is situated in the detection range of the sensor. for an actuation detection, the hand has to approach the sensor 2 in the range of several cm. when this occurs, the subsequently described signal evaluation takes place. fig. 2 shows the signal progression of the method. two signal progressions 10 and 11 are shown which, however, only differ in the rear temporal area. signal progression 10 shows a successful actuation, progression 11 shown a non-successful (failed) actuation. initially, until a moment t 1 , a signal is received from the proximity sensor, which corresponds to an idle signal. at the moment t 1 the signal of the sensor differentiates a threshold value 15 . the hand of the user approaches the sensor. this characteristic signal change s 1 triggers the further procedure. from this moment onward, for the period of time t s , it is monitored whether the signal changes by more than a value s t , in this example, whether it crosses again the threshold value 15 . to perform a valid actuation, the user has to remain in front of the sensor for the period of time t s in a predetermined distance range. in this example, the user has to place his hand in a distance of between 1 cm and 10 cm in front of the sensor, without actually touching it. therefore, in this example, the value s t is the difference between maximum value in a minimally allowed approach and threshold value of the trigger. the period of time t s amounts to several seconds, for example, 2 seconds. during this time period, the lighting device 20 , which can backlight the manufacturer badge of the vehicle, is inactive. if, during the period of time t s , it was determined that the approach was basically fixed, the lighting device 20 is activated after the period of time t s is completed. in the case of the signal progression 10 , the user reacts at the period of time t 2 , i.e., with a certain reaction period starting with the signaling process through the lighting device 20 , and removes his hand. as a result, the signal changes by more than the signal value s e and the signal crosses the threshold value 15 and returns into idle mode. because of the fact that the threshold value 15 was crossed within the time frame t e , both requirements, the fixed phase t s and the dynamic phase t e were sufficiently considered. an actuation is detected. however, in the case of signal progression 11 , the user reacts only at the moment t 3 , i.e., with a greater reaction period starting with the signaling process through the lighting device 20 , and removes his hand at a later point in time. as a result, the signal crosses the threshold value 15 later, after the period of time t e is completed. because of the fact that the threshold value was crossed outside of the time frame t e and therefore no signal change greater s e was determined within t e , no actuation is detected. fig. 3 shows a process diagram of the method. in this embodiment, the signal of the capacitive sensor (sensor 2 shown in figs. 1a and 1b ) is used for triggering the method. in step 100 , a periodic detection of the sensor data with 100 hz takes place. if in this detection range an approach is detected, i.e., if in step 110 the sensor signal corresponds to a characteristic reply s 1 , the method is continued with step 120 . in step 120 , the request of the id transponder takes place, which the user has to carry along so as to be able to perform a keyless actuation. usually the request is performed by transmitting an lf alert signal om the vehicle to the id transponder, which replies to the vehicle with a communication process in the hf range. if authorization is not performed successfully, for example, because a person tries to perform the gesture without a valid id transponder, the method is interrupted. if the authorization was performed successfully, a timer is started in step 130 . by means of this timer, the process of the fixed phase is monitored with the period t s (step 150 ). during the period of time t s , the sensor signal periodically continues to be evaluated and tested whether the approach is maintained. if the approach has been maintained in a fixed manner for the period of time t s , i.e., the hand was not significantly removed, the signal device is switched on in step 160 . in this example, the stop lights of the vehicle are actuated for this purpose. the user behind the vehicle detects in a convenient manner this signaling process. simultaneously with the signaling process, another timer is started in step 170 , and in steps 180 and 190 , it is tested whether the approach is cancelled within the period of time t e , i.e., the hand is removed again. when this does not occur, the method is cancelled in step 180 after the period of time has been completed. however, if the signal change s e is detected in step 190 , the function is triggered in step 200 .
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027-481-880-360-004
|
JP
|
[
"JP",
"US"
] |
A63F5/04,A63F7/02,G07F17/34
| 1995-06-22T00:00:00 |
1995
|
[
"A63",
"G07"
] |
slot machine
|
purpose: to make it possible to achieve fresh and high excitement by stopping one reel of reels in a first reel group by re-rotating it after a first stop, so that symbol combination by reels in the first reel group being stopped on a prize winning line may be changed. constitution: re-rotation determination processing is carried out by having an mpu 25 incorporate readings on counters 19a, 19b, 19c of reels 6a, 6b, 6c in a second reel group and by referring to data stored in a re-rotation determining section 33. the mpu 25 drives reels in an applicable first reel group and a driving pulse motor when reels 5a to 5c in the reel group positioned directly below the reel has made the rank symbol stopped on a prize winning line in the case where a re-rotation symbol is stopped on the determination line by any of the reels 6a to 6c. then, one symbol worth only is rotated to the direction of the re-rotation symbol to change combinations of reels 5a, 5b, 5c in the first reel group.
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1. a slot machine having n main reels, wherein n is an integer, on a peripheral surface of which various symbols are arranged, in said slot machine, a winning is determined in accordance with a combination of said symbols stopping at a winning line when said main reels have stopped, said slot machine comprising: at least one auxiliary reel having a prescribed symbol arranged on a peripheral surface thereof; and main reel re-rotation control means for re-rotating and stopping at least one of said main reels when said prescribed symbol of said auxiliary reel stops at a predetermined position, said main reel being re-rotated in order to change a symbol combination displayed by said main reels and stopping at said winning line. 2. a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein a number of said auxiliary reels is n, and said n auxiliary reels are respectively provided so as to correspond to each of said main reels in order to re-rotate said main reel in accordance with said corresponding auxiliary reel. 3. a slot machine according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary reel is disposed just above said corresponding main reel. 4. a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein said n main reels are disposed in matrix and a number of said auxiliary reels is n1, said n1 auxiliary reels being respectively provided for each reel row of said main reels so as to re-rotate each reel of said reel row in accordance with said corresponding auxiliary reel. 5. a slot machine according to claim 4, wherein said auxiliary reel is disposed at an above side of said reel row. 6. a slot machine according to claim 4, wherein said n main reels are disposed in matrix and a number of said auxiliary reels is n2, said n2 auxiliary reels being respectively provided for each reel row of said main reels so as to re-rotate each reel of said reel row in accordance with said corresponding auxiliary reel. 7. a slot machine according to claim 6, wherein said auxiliary reel is disposed at a lateral side of said reel row. 8. a slot machine according to claim 2, wherein said main reel and said auxiliary reel are rotated together by operating a start operating member, and said auxiliary reel is automatically stopped after all of said main reels have stopped. 9. a slot machine according to claim 2, wherein said main reel and said auxiliary reel are rotated together by operating a start operating member, and said auxiliary reel is automatically stopped before all of said main reels stop. 10. a slot machine according to claim 2, wherein said auxiliary reel has a smaller diameter in comparison with said main reel. 11. a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein a specific symbol is arranged on said main reel, and said main reel is re-rotated and stopped when said specific symbol stops at said winning line and said prescribed symbol of said auxiliary reel stops at said predetermined position. 12. a slot machine according to claim 11, wherein said specific symbol is a blank symbol. 13. a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein said prescribed symbol of said auxiliary reel represents a rotational direction on which a re-rotational direction of said main reel is determined. 14. a slot machine according to claim 13, wherein said rotational direction is shown by an arrow. 15. a slot machine according to claim 13, wherein said rotational direction is shown by a character of "up" or "down". 16. a slot machine according to claim 1, wherein said prescribed symbol of said auxiliary reel represents a rotational amount on which a re-rotational amount of said main reel is determined. 17. a slot machine according to claim 16, wherein said rotational amount is shown by a number of rotated symbols.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a slot machine in which occurrence of a winning is judged in accordance with a combination of symbols stopping at a winning line. 2. description of the related art as well known, a slot machine has a plurality of reels or a crt. the reel is rotatable and is provided with symbols arranged on a peripheral surface thereof. on the other hand, the crt displays the symbols on the basis of graphic data stored in rom. the symbol displayed in the crt is moved so as to simulate the rotation of the reel. in such a slot machine, the reels are rotated together by an operation of a start button or a start lever after inserting a coin, a token and so forth (hereinafter, coin). the reel is stopped by an operation of a stop button provided for each reel or after a predetermined time has passed. when the reels have stopped, occurrence and kind of winning is determined in accordance with a combination of the symbols stopping at a predetermined winning line. when the winning is obtained, coins, number of which is predetermined, are paid out according to the kind of the winning. there are various kinds of winning. for example, there is a winning such that the coins, number of which is from five to fifteen, are paid out when the prescribed symbols of two or three kinds are displayed at the winning line. besides that, there are a jackpot winning, a bonus game winning and so forth. as to the jackpot winning, a great deal of dividend is obtained when the specific symbol combination, for example, "7-7-7" is displayed along the winning line. regarding the bonus game winning, a bonus game is given. in the bonus game, winnings occur frequently at high probability in comparison with the normal game. in such slot machine, it becomes a great pleasure for a player whether various winnings are obtained or not. in order to increase the pleasure of the slot machine, japanese patent laid-open publication no. 60-185579 discloses a slot machine in which a winning chance is obtained again by re-rotating the reel after it has stopped once. moreover, japanese patent laid-open publication no. 7-275432 discloses a slot machine having a first reel group for normal game and a second reel group for bonus game. the second reel group is used only when the specific symbols of the first reel group are arranged along the winning line, namely, the bonus game is obtained. such slot machine has various game modes in the bonus game. however, regarding the slot machine in which the reel stopped once is re-rotated when the game is lost, one set of the reels is used to decide whether the chance for re-rotating the reel is given or not, besides determining whether the winning occurs or not. accordingly, even if winning chance according to the re-rotation of the reel is taken, a feeling that the game is extended is merely given to the player. particularly, great expectation and interest for the winning are not given to the player. as to the slot machine employing the second reel group used only for the bonus game besides the reel for the normal game, freshness is given for the bonus game. however, while the normal game is played, this slot machine is not different from a conventional one. further, winning probability of the bonus game is set at low so that most of the players might lose the interest before playing the bonus game utilizing the second reel group. summary of the invention in view of the foregoing, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a slot machine in which freshness and interest are rich. it is a second object of the present invention to provide a slot machine in which a game mode may be variously changed. it is a third object of the present invention to provide a slot machine in which expectation feeling of a player is increased. in order to achieve the above and other objects, the slot machine according to the present invention comprises a first reel group and a second reel group. the first reel group is constituted of a plurality of main reels. by operating a start lever, the main reels are rotated. after that, when these reels have stopped, a winning is judged on the basis of a symbol combination stopping along a predetermined winning line. the second reel group is constituted of at least one auxiliary reel having a re-rotation symbol arranged on a peripheral surface thereof. if the re-rotation symbol stops at a predetermined position, at least one of the main reels is re-rotated. in a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the auxiliary reel is provided for each main reel so as to correspond to each other one by one. after all the main reels have stopped, any of these reels is re-rotated and stopped if the corresponding auxiliary reel stops the re-rotation symbol at the predetermined position. thus, the symbol combination of the main reels displayed at the predetermined winning line is changed in accordance with a stop state of the auxiliary reel. with regard to the re-rotation of the main reels, it is preferable to indicate a rotational direction and a rotational amount thereof by utilizing the re-rotation symbol of the auxiliary reel. in order to indicate these, the re-rotation symbol includes an arrow pointing the rotational direction, namely an upward direction or a downward direction. further, a numeral representing the rotational amount is also included in the re-rotation symbol. brief description of the drawings the above objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a slot machine according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a schematic representation showing an electrical structure of the slot machine; fig. 3 is a flow chart showing a basic process of the slot machine; fig. 4 is a plan view showing an example of reel stopping mode of the slot machine; fig. 5 is a plan view showing another embodiment of reel arrangement; fig. 6 is a plan view showing other embodiment of the reel arrangement; and fig. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of symbols of a second reel group. detailed description of the preferred embodiment(s) in fig. 1 showing an appearance of a slot machine 1 according to the present invention, a front panel is provided with symbol displaying windows 2 and 3 arranged in up-and-down direction. three main reels 5a, 5b and 5c are provided behind the symbol displaying window 2. the main reels 5a, 5b, and 5c are rotatable around rotational shafts respectively. the shafts are coaxially disposed in horizontal direction. plural kinds of symbols are arrange on a peripheral surface of each main reel. the number of the symbols arranged on the main reel is about twenty. when all of the main reels have stopped, a symbol combination is determined at a winning line 40. further, occurrence and a kind of the winning are judged in accordance with the symbol combination. the main reels 5a, 5b and 5c constitute a first reel group for judging whether the winning occurs or not. similarly, three auxiliary reels 6a, 6b, and 6c are provided behind the symbol displaying window 3. these auxiliary reels 6a, 6b and 6c have smaller diameter than that of the main reel 5a, 5b and 5c constituting the first reel group. about eight symbols are arranged on a peripheral surface of the auxiliary reel. each of the auxiliary reels 6a to 6c corresponds to each of the main reels 5a to 5c respectively. the auxiliary reels 6a to 6c constitute a second reel group for determining whether the main reel is re-rotated or not. the auxiliary reels of the second reel group are rotated together with the main reels of the first reel group by operating game starting means. however, stop timing of the auxiliary reels is set so as to delay for a few seconds after all of the main reels have stopped. the symbols used for the main reel of the first reel group include valid symbols and blank symbols. the valid symbol is, for example, "7" and "bar" as shown in fig. 1. the blank symbol is disposed between the valid symbols one by one. from the symbol displaying window 2, five symbols including the blank symbol are visible relative to the main reel. the winning is determined as a combination of the three valid symbols. accordingly, if at least one blank symbol stops at the winning line 40 when all symbols of the first reel group have stopped, the game becomes failed state. but, as described later in detail, the blank symbol provided on the main reel of the first reel group is used as a specific symbol which means that the main reel is capable of re-rotating. further, when the blank symbol stops at the winning line 40 relative to any of the reels 5a, 5b, and 5c of the first reel group, the reel re-rotates by an amount corresponding to one symbol in accordance with the stop position of the auxiliary reels 6a to 6c. of course, instead of the blank symbol, other symbol being different from the valid symbol may be used as the specific symbol. the symbols used for the auxiliary reel of the second reel group include re-rotation symbols of two kinds and blank symbols. with regard to the re-rotation symbol, a character of "up" or "down" and an arrow pointing upward or downward are combined. the blank symbol is arranged between the re-rotation symbols one by one. from the symbol displaying window 3, three symbols including the blank symbol are visible relative to the auxiliary reel. when the re-rotation symbol stops at a judging line 41 set on the symbol displaying window 3 relative to any of the reels 6a, 6b and 6c of the second reel group, the corresponding main reel 5a, 5b or 5c positioned right under the reel 6a, 6b or 6c is rotated in order direction or in reverse direction by the amount corresponding to one symbol on condition that the blank symbol stops at the winning line 40. when the main reels 5a to 5c are re-rotated, rotational direction is determined in accordance with the kind of the re-rotation symbol of the auxiliary reels 6a to 6c. the blank symbol is provided on the main reels 5a to 5c every valid symbol so that the valid symbol necessarily stops at the winning line 40 when the main reel re-rotates by the amount corresponding to one symbol. by the way, the re-rotation symbol arranged on the auxiliary reel of the second reel group may also indicate a number of symbols as a indication representing a rotational amount of the re-rotation. at this time, it is possible to give a variation to the re-rotational amount of the main reel. if the re-rotational amount is set so as to correspond to symbols of odd number such as three symbols or five symbols, the valid symbol is adapted to stop at the winning line 40. a tower lamp 8 provided on an upper portion of the slot machine 1 is constituted of chambers, each of which is made of translucent resin and has different luminous color. further, in each of the chambers, a lamp is built. when the winning is obtained as a consequence of a game, the tower lamp 8 indicates that. the tower lamp 8 turns on brightly when the specific winning of "7-7-7" is obtained. the front panel is further provided with a coin inlet 7, a credit button 10 and a payout button 12. on the side of the slot machine 1, a start lever 9 is provided. prior to starting the game, a player puts the coin into the coin inlet 7. at this time, a dividend in case of winning increases in accordance with the number of inserted coins. in other words, when the number of the inserted coin is one, the dividend is a basic value. when the number of the inserted coins is two, the dividend is doubled. further, when the number of the inserted coins is three, the dividend is trebled. in such a way, the value of the dividend increases according to the number of the inserted coins. if many coins are put into the slot machine from the coin inlet 7 beforehand, by only pressing the credit button 10, it is substantially carried out that the coin is inserted into the coin inlet 7 actually. at this time, number of the coins inserted for the credit is decreased. this number may be confirmed by watching a display 11. when the coins are credited, if the winning is obtained, pay-out number of coins is added to the number of credit. the credited coins are paid out to a tray 13 by pressing the payout button 12. the start lever 9 becomes valid after the coin has put into the slot machine 1. by operating the start lever 9, the reels 5a to 5c and 6a to 6c start to rotate together. each of the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group stop at random timing after rotating for a prescribed period. each of the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group stop at random timing after all reels of the first reel group have stopped. fig. 2 shows a schematic electrical structure of the slot machine 1. the reels 5a, 5b and 5c of the first reel group are respectively driven by stepping motors 15a, 15b and 15c directly. similarly, the auxiliary reels 6a, 6b and 6c are respectively driven by stepping motors 16a, 16b and 16c directly. counters 18a, 18b, 18c, 19a, 19b, and 19c are respectively provided for each of the stepping motors. the counters 18a to 18c and 19ato 19c respectively count drive pulses supplied to the stepping motors from drivers 20a, 20b, 20c, 21a, 21b and 21c. each of the counters is provided with a reset terminal "r" besides a count terminal "c", and a count value thereof is reset to "0" once a rotation of the stepping motor. the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group and the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group are respectively controlled by means of mpu 25 so as to be automatically stopped. the mpu 25 cuts off an operation of each of the drivers 20a to 20c when the mpu 25 receives a stop signal for each reel. the stop signal is inputted from a random timer 30 at random during a short period after the stepping motors 15a to 15c have been driven for a prescribed period. thus, all reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group stop in accordance with a stoppage of the stepping motor. at this time, each reel of the second reel group is still rotating. however, after all reels of the first reel group stopped, when the time that a symbol combination of the first reel group is confirmable by the player has passed, a stop signal for stopping the reel of the second reel group is outputted from the random timer 30. accordingly, the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group are similarly controlled and stop. by the way, as described later, the mpu 25 constitutes control means for re-rotating and stopping the reels 5a, 5b and 5c of the first reel group. symbol arrangement of each reel of the first reel group and the second reel group is known beforehand. further, the symbol corresponding to a home position of each stepping motor is also known. therefore, by inputting the count value of the counter corresponding to each reel into the mpu (micro processing unit) 25, the symbol stopping at the winning line 40 is electrically distinguished by the mpu 25. the mpu 25 totally controls a game process in accordance with a game program stored in a programmable rom 26. a signal from a coin sensor 28 for detecting the coin inserted into the coin inlet 7 is inputted into the mpu 25. moreover, a signal from a start signal generator 29 for generating a game start signal is also inputted into the mpu 25. the start signal is generated when the start lever 9 is operated. the mpu 25 refers to data stored in a winning judging section 31 and a re-rotation judging section 33 during a game. moreover, the mpu 25 outputs a drive signal to a coin payout unit 32 and a big-hit driving section 34. the winning judging section 31 stores symbol combination data relative to a big hit and a small hit. further, the winning judging section 31 stores a number of the dividend coins. the winning judging section 31 is referred by the mpu 25 during a winning judgement process. the re-rotation judging section 33 is used for judging whether a re-rotation process is performed or not after all reels of the first reel group and the second reel group have stopped. thus, the re-rotation judging section 33 stores a number of drive pulses in the case that the blank symbol of the reels 5a to 5c stops at the winning line 40. the re-rotation judging section 33 also stores a number of drive pulses in the case that the re-rotation symbol of the reels 6a to 6c stops at the judging line 41. after all reels have stopped, the mpu 25 checks whether the blank symbol stops at the winning line 40 or not relative to each of reels 5a to 5c on the basis of the count values of the counters 18a to 18c. further, the mpu 25 checks whether the re-rotation symbol stops at the judging line 41 or not relative to each of the reels 6a to 6c on the basis of the count values of the counters 19a to 19c. the coin payout unit 32 is driven to pay out the coins to the tray 13 in accordance with the kind of the winning when the winning is obtained as consequence of the game. the big-hit driving section 34 is driven when the big-hit winning occurs. the big-hit driving section 34 drives the stepping motors 15a, 15b and 15c to rotate the reels 5a, 5b and 5c mincingly in an order direction and a reverse direction repeatedly. in such a way, an appeal of the big-hit is made to the player. referring to a flow chart shown in fig. 3, an operation of the slot machine is described. the game is started by operating the start lever 9 after the coin was put into the coin inlet 7. when the start lever 9 is operated, the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group and the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group are rotated together. after the prescribed time has passed, supply of the drive pulse is stopped for the stepping motors, each of which drives the corresponding reel, at different timing so that each of the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group stops automatically. right after that, each of the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group stops automatically. after all of the reels 5a to 5c stopped, the winning judgement process is carried out. at this time, the count values of the counters 18a to 18c are read out by the mpu 25 as described above. successively, the winning data stored in the winning judging section 31 is referred to judge the occurrence and the kind of the winning. as a consequence of the winning judgement, in case of the winning, coins of the number according to the kind of the winning are paid out and the game is over. when each of the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group stops the same valid symbol at the winning line 40, namely, three valid symbols being the same are arranged at the winning line 40, the winning is obtained. for example, if three symbols of "7" are arranged at the winning line 40, one hundred coins are paid out. if three symbols of "bar" are arranged, thirty coins are obtained. incidentally, the pay-out number of coins may be properly determined. as the consequence of the winning judgement, when the same valid symbols are not arranged at the winning line 40, the count values of the counters 18a to 18c are read out by the mpu 25 and the game is lost. successively, the data stored in the re-rotation judging section 33 is referred to carried out the re-rotation judgement process. the re-rotation judgement process is carried out in such a way that the mpu 25 reads out the count values of the counters 19a to 19c of the reels 6a to 6c and refers to the data stored in the re-rotation judging section 33. as a consequence of the re-rotation judgement process, when a condition of the re-rotation is not satisfied, the game is over. when the re-rotation symbol stops at the judging line 41 relative to the reels 6a to 6c, the mpu 25 drives the stepping motor of the corresponding reel among the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group if the corresponding reel stops the blank symbol at the winning line 40. the corresponding reel of the first reel group is positioned right under the reel of the second reel group. the mpu 25 supplies the drive pulses by the amount of one symbol to the driver which drives the corresponding reel of the first reel group. accordingly, the corresponding reel is rotated by one symbol in a direction shown by the re-rotation symbol. thus, the symbol combination displayed by the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group is changed. in the conventional slot machine, after all reels of the first reel group and the second reel group were rotated to start the game, if the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group stop as shown in fig. 4, the game is over in a state that the winning of "7-7-7" is unfortunately missed. however, in the slot machine according to the present invention, as the reel 5a stops in a state that the symbol "7" is shifted by one symbol, player's interest is maintained until the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group stop. if the reel 6a stops at the position shown in fig. 4, the reel 5a is re-rotated in the upward direction by one symbol due to the re-rotation symbol of the reel 6a. accordingly, the symbol combination of "7-7-7" is obtained at the winning line 40. in this case, the reel 6c of the second reel group also stops in a state that the re-rotation symbol is displayed. however, the reel 5c does not display the blank symbol at the winning line 40 so that the reel 5c is not re-rotated. if the reel 5c stops in a state that one symbol is shifted in the upward direction from the state shown in fig. 4, the reel 5c is re-rotated by one symbol in a downward direction due to the re-rotation symbol of the reel 6c. thus, the winning of "7-7-7" is similarly obtained. when the big-hit winning is obtained, a large number of coins are paid out. at the same time, the big-hit driving section 34 drives the reels 5a to 5c of the first reel group so as to rotate them mincingly in the order direction and the reverse direction repeatedly. thus, a great feeling of satisfaction may be given to the player when the big-hit winning is obtained. moreover, the lamp contained in the tower lamp 8 vividly blinks so that the big-hit winning is notified to not only the player of the slot machine displaying the big-hit winning but also the surrounding player. in the above embodiment, only one winning line 40 is set. however, it is possible to increase the number of the winning lines. the present invention is available for the conventional slot machine in which three horizontal winning lines and two diagonal winning lines are set and the number of the winning lines becoming valid changes in accordance with the number of the inserted coins. in this case, when the winning is not obtained relative to the valid winning line and the blank symbol stops at the valid winning line, the corresponding reel of the first reel group may be re-rotated according to the stop state of the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group. fig. 5 shows another embodiment according to the present invention. in this embodiment, the first reel group is constituted of nine reels 50a to 50i arranged in three by three matrix. as to the winning line, there are set three horizontal winning lines, three vertical winning lines and two diagonal winning lines, namely eight winning lines. each of the reels 6a to 6c of the second reel group is provided so as to correspond to the vertically arranged three reels 50a to 50c, 50d to 50f and 50g to 50i respectively. similarly to the foregoing embodiment, besides the valid symbol which is constituent of the winning, the blank symbol is provided on the reels 50a to 50i of the first reel group. when all reels have stopped, if any reel of the first reel group stops the blank symbol at the winning line and the reel of the second reel group positioned in a vertical direction relative to this blank symbol stops the re-rotation symbol at the judging line 41, the reel displaying the blank symbol is re-rotated. with regard to the reels 50d, 50e and 50f shown in fig. 5, the corresponding reel 6b does not stop the re-rotation symbol at the judging line 41 so that the re-rotation thereof is not carried out. with regard to the reels 50a, 50b and 50c, since the reel 6a stops the re-rotation symbol at the judging line 41, the reel 50a is re-rotated by one symbol in the upward direction. thus, the cherry symbol stops at the winning line. the symbol combination including the cherry symbol is one of the small-hit winning. with regard to the reels 50g, 50h and 50i, the reel 50h is re-rotated by one symbol in the downward direction. thus, the combination of "7-7-7" is obtained. in this case, two winnings are obtained at the same time. in the case that the first reel group is constituted in such a way, even if the winning is obtained at any of the winning lines, the reel displaying the blank symbol at the other winning line is re-rotated. accordingly, probability that the winnings are simultaneously obtained at the plural winning lines is raised. as to the slot machine in which the nine reels 50a to 50i are arranged as described above, the symbol combination for which occurrence of the winning is judged is not exclusive to the combination positioned along the linear winning line. it is possible to set other various winning lines, for example, a rectangular winning line connecting the four reels 50a, 50c, 50g and 50i and a diamond-shaped winning line connecting the reels 50b, 50d, 50f and 50h. further, when the first reel group is constituted of the nine reels 50a to 50i disposed in three by three matrix, as shown in fig. 6, the reels 51a, 51b and 51c of the second reel group may be disposed in horizontal direction relative to the first reel group. in fig. 6, the reel 50a displays the blank symbol and the reel 51a of the second reel group displays the re-rotation symbol. accordingly, the reel 50a is re-rotated by one symbol in the downward direction. moreover, the reel 50f displaying the blank symbol is re-rotated by one symbol in the upward direction due to the re-rotation symbol of the reel 51c. fig. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention. in this embodiment, a numeral representing a rotational amount is added to the re-rotation symbol arranged on the reels 56a, 56b and 56c of the second reel group. at this time, the re-rotation symbol represents not only the rotational direction but also the rotational amount with regard to the re-rotation of the corresponding reel of the first reel group. the numeral added to the re-rotation symbol represents the number of rotated symbols on re-rotating the reel of the first reel group. upon using such re-rotation symbol, various changes may be given according to the kind of the re-rotation symbol when the reel of the first reel group is re-rotated. in this case, even if the symbol "7" does not stop at the position shifted by one symbol and is not displayed in the symbol displaying window 2, there is a possibility that the symbol combination of "7-7-7" is displayed at the winning line. accordingly, the other interest is given to the slot machine. when the present invention is embodied, the number of the reels constituting the first reel group and the second reel group may be suitably determined. it is preferable that the reels of the first reel group and the reels of the second reel group are disposed in the vertical direction or in the horizontal direction as described in the above embodiments. however, the position of the reels of the second reel group is not exclusive to these embodiments. it is possible to constitute the second reel group with only one auxiliary reel, although the first reel group is constituted of a plurality of reels. in this case, a reel selection mark for selecting the reel of the first reel group is added to the re-rotation symbol provided on the auxiliary reel of the second reel group. by reading out the reel selection mark on the basis of the stop position of the auxiliary reel, selected reel of the first reel group is re-rotated in accordance with the re-rotation symbol of the auxiliary reel. alternatively, it is possible to adopt that all the reels of the first reel group displaying the blank symbol is re-rotated when the auxiliary reel stops the re-rotation symbol at the judging line. as to the symbol arrangement of the first reel group, the specific symbol of the blank symbol and so forth may not be necessarily provided on alternate valid symbols. it is possible to adopt that the specific symbol is provided sporadically or by only one per reel. moreover, the re-rotational amount of the reel of the first reel group may be suitably set. when the specific symbol is displayed again after the re-rotation, whether the game is over or continued to re-rotate the reel successively is suitably decided. the present invention is available to the slot machine in which the specific symbol for re-rotation, for example the blank symbol, is not provided on the reel of the first reel group. in this case, after each reel of the first reel group has stopped, re-rotation process may be carried out only when the winning is not obtained at all the valid winning lines and the reel of the second reel group displays the re-rotation symbol. moreover, it is possible to adopt a game mode in which the reel of the first reel group is re-rotated in accordance with an operation of a corresponding re-rotation button. this re-rotation button is selectively operated by the player when the re-rotation is permitted due to the reel of the second reel group, even if the winning is obtained at any of the winning lines when the reels of the first reel group have stopped once. as to the slot machine in which the bonus game is performed when the specific symbol combination is obtained by the reels of the first reel group, it is possible to use the reel of the second reel group as the reel for the bonus game. by the way, the present invention is available to a video-type slot machine as well. in the video-type slot machine, a reel rotation is simulated in a crt on the basis of graphic data stored in rom. besides that, it is possible to employ the present invention as a symbol changing device of another game machine, for example, a pinball game machine, a bingo game machine and a pusher game machine. as described above, in the slot machine according to the present invention, the auxiliary reel is provided besides the first reel group. when the prescribed symbol of the auxiliary reel stops at the predetermined position, at least one of the reels of the first reel group is re-rotated after all the reels of the first reel group have stopped. thus, the symbol combination displayed by the first reel group and stopping at the winning line is changed. accordingly, other chance of the winning is obtained in comparison with the conventional slot machine so that the new interest is given to the slot machine. moreover, when the auxiliary reel is provided so as to correspond to each reel of the first reel group and each reel of the first reel group is re-rotated in accordance with the stop position of the corresponding auxiliary reel, much greater interest may be obtained. in another embodiment of the present invention, the first reel group is provided with a plurality of reel rows constituted of plural reels and the winning is judged in accordance with the symbol combination of each reel row. the auxiliary reels are respectively provided for each reel row so as to correspond one by one. after the reels of the reel row have stopped, the reel is re-rotated in accordance with the stop position of the corresponding auxiliary reel. accordingly, greater interest is further obtained. it is possible to change the game mode variously by providing the specific symbol on each reel of the first reel group. as described above, when the specific symbol stops at the winning line and the prescribed symbol provided on the auxiliary reel stops at the predetermined position, the reel of the first reel group is re-rotated. when the prescribed symbol of the auxiliary reel represents the rotational direction in which the reel of the first reel group is re-rotated, the re-rotational direction of the reel is clearly recognized. accordingly, an expectation feeling for the winning increases. further, when the prescribed symbol of the auxiliary reel represents the rotational amount by which the reel of the first reel group is re-rotated, it is possible to estimate a moving amount of the reel of the first reel group. accordingly, the expectation feeling is further increased. in the above-described embodiment, the main reels of the first reel group and the auxiliary reel of the second reel group are rotated together by operating the start lever, and the auxiliary reel is automatically stopped after all of the main reels have stopped. however, the auxiliary reel may be stopped before all of the main reels stop. although the present invention has been fully described by way of the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, various changes and modifications will be apparent to those having skill in this field. therefore, unless otherwise these changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention, they should be construed as included therein.
|
029-192-333-508-462
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H01S3/094,H01S3/0941
| 1991-02-13T00:00:00 |
1991
|
[
"H01"
] |
technique for longitudinal optical pumping of a laser
|
a technique and apparatus employs a plurality of laser pumping emissions fed as collimated parallel beams from a multi-faceted reflective solid with highly reflective faces into a single aperture lens to concentrate all the laser pumping emissions onto a spot on the face of the laser crystal for the responsive longitudinal pumping thereof.
|
1. an apparatus for concentrating laser pumping emissions onto the face of a laser active element comprising: means for emitting a plurality of said pumping emissions; a plurality of collimating lenses each interposed to collimate a separate one of said pumping emissions, the plurality of said pumping emissions means are at least a pair of laser diodes each oriented to direct their said pumping emissions in a generally converging direction each for a separate one of said collimating lens; means disposed to receive each of the collimated pumping emissions on a separate highly reflective face for reflecting them as parallel collimated pumping emissions; and means interposed to receive the said parallel collimated pumping emissions for focusing said parallel collimated pumping emissions onto a spot on the surface of said active laser element to ensure the longitudinal pumping thereof, said pair of laser diodes direct their emissions to a separate one of said collimating lens and the reflecting means is an interposed prism which reflects their impinging collimated pumping emissions into said parallel collimated pumping emissions to said focusing means. 2. an apparatus according to claim 1 in which said prism is wedge-shaped element having said highly reflective faces appropriately oriented to assure said parallel collimated pumping emissions to said focusing means. 3. an apparatus according to claim 2 further including: a plurality of pairs of laser diodes, each having a collimating lens optically associated therewith; a plurality of prisms disposed in an essentially side-byside relationship, each pair of laser diodes is optically coupled to a separate one of said prisms which each reflects their impinging collimated pumping emissions into said mutually parallel collimated pumping emissions to said focusing means. 4. an apparatus according to claim 1 further including: a plurality of pairs of laser diodes, each having a collimating lens optically associated therewith being optically coupled to a separate said prism which is essentially pyramid shaped and is oriented so that the highly reflective faces thereof reflect their impinging collimated pumping emissions into said parallel collimated pumping emissions to said focusing means. 5. an apparatus according to claim 1 further including: a plurality of laser diodes, each having a collimating lens optically associated therewith being optically coupled to said prism which is geometrically-shaped having a plurality of highly reflective faces, the geometrically-shaped prism is oriented so that its highly reflective faces reflect their impinging collimated pumping emissions into said parallel collimated pumping emissions to said focusing means. 6. an apparatus according to claim 1 further including: a plurality of laser diodes, each having a collimating lens optically associated therewith being optically coupled to a multi-faceted reflective solid having a plurality of highly reflective faces, the multi-faceted reflective solid is oriented so that its highly reflective faces reflect their impinging collimated pumping emissions into said parallel collimated pumping emissions to said focusing means. 7. an apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 in which said focusing means is a focusing lens. 8. an apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 in which said focusing means is a small aperture lens with a beam compressor (that is, a beam expander used backwards). 9. a method for concentrating laser pumping emissions on the face of a laser active element to assure the longitudinal pumping thereof comprising: emitting a plurality of said pumping emissions; collimating said pumping emission with a plurality of interposed collimating lens, said pumping emissions are from a plurality of laser didoes each oriented to direct their said pumping emissions in a generally converging direction through a separate collimating lens; reflecting the collimated pumping emissions on separate highly reflective faces to parallel collimated pumping emissions; and focusing said parallel collimated pumping emissions onto a spot on the surface of said active laser element to ensure the longitudinal pumping thereof, said reflecting is by an interposed prism which reflects the impinging collimated pumping emissions from said highly reflective surfaces into said parallel collimated pumping emissions to permit said focusing. 10. a method according to claim 9 in which said reflecting is by said interposed prism which is wedge-shaped with said highly reflective faces appropriately oriented to assure said parallel collimated pumping emissions to permit said focusing. 11. a method according to claim 11 in which said reflecting is by a multi-faceted reflective solid with said highly reflective faces appropriately oriented to permit said parallel collimated pumping emissions to assure said focusing.
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cross reference to related application this application is related to a co-pending u.s pat. application ser. no. 07/639,645 entitled "laser diode pumped tunable solid state laser" filed 10 january 1991. background of the invention longitudinal pumping of nd:yag by laser diodes is well established, producing excellent performance in terms of power and efficiency, see the article by r. scheps, entitled "efficient laser diode pumped nd lasers," appl. opt. 28, pp. 89-91, january 1989. alexandrite, which is chromium-doped chrysoberyl (cr:beal.sub.2 o.sub.4) is a tunable visible laser that operates between 700 and 820 nm and would be ideally suited for a number of applications if acceptable efficiency could be demonstrated, note the article by j. c. walling et al. entitled "tunable alexandrite lasers," ieee j. ouant. electron. oe-16, pp. 1302-1315, december 1980. with the recent introduction of commercial 5 mw laser diodes operating in the 670-680 nm range, diode pumping of alexandrite is now possible but requires combining the output of several such devices. higher power visible diodes are reported by o. kumagai et al. in their article, "680 nm algainp visible lasers grown by mocvd," proceedings of the spie, l. e. cramer et al. editors, vol. 898, pp. 80-83, spie bellingham, 1988. polarization combining is a well used technique to combine two laser diodes to pump a nd resonator. however, if more than two laser diodes are required, or if polarization combination is not an effective way to pump the laser rod, another technique must be relied upon. thus, a continuing need exists in the state of the art for a technique that enables the combination of a plurality of laser pumping sources to longitudinally pump a solid state laser that is practical and efficient. summary of the invention a plurality of parallel laser beams are fed into a single aperture lens or small aperture lens with a beam compressor (that is, a beam expander used backwards) to concentrate all the laser light onto the face of a laser crystal within a laser. in one configuration, a pair of diametrically opposed laser diodes each emits pumping light through a pair of collimator lenses so that each collimated beam impinge on a separate highly reflective angled side of a prism. the highly reflective angled sides of the prism reflect parallel collimated beams to a concentrating lens where the parallel collimated beams are focused onto a small sized spot on a face of a laser crystal to effect an efficient longitudinal pumping thereof more than two collimated laser beams may be directed to the concentrating lens when a pyramid-shaped prism, side-by-side-wedge-shaped prisms or other appropriate configurations are selected so that each of the collimated beams each impinge on a separate highly reflective angled face and all are reflected as parallel collimated beams to the concentrating lens. an object of the invention is to provide for the combination of the energies of a number of laser pumping sources. an object of the invention is to provide for the combination of the energies of a number of laser pumping sources for the longitudinal pumping of an active laser element. another object is to provide for the combination of a plurality of laser pumping sources by directing a plurality of parallel collimated beams through a common focusing lens for concentration of the aggregate pumping energies onto a small spot size on an active laser element. these and other objects of the invention will become more readily apparent from the ensuing specifications and drawings when taken in conjunction with the appended claims. brief description of the drawing fig. 1 is a side view schematic diagram of this invention that enables the combination of a plurality of laser pumping sources to longitudinally pump a laser. fig. 2 is an end view of another arrangement of laser and coupling prisms in which two side-by-side, wedge-shaped prisms each receive two collimated laser diode beams and reflect them in mutually parallel paths to a focusing lens. fig. 3 is an end view of yet another arrangement utilizing a pyramid-shaped lens for reflecting four orthogonally originated collimated laser diode pumping beams into a mutually parallel collimated paths to a focusing lens . description of the preferred embodiment a solid state laser 10 has a laser resonator 11 and pumping arrangement 12 arranged as depicted in fig. 1. the resonator has an active element 11a and mirror 11b which are appropriately selected from available materials and suitably disposed with a separation s for longitudinal pumping for lasing. the pumping arrangement includes an argon-ion pumped laser 13 operating at a predetermined wavelength to emit a beam 13a. dye laser beam 13a is appropriately located to pass just above the top surface of coupling prism 17 to a focusing lens 15 where it is refracted to a focused small sized spot 11a"on an exterior face 11a' of active element 11a of laser resonator 11. in this configuration, the path taken by beam 13a may be said to define the pumping axis to the active laser element of the laser resonator 11. ideally, beam spot 11a" is circular. however, in practice an essentially elliptically-shaped spot has been produced and, typically, is dimensioned to measure about 27 microns by about 40 microns along its two axes and, with a typical predetermined dye laser pumping wavelength, has a spectral bandwidth of about 40 ghz. certainly, other spot shapes and sizes are possible and can be employed satisfactorily in accordance with this inventive concept. directing and focusing beam 13a on exterior face 11a' in small sized spot 11a" helps effect the longitudinal pumping of active laser element 11a. two laser diodes 20 and 21 are disposed with their front facets perpendicular to the pumping axis of dye laser 13 (path of beam 13a). the emissions of each diode 20 and 21 are transformed into collimated beams 20' and 21' by a separate interposed collimating lens 20a and 21a which also are aligned to direct collimated beams 20' and 21' to a separate face 17a and 17b of a prism 17. from the face 17a and 17b of prism 17 impinging collimated beams 20' and 21'0 are reflected as parallel collimated beams 20" and 21" to focusing lens 15. the prism depicted is essentially wedge-shaped with 45.degree. faces which are highly reflective of the impinging collimated beams to reflect them as parallel collimated beams 20" and 21" to focusing lens 15. these parallel collimated beams 20" and 21" are also parallel with beam 13a so that focusing lens 15 focuses all three of the beams in essentially the same spot 11a" on exterior face 11a' of active element 11a. this focusing of the three beams in essentially the same spot assures a sufficient collective longitudinal pumping source for the active element. the 45.degree. angular disposition of the highly reflective faces is appropriate for this particular location and orientation of pumping diodes 20 and 21. other highly reflective prisms having other angular dispositions of their faces could be selected to direct parallel collimated beams to a focusing lens if the collimated pumping diode beams were coming from locations or directions other than that shown in fig. 1. the plane of the output polarization of both the laser diodes is parallel to that of dye laser beam 13a. the focusing lens is selected to refract the mutually parallel dye laser beam 13a and collimated beams 20" and 21" and focus them onto substantially the same spot 11a' on the active laser element 11a of the resonator 11. optionally, a small aperture lens with a beam compressor (that is, a beam expander used backwards) could be selected to concentrate all the laser pumping light onto face 11a' of active element 11a laser crystal. in other words, when the proper optical alignment and orientation have been established by dye laser 13, laser diodes 20 and 21 and the highly reflective faces of prism 17, the beams of all three pumping sources are focused by an appropriate focusing means, for example, focusing lens 15, to a single spot 11a' on an exterior face 11a of the laser rod 11a. only two laser diodes are shown in the example of fig. 1. fig. 2 is an end view to show four pumping laser diodes 31, 32, 33 and 34 emitting radiation that is collimated by appropriately interposed lens 31a, 32a, 33a and 34a to direct collimated radiation 31', 32', 33', 34' onto highly reflective faces 35a and 35b and 36a and 36b of a pair of juxtaposed prisms 35 and 36. the four impinging collimated beams 31', 32', 33' and 34' are reflected out of the paper toward a reader in collimated parallel beams 31", 32", 33", and 34" to a focusing lens 37 which focuses the four collimated parallel beams to an elliptically shaped spot 38 a distance from the focusing lens on the face of an active laser element (not shown). yet another configuration is depicted in fig. 4 which shows four pumping laser diodes 41, 42, 43, and 44 emitting to collimating lenses 41a, 42a, 43a and 44a which direct collimated beams 41', 42', 43' and 44' to impinge upon a pyramid- shaped prism 45. collimated beams 41', 42', 43' and 44' impinge on highly reflective faces 45a, 45b, 45c and 45d of the pyramid-shaped prism and are reflected out of the paper toward a reader in parallel collimated beams 41", 42", 43", and 44" to a focusing lens 46 which focuses the parallel collimated beams into an elliptically shaped spot 47 on a laser active element (not shown). it is to be understood that other arrangements of laser diodes with collimated lenses can be geometrically coupled to one or more appropriately shaped prisms which direct collimated beams to a focusing lens which converges them onto a small sized spot at the proper place on an active laser element to ensure an effective longitudinal pumping. in all these other arrangements dye laser beam 13a can be included to impinge on the proper spot on the focusing lens to assure a coinciding with the focussed spot on the surface of the active laser element that is attributed to other pumping sources . thus, the use of a prism, several prisms or any geometric solid, a multi-faceted reflective solid, may be used that has highly reflective faces or surfaces which are appropriately oriented with respect to the incoming collimating pumping light to reflect parallel collimated pumping light to the focusing lens where it is focused in a small spot on the surface of the active laser element. collimated laser pumping light emerging in parallel bundles from the prism to the focusing lens is a prerequisite for effective operation of this longitudinal pumping inventive concept. obviously, many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
|
029-197-556-805-088
|
JP
|
[
"US",
"CN",
"TW",
"JP",
"KR",
"WO"
] |
H01L29/12,H01L21/36,H01L21/02,H01L27/12,H01L29/49,H01L29/786,H01L21/8234,H01L27/088,G02F1/1362,G02F1/1333,G02F1/1343,H01L29/423,H01L29/78,H01L21/28,H01L21/336,H01L21/316,H01L21/8242,H01L21/8247,H01L27/108,H01L27/115,H01L29/788,H01L29/792,H01L21/363,H01L27/06,H10B12/00,H01L29/51,H10B43/23,H10B99/00,H01L29/76,G02F1/1368,G09F9/30,H01L27/00,H01L21/8239,H01L27/1158
| 2010-02-05T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"H01",
"G02",
"H10",
"G09"
] |
semiconductor device and method for manufacturing semiconductor device
|
in a miniaturized transistor, a gate insulating layer is required to reduce its thickness; however, in the case where the gate insulating layer is a single layer of a silicon oxide film, a physical limit on thinning of the gate insulating layer might occur due to an increase in tunneling current, i.e. gate leakage current. with the use of a high-k film whose relative permittivity is higher than or equal to 10 is used for the gate insulating layer, gate leakage current of the miniaturized transistor is reduced. with the use of the high-k film as a first insulating layer whose relative permittivity is higher than that of a second insulating layer in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer, the thickness of the gate insulating layer can be thinner than a thickness of a gate insulating layer considered in terms of a silicon oxide film.
|
1 . a semiconductor device comprising: a first insulating layer over a substrate having an insulating surface; an oxide semiconductor layer over the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; a third insulating layer over the second insulating layer; and a gate electrode overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer over the third insulating layer, wherein the third insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. 2 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer are formed by a sputtering method. 3 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the third insulating layer comprises a material whose relative permittivity is higher than 10. 4 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the third insulating layer comprises an insulating film containing hafnium. 5 . the semiconductor device according to claim 1 , wherein the third insulating layer comprises one selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, hafnium oxynitride silicate, hafnium aluminate, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zirconium aluminum oxide. 6 . a semiconductor device comprising: a gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor layer; a first insulating layer between the gate electrode and the oxide semiconductor layer; a second insulating layer between the first insulating layer and the oxide semiconductor layer; and a third insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer, and wherein the first insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. 7 . the semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the second insulating layer, the third insulating layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer are formed by a sputtering method. 8 . the semiconductor device according to claim 6 , further comprising a substrate having an insulating surface, wherein the gate electrode is formed between the substrate and the oxide semiconductor layer. 9 . the semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises a material whose relative permittivity is higher than 10. 10 . the semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises an insulating film containing hafnium. 11 . the semiconductor device according to claim 6 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises one selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, hafnium oxynitride silicate, hafnium aluminate, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zirconium aluminum oxide. 12 . a semiconductor device comprising: a first insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with a first gate electrode; a second insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the first insulating layer; an oxide semiconductor layer provided so as to be in contact with the second insulating layer; a third insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer; a fourth insulating layer having higher relative permittivity than the third insulating layer and in contact with the third insulating layer; and a second gate electrode overlapping with the first gate electrode and in contact with the fourth insulating layer, wherein the oxide semiconductor layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer, and wherein the first insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. 13 . the semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises a material whose relative permittivity is higher than 10. 14 . the semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises an insulating film containing hafnium. 15 . the semiconductor device according to claim 12 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises one selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, hafnium oxynitride silicate, hafnium aluminate, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zirconium aluminum oxide. 16 . a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming a gate electrode over a substrate; forming a first insulating layer over the gate electrode; forming a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer; forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the second insulating layer; and wherein the first insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. 17 . the method according to claim 16 , wherein the second insulating layer and the oxide semiconductor layer are formed by a sputtering method. 18 . the method according to claim 16 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises a material whose relative permittivity is higher than 10. 19 . the method according to claim 16 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises an insulating film containing hafnium. 20 . the semiconductor device according to claim 16 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises one selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, hafnium oxynitride silicate, hafnium aluminate, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zirconium aluminum oxide. 21 . the method according to claim 16 further comprising the step of performing heat treatment to the oxide semiconductor layer at a temperature higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than a strain point of the substrate under an atmosphere including nitrogen, oxygen, or a rare gas. 22 . a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising the steps of: forming an oxide semiconductor layer over a substrate; forming a first insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor layer; forming a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer; and forming a gate electrode over the second insulating layer; wherein the second insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the first insulating layer. 23 . the method according to claim 22 , wherein the first insulating layer and the oxide semiconductor layer are formed by a sputtering method. 24 . the method according to claim 22 , wherein the second insulating layer comprises a material whose relative permittivity is higher than 10. 25 . the method according to claim 22 , wherein the second insulating layer comprises an insulating film containing hafnium. 26 . the semiconductor device according to claim 22 , wherein the second insulating layer comprises one selected from the group consisting of hafnium oxide, hafnium silicate, hafnium oxynitride silicate, hafnium aluminate, zirconium oxide, tantalum oxide, and zirconium aluminum oxide. 27 . the method according to claim 22 further comprising the step of performing heat treatment to the oxide semiconductor layer at a temperature higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than a strain point of the substrate under an atmosphere including nitrogen, oxygen, or a rare gas.
|
technical field the present invention relates to a transistor including an oxide semiconductor, a semiconductor device including an integrated circuit which includes the transistor, and a method for manufacturing the semiconductor device. for example, the present invention relates to an electronic device on which a semiconductor integrated circuit is mounted as a component. in this specification, a “semiconductor device” refers to any device which can function by utilizing semiconductor characteristics, and a display device, an electro-optical device, a semiconductor circuit, an electronic component, and an electronic device are all included in the category of the semiconductor device. background art in recent years, semiconductor devices have been developed, and a variety of semiconductor devices such as one with a silicon wafer or a glass substrate, which depends on the usage, has been manufactured. for example, in a liquid crystal display device, a transistor and a wiring are formed over a glass substrate. an lsi, a cpu, or a memory is an aggregation of semiconductor elements each provided with an electrode which is a connection terminal, which includes a semiconductor integrated circuit (including at least a transistor and a memory) separated from a semiconductor wafer. in the above semiconductor device, a transistor can be used for part of the components. a silicon-based semiconductor material has been known as a material for a semiconductor thin film that can be applied to a transistor. as another material, an oxide semiconductor has also attracted attention. as a material of the oxide semiconductor, a material including zinc oxide as its component is known. in addition, a transistor which is formed using a semiconductor including zinc oxide is disclosed (patent documents 1 to 3). [reference] [patent document] [patent document 1] japanese published patent application no. 2006-165527 [patent document 2] japanese published patent application no. 2006-165528 [patent document 3] japanese published patent application no. 2006-165529 disclosure of invention for semiconductor devices, power consumption in a standby period is regarded as important in addition to power consumption in an operating period. especially in portable semiconductor devices, power is supplied from a battery; therefore, uptime is limited due to limited amount of electric power. besides, as for in-vehicle semiconductor devices, when leakage current in a standby period is high, the lifetime of a battery might be reduced. for example, in the case of an electric vehicle, leakage current of an in-vehicle semiconductor device shortens the traveling distance per a certain amount of charging. in order to reduce power consumption, reducing leakage current in a standby period as well as power consumption in an operating period is effective. although the amount of leakage current of each transistor is not high, several millions of transistors are provided in an lsi, and the total amount of leakage current of those transistors is by no means low. such leakage current causes an increase in power consumption of the semiconductor device in a standby period. although leakage current is caused by various factors, if leakage current in a standby period can be reduced, electric power can be saved in a semiconductor device by reducing electric power which is used in a driver circuit or the like. therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce leakage current of a semiconductor device in a standby period. in addition, miniaturization of semiconductor devices is required; therefore, it is natural that miniaturization of transistors which are components of semiconductor devices is also required. for a miniaturized transistor, a gate insulating layer is required to reduce its thickness; however, when the thickness of the gate insulating layer becomes 1 nm or less, there is an increase in tunneling current and a probability that a pinhole might be generated in the gate insulating layer increases rapidly; accordingly, the gate leakage current is increased due to these factors. therefore, in the case where the gate insulating layer is a single layer of a silicon oxide film, thinning of the gate insulating layer might be physically limited. thus, an object of the present invention is to reduce the thickness of a gate insulating layer, and another object of the present invention is to achieve miniaturization of the transistor and further the entire semiconductor device. a display device, an electro-optical device, a semiconductor circuit, an electronic component, and an electronic device are manufactured using a transistor in which a channel formation region is formed using an oxide semiconductor which becomes an intrinsic or substantially intrinsic semiconductor by removing impurities such as water and hydrogen, which form a donor level in the oxide semiconductor, and that has a larger energy gap than that of a silicon semiconductor. the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer whose hydrogen concentration in the oxide semiconductor is sufficiently reduced by removing impurities such as hydrogen contained in the oxide semiconductor by heat treatment at a temperature higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than the strain point of a substrate is used, so that off-state current of the transistor can be reduced. note that as the oxide semiconductor, a thin film represented by the chemical formula, inmo 3 (zno) m (m>0) can be used. here, m represents one or more metal elements selected from ga, al, mn, and co. for example, m can be ga, ga and al, ga and mn, ga and co, or the like. with the use of a high-k film whose relative permittivity is higher than or equal to 10 for a gate insulating layer, the gate leakage current of a miniaturized transistor can be reduced, and power saving of a semiconductor device can be realized. for the high-k film having high relative permittivity, hafnium oxide (hfo 2 or the like), hafnium silicate (hfsi x o y (x>0, y>0)), hafnium oxynitride silicate (hfsion), hafnium aluminate (hfal x o y (x>0, y>0)), or the like can be used. moreover, as another high-k film, zirconium oxide (zro 2 or the like), tantalum oxide (ta 2 o 5 or the like), zirconium aluminum oxide (zral x o y (x>0, y>0)), or the like can also be used. a stack of a layer including any one of these materials and an insulating film containing hafnium described above can also be used for a gate insulating layer. further, the insulating film containing hafnium is hardly etched in the case where wet etching is employed; therefore, the insulating film containing hafnium can also function as an etching stopper for protecting an electrode or a substrate provided below. furthermore, the use of a high-k film whose relative permittivity is higher than or equal to 10 for a gate insulating layer enables a gate insulating layer having a thickness of greater than or equal to 2 nm (specifically, 2 nm to 10 nm inclusive) to obtain the same effect as a gate insulating layer having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.8 nm, which is formed using only a silicon oxide film. alternatively, with the use of a high-k film whose relative permittivity is higher than or equal to 10 (specifically, a thickness of 2 nm to 10 nm inclusive) for a gate insulating layer, the thickness of the gate insulating layer can be thinner than a gate insulating layer considered in terms of a silicon oxide film. moreover, there is no pinhole or the like in gate insulating layers; thus, transistors having a uniform breakdown voltage can be realized. according to one embodiment of the present invention disclosed in this specification, a semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with a gate electrode, a second insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the first insulating layer, an oxide semiconductor layer provided so as to be in contact with the second insulating layer, and a third insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, in which the oxide semiconductor layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer, and in which the first insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. with the above structure, at least one of the above problems can be solved. for example, with the use of an insulating film containing hafnium (specifically, a thickness of 2 nm to 10 nm inclusive) as the first insulating layer whose relative permittivity is higher than that of the second insulating layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, the thickness of the gate insulating layer can be thinner than a gate insulating layer considered in terms of a silicon oxide film; thus, miniaturization of a transistor can be realized. in the above structure, the second insulating layer, the third insulating layer, and the oxide semiconductor layer are preferably formed by a sputtering method. the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer are preferably formed by introducing a sputtering gas from which hydrogen and moisture are removed while moisture remaining in a film formation chamber is removed so that hydrogen, hydroxyl, and moisture are contained as little as possible in the oxide semiconductor layer. a method for manufacturing a bottom-gate transistor is also one embodiment of the present invention. according to a structure relating to this method, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming a gate electrode over a substrate having an insulating surface, forming a first insulating layer which covers the gate electrode by a sputtering method, forming a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer by a sputtering method, forming an oxide semiconductor layer over the second insulating layer, performing heat treatment at a temperature higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than the strain point of the substrate under an atmosphere including nitrogen, oxygen, or a rare gas so that moisture or the like contained in the oxide semiconductor layer is reduced, and forming a third insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor layer by a sputtering method, in which the first insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. in addition, since the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer are in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, an oxide insulating layer of silicon oxide or the like is preferably formed. in particular, the third insulating layer which is formed after the oxide semiconductor layer is formed can supply oxygen which is one of components included in an oxide semiconductor and which has been reduced at the same time as a step for removing impurities (moisture or the like) in the oxide semiconductor layer by heat treatment at a temperature higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than the strain point of the substrate. the oxygen which is one of components of an oxide semiconductor is supplied, so that the oxide semiconductor layer can be a highly purified and electrically i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor. moreover, when the first insulating layer is formed using a high-k film whose relative permittivity is higher than or equal to 10, for example, an insulating film containing hafnium, the first insulating layer is hardly etched even when wet etching is employed at the time of patterning of the oxide semiconductor layer and the thin second insulating layer is removed; therefore, the first insulating layer can also function as an etching stopper for protecting a gate electrode or a substrate provided below. a dual-gate transistor having two gate electrodes, one of which is provided above a channel formation region with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween and the other of which is provided below the channel formation region with another gate insulating layer interposed therebetween, is also one embodiment of the present invention. according to a structure thereof, a semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with a first gate electrode, a second insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the first insulating layer, an oxide semiconductor layer provided so as to be in contact with the second insulating layer, a third insulating layer provided so as to be in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, a fourth insulating layer having higher relative permittivity than the third insulating layer and in contact with the third insulating layer, and a second gate electrode overlapping with the first gate electrode and in contact with the fourth insulating layer, in which the oxide semiconductor layer is provided between the second insulating layer and the third insulating layer, and in which the first insulating layer has higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer. with the above structure, at least one of the above problems can be solved. for example, as the first insulating layer having higher relative permittivity than the second insulating layer, an insulating film containing hafnium is used and, as the fourth insulating layer having higher relative permittivity than the third insulating layer, an insulating film containing hafnium is used, so that the thickness of the gate insulating layer of the dual-gate transistor can be reduced; thus, miniaturization of the dual-gate transistor can be realized. when the oxide semiconductor layer is used for a semiconductor layer including the channel formation region in the transistor in the above structure, the threshold voltage of the transistor sometimes shifts in the positive or negative direction depending on a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device. therefore, the transistor in which an oxide semiconductor is used for a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region preferably has a structure in which the threshold voltage can be controlled, where the threshold voltage can also be controlled to become a desired value by controlling potential of the first gate electrode or the second gate electrode. by using the transistor which includes the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer whose hydrogen concentration is sufficiently reduced, a semiconductor device whose power consumption due to leakage current is low can be realized. moreover, a transistor including a gate insulating layer using an excellent high-k film whose gate leakage current is low can be realized. further, the transistor which includes the highly purified oxide semiconductor layer whose hydrogen concentration is sufficiently reduced can be formed over a glass substrate; thus, a display, an lsi, a cpu, or a memory can be formed thereover. by using a large-area glass substrate, manufacturing cost can be reduced. brief description of drawings figs. 1a to 1d are cross-sectional views each illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 2a to 2e are cross-sectional process views illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 3a to 3c are cross-sectional process views illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 4a and 4b are respectively a top view and a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 5b and figs. 5a and 5c are respectively a cross-sectional view and top views illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 7a and 7b are respectively a cross-sectional view and a top view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention. figs. 8a to 8e each illustrate an example of an electronic device. best mode for carrying out the invention hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. however, the present invention is not limited to the description below, and it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that modes and details disclosed herein can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention. therefore, the present invention is not construed as being limited to the description of the embodiments below. embodiment 1 in this embodiment, an example of a transistor that can be applied to a semiconductor device disclosed in this specification will be described. there is no particular limitation on a structure of the transistor that can be applied to the semiconductor device disclosed in this specification. for example, a staggered transistor, a planar transistor, or the like having a top-gate structure in which a gate electrode is provided above an oxide semiconductor layer with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween or a bottom-gate structure in which a gate electrode is provided below an oxide semiconductor layer with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween, can be used. the transistor may have a single-gate structure including one channel formation region, a double-gate structure including two channel formation regions, or a triple-gate structure including three channel formation regions. alternatively, the transistor may have a dual-gate structure having two gate electrodes, one of which is provided above a channel region with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween and the other of which is provided below the channel formation region with another gate insulating layer interposed therebetween. figs. 1a to 1d illustrate examples of cross-sectional structures of transistors. each of the transistors illustrated in figs. 1a to 1d includes an oxide semiconductor as a semiconductor. an advantage of using an oxide semiconductor is that field-effect mobility (the maximum value is higher than or equal to 5 cm 2 /vsec, preferably 10 cm 2 /vsec to 150 cm 2 /vsec inclusive) is relatively excellent when a transistor is on, and low off-state current (lower than 1 aa/μm, preferably lower than 10 za/μm and lower than 100 za/μm at 85° c.) can be obtained when the transistor is off. a transistor 410 illustrated in fig. 1a is one of bottom-gate transistors, and is also referred to as an inverted-staggered transistor. the transistor 410 includes, over a substrate 400 having an insulating surface, a gate electrode 401 , a first gate insulating layer 402 a, a second gate insulating layer 402 b , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a source electrode 405 a, and a drain electrode 405 b . in addition, an insulating film 407 which covers the transistor 410 and is stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is provided. a protective insulating layer 409 is provided over the insulating film 407 . a transistor 420 illustrated in fig. 1b is one of bottom-gate transistors referred to as a channel-protective (channel-stop) transistor and is also referred to as an inverted-staggered transistor. the transistor 420 includes, over a substrate 400 having an insulating surface, a gate electrode 401 , a first gate insulating layer 402 a, a second gate insulating layer 402 b , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , an insulating layer 427 which functions as a channel protective layer which covers a channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a source electrode 405 a, and a drain electrode 405 b. a protective insulating layer 409 is provided to cover the transistor 420 . a transistor 430 illustrated in fig. 1c is a bottom-gate transistor, and includes, over a substrate 400 having an insulating surface, a gate electrode 401 , a first gate insulating layer 402 a, a second gate insulating layer 402 b, a source electrode 405 a, a drain electrode 405 b, and an oxide semiconductor layer 403 . an insulating film 407 which covers the transistor 430 and is in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is provided. a protective insulating layer 409 is provided over the insulating film 407 . in the transistor 430 , the first gate insulating layer 402 a is provided over and in contact with the substrate 400 and the gate electrode 401 , and the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b are provided over and in contact with the second gate insulating layer 402 b. further, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is provided over the second gate insulating layer 402 b, the source electrode 405 a, and the drain electrode 405 b. a transistor 440 illustrated in fig. 1d is one of top-gate transistors. the transistor 440 includes, over a substrate 400 having an insulating surface, an insulating layer 437 , an oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a source electrode 405 a, a drain electrode 405 b, a second gate insulating layer 402 b, a first gate insulating layer 402 a, and a gate electrode 401 . a wiring layer 436 a and a wiring layer 436 b are provided to be in contact with and electrically connected to the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b, respectively. in this embodiment, as described above, the oxide semiconductor layer 403 is used as a semiconductor layer. as an oxide semiconductor used for the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , an in—sn—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor which is a four-component metal oxide; an in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an in—sn—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an in—al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an al—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, or a sn—al—zn—-o-based oxide semiconductor which are three-component metal oxides; an in—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, an al—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor, a zn—mg—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—mg—o-based oxide semiconductor, or an in—mg—o-based oxide semiconductor which are two-component metal oxides; or an in—o-based oxide semiconductor, a sn—o-based oxide semiconductor, or a zn—o-based oxide semiconductor which are one-component metal oxides can be used. further, sio 2 may be contained in the above oxide semiconductor. note that here, for example, an in—sn—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor means an oxide film containing indium (in), gallium (ga), and zinc (zn), and there is no particular limitation on the stoichiometric proportion thereof. the in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor may contain an element other than in, ga, and zn. in the transistors 410 , 420 , 430 , and 440 each including the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , a current value in an off state (off-state current value) can be reduced. further, in the transistors 410 , 420 , 430 , and 440 each including the oxide semiconductor layer 403 , relatively high field-effect mobility can be obtained, whereby high-speed operation is possible. the first gate insulating layer 402 a can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using, for example, a hafnium oxide film, a hafnium silicate film, a hafnium oxynitride silicate film, or a hafnium aluminate film which is a high-k film containing hafnium obtained by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. the second gate insulating layer 402 b can be formed to have a single-layer structure or stacked structure using a silicon oxide layer (sio x (x>2)), a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, or a silicon nitride oxide layer. for example, a hafnium oxide layer having a thickness of 5 nm to 100 nm inclusive is formed by a sputtering method as the first gate insulating layer 402 a and then a silicon oxide layer (sio x (x>2)) having a thickness of 5 nm to 100 nm inclusive is stacked as the second gate insulating layer 402 b over the first gate insulating layer, whereby the total thickness of the gate insulating layers is less than or equal to 100 nm. note that it is preferable that the thickness of the first gate insulating layer 402 a be set as appropriate so as to be larger than the thickness of the second gate insulating layer 402 b. in the top-gate transistor 440 , the first gate insulating layer 402 a is formed and then the second gate insulating layer 402 b is formed over and in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 403 . in the bottom-gate transistors 410 , 420 , and 430 , an insulating film serving as a base film may be provided between the substrate and the gate electrode. the base film has a function of preventing diffusion of an impurity element from the substrate, and can be formed to have a single structure or a stacked structure using one or more of a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride oxide film, and a silicon oxynitride film. although there is no particular limitation on a substrate used for the substrate 400 having an insulating surface, a glass substrate of barium borosilicate glass, aluminoborosilicate glass, or the like is used. the gate electrode 401 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using a metal material such as mo, ti, cr, ta, w, al, cu, nd or sc, or an alloy material containing the above metal material as its main component. as a conductive film used for the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b, for example, a metal film containing an element selected from al, cr, cu, ta, ti, mo, and w or a metal nitride film containing any of the above elements as its main component (a titanium nitride film, a molybdenum nitride film, or a tungsten nitride film) can be used. a metal film having a high melting point of ti, mo, w, or the like or a metal nitride film of any of these elements (a titanium nitride film, a molybdenum nitride film, or a tungsten nitride film) may be stacked on one of or both a lower side and an upper side of a metal film of al, cu, or the like. alternatively, the conductive film serving as the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b (including a wiring layer formed using the same layer as the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b ) may be formed using a conductive metal oxide. as the conductive metal oxide, indium oxide (in 2 o 3 or the like), tin oxide (sno 2 or the like), zinc oxide (zno or the like), indium oxide-tin oxide alloy (in 2 o 3 —sno 2 or the like, which is abbreviated to ito), indium oxide-zinc oxide alloy (in 2 o 3 —zno or the like), or any of these metal oxide materials in which silicon oxide is contained can be used. as the insulating films 407 and 427 which are provided above the oxide semiconductor layer, typically, an inorganic insulating film such as a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, an aluminum oxide film, or an aluminum oxynitride film can be used. as the insulating layer 437 which is provided below the oxide semiconductor layer, typically, an inorganic insulating film such as a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, an aluminum oxide film, or an aluminum oxynitride film can be used. as the protective insulating layer 409 which is provided above the oxide semiconductor layer, a silicon nitride film, an aluminum nitride film, an aluminum oxynitride film, a high-k film containing hafnium, or the like can be used. as the high-k film containing hafnium, for example, a hafnium oxide film, a hafnium silicate film, a hafnium oxynitride silicate film, or a hafnium aluminate film can be used. a semiconductor device whose power consumption due to leakage current is low can be provided in this embodiment with the use of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer which has high field-effect mobility and a low off-state current and a high-k film containing hafnium as the first gate insulating layer 402 a, as described above. embodiment 2 in this embodiment, an example of a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer and an example of a method for manufacturing the transistor will be described in detail with reference to figs. 2a to 2e . the same portion as or a portion having a function similar to those in the above embodiment can be formed in a manner similar to that described in the above embodiment, and also the steps similar to those in the above embodiment can be performed in a manner similar to that described in the above embodiment, and repetitive description is omitted. in addition, detailed description of the same portions is not repeated. figs. 2a to 2e illustrate an example of a cross-sectional structure of a transistor. a transistor 510 illustrated in figs. 2a to 2e is a bottom-gate inverted-staggered transistor which is similar to the transistor 410 illustrated in fig. 1a . steps of manufacturing the transistor 510 over a substrate 505 will be described below with reference to figs. 2a to 2e . first, after a conductive film is formed over the substrate 505 having an insulating surface, a gate electrode 511 is formed in a first photolithography step. note that a resist mask may be formed by an ink-jet method. formation of the resist mask by an ink-jet method needs no photomask; thus, manufacturing cost can be reduced. as the substrate 505 having an insulating surface, a substrate similar to the substrate 400 described in embodiment 1 can be used. in this embodiment, a glass substrate is used as the substrate 505 . an insulating film serving as a base film may be provided between the substrate 505 and the gate electrode 511 . the base film has a function of preventing diffusion of an impurity element from the substrate 505 , and can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using one or more of a silicon nitride film, a silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride oxide film, and a silicon oxynitride film. the gate electrode 511 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using a metal material such as mo, ti, cr, ta, w, al, cu, nd or sc, or an alloy material containing the above metal material as its main component. next, a first gate insulating layer 507 a is formed over the gate electrode 511 . as the first gate insulating layer 507 a, a high-k film is formed by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. in this embodiment, a hafnium oxide film having a thickness of 50 nm is formed under the following conditions: a metal oxide target including hafnium oxide is used; the rf power source is 1 kw; the pressure is 3 mtorr; the distance between the substrate and the target (the t-s distance) is 150 mm; the film formation temperature is room temperature; the argon flow rate is 5 sccm; and the oxygen flow rate is 5 sccm. note that the relative permittivity of a hafnium oxide film having a thickness of 100 nm which is obtained under the above film formation conditions was 15. the relative permittivity was calculated assuming that the vacuum permittivity which is denoted by ε 0 is set to 8.84×10 −12 f/m and the area of an electrode pad is set to 0.7854 mm 2 . moreover, when the measurement was performed by performing heat treatment at 550° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere for 1 hour after the hafnium oxide film was formed, the relative permittivity of the hafnium oxide film was 15.2, which was little changed immediately after the film formation. the hafnium oxide film can be hardly etched by wet etching using a chemical solution; therefore, dry etching using a bcl 3 gas, a cl 2 gas, a chf 3 gas, or a mixed gas thereof is employed at the time of etching. in the case where a mixed gas of a bcl 3 gas and a cl 2 gas is used at the time of forming a contact hole that reaches the gate electrode 511 by selectively etching the hafnium oxide film in a later step, the gate electrode 511 is also etched when formed with a ti film or an al film; therefore, it is preferable to form the uppermost layer of the gate electrode 511 with a w film. next, a second gate insulating layer 507 b is formed over the first gate insulating layer 507 a. the second gate insulating layer 507 b can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using a silicon oxide layer, a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer, or a silicon nitride oxide layer by a plasma cvd method, a sputtering method, or the like. in this embodiment, a silicon oxide layer (sio x (x>2)) having a thickness of 5 nm to 100 nm inclusive is stacked as the second gate insulating layer 507 b over the first gate insulating layer 507 a by a sputtering method, whereby the total thickness of the gate insulating layers is less than or equal to 100 nm. as the oxide semiconductor layer in this embodiment, an oxide semiconductor which is made to be an i-type or substantially i-type by removing impurities is used. in the technical idea of the present invention, the oxide semiconductor which is made to be an i-type or substantially i-type refers to an oxide semiconductor whose carrier density is less than 1×10 12 cm −3 , further preferably less than 1.45×10 10 cm −3 which is less than or equal to the measurement limit. such a highly purified oxide semiconductor is extremely sensitive to interface state density and interface charge; thus, an interface between the oxide semiconductor layer and the gate insulating layer is important. therefore, the second gate insulating layer 507 b in contact with the highly purified oxide semiconductor needs to have higher quality. for example, a high-density plasma cvd method using microwaves (e.g., a frequency of 2.45 ghz) is preferably employed because an insulating layer can be dense and can have high breakdown voltage and high quality. this is because when the highly purified oxide semiconductor and the high-quality second gate insulating layer 507 b are in close contact with each other, the interface state density can be reduced and favorable interface characteristics can be obtained. it is needless to say that another film formation method such as a sputtering method can be employed as long as a high-quality insulating layer can be formed as the second gate insulating layer 507 b. in addition, any gate insulating layer can be used as long as film quality and properties of an interface with an oxide semiconductor of the second gate insulating layer 507 b are modified by heat treatment performed after the film formation. in either case, any gate insulating layer can be used as long as film quality as the second gate insulating layer 507 b is high, interface state density with an oxide semiconductor is decreased, and a favorable interface can be formed. further, in order that hydrogen, hydroxyl, and moisture are contained in the first gate insulating layer 507 a, the second gate insulating layer 507 b, and an oxide semiconductor film 530 as little as possible, it is preferable that the substrate 505 over which the gate electrode 511 is formed or the substrate 505 over which layers up to and including the first gate insulating layer 507 a or the second gate insulating layer 507 b are formed be preheated in a preheating chamber of a sputtering apparatus as pretreatment for film formation of the oxide semiconductor film 530 so that impurities such as hydrogen and moisture adsorbed to the substrate 505 are eliminated and exhaustion is performed. as an exhaustion unit provided in the preheating chamber, a cryopump is preferable. note that this preheating treatment can be omitted. this preheating step may be similarly performed on the substrate 505 over which layers up to and including a source electrode 515 a and a drain electrode 515 b are formed before an insulating layer 516 is formed. next, the oxide semiconductor film 530 having a thickness of 2 nm to 200 nm inclusive, preferably 5 nm to 30 nm inclusive is formed over the second gate insulating layer 507 b (see fig. 2a ). note that before the oxide semiconductor film 530 is formed by a sputtering method, powder substances (also referred to as particles or dust) which are attached on a surface of the second gate insulating layer 507 b are preferably removed by reverse sputtering in which an argon gas is introduced and plasma is generated. the reverse sputtering refers to a method in which, without application of a voltage to a target side, an rf power source is used for application of a voltage to a substrate side under an argon atmosphere so that plasma is generated in the vicinity of the substrate to modify a surface. note that instead of an argon atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, a helium atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or the like may be used. as an oxide semiconductor used for the oxide semiconductor film 530 , the oxide semiconductor described in embodiment 1 can be used. further, sio 2 may be contained in the above oxide semiconductor. in this embodiment, the oxide semiconductor film 530 is formed by a sputtering method with the use of an in—ga—zn—o-based metal oxide target. a cross-sectional view at this stage corresponds to fig. 2a . alternatively, the oxide semiconductor film 530 can be formed by a sputtering method under a rare gas (typically, argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere of a rare gas and oxygen. an in—ga—zn—o film is formed using, for example, a metal oxide target containing in 2 o 3 , ga 2 o 3 , and zno in a composition ratio of 1:1:1 [molar ratio] as the target for forming the oxide semiconductor film 530 by a sputtering method. without limitation to the material and the component of the target, for example, a metal oxide target containing in 2 o 3 , ga 2 o 3 , and zno in a composition ratio of 1:1:2 [molar ratio] may be used. the relative density of the metal oxide target is 90% to 100% inclusive, preferably 95% to 99.9% inclusive. by using the metal oxide target with high relative density, a dense oxide semiconductor film can be formed. it is preferable that a high-purity gas in which impurities such as hydrogen, water, hydroxyl, or hydride are removed be used as the sputtering gas for the film formation of the oxide semiconductor film 530 . the substrate is placed in a film formation chamber under reduced pressure, and the substrate temperature is set to a temperature of 100° c. to 600° c. inclusive, preferably 200° c. to 400° c. inclusive. by forming the oxide semiconductor film in a state where the substrate is heated, the impurity concentration in the formed oxide semiconductor film can be reduced. in addition, damage by sputtering can be reduced. then, a sputtering gas from which hydrogen and moisture are removed is introduced while residual moisture in the film formation chamber is removed, and the oxide semiconductor film 530 is formed over the substrate 505 using the above target. in order to remove the residual moisture in the film formation chamber, an entrapment vacuum pump, for example, a cryopump, an ion pump, or a titanium sublimation pump is preferably used. the evacuation unit may be a turbo pump provided with a cold trap. in the film formation chamber which is evacuated with the cryopump, for example, a hydrogen atom, and a compound containing a hydrogen atom, such as water (h 2 o), (more preferably, also a compound containing a carbon atom) are removed, so that the impurity concentration in the oxide semiconductor film formed in the film formation chamber can be reduced. as an example of the film formation conditions, the distance between the substrate and the target is 100 mm, the pressure is 0.6 pa, the direct-current (dc) power source is 0.5 kw, and the atmosphere is an oxygen atmosphere (the proportion of the oxygen flow rate is 100%). note that a pulse direct current power source is preferable because powder substances (also referred to as particles or dust) generated at the time of the film formation can be reduced and the film thickness can be uniform. next, the oxide semiconductor film 530 is processed into an island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer in a second photolithography step. a resist mask for forming the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer may be formed by an ink-jet method. formation of the resist mask by an ink-jet method needs no photomask; thus, manufacturing cost can be reduced. in the case where a contact hole is formed in the first gate insulating layer 507 a and the second gate insulating layer 507 b, a step of forming the contact hole can be performed at the same time as processing of the oxide semiconductor film 530 . for the etching of the oxide semiconductor film 530 , either or both wet etching and dry etching may be employed. as an etchant used for wet etching of the oxide semiconductor film 530 , for example, a mixed solution of phosphoric acid, acetic acid, and nitric acid, or ito07n (produced by kanto chemical co., inc.) may be used. next, the oxide semiconductor layer is subjected to first heat treatment. the oxide semiconductor layer can be dehydrated or dehydrogenated by this first heat treatment. the temperature of the first heat treatment is 400° c. to 750° c. inclusive, or higher than or equal to 400° c. and lower than the strain point of the substrate. in this step, the substrate is put in an electric furnace which is a kind of heat treatment apparatus and heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor layer at 450° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere for 1 hour, and then water or hydrogen is prevented from entering the oxide semiconductor layer without exposure to the air; thus, an oxide semiconductor layer 531 is obtained (see fig. 2b ). note that the heat treatment apparatus is not limited to the electric furnace, and an apparatus for heating an object by heat conduction or heat radiation from a heater such as a resistance heater may be used. for example, an rta (rapid thermal anneal) apparatus such as a grta (gas rapid thermal anneal) apparatus or an lrta (lamp rapid thermal anneal) apparatus can be used. an lrta apparatus is an apparatus for heating an object by radiation of light (an electromagnetic wave) emitted from a lamp such as a halogen lamp, a metal halide lamp, a xenon arc lamp, a carbon arc lamp, a high pressure sodium lamp, or a high pressure mercury lamp. a grta apparatus is an apparatus for heat treatment using a high-temperature gas. as the high temperature gas, an inert gas which does not react with an object by heat treatment, such as nitrogen or a rare gas such as argon, is used. for example, as the first heat treatment, grta by which the substrate is moved into an inert gas heated to a high temperature of 650° c. to 700° c., heated for several minutes, and moved out of the inert gas heated to the high temperature may be performed. note that in the first heat treatment, it is preferable that water, hydrogen, and the like be not contained in the atmosphere of nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon. the purity of nitrogen or a rare gas such as helium, neon, or argon introduced into the heat treatment apparatus is preferably 6n (99.9999%) or more, more preferably 7n (99.99999%) or more (i.e., the impurity concentration is 1 ppm or less, preferably 0.1 ppm or less). further, after the oxide semiconductor layer is heated in the first heat treatment, a high-purity oxygen gas, a high-purity n2o gas, or an ultra-dry air (the dew point is lower than or equal to −40° c., preferably lower than or equal to −60° c.) may be introduced into the same furnace. it is preferable that the oxygen gas and the n2o gas do not include water, hydrogen, and the like. alternatively, the purity of an oxygen gas or a n 2 o gas which is introduced into the heat treatment apparatus is preferably 6n or more, more preferably 7n or more (i.e., the impurity concentration of the oxygen gas or the n 2 o gas is preferably 1 ppm or less, preferably 0.1 ppm or less). by the action of the oxygen gas or the n 2 o gas, oxygen which is one of components included in an oxide semiconductor and which has been reduced at the same time as the step for removing impurities by dehydration or dehydrogenation is supplied, so that the oxide semiconductor layer can be a highly purified and electrically i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor. in addition, the first heat treatment of the oxide semiconductor layer can also be performed on the oxide semiconductor film 530 which has not yet been processed into the island-shaped oxide semiconductor layer. in that case, the substrate is taken out from the heat apparatus after the first heat treatment, and then a photolithography step is performed. note that the first heat treatment may be performed at any of the following timings in addition to the above timing as long as it is performed after the film formation of the oxide semiconductor layer: after the source electrode and the drain electrode are stacked over the oxide semiconductor layer and after the insulating layer is formed over the source electrode and the drain electrode. in the case where the contact hole is formed in the first gate insulating layer 507 a and the second gate insulating layer 507 b, a step of forming the contact hole may be performed either before or after the first heat treatment is performed on the oxide semiconductor film 530 . in addition, as the oxide semiconductor layer, an oxide semiconductor layer having a crystal region with a large thickness, that is, a crystal region which is c-axis-aligned perpendicularly to a surface of the film may be formed by performing film formation twice and heat treatment twice, even when any of an oxide, a nitride, a metal, or the like is used for a material of a base component. for example, a first oxide semiconductor film having a thickness of 3 nm to 15 nm inclusive is formed, and first heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 450° c. to 850° c. inclusive, preferably 550° c. to 750° c. inclusive, under a nitrogen, oxygen, rare gas, or dry air atmosphere, so that a first oxide semiconductor film having a crystal region (including a plate-like crystal) in a region including a surface is formed. then, a second oxide semiconductor film which has a larger thickness than the first oxide semiconductor film is formed, and second heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 450° c. to 850° c. inclusive, preferably 600° c. to 700° c. inclusive, so that crystal growth proceeds upward with the use of the first oxide semiconductor film as a seed of the crystal growth and the second oxide semiconductor film is crystallized. in such a manner, the oxide semiconductor layer having a crystal region having a large thickness may be formed. next, a conductive film serving as the source electrode and the drain electrode (including a wiring formed in the same layer as the source electrode and the drain electrode) is formed over the second gate insulating layer 507 b and the oxide semiconductor layer 531 . as the conductive film used for the source electrode and the drain electrode, the material used for the source electrode 405 a and the drain electrode 405 b, which is described in embodiment 1, can be used. a resist mask is formed over the conductive film in a third photolithography step, the source electrode 515 a and the drain electrode 515 b are formed by selective etching, and then the resist mask is removed (see fig. 2c ). light exposure at the time of forming the resist mask in the third photolithography step may be performed using ultraviolet light, krf laser light, or arf laser light. a channel length l of a transistor to be formed later is determined by a distance between bottom end portions of the source electrode and the drain electrode, which are adjacent to each other over the oxide semiconductor layer 531 . in the case where light exposure is performed for a channel length l of less than 25 nm, the light exposure at the time of forming the resist mask in the third photolithography step may be performed using extreme ultraviolet having an extremely short wavelength of several nanometers to several tens of nanometers. in the light exposure by extreme ultraviolet light, the resolution is high and the focus depth is large. therefore, the channel length l of the transistor to be formed later can be 10 nm to 1000 nm inclusive, whereby operation speed of a circuit can be increased. in order to reduce the number of photomasks used in a photolithography step and reduce the number of photolithography steps, an etching step may be performed with the use of a resist mask formed using a multi-tone mask which is a light-exposure mask through which light is transmitted to have various intensities. a resist mask formed with the use of the multi-tone mask has a plurality of thicknesses and further can be changed in shape by etching; therefore, the resist mask can be used in a plurality of etching steps for processing into different patterns. therefore, a resist mask corresponding to at least two kinds or more of different patterns can be formed by one multi-tone mask. thus, the number of light-exposure masks can be reduced and the number of corresponding photolithography steps can be also reduced, whereby simplification of a process can be realized. note that it is preferable that etching conditions be optimized so as not to etch and divide the oxide semiconductor layer 531 when the conductive film is etched. however, it is difficult to obtain etching conditions in which only the conductive film is etched without etching the oxide semiconductor layer 531 at all. in some cases, only part of the oxide semiconductor layer 531 is etched to be an oxide semiconductor layer having a groove portion (a recessed portion) when the conductive film is etched. in this embodiment, a ti film is used as the conductive film and the in—ga—zn—o-based oxide semiconductor is used for the oxide semiconductor layer 531 ; therefore, an ammonium hydrogen peroxide mixture (31 wt. % hydrogen peroxide solution: 28 wt. % ammonia water: water=5:2:2) is used as an etchant. next, water or the like adsorbed to a surface of an exposed portion of the oxide semiconductor layer may be removed by plasma treatment using a gas such as n 2 o, n 2 , or ar. in the case where the plasma treatment is performed, the insulating layer 516 serving as a protective insulating film in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer is formed without exposure to the air after the plasma treatment. the insulating layer 516 can be formed to a thickness of at least 1 nm by a method by which impurities such as water and hydrogen does not enter the insulating layer 516 , such as a sputtering method, as appropriate. when hydrogen is contained in the insulating layer 516 , entry of the hydrogen to the oxide semiconductor layer or extraction of oxygen in the oxide semiconductor layer by the hydrogen is caused, whereby a backchannel of the oxide semiconductor layer comes to be n-type (to have a lower resistance); thus, a parasitic channel might be formed. therefore, it is important that a film formation method in which hydrogen is not used is employed in order to form the insulating layer 516 containing as little hydrogen as possible. in this embodiment, a silicon oxide film is formed to a thickness of 200 nm as the insulating layer 516 by a sputtering method. the substrate temperature during the film formation may be room temperature to 300° c. inclusive and is set to 100° c. in this embodiment. the silicon oxide film can be formed by a sputtering method under a rare gas (typically, argon) atmosphere, an oxygen atmosphere, or a mixed atmosphere containing a rare gas and oxygen. as a target, a silicon oxide target or a silicon target can be used. for example, the silicon oxide film can be formed using a silicon target by a sputtering method under an atmosphere containing oxygen. as the insulating layer 516 which is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, an inorganic insulating film which does not include impurities such as moisture, a hydrogen ion, and off and blocks entry of these from the outside is used. typically, a silicon oxide film, a silicon oxynitride film, an aluminum oxide film, an aluminum oxynitride film, or the like is used. in order to remove residual moisture in the film formation chamber of the insulating layer 516 at the same time as the film formation of the oxide semiconductor film 530 , an entrapment vacuum pump (such as a cryopump) is preferably used. when the insulating layer 516 is formed in the film formation chamber evacuated using a cryopump, the impurity concentration in the insulating layer 516 can be reduced. in addition, as an exhaustion unit for removing the residual moisture in the film formation chamber of the insulating layer 516 , a turbo pump provided with a cold trap may be used. it is preferable that a high-purity gas in which impurities such as hydrogen, water, hydroxyl, or hydride are removed be used as the sputtering gas for the film formation of the insulating layer 516 . next, second heat treatment is performed under an inert gas atmosphere or oxygen gas atmosphere (preferably at a temperature of 200 to 400° c. inclusive, e.g. 250 to 350° c. inclusive). for example, the second heat treatment is performed at 250° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere for 1 hour. in the second heat treatment, part of the oxide semiconductor layer (a channel formation region) is heated while being in contact with the insulating layer 516 . through the above process, oxygen which is one of components of the oxide semiconductor and which has been reduced at the same time as the first heat treatment performed on the oxide semiconductor film (a step of intentionally removing impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, hydroxyl, or hydride (also referred to as a hydrogen compound) from the oxide semiconductor layer) can be supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer. accordingly, the oxide semiconductor layer is a highly purified and electrically i-type (intrinsic) oxide semiconductor. through the above process, the transistor 510 is formed (see fig. 2d ). when a silicon oxide layer having a lot of defects is used as the insulating layer 516 , with heat treatment which is performed after the formation of the silicon oxide layer, impurities such as hydrogen, moisture, hydroxyl, or hydride contained in the oxide semiconductor layer can be diffused to the insulating layer so that impurities in the oxide semiconductor layer can be further reduced. a protective insulating layer 506 may be formed over the insulating layer 516 . for example, a silicon nitride film is formed by an rf sputtering method. an rf sputtering method has high productivity; therefore, it is preferably used as a film formation method of the protective insulating layer. as the protective insulating layer, an inorganic insulating film which does not include impurities such as moisture and prevents entry of these from the outside, such as a silicon nitride film or an aluminum nitride film, is used. in this embodiment, the protective insulating layer 506 is formed using a silicon nitride film (see fig. 2e ). in this embodiment, as the protective insulating layer 506 , a silicon nitride film is formed by heating the substrate 505 , over which layers up to the insulating layer 516 are formed, to a temperature of 100° c. to 400° c., introducing a sputtering gas containing high-purity nitrogen from which hydrogen and moisture are removed, and using a target of a silicon semiconductor. in this case also, the protective insulating layer 506 is preferably formed while residual moisture in a treatment chamber is removed in a manner similar to that of the insulating layer 516 . after the protective insulating layer is formed, heat treatment may be further performed at a temperature of 100° c. to 200° c. inclusive in the air for 1 hour to 30 hours inclusive. this heat treatment may be performed at a fixed heating temperature. alternatively, the following change in the heating temperature may be performed plural times repeatedly: the heating temperature is increased from room temperature to a temperature of 100° c. to 200° c. inclusive and then decreased to a room temperature. the transistor including a highly purified oxide semiconductor layer which is formed according to this embodiment in such a manner has high field-effect mobility; therefore, high-speed driving is possible. with the use of a hafnium oxide film for the first gate insulating layer, the gate leakage current of the transistor can be reduced; thus, power saving of a semiconductor device can be realized. furthermore, the use of a hafnium oxide film for the first gate insulating layer enables a gate insulating layer having a thickness of greater than or equal to 2 nm (specifically, 2 nm to 10 nm inclusive) to obtain the same effect as a gate insulating layer having a thickness of less than or equal to 0.8 nm, which is formed using only a silicon oxide film. this embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with embodiment 1. embodiment 3 in this embodiment, an example of forming a dual-gate transistor including two gate electrodes, one of which is provided above a channel region with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween and the other of which is provided below the channel formation region with another gate insulating layer interposed therebetween will be described below. note that since steps in the middle of a manufacturing process are the same as steps in embodiment 2, description will be made using the same reference numerals for the same portions. figs. 3a to 3c illustrate an example of a cross-sectional structure of a transistor. fig. 3a is the same as fig. 2c . first, in accordance with embodiment 2, a state illustrated in fig. 3a is obtained. next, an insulating layer 516 serving as a protective insulating film is formed in contact with part of the oxide semiconductor layer in a manner similar to that of embodiment 2. in this embodiment, in order to form a second gate electrode in a later step, an insulating film is formed with the same material and thickness as those of the second gate insulating layer 507 b. next, as illustrated in fig. 3b , an insulating layer 526 having relative permittivity higher than the insulating layer 516 is formed over the insulating layer 516 . as the insulating layer 526 , an insulating film whose material and thickness are the same as those of the first gate insulating layer 507 a, i.e. a hafnium oxide film having a thickness of 20 nm is formed. next, a second gate electrode 508 is formed over the insulating layer 526 . the second gate electrode 508 can be formed to have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure using a metal material such as mo, ti, cr, ta, w, al, cu, nd or sc, or an alloy material containing the above metal material as its main component. through the above process, a transistor 520 illustrated in fig. 3c can be manufactured. note that the insulating layer 526 which is formed using hafnium oxide is hardly etched by wet etching; therefore, when wet etching is employed at the time of patterning of the second gate electrode 508 , the insulating layer 526 functions as an etching stopper and does not have a pinhole or the like even when the thickness of the insulating layer 526 is 2 nm to 10 nm inclusive; thus, the transistor 520 having uniform breakdown voltage can be realized. as each of the first insulating layer whose relative permittivity is higher than that of the second insulating layer and the fourth insulating layer whose relative permittivity is higher than that of the third insulating layer, an insulating film containing hafnium is used, so that the thickness of the gate insulating layer of this embodiment can be thinner than a thickness of a gate insulating layer considered in terms of a silicon oxide film. when an oxide semiconductor layer is used for a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region in a transistor, the threshold voltage of the transistor sometimes shifts in the positive or negative direction depending on a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device. therefore, the transistor in which an oxide semiconductor is used for a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region preferably has a structure in which the threshold voltage can be controlled by employing a dual gate structure like the transistor 520 , where the threshold voltage can also be controlled to become a desired value by controlling potential of the first gate electrode 511 or the second gate electrode 508 . this embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with embodiment 1 or 2. embodiment 4 an oxide semiconductor layer is easily affected by an electric field which is generated in a manufacturing process. thus, figs. 4a and 4b illustrate a film formation apparatus for reducing the influence of, for example, the electric field which is generated at the time of forming the gate insulating layer over the oxide semiconductor layer by a sputtering method in the case where a top-gate transistor as illustrated in fig. 1d according to embodiment 1 is manufactured. in this embodiment, an example of forming a hafnium oxide film with the film formation apparatus illustrated in figs. 4a and 4b will be described. in a chamber 301 , where a vacuum state is formed, an ar gas or a mixed gas of an o 2 gas and an ar gas is supplied so that an electrode 302 and an electrode 303 connected to an rf power source 304 are provided to face each other. a target 308 and a target 309 each of hafnium oxide are fixed to the electrode 302 and the electrode 303 , respectively. note that fig. 4a is a top schematic view of the chamber 301 seen from above, and fig. 4b is a cross-sectional schematic view of the chamber 301 . a substrate 305 is placed vertically and subjected to sputtering film formation so that a large-sized substrate can be treated. the substrate 305 is made hardly exposed to plasma in such a manner that the target 308 and the target 309 of hafnium oxide are made to face each other and the substrate 305 is made not to be placed between the two targets. the substrate 305 is provided with an oxide semiconductor layer which is covered with an insulating film, and a hafnium oxide film can be formed without damage which becomes trouble particularly (e.g., plasma damage) to the oxide semiconductor layer with the use of the apparatus illustrated in figs. 4a and 4b . in such a manner, the hafnium oxide film is formed on the surface of the substrate 305 which is fixed by a holder 307 . note that the formation of the film on the substrate is stopped by a shutter 306 until the film formation speed is stabilized, and the shutter 306 is opened to start the film formation. although the shutter 306 is a slide type in figs. 4a and 4b , there is no particular limitation. in fig. 4a , although the substrate surface is shown vertically with respect to the bottom surface of the chamber, without limitation thereto, the substrate may be placed so that the surface is oblique to the bottom surface of the chamber by the holder 307 . the holder 307 is provided with a heater, and the film formation can be performed while the substrate 305 is heated. with the use of the heater of the holder 307 , the substrate 305 is held in the chamber 301 that is maintained at reduced pressure, and the oxide semiconductor layer over the substrate 305 can also be heated so that the temperature of the substrate 305 is higher than or equal to 100° c. and lower than 550° c., preferably 200° c. to 400° c. inclusive. then, a sputtering gas (oxygen or argon) from which hydrogen, water, and the like are removed is introduced while moisture in the chamber 301 is removed, whereby a hafnium oxide film is formed using the above targets. the hafnium oxide film is formed while the substrate 305 is heated with the use of the heater of the holder 307 , so that the damage due to the sputtering can also be reduced. in order to remove moisture in the chamber 301 , an entrapment vacuum pump is preferably used. for example, a cryopump, an ion pump, a titanium sublimation pump, or the like can be used. a turbo pump provided with a cold trap may be used. by evacuation with the cryopump or the like, hydrogen, water, and the like can be removed from the treatment chamber. moreover, although the film formation of a hafnium oxide film is given as an example in this embodiment, without particular limitation, a film formation of an insulating film that can be used for a gate insulating layer or another high-k film can be used by using the film formation apparatus illustrated in figs. 4a and 4b . further, the film formation apparatus illustrated in figs. 4a and 4b can be used for forming an insulating film in contact with an oxide semiconductor layer. embodiment 5 in this embodiment, the appearance and a cross section of a liquid crystal display panel, which corresponds to one mode of a semiconductor device, will be described with reference to figs. 5a to 5c . figs. 5a and 5c are plan views of panels in each of which a transistor 4010 , a transistor 4011 , and a liquid crystal element 4013 are sealed between a first substrate 4001 and a second substrate 4006 with a sealant 4005 . fig. 5b is a cross-sectional view taken along line m-n in fig. 5a or fig. 5c . the sealant 4005 is provided to surround a pixel portion 4002 and a scan line driver circuit 4004 which are provided over the first substrate 4001 . the second substrate 4006 is provided over the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 . therefore, the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 are sealed together with a liquid crystal layer 4008 by the first substrate 4001 , the sealant 4005 , and the second substrate 4006 . a signal line driver circuit 4003 that is formed using a single crystal semiconductor film or a polycrystalline semiconductor film over a substrate separately prepared is mounted in a region that is different from the region surrounded by the sealant 4005 over the first substrate 4001 . note that the connection method of the driver circuit which is separately formed is not particularly limited, and a cog method, a wire bonding method, a tab method, or the like can be used. fig. 5a illustrates an example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is mounted by a cog method. fig. 5c illustrates an example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is mounted by a tab method. the pixel portion 4002 and the scan line driver circuit 4004 provided over the first substrate 4001 include a plurality of transistors. fig. 5b illustrates the transistor 4010 included in the pixel portion 4002 and the transistor 4011 included in the scan line driver circuit 4004 , as an example. the transistor 4011 includes a first gate insulating layer 4020 a and a second gate insulating layer 4020 b, and the first gate insulating layer 402 a and the second gate insulating layer 402 b described in embodiment 2 can be used. a transistor with low gate leakage current can be formed with the use of a high-k film for the first gate insulating layer 402 a. an insulating layer 4041 , an insulating layer 4042 , and an insulating layer 4021 are provided over the transistor 4010 and the transistor 4011 . the transistor with low gate leakage current which is described in embodiment 1 can be used as the transistor 4010 and the transistor 4011 . any of the transistors 410 , 420 , 430 , and 440 which are described in embodiment 1 can be used as the transistor 4011 for a driver circuit and the transistor 4010 for a pixel. in this embodiment, the transistor 4010 and the transistor 4011 are n-channel transistors. a conductive layer 4040 is provided over part of the insulating layer 4021 , which overlaps with a channel formation region of an oxide semiconductor layer in the transistor 4011 for the driver circuit. the conductive layer 4040 is provided at the position overlapping with the channel formation region of the oxide semiconductor layer, whereby the amount of shift in the threshold voltage of the transistor 4011 between before and after the bt test can be reduced. the potential of the conductive layer 4040 may be the same or different from that of a gate electrode of the transistor 4011 . the conductive layer 4040 can also function as a second gate electrode. alternatively, the potential of the conductive layer 4040 may be gnd or 0 v, or the conductive layer 4040 may be in a floating state. a pixel electrode layer 4030 included in the liquid crystal element 4013 is electrically connected to the transistor 4010 . a counter electrode layer 4031 of the liquid crystal element 4013 is provided for the second substrate 4006 . a portion where the pixel electrode layer 4030 , the counter electrode layer 4031 , and the liquid crystal layer 4008 overlap with one another corresponds to the liquid crystal element 4013 . note that the pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031 are provided with an insulating layer 4032 and an insulating layer 4033 respectively which each function as an alignment film, and the liquid crystal layer 4008 is sandwiched between the pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031 with the insulating layer 4032 and the insulating layer 4033 therebetween. note that as the first substrate 4001 and the second substrate 4006 , a light-transmitting substrate, for example, a plastic substrate such as a polyester film or an acrylic resin film, a glass substrate, or a ceramic substrate can be used. reference numeral 4035 denotes a columnar spacer obtained by selectively etching an insulating film and is provided to control the distance between the pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031 (a cell gap). alternatively, a spherical spacer may also be used. the counter electrode layer 4031 is electrically connected to a common potential line provided over the same substrate as the transistor 4010 . with the use of a common connection portion, the counter electrode layer 4031 and the common potential line can be electrically connected to each other through conductive particles arranged between a pair of substrates. note that the conductive particles are included in the sealant 4005 . alternatively, liquid crystal exhibiting a blue phase for which an alignment film is unnecessary may be used. in that case, the electrodes are arranged differently from those illustrated in figs. 5a to 5c because a horizontal electric field mode is employed. for example, the pixel electrode layer and the common electrode layer are arranged over the same insulating layer, and a horizontal electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer. a blue phase is one of liquid crystal phases, which is generated just before a cholesteric phase changes into an isotropic phase while temperature of cholesteric liquid crystal is increased. the blue phase is generated within an only narrow range of temperature; therefore, a liquid crystal composition containing a chiral agent at 5 wt % or more so as to improve the temperature range is used for the liquid crystal layer 4008 . the liquid crystal composition, which includes a liquid crystal showing a blue phase and a chiral agent, has a short response time of 1 msec or less; has optical isotropy, which makes the alignment process unneeded; and has a small viewing angle dependence. note that this embodiment can also be applied to a transflective liquid crystal display device in addition to a transmissive liquid crystal display device. an example of the liquid crystal display device is described in which a polarizing plate is provided on the outer surface of the substrate (on the viewer side) and a coloring layer and an electrode layer used for a display element are provided on the inner surface of the substrate; however, the polarizing plate may be provided on the inner surface of the substrate. the stacked structure of the polarizing plate and the coloring layer is not limited to this embodiment and may be set as appropriate depending on materials of the polarizing plate and the coloring layer or conditions of manufacturing process. further, a light-blocking film which functions as a black matrix may be provided in a portion other than the display portion. over the transistors 4011 and 4010 , the insulating layer 4041 is formed in contact with the oxide semiconductor layers. the insulating layer 4041 may be formed using a material and a method similar to those of the insulating film 407 described in embodiment 1. here, as the insulating layer 4041 , a silicon oxide film is formed by a sputtering method using a film formation apparatus described in embodiment 4. the insulating layer 4042 is formed over and in contact with the insulating layer 4041 . the insulating layer 4042 can be formed using a material and a method similar to those of the protective insulating layer 409 described in embodiment 1. in addition, in order to reduce the surface roughness due to the transistors, the insulating layer 4042 is covered with the insulating layer 4021 which functions as a planarization insulating film. the insulating layer 4021 is formed as the planarizing insulating film. as the insulating layer 4021 , an organic material having heat resistance such as polyimide, acrylic, benzocyclobutene, polyamide, or epoxy can be used. other than such organic materials, it is also possible to use a low-dielectric constant material (a low-k material), a siloxane-based resin, psg (phosphosilicate glass), bpsg (borophosphosilicate glass), or the like. note that the insulating layer 4021 may be formed by stacking a plurality of insulating films formed with these materials. there is no particular limitation on the method of forming the insulating layer 4021 , and the following method or means can be employed depending on the material: a method such as a sputtering method, an sog method, a spin coating method, a dipping method, a spray coating method, or a droplet discharge method (e.g., an ink-jet method, screen printing, or offset printing), or a tool such as a doctor knife, a roll coater, a curtain coater, or a knife coater. the baking step of the insulating layer 4021 also serves as annealing of the semiconductor layer, so that a semiconductor device can be manufactured efficiently. the pixel electrode layer 4030 and the counter electrode layer 4031 can be formed using a light-transmitting conductive material such as indium oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium zinc oxide containing tungsten oxide, indium oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide, indium tin oxide (hereinafter referred to as ito), indium zinc oxide, or indium tin oxide to which silicon oxide is added. further, a variety of signals and potentials are supplied to the signal line driver circuit 4003 which is formed separately, the scan line driver circuit 4004 , or the pixel portion 4002 from an fpc 4018 . a connection terminal electrode 4015 is formed using the same conductive film as the pixel electrode layer 4030 included in the liquid crystal element 4013 . a terminal electrode 4016 is formed using the same conductive film as a source electrode and a drain electrode of each of the transistor 4010 and the transistor 4011 . the connection terminal electrode 4015 is electrically connected to a terminal of the fpc 4018 via an anisotropic conductive film 4019 . figs. 5a to 5c illustrate an example in which the signal line driver circuit 4003 is formed separately and mounted on the first substrate 4001 ; however, an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this structure. the scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted, or only part of the signal line driver circuit or part of the scan line driver circuit may be separately formed and then mounted. embodiment 6 in this embodiment, an example of an electronic paper will be described as a semiconductor device of an embodiment of the present invention. a transistor including a stacked gate insulating layer obtained by the method described in embodiment 2 may be used for electronic paper in which electronic ink is driven by an element electrically connected to a switching element. the electronic paper is also referred to as an electrophoretic display device (an electrophoretic display) and is advantageous in that it has the same level of readability as plain paper, it has lower power consumption than other display devices, and it can be made thin and lightweight. electrophoretic displays can have various modes. electrophoretic displays contain a plurality of microcapsules dispersed in a solvent or a solute, each microcapsule containing first particles which are positively charged and second particles which are negatively charged. by applying an electric field to the microcapsules, the particles in the microcapsules move in opposite directions to each other and only the color of the particles gathering on one side is displayed. note that the first particles and the second particles each contain dye and do not move without an electric field. moreover, the first particles and the second particles have different colors (which may be colorless). thus, an electrophoretic display is a display that utilizes a so-called dielectrophoretic effect by which a substance having a high dielectric constant moves to a high electric field region. a solution in which the above microcapsules are dispersed in a solvent is referred to as electronic ink. this electronic ink can be printed on a surface of glass, plastic, cloth, paper, or the like. furthermore, by using a color filter or particles that have a pigment, color display can also be achieved. in addition, if a plurality of the above microcapsules is arranged as appropriate over an active matrix substrate so as to be interposed between two electrodes, an active matrix display device can be completed, and display can be performed by application of an electric field to the microcapsules. for example, an active matrix substrate which is formed using the transistor described in embodiment 2 can be used. note that the first particles and the second particles in the microcapsules may each be formed with a single material selected from a conductive material, an insulating material, a semiconductor material, a magnetic material, a liquid crystal material, a ferroelectric material, an electroluminescent material, an electrochromic material, and a magnetophoretic material, or formed with a composite material of any of these. fig. 6 illustrates active matrix electronic paper as an example of a semiconductor device. a transistor 581 used in the semiconductor device is a transistor with low gate leakage current, which can be manufactured in a manner similar to that of the transistor of embodiment 2. the electronic paper in fig. 6 is an example of a display device using a twisting ball display system. the twisting ball display system refers to a method in which spherical particles each colored in black and white are arranged between a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer which are electrode layers used for a display element, and a potential difference is generated between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer to control orientation of the spherical particles, so that display is performed. the transistor 581 is a bottom-gate transistor, which includes an oxide semiconductor layer over and in contact with a stack of a first gate insulating layer 582 a and a second gate insulating layer 582 b and which is covered with an insulating layer 583 in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer. note that the first gate insulating layer 582 a is formed using an insulating film containing hafnium, which is a film whose relative permittivity is higher than that of the second gate insulating layer 582 b. a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 581 is in contact with a first electrode layer 587 through an opening formed in the insulating layer 583 , an insulating layer 584 , and an insulating layer 585 , whereby the transistor 581 is electrically connected to the first electrode layer 587 . between the first electrode layer 587 and a second electrode layer 588 , spherical particles 589 each having a black region 590 a and a white region 590 b around which is filled with liquid, are provided between a pair of substrates 580 and 596 . a space around the spherical particles 589 is filled with a filler 595 such as a resin (see fig. 6 ). in addition, the first electrode layer 587 corresponds to a pixel electrode, and the second electrode layer 588 corresponds to a common electrode. the second electrode layer 588 is electrically connected to a common potential line provided over the same substrate as the transistor 581 . with the use of a common connection portion, the second electrode layer 588 and the common potential line can be electrically connected to each other through conductive particles arranged between the pair of substrates 580 and 596 . further, instead of the twisting ball, an electrophoretic element can also be used. a microcapsule having a diameter of approximately 10 μm to 200 μm, in which transparent liquid, positively charged white microparticles, and negatively charged black microparticles are encapsulated, is used. in the microcapsule which is provided between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, when an electric field is applied by the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer, the white microparticles and the black microparticles move to opposite sides, so that white or black can be displayed. a display element using this principle is an electrophoretic display element and is generally called electronic paper. the electrophoretic display element has higher reflectance than a liquid crystal display element; thus, an auxiliary light is unnecessary, power consumption is low, and a display portion can be recognized even in a dim place. in addition, even when power is not supplied to the display portion, an image which has been displayed once can be maintained. accordingly, a displayed image can be stored even if a semiconductor device having a display function (which may be referred to simply as a display device or a semiconductor device provided with a display device) is distanced from an electric wave source. through the above process, power saving electronic paper including a transistor with low gate leakage current can be manufactured. this embodiment can be implemented in appropriate combination with the structures described in the other embodiments. embodiment 7 in this embodiment, an example of forming a transistor including an oxide semiconductor and a transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor over the same substrate will be described below. figs. 7a and 7b illustrate an example of a structure of a semiconductor device. fig. 7a illustrates a cross section of the semiconductor device, and fig. 7b illustrates a plan view of the semiconductor device. here, fig. 7a corresponds to a cross section along line a 1 -a 2 and line b 1 -b 2 in fig. 7b . the semiconductor device illustrated in figs. 7a and 7b includes a transistor 160 including a first semiconductor material in a lower portion, and a transistor 162 including a second semiconductor in an upper portion. in this embodiment, the first semiconductor material is a semiconductor material (such as silicon) other than an oxide semiconductor, and the second semiconductor material is an oxide semiconductor. a transistor including a material other than an oxide semiconductor can operate at high speed easily. on the other hand, a transistor including an oxide semiconductor can hold charge for a long time owing to its characteristics. the transistor 160 in figs. 7a and 7b includes a channel formation region 116 provided in a substrate 100 including a semiconductor material (such as silicon), impurity regions 120 provided so that the channel formation region 116 is sandwiched therebetween, metal compound regions 124 in contact with the impurity regions 120 , a gate insulating layer 108 provided over the channel formation region 116 , and a gate electrode 110 provided over the gate insulating layer 108 . as the substrate 100 including a semiconductor material, a single crystal semiconductor substrate or a polycrystalline semiconductor substrate made of silicon, silicon carbide, or the like; a compound semiconductor substrate made of silicon germanium or the like; an soi substrate; or the like can be used. note that in general, the term “soi substrate” means a substrate where a silicon semiconductor layer is provided on an insulating surface. in this specification and the like, the term “soi substrate” also includes a substrate where a semiconductor layer formed using a material other than silicon is provided over an insulating surface in its category. that is, a semiconductor layer included in the “soi substrate” is not limited to a silicon semiconductor layer. moreover, the soi substrate can be a substrate having a structure in which a semiconductor layer is provided over an insulating substrate such as a glass substrate, with an insulating layer interposed therebetween. an electrode 126 is connected to part of the metal compound region 124 of the transistor 160 . here, the electrode 126 functions as a source electrode or a drain electrode of the transistor 160 . an element isolation insulating layer 106 is provided over the substrate 100 to surround the transistor 160 . an insulating layer 128 and an insulating layer 130 are provided to cover the transistor 160 . note that it is preferable that the transistor 160 do not have a sidewall insulating layer as illustrated in figs. 7a and 7b to realize high integration. on the other hand, when importance is put on the characteristics of the transistor 160 , sidewall insulating layers may be provided on side surfaces of the gate electrode 110 to provide the impurity regions 120 with regions whose impurity concentrations are different from each other. the transistor 160 can be formed by a known technique. such a transistor 160 is capable of high speed operation. therefore, by using the transistor as a reading transistor, data can be read at high speed. after the transistor 160 is formed, the top surfaces of the gate electrode 110 and the electrode 126 are exposed by subjecting the insulating layer 128 and the insulating layer 130 to cmp treatment as treatment prior to the formation of the transistor 162 and a capacitor 164 . alternatively, it is possible to employ etching treatment or the like other than cmp treatment as the treatment for exposing the top surfaces of the gate electrode 110 and the electrode 126 (etching treatment or the like may be combined with cmp treatment). note that in order to improve characteristics of the transistor 162 , it is preferable to planarize the surfaces of the insulating layer 128 and the insulating layer 130 as much as possible. next, a conductive layer is formed over the gate electrode 110 , the electrode 126 , the insulating layer 128 , the insulating layer 130 , and the like, and etched selectively, so that the source or drain electrode 142 a and the source or drain electrode 142 b are formed. the conductive layer can be formed by a pvd method such as a sputtering method, or a cvd method such as a plasma cvd method. further, as the material of the conductive layer, an element selected from al, cr, cu, ta, ti, mo, and w, an alloy including the above element as its component, or the like can be used. any of mn, mg, zr, be, nd, and sc, or a material including any of these in combination may be used. the conductive layer can have a single-layer structure or a stacked structure including two or more layers. for example, a single-layer structure of a titanium film or a titanium nitride film, a single-layer structure of an aluminum film containing silicon, a two-layer structure in which a titanium film is stacked over an aluminum film, a two-layer structure in which a titanium film is stacked over a titanium nitride film, and a three-layer structure in which a titanium film, an aluminum film, and a titanium film are stacked in this order can be given. note that in the case where the conductive layer has a single-layer structure of a titanium film or a titanium nitride film, there is an advantage that the conductive layer is easily processed into the source or drain electrode 142 a and the source or drain electrode 142 b having tapered shapes. the channel length (l) of the upper transistor 162 is determined by a distance between a lower edge portion of the source or drain electrode 142 a and a lower edge portion of the source or drain electrode 142 b. note that for light exposure for forming a mask used in the case where a transistor with a channel length (l) of less than 25 nm is formed, it is preferable to use extreme ultraviolet rays whose wavelength is as short as several nanometers to several tens of nanometers. next, an insulating layer 143 a is formed over the source or drain electrode 142 a and an insulating layer 143 b is formed over the source or drain electrode 142 b. the insulating layer 143 a and the insulating layer 143 b can be formed in such a manner that an insulating layer which covers the source or drain electrode 142 a and the source or drain electrode 142 b is formed and then selectively etched. moreover, the insulating layer 143 a and the insulating layer 143 b are formed so as to overlap partly with a gate electrode which will be formed later. by providing such an insulating layer, capacitance formed between the gate electrode and the source or drain electrode can be reduced. the insulating layer 143 a and the insulating layer 143 b can be formed using a material including an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride, or aluminum oxide. note that it is preferable to form the insulating layer 143 a and the insulating layer 143 b in that capacitance formed between the gate electrode and the source or drain electrode is reduced; however, it is also possible to employ a structure without the insulating layers. next, after an oxide semiconductor layer is formed to cover the source or drain electrode 142 a and the source or drain electrode 142 b, the oxide semiconductor layer is selectively etched to form an oxide semiconductor layer 144 . the oxide semiconductor layer is formed using the material and formation process described in embodiment 2. after that, heat treatment (first heat treatment) is preferably performed on the oxide semiconductor layer. excessive hydrogen (including water and hydroxyl) in the oxide semiconductor layer is removed by the first heat treatment and a structure of the oxide semiconductor layer is improved, so that defect level density in an energy gap of the oxide semiconductor layer can be reduced. the temperature of the first heat treatment is set to higher than or equal to 300° c. and lower than 550° c., or 400° c. to 500° c. inclusive. the heat treatment can be performed in such a manner that, for example, an object is introduced into an electric furnace in which a resistance heating element or the like is used and heated at 450° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere for 1 hour. during the heat treatment, the oxide semiconductor layer is not exposed to the atmosphere to prevent the entry of water and hydrogen. impurities are reduced by the first heat treatment so that an i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type oxide semiconductor layer is obtained. accordingly, a transistor having extremely excellent characteristics can be realized. next, a first gate insulating layer 146 a in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer 144 is formed and a second gate insulating layer 146 b is formed thereover. the first gate insulating layer 146 a is formed using silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or silicon oxynitride by a sputtering method or a plasma cvd method. in addition, the high-k film whose relative permittivity is higher than or equal to 10, which is described in embodiment 2, is used for the second gate insulating layer 146 b. with the use of the high-k film, an increase of gate leakage current due to thinning of the gate insulating layers can be suppressed; thus, a semiconductor device can be miniaturized. note that the total thickness of the first gate insulating layer 146 a and the second gate insulating layer 146 b is set to 2 nm to 100 nm inclusive, preferably 10 nm to 50 nm inclusive. next, over the second gate insulating layer 146 b, a gate electrode 148 a is formed in a region overlapping with the oxide semiconductor layer 144 and an electrode 148 b is formed in a region overlapping with the source or drain electrode 142 a. after the first gate insulating layer 146 a or the second gate insulating layer 146 b is formed, second heat treatment is preferably performed under an inert gas atmosphere or an oxygen atmosphere. the temperature of the heat treatment is set to 200° c. to 450° c. inclusive, preferably 250° c. to 350° c. inclusive. for example, the heat treatment may be performed at 250° c. under a nitrogen atmosphere for 1 hour. the second heat treatment can reduce variation in electrical characteristics of the transistor. moreover, the first gate insulating layer 146 a or the second gate insulating layer 146 b includes oxygen; therefore, oxygen is supplied to the oxide semiconductor layer 144 to compensate for oxygen deficiency in the oxide semiconductor layer 144 , so that an i-type (intrinsic) or substantially i-type oxide semiconductor layer can be formed. note that the timing of the second heat treatment is not particularly limited thereto. for example, the second heat treatment may be performed after the gate electrode is formed. alternatively, the second heat treatment may be performed following the first heat treatment, the first heat treatment may double as the second heat treatment, or the second heat treatment may double as the first heat treatment. as described above, the oxide semiconductor layer 144 can be highly purified by applying at least one of the first heat treatment and the second heat treatment so that impurities contained therein other than a main component is contained as little as possible. the gate electrode 148 a and the electrode 148 b can be formed in such a manner that a conductive layer is formed over the second gate insulating layer 146 b and then etched selectively. next, an insulating layer 150 and an insulating layer 152 are formed over the second gate insulating layer 146 b, the gate electrode 148 a, and the electrode 148 b . the insulating layer 150 and the insulating layer 152 can be formed by a sputtering method, a cvd method, or the like. the insulating layer 150 and the insulating layer 152 can be formed using a material including an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride, hafnium oxide, or aluminum oxide. next, an opening that reaches the source or drain electrode 142 b is formed in the first gate insulating layer 146 a, the second gate insulating layer 146 b, the insulating layer 150 , and the insulating layer 152 . the opening is formed by selective etching using a mask or the like. here, the opening is preferably formed in a region overlapping with the electrode 126 . by forming the opening in such a region, the area of an element can be prevented from being increased which is caused due to the contact region of the electrode. in other words, the degree of integration of the semiconductor device can be improved. after that, an electrode 154 is formed in the opening, and a wiring 156 in contact with the electrode 154 is formed over the insulating layer 152 . for example, the electrode 154 is formed in the following manner: a conductive layer is formed in a region including the opening by a pvd method, a cvd method, or the like and then partly removed by etching treatment, cmp, or the like. the wiring 156 can be formed in such a manner that a conductive layer is formed by a pvd method typified by a sputtering method or a cvd method such as a plasma cvd method and then patterned. further, as the material of the conductive layer, an element selected from al, cr, cu, ta, ti, mo, and w, an alloy including the above element as its component, or the like can be used. any of mn, mg, zr, be, nd, and sc, or a material including any of these in combination may be used. the details are similar to those of the source or drain electrode 142 a or the like. through the above process, the transistor 162 and the capacitor 164 including the purified oxide semiconductor layer 144 are completed. the capacitor 164 includes the source or drain electrode 142 a, the oxide semiconductor layer 144 , the first gate insulating layer 146 a, the second gate insulating layer 146 b, and the electrode 148 b. note that in the capacitor 164 illustrated in figs. 7a and 7b , insulation between the source or drain electrode 142 a and the electrode 148 b can be sufficiently secured by stacking the oxide semiconductor layer 144 , the first gate insulating layer 146 a, and the second gate insulating layer 146 b. it is needless to say that the capacitor 164 without the oxide semiconductor layer 144 may be employed in order to secure sufficient capacitance. alternatively, the capacitor 164 including an insulating layer which is formed in a manner similar to that of the insulating layer 143 a may be employed. further, in the case where a capacitor is not needed, a structure without the capacitor 164 may be employed. with the use of the oxide semiconductor layer 144 which is highly purified and becomes intrinsic, the off-state current of the transistor can be sufficiently reduced. then, by using such a transistor, a semiconductor device in which stored data can be stored for an extremely long time can be obtained. further, the wiring is used in common in the semiconductor device described in this embodiment; therefore, a semiconductor device where the degree of integration is sufficiently improved can be realized. furthermore, by forming the electrode 126 and the electrode 154 which overlap with each other, the area of an element can be prevented from being increased which is caused due to the contact region of the electrode. accordingly, higher integration is realized. the structures, methods, and the like described in this embodiment can be combined as appropriate with any of the structures, methods, and the like described in the other embodiments. embodiment 8 a semiconductor device disclosed in this specification can be applied to a variety of electronic appliances (including game machines). examples of electronic devices are a television set (also referred to as a television or a television receiver), a monitor of a computer or the like, a camera such as a digital camera or a digital video camera, a digital photo frame, a mobile phone handset (also referred to as a mobile phone or a mobile phone device), a portable game console, a portable information terminal, an audio reproducing device, a large-sized game machine such as a pachinko machine, and the like. in this embodiment, examples of an electronic device on which a transistor with low gate leakage current which can be obtained in any of embodiments 1 to 3 is mounted will be described with reference to figs. 8a to 8e . fig. 8a illustrates a laptop personal computer manufactured by mounting at least a display device as a component, which includes a main body 3001 , a housing 3002 , a display portion 3003 , a keyboard 3004 , and the like. note that this laptop personal computer includes a power saving display device which is described in embodiment 5 and includes the transistor with low gate leakage current. fig. 8b illustrates a portable information terminal (pda) manufactured by mounting at least a display device as a component, which includes a display portion 3023 , an external interface 3025 , an operation button 3024 , and the like in a main body 3021 . a stylus 3022 is included as an accessory for operation. note that this portable information terminal includes a power saving display device which is described in embodiment 5 and includes the transistor with low gate leakage current. fig. 8c illustrates an e-book reader manufactured by mounting power saving electronic paper which is described in embodiment 6 and includes the transistor with low gate leakage current as a component. fig. 8c illustrates an example of an e-book reader. for example, an e-book reader 2700 includes two housings, a housing 2701 and a housing 2703 . the housing 2701 and the housing 2703 are combined with a hinge 2711 so that the e-book reader 2700 can be opened and closed with the hinge 2711 as an axis. with such a structure, the e-book reader 2700 can operate like a paper book. a display portion 2705 and a display portion 2707 are incorporated in the housing 2701 and the housing 2703 , respectively. the display portion 2705 and the display portion 2707 may display one image or different images. in the structure where different images are displayed in different display portions, for example, the right display portion (the display portion 2705 in fig. 8c ) can display text and the left display portion (the display portion 2707 in fig. 8c ) can display images. fig. 8c illustrates an example in which the housing 2701 is provided with an operation portion and the like. for example, the housing 2701 is provided with a power switch 2721 , an operation key 2723 , a speaker 2725 , and the like. with the operation key 2723 , pages can be turned. note that a keyboard, a pointing device, or the like may also be provided on the surface of the housing, on which the display portion is provided. furthermore, an external connection terminal (an earphone terminal, a usb terminal, a terminal that can be connected to various cables such as an ac adapter and a usb cable, or the like), a recording medium insertion portion, and the like may be provided on the back surface or the side surface of the housing. moreover, the e-book reader 2700 may have a function of an electronic dictionary. the e-book reader 2700 may have a structure capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. through wireless communication, desired book data or the like can be purchased and downloaded from an e-book server. fig. 8d illustrates a mobile phone manufactured by mounting a power saving display device which is described in embodiment 5 and includes the transistor with low gate leakage current as a component, which includes two housings, a housing 2800 and a housing 2801 . the housing 2801 includes a display panel 2802 , a speaker 2803 , a microphone 2804 , a pointing device 2806 , a camera lens 2807 , an external connection terminal 2808 , and the like. the housing 2801 is provided with a solar battery cell 2810 for charging the portable information terminal, an external memory slot 2811 , and the like. further, an antenna is incorporated in the housing 2801 . the display panel 2802 is provided with a touch panel. a plurality of operation keys 2805 which is displayed as images is illustrated by dashed lines in fig. 8d . note that a boosting circuit by which a voltage outputted from the solar cell 2810 is increased to be a voltage necessary for each circuit is also included. in the display panel 2802 , the display direction can be changed as appropriate depending on a usage pattern. further, the mobile phone is provided with the camera lens 2807 on the same surface as the display panel 2802 ; thus, it can be used as a video phone. the speaker 2803 and the microphone 2804 can be used for videophone calls, recording and playing sound, and the like as well as voice calls. moreover, the housing 2800 and the housing 2801 developed as illustrated in fig. 8d can be slid so that one is lapped over the other; thus, the size of the mobile phone can be reduced, which makes the mobile phone suitable for being carried. the external connection terminal 2808 can be connected to an ac adapter and various types of cables such as a usb cable, and charging and data communication with a personal computer are possible. moreover, a large amount of data can be stored by inserting a storage medium into the external memory slot 2811 and can be moved. the semiconductor device described in embodiment 6 can be used as the storage medium. according to embodiment 6, with the use of a transistor that can reduce off-state current sufficiently, a semiconductor device capable of holding stored data for an extremely long time can be obtained. further, in addition to the above functions, an infrared communication function, a television reception function, or the like may be provided. fig. 8e illustrates a digital camera manufactured by mounting a power saving display device which is described in embodiment 5 and includes the transistor with low gate leakage current as a component, which includes a main body 3051 , a display portion (a) 3057 , an eyepiece 3053 , an operation switch 3054 , a display portion (b) 3055 , a battery 3056 , and the like. this embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with any one of embodiments 1 to 6. the present application is based on japanese patent application serial no. 2010-024860 filed with the japan patent office on feb. 5, 2010, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
|
030-902-840-757-497
|
US
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[
"US",
"DE",
"EP",
"AT",
"WO"
] |
B01L3/00,B81B1/00,F15C5/00,F16K99/00
| 2001-04-20T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"B01",
"B81",
"F15",
"F16"
] |
porous microfluidic valves
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microfluidic devices having porous membrane valves, which are microfluidic channels or elements having porous materials that restrict fluid flow rate for a given pressure, are provided. multiple microfluidic valves of this invention can be constructed on a single device so that they have different valving capabilities or impedances, and in unison can control the overall direction of fluid flow. impedance regions may be constructed in various ways, such as, for example: by inserting porous materials into or between channels; by sandwiching a sheet or layer of porous material between other layers of the device (preferably in stencil form); or by inserting a liquid, solution, slurry, or suspension into microfluidic channels, and then permitting the formation of porous deposits by promoting at least partial evaporation. adhesive tape may be used for one or more layers of the device.
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1. a microfluidic device comprising: 2. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the valves are used to predictably control fluid flow. 3. the microfluidic device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer and the second layer are stencil layers. 4. the microfluidic device of claim 1 , wherein the first layer and the second layer are adjacent. 5. the microfluidic device of claim 1 further comprising a third layer interposed between the first layer and the second layer, wherein the third layer includes at least one porous membrane. 6. the microfluidic device of claim 5 wherein the at least one porous membrane forms substantially all of the third layer. 7. the microfluidic device of claim 3 wherein the third layer is a stencil layer. 8. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein at least one porous membrane valve is constructed by inserting an ingredient selected from the group consisting of a liquid, a solution, a slurry, and a suspension into a microfluidic channel, and then permitting at least partial evaporation of the ingredient. 9. the microfluidic device of claim 1 further comprising a lower support layer. 10. the microfluidic device of claim 1 further comprising a top layer. 11. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first layer and the second layer are integral. 12. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first layer and the second layer are held together with pressure. 13. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first layer and the second layer are thermally bonded together. 14. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first layer and the second layer are held together with adhesive. 15. the microfluidic device of claim 14 wherein the adhesive is selected from the group consisting of rubber-based adhesives, acrylic-based adhesives, silicone-based adhesives, and gum-based adhesives. 16. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first layer and the second layer is self-adhesive. 17. the microfluidic device of claim 16 wherein at least one of the first layer and the second layer comprises an adhesive tape. 18. the microfluidic device of claim 17 wherein the adhesive tape has adhesive on one side. 19. the microfluidic device of claim 17 wherein the adhesive tape has adhesive on both sides. 20. the microfluidic device of claim 17 wherein the adhesive tape is selected from the group consisting of pressure-sensitive tapes, temperature-sensitive tapes, chemically-activated tapes, chemically-activated tapes, and optically-activated tapes. 21. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first layer and the second layer comprise materials selected from the group consisting of polymers, papers, fabrics, and foils. 22. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first layer and the second layer comprise polymers selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyimides, vinyls, acrylics, polycarbonates, polytetraflouroethlenes, polyurethanes, polyethlyenes, polypropylenes, polyvinylidene fluorides, polyethersulfones, abs, polyphenylene oxides, silicones, and derivatives thereof. 23. the microfluidic device of claim 1 further comprising an outlet port in communication with one of the first and second channels. 24. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein the first channel does not penetrate the first layer, and the second channel does not penetrate the second layer. 25. the microfluidic device of claim 1 , wherein the first channel defines a trench or groove in the first layer, and the second channel defines a trench or groove in the second layer. 26. the microfluidic device of claim 1 wherein a fluid is input to the device, the device meters a sample of a predetermined volume from the input, and the device splits the sample into multiple portions for further analysis. 27. the microfluidic device of claim 26 wherein the multiple portions are substantially equal volumes.
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field of the invention the present invention relates to microfluidic devices that have built-in means for controlling fluid flow. summary of the invention this invention relates to the microfluidic devices that contain built-in means for controlling fluid flow. in one aspect of the present invention, certain sections of microfluidic channels contain porous materials that inhibit fluid flow. these sections are referred to herein as porous membrane valves. in use, when fluid encounters these regions, fluid flow will be inhibited until sufficient pressure is provided for the fluid to overcome the impedance provided by the porous materials. in certain embodiments, these microfluidic devices consist of sandwiched stencils as in u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/453,029. the impedance regions can be constructed within the channels in a number of ways. in a preferred embodiment, porous materials are inserted into or between channels to form the impedance region. in another preferred embodiment, the impedance region is a sheet or layer of material that forms one of the stencil layers of the device. fluid travels through channels in one layer of a device and passes through vias (apertures between layers) that lead through the stencil layer composing the impedance region to channels on an upper or lower layer of the device. in other embodiments, an impedance region may be constructed by inserting or flowing one or more ingredients into a channel and allowing the ingredients to partially or fully solidify, such as by partial or complete evaporation. the flowing ingredient(s) from which the impedance region is constructed may be a liquid, slurry, or suspension of polymers, inorganic materials, or other materials known in the filtering art. multiple microfluidic valves described here can be built into a single device. the valves can have similar or very different impedances, depending on numerous factors including the composition of the materials or geometry used to construct the valves. definitions the term channel as used herein is to be interpreted in a broad sense. thus, it is not intended to be restricted to elongated configurations where the transverse or longitudinal dimension greatly exceeds the diameter or cross-sectional dimension. rather, such terms are meant to comprise cavities or tunnels of any desired shape or configuration through which liquids may be directed. such a fluid cavity may, for example, comprise a flow-through cell where fluid is to be continually passed or, alternatively, a chamber for holding a specified, discrete amount of fluid for a specified amount of time. channels may be filled or may contain internal structures comprising valves or equivalent components. the term microfluidic as used herein is to be understood, without any restriction thereto, to refer to structures or devices through which fluid(s) are capable of being passed or directed, wherein one or more of the dimensions is less than 500 microns. the term porous membrane valves as used herein describes a portion of, or an interface with, a microfluidic channel or element that restricts fluid flow rate for a given pressure using a porous material. a restriction of flow rate for a particular pressure may also be called an impedance. an incredibly wide variety of materials may be used to create a porous membrane valve, as would be recognized by one skilled in the art of filtering. factors that may affect the impedance caused by a particular porous membrane valve include, but are not limited to, the following: membrane dimensions; network geometry between a membrane and associated inlet or outlet channels; membrane pore size/void volume; membrane pore geometry (for example, if pores are randomly dispersed or aligned with the direction of fluid flow); and membrane material, including any chemical interaction between the membrane and a working fluid (for example, if the membrane is composed of hydrophobic material and an aqueous solution flows in the device). brief description of the drawings fig. 1a shows an exploded view of a first microfluidic device having three microfluidic valves. fig. 1b shows a top view of the device of fig. 1 a. fig. 2a shows an exploded view of a second microfluidic device having three microfluidic valves. fig. 2b shows a top view of the device of fig. 2 a. fig. 3a shows an exploded perspective view of a third microfluidic device having two microfluidic valves. fig. 3b shows a top view of the assembled device of fig. 3 a. fig. 4a shows an exploded view of a microfluidic device that meters a sample and splits it into four equal portions using the porous membrane valves of the current invention. fig. 4b shows a top view of the assembled device of fig. 4 a. fig. 5a shows a top view of a microfluidic device including two empty chambers. fig. 5b shows a top view of a microfluidic device including two chambers each having a porous membrane. detailed description of the preferred embodiments this invention relates to the microfluidic devices that contain built-in means for controlling fluid flow. in one aspect of the present invention, certain sections of the microfluidic channels contain porous materials that inhibit fluid flow. in use, when fluid encounters these regions, fluid flow will be inhibited until sufficient pressure is provided for the fluid to overcome the impedance provided by the porous materials. multiple microfluidic valves of this invention can be constructed on a single device so that they have different valving capabilities or impedances, and in unison can control the overall direction of fluid flow. in certain embodiments, these microfluidic devices consist of sandwiched stencils as in u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/453,029, which is incorporated herein by reference. the impedance regions can be constructed within the channels in a number of ways. in a preferred embodiment, porous materials are inserted in or between the channels and form the impedance region. these porous materials are constructed such that a pressure drop occurs from one side of the material to the other and inhibits, but does not block, fluid flow within a desired pressure range. in another preferred embodiment, the impedance region is a sheet or layer of material that forms one of the stencil layers of the device. fluid travels through channels in one layer of a device and passes through vias that lead through the stencil layer composing the impedance region to channels on an upper or lower layer of the device. in other embodiments, an impedance region may be constructed by inserting or flowing one or more fluidic ingredients into a channel and allowing the ingredients to partly or fully solidify. the fluidic ingredient(s) from which the impedance region is constructed may be a liquid, solution, slurry, or suspension of polymers, ceramics, or other materials, including inorganic materials. in certain embodiments of the invention, porous membranes are used to direct and control fluid flow within a microfluidic device. porous membranes have several properties, such as pore size, chemical interaction with a working fluid (for example, hydrophobicity or hydrophillicity with regard to aqueous solutions), and void volume, that determine the fluid intrusion pressures and flow through rates of a particular membrane. these characteristics can be utilized within a microfluidic device to manipulate the fluid in a desired way. various hydrophobic membranes are manufactured with various fluid intrusion pressures. in one embodiment, several membranes with different fluid intrusion pressures can be configured within a microfluidic device to create valves of various impedances. in another preferred embodiment, material can be packed inside a channel or via to provide the valving mechanism. various filter materials are available for this purpose, including silica gel, polymeric beads, glass beads, and other materials used in chromatography. other equivalent materials are commonly known in the filtering art. in use, pressure or other means cause fluid to flow through a channel. when the fluid front reaches a region where the porous membrane valves are located, the fluid flow is inhibited from passing the porous membrane until the impedance caused by the membrane is overcome by an increased pressure within the channel. in certain embodiments, the fluid does begin to flow into the porous material, but flows slowly. the fluid flow rate through the material will generally be proportional to the backpressure. as noted above, many factors can affect the profile of fluid flow rate versus backpressure for flow through a given porous material. these factors include, but are not limited to, the chemical nature of the membrane, pore size of the membrane, geometry and shape of the pores in the membrane, amount of surface area of the membrane, size of the opening where the fluid will flow through, and other parameters. the nature of the fluid that is flowed will also have an effect. fluid factors include but are not limited to composition of the fluid, surface tension of the fluid, viscosity of the fluid, temperature, and compressibility of the fluid. devices according to the present invention can be constructed in a variety of ways. a few examples are shown. referring to fig. 1a , a microfluidic device 10 is constructed from ten stencil layers 20 - 29 from which channels 30 - 33 , vias 34 , and an inlet aperture 35 have been removed. the stencil layers 24 - 26 are all on the same layer and are composed of three different porous membranes. stencil 26 is composed of 40-micron pore size ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (uhmwpe), which is hydrophobic. stencil 25 is composed of 2.5-4.5 micron pore size uhmwpe. stencil 24 is composed of 25-micron pore size uhmwpe. stencil layer 20 is also a porous material and composed of 1-2 micron pore size ptfe. stencil layers 21 , 23 , 27 are composed of single-sided tape having a 2 mil polyester carrier with 0.8 mil acrylic adhesive. stencil layers 22 and 28 are double-sided tape composed of 0.5 mil thick polyester carrier with 1.8 mil thick acrylic adhesive on both sides. stencil layer 29 is a polycarbonate base with a 0.38 inch diameter hole drilled to form an inlet port 35 . the assembled device 10 is shown in fig. 1 b and the three valve regions are marked 36 - 38 . in use, colored water was injected at inlet port 35 at a flow rate of 10 microliters per minute. the fluid filled the channel 33 completely and stopped at each of the valve regions 36 - 38 . then, further pressure was applied to the inlet until valve 36 was overcome. the valve 36 includes the combination of the porous material 26 and the vias 34 . valve 36 was overcome first because the 40-micron pore size material passes water more easily than do the others. when the fluid filled channel 30 , the fluid front encounters the porous material that composes stencil layer 20 . the fluid wants to pass through stencil layer 20 even less than through the next valve, so valve 37 is overcome. once channel 31 is filled, valve 38 is overcome. another microfluidic device 39 with built-in valving is shown in figs. 2a-b . this device 39 is similar to the device 10 shown in figs. 1a-1b , except the porous material stencil layers actually form one surface of the channels. referring to fig. 2a , a microfluidic device is constructed from nine stencil layers 40 - 48 from which channels, 49 - 52 , vias 53 , and an inlet aperture 54 have been removed. the stencil layers 43 - 45 are all on the same layer and are composed of three different porous membranes. stencil 43 is composed of 40-micron pore size ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (uhmwpe), which is hydrophobic. stencil 45 is composed of 2.5-4.5 micron pore size uhmwpe. stencil 44 is composed of uhmwpe with 25-micron pore size. stencil layer 40 is also a porous material and composed of 1-2 micron pore size ptfe. stencil layers 41 and 46 are composed of single-sided tape that is 2 mil polyester carrier with 0.8 mil acrylic adhesive. stencil layers 42 and 47 are double-sided tape composed of 0.5 mil thick polyester carrier with 1.8 mil thick acrylic adhesive on both sides. stencil layers 48 is a polycarbonate base with a 0.38 inch diameter aperture drilled to form an inlet port 35 . the assembled device 39 is shown in fig. 2 b. the device functioned identically to the device 10 shown in fig. 1 . in certain occasions, it may be preferable to fashion each stencil layer from a single material. a device such as this can be constructed by forming vias in the porous materials themselves and having entire sheets of the porous material forming individual layers. the invention can also be practiced using traditional microfluidic construction techniques such as etching channels in glass or silicon or embossing channels in polymeric materials. referring to fig. 3a , a microfluidic device 100 is composed of four parts 180 - 183 , two parts made by recessing channels in substrates 180 , 183 and two parts that are porous materials 181 , 182 . the bottom substrate 180 has a channel 184 that has been recessed by techniques such as, e.g., etching or embossing. also, a via 187 has been created all the way through the substrate 180 . this via 187 can be produced, for example, by a secondary etch or by drilling. a top plate 183 is constructed with two recessed channels 185 , 186 and two vias 188 , 189 . two different porous areas 181 , 182 are sandwiched between the recessed portions of the substrates 180 , 183 . in this example, the porous areas 181 , 182 are made of identical materials but have different pore sizes. for example, porous area 182 is 5-micron pore size and member 181 is 25-micron pore size. the porous areas 181 , 182 preferably, but do not necessarily, occupy a common layer. the substrates 180 , 183 may be bonded to the porous members 181 - 182 in a variety of ways. for example, a layer of adhesive can be applied to the top layer of 180 and bottom layer of 183 and the devices sandwiched together. other bonding methods, as discussed in u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/453,029 (which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), may be employed. such methods include, but are not limited to, ultrasonic welding and thermal treatment. the assembled device 100 is shown in fig. 3 b. in use, fluid is injected at port 187 and passes through channel 184 . during the filling of the channel 184 , fluid does not enter channels 185 or 186 until channel 184 is completely full, due to the excess pressure required to overcome the filter area 181 , 182 . once the channel 184 is completely filled, fluid passes through filter area 181 first, due to the larger pore size and thus smaller pressure drop required, and fills channel 186 . if exit 189 is blocked, then pressure will build up and the fluid will pass through filter 182 and fill channel 185 . in another embodiment, porous membrane valves can be used in a device to create a microfluidic metering system. referring to fig. 4a , an exploded view of a microfluidic device 149 is shown that was constructed from seven stencil layers 150 - 156 . defined in the layers are channels 162 - 166 , vias 167 , an entry port 168 , and exit ports 169 . stencil layer 153 is constructed from five different porous materials. area 157 is 40-micron pore size uhmwpe, area 158 is 30-micron pore size uhmwpe, area 159 is 20-micron pore size uhmwpe, area 160 is 10-micron pore size uhmwpe, and area 161 is 1-micron pore size uhmwpe. stencil layers 152 and 154 are constructed from single-sided adhesive tape with the adhesive facing stencil 153 , stencil layers 151 and 155 are double sided adhesive tape, and stencil layers 150 and 156 are polymeric films with no adhesive. for examples of the materials that can be used, see u.s. patent application ser. no. 09/453,029. the assembled device 149 is shown in fig. 4 b. in use, a small portion of fluid is injected at the entry port 168 and passes down channel 162 until it reaches the end of the channel. the portion of fluid should be large enough to fill the metering portion of channel 162 , but not greater than the total volume of channels 162 and 166 . the excess fluid then passes through porous membrane area 157 into waste channel 166 since the pressure drop across membrane area 157 is the weakest of the five areas 157 - 161 . air is injected behind the fluid to drive the flow. once the waste fluid reaches the end of channel 166 , the fluid in channel 162 passes through membrane area 158 , since the pressure drop across area 158 is weaker than the drop across area 161 at the exit of the channel 166 . the plug of fluid passes through membrane area 158 and then is split equally in multiple channels 164 . the volume of each channel 164 is exactly one-half the volume of the metering portion of channel 162 . once channel 164 is filled, the two plugs of fluid pass through area 159 and enter into channels 163 . each channel 163 is exactly one-quarter of the volume of channel 162 . once each channel 163 is filled, the fluid passes through membrane area 160 and goes to the exit ports 169 . in summary, this device 149 takes an uncertain volume of fluid, meters off a known amount, and splits that sample into four equal portions for further analysis. the porous membrane valves control the fluidic pathway in the device. in a preferred embodiment, different porous membranes can be used to control the flow rate (and therefore total volume) down a given channel. at a given backpressure, membranes of different porosities and void volumes will have different flow-through rates. in another embodiment, porous membrane valves may be constructed within the same layer as their associated inlet and outlet channels. referring to fig. 5a , a microfluidic device 190 includes two empty chambers 191 , 192 defined in a common layer with fluid channels 193 - 196 . the device 190 is preferably constructed from multiple layers of material, with the chambers 191 , 192 and channels 193 - 196 formed in a stencil layer sandwiched between other layers. fig. 5b shows a microfluidic device 193 having chambers 201 , 202 and channels 203 - 206 similar to those provided in fig. 5a , but with the addition of porous membranes 207 , 208 to the chambers 201 , 202 . the porous membranes 207 , 208 may be added to the chambers 201 , 202 according to various methods, including, but not limited to, the following: silk screening (as discussed in u.s. application ser. no. 09/453,029), placing or packing membrane elements in place, or flowing ingredients into the chamber 201 , 202 and allowing the ingredients to partially or fully solidify. flowing ingredients from which the impedance region is constructed may include liquids, slurries, or suspensions of materials including polymers, inorganic materials, or other materials known in the filtering art. for example, a suspension of glass beads in liquid such as an alcohol may be introduced into chambers 201 , 202 during fabrication, and then the liquid may be evaporated, in part or in full, prior to sealing the device 200 . following evaporation, the glass beads remain in the respective chambers 201 , 202 to form a porous membrane. if desired, beads of different sizes or materials may be used for membranes 207 , 208 to provide substantially different impedances. if solid membranes are placed in and used with chambers 201 , 202 , then a wide variety of filter materials may be used, as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art. very similar or substantially different filter materials may be used to form the various membrane valves that may be present in a particular device, such as the device 200 shown in fig. 5 b. surprisingly, it has been observed that the use of the same filter material for two porous membrane valves in a single device still tends to result in the valves having different impedances. that is, when fluid injected into a microfluidic device is in simultaneous communication with multiple porous membrane valveseach located along the same channel, each fabricated from the same material, and each fabricated in the same geometry and according to the same methodone valve always appears to break or permit the passage of fluid before the other(s). however, in such a situation it is impossible to predict which valve will break first. when it is desirable to facilitate predictable flow of fluid within a microfluidic device having multiple membrane valves, preferably the impedance of each membrane valve in fluid communication with a particular channel is intentionally constructed to be distinct from the other(s), such as, for example, by different membrane geometry or dimensions, different interface geometry, different pore size, and/or different materials. as would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, additional factors that may affect the flow within microfluidic devices incorporating porous membrane valves according to the present invention include, but are not limited to: materials used to fabricate the devices; geometry of the channels and interfaces between channels, including shapes and sizes of openings between and into channels; geometry of channel and filter interfaces; and the type, nature and physical properties of the working fluid(s) used, including surface tension effects of fluids, such as with the addition of soap; temperature; and pressure. the particular porous membranes, device configurations, and construction methods illustrated and described herein are provided by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. the scope of the invention should be restricted only in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents.
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033-135-977-683-200
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B65B43/12,B65B43/26,B65B43/46
| 1996-08-16T00:00:00 |
1996
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[
"B65"
] |
packaging machine, material and method
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a packaging machine and process for loading bags of a novel web of side connected bags are disclosed. the web is fed through a bagger section by a pair of grooved main transport belts and a pair of lip transport belts each disposed in the groove of the associated main belt to trap bag lips in the grooves. adjustable belt spreaders space reaches of the transport belt as they move through a load station whereby to sequentially open the bags into rectangular configurations. a closure section in the form of a novel and improved heat sealer is releasably connectable to the bagger section. the sections are adjustable together between horizontal and vertical orientations. processes of opening, closing and sealing side connected bags are also disclosed.
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1. in a packaging process the improved steps comprising: a) feeding a web of bags oriented in side by side orientation by belt grasping upper lips connected to bag faces and backs; b) sequentially opening the bags by spreading the lips as they are transported along a path of travel through a load station; c) inserting products into the sequentially opened bags to load the bags; and, d) thereafter bringing top portions of the face and back of each loaded bag into substantially juxtaposed relationship by concurrently applying spreading forces in the form of oppositely directed air jets to interior surfaces of bag face to back connections at spaced sides of the fronts and backs. 2. the process of claim 1 further including the step of sealing the top portions while juxtaposed. 3. in a packaging process wherein a chain of bags interconnected in side by side relationship is fed along a path of travel from a supply through a load station whereat products are inserted into bag fill spaces and thereafter through a sealer, the improvement comprising, at a location along the path of travel between the load station and the sealer, bringing top portions of bags into registration to close the bags for sealing by sequentially directing jets of air under pressure into each fill space in opposed directions and against spaced bag back to face side connections. 4. the process of claim 3, further includes grasping the registered top portions between a pair of belts to maintain registration of the portions as the registered portions are fed through the sealer. 5. a packaging process utilizing a chain of side connected bags, the process comprising: a) feeding the chain from a supply to a load station; b) separating portions of a face and a back of each bag to provide a top opening affording access to a fill space; c) placing a product in the space of each bag to fill the bag; d) bringing upper portions of the face and back of each bag into juxtaposed registration by oppositely directing two streams of air under pressure respectively against spaced interior side portions of each loaded bag; and, e) thereafter sealing the juxtaposed portions.
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background of the invention u.s. pat. no. 4,969,310 issued nov. 13, 1990 to hershey lerner et al. under the title packaging machine and method and assigned to the assignee of this patent (the sp patent) discloses and claims a packaging machine which has enjoyed commercial success. one of the major advantages of the machine of the sp patent resides in a novel conveyor belt mechanism for gripping upstanding lips of bags of a chain as they are transported along a path of travel and registered at a load station. the firmness with which the lips are gripped makes the machine highly suitable for packaging bulky products which are stuffed into the bags. while the machine of the sp patent was an advance over the prior art, especially in terms of its lip gripping capability, even greater lip gripping capabilities, if achieved, would be useful in enabling packaging of additional products. expressed another way, the bag gripping forces of the machine of the sp patent were dependent on clamping pressure applied between pairs of belts. thus, while the machine was a definite advance over the art, as to any given bag size, it has a finite maximum stuffing pressure it can withstand without slippage. since the bag gripping is dependent on the force with which belt pairs are clamped, the length of the path of travel through the load station is limited. thus the length of a bag along the path of travel is limited, loading of a bag while it moves along the path of travel is not possible and the concurrent loading of two or more bags is not available. with the machine of the sp patent there is an intermittent section which includes the loading station and a continuous section which includes a sealing station. since the section including the loading station is intermittent, obviously the throughput of the machine is inherently less than could be achieved with a continuously operating loading section. the machine of the sp patent had further advantages over the prior art, including an adjustable bag opening mechanism which was adapted to accept a wide range of bag sizes and adjustable to provide a range of bag openings. while an advance over the prior art, the bag openings were six sided so that, like most of the prior art, a rectangular bag opening was not achievable. although one prior machine provides rectangular openings, the dimensions of the rectangular openings, both longitudinally and transversely, are limited both by the construction of the chain of bags being filled and by guide rods used to transport the bags. thus, if an operator wished to change from one opening size to another, another and different web of bags was required. moreover, to the extent, that the packaging machine could be adjusted to vary the configuration of the rectangular opening, such available adjustment was extremely limited because it required substitution of a different set of guide rods. further, there was excessive packaging material waste in the form of elongate tubes which slid along the guide rails. while the machine of the sp patent has been sold under the designation sp-100v for vertical orientation in which products can be gravity loaded into bags and the designation sp-100h for horizontal loading of stuffable products, neither machine was suitable for adjustment from horizontal to vertical and return, nor for orientation at selected angles of product insertion between the horizontal and the vertical. a problem has been experienced with prior art sealers having pairs of opposed belts to transport bags through a seal station. the problem is that too frequently due to weight of the products there is slippage of bags relative to the belts and sometimes of the bag fronts relative to the backs resulting in poor seal quality. alternatively or additionally it is too often necessary to provide a conveyor or other support for bags as they are transported through the scaler station. summary of the invention with the machine of the present invention, the described problems of the prior art and others are overcome and an enhanced range of available packaging sizes is achieved. in its preferred form the machine has two, independently moveable carriages which are selectively rigidly interconnected. one of these carriages supports a novel and improved bagging section, while the other supports a closure mechanism. the disclosed closure mechanism is a novel and improved sealing section. because the machine has two separable carriages other closure carriages supporting other closure mechanisms such as bag ties and staples can readily be used. each of the sections is rotatably mounted on its carriage, such that once coupled the two sections may be rotated together about a horizontal axis for product loading, by gravity and/or stuffing when in the vertical and by stuffing when in the horizontal. advantageously the two sections may also be oriented in any one of a set of angular orientations between the horizontal and the vertical. a major feature of the present machine is that the loading section opens the bags into rectangular configurations. not only are the bag load openings rectangular configurations, but the transverse and longitudinal dimensions of such openings for any given bag size are relatively and readily adjustable over a wide range. the machine may be operated in either a continuous or an intermittent mode at the operator's selection. both sections are operated in the same mode. that is if the loading section is continuous, so too is the sealing section, while both operate in the intermittent mode at the same times. one of the outstanding advantages of the invention resides in the utilization of a novel and improved mechanism for gripping upstanding lips of bags as they are transported through the load section. this mechanism utilizes conveyor belts of a type more fully described in a concurrently filed application of hershey lerner entitled plastic transport system, attorney docket 14-160 (the belt patent). the belt patent is incorporated in its entirety by reference. gripping is achieved by coaction of the bags upstanding lips and unique belts such that belt clamping mechanisms are neither required or relied on. to this end a pair of main transport belts are provided and positioned on opposite sides of a path of web travel. in the preferred and disclosed embodiment, each main belt has an upstanding lip contacting surface with a centrally located, transversely speaking, lip receiving recess preferably of arcuate cross-sectional configuration. a pair of lip transport belts of circular cross-section are respectively cammed into the main transport belt recesses to force bag lips into the recesses and fix the lips with a holding power far in excess of that achieved with the prior art. since the gripping of bag lips for support is accomplished through coaction of the bag lips and the conveyor belts, there is essentially no limit to the length of the loading station. rather multiple numbers of open bags can be concurrently conveyed through the loading station. with a machine operating on a continuous basis and a synchronized product supply conveyor adjacent the load station, one is able to concurrently transfer a set of products into a like numbered set of bags with the transfer progressing concurrently as the bags and the conveyed products advance through the load station. another advantage of an elongated load station is that one may position a series of vibrator feeders along the station. as an example, a first vibratory feeder could deposit a desired number of bolts in a bag at a first location, a second feeder a like number of washers at a second location downstream from the first, and a third feeder a like number of nuts at a third location still further downstream; thus, eliminating the need for a feed conveyor. with this arrangement extremely high rates of packaging can be achieved. for example, it is possible to load and seal 130 ten inch bags per minute. rates achieved with the present machine are rates in excess of those that can be achieved with virtually all, if not all, prior art machines including so called "form and fill" machines. another feature of the invention resides in a novel and improved mechanism for breaking frangible interconnections between adjacent sides of successive bags. assuming the machine to be in its gravity fed horizontal mode, this mechanism comprises a belt which is trained about spaced pulleys which are rotatable about respective horizontal axes. the belt has projecting pins. the belt pulleys are rotated to move the belt in synchronism with positioning of a chain of bags being fed through the load section to cause one of the pins to break the frangible bag interconnections each time a set of such interconnections is longitudinally aligned with the belt. moving in the downstream direction of the machine to consider other advances, another feature of the invention is in a novel and improved mechanism for adjusting the width of the load station by varying the spacing between the pairs of main and lip transport belts. this adjustment, which is infinite between maximum and minimum limits, coupled with the novel and improved bag web, provides a wide range of available transverse and longitudinal dimensions of rectangular bag openings for any given chain of like sized interconnected bags. as loaded bags exit the load station it is desirable to advance the lead side edge and retard the trailing side edge of each bag of a chain to bring inside surfaces of the top portions of each bag back into surface to surface touching orientation for sealing. to this end a novel planetary mechanism is provided. this mechanism is driven by the moving bags themselves to effect the stretching action and reestablish inside surface to surface relationship. for larger bags oppositely directed jets of air are employed which are effective to reestablish the surface to surface orientation. at an exit from the bagging section of the machine, the main transport belts overlie exit belts which in turn overlie the closure section transport belts, such that the closure section picks up the now longitudinally stretched top surfaces of each loaded bag. as the bags are transferred to the closure section belts, a rotary knife cuts the bags near their tops such that the lip portions that have been carried by the main transport belts are cut off and become recyclable scrap. the elevation of the cutter relative to the heat sealer is adjustable so that the extent to which upper portions of the bags are cut away provides loaded bags sized to be neat, and if desired tight, finished packages. in order to prevent excessive heating of bags passing through the sealing section and the sealing section belts, the heat source for effecting the seals is shifted away from loaded bags and the belts when the machine is stopped and moved to a location adjacent the bags when the bags are moving. thus, a mechanism is provided for shifting the heat sealer from a seal forming position to a storage position and return in synchronism with cycling of the machine when in the intermittent mode. as the loaded bags pass through the seal section, a series of longitudinally aligned, juxtaposed and individually biased, pressure members act against one of the seal section conveyor belts. these pressure members bias the one belt against the bags and thence against the other belt to in turn bias the other belt against a backup element to maintain pressure on the bag tops as they are transported through the seal section. advantageously, unlike a prior machine of similar construction, individual coil springs are used to bias the pressure members. the belts used in the seal section are novel and improved special belts which are effective substantially to prevent any product weight induced slippage of the bags relative to the belts. the novel belts are also effective to resist longitudinal movement of the face and back of each bag relative to one another and to the belts. one provision to prevent this relative slippage is providing belts which have corrugated belt engaging surfaces with the corrugations of one belt interlocking with the corrugation of the other to produce a serpentine grip of the face and back of each bag. further, the preferred belts are metal reinforced polyurethane to provide enhanced resistance to belt stretching. a glue and grit mixture may be applied to the surfaces of the sealer belts, further to inhibit bag slippage. a urethane coating is applied over the glue and grit to complete the improvements provided for the prevention of bag slippage. the belts of the sealer section are driven by a stepper motor through a positive drive, so that the sealer stepper motor in synchronism with bagger stepper motor maintain belt and bag feed rates of travel that are consistent throughout the length of path of bag travel from supply through to finished package. lips of the bags which project from the seal section conveyor belts are heated by a contiguous heat tube sealer having an elongate opening adjacent the path of bag lip travel. heated air and radiation emanating from this sealer effect heat seals of the upstanding lips to complete a series of packages. because the machine sections, unlike the machine of the sp patent, are either both continuous or both intermittent during machine operation, successive bags passing through the closure section are juxtaposed rather than spaced. this juxtaposition provides improved sealing efficiency and sealer belt life. a web embodying the present invention is an elongate, flattened, thermoplastic tube having face and back sides which delineate the faces and backs of a set of side by side frangibly interconnected bags. the tube includes an elongate top section which is slit to form lips to be laid over and then fixed in the main transport belts. the top section is interconnected to the bags by face and back, longitudinally endless, lines of weakness which are separated from each side edge toward the center of each bag to the extent necessary to achieve the desired rectangular openings. thus, the present web is far simpler and less costly than the web of the prior system that provided rectangular bag openings. the invention also encompasses a process of packaging which includes gripping the upstanding front and back lip portions between main and lip transport belts. the belts are then spread as they pass through a load station pulling bag openings into rectangular configurations as portions of bag tops are separated from the upper lip section. after bag loading, top portions of the bag inner surfaces are returned to abutting engagement, a portion of the lip section is trimmed from the bags, and the bags are sealed or otherwise closed to complete packages. accordingly, the objects of this invention are to provide novel and improved packaging machine, packaging materials and methods of forming packages. in the drawings fig. 1 is a top plan view of the machine of the present invention; fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view of the bagger section of the machine of fig. 1 and on an enlarged scale with respect to fig. 1; fig. 3 is a foreshortened elevational view of the bagger section as seen from the plane indicated by the line 3--3 of fig. 1; fig. 4 is a perspective view of the novel and improved bag web of the present invention showing sections of the transport belts transporting the web through the load station and a novel mechanism for providing spacing of the sides of loaded bags particularly of a small size; fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of the bag flattening mechanism shown in fig. 4 and on an enlarged scale; fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view on the scale of fig. 5 showing an alternate arrangement to the mechanism of fig. 5 for flattening bags; figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged sectional views from the planes respectively indicated by the lines 7--7 and 8--8 of fig. 4 show the main and lip transport belts together with a fragmentary top portion of the bag as bag lips are folded over the main transport belts and then trapped in the grooves of the main belts; fig. 9 is a sectional view of the bag flattening or stretching mechanism of figs. 4 and 5 as seen from the plane indicated by the line 9--9 of fig. 2; fig. 10 is an enlarged sectional view of the mechanism of fig. 9 as seen from the plane indicated by the line 10--10 of fig. 2; fig. 11 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of the transport belt spacing adjustment mechanism as seen from the plane indicated by the lines 11--11 of fig. 2; fig. 12 is an elevational view of a portion of the machine as seen from the plane indicated by the line 12--12 of fig. 1 showing a bag support conveyor underneath the loading and seal sections; fig. 13 is an elevational view of the seal section on an enlarged scale with respect to fig. 12; fig. 14 is an elevational view of the angular orientation maintenance mechanism on an enlarged scale with respect to other of the drawings and as seen from the plane indicated by the line 14--14 of fig. 12; fig. 15 is an enlarged sectional view of the sealer positioning mechanism and a bag support conveyor as seen from the plane indicated by the lines 15--15 of fig. 13; fig. 16 is a sectional view of a web guide as seen from the plane indicated by the line 16--16 of fig. 3; fig. 17 is a sectional view of the lip plow as seen from the plane indicated by the line 17--17 of fig. 3; fig. 18 is an enlarged plan view of a force application element and a fragmentary plan view of the sealer belts; fig. 19 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a transfer location between the bagger and the closure sections, including a knife for trimming the tops of loaded bags prior to closure; fig. 20 is a further enlarged sectional view of the structure of fig. 19 as seen from the plane indicated by the line 20--20 of fig. 19; fig. 21 is a still further enlarged view of the knife and its height adjustment mechanism as seen from the plane indicated by the line 21--21 of fig. 20; fig. 22 is a plan view of an alternate and preferred sealer for the closure section; and, fig. 23 is an elevational view of the sealer of fig. 22. detailed description of the preferred embodiment i. the overall machine referring to figs. 1 and 4 a web 15 of side connected bags is provided. the web 15 is fed from a supply shown schematically at 16 to a bagger section 17. the bagger section 17 is separably connected to a sealer section 19. the bagger and sealer sections respectively include wheeled support carriages 20, 21. the support carriages 20, 21 respectively include support frames for supporting bagging and sealing mechanisms. in the drawings the bagging and sealing mechanisms are shown in their vertical orientations for gravity loading. the machine will be described in such orientation it being recognized that, as described more fully in section iv, the mechanisms may be positioned in a horizontal orientation and at other angular orientations. ii. the web 15 the web 15 is an elongated flattened plastic tube, typically formed of polyethylene. the tube includes a top section 23 for feeding along a mandrel 24, figs. 4 and 16. the top section 23 is connected to the tops of a chain of side connected bags 25 by front and back lines of weakness in the form of perforations 27, 28. frangible connections 30 connect, adjacent bag side edges, figs. 3 and 4. each bag 25 includes a face 31 and a back 32 interconnected at a bottom 33 by a selected one of a fold or a seal. side seals adjacent the interconnections 30 delineate the sides of the bags 25. the bag faces and backs 31, 32 are respectively connected to the top section 23 by the lines of weakness 27, 28, such that the top section 23 when the web is flattened itself is essentially a tube. iii. the bagger section 17 a. a bag feed and preparation portion 35 the web 15 is fed from the supply 16 into a bag feed and preparation portion 35 of the bagger section 17. the feed is over the mandrel 24 and past a slitter 36, fig. 4. the slitter 36 separates the top section 23 into opposed face and back lips 38, 39. the feed through the bag feed and preparation portion 35 is caused by a pair of endless, oppositely rotating, main transport belts 40, 41 supported by oppositely rotating pulley sets 42, 43. the main belts 40, 41 are driven by a stepper motor 44, fig. 3 through toothed pulleys 42t, 43t of the sets 42, 43. other of the pulleys 42s, 43s are spring biased by springs s, fig. 2, to tension the belts. a plow 45 is provided and shown in figs. 3, 4 and 17. for clarity of illustration the slitter and the plow have been omitted from fig. 1. the plow is positioned a short distance upstream from a roller cam 46. as the lips are drawn along by the main transport belts 41, 42, the lips 38, 39 are respectively folded over the top bag engaging surfaces 41s, 42s, of the main transport belts under the action of the plow 45 as depicted in fig. 7. once the lips are folded over the tops of the main transport belts 41, 42, the roller cam 46 presses endless, lip transport and clamp belts 48, 49 into complemental grooves 51, 52 in the main transport belts 41, 42 respectively. thus, the grooves 51, 52 function as bag clamping surfaces that are complemental with the clamping belts 48, 49. more specifically, the clamp belts are circular in cross section, while the grooves 51, 52 are segments of circles, slightly more than 180.degree. in extent. the camming of the clamp belts into the grooves traps the lips 38, 39 between the clamp belts and the grooves. the lip clamping firmly secures the lips between the coacting belt pairs such that the lips, due to their coaction with the belts, are capable of resisting substantial stuffing forces as products are forced into the bags at a load station 60. sections of the clamp belts which are not in the grooves 51, 52 are trained around a set of lip transport belt pulleys 50. a bag side separator mechanism 53 is provided at a bag connection breaking station. the separator mechanism 53 includes an endless belt 54 which is trained around a pair of spaced pulleys 55 to provide spans which, as shown in figs. 3 and 4, are vertical. the pulleys 55 are driven by a motor 57, fig. 2. as the belt is driven breaking pins 58 projecting from the belt 54 pass between adjacent sides of bags to break the frangible interconnections 30. thus, as the bags depart the bag feed and preparation portion 35, they are separated from one another but remain connected to the lips 38, 39. b. the load station 60 the load station 60 includes a pair of parallel belt spreaders 61, 62. the belt spreaders are mirror images of one another. as is best seen in fig. 11, the belt spreaders respectively include channels 63, 64. the channels 63, 64 respectively guide the main transport belts 40,41, on either side of the load station 60. when the transport belts 40,41, are in the channels 63, 64, as is clearly seen in figs. 4 and 11, the bags 25 are stretched between the belts in a rectangular top opening configuration. a schematic showing of a supply funnel 66 is included in fig. 4. as suggested by that figure, the products to be packaged are deposited through the rectangular bag openings each time a bag is registered with the supply funnel at the load station. a space adjusting mechanism is provided. this mechanism includes a spaced pair of adjustment screws 68, 69, fig. 2. the adjustment screw 68, 69 are respectively centrally journaled by bearings 70, 71. the screws have oppositely threaded sections on either side of their bearings 70, 71 which threadably engage the belt spreaders 61, 62. rotation of a crank 72 causes rotation of the adjustment screw 69. the screw 69 is connected to the screw 70 via belts or chains 73, which function to transmit rotation forces so that when the crank 72 is operated the screws 68, 69 are moved equally to drive the spreaders equally into an adjusted special, but still parallel, relationship. as the spreaders are movably adjusted toward and away from one another, the spring biased pulleys 42s, 43s maintain tension on the main transport belts 40, 41 while permitting relative movement of spans of the belts passing through the spreader channels 63, 64. similarly, spring biased lip transport belt pulleys 50s maintain tension on the clamp belts 48, 49. the spring biased pulleys of both sets are the pulleys to the right as seen in fig. 2, i.e. the entrance end pulleys in the bag feed and preparation portion 35. the main transport pulley sets 42, 43 include two idler pulleys 75, 76 downstream from the load station 60. the idler pulleys 75, 76 are relatively closely spaced to return the main transport belts 40, 41 into substantially juxtaposed relationship following exit from the load station 60. c. bag stretching as loaded bags exit the load station, it is desirable to return upper portions of the bag faces and backs into juxtaposition. to facilitate this return with smaller bags a novel and improved planetary stretcher 90 is provided. this planetary bag stretcher is best understood by reference to figs. 5, 9 and 10. the stretcher 90 includes a support shaft 92 mounted on frame members 94 of the bagger section, fig. 10. the planetary stretcher includes a bag trailing edge engaging element 95. the element 95 includes six bag engaging fingers 96. as is best seen in figs. 4 and 5, one of those fingers 96 is shown in a lead one of the bags 25 while the next finger is being moved into the next bag in line as the next bag departs the load station 60. as the bags move from right to left as viewed in fig. 5, an internal ring gear portion 100 drives a planet gear 102. the planet gear orbits a fixed sun pinion 104. the planet gear is journaled on and carried by a lead edge engaging element 105 journaled on the shaft 92. the lead edge engaging element 105 has four fingers 106 which orbit at one and a half times the rate of the fingers 96. rotation of the lead edge engaging element causes one of the fingers 106 to enter the next bag as it exits the load station and to engage a leading edge 108 of the bag, thereby stretching the bag until top portions of the bag face and back are brought into juxtaposition. for larger bags this stretching of the now loaded bags as they exit the load station is accomplished with jets of air from nozzles 110, 112 which respectively blow against the lead and trailing edges of the bag, thus stretching the bags from their rectangular orientation into a face to back juxtaposed relationship as the transport belts are returned to juxtaposition. d. a transfer location after loaded bags have exited the load station 60 and the face and back of each bag have been brought into juxtaposition, the loaded bags are transferred to the closure section 19 at a transfer location 114. exit conveyors 115, 116 underlie the main transport belts 40, 41 at an exit end of the bagger section 17. loaded bag's are transferred from the main transport belts to the exit conveyors. the exit conveyors in turn transfer the loaded bags to closure section conveyor belts 118, 119. referring to figs. 19-21, a rotary knife 120 is positioned a short distance downstream from the exit conveyors. the knife is rotatively mounted in an externally threaded support tube 121. the tube in turn is threadedly connected to a knife support frame section k. an adjustment lock 123 is slidably carried by the frame section k. when the lock 123 is in the position shown in solid lines in fig. 21, it engages a selected one of a plurality of recesses r in the perimeter of the support tube 121 to fix the knife in an adjusted height position. when the lock 123 is slid to the phantom line position of fig. 21, the tube 121 may be rotated to adjust the vertical location of the knife 120. the knife 120 is driven by a motor 122 to sever the bag lip portions 38, 39, leaving only closure parts of the lip portions for closure, in the disclosed arrangement, by heat sealing. the trimmed plastic scrap 124, fig. 12, from the severed lip portions is drawn from the machine with a conventional mechanism, not shown, and thereafter recycled. iv. the closure section 19 as is best seen in fig. 1, the novel and improved sealer includes a plurality of independently movable force application elements 125. one of the force elements is shown on an enlarged scale in fig. 18. the force elements 125 slidably engage the outer surface of a bag engaging run 126 of the belt of the conveyor 119. springs 128 bias the elements 125 to clamp the bag faces and backs together against a coacting run 130 of the conveyor belt 118. a backup 132 slidably engages the coacting run 130 to resist the spring biased force of the application elements 125. a stepper motor 134, fig. 1, is drivingly connected to the closure section conveyor belts 118, 119 to operate in synchronism with the stepper motor 44 of the bagger section, either intermittently or continuously. as is best seen in figs. 13 and 15, a heater tube 135 is provided. a heat element 136, fig. 15, is positioned within the tube to provide heat to fuse upstanding bag lips when the heater tube 135 is in the position shown in solid lines in fig. 13. the heat transfer to the lips is effected by both radiation and convection through an elongate slot 135s in the bottom of the tube. the heater tube 135 is connected to a pair of supports 137, 138. when the bags 25 are vertical the heater tube 135 is suspended by the supports 137, 138. the supports in turn are pivotally connected to and supported by a pair of cranks 140, 142. the cranks 140, 142 are pivotally supported by a section of the frame of the sealer carriage 21. the cranks 140, 142 are interconnected by a rod 144 which in turn is driven by an air cylinder 145. the air cylinder 145 is interposed between the carriage frame and the rod 144. reciprocation of the air cylinder is effective to move the heat tube between its seal position shown in solid lines and a storage position shown in phantom, fig. 13. when the conveyor belts 118, 119 are operating to transport bags through the closure section the sealer is down, while whenever the machine is stopped the sealer is shifted to its storage or phantom position of fig. 13. as is best seen in fig. 18, the adjacent runs 126, 130 of the sealer conveyor belts 118, 119 have surfaces that are conjugated and interfitting. these interfittings corrugations provide both enhanced bag gripping and holding power and resistance to relative longitudinal movement of the runs as well as the faces and backs of the bag. the gripping and holding power of the belts is further enhanced by coating the belts with a glue and sand slurry and applying a polyurethane coating over the slurry to further enhance the frictional grip of the belts on bags being transported. the combined effects of the belt corrugations and coating substantially prevent slippage of the bags due to weight in the bags. v. section interconnection and adjustments a. section interconnection the bagger and closure sections 17,19 are physically interconnected when in use. in the disclosed arrangement this interconnection includes a pair of lock bars 150. the lock bars which are removably positioned in apertures 151,152 formed in bosses 154,155 respectively projecting from frames of the bagger and closure stations 17,19. b. angular positioning as has been indicated, the bagger and closure sections are adjustable to horizontal or vertical orientations as well as angular orientations between the horizontal and the vertical. the bagger section 17 is rotatably supported on a pair of trunions one of which is shown at 157 in fig. 3. as can best be seen in figs. 12 and 13, the sealer section 19 is rotatably supported on the carriage 21 by spaced trunions 170, 172. the trunions 157,170 & 172 are axially aligned. the end trunion 170, to the left as viewed in figs. 12 and 13, is associated with an angular position holder. the holder includes an apertured plate 174 secured to and forming part of the flame of the carriage 21, fig. 14. the plate 174 includes a set of apertures 175 spaced at 15.degree. intervals to provide incremental angular adjustments of 15.degree. each between the horizontal and vertical orientations of the machine. each of the apertures 175 may be selectively aligned with an aperture in a sealing section plate 176. a pin in the form of a bolt 178 projects through aligned apertures to fix the sealer section and the interconnected bagger section in a selected angular orientation. vi. a support conveyor while there normally is no need for bottom support of the bags 25 as they pass through the bagger section 17, nonetheless a conventional support conveyor 160 may be provided, see fig. 3. more frequently a conveyor 162 will be provided under the closure section 19. in either event, suitable height adjustment and locking mechanisms 164 are provided to locate the conveyors 160,162 in appropriate position to support the weight of loaded bags being processed into packages. vii. the preferred sealer referring to figs. 22 and 23, the preferred sealer for the closure mechanism is disclosed. the sealer includes an air manifold 180 for receiving air from a blower 182. in an experimental prototype a 300 cubic foot per minute variable pressure blower was used to determine optimized air flows and pressures. the manifold 180 has three pairs of oppositely disposed outlets 184,185,186. each outlet is connected to an associated one of six flexible tubes 188. the tubes in turn are connected to pairs of oppositely disposed, t-shaped sealer units 190,191,192 to respectively connect them to the outlets 184,185,186. the t-shaped sealer units respectively include tubular legs 190l,191l,192l extending vertically downward from their respective connections to the flexible tubes 188 to horizontal air outlet sections 190h,191h,192h. the outlet sections are closely spaced, axially aligned, cylindrical tubes which collectively define a pair of elongate heater mechanisms disposed on opposite sides of an imaginary vertical plane through the loaded bag path of travel. each horizontal outlet section includes an elongate slot for directing air flow originating with the blower 182 onto upstanding bag lips being sealed. each of the sealer unit legs 191,192 houses an associated heater element of a type normally used in a toaster. thus air flowing through the t-shaped units 191,192 is heated and the escaping hot air effects seals of the upstanding bag lips. air flowing through the units 190 is not heated, but rather provides cooling air to accelerate solidification of the seals being formed. the t-shaped sealer units 190,191,192 are respectively connected to the rod 144 for raising and lowering upon actuation of the air cylinder 145 in the same manner and for the same purpose as described in connection with the embodiment of figs. 12 and 13. a further unique feature of the embodiment of figs. 22 and 23 is a vertical adjustment mechanism indicated generally at 194. the vertical adjustment 194 permits adjustment of the slope of the horizontal sections of the t-shaped units 190-192 such that the outlet from 191h is lower than that of 192h. this downward sloping of the heater mechanism in the direction of bag travel assures optimized location of the hot air being blown on the plastic. the location is optimized because as the plastic melts it sags lowering the optimum location for the direction of the hot air. further the cooling air from the unit 190 is directed onto a now formed bead. viii. operation the carriages 20, 21 are independently wheeled to a desired location. the two are then physically interconnected by inserting the lock bars 150 into the apertures 151,152. assuming the bagger and sealer are in a vertical orientation, the relative heights of the bagger and closure section conveyors are adjusted as is the height of the knife 120. if the angular orientation of the machines is to be adjusted, the bolt(s) 178 is(are) removed and the bagger and sealer section are rotated about the axis of the trunions 157,170, 172 to a desired orientation. following this rotation the bolt(s) is(are) reinserted to fix the mechanism in its desired angular orientation. next a web 15 of bags 25 is fed through the bagger and sealer by jogging the two. the transverse spacing of the main conveyor belts 40, 41 is adjusted by rotating the crank 72 until the load station 60 has the desired transverse dimension. a control, not shown, is set to provide a desired feed rate and a selected one of continuous or intermittent operation. assuming continuous operation, the feed rate may be as high as 130 ten inch bags per minute. once the machine is in operation, the top section 21 of the web 15 is fed along the mandrel 24 and slit by the slitter 36. this forms the lips 38, 39 which are folded over the main transport belts 41, 42 by the action of the plow 45. the lip clamp belts 48, 49 descend from the elevated and spring biased pulleys 50s, as shown in fig. 3. the roller cam 46 cams tile clamp belts 48, 49 respectively into the transport belt recesses 51, 52 to provide very positive and firm support for the bags as they are further processed. as successive side connections 30 of the bags are registered with the bag side separator 53, the motor 55 is operated to drive the belt 54 and cause the breaker pins 58 to rupture the side connections 30. as adjacent runs of the transport belts 41, 42 progress downstream from the bag feed and preparation portion 35, the belts are spread under the action of the belt spreaders 61, 62. as the belts are spread, the lips 38, 39 cause the front and back faces 31, 32 adjacent the lead edge of each bag to separate from the lips 38, 39 by tearing a sufficient length of the perforations between them to allow the lead edge to become the mid point in a bag span between the belts as the bag passes longitudinally through the load station 60. similarly, the perforations adjacent the trailing edge are torn as the trailing part of the bag is spread until the bag achieves a full rectangular opening as shown in fig. 4 in particular. next a product is inserted into the rectangular bag as indicated schematically in figs. 3 and 4. while the schematic showing is of discrete fasteners, it should be recognized that this machine and system are well suited to packaging liquids and bulky products which must be stuffed into a bag, such as pantyhose and rectangular items, such as household sponges. after the product has been inserted, the adjacent runs of the main transport belts are brought back together and the loaded bag tops are spread longitudinally of the path of travel either by the planetary stretcher 90 or opposed air streams from nozzles 110, 112. as is best seen in fig. 3, exit ones 50e of the lip belt pulley set are spaced from the main transport belt and rotatable about angular axes. expressed more accurately, when the machine is in a vertical loading orientation, the pulleys 50e are above the main transport belt such that the lip transport belts are pulled from the grooves 51, 52. the now loaded bags pass through the transfer location onto the exit conveyors 115, 116 and thence to the seal station conveyors 118, 119. at this juncture the scrap 124 is severed from the loaded bags by the action of the knife 120. as the bags are advanced through the sealer section, the heater tube 135 is maintained in its lowered and solid line position of figs. 12, 13 and 15. if the machine is operated in its intermittent mode, the cylinder 145 is cycled in coordination with the starts and stops of the intermittently operated machine to shift the heater tube 135 between its solid line seal position and its storage position shown in phantom in the fig. 13. although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction, operation and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
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033-372-041-974-210
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SG
|
[
"WO"
] |
G07B15/02,G07F7/00,G07F17/24
| 2001-06-18T00:00:00 |
2001
|
[
"G07"
] |
a method of performing a parking transaction
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a method of performing a transaction over a communications network between a user and a provider of public parking services using multiple payment methods is disclosed. prior to a transaction using the method, the parking service provider assigns and advises a user of an identification code corresponding to a vehicle,and, at the time the transaction occurs, the parking service provider receives the identification code and the request for parking from the user over the communications network, establishes the vehicle number from the identification code, communicates with the user telephonically to confirm the transaction, obtains a bank authorization of the confirmed transaction, verifies the validity of the vehicle number and user with the parking provider, obtains the relevant payment authorization from the user's financial institution and communicated with a parking enforcement officer to enforce parking payment rules and regulations.
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claims 1. a method of performing a parking transaction between a user and a parking service provider communicating with each other using at least one communications network , the method comprising the steps of, the parking service provider: prior to a transaction using the method, assigning an identification code to the user, the identification code being associated with a vehicle, and, at the time the transaction occurs, receiving the identification code and the request for parking from the user, establishing the identity of the vehicle from the identification code, and communicating with the user to confirm the transaction. 2. a method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising the step of, on request, supplying the information regarding the transaction to a parking enforcement officer to enforce the parking payment. 3. a method as claimed in claim 1 to claim 2, further comprising the step of, the parking service provider obtaining a payment authorisation for the confirmed transaction. 4. a method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein prior to the transaction, a telephone number and the identity of the vehicle are stored in association with the identification code of the user, and parking areas are systematically defined as specific parking zones and/or parking lots. 5. a method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising the step, at the time 5 the transaction occurs, of the user contacting the parking service provider or the parking service provider contacting the user using the said telephone number to obtain the user's parking details and/or parking duration. o 6. a method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the user provides an ending time of the parking and the parking duration is computed from the said ending time. 7. a method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step, at the time 5 the transaction occurs, of the user contacting the parking service provider using the said telephone number to provide a new ending time to extend the period of the parking service. ' 8. a method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the parking duration is in the form of a predetermined time block. 9. a method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the time block is automatically renewed until such time when the user contacts the parking service provider using said telephone number to terminate the parking service. 10. a method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising the step, at the time the transaction occurs, of the user calling the parking service provider using the said telephone number to terminate the parking service. 11. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the step, prior to the transaction, of the user selecting a preferred method of payment from a plurality of available payment methods. 12. a method as claimed in claim 11 , further, comprising the step of, at the time the transaction occurs, selecting a method of payment which is different from the preferred payment method. 13. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, v/herein the step of communicating with the user to confirm the transaction comprises the step of providing the identification code through a mobile communications device. 14. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, v/herein the identification code is stored in a central registry. 15. a method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the central registry is separate from the parking service provider. 16. a method as claimed in claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the central registry informs the parking service provider regarding the vehicle number and parking duration. 17. a method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the central registry informs a payment provider or financial institution of a payment method for the purpose of seeking authorisation for the confirmed transaction. 18. a method as claimed in claim 17, wherein the payment method is a payment card, a bank account, a stored value account, or a billing account. 19. a method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the central registry stores information representing parking zones and for enforcing parking offences. 20. a method as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the central registry stores information on parking payment transactions which are accessible on-demand by users. 21. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the step, after the said transaction, of the user or the parking service provider and/or the parking enforcement officer accessing and viewing the parking payment transaction. 22. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising the step of using a pin to authenticate the user's request for a parking service before confirmation of the transaction. 23. a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the communications network is a data and/or voice network. 24. a method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the data network is the internet, gsm, gprs, 3g, cdma and/or a mobile telephone network. 25. a method as claimed in claim 23, wherein the voice network is a wired or a mobile telephone network. 26. apparatus for performing the method of any one of the preceding claims. 27. apparatus according to claim 26, comprising a gsm, gprs, wap, cdma, 3g and/or any type of mobile phone. 28. apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising a mobile personal computer, or a portable personal digital assistant.
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a method of performing a parking transaction background and field of the invention this invention relates to a method of performing a parking transaction, particularly but not exclusively, for performing a parking transaction using mobile devices over a data network. parking services are offered to a motorist or a vehicle owner (user) for parking their vehicles and these services can be found in, for example, shopping complexes, buildings, residential areas and offices buildings. these parking areas may comprise open or enclosed vehicle lots. in a public parking situation, users presently have various forms of payment for example, using a stored value card that is inserted into a smart card reader, a parking coupon or cash at a parking meter. in the former two situations, the user has to purchase the stored value card or the parking coupon in advance for use at the point of parking the vehicle in the public parking area. in the case of a cash parking meter, the user would typically require the correct change for making the payment. as for the parking operator (i.e. the party that has the right to collect payment for the parking area utilised), the above two situations require that the operator install corresponding equipment that can read the stored value cards or sell the parking coupons. in the case of cash parking meters, regular collection trips are required to empty and collect the cash from the meters. using the above payment methods, there are some problems envisaged and these can be divided into two groups, those faced by the user and those faced by the parking operator. concerning the user, when a parking coupon is used, the user is required to utilise the entire coupon value even when he may not need the entire duration covered by the parking coupon. another disadvantage of using a coupon based system is that a user would need to purchase the coupon beforehand or has cash in small denominations or loose change if he wishes to purchase from a coupon dispensing machine. when the user does not have a coupon or small denominations, the situation can cause considerable inconvenience to the user. in the situation of payment using stored value cards, or other electronic cash, the user must (a) purchase the card; (b) install an in-vehicle card reader and (c) top-up the value in the card when the value is low. the payment by electronic cash and stored value card does resolve the issue of exact payment for the time and space utilised, but presents the user with additional costs to bear upfront and the inconvenience of having to top-up the card regularly at specific top-up locations. there have been proposed methods for payment of public parking such as providing the user with a stored value parking device as undertaken by the finnish city of helsinki that can be rented by the user, but this again requires the user to have a device that is specifically used for parking purposes only. further, the value stored in the parking device cannot be used for payment of other transport-related services for example, for use in a bus, taxi or a train system. concerning the operator, the biggest disadvantage is the large upfront capital outlay in establishing and maintaining the current payment systems for parking services. for example, a stored value in-vehicle card reader may cost us$200 to us$300 per device, while each smart card may cost us$3 to us$8 per card depending on the type of card and the smart chip memory requirements. when such costs are added up, the upfront investment to deploy such a system, which requires deployment of equipment to either the user or a parking facility, becomes very expensive. furthermore, if the parking system is cash based, then the regular trips required by the parking operator to empty and collect cash from each parking area adds another burden to operational costs.. as a result, high costs inefficiencies exist among public parking services. typically, a public parking service is run by a government-linked, or government related agency that have to continually improve the quality of service on ever- reducing annual budgets. unfortunately, maintaining existing public parking services and catering to expansion of more of such services require increasing budgets. not forgetting that public perception of an "unfair deal" when payment is made for parking time that is not utilised and without the ability to obtain a refund or the inability to transfer the remaining credit amount for payment of other transport services. such perception may create a negative impression of parking operators. there has been proposed a parking system that alleviates some of the above disadvantages, but such a parking system has its own disadvantage. for example, in such a parking system the user is required to register with the parking service provider and upon registration, the user will be issued a vehicle- specific identification device to be installed in his vehicle. this is primarily to facilitate the work of parking wardens such that they do not need to manually key in the vehicle information into a control device for issuing a parking fine. however, a disadvantage is that the user must be issued the additional gadget (identification device) for installing in user's vehicle. such issuance of devices can be expensive and logistically difficult. the proposed solution is also dependent on the type of mobile phone and the service offered by a mobile phone operator since the implementation disclosed by such a parking system is primarily focused on using wireless application protocol (wap). such a parking system also suggests the use of short messaging systems (sms), but there is no disclosure to provide a solution to tackle the inherent lack of reliability and robustness of the sms service. it is an object of this invention to provide a method of performing parking transactions which alleviates at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art. summary of the invention according to the invention in a first aspect there is provided a method of performing a parking transaction between a user and a parking service provider communicating with each other using at least one communications network , the method comprising the steps of, the parking service provider: prior to a transaction using the method, assigning an identification code to the user, the identification code being associated with a vehicle, and, at the time the transaction occurs, receiving the identification code and the request for parking from the user, establishing the identity of the vehicle from the identification code, and communicating with the user to confirm the transaction. preferably, the method further comprises the step of, supplying the information regarding the transaction, on request, to a parking enforcement officer to enforce the parking payment. preferably, the identification code is a unique identifier given by the parking service provider to the user that enables access to the user's information records. preferably, a secret personal identification number (pin) is obtained from the user such that at the time of the transaction, the user confirms the transaction using the pin. preferably, prior to a transaction, a telephone number of the customer is stored in association with the identification code and, at the time the transaction occurs, the user contacts the parking service provider or be contacted by the parking service provider using the telephone number to confirm the transaction. typically, the payment method may be by a prepaid or stored value account, credit card, debit card, bank account, a billing account such as a telephone or utility bill, or charge card and the step of communicating with the customer using the communications network may be via a mobile telephone link or via a fixed-line telephone network. preferably, the payment system is operated by the parking service provider themselves. alternatively, the payment system requires a deduction from a bank or credit account and thus a payment authorisation is required from an external party, such as a financial institution. in the latter case, the method of performing a parking transaction may further comprise the step of obtaining a payment authorisation for the confirmed transaction. this may involve the parking service provider communicating electronically with the respective third party depending on the payment method selected. preferably, a parking code is used to define uniquely a parking area, zone and/or a car park lot. for example, the parking code may use a three-digit area code and a two-digit car park lot number. there are various ways of communicating the parking code to the user. in a simplest case, this information can be placed on a sign or painted in visible areas at the parking lot. alternatively, a parking code may be communicated to the user electronically by using a location based technology, for example the global positioning system or through a gsm mobile phone network - this reduces the need for the user to visually identify the exact parking space being utilised. typically, the identification code is stored in a central registry which may be provided by the parking service provider. typically, prior to the transaction, the user provides multiple payment methods that are stored in the central registry and selects a preferred payment method. at the time of the transaction, the user may use the preferred payment method or selects a payment method for the current transaction that is different from the preferred payment method. the described embodiment also caters for a situation when a user extends the parking duration either by responding to an alert sent out by the system, or by initiating contact with the parking system to extend the parking duration. preferably, the user may also terminate the parking duration prematurely and have the remaining unutilised portion of the original payment, refunded to his payment account by initiating contact with the parking system. according to a feature of the invention, there is provided to the user a method to enquire, top-up, transfer the remaining unutilized credit balance on the user's parking account with the parking service provider back to his account, to another user, or to another vehicle owner who may not be a registered user. by communicating with the parking service provider through a data network on-line or off-line, the user may e'ffect such modifications and transfers in a secure manner. according to another feature of the invention, there is provided a method for a parking warden to enquire and obtain information about parking payment transactions performed by a user in an individual or aggregated fashion, by a pre-defined area, zone and/or vehicle lot to allow the operator's personnel to effectively enforce non-payment situations. the penalty for non-payment may be by issuing parking fines on behalf of the parking service provider. in yet another feature of the invention, there is provided a mobile payment infrastructure for parking and a scheme for issuing, purchase, transfer and redemption of electronic coupons or tickets which can be used on other public transport services such as a train system, electronic road tolls, taxis or buses. preferably, the mobile phone is a mobile device integrated with a telephony equipment such as a mobile personal digital assistant, or such device that a user may find reasonably portable. typically, the communication link between the user and the registry is over a communications network such as the pstn, gsm, gprs, 3g, cdma, the internet or any other data network. the invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the above methods. advantages of the described embodiment are as follows: i. a cost-efficient method of payment for public parking services. there is no requirement for the user to purchase and install any additional hardware, software or card reader; ii. user-centric application that provides convenience of making the required payments, the ability to inter-changeably apply such payments for parking and other transport services, and the ability to fully utilize the remaining credit balance amount for public parking services; iii. the central registry or payment processing system which defines the parking zones, vehicle lots and pricing can be dynamically set or modified by the parking service provider or operator depending on market demands; iv. a central body which may be the parking service provider or the central registry is required for issuance, transfer and management of electronic tickets as a form of pre-paid payment method; v. co-existence with existing payment systems such as the coupon-based parking system. in addition, easy migration from existing payment systems to the proposed payment parking system according to the described embodiment. it will be appreciated that the described embodiment (and the mentioned advantages thereof) is exemplary only and the invention is to be construed with reference to the appended claims without limit to the embodiment described. brief description of the drawings an embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: figure 1 illustrates a process of a user registering with a parking service provider via a central registry; figures 2a and 2b depict a process of the user making a payment for parking using a mobile phone and extending the parking time respectively; figure 2c depicts a process of a parking warden retrieving information stored at a parking service provider for enforcing the parking regulations; figure 3 provides an overview of the system architecture to implement the invention; and figure 4 provides a possible implementation schema of a database for a central registry. detailed description of the preffered embodiment part 1 : registration for parking payment service a registration over the internet by the user for the method will now be described. however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the described method is equally applicable for use using other types of communication networks such as wireless application protocol (wap), or even an off-line registration interface. the parties to the transaction are shown in figure 1 : (1) users (customers): consumers that wish to use mobile payment for parking their vehicles in a car park. (2) central registry: a party which interfaces between the user and the parking service provider. the central registry manages user registration and manages parking payments; and (3) parking service provider or operator: the party who owns or has been engaged to operate car parks. it is to be noted that in this embodiment, the functions of the parking service provider and the central registry have been separated, but the invention can also be implemented with the functions of the parking service provider and the central registry residing at the same location or as a single entity. as illustrated in figure 1 ; the process flow begins when the user registers for the parking system, at step 1.1 , through either an on-line channel such as the internet or by mobile phone; or through an off-line method such as filling in an application form and submitting the form to the parking service provider via the central registry. in an on-line registration example, the user will provide details such as the user's mobile phone number, identification details, preferred payment method such as a credit card number, expiry date and issuing bank, and the identity of the vehicle such as a vehicle registration number, road tax payment identification or valid insurance identification. the user may also be prompted to input a secret personal identification number (pin) which will be used to authenticate a future transaction. upon receipt of such details at step 2.1 , the parking service provider will initiate a call back via the central registry to the user's mobile phone to confirm the details of the registration. alternatively, the user may be required to confirm the registration details on-line. the confirmation may require the user to positively accept the registration either by input of a response code for example hitting the "enter" key, or by providing the pin selected earlier, at step 1.2. once the registration has been confirmed by the user, the central registry will verify the details with the parking services provider or operator at step 2.3 where such details may be available. this will ensure that the details provided by the user are valid and can be used in situations where there is a parking offence. upon verification of the user details, a database entry will be created at step 3.2.1 in the parking service provider's computer system as well as at the central registry. the parking service provider will return a unique user registration or identification code back to the user and provide a visual confirmation of the registration to the user at step 2.4.1. the parking service provider may further provide a digital record of the registration that can be recalled by the user at any point in time and on-demand basis. when the user receives the identification code at step 1.3 or 1.4, the first part of the process is completed. once completed, the user's identification code is used to associate the user to the identity of the vehicle input earlier. the identification code can also be the user's mobile telephone number since the telephone number can also be used to identify the user as described below. part 2a: making a parking payment this part of the description provides details on the method by which a user makes payment for a public parking service. a transaction process for making a parking payment using an interactive voice response based system will now be described. however, it will be understood by a skilled man in the art that the described method is equally applicable for use with other user interfaces such as wireless application protocol (wap), sms and sim tool-kit. for the purpose of an illustration, it is envisaged that the user of the parking space has parked his vehicle at the chosen parking lot, and has selected to make the payment, as shown in figure 2a. the user then calls a toll-free parking service number at step 1.1 , or may be contacted by the parking service provider (or central registry) if the user initiates a "hot-button" mobile message or sends an sms for request of service, and will be led through an interaction that may request the user to choose a preferred language. the first step in the transaction process involves identifying the user using his unique user identification code. if the user's mobile phone number is used as the identification code, then "caller line identification (caller id) may be used to match the mobile phone number of the user's call with the database records. otherwise, the user will be required to key in the identification code to identify himself to the central registry. alternatively, in a wap-type interface, the identification code can be embedded into the user's bookmark so that on accessing the central registry's wap site, the user will be identified to the system. using the above methods, the user's identification code is received by the parking service provider immediately after a communication link is established between the user and the parking service provider. from the identification code, the parking service provider is able to extract the details of the user which is stored in the database, which includes establishing the identity of the vehicle that is associated with the identification code and thus also the identity of the user. alternatively, the identification code can also be used by the central registry for the same purpose since the registration information is also stored at the central registry. the user next indicates the end time of the parking and the required parking area, by zone or lot number, at step 1.3. by speaking or inputting the ending time say "1420" on the mobile phone's keypad, the user can indicate the ending time and in this case it is 2.20 p.m. it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the user interface for the determination of the expiry time (and therefore the parking charge) may be varied according to implementation. in addition to the method described above, the system may optionally allow a user to pay for parking based on predetermined time blocks such that when a user makes contact with the parking service provider, the parking duration is set immediately to a fixed duration, for example 1 or 2 hours. the duration of a time 'block' may be varied or pre-set by the user through a manual, automated or a web enabled user service interface. in addition, the payment for such an implementation of parking by time blocks may be automatically renewed when the time is up and a new time block automatically charged to the user so that the user does not end up with an expired ticket. in this case, the user is then required to communicate back to the parking service provider when he returns to his car and wishes to terminate the parking session. as for inputting the parking area code, the user can speak or indicate the parking area to be, for example "10128", which represents parking zone "101 " and "lot 28" as the parking lot. the parking zone and lot number to be entered can be displayed prominently on a signboard on entry into the car park area or strategically placed within the car park so that a user can see it easily. alternatively, if some location based technology is used together with the parking system that can pinpoint the position of the user via the user's mobile phone, then this location information can be sent automatically to the central registry thereby removing the necessity of the user manually entering the car park area or lot number. upon receiving the above information from the user, the central registry can automatically compute the parking duration which is the difference between the time of making the transaction (initiated by the phone call to request for the user's identification) and the ending time specified by the user. this is performed at step 2.4 of figure 2a. based on the parking zone entered, the system will further retrieve a pre-defined parking charge associated with that specific parking area. the parking charge incurred by the user is then computed based on the parking duration and the corresponding pre-defined parking charges at step 2.5. it is envisaged that the size of a parking area covered by a single parking area code is flexible and can be varied according to implementation. for example, one parking area code may be used to designate multiple physical parking zones in which case there will be a large number of parking lots represented by this parking area code. it should be apparent that, however, there is no difference in how the parking system functions. to specifically identify that the user has paid for his parking charge, there are two possible implementation methods. in the description above, the user enters the specific lot number (lot 28 in the example above) in a parking zone. this indicates that lot 28 in the parking zone has been paid for. alternatively, the user's vehicle may be parked in a parking zone (i.e. in any lot within the zone) and the central registry associates the payment with the identity of the vehicle that was entered by the user during registration. the identity of the vehicle may be the vehicle registration number. alternatively, the system may prompt the user to enter a vehicle number should the user wish to pay for a vehicle other than the one registered in the database record of the central registry or the parking service provider. in this case, the sequence of actions leading to the purchase of the parking payment would remain the same i.e. the user calls or is called by the parking service provider or the central registry and is subsequently identified. he is then prompted for a parking area code and the end time of the parking as usual. after the user furnished these details, he will be prompted whether he wishes to key in an alternative vehicle identification number which allows the user to pay for another vehicle which was not submitted to the central registry or parking service provider during the registration process. this can be followed optionally by a pin entry to confirm the transaction. in essence the flow remains the same as before except for the additional input of the alternative car identification number in order to override the registered car details. after providing the parking end-time and parking area (zone or lot) to the central registry, the user is then led through a standard payment process that is similar to any face-to-face payment encounter. for example, the user may be presented with the details of the service to be paid for which may include the parking duration and payment amount for confirmation at steps 2.5 and 2.6. the user then confirms the details for payment by accepting the transaction by some conscious response to the system, for example hitting the return key on the mobile phone at step 1.5. alternatively, the user needs to provide the secret pin number as a form of digital signature for the payment to enhance the security at step 1.6. the parking service provider (or the central registry) accepts the input from the user, and verifies its internal computer databases by retrieving the user's record based on the user's identification code established earlier in the call. the system then verifies that for this user record the pin entered matches with the pin stored in the database. once the match is confirmed, the system will accept that the transaction is genuine at step 2.9 and the transaction is confirmed. it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the process of presenting the details of the parking payment back to the user, at steps 2.5 and 2.6, prior to confirmation is optional and may be omitted in certain implementations. it will also understood by those skilled in the art that the process of confirming the transaction may be implemented either by a conscious response through the mobile device, for example a keystroke, a spoken message for example, the word "yes", or a combination of a pin and a spoken message. depending on the user's preferred mode of payment, say by credit card, the central registry will request electronically via the card processing network, for an authorisation of the confirmed transaction. this authorisation is a standard process for all credit card and debit card transactions as implemented by the global card associations. if an electronic payment authorisation has been obtained, the central registry then passes the parking information to the parking service provider. alternatively, if the payment method used is not a card but a bank account or some stored value account, then the payment authorisation will be received via an electronic connection to a relevant bank, processing network or payment server. alternatively, the user is allowed to choose another form of payment which is not the preferred payment stored in the registry's records before the transaction is confirmed by the central registry. in this case, the user will be prompted for example, to select his desired payment method from a number of payment methods available and the central registry upon receiving the request will obtain authorisation accordingly. in a further alternative, the user may have a parking account with the parking service provider such that the parking service provider is the one authorising the payment. in this case, there is no need for the parking service provider to seek a third party to authorise the payment after the parking transaction is confirmed by the user. a record of the parking payment charge and all the associated information, for example user registration code, date, time, duration, end time, parking zone, parking lot number, vehicle number, parking charge or parking rate may be entered into the central registry's database for each transaction. this record will serve as evidence that the parking lot number or vehicle number specified (depending on implementation) has been paid for and the information can be accessed by a parking warden during his normal inspection. the record may also be used for accounting and reconciliation purposes to ensure that an audit trail exists to prove that payment was made for the specified duration on that particular date and time. it should be apparent that the communications network used for receiving the identification code or communicating to the user to confirm the transaction may be the same or a different communications network. similarly, the central registry may use a different communications network when obtaining a payment authorisation to that used for communicating with the user. part 2b: extension of payment or premature termination of parking a user may be prompted by the central registry to renew and extend a current parking session. based on the information stored in the parking information table, the system will be able to determine, through a standard programming technique that a user's parking session is expiring. the system will then be able to notify a user of this situation. a method of notifying the user is to perform an automated call through an interactive voice response system to the user's mobile phone number which is retrieved using the user's identification code. alternatively, the user may keep track of the parking duration and before expiry of the parking initiates a call to the central registry to extend the parking service. through a similar process for making a new payment, the user is led through an interaction that requests for the new ending time for parking as shown in figure 2b. after the authentication process described earlier, the user is asked for the new ending time at step 2.2. the user may also be prompted for the identity of the vehicle number if, for example, the user is paying for another vehicle not registered in the registry's database. the central registry verifies the time, and presents the transaction back to the user for confirmation at step 2.7. again, the user will be asked to accept or reject the transaction and may be required to provide the secret pin as a form of digital signature for confirming the transaction. the central registry verifies the pin and similarly proceeds to requests an authorisation from the user's issuing bank to complete the transaction. the central registry may also provide an update to the parking authority's computer systems. a digital receipt of the transaction is presented to the user, and can be accessed by the user at any point in time. the parking enforcement officer or warden of the parking operator is kept updated on the extension of parking which is described in the next part of the description. figure 2a and 2b illustrates a payment for parking that can be performed by the user wherever the user is located. it is also a possibility that the user may be making a payment for another user's vehicle parked in another location. in the case whereby the user arrives back to his vehicle before the expiry time of his parking payment, the parking service provider may optionally allow for the parking payment to be terminated early, and the resultant unused parking charge credited back to the user's payment account on a pro-rated basis. this can be achieved by having the user initiate a call, sms or a data connection to the parking system via his mobile device. once the identity of the user is established in a same way as when the user pays for a new parking, the system will be able to determine that there is an active parking payment entry in the database. the system then prompts the user through his mobile device, for a confirmation to terminate the parking transaction and if this confirmation is so received then it will compute the pro-rated unused payment charge and effect a credit back of the unused funds to the same payment account originally used to pay for the parking. part 2c: inspection by parking warden for inspection of parking payments by vehicles in a public parking zone, the parking enforcement officer or warden will typically carry either a mobile phone or some type of wireless handheld device for example, a mobile personal digital assistant (pda). this communications device will allow the parking warden to communicate wirelessly with the central registry in order to retrieve parking payments for a particular parking zone being inspected. the device being used can either be customised for this purpose, or simply a general purpose device utilising a commercially standard messaging interface for example a browser, email or the gsm short messaging system (sms). the wireless communication channel used can also be via a private data network or a public data network for example the paging, gsm, cdma, gprs or 3g network. in the description that follows, the parking warden will be equipped with an industry standard pda using a windows ce type pocket pc device and a wireless modem utilising the gsm data network. however, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that other suitable devices can similarly be used. when the parking warden performs parking inspections, the parking information can be made available on-line upon request, or "pushed" through and refreshed onto the parking warden's mobile personal digital assistant (pda) via any of the wireless communication channels described earlier. figure 2c illustrates a process of how the parking warden obtains the necessary information to enforce the parking regulations. at step 1.1 , the parking warden calls or connects to the central registry so that his mobile device is connected to the parking information database. access to this database can be restricted if necessary by any standard technique, for example requesting a standard user id and password login from the warden at step 1.2. the user id and password are issued to the warden by the parking service provider or the central registry. at step 1.3, the parking warden enters the parking zone number of the area which he is inspecting, for example zone "101". it is to be noted that the sequence of steps is not critical as some implementations may have the parking warden entering the parking zone number into the pda before calling or contacting the central registry. in the latter case, it is possible that the information needed to query the database (e.g. zone number) is obtained first from the parking warden, and then the communication link is established, followed by a transmission of the query information to the central registry before the desired information response is received. in steps 2.2, 3.1 , 3.2 and 2.3, based on the parking zone number entered, the central registry and the parking service provider retrieves the associated records for all parking payment charges made for zone 101. as described earlier the information regarding the parking payment is kept in the database at the central registry or with the parking operator. the retrieved information is then sent over to the warden's pda via the wireless communication channel. this retrieval process also indicates to the central registry that the parking warden is presently inspecting the specified zone, 101. with the parking payment information now available on his pda, the warden then begins his inspection through the individual lots. if the parking system is run in conjunction with another parking payment system, for example a coupon parking system or parking meter, when the parking warden walks past an occupied parking lot, the warden will first check to see if there exists a valid paid parking coupon or if the meter is paid-up. if the parking is valid, the warden simply moves on. if the parking system is standalone then the preliminary inspection of the coupon or meter can be skipped. in the absence of a valid parking coupon or paid parking meter, the warden then proceeds to check with the pda for the parking payment charge. as described earlier, there are two possible implementations for the system whereby the parking charge can be paid for by the specifying the lot number, or by vehicle number. in the case where the parking charge is paid with reference to the lot number, the parking warden's pda may be customised to present the information as a graphical map of the parking area. for example, "green" indicates that a physical parking lot has been paid for, while a "red" will indicate non-payment of the parking lot. in situations when an occupied parking lot is not paid, the parking warden will then issue a fine for the non-payment. in the case where the parking charge is paid using the vehicle number, the warden simply inputs the vehicle number being inspected into the pda. the process of obtaining the vehicle number may be manual, for example the parking warden keys or writes the number on a keypad or touchscreen. alternatively, a voice recognition software may be used so that the warden speaks into a microphone on the pda. in a further alternative, a digital camera linked to the pda may be used to scan the vehicle number and subsequently, character recognition software may be used to obtain the vehicle number. the pda then searches the parking payment information for this zone retrieved earlier from the central registry, and displays the corresponding vehicle number, if available, within that parking zone that matches the entry made by the warden. the warden will then be able to determine clearly if the vehicle being inspected has its parking paid for and if not, issues a fine. while the warden is inspecting the specified parking zone, in this case zone 101 , if there is any new parking payment made by users of this zone, the central registry will immediately update the parking warden's pda records through the same wireless communication channel. this update can either be made through a persistent on-line link or a messaging link for example sms. it should be apparent that while the described embodiment proposes a new method of making parking payments, the process does not require any change in the interaction involved in issuing fines. once a vehicle has been determined to be illegally parked in a parking area, the warden may issue the fine immediately and using any method that is commonly practiced. part 3: systems architecture the invention envisages an integrated end-to-end payment system for parking services. a systems architecture has been developed which illustrates the various core components from the perspective of (a) multi-channel access or customer "touch points"; (b) core applications such as user, parking operator, parking warden and central registry functions; (c) clearing and settlement interfaces to banks, card associations and clearing houses; and (d) security and systems management services. the system architecture as illustrated in figure 3 provides a possible permutation on the actual implementation of the mobile payment system for the parking service. .(a) multi-channel access or customer "touch points" 300: users will be able to access the service through internet, voice interaction, digital text such as short messaging (sms) and using devices such as portable computers, digital assistants and mobile phones. (b) core applications 301 such as user, parking operator, parking warden and central registry functions. these functions are basic services for users to register and utilise the mobile payment system for public parking and for parking operators and their personnel to administer and enforce parking payment requirements. the central registry's services may be an internal set of functions managed by the parking service provider or operator, or may be out-sourced to a specialist third party service provider such as an application service provider or a facility management company. (c) clearing and settlement interfaces 302 to banks, card associations and clearing houses: these multi-mode payment functions create a part of the compelling proposition of the invention i.e. users may choose to pay for parking with payment methods of their choice. (d) security and systems management services 303: these are functions that are a part of the central registry and states the need for high-level security. a variety of standard security protocols will be supported by the central registry and deployed depending on the type of user interaction and systems platform. for example, secure socket layer (ssl) and secure electronic transaction (set) are standards for internet commerce, while wireless public key infrastructure (wpki) and wireless transport layer services (wtls) are industry standards for mobile commerce. part 4: implementation database schema the implementation of a database schema for this invention will link three key parties: the user (or customer), central registry and the parking authority or provider. as illustrated in figure 4, central registry will be the key manager of such databases. the details of the user will include a parking account (for example a "telemoney parking account"), identification details (passport number, or national registration number), mobile phone or mobile device number and payment methods (credit card number, bank account, expiry date). when a user registers for the mobile parking payment service, the central registry will create an entry into the database that records such a user. the central registry may have other functions which manage the validity or tracks of the user's parking habits. information on the vehicle may include a history of public parking utilisation such as operator and lot number, date and time of parking, and the parking charge amount. these details are also created when a registered user begins utilising the mobile parking payment service. for example, when the user parks a vehicle in a public parking area, an entry reflecting the payment for the parking zone will be created upon confirmation of the payment by the user. a history of a user's parking fines may also be maintained as part of the central registry's function which includes information such as registered vehicle number, type of fine and amount. such information will be entered when a parking warden on a duty round discovers non-payment by a vehicle owner. users may access such information at the central registry and make payment of the fine through the same mobile payment service. a database of parking wardens and their respective duty rounds (both current and historical) may also be maintained within the system. this information can be maintained by the parking service provider or maintained separately by the central registry. from the described embodiment, it should be apparent to note the following unique preferable features of the invention: (1 ) multiple payment methods for making payment: a user of this system would have a choice of different modes of making payment such as a central account where the cash value can be periodically topped-up by user, on- demand payment or post-payment options; (2) compatibility with standard mobile devices such as a sim-chip mobile phone: off-the-shelf consumer products would be usable with such a system. there is no need to download or install additional hardware or software at the user end; (3) multi-channel transaction access: users may choose to access the system using mobile phones that may be gsm, cdma or wap based, or through other mobile devices such as a personal digital assistant; (4) multi-modal instructions: user may also issue instructions to the system through multiple ways such as text i.e. input from a touch screen or voice using voice recognition technology; (5) flexible and smaller payment time blocks: a user may choose pre-defined time-blocks by stating the end-time for the parking. instead of hourly or half- hourly parking time blocks, users may select to pay by the minute; (6) no need for additional periphery for users: unlike the prior art, users do not need an additional device to be placed at a clearly visible location in the vehicle to be used for parking enforcement. a parking warden or enforcement officer is equipped with a standard mobile device such as a pda that will be linked to the central registry using wireless means to access parking payment information; (7) integrated end-to-end parking payment system: the front-end payment device for this system is inter-linked with the central registry which is a comprehensive system linked to payment clearing houses such as banks, and also to parking operators such as government parking agencies. this allows information to be captured and relayed seamlessly to the relevant key parties in the entire parking payment process. having now fully described the invention, it should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications can be made hereto without departing from the scope as claimed.
|
033-684-878-938-951
|
US
|
[
"EP",
"AU",
"US",
"DE",
"JP",
"ES",
"CA"
] |
A61B17/00,A61B17/17,A61B19/00,A61F2/00,A61F2/34,A61F2/36,A61F2/46
| 2003-02-04T00:00:00 |
2003
|
[
"A61"
] |
implant registration device for surgical navigation system
|
a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system. the system includes a plurality of differently sized implants which may be the femoral component or hip stem of a prosthetic hip joint. a registration device is engageable with each of the implants in a predefined relative position. the registration device also includes at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system. a second reference structure also having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system is detachably secured to the implant. the relative positions of the reference elements located on the registration device and second reference structure differs for each of the plurality of implants and thereby allows the navigation system to determine the nominal size of the implant. the relative position and orientation of the implant relative to the second structure can also be calibrated using the registration device.
|
1. a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system, said system comprising: a plurality of differently sized implants; a registration device engageable with each of said plurality of implants in a first predefined relative position; a first reference structure and a second reference structure, each of said reference structures having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said first reference structure disposed on said registration device at a predetermined location, said second reference structure detachably securable to each of said plurality of implants; wherein the relative positions of said first and second reference structures differs for each of said plurality of implants when said registration device is engaged at said first predefined location and said second reference structure is secured to a selected one of said implants; wherein said second reference structure is detachably mounted on a handling tool at a predefined location, said handling tool having an attachment feature detachably securable to each of said plurality of implants; wherein said plurality of implants comprises a plurality of hip stems adapted for insertion in a proximal femur; wherein each of said plurality of differently sized hip stems has a generally l-shaped configuration defining a stem portion and a neck portion, said stem portion having a distal end and a proximal end and wherein each of said hip stems includes a mounting interface securable to said handling tool, said mounting interface located proximate said proximal end of said hip stem and wherein said registration device defining at least one graduated space for receiving a distal end of a first one and a second one of said plurality of hip stems, said first and second hip stems engaging said registration device within said at least one graduated space whereby said engagement features of said first and second hip stems are positioned at first and second distances from said first reference structure respectively, said first and second distances being non-equivalent. 2. the system of claim 1 wherein each of said first and second reference structures includes at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements. 3. the system of claim 1 wherein said first reference structure includes at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements defining a first pattern and said second reference structure includes at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements defining a second pattern, said first and second patterns being distinguishable. 4. the system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of implants comprises a plurality of hip stems adapted for insertion in a proximal femur. 5. the system of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of hip stems includes a projection disposed on said neck portion, said projections having a common configuration, said reference member including an engagement feature for engaging said projections at a predefined second relative position. 6. a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system, the implant being adapted for implantation on a bone, said system comprising: a plurality of differently sized orthopedic implants, each of said implants having an elongate stem defining a stem axis; a registration device engageable with said stem of each of said plurality of implants at a first predefined relative position along said stem axis of each of said plurality of implants; a first reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said first reference structure disposed on said registration device at a predetermined location, further comprising a second reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said second reference structure being detachably securable to each of said plurality of implants wherein each of said implants further comprises a projection extending at an angle to said stem axis and wherein said registration device further comprises an engagement feature engageable with each of said projections at a predefined second relative position wherein a rotational orientation of said projection relative to said stem axis is determinable. 7. the system of claim 6 wherein said first reference structure includes at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements. 8. the system of claim 6 wherein said plurality of implants comprises a plurality of hip stems adapted for insertion in a proximal femur. 9. a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system, the implant being adapted for implantation on a bone, said system comprising: a plurality of differently sized orthopedic implants, each of said implants having an elongate stem defining a stem axis; a registration device engageable with said stem of each of said plurality of implants at a first predefined relative position along said stem axis of each of said plurality of implants; a first reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said first reference structure disposed on said registration device at a predetermined location wherein said registration device comprises at least one graduated space for engaging said stems. 10. the system of claim 9 further comprising a second reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said second reference structure being detachably securable to each of said plurality of implants. 11. the system of claim 9 further comprising a second reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said second reference structure being detachably mounted on a handling tool at a predefined location, said handling tool having an attachment feature detachably securable to each of said plurality o implants. 12. the system of claim 9 wherein said first reference structure includes at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements. 13. a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system, the implant being adapted for implantation on a bone, said system comprising: a plurality of differently sized orthopedic implants, each of said implants having an elongate stem defining a stem axis; a registration device engageable with said stem of each of said plurality of implants at a first predefined relative position along said stem axis of each of said plurality of implants; a first reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said first reference structure disposed on said registration device at a predetermined location wherein said registration device comprises a plurality of differently sized graduated spaces for engaging said stems of said plurality of implants. 14. the system of claim 13 wherein said first reference structure includes at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements. 15. the system of claim 13 further comprising a second reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said second reference structure being detachably securable to each of said plurality of implants. 16. the system of claim 13 further comprising a second reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said second reference structure being detachably mounted on a handling tool at a predefined location, said handling tool having an attachment feature detachably securable to each of said plurality of implants. 17. a method of registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system, said method comprising: providing an implant having a stem defining a stem axis, said stem having a distal end and a proximal end wherein said distal end has a smaller cross sectional area than said proximal end; providing a registration device having a first reference structure, said first reference structure including at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system, said registration device being engageable with said stem at a predefined axial location; attaching a handling tool to said implant, said handling tool having a second reference structure mounted thereon, said second reference structure including at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system; engaging the registration device with the implant at the predefined axial location with said implant secured to said handling tool and registering the positions of said first and second structures in the computer assisted navigation system; and determining the position of implant stem relative to second reference structure; wherein said registration device defines at least one graduated space and said step of engaging the registration device with said implant includes inserting said tapered stem into said graduated space. 18. the method of claim 17 further comprising the step of disengaging the registration device from the implant stem following the step of determining the position of the implant stem relative to the second reference structure. 19. the method of claim 18 wherein said implant includes a projection extending at an angle to said stem axis and said method further comprises the steps of engaging the reference device with said projection at a predefined relative position and registering the relative positions of said first and second reference structures in said computer assisted navigation system; and determining the rotational position of said projection relative to said stem axis. 20. the method of claim 17 wherein a plurality of implants are provided, each of said implants having a differently sized tapered stem defining a stem axis, each said stem having a distal end and a proximal end wherein said distal end has a smaller cross sectional area than said proximal end, said handling tool being attachable to each of said implants at a predefined location; and wherein said method further includes the steps of selecting one of said implants for attachment to said handling tool and engagement with said registration device and said step of determining the position of the implant stem relative to said second structure further includes determining the size of the selected implant based upon the distance between said first and second reference structures.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a registration device and, more specifically, to a device for registering the position of an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted surgical navigation system. 2. description of the related art the controlled positioning of surgical instruments and other objects is of significant importance in many surgical procedures and various methods have been developed for properly positioning an object during a surgical procedure. such methods include the use of both mechanical guides and computer assisted navigational systems. computer assisted navigational techniques typically involve acquiring preoperative images of the relevant anatomical structures and generating a data base which represents a three dimensional model of the anatomical structures. the relevant tools and other objects used in the surgical procedure typically have a known and fixed geometry which is also defined preoperatively. during the surgical procedure, the position of the object being used is registered with the anatomical coordinate system and a graphical display showing the relative positions of the object and anatomical structure may be computed in real time and displayed for the surgeon to assist the surgeon in properly positioning and manipulating the object with respect to the relevant anatomical structure. in such image guided procedures, a robotic arm may be used to position and control the object, or, the surgeon may manually position the object and use the display of the relative position of the object and anatomical structure to position the object. examples of various computer assisted navigation systems which are known in the art are described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,682,886; 5,921,992; 6,096,050; 6,348,058 b1; 6,434,507 b1; 6,450,978 b1; 6,490,467 b1; and 6,491,699 b1 the disclosures of each of these patents is hereby incorporated herein by reference. summary of the invention the present invention provides a registration device which is engageable with a plurality of differently sized orthopedic implants. the registration device is engageable with each of the implants in a predefined relative position. a first reference structure is disposed on the registration device and a second reference structure is detachably secured to the implant. each of the first and second reference structures have at least one reference element registerable in a computer assisted navigation system whereby the position and/or orientation of the implant relative to the second reference structure may be determined or calibrated. after calibrating the position of the implant relative to the second reference structure, the registration device is disengaged from the implant. the second reference structure may be mounted on a handling tool which is then used to place the implant in its implanted position using the computer assisted navigational system. the invention comprises, in one form thereof, a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system. the system includes a plurality of differently sized implants and a registration device engageable with each of the plurality of implants in a first predefined relative position. the system also includes a first reference structure and a second reference structure. each of the reference structures has at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system. the first reference structure is disposed on the registration device at a predetermined location and the second reference structure is detachably securable to each of the plurality of implants. the relative positions of the first and second reference structures differs for each of the plurality of implants when the registration device is engaged at the first predefined location and the second reference structure is secured to a selected one of the implants. the first and second reference structures may include at least three non-linearly positioned reference elements. the reference elements of the first and second reference structures may define first and second patterns which are distinguishable. the second reference structure may also be mounted on a handling tool that has an attachment feature detachably securable to each of the plurality of implants. the implants may be a plurality of hip stems adapted for insertion in a proximal femur. the hip stems may have a generally l-shaped configuration defining a stem portion and a neck portion. the stem portion has a distal end and a proximal end. each of the hip stems also includes a mounting interface located proximate the proximal end which is securable to the handling tool. the registration device includes at least one graduated space for receiving a distal end of a first one and a second one of the plurality of hip stems. the first and second hip stems engage the registration device within the at least one graduated space whereby the engagement features of said first and second hip stems are respectively positioned at first and second non-equivalent distances from the first reference structure. each of the hip stems may also include a projection disposed on the neck portion wherein each of the projections has a common configuration. the reference member may include an engagement feature for engaging the projections at a predefined second relative position. the invention comprises, in another form thereof, a system for registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system wherein the implant is adapted for implantation on a bone. the system includes a plurality of differently sized orthopedic implants, each of the implants having an elongate stem defining a stem axis and a registration device engageable with the stem of each of the plurality of implants at a first predefined relative position along the stem axis of each of the plurality of implants. a first reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system is disposed on the registration device at a predetermined location. the registration device may include at least one graduated engagement feature for engaging the stems at the first predefined relative position. the invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, a method of registering an orthopedic implant in a computer assisted navigation system. the method includes providing a implant having a stem defining a stem axis. the stem has a distal end and a proximal end wherein the distal end has a smaller cross sectional area than the proximal end. a registration device including a first reference structure having at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system is also provided. the registration device is engageable with the stem at a predefined axial location. the method includes attaching handling tool to the implant. the handling tool has a second reference structure mounted thereon. the second reference structure includes at least one reference element registerable in the computer assisted navigation system. the method also includes engaging the registration device with the implant at the predefined axial location with the implant secured to the handling tool and registering the positions of the first and second structures in the computer assisted navigation system and determining the position of implant stem relative to second reference structure. the method may also include the step of disengaging the registration device from the implant stem following the step of determining the position of the implant stem relative to the second reference structure. the implant may also include a projection extending at an angle to the stem axis and the method further include the steps of engaging the reference device with the projection at a predefined relative position, registering the relative positions of the first and second reference structures in the computer assisted navigation system, and determining the rotational position of the projection relative to the stem axis. in alternative embodiments of the method, a plurality of implants may be provided with each of the implants having a differently sized stem defining a stem axis. the stems may be tapered. each stem has a distal end and a proximal end wherein the distal end has a smaller cross sectional area than the proximal end. the handling tool is attachable to each of the implants at a predefined location and the method also includes the steps of selecting one of the implants for attachment to the handling tool and engagement with the registration device. the step of determining the position of the implant stem relative to the second structure also includes determining the size of the selected implant based upon the distance between the first and second reference structures. the registration device may define at least one graduated space and the step of engaging the registration device with the implant includes inserting the tapered stem into the graduated space. the invention comprises, in yet another form thereof, an assembly for use in a computer assisted navigation system. the assembly includes an orthopedic implant, at least one wire loop removably mounted on said orthopedic implant and a communication means operably coupled between the wire loop and the computer assisted navigation system and communicating a signal from the wire loop to the navigation system indicative of the magnetic field sensed by the wire loop. the communication means may be a communications cable operably coupled to the wire loop. the at least one wire loop may be at least two wire loops, each of the loops defining a loop axis, the loops disposed in relatively fixed locations wherein the loop axes are positioned in a mutually perpendicular orientation. the wire loop may be mounted on a surgical instrument attached to the implant. brief description of the drawings the above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is a perspective view of a registration device in accordance with the present invention. fig. 2 is a top view of the registration device with a hip stem inserted into a registration slot. fig. 2a is cross sectional view of fig. 2 taken through the slot having a hip stem inserted therein. fig. 3 is a top view of the registration device with the neck of a hip stem inserted into a registration opening. fig. 4 is a side view of the registration device engaged with an acetabular cup. fig. 5 is an exploded schematic representation of an alternative embodiment of a reference element. fig. 6 is a schematic representation of a computer assisted navigation system and the registration device engaged with a hip stem. corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. although the exemplification set out herein illustrates an embodiment of the invention, in one form, the embodiment disclosed below is not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise form disclosed. description of the present invention a registration device 20 in accordance with the present invention, is shown in fig. 1 . registration device 20 includes a grip or handle portion 22 and a body 24 . three differently sized tapered slots 26 , 28 , 30 are formed in body 24 . each of the slots are defined by two opposed side surfaces 26 a , 26 b ; 28 a , 28 b ; 30 a , 30 b and a bottom surface 26 c , 28 c , 30 c and define a compound taper. mounted on the substantially planar upper surface 32 of body 24 are four referencing elements 34 . in the illustrated embodiment, referencing elements 34 are reflective spheres which are registerable in a computer assisted navigation system as discussed in greater detail below. as can be seen in fig. 1 , body 24 forms an integral reference structure having reference elements 34 mounted thereon in fixed locations. reference elements 34 are mounted on posts 36 projecting from body 24 . on the distal edge 38 of body 24 opposite handle 22 are three depressions 40 , 42 and 44 . depression 40 is configured to closely fit the neck stem of a hip implant. depression 42 has a conical shape and depression 44 has two concentric cylindrical portions of differing diameters. the illustrated registration device is formed of a stainless steel material, however, other suitable materials such as aluminum or plastic materials may also be used. as best seen in fig. 2 , registration device 20 may be engaged with a femoral component of a prosthetic hip joint, i.e., hip stem 46 . examples of hip stems that may be used with the present invention are disclosed in u.s. pat. nos. 5,480,453 and 5,326,376 which are both hereby incorporated herein by reference. hip stem 46 has a generally l-shaped configuration and includes an elongate stem portion 48 defining a stem axis 49 and a neck portion 50 defining a neck axis 51 . a projection 52 is located on the neck and a prosthetic ball is mounted thereon for positioning in an acetabular cup. typically, hip stems are manufactured in various sizes wherein the overall configuration of the hip stem remains substantially constant and proportional but the dimensions are varied to provide a range of sizes to fit differently sized patients. figs. 2 and 2a illustrate a first implant 46 and a second implant 46 a in dashed lines. first and second hip stems 46 , 46 a have a common design but are different sizes with second hip stem 46 a being slightly smaller than hip stem 46 . in the illustrated embodiment, projections 52 , 52 a are identical in size and shape to provide a common mounting interface between the hip stems and femoral balls. additionally, the stems are tapered and distal end 54 has a smaller cross sectional area than proximal end 56 of stem 48 . the illustrated stems have a compound taper defining two taper angles. each of the hip stems 46 also includes a mounting interface which is located on the proximal edge of the hip stem near proximal end 56 of stem 48 . hip stems typically include such mounting interfaces which are used to removably attach the hip stem to a handling tool, often referred to as a stem inserter. a variety of such interfaces are known. for example, mounting interface 58 on stem 46 may be a threaded bore with handling tool or stem inserter 60 having a threaded shaft 62 which threadingly engages bore 58 to secure hip stem 46 to handling tool 60 in a manner known in the art. after attaching stem inserter 60 to hip stem 46 , stem inserter 60 is used to manipulate hip stem 46 instead of directly handling hip stem 46 . stem inserter 60 is removed from hip stem 46 after positioning hip stem 46 in its final implanted position in a femur. a rigid aluminum reference structure 64 having reference elements 34 mounted thereon in fixed relative positions is secured to stem inserter 60 . a dovetail joint 66 is used to removably mount reference structure 64 on stem inserter 60 . a threaded fastener 68 firmly secures reference structure 64 in a desired location on stem inserter 60 . in alternative embodiments, reference structure 64 may be permanently affixed to stem inserter 60 or be formed integrally therewith. the underlying handling tool structure on which reference structure 64 is mounted at a predefined location may be a conventional handling tool. although the illustrated embodiment utilizes a threaded shaft to secure tool 60 to implant 46 other attachment features for securing the handling tool to the implant may be used. for example, the implant may have a smooth walled bore and the handling tool may have an expandable collet which may be releasably secured within the bore. moreover, the present invention may be used with alternative implants, e.g., for a prosthetic knee joint, and handling tools adapted for use with such implants. examples of handling tools that may have reference structures mounted thereon and used with the present invention are described by hoag et al. in u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/194,874 entitled tool for gripping an orthopedic implant filed on jul. 12, 2002 and by hoag et al. in u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/194,744 entitled tool for releasably gripping an orthopedic implant filed on jul. 12, 2002 the disclosures of both of these applications is hereby incorporated herein by reference. in addition to its stem handling function, by mounting reference structure 64 thereon, stem inserter 60 also serves to detachably secure reference structure 64 to stem 46 in a relative position which will be generally fixed until stem inserter 60 is disengaged from stem 46 . as discussed below, registration block 20 may be used to determine the relative position of hip stem 46 to reference structure 64 after attaching stem inserter 60 to hip stem 46 thereby allowing a computer assisted navigation system to track hip stem 46 by sensing the location and orientation of reference structure 64 . in other embodiments of the present invention, a reference structure having one or more reference elements may be directly and removably mounted to the implant instead of via a handling tool. such a directly attached reference structure would provide for the tracking of the implant but not provide the handling function provided by tool 60 . the position of hip stem 46 must be calibrated with the position of reference structure 64 for computer assisted navigation system 80 to accurately track the position and orientation of hip stem 46 . the use of registration device 20 to perform such a calibration will now be described. registration device 20 has three tapered slots 26 , 28 , 30 wherein the opposed side surfaces of the slots, e.g., surfaces 28 a , 28 b , define a graduated space therebetween. the space defined by slots 26 , 28 , 30 are configured to uniquely engage registration device 20 with each of the differently sized hip stems 46 for which registration device 20 is intended for use. in the illustrated embodiment, registration device 20 has been configured for use with a line of hip stems having approximately ten different nominal sizes. each of the slots 26 , 28 , 30 are configured for use with 3 or 4 different nominal sizes, i.e., slot 26 receives the smallest sizes, slot 28 the middle sizes and slot 30 the largest sizes. as best seen in fig. 3 , stems 48 are inserted into slots 26 , 28 , 30 in the directions indicated by arrows 27 , 29 , 31 respectively. the dimensional tolerances inherent in the manufacture of stems 46 will result in a particular nominal size of a stem 46 being engaged with its associated slot within a narrow band. for example, the group of lines indicated by reference numeral 90 shown in fig. 3 represent the two extremes and midpoint of where implant 46 a would engage slot 28 based upon the manufacturing tolerances of stem 46 a . these engagement locations translate into a range 91 which indicates the location of the engagement interface between stem 46 a and handling tool 60 . similarly, lines 92 indicate the two extremes and midpoint of where implant 46 would engage surfaces 28 a and 28 b and range 93 indicates the location of the engagement interface between stem 46 and handling tool 60 . this can also be seen with reference to figs. 2 and 2a which illustrate implant 46 engaged in the predefined relative position represented by lines 92 (lines 92 are only shown in fig. 3 ) and an outline of smaller implant 46 a engaged in the predefined relative position represented by lines 90 (lines 90 are only shown in fig. 3 ). slots 26 , 28 , 30 are configured so that the ranges 91 , 93 of the engagement interface between implant and handling tool of the differently sized implants do not overlap. because the same tool 60 is used to engage each implant 46 , each different nominal size of implant 46 defines a range of positions of reference structure 64 , relative to registration device 20 , which is unique and does not overlap the range of any other nominal size of implant 46 . this is exemplified in fig. 2 which illustrates the reference elements 34 disposed on handling tool 60 in solid lines to represent their relative position when implant 46 is engaged with registration device 20 and in dashed outlines 34 a to represent their relative position when smaller nominal sized implant 46 a is engaged with registration device 20 . by configuring registration device 20 so that there is no overlap in the range of positions of reference structure 64 for the different nominal sizes of implants 46 , navigation system 80 can determine the nominal size of the implant after inserting its stem into the appropriate slot 26 , 28 , 30 on registration device 20 . the dimensions of the various nominal sizes of implants 46 are entered into the navigation system 80 prior to engaging registration device 20 with an implant 46 . although the illustrated embodiment utilizes tapered slots, alternative graduated engagement features could also be employed with the present invention. for example, in alternative embodiments, the orthopedic implant might include surface defining a space therebetween and the registration device might include a graduated projection which fit within the space to engage the implant at a predefined position relative to the implant. as best seen in figs. 2 and 2a , the axis of stem inserter 60 is positioned coaxially with stem axis 49 of an attached hip stem 46 . thus, when stem 48 is engageably inserted into one of slots 26 , 28 , 30 and the relative positions of the reference structures 24 , 64 respectively located on calibration paddle 20 and stem inserter 60 , the processor of computer assisted navigation system 80 may calculate the nominal size of hip stem 46 , the orientation of stem axis 49 , the position of hip stem along the line defined by axis 49 , i.e., the axial position of hip stem 46 . it does not, however, calculate the rotational or angular orientation of neck 50 relative to axis 49 when stem 48 is inserted in one of the slots 26 , 28 , 30 . as shown in fig. 2a , the illustrated embodiment of registration device 20 is configured so that neck 50 of hip stems 46 project in the same direction that reference elements 34 project from surface 32 . to determine he angular orientation of neck 50 , stem 48 is removed from slot 28 and projection 52 is engaged with device 20 by insertion into depression 40 . depression 40 has slightly tapered sidewalls which match the taper on the common configuration of projections 52 located on implants 46 . by flushly engaging projection 52 of the stem 46 secured to handling tool 60 with depression 40 as shown in fig. 3 , the rotational position of projection 52 and neck 50 about axis 49 and relative to reference structure 64 can be determined by navigational system 80 from the relative positions of body 24 and reference structure 64 . when used with an optical tracking system, registration device 20 and reference structure 64 require at least three non-linearly positioned reference points to define the location and orientation of the reference structure on which the reference points are located. the pattern defined by the reference elements disposed on registration device 20 and reference structure 64 may also differ whereby navigation system 80 may more readily distinguish and identify the object associated with each set of reference elements. the registration device may be used to calibrate the position of other objects in a computer assisted navigation system in addition to hip stems 46 . for example, fig. 4 illustrates an acetabular cup 94 placed in engagement with the substantially planar surface 32 which has a known orientation to the reference structure defined by reference elements 34 mounted on body 24 . a handling tool 96 adapted for engaging cup 94 has a reference structure 64 mounted thereon and registration device 20 may be used in the calibration of the reference structure 64 mounted on handling tool 96 which is otherwise a conventional instrument for handling an acetabular cup during the implantation thereof as is known in the art. when tool 96 is secured to acetabular cup 94 , the distance of reference structure 64 from surface 32 will be dependent upon the nominal size of the acetabular cup 94 . thus, the registration of cup 94 with surface 32 may be used to verify that the correct size of cup 94 has been mounted on instrument 96 prior to implanting cup 94 . similarly, depressions 42 and 44 have a known location and orientation relative to elements 34 mounted on body 24 and may be used to calibrate the coordinates of various surgical instruments or objects within a computer assisted navigation system. for example the tip of a digitizing probe, reamer, awl or other object could be engaged with a selected one of the depressions 42 , 44 . returning to the implantation of a hip stem 46 , the proper positioning of the hip stem in the femur is of great importance with respect to re-establishing the proper leg length of the patient. as is known in the art, the relevant dimensional data concerning an anatomical structure of interest, e.g., a femur, may be determined using data acquired from images of the anatomical structure to generate a data base representing a model of the anatomical structure. the model of the anatomical structure may be a three dimensional model which is developed by acquiring a series of two dimensional images of the anatomical structure. alternatively, the model of the anatomical structure may be a set of two dimensional images having known spatial relationships or other data structure which can be used to convey information concerning the three dimensional form of the anatomical structure. the model of the anatomical structure may then be used to generate displays of the anatomical structure from various perspectives for preoperative planning purposes and intraoperative navigational purposes. a variety of technologies which may be employed to generate such a model of an anatomical structure are well known in the art and include computed tomography (ct), magnetic resonance imaging (mri), positron emission tomography (pet), ultrasound scanning and fluoroscopic imaging technologies. the model of the anatomical structure obtained by such imaging technologies can be used for the intraoperative guidance of an implant by facilitating the determination and display of the relative position and orientation of the implant with respect to the actual anatomical structure. for example, if the model of the anatomical structure is a set of two dimensional images having known spatial relationships, several such images may be simultaneously displayed during the surgical procedure. by also displaying the position of the implant in the images and displaying images taken from different perspectives, e.g., one image facilitating the display of implant movement along the x and y coordinate axes and another image facilitating the display of implant movement along the z axis, the individual images may together represent the movement of the implant in three dimensions relative to the anatomical structure. for reference purposes, a coordinate system defined by the actual anatomical structure which is the subject of interest will be referred to herein as the anatomical coordinate system and a coordinate system defined by the model of the anatomical structure will be referred to as the image coordinate system. data concerning the fixed size and shape of the implant which will be used in the image guided procedure is also determined pre-operatively to obtain a three dimensional model of each of the different nominal sizes of the implant or the relevant portions thereof. rigid anatomical structures, such as skeletal elements, are well suited for such image guided surgical techniques and individual skeletal elements may be used to define separate coordinate systems. the different rigid structures, e.g., skeletal elements, may be subject to relative movement, for example, the femur and acetabulum of a patient may be relatively moved during the surgical procedure and separate three dimensional models and coordinate systems may be created for the different skeletal elements. for example, during a hip replacement procedure, a three dimensional model of the femur defining a first coordinate system may be utilized during the resection of the femur while a separate coordinate system defined by a three dimension model of the pelvis is utilized during the preparation of the acetabulum. when using computer assisted navigation, also referred to as computer implemented image guidance, to conduct a surgical technique, the image coordinate system is registered with the anatomical coordinate system and the position of the implant or other tracked object is also registered within the image coordinate system. after the registration of both the actual anatomical structure and the implant, the relative position and orientation of the implant may be communicated to the surgeon by displaying together images of the anatomical structure and the implant based upon the three dimensional models of the anatomical structure and implant which were previously acquired. computer implemented image guidance systems which provide for the registration of an actual anatomical structure with a three dimensional model representing that structure together with the registration or localization of another object such as a surgical instrument or orthopedic implant within the image coordinate system to facilitate the display of the relative positions of the object and the actual anatomical structure are known in the art. known methods of registering the anatomical structure with the image coordinate system include the use of implanted fiducial markers which are recognizable by one or more scanning technologies. alternatively, implants which may be located by physically positioning a digitizing probe or similar device in contact or at a known orientation with respect to the implant. instead of using fiducial implants, it may also be possible to register the two coordinate systems by aligning anatomical landmark features. u.s. pat. nos. 6,236,875 b1 and 6,167,145 both describe methods of registering multiple rigid bodies and displaying the relative positions thereof and the disclosures of both of these patents are hereby incorporated herein by reference. tracking devices employing various technologies enabling the registration or localization of a surgical instrument or other object such as an orthopedic implant and the tracking of the object motion with respect to the anatomical coordinate system, which has also been registered with the image coordinate system, are also known. for example, optical tracking systems which detect light from reflected or emitted by reflective targets or localizing emitters secured in a known orientation to the object are known for determining the position of an object and registering the position of the object within an image coordinate system representing a three dimensional model of an anatomical structure. for example, such a tracking system may take the form of a sensor unit having one or more lenses each focusing on separate charge coupled device (ccd) sensitive to infrared light. the sensor unit detects infrared light emitted by three or more non-linearly positioned light emitting diodes (leds) secured relative to the object. a processor analyzes the images captured by the sensor unit and calculates the position and orientation of the object. by registering the position of the sensing unit within the image coordinate system, the position of the object relative to the anatomical structure, which has also been registered with the image coordinate system, may be determined and tracked as the object is moved relative to the anatomical structure. alternative localizing systems may employ localizing emitters which emit an electromagnetic signal in the radio frequency or which emit visible light. other types of localizing systems that could be used with the present invention employ referencing elements or other distinguishing elements which are radio-opaque. it is also possible to employ digitizing physical probes which are brought into physical contact with the object at predefined locations on the object to register the position of the object. in the disclose embodiment, the localizing system includes a light source and reference elements 34 reflect the light. the localizing system then detects the reflected light and computes the location of the individual reference elements 34 in a known manner. reference elements 34 may be obtained from northern digital inc. having a place of business at 103 randall dr., waterloo, ontario, canada, n2v1c5. northern digital inc. supplies image guidance systems under the bra d names optotrak® and polaris® which may be used with the present invention. the present invention may also be used with other computer assisted navigation systems such as those described above or otherwise known in the art. for example, medtronic, inc. headquartered in minneapolis, minn. manufactures and sells various computer assisted surgical navigation systems under the trademark stealthstation® such as the fluoronav™ virtual fluoroscopy system which could also be adapted for use with the present invention. fig. 6 schematically illustrates navigation system 80 which includes a position sensor 82 for detecting the position of reference elements 34 disposed on stem inserter 60 and registration device 20 , processing unit 84 , display screen 86 and input device 88 . an alternative embodiment of the present invention could be employed with a computer assisted navigation system which utilizes magnetic fields instead of optical tracking to determine the position and orientation of the tracked object. a variety of referencing elements which are used with magnetic fields which could be adapted for use with the present invention are known in the art. for example, known systems using magnetic fields to determine the position and orientation of an object are described by u.s. pat. nos. 5,913,820; 6,381,485 b1; 6,402,762 b2; 6,474,341 b1; 6,493,573 b1; and 6,499,488 b1 the disclosures of these patents are all hereby incorporated herein by reference. fig. 5 schematically illustrates a reference element 70 which takes the form of a wire loop, in this case a copper wire coil 72 wound about a polymeric bobbin 74 and disposed in a polymeric housing 76 which may be used in a magnetic field navigation system. the axis of wire loop 72 is defined by the cylindrical shaft of bobbin 74 about which wire coil 72 is wound. housing 76 includes a threaded shaft 78 projecting from one end which provides for the mounting of housing 76 and wire loop 72 located therein. wire loop 72 is in communication with the processor of a computer assisted navigation system via cable 73 . wireless communication between wire loop 72 and the processor using radio signals could alternatively be employed. two or more such loops 72 may be advantageously fixed in mutually perpendicular orientations, e.g., each such loop may have an axis which is positioned parallel to one of the three axes of a cartesian coordinate system. (in fig. 5 , wire loop 72 is shown having an axis which extends parallel to the z axis.) by generating a magnetic field of known properties in the operative area and sensing the field with mutually perpendicular wire loops 72 , the position and orientation of the reference element defined by the loops 72 and the rigid object, such as a surgical instrument or orthopedic implant, attached thereto may be calculated. the determination of the position and orientation of such mutually perpendicularly oriented field sensors 72 is known in the art. it is also known to use a single wire loop 72 to form a field sensor and determine its position and orientation by generating magnetic fields from a plurality of locations. in the illustrated embodiment, wire loop 72 is a cylindrical coil, however, other loop shapes may also be employed. a wire loop 72 may attached to a handling tool such as stem inserter 60 in a variety of methods. for example, a wire loop may be placed in a specially machined pocket and retained in place by a mechanical, adhesive, e.g., glue or epoxy, or other suitable means. it could also be mounted to an instrument or implant via a fixture that contains the loop such as housing 76 or a plastic screw that has a wire loop insert molded therein. such a fixture would facilitate the mounting of the wire loop to existing instruments. the navigated instrument could also be manufactured with the coil integral to it or have a mounting for winding the wire loop thereon. such instruments could be manufactured using various materials such as metal, non-ferrous metal, plastic and composite materials. the choice of materials of such instruments and fixtures could facilitate the provision of single use disposable instruments or fixtures. other surgical tools which may be employed in a surgical procedure implanting a prosthetic hip joint and utilizing a computer assisted navigational system are described by mcginley et al. in a u.s. patent application entitled surgical navigation instrument useful in marking anatomical structures having attorney docket no. zim0167 filed on the same date as the present application, and by mcginley et al. in a u.s. patent application entitled guidance system for rotary surgical instrument having attorney docket no. zim0165 filed on the same date as the present application, the disclosures of both of these applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference. while this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. this application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles.
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033-747-662-534-638
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US
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| 2016-11-02T00:00:00 |
2016
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systems and methods for dynamic route planning in autonomous navigation
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systems and methods for dynamic route planning in autonomous navigation are disclosed. in some exemplary implementations, a robot can have one or more sensors configured to collect data about an environment including detected points on one or more objects in the environment. the robot can then plan a route in the environment, where the route can comprise one or more route poses. the route poses can include a footprint indicative at least in part of a pose, size, and shape of the robot along the route. each route pose can have a plurality of points therein. based on forces exerted on the points of each route pose by other route poses, objects in the environment, and others, each route poses can reposition. based at least in part on interpolation performed on the route poses (some of which may be repositioned), the robot can dynamically route.
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1 . a robot comprising: one or more sensors configured to collect data about an environment including detected points on one or more objects in the environment; and a controller configured to: create a map of the environment based at least in part on the collected data; determine a route in the map in which the robot will travel; generate one or more route poses on the route, wherein each route pose comprises a footprint indicative of poses of the robot along the route and each route pose has a plurality of points disposed therein; determine forces on each of the plurality of points of each route pose, the forces comprising repulsive forces from one or more of the detected points on the one or more objects and attractive forces from one or more of the plurality of points on others of the one or more route poses; reposition one or more route poses in response to the forces on each point of the one or more route poses; and perform interpolation between one or more route poses to generate a collision-free path between the one or more route poses for the robot to travel. 2 . the robot of claim 1 , wherein: the one or more route poses form a sequence in which the robot travels along the route; and the interpolation comprises a linear interpolation between sequential ones of the one or more route poses. 3 . the robot of claim 1 , wherein the interpolation generates one or more interpolation route poses having substantially similar footprints to the footprint of each route pose. 4 . the robot of claim 1 , wherein the determination of the forces on each point of the one or more route poses further comprises a computation of a force function that associates, at least in part, the forces on each point of each route pose with one or more characteristics of objects in the environment. 5 . the robot of claim 4 , wherein the one or more characteristics includes one or more of distance, shape, material, and color. 6 . the robot of claim 4 , wherein: the force function associates zero repulsive force exerted by a first detected point on a first object where a distance between the first detected point and a second point of a first route pose is above a predetermined distance threshold. 7 . the robot of claim 1 , wherein the footprint of each route pose has substantially similar size and shape as the footprint of the robot. 8 . the robot of claim 1 , wherein the robot comprises a floor cleaner. 9 . a method for dynamic navigation of a robot in an environment, comprising: generating a map of the environment using data from one or more sensors; determining a route on the map, the route including one or more route poses, each route pose comprising a footprint indicative at least in part of a pose and a shape of the robot along the route and each route pose having a plurality of points disposed therein; computing repulsive forces from a point on an object in the environment onto the plurality of points of a first route pose of the one or more route poses; repositioning the first route pose in response to at least the repulsive forces; and performing an interpolation between the repositioned first route pose and another of the one or more route poses. 10 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising determining attractive forces from a point on another of the one or more route poses exerted on the plurality of points of the first route pose. 11 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising: detecting a plurality of objects in the environment with the one or more sensors, each of the plurality of objects having detected points; and defining a force function, the force function computing repulsive forces exerted by each of the detected points of the plurality of objects on the plurality of points of the first route pose, wherein each repulsive force comprises a vector. 12 . the method of claim 11 , wherein repositioning the first route pose comprises calculating a minimum of the force function. 13 . the method of claim 9 , wherein the repositioning of the first route pose comprises translating and rotating the first route pose. 14 . the method of claim 9 , wherein the interpolation comprises: generating an interpolation route pose having a footprint substantially similar to the shape of the robot; and determining a translation and rotation of the interpolation route pose based at least on a collision-free path between the translated and rotated first route pose and the another of the one or more route poses. 15 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising computing a magnitude of the repulsive forces as proportional to a distance between the point on the object and each of the plurality of points of the first route pose if the point on the object is outside of the footprint of the first route pose. 16 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising computing a magnitude of the repulsive forces as inversely proportional to a distance between the point on the object and each of the plurality of points of the first route pose if the point on the object is inside the footprint of the first route pose. 17 . the method of claim 9 , further comprising computing the torque forces onto the plurality of points of the first route pose due to the repulsive forces. 18 . a non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a processing apparatus to operate a robot, the instructions configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the processing apparatus to: generate a map of an environment using data from one or more sensors; determine a route on the map, the route comprising one or more route poses, each route pose comprising a footprint indicative at least in part of a pose and a shape of the robot along the route and each route pose having a plurality of points disposed therein; and compute repulsive forces from a point on an object in the environment onto the plurality of points of a first route pose of the one or more route poses. 19 . the non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising one or more instructions, which when executed by the processing apparatus, further cause the processing apparatus to determine attractive forces from a point on another of the one or more route poses exerted on the plurality of points of the first route pose. 20 . the non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus of claim 18 , further comprising one or more instructions, which when executed by the processing apparatus, further cause the processing apparatus to determine torque forces from a point on another of the one or more route poses exerted on the plurality of points of the first route pose.
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priority this application is a continuation of, and claims the benefit of priority to, co-owned and co-pending u.s. patent application ser. no. 15/341,612 of the same title filed nov. 2, 2016, the contents of which being incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. copyright a portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the patent and trademark office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. background technological field the present application relates generally to robotics, and more specifically to systems and methods for dynamic route planning in autonomous navigation. background robotic navigation can be a complex problem. in some cases, robots can determine a route to travel. by way of illustration, a robot can learn routes demonstrated by a user (e.g., the user can control a robot along a route and/or can upload a map containing a route). as another illustration, a robot can plan its own route in an environment based on its knowledge of the environment (e.g., a map). however, a challenge that can occur is that after a robot determines a route, features of the environment can change. for example, items can fall into the path of the route and/or parts of the environment can change. current robots may not be able to make real time adjustments to its planned path in response to these changes (e.g., blockages). in such situations, current robots may stop, collide into objects, and/or make sub-optimal adjustments to its route. accordingly, there is a need for improved systems and methods for autonomous navigation, including systems and methods for dynamic route planning. summary the foregoing needs are satisfied by the present disclosure, which provides for, inter alia, apparatus and methods for dynamic route planning in autonomous navigation. example implementations described herein have innovative features, no single one of which is indispensable or solely responsible for their desirable attributes. without limiting the scope of the claims, some of the advantageous features will now be summarized. in a first aspect, a robot is disclosed. in one exemplary implementation, the robot includes: one or more sensors configured to collect data about an environment including detected points on one or more objects in the environment; and a controller configured to: create a map of the environment based at least in part on the collected data, determine a route in the map in which the robot will travel, generate one or more route poses on the route, wherein each route pose comprises a footprint indicative of poses of the robot along the route and each route pose has a plurality of points disposed therein, determine forces on each of the plurality of points of each route pose, the forces comprising repulsive forces from one or more of the detected points on the one or more objects and attractive forces from one or more of the plurality of points on others of the one or more route poses, reposition one or more route poses in response to the forces on each point of the one or more route poses, and perform interpolation between one or more route poses to generate a collision-free path between the one or more route poses for the robot to travel. in one variant, the one or more route poses form a sequence in which the robot travels along the route; and the interpolation comprises a linear interpolation between sequential ones of the one or more route poses. in another variant, the interpolation generates one or more interpolation route poses having substantially similar footprints to the footprint of each route pose. in another variant, the determination of the forces on each point of the one or more route poses further comprises computing a force function that associates, at least in part, the forces on each point of each route pose with one or more characteristics of objects in the environment. in another variant, the one or more characteristics includes one or more of distance, shape, material, and color. in another variant, the force function associates zero repulsive force exerted by a first detected point on a first object where a distance between the first point and a second point of a first route pose is above a predetermined distance threshold. in another variant, the footprint of each route pose has substantially similar size and shape as the footprint of the robot. in another variant, the robot comprises a floor cleaner. in a second aspect, a method for dynamic navigation of a robot is disclosed. in one exemplary implementation, the method includes: generating a map of the environment using data from one or more sensors; determining a route on the map, the route including one or more route poses, each route pose comprising a footprint indicative at least in part of a pose and a shape of the robot along the route and each route pose having a plurality of points disposed therein; computing repulsive forces from a point on an object in the environment onto the plurality of points of a first route pose of the one or more route poses; repositioning the first route pose in response to at least the repulsive force; and performing an interpolation between the repositioned first route pose and another of the one or more route poses. in one variant, determining attractive forces from a point on another of the one or more route poses exerted on the plurality of points of the first route pose. in another variant, detecting a plurality of objects in the environment with the one or more sensors, each of the plurality of objects having detected points; and defining a force function, the force function computing repulsive forces exerted by each of the detected points of the plurality of objects on the plurality of points of the first route pose, wherein each repulsive force is a vector. in another variant, repositioning the first route pose includes calculating the minimum of the force function. in another variant, the repositioning of the first route pose includes translating and rotating the first route pose. in another variant, interpolation includes: generating an interpolation route pose having a footprint substantially similar to a shape of the robot; and determining a translation and rotation of the interpolation route pose based at least on a collision-free path between the translated and rotated first route pose and the another of the one or more route poses. in another variant, the method further comprising computing a magnitude of the repulsive forces as proportional to a distance between the point on the object and each of the plurality of points of the first route pose if the point on the object is outside of the footprint of the first route pose. in another variant, computing a magnitude of the repulsive forces as inversely proportional to a distance between the point on the object and each of the plurality of points of the first route pose if the point on the object is inside the footprint of the first route pose. in another variant, the method further includes computing the torque forces onto the plurality of points of the first route pose due to the repulsive forces. in a third aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus is disclosed. in one embodiment, the non-transitory computer-readable storage apparatus has a plurality of instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a processing apparatus to operate a robot. the instructions are configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the processing apparatus to: generate a map of the environment using data from one or more sensors; determine a route on the map, the route including one or more route poses, each route pose comprising a footprint indicative at least in part of a pose and a shape of the robot along the route and each route pose having a plurality of points disposed therein; and compute repulsive forces from a point on an object in the environment onto the plurality of points of a first route pose of the one or more route poses. in one variant, the instructions when executed by the processing apparatus, further cause the processing apparatus to determine attractive forces from a point on another of the one or more route poses exerted on the plurality of points of the first route pose. in another variant, the instructions when executed by the processing apparatus, further cause the processing apparatus to determine torque forces from a point on another of the one or more route poses exerted on the plurality of points of the first route pose. these and other objects, features, and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as the methods of operation and functions of the related elements of structure and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures. it is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the disclosure. as used in the specification and in the claims, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. brief description of the drawings the disclosed aspects will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, provided to illustrate and not to limit the disclosed aspects, wherein like designations denote like elements. fig. 1 illustrates various side elevation views of exemplary body forms for a robot in accordance with principles of the present disclosure. fig. 2a is a diagram of an overhead view of a robot navigating a path in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. fig. 2b illustrates an overhead view of a user demonstrating a route to a robot before the robot autonomously travels a route in an environment. fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of a robot in accordance with some principles of this disclosure. fig. 4a is a top view diagram illustrating the interaction between a robot and an obstacle in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. fig. 4b is a diagram of a global layer, intermediate layer, and local layer in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 4c is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for dynamic route planning in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. fig. 4d illustrates an overhead view of route poses along with repulsive forces exerted by objects in accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 4e illustrates example points on a route pose in accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 4f illustrates an overhead view showing attractive forces between route poses in accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure. fig. 5 is an overhead view of a diagram showing interpolation between route poses in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. fig. 6 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for operation of a robot in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. fig. 7 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for operation of a robot in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. all figures disclosed herein are © copyright 2018 brain corporation. all rights reserved. detailed description various aspects of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. this disclosure can, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. based on the teachings herein, one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the novel systems, apparatuses, and methods disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of, or combined with, any other aspect of the disclosure. for example, an apparatus can be implemented or a method can be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. in addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method that is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. it should be understood that any aspect disclosed herein can be implemented by one or more elements of a claim. although particular aspects are described herein, many variations and permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of the disclosure. although some benefits and advantages of the preferred aspects are mentioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to be limited to particular benefits, uses, and/or objectives. the detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. the present disclosure provides for improved systems and methods for dynamic route planning in autonomous navigation. as used herein, a robot can include mechanical or virtual entities configured to carry out complex series of actions automatically. in some cases, robots can be machines that are guided by computer programs or electronic circuitry. in some cases, robots can include electro-mechanical components that are configured for navigation, where the robot can move from one location to another. such navigating robots can include autonomous cars, floor cleaners, rovers, drones, carts, and the like. as referred to herein, floor cleaners can include floor cleaners that are manually controlled (e.g., driven or remote control) and/or autonomous (e.g., using little to no user control). for example, floor cleaners can include floor scrubbers that a janitor, custodian, or other person operates and/or robotic floor scrubbers that autonomously navigate and/or clean an environment. similarly, floor cleaners can also include vacuums, steamers, buffers, mop, polishers, sweepers, burnishers, etc. detailed descriptions of the various implementations and variants of the system and methods of the disclosure are now provided. while many examples discussed herein are in the context of robotic floor cleaners, it will be appreciated that the described systems and methods contained herein can be used in other robots. myriad other example implementations or uses for the technology described herein would be readily envisaged by those having ordinary skill in the art, given the contents of the present disclosure. advantageously, the systems and methods of this disclosure at least: (i) provide for dynamic route planning in an autonomously navigating robot; (ii) enhance efficiency in navigating environments, which can allow for improved and/or efficient utilization of resources (e.g., energy, fuel, cleaning fluid, etc.) usage; and (iii) provide computational efficiency which can reduce consumption of processing power, energy, time, and/or other resources in navigating robots. other advantages are readily discernable by one having ordinary skill given the contents of the present disclosure. for example, many current robots that can autonomously navigate are programmed to navigate a route and/or path to a goal. in order to navigate these routes, these robots can create a path plan (e.g., a global solution). also, these robots can have localized plans in a small area around it (e.g., in the order of a few meters), where the robot can determine how it will navigate around obstacles detected by its sensors (typically with basic commands to turn when an object is detected). the robot can then traverse the space in the pattern and avoid obstacles detected by its sensors by, e.g., stopping, slowing down, deviating left or right, etc. however, in many current applications, such traversal and avoidance can be complicated and robots can either have undesirable results (e.g., stoppages or collisions) and/or not be able to navigate through more complex situations. in some cases, such current applications can also be computationally expensive and/or slow to run, causing robots to act unnaturally. advantageously, using systems and methods disclosed herein, robots can deviate from its programming, following more efficient paths and/or making more complex adjustments to avoid obstacles. in some implementations described herein, such movements can be determined in a more efficient, faster way, that also appears more natural as a robot plans more complex paths. a person having ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that a robot, as referred to herein, can have a number of different appearances/forms. fig. 1 illustrates various side elevation views of exemplary body forms for a robot in accordance with principles of the present disclosure. these are non-limiting examples meant to further illustrate the variety of body forms, but not to restrict robots described herein to any particular body form. for example, body form 100 illustrates an example where the robot is a stand-up shop vacuum. body form 102 illustrates an example where the robot is a humanoid robot having an appearance substantially similar to a human body. body form 104 illustrates an example where the robot is a drone having propellers. body form 106 illustrates an example where the robot has a vehicle shape having wheels and a passenger cabin. body form 108 illustrates an example where the robot is a rover. body form 110 can be an example where the robot is a motorized floor scrubber. body form 112 can be a motorized floor scrubber having a seat, pedals, and a steering wheel, where a user can drive body form 112 like a vehicle as body form 112 cleans, however, body form 112 can also operate autonomously. other body forms are further contemplated, including industrial machines that can be robotized, such as forklifts, tugs, boats, planes, etc. fig. 2a is a diagram of an overhead view of robot 202 navigating a path 206 in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. robot 202 can autonomously navigate through environment 200 , which can comprise various objects 208 , 210 , 212 , 218 . robot 202 can start at an initial location and end at an end location. as illustrated, the initial position and the end position are substantially the same, illustrating a substantially closed loop. however, in other cases, the initial location and the end location may not be substantially the same, forming an open loop. by way of illustration, in some implementations, robot 202 can be a robotic floor cleaner, such as a robotic floor scrubber, vacuum cleaner, steamer, mop, burnisher, sweeper, and the like. environment 200 can be a space having floors that are desired to be cleaned. for example, environment 200 can be a store, warehouse, office building, home, storage facility, etc. one or more of objects 208 , 210 , 212 , 218 can be shelves, displays, objects, items, people, animals, or any other entity or thing that may be on the floor or otherwise impede the robot's ability to navigate through environment 200 . route 206 can be the cleaning path traveled by robot 202 autonomously. route 206 can follow a path that weaves between objects 208 , 210 , 212 , 218 as illustrated in example route 206 . for example, where objects 208 , 210 , 212 , 218 are shelves in a store, robot 202 can go along the aisles of the store and clean the floors of the aisles. however, other routes are also contemplated, such as, without limitation, weaving back and forth along open floor areas and/or any cleaning path a user could use to clean the floor (e.g., if the user is manually operating a floor cleaner). in some cases, robot 202 can go over a portion a plurality of times. accordingly, routes can overlap on themselves. accordingly, route 206 is meant merely as illustrative examples and can appear differently as illustrated. also, as illustrated, one example of environment 200 is shown, however, it should be appreciated that environment 200 can take on any number of forms and arrangements (e.g., of any size, configuration, and layout of a room or building) and is not limited by the example illustrations of this disclosure. in route 206 , robot 202 can begin at the initial location, which can be robot 202 's starting point. robot 202 can then clean along route 206 autonomously (e.g., with little or no control from a user) until it reaches an end location, where it can stop cleaning. the end location can be designated by a user and/or determined by robot 202 . in some cases, the end location can be the location in route 206 after which robot 202 has cleaned the desired area of floor. as previously described, route 206 can be a closed loop or an open loop. by way of illustrative example, an end location can be a location for storage for robot 202 , such as a temporary parking spot, storage room/closet, and the like. in some cases, the end location can be the point where a user training and/or programming tasks for robot 202 stopped training and/or programming. in the context of floor cleaners (e.g., floor scrubbers, vacuum cleaners, etc.), robot 202 may or may not clean at every point along route 206 . by way of illustration, where robot 202 is a robotic floor scrubber, the cleaning system (e.g., water flow, cleaning brushes, etc.) of robot 202 may only be operating in some portions of route 206 and not others. for example, robot 202 may associate certain actions (e.g., turning, turning on/off water, spraying water, turning on/off vacuums, moving vacuum hose positions, gesticulating an arm, raising/lowering a lift, moving a sensor, turning on/off a sensor, etc.) with particular positions and/or trajectories (e.g., while moving in a certain direction or in a particular sequence along route 206 ) along the demonstrated route. in the context of floor cleaners, such association may be desirable when only some areas of the floor are to be cleaned but not others and/or in some trajectories. in such cases, robot 202 can turn on a cleaning system in areas where a user demonstrated for robot 202 to clean, and turn off the cleaning system otherwise. fig. 2b illustrates an overhead view of a user demonstrating route 216 to robot 202 before robot 202 autonomously travels route 206 in environment 200 . in demonstrating route 216 , a user can start robot 202 at an initial location. robot 202 can then weave around objects 208 , 210 , 212 , 218 . robot 202 can stop at an end location, as previously described. in some cases (and as illustrated), autonomously navigated route 206 can be exactly the same as demonstrated route 216 . in some cases, route 206 might not be precisely the same as route 216 , but can be substantially similar. for example, as robot 202 navigates route 206 , robot 202 uses its sensors to sense where it is in relationship to its surrounding. such sensing may be imprecise in some instances, which may cause robot 202 to not navigate the precise route that had been demonstrated and robot 202 had been trained to follow. in some cases, small changes to environment 200 , such as the moving of shelves and/or changes in the items on the shelves, can cause robot 202 to deviate from route 216 when it autonomously navigates route 206 . as another example, as previously described, robot 202 can avoid objects by turning around them, slowing down, etc. when autonomously navigating route 206 . these objects might not have been present (and avoided) when the user demonstrated route 216 . for example, the objects may be temporarily and/or transient items, and/or may be transient and/or dynamic changes to the environment 200 . as another example, the user may have done a poor job demonstrating route 216 . for example, the user may have crashed and/or bumped into a wall, shelf, object, obstacle, etc. as another example, an obstacle may have been present while the user had demonstrated route 216 , but no longer there when robot 202 autonomously navigates route 206 . in these cases, robot 202 can store in memory (e.g., memory 302 ) one or more actions that it can correct, such as crashing and/or bumping to a wall, shelf, object, obstacle, etc. when robot 202 then autonomously navigates demonstrated route 216 (e.g., as route 206 ), robot 202 can correct such actions and not perform them (e.g., not crash and/or bump into a wall, shelf, object, obstacle, etc.) when it is autonomously navigating. in this way, robot 202 can determine not to autonomously navigate at least a portion of a navigable route, such as a demonstrated route. in some implementations, determining not to autonomously navigate at least a portion of the navigable route includes determining when to avoid an obstacle and/or object. as previously mentioned, as a user demonstrates route 216 , the user can turn on and off the cleaning system of robot 202 , or perform other actions, in order to train robot 202 where (e.g., at what position), and/or along what trajectories, to clean along route 216 (and subsequently when robot 202 autonomously cleans route 206 ). the robot can record these actions in memory 302 and later perform them when autonomously navigating. these actions can include any actions that robot 202 may perform, such as turning, turning on/off water, spraying water, turning on/off vacuums, moving vacuum hose positions, gesticulating an arm, raising/lowering a lift, moving a sensor, turning on/off a sensor, etc. fig. 3 is a functional block diagram of a robot 202 in accordance with some principles of this disclosure. as illustrated in fig. 3 , robot 202 can include controller 304 , memory 302 , user interfaces unit 308 , exteroceptive sensors unit 306 , proprioceptive sensors unit 310 , and communications unit 312 , as well as other components and subcomponents (e.g., some of which may not be illustrated). although a specific implementation is illustrated in fig. 3 , it is appreciated that the architecture may be varied in certain implementations as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill given the contents of the present disclosure. controller 304 can control the various operations performed by robot 202 . controller 304 can include one or more processors (e.g., microprocessors) and other peripherals. as used herein, processor, microprocessor, and/or digital processor can include any type of digital processing device such as, without limitation, digital signal processors (“dsps”), reduced instruction set computers (“risc”), general-purpose (“cisc”) processors, microprocessors, gate arrays (e.g., field programmable gate arrays (“fpgas”)), programmable logic device (“plds”), reconfigurable computer fabrics (“rcfs”), array processors, secure microprocessors, specialized processors (e.g., neuromorphic processors), and application-specific integrated circuits (“asics”). such digital processors may be contained on a single unitary integrated circuit die, or distributed across multiple components. controller 304 can be operatively and/or communicatively coupled to memory 302 . memory 302 can include any type of integrated circuit or other storage device configured to store digital data including, without limitation, read-only memory (“rom”), random access memory (“ram”), non-volatile random access memory (“nvram”), programmable read-only memory (“prom”), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (“eeprom”), dynamic random-access memory (“dram”), mobile dram, synchronous dram (“sdram”), double data rate sdram (“ddr/2 sdram”), extended data output (“edo”) ram, fast page mode ram (“fpm”), reduced latency dram (“rldram”), static ram (“sram”), “flash” memory (e.g., nand/nor), memristor memory, pseudostatic ram (“psram”), etc. memory 302 can provide instructions and data to controller 304 . for example, memory 302 can be a non-transitory, computer-readable storage medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon, the instructions being executable by a processing apparatus (e.g., controller 304 ) to operate robot 202 . in some cases, the instructions can be configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the processing apparatus to perform the various methods, features, and/or functionality described in this disclosure. accordingly, controller 304 can perform logical and arithmetic operations based on program instructions stored within memory 302 . in some implementations, exteroceptive sensors unit 306 can comprise systems and/or methods that can detect characteristics within and/or around robot 202 . exteroceptive sensors unit 306 can comprise a plurality and/or a combination of sensors. exteroceptive sensors unit 306 can include sensors that are internal to robot 202 or external, and/or have components that are partially internal and/or partially external. in some cases, exteroceptive sensors unit 306 can include exteroceptive sensors such as sonar, lidar, radar, lasers, cameras (including video cameras, infrared cameras, 3d cameras, etc.), time of flight (“tof”) cameras, antenna, microphones, and/or any other sensor known in the art. in some implementations, exteroceptive sensors unit 306 can collect raw measurements (e.g., currents, voltages, resistances gate logic, etc.) and/or transformed measurements (e.g., distances, angles, detected points in obstacles, etc.). exteroceptive sensors unit 306 can generate data based at least in part on measurements. such data can be stored in data structures, such as matrices, arrays, etc. in some implementations, the data structure of the sensor data can be called an image. in some implementations, proprioceptive sensors unit 310 can include sensors that can measure internal characteristics of robot 202 . for example, proprioceptive sensors unit 310 can measure temperature, power levels, statuses, and/or any other characteristic of robot 202 . in some cases, proprioceptive sensors unit 310 can be configured to determine the odometry of robot 202 . for example, proprioceptive sensors unit 310 can include proprioceptive sensors unit 310 , which can comprise sensors such as accelerometers, inertial measurement units (“imu”), odometers, gyroscopes, speedometers, cameras (e.g. using visual odometry), clock/timer, and the like. odometry to facilitate autonomous navigation of robot 202 . this odometry can include robot 202 's position (e.g., where position includes robot's location, displacement and/or orientation, and can sometimes be interchangeable with the term pose as used herein) relative to the initial location. in some implementations, proprioceptive sensors unit 310 can collect raw measurements (e.g., currents, voltages, resistances gate logic, etc.) and/or transformed measurements (e.g., distances, angles, detected points in obstacles, etc.). such data can be stored in data structures, such as matrices, arrays, etc. in some implementations, the data structure of the sensor data can be called an image. in some implementations, user interfaces unit 308 can be configured to enable a user to interact with robot 202 . for example, user interfaces 308 can include touch panels, buttons, keypads/keyboards, ports (e.g., universal serial bus (“usb”), digital visual interface (“dvi”), display port, e-sata, firewire, ps/2, serial, vga, scsi, audioport, high-definition multimedia interface (“hdmi”), personal computer memory card international association (“pcmcia”) ports, memory card ports (e.g., secure digital (“sd”) and minisd), and/or ports for computer-readable medium), mice, rollerballs, consoles, vibrators, audio transducers, and/or any interface for a user to input and/or receive data and/or commands, whether coupled wirelessly or through wires. user interfaces unit 308 can include a display, such as, without limitation, liquid crystal display (“lcds”), light-emitting diode (“led”) displays, led lcd displays, in-plane-switching (“ips”) displays, cathode ray tubes, plasma displays, high definition (“hd”) panels, 4k displays, retina displays, organic led displays, touchscreens, surfaces, canvases, and/or any displays, televisions, monitors, panels, and/or devices known in the art for visual presentation. in some implementations user interfaces unit 308 can be positioned on the body of robot 202 . in some implementations, user interfaces unit 308 can be positioned away from the body of robot 202 , but can be communicatively coupled to robot 202 (e.g., via communication units including transmitters, receivers, and/or transceivers) directly or indirectly (e.g., through a network, server, and/or a cloud). in some implementations, communications unit 312 can include one or more receivers, transmitters, and/or transceivers. communications unit 312 can be configured to send/receive a transmission protocol, such as bluetooth®, zigbee®, wi-fi, induction wireless data transmission, radio frequencies, radio transmission, radio-frequency identification (“rfid”), near-field communication (“nfc”), infrared, network interfaces, cellular technologies such as 3g (3gpp/3gpp2), high-speed downlink packet access (“hsdpa”), high-speed uplink packet access (“hsupa”), time division multiple access (“tdma”), code division multiple access (“cdma”) (e.g., is-95a, wideband code division multiple access (“wcdma”), etc.), frequency hopping spread spectrum (“fhss”), direct sequence spread spectrum (“dsss”), global system for mobile communication (“gsm”), personal area network (“pan”) (e.g., pan/802.15), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (“wimax”), 802.20, long term evolution (“lte”) (e.g., lte/lte-a), time division lte (“td-lte”), global system for mobile communication (“gsm”), narrowband/frequency-division multiple access (“fdma”), orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (“ofdm”), analog cellular, cellular digital packet data (“cdpd”), satellite systems, millimeter wave or microwave systems, acoustic, infrared (e.g., infrared data association (“irda”)), and/or any other form of wireless data transmission. as used herein, network interfaces can include any signal, data, or software interface with a component, network, or process including, without limitation, those of the firewire (e.g., fw400, fw800, fws800t, fws1600, fws3200, etc.), universal serial bus (“usb”) (e.g., usb 1.x, usb 2.0, usb 3.0, usb type-c, etc.), ethernet (e.g., 10/100, 10/100/1000 (gigabit ethernet), 10-gig-e, etc.), multimedia over coax alliance technology (“moca”), coaxsys (e.g., tvnet™), radio frequency tuner (e.g., in-band or oob, cable modem, etc.), wi-fi (802.11), wimax (e.g., wimax (802.16)), pan (e.g., pan/802.15), cellular (e.g., 3g, lte/lte-a/td-lte/td-lte, gsm, etc.), irda families, etc. as used herein, wi-fi can include one or more of ieee-std. 802.11, variants of ieee-std. 802.11, standards related to ieee-std. 802.11 (e.g., 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad/af/ah/ai/aj/aq/ax/ay), and/or other wireless standards. communications unit 312 can also be configured to send/receive a transmission protocol over wired connections, such as any cable that has a signal line and ground. for example, such cables can include ethernet cables, coaxial cables, universal serial bus (“usb”), firewire, and/or any connection known in the art. such protocols can be used by communications unit 312 to communicate to external systems, such as computers, smart phones, tablets, data capture systems, mobile telecommunications networks, clouds, servers, or the like. communications unit 312 can be configured to send and receive signals comprising of numbers, letters, alphanumeric characters, and/or symbols. in some cases, signals can be encrypted, using algorithms such as 128-bit or 256-bit keys and/or other encryption algorithms complying with standards such as the advanced encryption standard (“aes”), rsa, data encryption standard (“des”), triple des, and the like. communications unit 312 can be configured to send and receive statuses, commands, and other data/information. for example, communications unit 312 can communicate with a user operator to allow the user to control robot 202 . communications unit 312 can communicate with a server/network in order to allow robot 202 to send data, statuses, commands, and other communications to the server. the server can also be communicatively coupled to computer(s) and/or device(s) that can be used to monitor and/or control robot 202 remotely. communications unit 312 can also receive updates (e.g., firmware or data updates), data, statuses, commands, and other communications from a server for robot 202 . in some implementations, one or the components and/or subcomponents can be instantiated remotely from robot 202 . for example, mapping and localization units 262 , may be located in a cloud and/or connected to robot 202 through communications unit 312 . connections can be direct and/or through a server and/or network. accordingly, implementations of the functionality of this disclosure should also be understood to include remote interactions where data can be transferred using communications unit 312 , and one or more portions of processes can be completed remotely. fig. 4a is a top view diagram illustrating the interaction between robot 202 and an obstacle 402 in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. in navigating route 216 , robot 202 can encounter obstacle 402 . obstacle 402 can impede the path of robot 202 , which is illustrated as route portion 404 . if robot were to continue following on route portion 404 , it may collide with obstacle 402 . however, in some circumstances, using exteroceptive sensors unit 306 and/or proprioceptive sensors unit 310 , robot 202 can stop before colliding with obstacle 402 . this interaction with obstacle 402 illustrates advantages of implementations in accordance with the present disclosure. fig. 4b is a diagram of global layer 406 , intermediate layer 408 , and local layer 410 in accordance with implementations of the present disclosure. global layer 406 , intermediate layer 408 , and local layer 410 can be hardware and/or software layers instantiated in one or more of memory 302 and/or controller 304 . global layer 406 can include software and/or hardware that implements global mapping and routing. for example, the high-level mapping can include a map of environment 200 . the map can also include a representation of route 216 , allowing robot 202 to navigate the space in environment 200 . in some implementations, global layer 406 can include a global planner. in this way, global layer 406 can determine one or more of: the location of robot 202 (e.g., in global coordinates such as two-dimensional coordinates, three-dimensional coordinates, four-dimensional coordinates, etc.); the path robot 202 should take to reach its goal; and/or higher-level (e.g., long-range) planning. in this way, robot 202 can determine its general path and/or direction to travel from one location to another. local layer 410 includes software and/or hardware that implements local planning. for example, local layer 410 can include short-range planning configured for maneuvering in local constraints of motion. local layer 410 can process data received from exteroceptive sensors unit 306 and determine the presence and/or positioning of obstacles and/or objects near robot 202 . for example, if an object is within range of a sensor of exteroceptive sensors unit 306 (e.g., a lidar, sonar, camera, etc.), robot 202 can detect the object. the local layer 410 can compute and/or control motor functionality to navigate around objects, such by controlling actuators to turn, move forward, reverse, etc. in some cases, processing in local layer 410 can be computationally intensive. for example, local layer 410 can receive data from sensors of exteroceptive sensors unit 306 and/or proprioceptive sensors unit 310 . local layer 410 can then determine motor functions to avoid an object detected by exteroceptive sensors unit 306 (e.g., using a motor to turn a steering column left and right, and/or using a motor to push the robot forward). the interplay of local layer 410 and global layer 406 can allow robot 202 to make local adjustments while still moving generally along a route to its goal. however, in some circumstances, it can be desirable to make adjustments at a finer level than what would be computed by global layer 406 , yet not at the computationally intensive level of precise motor functions of local layer 410 . accordingly, intermediate layer 408 can include hardware and/or software that can determine intermediate adjustments of robot 202 as it navigates around objects. in intermediate layer 408 , robot 202 can plan how to avoid objects and/or obstacles in its environment. in some cases, intermediate layer 408 can be initialized with at least a partial path and/or route from a global path planner from global layer 406 . because objects (e.g., obstacles, walls, etc.) present things in which robot 202 could collide, objects and/or obstacles can put forth a repulsive force on robot 202 . in some cases, by objects repulsing robot 202 , robot 202 can navigate along a collision-free path around those objects and/or obstacles. fig. 4c is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method 450 for dynamic route planning in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. in some implementations, method 450 can be performed by intermediate layer 408 and/or by controller 304 . block 452 can include obtaining a route containing one or more route poses. in some cases, this route can be created by robot 202 and/or uploaded onto robot 202 . in some cases, the route can be passed from global layer 406 to intermediate layer 408 . block 454 can include selecting a first route pose. block 456 can include, for the first route pose, determining repulsive forces from objects in the environment. block 458 can include, for the first route pose, determining attractive forces from other route poses. block 460 can include determining the translation and/or rotation of the first route pose due to the repulsive forces and attractive forces. block 462 can include performing interpolation to account for the translated and/or rotated route pose. this process and others will be illustrated throughout this disclosure. by way of illustration, fig. 4d illustrates route poses 414 and 416 along with repulsive forces exerted by objects in accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure. for example, the points on a route can be discretized locations along the path, such as route poses, illustrating the pose of robot 202 throughout its route. in some cases, such discretized locations can also have associated probabilities, such as particles or bubbles. route poses can identify the position and/or orientation that robot 202 would travel on the route. in a planar application, the route pose can include (x, y, θ) coordinates. in some cases, θ can be the heading of the robot in the plane. the route poses can be regularly or irregularly spaced on robot 202 's route. in some cases, intermediate layer can obtain the route containing one or more route poses from global layer 406 , as described in block 452 of method 450 . in some implementations, route poses can form a sequence, wherein robot 202 travels between sequential route poses on a route. for example, route poses 414 and 416 could be a sequence of route poses where robot 202 travels to route pose 414 and then to route pose 416 . by way of illustrative example, route poses 414 and 416 illustrate discretized locations along the route portion 404 . this illustrative example shows route poses 414 and 416 as shaped as robot 202 , with substantially similar footprints. the footprints of route poses 414 and 416 can be adjusted in size depending on how conservative one desires to be with respect to robot collisions. a smaller footprint can present higher likelihoods of a collision, but such a smaller footprint can allow robot 202 to clear more areas that it should be able to as it autonomously navigates. a larger footprint might decrease the likelihood of a collision, but robot 202 would not go through some places autonomously that it otherwise should be able to. the footprint can be predetermined by a footprint parameter that sets the size (e.g., scales) of the footprint of robot 202 , as illustrated in route poses (e.g., route poses 414 and 416 ). in some cases, there can be a plurality of footprint parameters that control the sizes of route poses of robot 202 asymmetrically. in fig. 4d , while route poses 414 and 416 are illustrated and described, it should be appreciated by someone having ordinary skill in the art that there can be any number of route poses throughout a route, and the descriptions of the implementations of this disclosure can be applied to those route poses. advantageously, having route poses 414 and 416 shaped like robot 202 (e.g., a footprint of robot 202 ) can allow robot 202 to determine places in which robot 202 can fit while travelling. the footprint parameter(s) can be used to adjust how robot 202 projects itself. for example, a larger footprint used in route poses 414 and/or 416 can be more conservative in that it can cause, at least in part, robot 202 to travel further away from objects. in contrast, a smaller footprint can cause, at least in part, robot 202 to travel closer to objects. route poses (e.g., route poses 414 and 416 ) can be of different sizes from one another. by way of illustration, it may be desirable for robot 202 to be more conservative in certain scenarios, such as on turns. accordingly, in this illustration, the footprint of route poses on turns can be larger than the footprint of route poses on straightaways. such dynamic reshaping of route poses can be performed by making the size of the route poses dependent on the rotation of the route pose relative to other route poses, or the changes in translation and/or rotation of route pose. one or more of the route poses on a route (e.g., route poses 414 and/or 416 ) can also be a different shape other than the shape of robot 202 . for example, the route poses can be circular, square, triangular, and/or any other shape. as described in block 454 from method 450 , one can observe either route poses 414 or 416 as a first route pose. however, for purposes of illustration, and to illustrate the breadth of the described implementations of this disclosure, route poses 414 and 416 will be described together. points along objects (e.g., points determined by mapping, detecting by sensors of exteroceptive sensors unit 306 , etc.) can exert a repulsive force on route poses of robot 202 (e.g., route poses 414 and 416 ). in this way, the objects can, conceptually, prevent robot 202 from colliding into them. in some cases, these points can represent at least in part poses and/or sets of poses. for example, arrows 412 illustrate repulsive forces from points along object 210 . in some implementations, the forces exerted by points by objects may be uniform in that each point on route poses 414 and 416 can have substantially similar forces exerted on them. however, in other implementations, the forces exerted by points of objects on route poses 414 and 416 may not be uniform and may vary based on a force function. by way of illustration, a force function (e.g., a repulsive force function) can in some cases determine at least in part the repulsive force exerted on a point on route poses 414 or 416 by an object. for example, the force functions can be used in block 456 of method 450 to determine the repulsive forces from objects in the environment for a first route pose (e.g., a first route pose of route poses 414 and 416 ). in some implementations, the force function can be dependent on characteristics of where an object appears relative to route poses 414 and 416 . the force function can then represent the force experienced by points route poses 414 and 416 (e.g., one or more points on the surface of route poses 414 and 416 , the center of route poses 414 and 416 , the center of mass of route poses 414 and 416 , and/or any point of and/or around route poses 414 and 416 ). because the forces can be dependent on their direction and magnitudes, repulsive forces (and/or attractive forces) can be vectors. in some cases, repulsive forces can exert rotational forces on a route pose, which can manifest in torque forces. for example, repulsion forces and torque forces can be calculated at n different poses along a path. in some cases, these n different poses can be associated with route poses. each pose can consist of m points in a footprint. in some cases, these m points can be points on the route poses. in some cases, a plurality of points can define the body of robot 202 as reflected in route poses 414 and 416 , providing representative coverage over a portion of the body of robot 202 and/or substantially all of robot 202 . for example, 15-20 points can be distributed throughout the surface and/or interior of robot 202 and be reflected in route poses 414 and 416 . however, in some cases, there can be fewer points. fig. 4e illustrates example points on route pose 414 , such as point 418 . each point can experience, at least in part, the forces (e.g., repulsive forces) placed on it by objects in the surrounding of route poses 414 . advantageously, by having a plurality of points on the body of route poses 414 and 416 that can experience forces, points of route poses 414 and 416 can translate and/or rotate relative to one another, causing, at least in part, repositioning (e.g., translation and/or rotation) of route poses 414 and 416 . these translations and/or rotations of route poses 414 and 416 can cause deformations of the route navigated by robot 202 . torsion forces can occur when different points on a route pose experience different magnitudes and directions of forces. accordingly, the torsion force can cause the route poses to rotate. in some cases, predetermined parameters can define at least in part the torsion experienced by route poses 414 and 416 . for example, a predetermined torsion parameter can include a multiplier for the rotational forces experience on a point on route poses 414 or 416 . this predetermined torsion parameter can be indicative of force due to misalignment of route poses 414 or 416 and the path. in some cases, the predetermined torsion parameter may vary based on whether the force is repulsive or cohesive. returning to fig. 4d , a characteristic on which the force function depends in part can be a position of a point on an object relative to route poses 414 and 416 . distance can be determined based at least in part on sensors of exteroceptive sensors unit 306 . as a first example, the repulsive force exerted onto route poses 414 and 416 from a point on an object exterior to robot 202 (e.g., not within the footprint of route poses 414 and 416 such as points on obstacles 210 and 212 as illustrated) can be characterized at least in part by the function r(d)∝1/d, where r is the repulsion of a point on an object and d is the distance between the point on an object and a point on route pose 414 or route pose 416 . in this way, the repulsion of a point on an object is inversely proportional to the distance between the point on the object and the point on route pose 414 or route pose 416 . advantageously, such a function allows objects close to route poses 414 and 416 to exert more repulsion, and thereby potentially more strongly influence the course of robot 202 to avoid a collision than objects further away. in some cases, a predetermined repulsive distance threshold can be put on the distance between a point on route pose 414 and route pose 416 and a point on an object. this predetermined repulsive distance threshold can be indicative at least in part of the maximum distance between a points on either route pose 414 and route pose 416 and a point on an object in which the point on the object can exert a repulsive force (and/or a torsion force) on points on either route poses 414 and 416 . accordingly, when a point on an object is a distance (e.g., from a point on either route pose 414 and route pose 416 ) that is above (or equal to and/or above, depending on the definition of the threshold), the repulsive force and/or torsion force can be zero or substantially zero. advantageously, having a predetermined repulsive distance threshold can, in some cases, prevent some points on objects from exerting forces on points on route poses 414 and 416 . in this way, when there is a predetermined repulsive distance, robot 202 can get closer to certain objects and/or not be influenced by further away objects. as a second example, the repulsive force exerted onto route poses 414 and 416 from a point on the interior of route poses 414 and 416 (e.g., within the footprint of route poses 414 and 416 ). for example, object 402 has portion 420 that appears interior to route pose 416 . in these cases, a different force function can be exerted by points of object 402 in portion 420 onto points of route pose 416 in portion 420 . in some implementations, this force can be characterized at least in part by the function r(d)∝d, where the variables are as described above. advantageously, by having a different force function defined for interior objects, route pose 416 can move asymmetrically causing rotations. in some implementations, the force function can also depend on other characteristics of objects, such as shape, material, color, and/or any other characteristic of the object. these characteristics can be determined by one or more of sensors of exteroceptive sensors 306 in accordance with known methods in the art. advantageously, taking into account characteristics can be further informative of how robot 202 should navigate around objects. in some instances, the cost map can be used to compute additional repulsion values based on these characteristics. for example, the shape of an object can be indicative at least in part of an associated repercussion of collision. by way of illustration, a humanoid shape may be indicative of a person. as such, an object detected with this shape can place a greater repulsive force on route poses 414 and 416 in order to push the path further away from the humanoid shape. as another example, the shape of an object can be indicative in part of increased damage (e.g., to the object or robot 202 ) if a collision occurred. by way of illustration, pointed objects, skinny objects, irregular objects, predetermined shapes (e.g., vase, lamp, display, etc.) and/or any other shape can be indicative at least in part of resulting in increased damage. size may be another characteristic of shape that can be taken into account. for example, smaller objects may be more fragile in the event of a collision, but larger objects could cause more damage to robot 202 . in the case of size, force functions can take into account the size of the objects so that the points on those objects repulse points on route poses 414 and 416 proportionally as desired. by way of illustration, if route pose 414 is between a larger object and a smaller object, if points of the larger object have a relatively larger repulsive force as defined at least in part on the force function, route pose 414 will be pushed relatively closer to the smaller object. if the points of the smaller object have a relatively larger repulsive force as defined at least in part on the force function, route pose 414 will be pushed relatively closer to the larger object. accordingly, the repulsive force on route poses 414 and 416 can be adjusted based at least in part on the shape. the shape can be detected at least in part by sensors of exteroceptive sensors unit 306 . as another illustrative example, walls can be identified in a cost map, and a repulsive force can be associated with walls due to their size and shape. in some implementations, the force function can also depend on the material of the objects. for example, certain materials can be indicative at least in part of more damage if a collision occurred. by way of illustration, glass, porcelain, mirrors, and/or other fragile material can prove to be more damaging in the event of a collision. in some cases, such as in the case of mirrors, the material can sometimes cause errors in the sensors of exteroceptive sensor units 306 . accordingly, in some cases, it may be desirable for robot 202 to navigate further away from such objects, which can be reflected in the force function (e.g., increasing the repulsion force exerted by points on objects of some materials versus other materials). in some implementations, color can be detected by sensors of exteroceptive sensor units 306 . the force function can be dependent at least in part on the color of an object and/or points on an object. for example, certain objects in an environment may be a certain color (e.g., red, yellow, etc.) to indicate at least in part that robot 202 (or in some cases people) should be cautious of those objects. accordingly, in some cases, it may be desirable for robot 202 to navigate further away from such objects, which can be reflected in the force function. in some implementations, the force function can be dependent on other factors, such as the location of an object. for example, certain areas of a map (e.g., as passed from global layer 406 ) can have characteristics. by way of illustration, some areas of the map (e.g., a cost map) can be areas in which robot 202 should not pass. there can also can be places where robot 202 cannot go into because they are not accessible (such as into an object). accordingly, in some cases, the force function can be adjusted to account for such places. in some implementations, the force function can cause points in those places to exert no force (or substantially no force) on points on route poses 414 and 416 . advantageously, no force can be reflective of regions where robot 202 would not go (e.g., inside objects and the like). in contrast, in some implementations, such places can be treated as obstacles, exerting a repulsive force on route poses 414 and 416 . advantageously, having such a repulsion force can keep robot 202 from attempting to enter such areas. in some implementations, not all forces on route poses 414 and 416 are repulsive. for example, points on route poses (e.g., route poses 414 and 416 ) can exert attractive (e.g., cohesive) forces, which can, at least in part, pull route poses towards each other. fig. 4f illustrates attractive forces between route poses 414 and 416 in accordance with some implementations of the present disclosure. the arrows are indicative at least in part that route poses are drawn towards each other along route portion 404 . advantageously, the cohesive force between route poses can cause, at least in part, robot 202 towards following a path substantially similar to the path planned by global layer 406 (e.g., a route substantially similar to an original route, such as an originally demonstrated route that robot 202 should follow in the absence of objects around which to navigate). the cohesive force can be set by a force function (e.g., a cohesive force function), which can be dependent on characteristics of the path, such as the spacing distance between route poses/particles, the smoothness of the path, how desirable it is for robot 202 to follow a path, etc. in some cases, the cohesive force function can be based at least in part on a predetermined cohesion multiplier, which can determine at least in part the force pulling route poses together. a lower predetermined cohesion multiplier can reduce the cohesive strength of route portion 404 (e.g., draw of route poses towards it) and, in some cases, may cause a loss in smoothness of the path traveled by robot 202 . in some cases, only sequential route poses exert cohesive forces on the points of one another. in other cases, all route poses exert cohesive forces on one another. in still other cases, some route poses exert cohesive forces on others. the determination of which route poses are configured to exert cohesive forces on one another can depend on a number of factors, which may vary on a case-by-case basis. for example, if a route is circular, it may be desirable for all route poses to exert cohesive forces on one another to tighten the circle. as another example, if the route is complex, then it may be desirable for certain complex paths to only have sequential route poses exert cohesive forces on one another. this limitation may allow robot 202 to make more turns and/or have more predictable results because other positioned route poses will not unduly influence it. ones between the aforementioned examples in complexity may have some of the route poses exerting cohesive forces. as another example, the number of route poses may also be a factor. having a lot of route poses on a route may cause unexpected results if all of them exert cohesive forces on one another. if there are fewer route poses, this might not be a problem, and all or some of the route poses can exert forces. in some cases, there can be a predetermined cohesive force distance threshold, where if a point on a first route pose is distance that is more than the predetermined cohesive force distance threshold (or more than or equal to, depending on how it is defined) from a point on a second route pose, the cohesive force can be zero or substantially zero. in some implementations the cohesive force function and the repulsive force function can be the same force function. in other implementations, the cohesive force function and the repulsive force functions are separate. the cohesive force function can be used to determine the attractive forces from other route poses in accordance with block 458 from method 450 . in some implementations, both the cohesive forces and repulsive forces can result in torsion (e.g., causing rotation) of a route pose. as described with reference to intermediate layer 408 , route poses 414 and 416 can experience different attractive and repulsive forces. in some implementations, the forces can be stored in arrays. for example, there can be an array of forces indicative of repulsion, torsion, cohesion, etc. in some cases, forces can be toggled, such as by using an on/off parameter that can turn on or off any individual force and/or group of forces from a point. for example, the on/off parameter can be binary wherein one value turns the force on and another turns the force off. in this way, some forces can be turned off, such as based on the distance an object is from a route pose, whether a point is in the interior of an object or no go zone, distance between route poses, etc. on the balance, the net forces on route poses 414 and 416 can reposition one or more of route poses 414 and 416 . for example, route poses 414 and 416 can be displaced. route poses 414 and 416 can displace (e.g., translated and/or rotated) until their net forces, in any direction, are substantially zero and/or minimized. in this way, route poses 414 and 416 can be displaced to locations indicative at least in part to an adjusted route for robot 202 to travel to avoid objects (e.g., obstacle 402 ). the translation and/or rotation of a route pose due to the repulsive forces and attractive forces can be determined in accordance with block 460 of method 450 . there can be different adjustments made to determining the displacement of route poses 414 and 416 . for example, in some cases, instead of considering all forces on route poses 414 and 416 , attractive forces may only be considered. advantageously, such a system can allow robot 202 to stick to static paths. based at least in part on the displacement of route poses 414 and 416 , robot 202 can set a new path for the route planner. in the new path, the trajectory can be representative of a point on robot 202 , such as the center of robot 202 , as robot 202 travels the path. after robot 202 determines the displacement of route poses 414 and 416 , robot 202 can determine a path to travel. for example, based on the positions (e.g., locations and/or orientations) of route poses 414 and 416 , robot 202 can determine the path to navigate to and/or between route poses 414 and 416 , and/or any other route poses from its present location. in some cases, robot 202 will travel between consecutive (e.g., sequential) route poses in order, defining at least in part a path. for example, this determination can be based at least in part on an interpolation between route poses taking into account the path robot 202 can travel between those points. in many cases, linear interpolation can be used. by using performing interpolation, robot 202 can account for the translated and/or rotated route pose in accordance with block 462 in method 450 . fig. 5 is an overhead view of a diagram showing interpolation between route poses 414 and 416 in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. based on forces placed on route poses 414 and 416 , as described herein, route poses 414 and 416 have displaced. as illustrated, route pose 414 has both translated and rotated. the translation can be measured in standard units, such as inches, feet, meters, or any other unit of measurement (e.g., measurements in the metric, us, or other system of measurement) and/or relative/non-absolute units, such as ticks, pixels, percentage of range of a sensor, and the like. rotation can be measured in degrees, radians, etc. similarly, route pose 416 has also been translated and/or rotated. notably, both route poses 414 and 416 clear obstacle 402 . since route poses 414 and 416 represent discretized locations along a path traveled by robot 202 , robot 202 can interpolate between them to determine the path it should take. interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d illustrate a path traveled between route poses 414 and 416 . notably, robot 202 may also interpolate other paths (not illustrated) to move to route poses and/or between route poses. interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d can have associated footprints substantially similar to the footprints of one or more of route poses 414 and 416 . in some cases, as illustrated in fig. 5 , interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d can be interpolated route poses. accordingly, interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d can represent the position and/or orientation that robot 202 would be along a route. advantageously, this can allow the interpolated path to guide robot 202 to places where robot 202 would fit. moreover, interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d can be determined such that there is no overlap between the footprint of any one of interpolated poses 502 - 502 d and an object (e.g., obstacle 402 , object 210 , or object 212 ), thereby avoiding collisions. interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d can also be determined taking into account the rotation and/or translation to get from route pose 414 to route pose 416 . for example, robot 202 can determine the pose of route pose 414 and the pose of route pose 416 . robot 202 can then find the difference between the poses of route poses 414 and route poses 416 , and then determine how to get from the pose of route pose 414 to the pose of route pose 416 . for example, robot 202 can distribute the rotation and translation between interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d such that robot 202 would rotate and translate from route pose 414 to route pose 416 . in some cases, robot 202 can distribute the rotation and translation substantially equally between interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d. for example, if there are n number of interpolation positions, robot 202 can divide the difference in location and rotation of the poses of route poses 414 and 416 substantially evenly across those n number of interpolation positions. alternatively, robot 202 can divide the difference in location and/or rotation of the poses of route poses 414 and 416 un-evenly across those n number of interpolation positions. advantageously, even division can allow for robot 202 to travel smoothly from route pose 414 to route pose 416 . however, un-even division can allow robot 202 to more easily account for and avoid objects by allowing finer movements in some areas as compared to others. for example, in order to avoid an object in which interpolated poses 502 a- 502 d comes near, robot 202 would have to make a sharp turn. accordingly, more interpolated poses around that turn may be desirable in order to account for the turn. in some cases, the number of interpolation positions can be dynamic, and more or fewer than n number of interpolation positions can be used as desired. fig. 6 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method 600 for operation of a robot in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. block 602 includes creating a map of the environment based at least in part on collected data. block 604 includes determining a route in the map in which the robot will travel. block 606 includes generating one or more route poses on the route, wherein each route pose comprises a footprint indicative of poses of the robot along the route and each route pose has a plurality of points therein. block 608 includes determining forces on each of the plurality of points of each route pose, the forces comprising repulsive forces from one or more of the detected points on the one or more objects and attractive forces from one or more of the plurality of points on others of the one or more route poses. block 610 includes repositioning each route pose in response to the forces on each point of each route pose. block 612 includes perform interpolation between the one or more repositioned route poses to generate a collision-free path between the one or more route poses for the robot to travel. fig. 7 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method 700 for operation of a robot in accordance with some implementations of this disclosure. block 702 includes generating a map of the environment using data from one or more sensors. block 704 includes determining a route on the map, the route including one or more route poses, each route pose comprising a footprint indicative at least in part of a pose, size, and shape of the robot along the route and each route pose having a plurality of points therein. block 706 includes computing repulsive forces from a point on an object in the environment onto the plurality of points of a first route pose of the one or more route poses. block 708 includes repositioning the first route pose in response to at least the repulsive force. block 710 includes performing an interpolation between the repositioned first route pose and another of the one or more route poses. as used herein, computer and/or computing device can include, but are not limited to, personal computers (“pcs”) and minicomputers, whether desktop, laptop, or otherwise, mainframe computers, workstations, servers, personal digital assistants (“pdas”), handheld computers, embedded computers, programmable logic devices, personal communicators, tablet computers, mobile devices, portable navigation aids, j2me equipped devices, cellular telephones, smart phones, personal integrated communication or entertainment devices, and/or any other device capable of executing a set of instructions and processing an incoming data signal. as used herein, computer program and/or software can include any sequence or human or machine cognizable steps which perform a function. such computer program and/or software may be rendered in any programming language or environment including, for example, c/c++, c#, fortran, cobol, matlab™, pascal, python, assembly language, markup languages (e.g., html, sgml, xml, voxml), and the like, as well as object-oriented environments such as the common object request broker architecture (“corba”), java™ (including j2me, java beans, etc.), binary runtime environment (e.g., brew), and the like. as used herein, connection, link, transmission channel, delay line, and/or wireless can include a causal link between any two or more entities (whether physical or logical/virtual), which enables information exchange between the entities. it will be recognized that while certain aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of a specific sequence of steps of a method, these descriptions are only illustrative of the broader methods of the disclosure, and may be modified as required by the particular application. certain steps may be rendered unnecessary or optional under certain circumstances. additionally, certain steps or functionality may be added to the disclosed implementations, or the order of performance of two or more steps permuted. all such variations are considered to be encompassed within the disclosure disclosed and claimed herein. while the above detailed description has shown, described, and pointed out novel features of the disclosure as applied to various implementations, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions, and changes in the form and details of the device or process illustrated may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. the foregoing description is of the best mode presently contemplated of carrying out the disclosure. this description is in no way meant to be limiting, but rather should be taken as illustrative of the general principles of the disclosure. the scope of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the claims. while the disclosure has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. the disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed disclosure, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure and the appended claims. it should be noted that the use of particular terminology when describing certain features or aspects of the disclosure should not be taken to imply that the terminology is being re-defined herein to be restricted to include any specific characteristics of the features or aspects of the disclosure with which that terminology is associated. terms and phrases used in this application, and variations thereof, especially in the appended claims, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. as examples of the foregoing, the term “including” should be read to mean “including, without limitation,” “including but not limited to,” or the like; the term “comprising” as used herein is synonymous with “including,” “containing,” or “characterized by,” and is inclusive or open-ended and does not exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps; the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least;” the term “such as” should be interpreted as “such as, without limitation;” the term ‘includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to;” the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof, and should be interpreted as “example, but without limitation;” adjectives such as “known,” “normal,” “standard,” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass known, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future; and use of terms like “preferably,” “preferred,” “desired,” or “desirable,” and words of similar meaning should not be understood as implying that certain features are critical, essential, or even important to the structure or function of the present disclosure, but instead as merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment. likewise, a group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. the terms “about” or “approximate” and the like are synonymous and are used to indicate that the value modified by the term has an understood range associated with it, where the range can be ±20%, ±15%, ±10%, ±5%, or ±1%. the term “substantially” is used to indicate that a result (e.g., measurement value) is close to a targeted value, where close can mean, for example, the result is within 80% of the value, within 90% of the value, within 95% of the value, or within 99% of the value. also, as used herein “defined” or “determined” can include “predefined” or “predetermined” and/or otherwise determined values, conditions, thresholds, measurements, and the like.
|
036-625-162-820-201
|
US
|
[
"WO",
"DE",
"CN",
"KR",
"US"
] |
C01B31/16,C01B6/24,F17C11/00,C01B3/00
| 2004-11-05T00:00:00 |
2004
|
[
"C01",
"F17"
] |
scaffolded borazine - lithium hydride hydrogen storage materials
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in one aspect, the invention provides a hydrogen storage composite formed of a mesoporous scaffolding material and a hydrogen storage composition comprising precursors that react to form quarternary b-h-li-n composition. in another aspect, the invention provides a process for forming hydrogen storage material. in each aspect, a high portion of hydrogen is released as hydrogen gas and a lesser portion of hydrogen is released as a hydrogen-containing byproduct.
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claims what is claimed is: 1. a hydrogen storage structure comprising: a mesoporous scaffold material having an average pore diameter of about 1-5 nm and a surface area of greater than 450 m 2 /g; and a hydrogen storage composition comprising x-h, y-h and a-h bonds, where x comprises a group 13 element, y comprises a group 15 element and a comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group 1 , group 2 and mixtures thereof. 2. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1, wherein x includes boron and y includes nitrogen. 3. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 , wherein said a-h is a metal hydride. 4. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 3, wherein said metal hydride is lithium hydride (lih). 5. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 3, wherein said metal hydride is lithium aluminum hydride (liaih 4 ). 6. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 , formed from precursor (a) comprising x-h and y-h bonds and precursor (b) comprising said a-h bonds; said (a) and (b) being in an atomic proportion to one another sufficient to provide a composition expressed by the nominal general formula a q x r y s h t where the atomic ratio of q:r is greater than 0 and less than 3, the atomic ratio of s:r is greater than 0 and less than 2 and the atomic ration of t:r is greater than 0 and less than 9. 7. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 6, where a comprises li, x comprises b, y comprises n and the atomic ratio of li:b is greater than 0 and less than 3, the atomic ratio of n:b is greater than 0 and less than 2, and the atomic ratio of h:b is greater than 0 and less than 9. 8. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 6, wherein the proportion is sufficient to provide a composition expressed by the nominal general formula li 2 bnh 8 . 9. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 6, wherein the proportion is sufficient to provide a composition where li is about 2, b is about 1 , n is about 1 , and h is about 8. 10. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 , formed by reacting said hydride with said hydrogen storage composition comprising x-h and y-h bonds to provide a resultant composition comprising a q x r y s h t , where q, r, s, and t are each greater than 0 and selected to provide electron eutrality. 11. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 , formed from precursor (a) comprising borazane and precursor (b) comprising hydride, each said borazane and hydride in an amount sufficient to cause a greater proportion of hydrogen in the system to be released in the form of hydrogen gas and a lesser proportion of hydrogen in the system to be released as bound in other byproducts, as compared to the release of hydrogen from borazane alone. 12. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 11 , where, on the basis of 100 moles of hydride and borazane, the amount of hydride is greater than 0 and less than 100. 13. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 11 , wherein the hydride is lithium aluminum hydride. 14. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 11, wherein the hydride is lithium hydride . 15. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 , wherein a is selected from the group consisting of li, na, k, mg, ca, and mixtures thereof. 16. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 , wherein y includes phosphates. 17. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 wherein the scaffolding material is selected from the group of silica-based material, metal-organic framework material, zeolite type material, alumina-based material, carbon-based mesoporous material, and combinations thereof. 18. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 wherein the mesoporous scaffold material has a median pore size of about 2-4 nm. 19. the hydrogen storage structure of claim 1 wherein the mesoporous scaffold material has a surface area of greater than 500 m 2 /g. 20. a hydrogen storage structure comprising: a mesoporous scaffold material having an average pore diameter of about 1-5 nm and a surface area of greater than 450 m 2 /g; a hydrogen storage composition represented by the nominal general formula a q x r y s h t : where x comprises a group 13 element, y comprises a group 15 element and a comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group 1 , group 2 and mixtures thereof; and where the atomic ratio of q:r is greater than 0 and less than 3, the atomic ratio of s:r is greater than 0 and less than 2 and the atomic ration of t:r is greater than 0 and less than 9; and said composition comprising at least one phase that is an α phase having two borazane molecules linked together through a lithium bridge. 21. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 20, wherein the a phase has the equivalent of more than two bh 3 nh 3 molecules per unit cell. 22. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 20, wherein the α phase is substantially a tetragonal crystal structure. 23. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 20, wherein the α phase is a substantially tetragonal crystal structure with a p-42ic space group. 24. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 20, wherein the α phase is a substantially tetragonal crystal structure with lattice perimeter a of about 4.032 angstroms and lattice perimeter of about 17.001 angstroms. 25. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 20, having a β phase different from said α phase. 26. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 25, having a γ phase different from said α phase and β phase. 27. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 26, wherein said α phase is nominally lib 2 n 2 hi 3 , said β phase is nominally libnh 7 , and said γ phase is nominally li 2 bnh 8 . 28. the hydrogen storage composition of claim 20, with said α phase having an x-ray diffraction (xrd) pattern substantially as shown as composition in figure 1. 29. a hydrogen storage material comprising: a mesoporous material having a pore diameter of about 2-4 nm and a surface area of greater than 450 m 2 /g; and a hydrogen storage compound selected from the group comprising of lib 2 n 2 h 13 , libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , a mixture of 0.2 mol liaih 4 and 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 , and mixtures thereof. 30. a hydrogen storage material comprising: a mesoporous material having an average pore size of 2-4 nm selected from the group comprising silica-based mesoporous materials, carbon- based mesoporous materials, alumina based mesoporous materials, zeolite mesoporous materials, metal-organic framework mesoporous materials, and mixtures thereof; and a hydrogen storage composition x-h, y-h and a-h bonds, where x comprises a group 13 element, y comprises a group 15 element and a comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group 1, group 2 and mixtures thereof. 31. a hydrogen storage composite material comprising: a mesoporous scaffold material; and a hydrogen storage composition comprising x-h, y-h and a-h bonds, where x comprises a group 13 element, y comprises a group 15 element and a comprises one or more elements selected from the group consisting of group 1 , group 2 and mixtures thereof, wherein the heat of " decomposition is lower for the composite than the hydrogen storage composition. 32. a method of forming a hydrogen storage composite comprising the steps of: dissolving a hydrogen storage composition in a cyclic ether solution to form a mixture; and applying the mixture to a mesoporous scaffolding material having an average pore size of about 2-4 nm and a surface area of greater than 500 m 2 /g.
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scaffolded borazane - lithium hydride hydrogen storage materials field of the invention [0001] the present invention relates to hydrogen storage compositions and composite structures, the method of making such hydrogen storage compositions and composite structures, and use thereof for storing hydrogen. background of the invention [0002] hydrogen is desirable as a source of energy because it reacts cleanly with air producing water as a by-product. in order to enhance the desirability of hydrogen as a fuel source, particularly for mobile applications, it is desirable to increase the available energy content per unit volume and mass of storage. presently, this is done by conventional means such as storage under high pressure, at thousands of pounds per square inch, cooling to a liquid state, or absorbing hydrogen into a solid such as a metal hydride. pressurization and liquification require relatively expensive processing and storage equipment. [0003] storing hydrogen in a solid material provides relatively high volumetric hydrogen density and a compact storage medium. hydrogen stored in a solid is desirable since it can be released or desorbed under appropriate temperature and pressure conditions, thereby providing a controllable source of hydrogen. [0004] presently, it is desirable to maximize the hydrogen storage capacity or content released from the material, while minimizing the weight of the material to improve the gravimetric capacity. further, many current materials only absorb or desorb hydrogen at very high temperatures and pressures. thus, it is desirable to find a hydrogen storage material that generates or releases hydrogen at relatively low temperatures and pressures, and which have relatively high gravimetric hydrogen storage density. [0005] therefore, in response to the desire for an improved hydrogen storage medium, the present invention provides a method of storing and releasing hydrogen from storage materials, as well as an improved hydrogen storage material compositions. summary of the invention [0006] in one aspect, the present invention provides a hydrogen storage mixture comprising: (a) a hydride having one or more elements other than hydrogen; and (b) a composition comprising x-h bonds and y-h bonds where x is a group 13 element and y is a group 15 element. in one variation, the hydride is preferably selected from lih, liaih 4 and mixtures thereof. in another variation, x is boron (b-h) and y is nitrogen (n-h). in a still further preferred variation, the b-h, n-h composition is borazane, also named borane- ammonia complex, bh 3 nh 3 . [0007] another aspect of the present invention provides a method of storing hydrogen comprising: reacting the compositions comprising x-h, y-h bonds with a hydride having one or more elements other than hydrogen. the reacting forms a hydrogen storage intermediate composition comprising hydrogen, x, y, and at least one of the one or more elements other than hydrogen derived from the hydride. optionally, the x-h, y-h composition comprises other elements besides x, y and h, some of which may also be included in the intermediate composition. [0008] another preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a method of releasing hydrogen comprising: reacting a composition comprising x-h and y-h bonds with a hydrogen storage hydride composition having one or more elements other than hydrogen, wherein the reacting releases hydrogen and forms one or more byproducts. [0009] further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. brief description of the drawings [0010] the present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: [0011] figures 1 and 2 show x-ray diffraction (xrd) patterns of the int product having α, β and γ phases produced by reaction in the hlih-bh 3 nh 3 system. figure 1 is xrd patterns for hlih-bh 3 nh 3 (h=y 3 , v∑, 1 and 2). the β phase diffraction peaks are labeled with circles and the γ phase diffraction peak is labeled with asterix. the two broad peaks in the n= λ a sample are labeled δ. figure 2 is xrd patterns for ailih-bh 3 nh 3 (n=2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). [0012] figure 3 shows xrd patterns as a function of ball-milling times for the n=2 composition. xrd patterns for 2lih-bh 3 nh 3 at ball-milling times of one, two, three, and four hours. the shaded area indicates the borazane peaks from the unreacted starting material still present in the one-hour ball-milled sample. [0013] figure 4 shows peak intensity of the strongest α and β peaks as a function of temperature for the n=1 sample. xrd peak intensity versus temperature for the n=1 composition. the peak intensity data is taken by integrating the area under the peak, and for the β phase the chosen peak is the doublet at ca. 23°, while the α peak is at ca. 22.6°. [0014] figure 5 shows thermogravimetric (tga) curves for the system. tga scans for hlih-bh 3 nh 3 (π= 1 / 2 , 1 and 2). [0015] figure 6 shows differential scanning calorimetry (dsc) curves as a function of temperature in the system. dsc curves for hlih-bh 3 nh 3 1 and 2). [0016] figure 7 shows the relationship between evolved gas and temperature for . temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to hydrogen (x), ammonia (•), diborane (d) and borazine (+) (heating rate 5°c/min) for y 2 lih-bh 3 nh 3 . [0017] figure 8 shows the relationship between evolved gas and temperature for n=1. temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to hydrogen (x), ammonia (•), diborane (d) and borazine (+) (heating rate 5°c/min) for lih-bh 3 nh 3 . [0018] figure 9 shows the relationship between evolved gas and temperature for n=2. temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to hydrogen (x), ammonia (•), diborane (d) and borazine (+) (heating rate 5°c/min) for 2lih-bh 3 nh 3 . [0019] figure 10 shows x-ray diffraction for three liaih 4 -bh 3 nh 3 compositions. the open circles identify the bh 3 nh 3 diffraction peaks, while the solid squares are from aluminum. [0020] figure 11 shows tga curves for 8 mol% liaih 4 (triangles), 14 mol% liaih 4 (line), 20 mol% liaih 4 (dots) and 30 mol% liaih 4 (squares). [0021] figure 12 shows tga of the 20 mol%uaih 4 -80 mol%bh 3 nh 3 composition ball-milled for 5 min at room temperature (solid line) and at cryogenic conditions (dashed line). [0022] figure 13 shows dsc curves for neat borazane (dashed), 8 mol% liaih 4 (dash-dot-dot), 14 mol% liaih 4 (solid) and 20 mol% liaih 4 (dotted). [0023] figure 14 shows the temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to hydrogen (h 2 ) (heating rate 5°c/min) for neat borazane (dashed), 8 mol% liaih 4 (dash-dot-dot), 14 mol% liaih 4 (solid) and 20 mol% liaih 4 (dotted). [0024] figure 15 shows the temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to ammonia (nh 3 ) (heating rate 5°c/min) for neat borazane (dashed), 8 mol% liaih 4 (dash-dot-dot), 14 mol% liaih 4 (solid) and 20 mol% liaih 4 (dotted). [0025] figure 16 shows the temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to a borazane byproduct (bnh x ) (heating rate 5°c/min) for neat borazane (dashed), 8 mol% liaih 4 (dash-dot-dot), 14 mol% liaih 4 (solid) and 20 mol% liaih 4 (dotted). [0026] figure 17 shows the temperature dependence of the ion intensity assigned to borazine ([bhnh] 3 ) (heating rate 5°c/min) for neat borazane (dashed), 8 mol% liaih 4 (dash-dot-dot), 14 mol% liaih 4 (solid) and 20 mol% liaih 4 (dotted). detailed description of the preferred embodiments [0027] the following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. [0028] in one aspect, the present invention provides a method of storing and releasing hydrogen. in one feature, a hydrogen storage material is formed by combining precursors (a) and (b), each of which are solids. the (a) precursor is preferably a compound containing x-h and y-h bonds, where x is a group 13 and y is a group 15 element of the iupac periodic table of elements. preferably x is boron (b-h) and y is nitrogen (n-h). most preferably, the precursor (a) is borazane. the (b) precursor is preferably a hydride. most preferably, the hydride is lih or liaih 4 . [0029] a novel hydrogen storage composition material is formed as an intermediate (int) in the reaction of the (a) with the (b) precursors, as described above. the formation of such an int compound is dependent upon the individual chemical characteristics of the precursors selected, and the temperature, milling and other conditions of preparation. the int hydrogen storage material is preferably in a solid phase form, and is a preferred aspect in a multi-phase form. the int hydrogen storage composition preferably comprises hydrogen, nitrogen, and at least one of the one or more elements other than hydrogen and nitrogen derived from the precursors. the int hydrogen storage composition further undergoes a decomposition reaction where the stored hydrogen is released. the products of this decomposition reaction are hydrogen and one or more byproducts. [0030] in a preferred aspect, the present invention provides a method of storing hydrogen in a b-h-li-n quarternary int hydrogen storage composition. the reaction between the precursors (a) and (b), forms the quarternary intermediate. subsequent to the formation of the int, hydrogen may be stored at suitable conditions in a stable form. when the release of hydrogen is desired, heat and/or pressure are applied to facilitate a decomposition reaction, where hydrogen gas is released from the quarternary int hydrogen storage composition, and one or more decomposition byproducts are formed as h 2 is released. [0031] in another aspect, the present invention provides a method of releasing and generating hydrogen by reacting (a) composition having x-h and y-h bonds with a (b) hydride. the (a) and (b) precursors react to release and form hydrogen and one or more byproducts. in such methods of the present invention, the (a) and (b) precursors react to directly produce hydrogen via reaction, rather than to form an intermediate (int). whether the int forms is related to the thermodynamics of each reaction and the nature of the precursors. [0032] thus, in certain preferred embodiments, the present invention provides two distinct physical states, one where hydrogen is "stored" and another subsequent to hydrogen release. where the starting reactants react without forming an int, the hydrogenated storage state corresponds to the precursor reactants (i.e., because a stable hydrogenated intermediate is not formed), and the byproduct compound(s) correspond to the dehydrogenated state. [0033] it should be understood that in the present invention the (a) precursor is preferably a compound based on groups 13 and 15 elements and containing hydrogen; more preferably is a nitride; and most preferably is a borazane. the (b) precursor is preferably a hydride compound. examples of such (a) and (b) precursors thus include, particularly for the hydride, metal cations, non-metal cations such as boron, and non-metal cations which are organic such as ch 3 . elements that form preferred precursors of the present invention are as follows. preferred cationic species generally comprise: aluminum (al), arsenic (as), boron (b), barium (ba), beryllium (be), calcium (ca), cadmium (cd), cerium (ce), cesium (cs), copper (cu), europium (eu), iron (fe), gallium (ga), gadolinium (gd), germanium (ge), hafnium (hf), mercury (hg), indium (in), potassium (k), lanthanum (la), lithium (li), magnesium (mg), manganese (mn), sodium (na), neodymium (nd), nickel (ni), lead (pb), praseodymium (pr), rubidium (rb), antimony (sb), scandium (sc), selenium (se), silicon (si), samarium (sm), tin (sn), strontium (sr), thorium (th), titanium (ti), thallium (tl), tungsten (w), yttrium (y), ytterbium (yb), zinc (zn), and zirconium (zr), and organic cations including (ch 3 ) methyl groups. [0034] metal hydride compounds, as used herein, include those compounds having one or more cations other than hydrogen, and. may comprise complex metal hydrides, which include two or more distinct cations other than hydrogen, as previously described. examples are metal and metal alloy hydrides, such as ab 5 (lani 5 ), ab 2 (zrmn 2 ), ab (tife), and a 2 b (mg 2 ni). particularly preferred cations for hydrides comprise cations selected from groups 1 , 2 and 13 of the iupac periodic table and particularly from the group: al, b, ca, li, na, and mg. in certain preferred embodiments, it is preferred that the cations are different species, forming the complex metal hydride, such as liaih 4 or libh 4 . in certain embodiments, the metal hydride compound may have one or more cations that are selected from a single cationic species, such as mg 2 and ca 2 . preferred metal hydrides according to the present invention comprise the following non-limiting examples, lithium hydride (lih), lithium aluminum hydride (uaih 4 ), sodium borohydride (nabh 4 ), lithium borohydride (libh 4 ), magnesium borohydride (mg(bh 4 ) 2 ) and sodium aluminum hydride (naaih 4 ). [0035] as used herein, the term "composition" refers broadly to a substance containing at least the preferred chemical compound complex or phases, but which may also comprise additional substances or compounds, including impurities. the term "material" also broadly refers to matter containing the preferred compound composition complex or phases. [0036] according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the general reaction for releasing hydrogen proceeds according to the following exemplary mechanisms: (1 ) /1liaih 4 + bh 3 nh 3 → h 2 + byproduct; (2) nlih + bh 3 nh 3 → h 2 + byproduct. the general representation is: hydride + xh-yh compound react to form hydrogen and byproduct(s). the mixture of hydride with the exemplary borazane provides a better hydrogen storage material than borazane alone. cold, energetic milling of the precursors provides a better result since the proportion of hydrogen contained in the byproduct is lessened. thus, the proportion of hydrogen released as h 2 gas is increased. [0037] as previously discussed, in certain preferred embodiments an intermediate hydrogen storage composition is formed, which is expressed by the following general reaction: nlih + bh 3 nh 3 → hydrogen + intermediate, where the int is a new b-h-li-n quarternary system having previously-unknown phases, α, β and γ. here, a 2:1 lih + bh 3 nh 3 forms nominally, li 2 bnh 8 , containing the α, β and γ phases and lih. [0038] although not wishing to be limited to any particular theory, a novel solid quarternary intermediate compound is known to occur where the hydride has one or more m' cations selected as li, and generally believed to occur where m 1 is selected from groups 1 and 2 of the iupac periodic table and particularly the group consisting of: li, ca, na, mg, k, be, and mixtures thereof, and where x-h, y-h precursor is a nitrogen-hydrogen precursor comprising a group 13 element from the iupac periodic table. the preferred precursor is borazane. where the novel int hydrogen storage composition is formed, such a composition undergoes a decomposition reaction mechanism, to form a dehydrogenated state where one or more decomposition byproducts are formed as hydrogen is released. [0039] other non-limiting examples of alternate preferred embodiments according to the present invention where hydrogen generation occurs, include the following exemplary precursors and systems. lih is substituted with nah, kh, mgh 2 , and/or cah 2 . examples are the nah-bh 3 nh 3 and mgh 2 -bh 3 nh 3 systems. liaih 4 is substituted with naaih 4 , libh 4 , nabh 4 , ligah 4 and/or nagah 4 . further, bh 3 nh 3 is substituted with bh 3 ph 3 , aih 3 nh 3 , and/or aih 3 ph 3 . [0040] preferred conditions for reactions of the invention vary with respect to preferred temperature and pressure conditions for each independent reaction. however, it is preferred that the reaction is carried out as a solid state reaction, in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, essentially in the absence of oxygen, preferably in an inert atmosphere, such as under nitrogen or argon. further, as will be discussed in more detail below, it is preferred that the solid precursors are reduced in particle size from their starting size and/or energetically milled. [0041] after the novel int hydrogen storage composition is formed, it is a hydrogenated and stable material. when release of the hydrogen is desired, the composition is heated and hydrogen release preferably occurs at a temperature of between about 80°c and 170 0 c at ambient pressure. [0042] example 1 : [0043] this example is of the hlih-bh 3 nh 3 system. samples used produced with high-energy ball-milling of combinations of lih and bh 3 nh 3 . the system was studied using x-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and mass spectrometry. three quarternary phases, designated α, β and γ, were discovered. of these three phases, at least two, the α and β phases, exhibit hydrogen storage properties. the α phase releases ca. 10 wt% hydrogen below 150 0 c. this hydrogen release is slow, taking place over a ca. 20-30 0 c. the β phase has not been obtained in pure samples, analysis suggests approximately 25-40% of the sample is the β phase. this phase mixture has a 3 wt% hydrogen release at ca. 8o 0 c. in both decomposition reactions, ammonia was seen as a byproduct in small quantities. for the α phase, diborane and borazine were additional byproducts. furthermore, the hydrogen release is exothermic for both reactions. rehydrogenation is in process. [0044] both lih and bh 3 nh 3 were purchased from aldrich, with nominal technical purities of 99% and 90+%, respectively. for borazane, the major impurities were residual solvents. [0045] ball-milling was carried out in a spex 8000 mixer mill using two 1.27 cm diameter and four 0.635 cm diameter hardened steel balls of aggregate mass 21 g for a 2 g typical sample mass. the ball-milling vessels were o-ring sealed hardened steel jars under 1 atmosphere of ar. the milling times were varied between 30 minutes and 12 hours to ensure complete reaction of the starting materials. in the ri≥2 samples, ball-milling at least two hours was required for complete reaction between the lih and bh 3 nh 3 . however, for lower lih concentrations ball-milling times of one hour was sufficient to obtain equilibrium. [0046] x-ray diffraction (xrd) was performed using a siemens d5000 diffractometer and cu ka radiation. diffraction patterns were collected between 5 and 85° 2θ at 0.020° increments. samples were loaded under argon, and protected using a thin xrd-transparent film. data analysis was performed using the bruker eva software package. the real-time in-situ xrd experiments were carried out in closed xrd capillary tube with a bruker axs general area detector diffractometer system (gadds) using cu ka radiation. the capillary tubes were filled and sealed under argon. diffraction patterns were collected every minute while heating the sample at 1°c/min and recording the pressure. [0047] the combined thermogravimetric (tga), differential scanning calorimetry (dsc) and mass spectrometry (ms) technique was used to analyze the gaseous component while monitoring the weight loss and heat flow of the sample. the instrument used for this combined study was a netzsch sta 409 unit equipped with a quadrupole mass spectrometer pfeiffer qmg422 via a two- stage pressure reduction system with an alumina skimmer. this equipment allows for the detection of unstable products immediately after their formation (within subseconds). the system was evacuated and flooded with high-purity argon. the measurements were performed under argon (30 ml/min) in the dynamic mode. sample sizes ranged from 5 to 20 mg, and the heating rates used were 5°c/min and 1°c/min from 25 to 250°c. the slower heating rate was used for the n<2 composition samples to avoid excessive foaming during analysis. both tga/dsc and signals from the mass spectrometer in the sim (selective ion monitoring) mode were recorded. [0048] results of example 1 [0049] x-rav diffraction (xrd) [0050] xrd patterns of the different compositions are shown in figs. 1 and 2. all the samples have been ball-milled until bh 3 nh 3 was no longer detected. for ljh-poor samples (π= 1 / 3 , vz, and 1) one hour was sufficient, while the lih-rich samples required two hours of ball-milling. for clarity the lih peak positions have been marked. in this system, the observed phases vary with lih content. at small π-values, the predominant phase is assigned the α-phase, which is seen nearly as a pure phase in the sample. at this composition, only a very small amount of lih is detected in addition to the α-phase. in the n=y 3 sample, some broader peaks are observed which are not consistent with the α-phase. these broad peaks have been labeled δ. lih is not detected in the n=y 3 composition. with increasing lih content, new phases appear in the diffractograms. the first new phase is seen for /7=1 , where at ca. 23-24° new peaks are seen. the new diffraction peaks are labeled with circles in fig. 1. for n=2, a third phase is present, assigned γ-phase, giving a total of four phases, lih, α, β and γ. the γ-peak at ca. 22° is labeled with asterisks in fig. 1. there are many weaker reflections that appear with increasing lih content, both for /7=1 and n=2. the weaker reflections are considered resolvable to a respective previously-determined phase. the peak at ca. 26° appears first for /7=1 as a strong middle peak in a triplet. increasing the lih to the /7=2 composition causes the intensity of the 26° peak to increase further, while the two β peaks at 23° lose intensity (fig. 1). further increasing the lih content, to n=5 (fig. 2) results in a doublet in the 26° area, instead of the triplet that was there for π=1. this indicates that the β and γ phases have overlapping reflections in this region. therefore, as a positive identification of the three phases α, β and γ, one single strong feature has been chosen; for α the strong peak at 22.6°, for β the doublet at 23° and for γ the peak at 21.4°. [0051] one feature that should be noted is that the increasing lih content in the samples causes the α and β phases to become amorphous. fig. 2 shows that for the n=4 composition only very broad features are left of the α peak at 22.6° and the β doublet at 23°. the γ peak at 21.4°, however, is still strong and relatively sharp. at /τ=5, only the γ signature peak is left, together with two more broad features and the lih peak, and at n=q, only the lih peak is still present. it should be noted that even though the α, β and γ peaks show significant broadening of the xrd peaks upon increased lih content, the lih peak itself does not appear to change significantly. [0052] fig. 3 shows the xrd patterns as a function of ball-milling time for the n=2 composition. there is a loss of crystallinity with increasing ball- milling time. the only phase that appears unchanged by the ball-milling is lih. when the ball-milling exceeds two hours, the diffraction peaks for the α and β phases broaden and lose intensity. after four hours, little is left of the α and β peaks leaving just the γ phase and lih. however, the γ phase is also substantially broadened by the prolonged ball-milling. the loss in crystallinity with increased ball-milling time is typical for samples with larger lih content (this it true also for the n=v∑ and n=1 compositions). first, the α and β phases become amorphous, then the γ phase becomes amorphous at a later stage while lih remains unchanged. [0053] in order to asses the high temperature stability of the different phases in this system, in-situ xrd experiments were performed on the 1 and 2 samples. these three compositions represent all the phases observed in the quasi-binary lih-bh 3 nh 3 system. fig. 4 shows the peak intensity of the strongest α and β peaks as a function of temperature for the n=1 sample. the pressure in the capillary tube is also plotted. the β phase (crosses) clearly decomposes much earlier than the α phase (squares). the β peaks have completely disappeared at 80°c, while the α peaks are present in the sample until 130 0 c. the pressure curve indicates a two-step pressure increase suggesting that both phases decompose by releasing a gas. the γ phase was not present in the in situ xrd data shown in fig. 4, so a three-hour ball-milled π=2 sample was also studied. the γ peak intensities disappear at the same time as those of the β phase. based on this, and the fact that some of the peaks overlap, it is difficult to separate the β and γ phase decompositions, and determine each phase contribution to hydrogen storage at low temperatures. [0054] because the α-phase was obtained as a nearly pure phase, a crystal structure could be determined. table 1 displays the spacings, intensities and assigned indices. the indices relate to a tetragonal cell with a=4.032 angstroms and c=17.001 angstroms. from the systematic absences, the α- phase can be assigned the space group p-42ic. the lattice parameters give a cell volume of 276.41 cubic angstroms, nearly twice the cell volume (139.72 cubic angstroms and 134.65 cubic angstroms) for the two crystal structures of bh 3 nh 3 reported in the jcpdf. therefore, it would be expected that the α- phase would have four bh 3 nh 3 molecules per unit cell, twice that of neat bh 3 nh 3 , and two li atom per unit cell. assuming no hydrogen is lost during the formation, the calculated density of the α-phase would be 0.837 g/cm 3 . though the cell volume of the α-phase is twice that of bh 3 nh 3 , neither of the tetragonal lattice parameters have a rational relationship to those reported for bh 3 nh 3 . therefore, xrd data indicates that the bh 3 nh 3 molecules have a significantly different arrangement in the α-phase than bh 3 nh 3 , yet the cell volumes of the different structures is determined only by the number of bh 3 nh 3 molecules. [0055] thermal analysis [0056] tga curves for /1lih-bh 3 nh 3 {n=yz, 1 and 2) samples are shown in fig. 5. the n=y∑ and 1 samples have been ball-milled for one hour and the n=2 sample for two hours, yielding samples with no residual bh 3 nh 3 . these three samples have been chosen since they are representative of the phases observed in the lih-bh 3 nh 3 system. the n=1 and 2 samples exhibit a two-step weight-loss process. the first step is initiated at ca. 70-80 0 c, and is fairly rapid. this is also the most pronounced step. the second step is quite slow, and starts around 120 0 c and typically continues for 20-40 0 c. above 18o 0 c, the decomposition reaction has completed. for the n=vz sample, the weight loss appears to be a single-step process. the single step corresponds to the second, slower step seen in n=1 and 2. however, there is a small, gradual weight loss starting all ready at ca 8o 0 c indicating some small amount of decomposition is taking place at low temperatures. the n=vz composition behaves practically identical to the n=vz composition. for higher lih content {n=3, 4, 5 and 6), no new features are seen and the only change is in the total weight loss of the sample. the total weight loss becomes smaller, since the excess lih in the sample acts as a filler at these temperatures. [0057] it can be seen from fig. 5 that the weight loss decreases as the lih content increases. the n=vz sample has the largest overall weight loss, at ca. 10 wt%. increasing the lih content to n=1 gives a weight loss of ca 7 wt.%, and r?=2 has an even smaller weight loss, at ca. 5 wt.%. the maximum theoretical weight loss for the samples can be estimated assuming complete loss of hydrogen. if all hydrogen is released, the theoretical weight loss would be ca. 18 wt % for the n=1 sample, as illustrated in equation 1. the complete dehydrogenation of this composition: equation 1: bh 3 nh 3 + lih → libn + 3.5 h 2 ; 18 wt.% h 2 however, xrd patterns show that some lih is remains in the samples after ball- milling, and lih releases its hydrogen above 550 0 c. due to the high temperature of the decomposition of lih, the n>1 samples would of course have smaller, rather than larger, theoretical weight losses, since the excess lih does not contribute to the hydrogen storage at the current temperature range up to 200 0 c. [0058] the thermal behavior as a function of ball-milling time has also been studied for all sample compositions. longer ball-milling times result in a smaller weight loss for most compositions. when samples are ball-milled for tow hours or longer, there is a substantial pressure build up inside the ball- milling vessel. this excess pressure is due to the partial decomposition of the material during ball-milling. therefore, a smaller weight loss seen in the tga could mean that part of the material was already decomposed during ball- milling. when the sample is ball-milled overnight (12 hours), no weight loss was observed at all. this sample has a completely amorphous xrd pattern. [0059] differential scanning calorimetry has been used to study the heat flow during the decomposition reaction. fig. 6 shows the dsc curves as a function of the temperature for the n=vz, 1 and 2 compositions. the n=vz composition shows a sharp well defined exothermic signal that corresponds to the weight loss at ca. 120 0 c. this exothermic peak is followed by a second small exothermic feature at ca. 140°. a small possible endothermic feature is present at ca. 16o 0 c, and is directly followed by a third small exothermic peak. these last three events are rather small compared with the first feature, and when compared to fig. 5, they do not seem to correspond to a weight loss. the endothermic peak could be a partial melting of the sample. a complete melting has not occurred as seen by the still powdery nature of the sample after the experiment is complete. due to the upward sloping background in the dsc curves caused by the weight loss in the sample, the amount of overlap between the small exothermic and endothermic features is difficult to determine. [0060] the n=1 composition has a rather broad exothermic signature in the temperature range of the first weight-loss step at ca. 70-80 0 c. a second exothermic feature is seen for the second weight loss at ca. 140 0 c. this second feature is much smaller than the first, but sharper. there are no apparent extra endo- or exothermic peaks present for this composition. in the case of the n=2, and more lih rich samples, they all display a small endothermic peak before the first weight loss occurs, an endothermic peak that becomes overshadowed by the exothermic nature of the weight-loss reaction. this endothermic event might be a melting reaction that starts before the decomposition and is prevented from being completed by the decomposition reaction. the first step of the weight loss is associated with a single strong exothermic peak. the second weight loss corresponds with two very weak and broad exothermic signals. based on the dsc data for all the different sample compositions, it is seen that all three phases, α, β and γ, decompose exothermically. [0061] in order to determine which gases evolve during the decomposition of the samples, mass spectrometry was used. the ms data was collected simultaneously with tga and dsc data, to be able to fully correlate the evolved gases with each step in the decomposition process. for the n=vz composition, a single-step weight loss is seen. hydrogen is being released during this weight-loss step (fig. 7). a small dip in the hydrogen signal is seen at ca. 140 0 c. maximum in the hydrogen ion current signal is at close to 200 0 c. hydrogen is a very light gas, and it takes time for it to move from the sample into the mass spectrometer chamber, and also to move back out. therefore, the signal does not return to the baseline even after h 2 no longer is being released. nh 3 is also present in the gas phase. this nh 3 is released at about the same temperature as the h 2 , thereby making it difficult to avoid ammonia through changing the heating parameters. other gaseous species are present in very small quantities, and include b 2 h 6 , bnh and (bhnh) 3 (fig. 7). ref. 1 gives a comprehensive account of the decomposition of pure bh 3 nh 3 and the resulting evolved gaseous species. [0062] a two-step decomposition is seen for /7=1, and there is a small amount of hydrogen coming off in the first step, at ca. 60-70 0 c (fig. 8). there is also a substantial amount of ammonia being released at this temperature. the main amount of hydrogen is released in the second step, with a maximum at ca. 150 0 c. very small amounts of diborane, and other bnh decomposition products are released mostly in the second step. the /7=2 sample has the same general behavior as the n=1 composition, but with a smaller overall weight loss. the difference in the two steps of the gas release is more difficult to see for this composition, with the early hydrogen release being overshadowed by the strong broad maximum in the ion current for hydrogen at ca 15o 0 c (fig. 9). increasing the amount of lih further only causes a smaller overall weight loss, and does not influence the relative amounts of each evolved gas species. the same is true for n= λ a, which shows the same thermal and mass spectrometry data as the n=vz sample. [0063] these new phases are surprising since the expectation was to substitute li for h on the borazane molecule. however, here new crystallographic phases have been discovered. in fact, one of the phases discovered in this study (the α phase) is a borazane dimer, where two borazane molecules are linked together through a lithium bridge. there are a total of three new phases found in this system. all of them store large amounts of hydrogen. the phases found in this study show excellent hydrogen storage capabilities. a maximum of 10% weight loss below ca. 150 0 c can be obtained for the composition. this is a substantially larger hydrogen storage capacity compared with other classes of materials. table 1. xrd d-spacings data for the α-phase. peaks positions were obtained from the 72lih-bh 3 nh 3 sample. relative (hkh do dn intensity (002) 8.5319 8.5005 589 (004) 4.2582 4.2503 88 (101) 3.9276 3.9234 4426 (102) 3.6445 3.6431 129 (103) 3.2806 3.2854 102 (104) 2.9273 2.9252 59 (110) 2.8527 2.8512 790 (112) 2.7043 2.7032 183 (114) 2.3685 2.3678 122 (008) 2.1249 2.1251 32 (107) 2.0797 2.0805 37 (200) 2.0157 2.0161 81 (201) 2.0026 2.0021 41 (210) 1.8034 1.8033 34 (211) 1.7931 1.7932 77 (213) 1.7188 1.7184 22 (109) 1.7100 1.7106 30 (118) 1.7025 1.7039 15 (1011) 1.4436 1.4432 28 (220) 1.4266 1.4256 29 (0012) 1.4159 1.4168 41 (1112) 1.2696 1.2688 40 (1013) 1.2430 1.2440 65 [0064] the n=vz composition has the best hydrogen storage capacity of the samples tested. the samples were not single phase. high temperature xrd combined with tga, dsc and ms data indicate that the α phase releases hydrogen at ca. 150 0 c, while the β and γ phases has a lower decomposition temperature of ca. 80°. the decomposition behavior of the n=1 sample, containing both α and β, therefore reflects the behavior of both these phases. in fact, the rapid first decomposition step can be attributed to decomposition of the β phase, while the slower second step can be attributed to the α phase. since the n=1 sample contains mostly α and β, with some small addition of lih (ca 10- 20%), and based on the fact that the weight loss from the α phase is 40% of the full weight loss seen for the n= λ /z sample, there is about 40% α in the n=1 sample. thus, there is also about 40% β in this sample. based on this, the hydrogen storage capacity of the β phase is estimated at 6-7%. this is a substantial weight loss, and indicates that the β phase is attractive for hydrogen storage purposes. when viewing the dsc data, it seems that the exothermic signal for β decomposition is quite weak, signaling decomposition energetics favorable for recycling purposes. the ms data does suggest that some nh 3 is evolved in addition to the hydrogen. based on this, a decomposition reaction is thought to be: β → qh 2 + rnh 3 + amorphous white solid; 80 0 c α decomposes in much the same way as β, releasing hydrogen and also small amounts of nh 3 , diborane and borazine. based on this, a decomposition reaction is thought to be: α → qh 2 + rnh 3 + zb 2 h 6 + amorphous white solid; 150 0 c. the high temperature xrd and tga data suggest that γ decomposes at the same temperature as the β phase. since the γ phase is seen together with the β phase in most samples, it is not possible to distinguish which of the decomposition products can be assigned to γ alone. therefore, the same decomposition reaction is proposed for γ as for β: γ → qh 2 + rnh 3 + amorphous white solid; <80°c. [0065] the apparent rate of decomposition for the β and γ phases, combined with the low decomposition temperature makes β and γ attractive for hydrogen storage. the hydrogen release is an exothermic process so that rehydrogenation is an economic challenge. [0066] the results of the decomposition of α, β and γ have some major differences compared with the hydrogen storage properties of borazane itself. pure borazane has been show to have a 14 wt% mass loss, but with additional decomposition products being nh 3 , b 2 h 6 , (bhnh) 3 and others. the hydrogen is released in a two-step process, where borazane decomposed first to bh 2 nh 2 , and subsequently to polymeric bhnh. in contrast, the phases in the present invention decompose through single-step processes. [0067] in summary, the hlih-bh 3 nh 3 (n=%-6) system has been demonstrated here and studied using x-ray diffraction (xrd), thermogravimetric analysis (tga), differential scanning calorimetry (dsc), mass spectrometry (ms) and a combined dsc/tga/ms technique. this system contains several different phases, some of which release hydrogen below 150 0 c, with advantages as described above. [0068] accordingly, based on the above example, it is apparent that there are three new, previously unknown, phases, designated α, β and γ, in the hlih-bh 3 nh 3 system. the α phase can store up to 10wt% hydrogen, and release this hydrogen below 150 0 c. the hydrogen release is an exothermic event. from the xrd data, the α phase has been identified as a primitive tetragonal crystal structure with a p-42ic space group and lattice parameters of a=4.032 angstroms and c=17.001 angstroms. the hydrogen release for the β phase is very fast. the β phase releases hydrogen at ca. 8o 0 c. due to impurities in the samples containing the β phase, an experimentally-based estimate of the hydrogen storage capacity for the β phase was determined. it is estimated to be between 6 and 12wt% based on the amount of impurities present. the b-h-li-n quartemary system contains many new useable hydrogen storage phases. [0069] example 2: [0070] this example is for new hydrogen storage materials, as well as the preparation method. the materials are mixtures of borazane (bh 3 nh 3 ) and lithium alanate (liaih 4 ). [0071] cold milling borazane and liaih 4 produces hydrogen storage materials with thermal properties that differ from those of starting materials. liaih 4 additions to borazane reduce the exothermicity of desorption and the amount of byproducts. an optimum concentration of 20 mol% liaih 4 was observed. an exemplary preparation method follows. [0072] the mixing (ball-milling) was done under quasi-cryogenic conditions at preferred temperature of liquid nitrogen, about -195 ° c. temperatures below room temperature are usable, with temperatures between about 25°c and -195°c. the combination of mixing borazane with lithium alanate and milling it below room temperature resulted in a hydrogen storage material that had less byproducts than pure borazane and one that desorbed hydrogen with less exothermicity than pure borazane. the calorimetry is important because endothermic desorptions and very weakly exothermic desorptions are thought to be reversible. [0073] the raw materials were first milled separately in an inert atmosphere (argon) at room temperature for 30 minutes to reduce the particle size. next, 0.5g of the milled borazane and the appropriate amount of milled lithium alanate were milled together, again in an inert atmosphere. each vessel was retrofitted with a steel cap to promote a good seal with the vessel at cryogenic conditions. [0074] cold milling was accomplished by first dipping the vessel in a bath of liquid nitrogen for approximately two hours to cool, before ball-milling started. mixing was allowed to occur for no more than five minutes due to sample heating once out of the liquid nitrogen bath. if more milling time was desired, the vessel was first placed in liquid nitrogen for fifteen minutes to cool. after all of the milling was completed, the vessel was again inserted into the liquid nitrogen bath for approximately one hour before it was allowed to warm up to room temperature overnight. [0075] results of example 2 [0076] fig. 10 shows the x-ray patterns for the xuaih 4 (100-x)bh 3 nh 3 starting compositions (x=8, 14 and 20). all samples have been ball-milled under cryogenic conditions for 5 min. for the x=8 composition, the main diffraction peaks can be ascribed to bh 3 nh 3 (open circles) with only very small amounts of al-metal (solid squares) as a ball-milling product. there is no evidence for any liaih 4 starting material still being present in the sample. it is therefore assumed that all lithium alanate is consumed during ball-milling, and the al-metal is formed as a result of this reaction. increasing the lithium alanate content in the sample increases the intensity of the aluminum peaks, and decreases the intensity of the borazane peaks. further increase of liaih 4 results in a rapid decrease in the borazane peak intensity without a correspondingly strong increase in the aluminum peak intensity (x=20 composition). there is one very broad feature at ca 10-15° which is strongest for the x=14 composition. this feature is not consistent with either of the starting materials, and also not consistent with aluminum metal. from the x-ray diffraction data, it seems that there is a chemical reaction between the starting components during the cryogenic ball-milling, and the product of this reaction does not have any crystalline x-ray diffraction pattern. the amorphous nature of this reaction product is probably partly due to the cryogenic conditions under which it was formed, the low temperature slowing down diffusion in the sample. however, the same starting composition and ball-milling times at room temperature does not produce any crystalline products either. rather ball-milling these materials together at room temperature results in decomposition of the material inside the ball-milling vessel. the only crystalline product found in the diffraction pattern is aluminum metal, and there is a substantial overpressure inside the vessel, stemming from gaseous decomposition products. it is quite curious that there are no crystalline lithium phases to be found, and the nature of the lithium in the reaction products is not known. [0077] fig. 11 shows tga curves for different xijaih 4 (100-x)bh 3 nh 3 compositions (x=8, 14, 20, and 30). all samples have been ball-milled under cryogenic conditions for 5 min. the x=8 composition has a two-step weight loss, where the two steps are largely overlapping. the first weight loss starts at ca. 100 0 c, followed by a new, larger, weight loss at ca. 12o 0 c. this two-step reaction is quite similar to that seen by pure borazane. the first decomposition step for bh 3 nh 3 is at ca. 100 0 c, and the second at ca. 130 0 c. it is not surprising, given the large excess of bh 3 nh 3 in the x=8 sample, that borazane decomposition dominates the overall weight loss picture. for the other compositions, only a single weight loss is observed, with an onset of ca. 100 0 c for all compositions. this means that these more alanate-rich compositions behave differently than borazane, indicating again that the ball-milling has produced new materials. [0078] a comparison between the weight loss after cryogenic and room temperature ball-milling is seen in fig. 12, where the tga curves for x=20 at room temperature (solid line) and cryogenic (dashed line) conditions is shown. as seen, there are more gaseous byproducts being formed during the decomposition of the room temperature sample compared with the cryogenically ball-milled sample. both samples have been ball-milled for 5 min. the trend is apparent for other compositions and ball-milling times as well, and it is clear that less byproducts form if the sample has been ball-milled under cryogenic conditions. [0079] fig. 13 shows the dsc signals in the range 50-200 0 c where most of the thermal events occur. it is seen that the dsc signal is affected to a large extent by the liaih 4 concentration. when heated, borazane alone usually shows a small endothermic melting followed by a strong exothermic event that occurs at ca. 100 0 c (the same temperature as a majority of the mass loss). the addition of liaih 4 reduces the exothermic behavior of the material significantly. the small endothermic melting feature also disappears with increasing liaih 4 content, and in fact, by adding 20 mol% liaih 4 the resulting sample is almost thermo-neutral. however, by adding even more liaih 4 , 45 mol%, the material that is produced after milling does not have any measurable weight loss nor does it have a thermal event in the temperature range we are interested in for automotive applications. [0080] the amounts of hydrogen and byproducts (i.e. nh 3 and (bhnh) 3 ) that desorb from each of the samples are shown in figures 14-17. since the mass spectrometer was not calibrated, the results are not presented in concentrations but rather as ion currents in units of current per mass of sample. it is seen from figure 14 that hydrogen is the major component of the gas phase during decomposition, and that its detection corresponds very well to the weight loss registered by the tga. however, both nh 3 and (bhnh) 3 are also seen at the start of the weight loss, thus making it difficult to construct a temperature scheme that will completely eliminate the contamination. what is seen, however, is that the amount of liaih 4 present in the sample greatly reduces the amount of contaminants. table 2 shows the area under each of the mass spectrometer signals for each product normalized to the amount of borazane in the sample. this normalization was done to confirm that the alanate was not just a dilutant. the 20 mol% alanate system cold milled for 5 min reduces the amount of nh 3 , bnh x and (bhnh) 3 that desorbs by more than any of the other samples. as compared to borazane alone, the nh 3 and bnh x concentrations are reduced by an order of magnitude, while the (bhnh) 3 concentration is reduced by nearly an order of magnitude. it appears from this set of experiments that there is an optimum concentration of 20 mol% liaih 4 and milling for more than 5 minutes is not beneficial because more byproducts desorb upon heating. [0081] in summary, the cold milling, or cryogenic milling, process of the present invention is conducted at a temperature below ambient or below about room temperature, nominally considered to be 25 ° c, desirably at a cold temperature less than -100 ° c, and preferably and conveniently at the temperature of liquid nitrogen of about -195 ° c. in this cold condition, metastable phases are achieved that would otherwise not form during room temperature ball-milling. regular room temperature ball-milling essentially drives the system to a completely dehydrogenated state, and the resulting product is not capable of accepting any hydrogen. cooling down the materials before ball-milling and subsequent cold milling conditions creates an environment where compounds that are unstable at room temperature can exist. the kinetics are slow enough, even at ambient conditions, that the decomposition of these products can be controlled by gentle heating. accordingly, reaction is conveniently controllable so that ambient conditions provide sustained shelf life. thus, the product has sustained shelf life at ambient conditions and further extended shelf life at cooler conditions. [0082] the present invention overcomes difficulties encountered when precursor materials are mixed together at essentially ambient conditions and where such mixing generates heat due to the energy of impact, resulting in dehydrogenated hydrogen storage materials that substantially evolve byproducts with no hydrogen or very low portion of hydrogen released in the form of hydrogen gas. [0083] therefore, the present invention achieves mixing at a temperature that does not initiate a hydrogen release reaction and that facilitates release of hydrogen under conditions where a higher proportion of substantially pure hydrogen gas is released out of the materials, and a lesser proportion of hydrogen is bound in undesirable decomposition products. the process also improves thermal behavior of the materials lending itself to a thermodynamic system for regeneration or rehydrogenation. therefore, the system and method provides hydrogen release with a thermic control, as compared to conventional systems and methods. [0084] conveniently, when it is desired to release hydrogen from the system, the system may be permitted to simply heat to room temperature; however, the release of hydrogen is very slow and even at room temperature, the hydrogen storage material has an essentially stable shelf life, at least for a period of months, due to the very slow decay time. conveniently, when it is desired to evolve hydrogen at a high-volume rate, the system is heated to about 100o to evolve hydrogen. such evolution occurs with a lower proportion of undesirable byproduct compounds, as described earlier. [0085] advantageously, according to the above, the invention provides a new material that is essentially stable at room temperature in a suitable atmosphere or environment and at least meta-stable at room temperature. such suitable atmosphere or environment constitutes one which does not react with the material, is essentially inert with respect to the material and is desirably non- oxidizing, and preferably a vacuum or inert atmosphere. representative inert gases are argon and helium and the like. the material formed by the process of the invention is kinetically inhibited from decomposition until heat is added, preferably to 100°c. [0086] the preferred combination of precursors is about 20 atomic percent lithium alanate (liaih 4 ) and about 80 atomic % of the borazane. the cold ball-milling process is conveniently conducted for about five minutes, and the weight percent evolution is about 16%, which is very attractive relative to the theoretical maximum of hydrogen evolution on the order of 17-18%. table 2. effect of liaih 4 concentration on desorption product quantities [0087] all of the aforementioned hydrogen storage materials, as produced by the aforementioned processes, are preferably deposited on porous scaffolding material to form a composite hydrogen storage material. the scaffolding materials can be silica based materials, metal-organic framework materials, zeolite type materials, an alumina-based material, or carbon-based porous material. it is envisioned the scaffolding material has an average pore diameter of 1-5 nm and, preferably, an average pore diameter of 2-4 nm. the scaffolding material additionally has a surface area which is greater than about 450 m 2 /g and, preferably, greater than about 500 m 2 /g. [0088] the scaffolding material is optionally coated with ab2, ab5, ab, a2b type materials, sodium alanate alone, or linh 2 + lih, linh 2 + libh 4 , or mixtures thereof. the scaffolding material is preferably coated with a libnh or libnaih hydrogen storage material, and most preferably the family of liaih 4 - bh 3 nh 3 or lih-bh 3 nh 3 materials described above. [0089] the hydrogen storage materials are preferably dissolved in a non-aqueous solution and deposited onto the mesoporous scaffolding material. in this regard, the non-aqueous solution is preferably a cyclic ether such as tetro hydro furan, which is driven off the mesoporous-scaffold to form a hydrogen storage composite structure. [0090] the resulting composite structures are rechargeable hydrogen storage materials which have a reduced heat of decomposition when compared to their non-composite hydrogen storage analogs. further, the composite structures are formed in such a manner that only hydrogen is evolved and detected outside of the scaffolding during decomposition. [0091] in one embodiment of the invention, a composite hydrogen storage material is formed having a mesoporous scaffolding material with a median pore size of about 2-4 nm, and a surface area of greater than 500 m 2 /g. the mesoporous scaffolding material is coated with hydrogen storage material such as lib 2 n 2 h 13 , libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , 0.2 mol liaih 4 - 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 mixture and mixtures thereof. [0092] in another embodiment of the invention, a composite hydrogen storage material is formed having a silica-based mesoporous scaffolding material with a median pore size of about 2-4 nm, and a surface of greater than 500 m 2 /g. the silica-based mesoporous scaffolding material is coated with hydrogen storage material such as lib 2 n 2 hi3, libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , 0.2 mol liaih 4 - 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 mixture and mixtures thereof. [0093] in another embodiment of the invention, a composite hydrogen storage material is formed having a carbon-based mesoporous scaffolding material with a median pore size of about 2-4 nm, and a surface of greater than 500 m 2 /g. the carbon-based mesoporous scaffolding material is coated with hydrogen storage material such as lib 2 n 2 hi 3 , libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , 0.2 mol liaih 4 - 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 mixture and mixtures thereof. [0094] in another embodiment of the invention, a composite hydrogen storage material is formed having an alumina-based mesoporous scaffolding material with a median pore size of about 2-4 nm, and a surface of greater than 500 m 2 /g. the aluminum-based mesoporous scaffolding material is coated with hydrogen storage material such as lib 2 n 2 hi 3 , libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , 0.2 mol liaih 4 - 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 mixture and mixtures thereof. [0095] in another embodiment of the invention, a composite hydrogen storage material is formed having a mesoporous zeolite scaffolding material with a median pore size of about 2-4 nm, and a surface of greater than about 500 m 2 /g. the zeolite scaffolding material is coated with hydrogen storage material such as lib 2 n 2 hi 3 , libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , 0.2 mol liaih 4 - 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 mixture and mixtures thereof. [0096] in another embodiment of the invention, a composite hydrogen storage material is formed having a mesoporous metal-organic scaffolding framework with a median pore size of about 2-4 nm, and a surface of greater than 500 m 2 /g. the mesoporous metal-organic scaffolding material is coated with hydrogen storage material such as lib 2 n 2 hi 3 , libnh 7 , li 2 bnh 8 , 0.2 mol liaih 4 - 0.8 mol bh 3 nh 3 mixture and mixtures thereof. [0097] the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention. such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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037-947-387-389-422
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US
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[
"US"
] |
F21V29/63,H01L23/467,H02H9/04,H05B44/00,B05B17/06,H05K7/20
| 2013-10-22T00:00:00 |
2013
|
[
"F21",
"H01",
"H02",
"H05",
"B05"
] |
power circuitry for a synthetic jet of a cooling system
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a cooling system includes a synthetic jet having a first synthetic jet lead and a second synthetic jet lead. the cooling system also includes a capacitor having a first capacitor lead and a second capacitor lead. the first capacitor lead is coupled to the first synthetic jet lead. the synthetic jet is configured to be powered via an alternating current (ac) power source coupled to the second capacitor lead and to the second synthetic jet lead.
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1. a cooling system comprising: a synthetic jet having a first synthetic jet lead and a second synthetic jet lead; and a tunable capacitor having a first capacitor lead and a second capacitor lead, wherein the first capacitor lead is directly coupled to the first synthetic jet lead, and the synthetic jet is configured to be directly powered via an alternating current (ac) power source coupled directly to the second capacitor lead and to the second synthetic jet lead, wherein the tunable capacitor is tuned to adjust an input voltage applied to the synthetic jet. 2. the cooling system of claim 1 , comprising a transient voltage suppressor (tvs) configured to be coupled to the ac power source in parallel with the synthetic jet and the capacitor. 3. the cooling system of claim 2 , wherein the tvs comprises a plurality of zener diodes. 4. the cooling system of claim 1 , comprising a shunt network coupled to the first and second synthetic jet leads and configured to filter power from the ac power source. 5. the cooling system of claim 4 , wherein the shunt network comprises a resistive element, a capacitive element, an inductive element, or some combination thereof. 6. the cooling system of claim 1 , wherein a size of the capacitor is such that the synthetic jet receives a peak voltage of approximately 20 to 50 volts from the ac power source. 7. the cooling system of claim 1 , wherein a capacitance of the capacitor is approximately 10 to 100 nf. 8. the cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the capacitor and the synthetic jet are coupled together serially and are configured to be coupled serially with the ac power source. 9. the cooling system of claim 1 , comprising a fuse coupled serially with the capacitor and the synthetic jet. 10. the cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the capacitor comprises a film capacitor. 11. the cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the cooling system is part of an ac powered light assembly, an ac adapter, a light-emitting diode (led) system, a power supply, or some combination thereof. 12. the cooling system of claim 1 , wherein the synthetic jet comprises a piezoelectric jet. 13. a lighting system comprising: a light assembly; a cooling system disposed adjacent to the light assembly and configured to direct air toward the light assembly to cool the light assembly, wherein the cooling system comprises: a synthetic jet having a first synthetic jet lead and a second synthetic jet lead; and a tunable capacitor having a first capacitor lead and a second capacitor lead, wherein the first capacitor lead is directly coupled to the first synthetic jet lead, and the synthetic jet is configured to be directly powered via an alternating current (ac) power source coupled directly to the second capacitor lead and to the second synthetic jet lead, wherein the tunable capacitor is tuned to adjust an input voltage applied to the synthetic jet. 14. the lighting system of claim 13 , wherein the light assembly comprises a light-emitting diode (led) light assembly. 15. the lighting system of claim 13 , comprising power circuitry configured to power the light assembly using power from the ac power source, wherein the cooling system is disposed adjacent to the power circuitry and configured to direct air toward the power circuitry to cool the power circuitry. 16. the lighting system of claim 13 , wherein the cooling system comprises a shunt network coupled to the first and second synthetic jet leads and configured to filter power from the ac power source. 17. the lighting system of claim 13 , wherein the cooling system comprises a transient voltage suppressor (tvs) configured to be coupled to the ac power source in parallel with the synthetic jet and the capacitor. 18. a cooling system comprising: a piezoelectric synthetic jet; and synthetic jet power circuitry configured to condition power from an alternating current (ac) power source, and to provide the conditioned power directly to the piezoelectric synthetic jet, wherein the synthetic jet power circuitry consists essentially of a tunable capacitor tuned to adjust an input voltage applied to the piezoelectric synthetic jet. 19. the cooling system of claim 18 , wherein the piezoelectric synthetic jet comprises a first synthetic jet lead and a second synthetic jet lead, the capacitor comprises a first capacitor lead and a second capacitor lead, the first capacitor lead is directly coupled to the first synthetic jet lead, and the ac power source is directly coupled to the second capacitor lead and to the second synthetic jet lead. 20. the cooling system of claim 18 , wherein the capacitor comprises a variable capacitor, and a capacitance of the variable capacitor is configured to vary as a function of a feedback.
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background the present invention relates generally to cooling systems, and more particularly to power circuitry for a synthetic jet of a cooling system. electronic devices such as computing systems and lighting systems typically include heat generating elements like integrated circuits (ics), semiconductor components, electrical connections, and light emitting diodes (leds) that lead to device heating. light emitting diodes tend to heat up and dissipate heat to their surroundings as a result of the power provided to them by power circuitry. the heat generated in leds as well as ics can lead to significant reduction in the operational efficiency and/or overheating. accordingly, many electronic devices are fitted with cooling systems to reduce heat produced by the electronic devices. certain cooling systems include synthetic jets. synthetic jets typically include two plates that form a fluid housing. when the plates are moved back and forth from their original position, ambient air enters the fluid housing and also leaves the fluid housing. at least one of the two plates has apertures to allow for fluids to enter and exit the fluid housing. piezoelectric transducers may be used to generate motion of the plates in synthetic jets owing to their property of converting electric signals to mechanical vibrations. in certain synthetic jets, at least one plate includes a piezoelectric transducer that is connected to a power source. when an electric signal is provided to the piezoelectric transducer, the plate with the transducer moves away from the rest of the jet assembly thereby increasing the volume of the fluid housing. the increase in volume leads to suction of air into the fluid housing through the apertures on the plate. when the electric signal is disconnected or when a rapidly changing alternating electric signal is applied, the piezoelectric transducer returns to its normal position, thus leading to a reduction in volume of the fluid housing. the reduction in volume leads to a release of air from the apertures, which cools the components of the electronic device that are proximate to the synthetic jets. as may be appreciated, the circuitry used to power the synthetic jets may include many components, may consume a considerable amount of power, and/or may be expensive. furthermore, in certain applications, the circuitry used to power the synthetic jets may take up a considerable amount of valuable space and/or volume, thereby blocking the use of the circuitry in certain applications. moreover, such circuitry may increase a cost of using the synthetic jets, thereby deterring use of the synthetic jets. brief description in one embodiment, a cooling system includes a synthetic jet having a first synthetic jet lead and a second synthetic jet lead. the cooling system also includes a capacitor having a first capacitor lead and a second capacitor lead. the first capacitor lead is coupled to the first synthetic jet lead. the synthetic jet is configured to be powered via an alternating current (ac) power source coupled to the second capacitor lead and to the second synthetic jet lead. in another embodiment, a lighting system includes a light assembly and a cooling system disposed adjacent to the light assembly. the cooling system is configured to direct air toward the light assembly to cool the light assembly. the cooling system includes a synthetic jet having a first synthetic jet lead and a second synthetic jet lead. the cooling system also includes a capacitor having a first capacitor lead and a second capacitor lead. the first capacitor lead is directly coupled to the first synthetic jet lead. the synthetic jet is configured to be powered via an alternating current (ac) power source coupled directly to the second capacitor lead and to the second synthetic jet lead. in another embodiment, a cooling system includes a piezoelectric synthetic jet and synthetic jet power circuitry. the synthetic jet power circuitry is configured to condition power from an alternating current (ac) power source, and to provide the conditioned power to the piezoelectric synthetic jet. the synthetic jet power circuitry consists essentially of a capacitor. additional protective elements such as a fuse, a transient voltage suppressor, and/or a metal oxide varistor may be added as desired without compromising the functionality of the synthetic jet power circuitry. furthermore, additional elements may be added to selectively tune harmonics in the synthetic jet power circuitry. brief description of the drawings these and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein: fig. 1 is block diagram of an embodiment of a lighting system having a cooling system, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; fig. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a synthetic jet device that may be used with the cooling system of fig. 1 , in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of synthetic jet power circuitry for powering a synthetic jet device of the cooling system of fig. 1 , in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of synthetic jet power circuitry for powering a synthetic jet device of the cooling system of fig. 1 , in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; fig. 5 is a chart of an embodiment of a frequency response of a synthetic jet device at different operating voltages, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure; and fig. 6 is a chart of an embodiment of a voltage across a synthetic jet device with different sizes of blocking capacitors, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. detailed description embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to cooling systems, such as a cooling system used in a lighting system. for example, a cooling system may include a synthetic jet configured to be powered from an alternating current (ac) power source. in certain embodiments, the synthetic jet may be coupled directly to the ac power source. in other embodiments, a capacitor may be serially coupled to the synthetic jet, and the ac power source may be coupled directly to the capacitor and synthetic jet that are arranged serially. accordingly, the synthetic jet may be powered using few components that consume small amounts of power, and may be produced with low cost. as may be appreciated, while certain embodiments describe the cooling system as part of a lighting system, other embodiments may use the cooling system as part of any suitable electronic device or assembly, such as an ac adapter, a power supply, a portable electronics device, a computing device, a desktop computer, a handheld computer, a mobile phone, a printed circuit board, a light assembly, a light-emitting diode (led) system, and so forth. referring now to fig. 1 , a block diagram of an embodiment of a lighting system 10 having a cooling system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. the lighting system 10 is powered by an ac power source 12 , such as an electrical outlet or generator. the ac power source 12 may provide any suitable voltage. for example, the ac power source 12 may provide 120 vac, 230 vac, or any other suitable ac voltage. the lighting system 10 includes power circuitry 14 for driving (e.g., powering) a light assembly 16 . in accordance with one embodiment, the power circuitry 14 may include a number of electronic devices, microchips, and/or integrated circuits residing on a system board, such as a printed circuit board (pcb). moreover, the light assembly 16 may include one or more light sources, an led system, or any other suitable light emitting device. in one embodiment, the light assembly 16 may be capable of producing at least approximately 1500 lumens, while in other embodiments the light assembly 16 may produce fewer or greater lumens. the lighting system 10 includes a cooling system 18 to cool the light assembly 16 and/or to cool the power circuitry 14 . for example, the cooling system 18 may be configured to cool the light assembly 16 and/or to cool the power circuitry 14 such that temperatures of the light assembly 16 and/or the power circuitry 14 remain at less than 100° c. under normal operating conditions. in certain embodiments, the cooling system 18 may be disposed adjacent to the light assembly 16 and/or the power circuitry 14 and configured to direct air toward the light assembly 16 and/or the power circuitry 14 to facilitate cooling. as illustrated, the cooling system 18 includes synthetic jet power circuitry 20 and at least one synthetic jet device 22 . the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 is used to facilitate conditioning of power provided to the synthetic jet device 22 . in certain embodiments, as described herein, the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may include only a single capacitor. furthermore, in other embodiments, the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may include a fuse, a shunt network (e.g., for tuning or detuning harmonics as applicable), and/or a transient voltage suppressor (tvs) in addition to a capacitor. accordingly, the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 includes very few devices, thereby facilitating low operating power and low cost production of the cooling system 18 . fig. 2 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the synthetic jet device 22 that may be used with the cooling system 18 of fig. 1 . the synthetic jet device 22 includes plates 24 , a flexible wall 26 , and an orifice 28 . the plates 24 are separated from one another by the flexible wall 26 . the flexible wall 26 includes the orifice 28 on the perimeter of the wall. the plates 24 are placed on either sides of the flexible wall 26 to define a fluid housing. to direct the volume of the fluid housing to increase and/or decrease, at least one of the plates 24 may be displaced. as may be appreciated, by decreasing the volume of the fluid housing, fluid 30 may be directed out of the fluid housing. in certain embodiments, the plates 24 are made from piezoelectric material or piezoelectric material bonded to a rigid disc, thereby enabling the plates 24 to be displaced when electric signals are provided thereto. in certain other embodiments, the plates 24 may be formed from materials including plastic, metal, glass or any other suitable materials. in such embodiments, the plates 24 may be coupled to linear actuators to enable displacement. examples of linear actuators include, but are not limited to, piezoelectric actuators, electric actuators, ultrasonic actuators, electro-restrictive actuators, pneumatic actuators, and magnetic actuators. the piezoelectric actuators may be monomorph devices or bimorph devices. the synthetic jet device 22 includes a first synthetic jet lead 32 and a second synthetic jet lead 34 . to actuate the plates 24 made from piezoelectric material, a power source (e.g., the ac power source 12 ) is coupled to the plates 24 using the first and second synthetic jet leads 32 and 34 . the power source is configured to provide alternating or direct current to the plates 24 . the flexible wall 26 may be formed from a metal, plastic, glass, ceramic, elastomeric material, or any suitable material. suitable metals include materials such as nickel, aluminum, copper and molybdenum, or alloys such as stainless steel, brass, bronze and the like. suitable elastomeric material includes silicones, rubbers, urethanes, and the like. the plates 24 and the wall 26 may be adhered to each other with the help of suitable adhesives, or solders, or other fixing mechanisms. in embodiments in which actuation signals are provided to the actuators on the plates 24 , the plates 24 expand directing the volume in the housing to increase. with an increase in the volume of the housing, fluid enters the fluid housing through the orifice 28 . in embodiments in which piezoelectric material is bonded to a rigid disc, the expansion of the piezoelectric material directs the rigid disc to deform into a dome shape thereby directing the volume of the housing to increase. in embodiments in which the power source provides dc electric signals, the plates 24 return to their original positions when the electric signals are disconnected leading to a reduction in volume of the fluid housing. in certain embodiments, when alternating electric signals are provided by the power source, the plates 24 are displaced in an opposite direction thereby causing a further reduction in volume of the fluid housing. when the volume in the fluid housing is reduced, a jet of fluid 30 escapes the orifice 28 . the synthetic jet device 22 is positioned such that the jet of fluid 30 escaping from the orifice 28 is directed toward heat generating elements (e.g., power circuitry 14 , light assembly 16 , etc.). through convection, the jet of fluid 30 facilitates a reduction of the temperature of the heat generating elements. the process of applying electric signals to the actuators on the plates 24 may be repeated periodically to reduce the temperature of the heat generating elements. in certain embodiments, control systems may be used to control the application of electric signals to the plates 24 . in some embodiments, to reduce the temperature of multiple heat generating elements, multiple synthetic jet devices 22 may be placed in a housing that holds the heat generating elements. fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 for powering the synthetic jet device 22 of the cooling system 18 of fig. 1 . as illustrated, the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 only includes a capacitor (c block ) 36 coupled in series with the synthetic jet device 22 and the ac power source 12 . specifically, a first capacitor lead 38 of the capacitor 36 is directly coupled to the first synthetic jet lead 32 of the synthetic jet device 22 . moreover, a second capacitor lead 38 of the capacitor 36 is directly coupled to the ac power source 12 , and the second synthetic jet lead 32 of the synthetic jet device 22 is directly coupled to the ac power source 12 . as may be appreciated, the capacitor 36 may be any suitable type of capacitor, such as a ceramic capacitor, a film capacitor, a power film capacitor, an electrolytic capacitor, a supercapacitor, and so forth. furthermore, in certain embodiments, the capacitor 36 may be adjustable (e.g., tunable) to change its capacitance. such tunable capacitors may be integrated with feedback loops that adjust the capacitance as a function of a measured parameter such as a voltage or a current. as illustrated, the synthetic jet device 22 may include capacitive and resistive characteristics. such capacitive and resistive characteristics of the synthetic jet device 22 are represented by a capacitor (c jet ) 42 and a resistor (r jet ) 44 . the representative resistor 44 of the synthetic jet device 22 generally does not have much voltage drop across it because of the synthetic jet device 22 operating at low currents. therefore, a peak-to-peak voltage (v ac ) provided by the ac power source 12 is substantially divided between the capacitor 42 of the synthetic jet device 22 and the capacitor 36 of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 . thus, the capacitor 36 of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may be appropriately sized to facilitate a desired voltage (v jet ) across the capacitor 42 of the synthetic jet device 22 . the voltage applied across the synthetic jet device 22 may be approximated as: as may be appreciated, the capacitor 36 of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 is used to reduce the voltage across the capacitor 42 of the synthetic jet device 22 . accordingly, in systems in which the ac power source 12 provides a suitable voltage for operating the synthetic jet device 22 , the capacitor 36 of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may not be used. in certain embodiments, a suitable voltage for operating the synthetic jet device 22 may be between approximately 20 to 50 peak volts from the ac power source 12 . in such embodiments, the capacitor 36 of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may be sized to have a capacitance of approximately 10 to 100 nf. for example, in certain embodiments, the capacitor 36 of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may have a capacitance of approximately 22 nf or 39 nf. as described herein, the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 includes only the capacitor 36 . therefore, the synthetic jet device 22 may be powered with little cost and using components that consume small amounts of power. fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 for powering the synthetic jet device 22 of the cooling system 18 of fig. 1 . the illustrated embodiment includes the capacitor 36 in series with the synthetic jet device 22 . the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 also includes a fuse 46 in series with the ac power source 12 , the capacitor 36 , and the synthetic jet device 22 . the fuse 46 may be used as over current protection for various components of the cooling system 18 . the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 includes a transient voltage suppressor (tvs) 48 coupled across the ac power source 12 and positioned in parallel with the capacitor 36 and the synthetic jet device 22 . the tvs 48 may include one or more diodes (e.g., zener diodes, avalanche diodes, etc.), metal-oxide varistors, and/or gas discharge tubes configured to react to sudden and/or momentary overvoltage conditions, thereby protecting other components of the cooling system 18 . in the illustrated embodiment, the tvs 48 includes two zener diodes 50 and 52 . the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 also includes a shunt network 54 parallel to the synthetic jet device 22 and configured to filter out higher order frequencies (e.g., harmonics) that may be present in the ac waveform from the ac power source 12 . specifically, the shunt network 54 includes passive elements such as a resistive element (r) 56 , an inductive element (l) 58 , and/or a capacitive element (c) 60 to filter out the higher order frequencies while minimizing impact on the fundamental ac waveform from the ac power source 12 . as described herein, the synthetic jet power circuitry 20 may include various circuit protection and/or filtering elements that may be implemented with few components and low cost. fig. 5 is a chart 62 of an embodiment of a frequency response of the synthetic jet device 22 at different operating voltages. specifically, the chart 62 illustrates an impedance 64 of the synthetic jet device 22 relative to a frequency 65 applied to the synthetic jet device 22 . in a first curve 66 , a voltage of approximately 1.6 v is applied to the synthetic jet device 22 . furthermore, in a second curve 67 , a voltage of approximately 10.0 v is applied to the synthetic jet device 22 . moreover, in a third curve 68 , a voltage of approximately 15.0 v is applied to the synthetic device 22 . each of the first, second, and third curves 66 , 67 , and 68 have a substantially similar slope. as illustrated, a line 70 intersects the first, second, and third curves 66 , 67 , and 68 at a frequency of approximately 60 hz. furthermore, the chart 62 illustrates the capacitive nature of the synthetic jet device 22 , showing that a capacitance has the impedance 64 that is inversely proportional to the frequency 65 applied thereto. accordingly, there is a linear relationship between the impedance 64 of the synthetic jet device 22 and the frequency 65 applied to the synthetic jet device 22 when shown logarithmically. therefore, the synthetic jet device 22 may mimic a capacitor in synthesizing a drive signal, as described above. fig. 6 is a chart 72 of an embodiment of a voltage across the synthetic jet device 22 with different sizes of blocking capacitors. specifically, the chart 72 illustrates a peak ac voltage 74 of the synthetic jet device 22 relative to a peak ac voltage input 76 applied by the ac power source 12 with different sizes of blocking capacitors (e.g., capacitor 36 ). in a first curve 78 , the capacitor 36 has a capacitance of approximately 39 nf. furthermore, in a second curve 80 , the capacitor 36 has a capacitance of approximately 22 nf. as illustrated, depending on the capacitance of the capacitor 36 , the peak ac voltage 74 applied to the synthetic jet device 22 may be adjusted based on the peak ac voltage input 76 . for example, using the second curve 80 , if the peak ac voltage input 76 is approximately 120 vac, the peak ac voltage 74 of the synthetic jet device 22 is approximately 22 vac. as may be appreciated, the flow of air from the synthetic jet device 22 may be dependent on the applied voltage and/or frequency. accordingly, the flow of air from the synthetic jet device 22 may be tuned by adjusting the applied voltage and/or frequency. technical effects of the invention include powering the synthetic jet device 22 using few, if any, components in addition to the synthetic jet device 22 . for example, in some embodiments, the synthetic jet device 22 may be powered directly from an ac power source. in other embodiments, only one passive component (e.g., a capacitor) may be coupled in series with the synthetic jet device 22 and the ac power source for powering the synthetic jet device 22 . moreover, no active components may be used for powering the synthetic jet device 22 . therefore, the synthetic jet device 22 may be powered using circuitry having few components, low cost, and/or low power consumption. this written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. the patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
|
039-741-639-824-232
|
GR
|
[
"CN",
"US",
"TW",
"EP",
"WO",
"BR",
"KR"
] |
H04L5/00,H04L5/14,H04W72/12,H04W16/14,H04W72/04,H04W74/00
| 2020-02-27T00:00:00 |
2020
|
[
"H04"
] |
correlation of shared channel reference signal bundling with preemption indication
|
aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. in some aspects, a user equipment (ue) may receive a preempt indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, where the one or more shared channel communications are to be bundled by a time domain rs based at least in part on a reference signal (rs) associated with the shared channel. the ue may selectively perform time domain rs bundling for the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. numerous other aspects are provided.
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1 . a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (ue), comprising: receiving a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain reference signal (rs) bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively performing time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a type of preemption associated with the preemption indication. 3 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the resources indicated by the preemption indication include one or more rs resources. 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the preemption indication indicates that a shared channel communication, of the one or more shared channel communications, is to be fully preempted. 5 . the method of claim 4 , wherein, responsive to the preemption indication indicating that the shared channel communication is to be fully preempted, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether a gap, associated with the shared channel communication that is to be fully preempted, satisfies a threshold. 6 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on timing of the preemption indication. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption. 8 . the method of claim 7 , further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption based at least in part on a ue capability. 9 . the method of claim 7 , further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received after an end of a last shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications. 10 . the method of claim 7 , further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at least a threshold amount of time after an end of a last shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications. 11 . the method of claim 10 , wherein the threshold amount of time is based at least in part on a ue capability. 12 . the method of claim 7 , further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at a time that would cause the ue to change a rs bundling behavior. 13 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a pre-indication associated with the preemption. 14 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a current-indication associated with the preemption. 15 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a ue capability. 16 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a configured rs bundling parameter. 17 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for all of the one or more shared channel communications. 18 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for at least one subset of shared channel communications included in the one or more shared channel communications. 19 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for a first subset of shared channel communications, of the one or more shared channel communications, and performing time-domain rs bundling for a second subset of the shared channel communications of the one or more shared channel communications, wherein the first subset of shared channel communications is before the resources of the at least one shared channel communication that are preempted, and wherein the second subset of shared channel communications is after the resources of the at least one shared channel communication that are preempted. 20 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for a first subset of shared channel communications, of the one or more shared channel communications, and performing per-shared channel rs processing for at least one other shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications, wherein the first subset of shared channel communications is before the resources of the at least one shared channel communication that are preempted, and wherein the at least one other shared channel communication is after the resources of the at least one shared channel communication that are preempted. 21 . the method of claim 1 , wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes refraining from performing time-domain rs bundling for any of the one or more shared channel communications. 22 . the method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving an indication that the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled via at least one of: radio resource control signaling; a medium access control control element; or downlink control information. 23 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the shared channel is a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch) and the one or more shared channel communications include one or more pdsch communications. 24 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the rs is a demodulation rs (dmrs) and the time-domain rs bundling is time-domain dmrs bundling. 25 . a user equipment (ue) for wireless communication, comprising: a memory; and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to: receive a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain reference signal (rs) bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively perform time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. 26 . the ue of claim 25 , wherein the one or more processors, when selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication, are configured to selectively perform the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a type of preemption associated with the preemption indication. 27 . the ue of claim 25 , wherein the one or more processors, when selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication, are configured to selectively perform the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the resources indicated by the preemption indication include one or more rs resources. 28 . the ue of claim 25 , wherein the one or more processors, when selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication, are configured to selectively perform the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the preemption indication indicates that a shared channel communication, of the one or more shared channel communications, is to be fully preempted. 29 - 48 . (canceled) 49 . a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, the one or more instructions comprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (ue), cause the one or more processors to: receive a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain reference signal (rs) bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively perform time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. 50 - 72 . (canceled) 73 . an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for receiving a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain reference signal (rs) bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and means for selectively performing time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. 74 - 96 . (canceled)
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cross-reference to related application this patent application claims priority to greece patent application no. 20200100107, filed on feb. 27, 2020, entitled “relation of physical downlink shared channel demodulation reference signal bundling to a downlink preemption indication,” and assigned to the assignee hereof. the disclosure of the prior application is considered as part of and is incorporated by reference into this patent application. field of the disclosure aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication and to techniques and apparatuses for relation of shared channel reference signal (rs) bundling to a preemption indication. background wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power, and/or the like). examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (cdma) systems, time division multiple access (tdma) systems, frequency-division multiple access (fdma) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (ofdma) systems, single-carrier frequency-division multiple access (sc-fdma) systems, time division synchronous code division multiple access (td-scdma) systems, and long term evolution (lte). lte/lte-advanced is a set of enhancements to the universal mobile telecommunications system (umts) mobile standard promulgated by the third generation partnership project (3gpp). a wireless communication network may include a number of base stations (bss) that can support communication for a number of user equipment (ues). a user equipment (ue) may communicate with a base station (bs) via the downlink and uplink. the downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the bs to the ue, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the ue to the bs. as will be described in more detail herein, a bs may be referred to as a node b, a gnb, an access point (ap), a radio head, a transmit receive point (trp), a new radio (nr) bs, a 5g node b, and/or the like. the above multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different user equipment to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. new radio (nr), which may also be referred to as 5g, is a set of enhancements to the lte mobile standard promulgated by the third generation partnership project (3gpp). nr is designed to better support mobile broadband internet access by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improving services, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with other open standards using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (ofdm) with a cyclic prefix (cp) (cp-ofdm) on the downlink (dl), using cp-ofdm and/or sc-fdm (e.g., also known as discrete fourier transform spread ofdm (dft-s-ofdm)) on the uplink (ul), as well as supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (mimo) antenna technology, and carrier aggregation. however, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements in lte and nr technologies remain useful. preferably, these improvements should be applicable to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies. summary in some aspects, a method of wireless communication, performed by a ue, may include receiving a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain reference signal (rs) bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively performing time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. in some aspects, a ue for wireless communication may include a memory and one or more processors operatively coupled to the memory. the memory and the one or more processors may be configured to receive a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively perform time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. in some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may store one or more instructions for wireless communication. the one or more instructions, when executed by one or more processors of a ue, may cause the one or more processors to receive a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively perform time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. in some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication may include means for receiving a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and means for selectively performing time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, base station, wireless communication device, and/or processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the drawings and specification. the foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. the conception and specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. characteristics of the concepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method of operation, together with associated advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. each of the figures is provided for the purposes of illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limits of the claims. brief description of the drawings so that the above-recited features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to aspects, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. it is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only certain typical aspects of this disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the description may admit to other equally effective aspects. the same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. fig. 1 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a wireless communication network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. fig. 2 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a base station in communication with a ue in a wireless communication network, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a downlink (dl)-centric slot, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an uplink (ul)-centric slot, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. figs. 5a-5f are diagrams illustrating examples associated with relation of physical downlink shared channel (pdsch) demodulation reference signal (dmrs) bundling to a downlink preemption indication, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process performed, for example, by a user equipment, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. detailed description various aspects of the disclosure are described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. this disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function presented throughout this disclosure. rather, these aspects are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. based on the teachings herein one skilled in the art should appreciate that the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein, whether implemented independently of or combined with any other aspect of the disclosure. for example, an apparatus may be implemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspects set forth herein. in addition, the scope of the disclosure is intended to cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using other structure, functionality, or structure and functionality in addition to or other than the various aspects of the disclosure set forth herein. it should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of a claim. several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and techniques. these apparatuses and techniques will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, and/or the like (collectively referred to as “elements”). these elements may be implemented using hardware, software, or combinations thereof. whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. it should be noted that while aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with a 5g or nr radio access technology (rat), aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other rats, such as a 3g rat, a 4g rat, and/or a rat subsequent to 5g (e.g., 6g). fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless network 100 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be practiced. the wireless network 100 may be an lte network or some other wireless network, such as a 5g or nr network. the wireless network 100 may include a number of bss 110 (shown as bs 110 a, bs 110 b, bs 110 c, and bs 110 d ) and other network entities. a bs is an entity that communicates with user equipment (ues) and may also be referred to as a base station, a nr bs, a node b, a gnb, a 5g node b (nb), an access point, a transmit receive point (trp), and/or the like. each bs may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic area. in 3gpp, the term “cell” can refer to a coverage area of a bs and/or a bs subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. a bs may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or another type of cell. a macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by ues with service subscription. a pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by ues with service subscription. a femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by ues having association with the femto cell (e.g., ues in a closed subscriber group (csg)). a bs for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro bs. a bs for a pico cell may be referred to as a pico bs. a bs for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto bs or a home bs. in the example shown in fig. 1 , a bs 110 a may be a macro bs for a macro cell 102 a, a bs 110 b may be a pico bs for a pico cell 102 b, and a bs 110 c may be a femto bs for a femto cell 102 c. a bs may support one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. the terms “enb”, “base station”, “nr bs”, “gnb”, “trp”, “ap”, “node b”, “5g nb”, and “cell” may be used interchangeably herein. in some aspects, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area of the cell may move according to the location of a mobile bs. in some aspects, the bss may be interconnected to one another and/or to one or more other bss or network nodes (not shown) in the wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, and/or the like using any suitable transport network. wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. a relay station is an entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstream station (e.g., a bs or a ue) and send a transmission of the data to a downstream station (e.g., a ue or a bs). a relay station may also be a ue that can relay transmissions for other ues. in the example shown in fig. 1 , a relay station 110 d may communicate with macro bs 110 a and a ue 120 d in order to facilitate communication between bs 110 a and ue 120 d. a relay station may also be referred to as a relay bs, a relay base station, a relay, and/or the like. wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes bss of different types, e.g., macro bss, pico bss, femto bss, relay bss, and/or the like. these different types of bss may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in wireless network 100 . for example, macro bss may have a high transmit power level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts) whereas pico bss, femto bss, and relay bss may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts). a network controller 130 may couple to a set of bss and may provide coordination and control for these bss. network controller 130 may communicate with the bss via a backhaul. the bss may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via a wireless or wireline backhaul. ues 120 (e.g., 120 a, 120 b, 120 c ) may be dispersed throughout wireless network 100 , and each ue may be stationary or mobile. a ue may also be referred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, a subscriber unit, a station, and/or the like. a ue may be a cellular phone (e.g., a smart phone), a personal digital assistant (pda), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (wll) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or equipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smart watches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry (e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., a music or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component or sensor, smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system device, or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium. some ues may be considered as machine-type communication (mtc) or evolved or enhanced machine-type communication (emtc) ues. mtc and emtc ues include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, location tags, and/or the like, that may communicate with a base station, another device (e.g., remote device), or some other entity. a wireless node may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., a wide area network such as internet or a cellular network) via a wired or wireless communication link. some ues may be considered as internet-of-things (iot) devices, and/or may be implemented as nb-iot (narrowband internet of things) devices. some ues may be considered as a customer premises equipment (cpe). ue 120 may be included inside a housing that houses components of ue 120 , such as processor components, memory components, and/or the like. in some aspects, the processor components and the memory components may be coupled together. for example, the processor components (e.g., one or more processors) and the memory components (e.g., a memory) may be operatively coupled, communicatively coupled, electronically coupled, electrically coupled, and/or the like. in general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a given geographic area. each wireless network may support a particular radio access technology (rat) and may operate on one or more frequencies. a rat may also be referred to as a radio technology, an air interface, and/or the like. a frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, and/or the like. each frequency may support a single rat in a given geographic area in order to avoid interference between wireless networks of different rats. in some cases, nr or 5g rat networks may be deployed. in some aspects, two or more ues 120 (e.g., shown as ue 120 a and ue 120 e ) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g., without using a base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate with one another). for example, the ues 120 may communicate using peer-to-peer (p2p) communications, device-to-device (d2d) communications, a vehicle-to-everything (v2x) protocol (e.g., which may include a vehicle-to-vehicle (v2v) protocol, a vehicle-to-infrastructure (v2i) protocol, and/or the like), a mesh network, and/or the like. in this case, the ue 120 may perform scheduling operations, resource selection operations, and/or other operations described elsewhere herein as being performed by the base station 110 . as indicated above, fig. 1 is provided as an example. other examples may differ from what is described with regard to fig. 1 . fig. 2 shows a block diagram of a design 200 of base station 110 and ue 120 , which may be one of the base stations and one of the ues in fig. 1 . base station 110 may be equipped with t antennas 234 a through 234 t, and ue 120 may be equipped with r antennas 252 a through 252 r, where in general t≥1 and r≥1. at base station 110 , a transmit processor 220 may receive data from a data source 212 for one or more ues, select one or more modulation and coding schemes (mcs) for each ue based at least in part on channel quality indicators (cqis) received from the ue, process (e.g., encode and modulate) the data for each ue based at least in part on the mcs(s) selected for the ue, and provide data symbols for all ues. transmit processor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (srpi) and/or the like) and control information (e.g., cqi requests, grants, upper layer signaling, and/or the like) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. transmit processor 220 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., the cell-specific reference signal (crs)) and synchronization signals (e.g., the primary synchronization signal (pss) and secondary synchronization signal (sss)). a transmit (tx) multiple-input multiple-output (mimo) processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide t output symbol streams to t modulators (mods) 232 a through 232 t. each modulator 232 may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for ofdm and/or the like) to obtain an output sample stream. each modulator 232 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. t downlink signals from modulators 232 a through 232 t may be transmitted via t antennas 234 a through 234 t, respectively. according to various aspects described in more detail below, the synchronization signals can be generated with location encoding to convey additional information. at ue 120 , antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlink signals from base station 110 and/or other base stations and may provide received signals to demodulators (demods) 254 a through 254 r, respectively. each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples. each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for ofdm and/or the like) to obtain received symbols. a mimo detector 256 may obtain received symbols from all r demodulators 254 a through 254 r, perform mimo detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. a receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for ue 120 to a data sink 260 , and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller/processor 280 . a channel processor may determine reference signal received power (rsrp), received signal strength indicator (rssi), reference signal received quality (rsrq), channel quality indicator (cqi), and/or the like. in some aspects, one or more components of ue 120 may be included in a housing. on the uplink, at ue 120 , a transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., for reports comprising rsrp, rssi, rsrq, cqi, and/or the like) from controller/processor 280 . transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. the symbols from transmit processor 264 may be precoded by a tx mimo processor 266 if applicable, further processed by modulators 254 a through 254 r (e.g., for dft-s-ofdm, cp-ofdm, and/or the like), and transmitted to base station 110 . at base station 110 , the uplink signals from ue 120 and other ues may be received by antennas 234 , processed by demodulators 232 , detected by a mimo detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by ue 120 . receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 239 and the decoded control information to controller/processor 240 . base station 110 may include communication unit 244 and communicate to network controller 130 via communication unit 244 . network controller 130 may include communication unit 294 , controller/processor 290 , and memory 292 . controller/processor 240 of base station 110 , controller/processor 280 of ue 120 , and/or any other component(s) of fig. 2 may perform one or more techniques associated with relation of shared channel reference signal bundling to a preemption indication, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. for example, controller/processor 240 of base station 110 , controller/processor 280 of ue 120 , and/or any other component(s) of fig. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 600 of fig. 6 and/or other processes as described herein. memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for base station 110 and ue 120 , respectively. as such, memory 282 of the ue can comprise a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication, where the one or more instructions comprise one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 258 and/or controller/processor 280 ) of the ue 120 , cause the one or more processors to perform the method described in greater detail with reference to figs. 5a-5f and 6 . in some aspects, memory 242 and/or memory 282 may comprise a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. for example, the one or more instructions, when executed (e.g., directly, or after compiling, converting, interpreting, and/or the like) by one or more processors of the base station 110 and/or the ue 120 , may perform or direct operations of, for example, process 600 of fig. 6 and/or other processes as described herein. in some aspects, executing instructions may include running the instructions, converting the instructions, compiling the instructions, interpreting the instructions, and/or the like. a scheduler 246 may schedule ues for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink. in some aspects, ue 120 may include means for receiving (e.g., antenna 252 , demod 254 , mimo detector 256 , receive processor 258 , controller/processor 280 , memory 282 , and/or the like) a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel (e.g., one or more pdsch communications of a pdsch) are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled (e.g., time-domain dmrs bundled) based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel (e.g., a dmrs associated with the pdsch); means for selectively performing (e.g., demod 254 , mimo detector 256 , receive processor 258 , controller/processor 280 , memory 282 , and/or the like) time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication; and/or the like. in some aspects, such means may include one or more components of ue 120 described in connection with fig. 2 , such as controller/processor 280 , transmit processor 264 , tx mimo processor 266 , mod 254 , antenna 252 , demod 254 , mimo detector 256 , receive processor 258 , and/or the like. as indicated above, fig. 2 is provided as an example. other examples may differ from what is described with regard to fig. 2 . fig. 3 is a diagram 300 showing an example of a dl-centric slot or wireless communication structure that may be used in aspects of the present disclosure. the dl-centric slot may include a control portion 302 . the control portion 302 may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the dl-centric slot. the control portion 302 may include various scheduling information and/or control information corresponding to various portions of the dl-centric slot. in some configurations, the control portion 302 may be a physical dl control channel (pdcch), as indicated in fig. 3 . in some aspects, the control portion 302 may include legacy pdcch information, shortened pdcch (spdcch) information), a control format indicator (cfi) value (e.g., carried on a physical control format indicator channel (pcfich)), one or more grants (e.g., downlink grants, uplink grants, and/or the like), and/or the like. the dl-centric slot may also include a dl data portion 304 . the dl data portion 304 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the dl-centric slot. the dl data portion 304 may include the communication resources utilized to communicate dl data from the scheduling entity (e.g., ue or bs) to the subordinate entity or scheduled (e.g., ue). in some configurations, the dl data portion 304 may be a physical dl shared channel (pdsch). the dl-centric slot may also include an ul short burst portion 306 . the ul short burst portion 306 may sometimes be referred to as an ul burst, an ul burst portion, a common ul burst, a short burst, an ul short burst, a common ul short burst, a common ul short burst portion, and/or various other suitable terms. in some aspects, the ul short burst portion 306 may include one or more reference signals. additionally, or alternatively, the ul short burst portion 306 may include feedback information corresponding to various other portions of the dl-centric slot. for example, the ul short burst portion 306 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 302 and/or the data portion 304 . non-limiting examples of information that may be included in the ul short burst portion 306 include an ack signal (e.g., a pucch ack, a pusch ack, an immediate ack), a nack signal (e.g., a pucch nack, a pusch nack, an immediate nack), a scheduling request (sr), a buffer status report (bsr), a harq indicator, a channel state indication (csi), a channel quality indicator (cqi), a sounding reference signal (srs), a demodulation reference signal (dmrs), pusch data, and/or various other suitable types of information. the ul short burst portion 306 may include additional or alternative information, such as information pertaining to random access channel (rach) procedures, scheduling requests, and various other suitable types of information. as illustrated in fig. 3 , the end of the dl data portion 304 may be separated in time from the beginning of the ul short burst portion 306 . this time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guard period, a guard interval, and/or various other suitable terms. this separation provides time for the switch-over from dl communication (e.g., reception operation by the subordinate entity (e.g., ue)) to ul communication (e.g., transmission by the subordinate entity (e.g., ue)). the foregoing is one example of a dl-centric wireless communication structure, and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein. as indicated above, fig. 3 is provided as an example. other examples may differ from what is described with regard to fig. 3 . fig. 4 is a diagram 400 showing an example of an ul-centric slot or wireless communication structure that may be used in aspects of the present disclosure. the ul-centric slot may include a control portion 402 . the control portion 402 may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the ul-centric slot. the control portion 402 in fig. 4 may be similar to the control portion 302 described above with reference to fig. 3 . the ul-centric slot may also include an ul long burst portion 404 . the ul long burst portion 404 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the ul-centric slot. the ul long burst portion 404 may refer to the communication resources utilized to communicate ul data from the subordinate or scheduled entity (e.g., ue) to the scheduling entity (e.g., ue or bs). in some configurations, the control portion 402 may be a physical dl control channel (pdcch). as illustrated in fig. 4 , the end of the control portion 402 may be separated in time from the beginning of the ul long burst portion 404 . this time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, guard period, guard interval, and/or various other suitable terms. this separation provides time for the switch-over from dl communication (e.g., reception operation by the scheduling entity) to ul communication (e.g., transmission by the scheduling entity). the ul-centric slot may also include an ul short burst portion 406 . the ul short burst portion 406 in fig. 4 may be similar to the ul short burst portion 306 described above with reference to fig. 3 , and may include any of the information described above in connection with fig. 3 . the foregoing is one example of an ul-centric wireless communication structure, and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein. in one example, a wireless communication structure, such as a frame, may include both ul-centric slots and dl-centric slots. in this example, the ratio of ul-centric slots to dl-centric slots in a frame may be dynamically adjusted based at least in part on the amount of ul data and the amount of dl data that are transmitted. for example, if there is more ul data, then the ratio of ul-centric slots to dl-centric slots may be increased. conversely, if there is more dl data, then the ratio of ul-centric slots to dl-centric slots may be decreased. as indicated above, fig. 4 is provided as an example. other examples may differ from what is described with regard to fig. 4 . in an nr system, reference signal (rs) bundling in the time domain (which may also be referred to as time-domain reference signal bundling) enables reference signals across multiple slots to be used/bundled in association with receiving a data channel carried in a given one of the multiple slots, in other words, enables the multiple slots to be time-domain reference signal bundled. as a particular example, performing time-domain dmrs bundling for a group of pdsch communications allows dmrss across the group of pdsch communications to be bundled in association with receiving a given one of the pdsch communications. reference signal bundling in the time domain can, for example, provide coverage enhancement, enable high mobility, and provide low dmrs overhead with peak throughput. so-called “look-ahead” dmrs bundling allows a ue to be signaled a set of upcoming slots for which the ue may assume that data channels are bundled. for example, downlink control information (dci) in a first slot may carry an indication that a next two upcoming slots are to be time-domain dmrs bundled. conversely, so-called “look-back” dmrs bundling allows a ue to be signaled a set of previous slots (e.g., a set of slots already received at the ue) for which the ue may assume that the data channels are bundled. for example, a toggling bit in dci may carry a new bundling indicator (nbi). here, in a first slot, the nbi may have a first value (e.g., 0). similarly, in a second slot, the nbi may also have the first value, meaning that the second slot is to be bundled with the previous (first) slot. however, in a third slot, the nbi may have a second value (e.g., 1). here, the nbi having a different value indicates that the third slot is not to be bundled with the previous (first and second) slots. in this example, upon receiving the third slot, the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for the first and second (i.e., previously received) slots. the nbi may be similarly used in subsequent slots to further indicate different bundles. in some cases of look-back bundling, a ue may be configured to bundle dmrs across pdsch communications with continuous (e.g., increasing without gap) downlink counter downlink assignment indices (dai), in addition to conditioning bundling on the nbi in the manner described above. there are a number of ue complexity considerations related to dci-based dmrs bundling. for example, in some cases, the ue may be expected to perform time-domain bundling only if the same port identifiers are used in a previous pdsch and a new pdsch for which time-domain dmrs bundling is to be performed. if different port identifiers are used, this may serve as an indication that bundling is not needed (e.g., since the pdschs would be different channels). as another example, the ue may be expected to perform time-domain bundling only if a previous pdsch and a new pdsch are of the same type (e.g., type a, type b, or the like). here, different types of pdsch may have different dmrs patterns, which would increase complexity at the ue when performing bundling. as another example, the ue may be expected to perform time-domain bundling only if a previous pdsch and a new pdsch have the same dmrs pattern with respect to the actual location of dmrs symbols within the pdsch (e.g., to keep complexity at the ue relatively low). as another example, the ue may be expected to perform time-domain bundling only if the same dmrs type (e.g., type 1, type 2, or the like) is used between a previous and a new pdsch. in general, if the applicable assumptions are not met, then the ue may not be expected to time-domain bundle dmrs across pdsch communications. further, in an nr system, preemption enables a first type of communication to be punctured or interrupted to allow a (e.g., higher priority) second type of communication to be communicated. for example, preemption allows an enhanced mobile broadband (embb) communication to be punctured or interrupted to allow an ultra-reliable low-latency communication (urllc) communication to be communicated. however, such preemption may cause a loss of phase coherence between the transmit durations associated with the first communication because the transmit durations have been made non-contiguous by the second communication. for example, on the uplink, a urllc communication may have a different transmit power than an embb communication, which may cause loss of phase coherence. as another example, a urllc communication may be scheduled in a different component carrier or bandwidth part such that the ue has to tune-away a radio frequency (rf) to communicate (e.g., receive or transmit) the urllc communication and then tune back for the embb communication, which can cause loss of phase coherence. an indication-based multiplexing approach to preemption may be beneficial for both urllc and embb ues at a cost of indicator overhead. in some cases, an indication of a preemption (herein referred to as a preemption indication) may be a current indication with respect to the preempting communication. for example, for a urllc communication that is preempting an embb communication, the preemption indication (pi) may be provided in dci that is current with (i.e., at the same time as) the urllc communication. alternatively, in some cases, the preemption indication may be a post-indication with respect to the preempting communication and the preempted communication. for example, for a urllc communication that is preempting an embb communication, the preemption indication may be provided in dci after (e.g., in a next slot) both the urllc communication and the embb communication. alternatively, in some cases, the preemption indication may be a post-indication with respect to the preempting communication and current with the preempted communication. for example, for a urllc communication that is preempting an embb communication, the preemption indication may be provided after the urllc communication, but within the same slot of the embb communication (e.g., in one or more symbols of the embb slot). in some cases, when implementing preemption, a particular dci format (e.g., dci format 2_1) is used for notifying the ue of resources (e.g., one or more physical resource blocks and/or one or more symbols) where the ue may assume no transmission is intended for the ue. as an example of preemption, a base station may schedule a first ue to receive an embb communication during a slot. in the middle of the slot, a urllc packet for a second ue may arrive at the base station, and the base station may schedule and transmit the packet to the second ue in a subset of resources of the slot. here, the base station would indicate, to the first ue via a downlink preemption indication (e.g., in the next slot), the subset of resources of the slot that are punctured (i.e., used for the transmission of the urllc packet to the second ue). the first ue can use this information to enhance decoding of the embb communication. in some cases, dci format 2_1 can be used to transmit a set of preemption indications (e.g., preemption indication 1 through preemption indication n), where each preemption indication is 14 bits. for each ue, a different preemption indication can correspond to a different set of component carriers (e.g., serving cells). in a wireless communication system that allows both time-domain dmrs bundling and preemption, such as an nr system, a ue may be signaled that a group of pdsch communications are to be time-domain dmrs bundled, and may also receive a downlink preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one pdsch communication of the one or more of the time-domain dmrs-bundled pdsch communications are to be preempted (e.g., fully or partially). in other words, the ue may receive a downlink preemption indication that could conflict with a performance of time-domain dmrs bundling. therefore, the ue should be configured to handle the time-domain dmrs bundling in light of the preemption indication. notably, such an issue is not present in a wireless communication system in which downlink preemption was not allowed, such as an lte system. some aspects described herein provide techniques and apparatuses for handling of time-domain rs bundling of a group of shared channel communications in light of a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among the group of shared channel communications are to be at least partially preempted. in some aspects, the ue may receive a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications that are to be time-domain rs bundled are to be preempted, and may selectively perform time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. additional details are provided below. figs. 5a-5f are diagrams illustrating examples associated with relation of shared channel reference signal bundling to a preemption indication, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. notably, the techniques and apparatuses described in association with figs. 5a-5f are described in the context of relation of pdsch dmrs bundling to a downlink preemption indication. however, these techniques can be applied to other types of shared channels (e.g., uplink shared channels, sidelink shared channels, or the like) and/or other types of reference signals (e.g., a reference signal used on for an uplink shared channel, a reference signal used for a sidelink shared channel, or the like). as shown by reference 505 in fig. 5a , a base station (e.g., a base station 110 ) may provide, to a ue (e.g., a ue 120 ), an indication that one or more pdsch communications are to be time-domain dmrs bundled. in some aspects, the indication may be provided to the ue via radio resource control (rrc) signaling, a medium access control control element (mac-ce), dci, or the like. as shown by reference 510 , the base station may also provide, to the ue, a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one pdsch among the one or more pdsch communications are to be preempted. for example, the base station may provide, and the ue may receive, a preemption indication that identifies a set of preempted resources. the ue may determine, based at least in part on the information that identifies the set of preempted resources and the indication that the one or more pdsch communications are to be time-domain dmrs bundled, that the preemption indication indicates that resources of the at least one pdsch communication among the one or more dmrs bundled pdsch communications are to be preempted. as shown by reference 515 , the base station may transmit the one or more pdsch communications that are to be time-domain dmrs bundled. as shown by reference 520 , the ue may selectively perform time-domain dmrs bundling of the one or more pdsch communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. in some aspects, selectively performing time-domain dmrs bundling may include performing time-domain dmrs bundling for all of the pdsch communications, performing time-domain dmrs bundling for one or more subsets of the one or more pdsch communications, or refraining from performing time-domain dmrs bundling for the one or more pdsch communications, as described in further detail below. in some aspects, the ue may adjust time-domain dmrs bundling for the one or more pdsch communications indicated by the base station in indication 505 based at least in part on the preemption indication 510 . the adjustment may include omitting one or more of the indicated pdsch communications from the time-domain dmrs bundling as described in more detail below. in some aspects, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a type of preemption associated with the preemption indication. the type of preemption may be indicative of, for example, whether one or more dmrs resources are indicated as preempted. that is, the type of preemption may depend on whether the preemption indication indicates preemption of data symbols only (i.e., no preemption of dmrs resources). in some aspects, the ue may determine whether the resources indicated by the preemption indication include one or more dmrs resources in association with determining the type of preemption. here, if the ue determines that the preemption indication indicates preemption of only data symbols, then the ue may, in some aspects, perform time-domain dmrs bundling across all of the pdsch communications (e.g., including any preempted pdsch communications, since all dmrss are still intact). conversely, if the ue determines that the preemption indication indicates preemption of one or more dmrs resources, then the ue may, in some aspects, perform time-domain dmrs bundling in a manner that accounts for the preemption of the one or more dmrs resources, examples of which are described in further detail below. in some aspects, the behavior of the ue when performing time-domain dmrs bundling in the case of preemption of one or more dmrs resources may be based at least in part on a ue capability. as another example, the type of preemption may be indicative of whether a pdsch is to be fully preempted. that is, the type of preemption may depend on whether the preemption indication indicates full preemption of a pdsch communication (i.e., such that the pdsch includes empty symbols). in some aspects, the ue may determine whether the resources indicated by the preemption indication indicate that the pdsch communication is to be fully preempted in association with determining the type of preemption. here, if the ue determines that the preemption indication indicates full preemption of a pdsch communication, then the ue may, in some aspects, determine whether a gap, associated with the pdsch communication that is to be fully preempted, satisfies a threshold. here, if the gap does not satisfy (e.g., is smaller than or equal to) the threshold, then the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling in a manner that disregards the gap. conversely, if the gap satisfies (e.g., is larger than) the threshold, then the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling in a manner that accounts for the gap (e.g., since the gap may result in a loss of phase coherency), examples of which are described in further detail below. in some aspects, the behavior of the ue when performing time-domain dmrs bundling in the case of a full pdsch preemption may be based at least in part on a ue capability. in some aspects, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on timing of the preemption indication. for example, the ue may selectively perform time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption. in some aspects, the ue may determine that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received after an end of a last pdsch communication of the one or more pdsch communications indicated to be time-domain dmrs bundled. in some aspects, the ue may determine that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at least a threshold amount of time after an end of a last pdsch communication of the one or more pdsch communications indicated to be time-domain dmrs bundled. in some aspects, the threshold amount of time may be based at least in part on a ue capability. in some aspects, the ue may determine that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at a time that would cause the ue to change a dmrs bundling behavior (e.g., a time at which the ue is unable to update dmrs-bundled channel estimation processing that has already started). in some aspects, in the case of a post-indication, the ue may not change the time-domain dmrs bundling behavior. in some aspects, the determination that the preemption indication is a post-indication may be based at least in part on a ue capability. for example, a ue capability of a first ue may cause the first ue to determine whether a preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on whether the preemption indication is received after an end of a last pdsch communication of the one or more pdsch communications indicated to be time-domain dmrs bundled. as another example, a ue capability of a second ue may cause the second ue to determine whether a preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on whether the preemption indication is received at a time that would cause the second ue to change a dmrs bundling behavior. as another example, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a pre-indication associated with the preemption, e.g. before the one or more preempted pdsch communications. similarly, as another example, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a current-indication associated with the preemption. in some aspects, in the case of a pre-indication or a current-indication, the ue may be expected to continue the time-domain dmrs bundling (e.g., if dmrs of the preempted pdsch communication is not affected). in some aspects, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a ue capability (e.g., a capability of the ue that dictates or controls performing time-domain dmrs bundling). in some aspects, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a configured dmrs bundling parameter (e.g., a dmrs bundling parameter configured on the ue by the base station). in general, the ue may selectively perform the time-domain dmrs bundling based at least in part on a type of preemption, a timing of the preemption, a ue capability, a configured dmrs bundling parameter, and/or one or more other factors. in some aspects, selectively performing the time-domain dmrs bundling includes performing time-domain dmrs bundling for all of the one or more pdsch communications. for example, when the type of preemption is data-only (e.g., when the preemption indication indicates preemption of data symbols only), the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for all of the one or more pdsch communications. in some aspects, the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for all of the one or more pdsch communications even if one or more of the pdsch communication have been preempted. in some aspects, selectively performing the time-domain dmrs bundling includes performing time-domain dmrs bundling for at least one subset of pdsch communications included in the one or more pdsch communications. for example, the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of the one or more pdsch communications. in this example, the subset of the one or more pdsch communications may include pdsch communications before the preempted resources. figs. 5b and 5c are diagrams illustrating examples of such time-domain dmrs bundling. in figs. 5b and 5c , a preemption indication indicates that dmrs resources of a particular pdsch communication (pdsch 3 ) are preempted. in the example shown in fig. 5b , based at least in part on the preemption indication, the ue performs time-domain dmrs bundling for pdsch 1 and pdsch 2 (e.g., the ue bundles only the first two pdsch communications). in the example, shown in fig. 5c , based at least in part on the preemption indication, the ue performs time-domain dmrs bundling for pdsch 1 and pdsch 2 with an unaffected dmrs of pdsch 3 (e.g., the ue bundles only the first two pdsch communications with the dmrs of the third pdsch communication that is not affected by the preemption). as another example, the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for a first subset of the one or more pdsch communications and may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for a second subset of the one or more pdsch communications. in this example, the first subset of the one or more pdsch communications may include pdsch communications before the preempted resources and the second subset of the one or more pdsch communications may include pdsch communications after the preempted resources. figs. 5d-5f are diagrams illustrating examples of such time-domain dmrs bundling. in figs. 5d-5f , a preemption indication indicates that dmrs resources of a particular pdsch communication (pdsch 3 ) are preempted. in the example shown in fig. 5d , based at least in part on the preemption indication, the ue performs time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of pdsch communications including pdsch 1 and pdsch 2 , and performs time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of pdsch communications including pdsch 4 and pdsch 5 . in the example, shown in fig. 5e , based at least in part on the preemption indication, the ue performs time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of pdsch communications including pdsch 1 and pdsch 2 with an unaffected dmrs of pdsch 3 , and performs time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of pdsch communications including pdsch 4 and pdsch 5 . in the example, shown in fig. 5f , based at least in part on the preemption indication, the ue performs time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of pdsch communications including pdsch 1 and pdsch 2 with a first unaffected dmrs of pdsch 3 , and performs time-domain dmrs bundling for a subset of pdsch communications including pdsch 4 and pdsch 5 with a second unaffected dmrs of pdsch 3 . as another example, the ue may perform time-domain dmrs bundling for a first subset of the one or more pdsch communications and may perform per-pdsch dmrs processing, i.e. without time-domain dmrs bundling, for at least one other pdsch communication of the one or more pdsch communications. here, the first subset of the one or more pdsch communications may include pdsch communications before the preempted resources, and the at least one other pdsch communication may include pdsch communications after the preempted resources. in some aspects, selectively performing the time-domain dmrs bundling includes refraining from performing time-domain dmrs bundling for any of the one or more pdsch communications. that is, in some aspects, the ue may not perform time-domain dmrs bundling for any of the one or more pdsch communication based at least in part on the preemption indication. as indicated above, figs. 5a-5f are provided as examples. other examples may differ from what is described with respect to figs. 5a-5f . fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example process 600 performed, for example, by ue, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. example process 600 is an example where the ue (e.g., ue 120 and/or the like) performs operations associated with relation of shared channel reference signal bundling to a preemption indication. as shown in fig. 6 , in some aspects, process 600 may include receiving a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel (block 610 ). for example, the ue (e.g., antenna 252 , demod 254 , mimo detector 256 , receive processor 258 , controller/processor 280 , memory 282 , and/or the like) may receive a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of a shared channel are to be preempted, as described above, for example, with reference to figs. 5a-5f . in some aspects, the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel. as further shown in fig. 6 , in some aspects, process 600 may include selectively performing time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication (block 620 ). for example, the ue (e.g., demod 254 , mimo detector 256 , receive processor 258 , controller/processor 280 , memory 282 , and/or the like) may selectively perform time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication, as described above, for example, with reference to figs. 5a-5f . in some aspects, the ue may adjust time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. the adjustment may include omitting one or more of the shared channel communications from the time-domain rs bundling as described above. process 600 may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below and/or in connection with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein. in a first aspect, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a type of preemption associated with the preemption indication. in a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the resources indicated by the preemption indication include one or more rs resources. in a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the preemption indication indicates that a shared channel communication, of the one or more shared channel communications, is to be fully preempted. in a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, responsive to the preemption indication indicating that the shared channel communication is to be fully preempted, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether a gap, associated with the shared channel communication that is to be fully preempted, satisfies a threshold. in a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on timing of the preemption indication. in a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption. in a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, process 600 includes determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption based at least in part on a ue capability. in an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, process 600 includes determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received after an end of a last shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications to be time-domain rs bundled. in a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, process 600 includes determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at least a threshold amount of time after an end of a last shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications to be time-domain rs bundled. in a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, the threshold amount of time is based at least in part on a ue capability. in an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, process 600 includes determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at a time that would cause the ue to change an rs bundling behavior. in a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eleventh aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a pre-indication associated with the preemption. in a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twelfth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a current-indication associated with the preemption. in a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through thirteenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a ue capability. in a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourteenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a configured rs bundling parameter. in a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifteenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for all of the one or more shared channel communications. in a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixteenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for at least one subset of shared channel communications included in the one or more shared channel communications. in an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventeenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for a first subset of shared channel communications, of the one or more shared channel communications, and performing time-domain rs bundling for a second subset of the shared channel communications of the one or more shared channel communications, the first subset of shared channel communications being before the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted and the second subset of shared channel communications being after the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted. in a nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighteenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for a first subset of shared channel communications, of the one or more shared channel communications, and performing per-shared channel rs processing, i.e. without time-domain rs bundling, for at least one other shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications, the first subset of shared channel communications being before the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted and the at least one other shared channel communication being after the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted. in a twentieth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through nineteenth aspects, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes refraining from performing time-domain rs bundling for any of the one or more shared channel communications. in a twenty-first aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twentieth aspects, process 600 includes receiving an indication that the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled via at least one of rrc signaling, a mac-ce, or dci. although fig. 6 shows example blocks of process 600 , in some aspects, process 600 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in fig. 6 . additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 600 may be performed in parallel. the following provides an overview of some aspects of the present disclosure: aspect 1: a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (ue), comprising: receiving a preemption indication indicating that resources of at least one shared channel communication among one or more shared channel communications of shared channel are to be preempted, wherein the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain reference signal (rs) bundled based at least in part on an rs associated with the shared channel; and selectively performing time-domain rs bundling of the one or more shared channel communications based at least in part on the preemption indication. aspect 2: the method of aspect 1, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a type of preemption associated with the preemption indication. aspect 3: the method of any of aspects 1-2, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the resources indicated by the preemption indication include one or more rs resources. aspect 4: the method of any of aspects 1-3, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether the preemption indication indicates that a shared channel communication, of the one or more shared channel communications, is to be fully preempted. aspect 5: the method of aspect 4, wherein, responsive to the preemption indication indicating that the shared channel communication is to be fully preempted, selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination of whether a gap, associated with the shared channel communication that is to be fully preempted, satisfies a threshold. aspect 6: the method of any of aspects 1-5, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on timing of the preemption indication. aspect 7: the method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption. aspect 8: the method of aspect 7, further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication associated with the preemption based at least in part on a ue capability. aspect 9: the method of any of aspects 7-8, further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received after an end of a last shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications. aspect 10: the method of any of aspects 7-9, further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at least a threshold amount of time after an end of a last shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications. aspect 11: the method of aspect 10, wherein the threshold amount of time is based at least in part on a ue capability. aspect 12: the method of any of aspects 7-11, further comprising determining that the preemption indication is a post-indication based at least in part on the preemption indication being received at a time that would cause the ue to change a rs bundling behavior. aspect 13: the method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a pre-indication associated with the preemption. aspect 14: the method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a determination that the preemption indication is a current-indication associated with the preemption. aspect 15: the method of any of aspects 1-14, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a ue capability. aspect 16: the method of any of aspects 1-15, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on the preemption indication comprises selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling based at least in part on a configured rs bundling parameter. aspect 17: the method of any of aspects 1-16, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for all of the one or more shared channel communications. aspect 18: the method of any of aspects 1-16, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for at least one subset of shared channel communications included in the one or more shared channel communications. aspect 19: the method of any of aspects 1-16, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for a first subset of shared channel communications, of the one or more shared channel communications, and performing time-domain rs bundling for a second subset of the shared channel communications of the one or more shared channel communications, wherein the first subset of shared channel communications is before the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted, and wherein the second subset of shared channel communications is after the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted. aspect 20: the method of any of aspects 1-16, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes performing time-domain rs bundling for a first subset of shared channel communications, of the one or more shared channel communications, and performing per-shared channel rs processing for at least one other shared channel communication of the one or more shared channel communications, wherein the first subset of shared channel communications is before the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted, and wherein the at least one other shared channel communication is after the resources of the one or more shared channel communications that are preempted. aspect 21: the method of any of aspects 1-16, wherein selectively performing the time-domain rs bundling includes refraining from performing time-domain rs bundling for any of the one or more shared channel communications. aspect 22: the method of any of aspects 1-21, further comprising receiving an indication that the one or more shared channel communications are to be time-domain rs bundled via at least one of: radio resource control signaling; a medium access control control element; or downlink control information. aspect 23: the method of any of aspects 1-22, wherein the shared channel is a physical downlink shared channel (pdsch) and the one or more shared channel communications include one or more pdsch communications. aspect 24: the method of any of aspects 1-23, wherein the rs is a demodulation rs (dmrs) and the time-domain rs bundling is time-domain dmrs bundling. aspect 25: an apparatus for wireless communication at a device, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-24. aspect 26: a device for wireless communication, comprising a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one or more processors configured to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-24. aspect 27: an apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at least one means for performing the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-24. aspect 28: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-24. aspect 29: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructions comprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of one or more aspects of aspects 1-24. the foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the precise form disclosed. modifications and variations may be made in light of the above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects. as used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construed as hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. as used herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. as used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context, refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equal to the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to the threshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, and/or the like. it will be apparent that systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms of hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. the actual specialized control hardware or software code used to implement these systems and/or methods is not limiting of the aspects. thus, the operation and behavior of the systems and/or methods were described herein without reference to specific software code—it being understood that software and hardware can be designed to implement the systems and/or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein. even though particular combinations of features are recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. in fact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. although each dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosure of various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set. a phrase referring to “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. as an example, “at least one of: a, b, or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well as any combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a, a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or any other ordering of a, b, and c). no element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. also, as used herein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” furthermore, as used herein, the terms “set” and “group” are intended to include one or more items (e.g., related items, unrelated items, a combination of related and unrelated items, and/or the like), and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similar language is used. also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,” “having,” and/or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.
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039-986-420-512-707
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US
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C09K3/10,B65D53/06,C08F2/38,C08F4/659,C08F4/6592,C08F10/00,C08F110/02,C08F210/16,C08F295/00,C08F297/08,C08L53/00,C08K3/26,C08K5/20,C08K5/5419,C08F8/00,C08L23/04,C08L23/08,B65D53/00,C08F4/645,C08J9/04,C08K5/00,F16J15/10,C08L9/00,C08L23/10,C08L55/02
| 2005-03-17T00:00:00 |
2005
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[
"C09",
"B65",
"C08",
"F16"
] |
cap liners, closures, and gaskets from multi-block polymers
|
a polymer composition comprises at least an ethylene/α-oleiln interpolymer and at least one other polymer. the other polymer can be selected from a second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, an elastomer, a polyolefin, a polar polymer, and an ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer thereof. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is a block copolymer having at least a hard block and at least a soft block. the soft block comprises a higher amount of comonomers than the hard block. the block interpolymer has a number of unique characteristics disclosed here. also provided are gaskets, bottle cap liners, and closures that comprise or obtained from a compositon comprising at least one ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer and at least one polyolefin. the gaskets are capable of compression sealing various containers, without contaminating the contents. liquid containers particularly benefit from the use of the novel gasket materials disclosed herein.
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1 . (canceled) 2 . (canceled) 3 . (canceled) 4 . (canceled) 5 . (canceled) 6 . (canceled) 7 . (canceled) 8 . (canceled) 9 . (canceled) 10 . (canceled) 11 . (canceled) 12 . (canceled) 13 . (canceled) 14 . (canceled) 15 . (canceled) 16 . (canceled) 17 . (canceled) 18 . (canceled) 19 . (canceled) 20 . (canceled) 21 . (canceled) 22 . (canceled) 23 . (canceled) 1 . a polymer blend composition comprising: (a) at least one ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer and (b) at least one other polymer, wherein the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is a block interpolymer and: (a) has a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5, at least one melting point, t m , in degrees celsius, and a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of t m and d correspond to the relationship: t m >−2002.9+4538.5( d )−2422.2( d ) 2 , or (b) has a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5, and is characterized by a heat of fusion, δh in j/g, and a delta quantity, δt, in degrees celsius, defined as the temperature difference between the tallest dsc peak and the tallest crystaf peak, wherein the numerical values of δt and δh have the following relationships: δt>− 0.1299(δ h )+62.81 for δ h greater than zero and up to 130 j/g, δ t≧ 48° c. for δ h greater than 130 j/g, wherein the crystaf peak is determined using at least 5 percent of the cumulative polymer, and if less than 5 percent of the polymer has an identifiable crystaf peak, then the crystaf temperature is 30° c.; or (c) is characterized by an elastic recovery, re, in percent at 300 percent strain and 1 cycle measured with a compression-molded film of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, and has a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of re and d satisfy the following relationship when ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is substantially free of a cross-linked phase: re> 1481−1629( d ); or (d) has a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using tref, characterized in that the fraction has a molar comonomer content of at least 5 percent higher than that of a comparable random ethylene interpolymer fraction eluting between the same temperatures, wherein said comparable random ethylene interpolymer has the same comonomer(s) and has a melt index, density, and molar comonomer content (based on the whole polymer) within 10 percent of that of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer; or (e) has a storage modulus at 25° c., g′(25° c.), and a storage modulus at 100° c., g′(100° c.), wherein the ratio of g′(25° c.) to g′(100° c.) is in the range of about 1:1 to about 9:1; or (f) at least one molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using tref, characterized in that the fraction has a block index of at least 0.5 and up to about 1 and a molecular weight distribution, mw/mn, greater than about 1.3; or (g) an average block index greater than zero and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, mw/mn, greater than about 1.3. 2 . the composition of claim 1 , wherein the other polymer is selected from a second ethylene α-olefin interpolymer, an elastomer, a polyolefin, a polar polymer, and an ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer thereof, the second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is different than the first ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer and the second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer: (a) has a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5, at least one melting point, t m , in degrees celsius, and a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of t m and d correspond to the relationship: t m >−2002.9+4538.5( d )−2422.2( d ) 2 , or (b) has a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5, and is characterized by a heat of fusion, δh in j/g, and a delta quantity, δt, in degrees celsius, defined as the temperature difference between the tallest dsc peak and the tallest crystaf peak, wherein the numerical values of δt and δh have the following relationships: δt>− 0.1299(δ h )+62.81 for δ h greater than zero and up to 130 j/g, δt≧ 48° c. for ah greater than 130 j/g, wherein the crystaf peak is determined using at least 5 percent of the cumulative polymer, and if less than 5 percent of the polymer has an identifiable crystaf peak, then the crystaf temperature is 30° c.; or (c) is characterized by an elastic recovery, re, in percent at 300 percent strain and 1 cycle measured with a compression-molded film of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, and has a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of re and d satisfy the following relationship when ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is substantially free of a cross-linked phase: re> 1481−1629( d ); or (d) has a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using tref, characterized in that the fraction has a molar comonomer content of at least 5 percent higher than that of a comparable random ethylene interpolymer fraction eluting between the same temperatures, wherein said comparable random ethylene interpolymer has the same comonomer(s) and has a melt index, density, and molar comonomer content (based on the whole polymer) within 10 percent of that of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer; or (e) has a storage modulus at 25° c., g′(25° c.), and a storage modulus at 100° c., g′(100° c.), wherein the ratio of g′(25° c.) to g′(100° c.) is in the range of about 1:1 to about 9:1; or (f) at least one molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using tref, characterized in that the fraction has a block index of at least 0.5 and up to about 1 and a molecular weight distribution, m w /m n , greater than about 1.3; or (g) an average block index greater than zero and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, m w /m n , greater than about 1.3. 3 . the composition of claim 1 , wherein the first ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is present in an amount ranging from about 9% to 99.5% and the second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is present in an amount ranging from about 9% to 99.5% by weight of the total weight of the composition. 4 . the composition of claim 1 , wherein the other polymer is an elastomer selected from a thermoplastic vulcanizate, styrenic block copolymer, neoprene, functionalized elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, butyl rubber or a combination thereof. 5 . the composition of claim 1 , wherein the other polymer is a polyolefin selected from ldpe, lldpe, hdpe, eva, eaa, ema, ionomers thereof, metallocene lldpe, impact grade propylene polymer, random grade propylene polymer, polypropylene and a combination thereof. 6 . the composition of claim 1 , wherein the other polymer is a polar polymer selected from nylon, polyamide, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile butadiene/styrene (abs) copolymers, aromatic polycarbonate, ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, polyacrylic and a combination thereof. 7 . the composition of claim 1 , wherein the other polymer is an olefin/carboxylic acid interpolymer selected from ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-itaconic acid copolymer, ethylene-methyl hydrogen maleate copolymer, ethylene-maleic acid copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid-ethacrylate copolymer, ethylene-itaconic acid-methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-itaconic acid-methacrylate copolymer, ethylene-methyl hydrogen maleate-ethyl acrylate copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid-vinyl acetate copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid-carbon monoxide copolymer, ethylene-propylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid-acrylonitrile copolymer, ethylene-fumaric acid-vinyl methyl ether copolymer, ethylene-vinyl chloride-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-vinyl fluoride-methacrylic acid copolymes, ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethlyene-methacrylic acid copolymer, or a combination thereof. 8 . the composition of claim 1 , further comprising an additive selected from a slip agent, an anti-blocking agent, a plasticizer, an antioxidant, a uv stabilizer, a colorant, a filler, a lubricant, an antifogging agent, a flow aid, a acoupling agent, a cross-linking agent, a nucleating agent, a surfactant, a solvent, a flame retardant, an antistatic agent, an extender, an odor absorber, a barrier resin and a combination thereof. 9 . the composition of claim 8 , wherein the slip agent is polymethylsiloxane, erucamide, oleamide or a combination thereof. 10 . the composition of claim 8 , wherein the odor absorber is calcium carbonate, activated charcoal or a combination thereof. 11 . the composition of claim 8 , wherein the barrier resin is ethylene vinyl alcohol (evoh) copolymer or polyvinylidene chloride (pvdc). 12 . the composition of claim 8 , wherein the extender is a mineral oil, polybutene, siloxane, or a combination thereof. 13 . a gasket comprising the composition of claims 1 . 37 . (canceled) 38 . (canceled) 39 . (canceled) 40 . (canceled) 41 . (canceled) 42 . (canceled) 43 . (canceled) 44 . (canceled) 45 . (canceled) 46 . (canceled) 47 . (canceled) 48 . (canceled) 49 . (canceled) 50 . (canceled) 51 . (canceled) 52 . (canceled) 53 . (canceled) 54 . (canceled)
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field of the invention the invention relates to polymer blend compositions comprising at least one ethylene/α-olefin polymer and a second polymer which is different from the ethylene/α-olefin polymer. in particular, this invention relates to gaskets, cork closures, and bottle cap liners comprising or obtainable from the blend compositions. background of the invention gaskets have been made from a variety of structural materials, including polymers such as ethylene/vinyl acetate (eva) and polyvinyl chloride (pvc). for example, u.s. pat. no. 4,984,703 discloses plastic closures which have a sealing liner comprising a blend of ethylene/vinyl acetate and a thermoplastic elastomeric composition. depending on the use environment, gaskets can have varying degrees of properties. for example, in corrosive service conditions, the gasket should be impervious to the material in question, but still resilient enough to form a seal. gaskets used in the food and beverage area have similar requirements, but cannot contaminate the foodstuff. for example, when a gasket is used as a bottle cap closure liner and the closure is applied and removed (and/or resealed), it is desirable for the gasket to retain its integrity and not shred or tear (known in the industry as “stringing” or “scuffing”) such that pieces of it contaminate the foodstuff. further, the gasket or closure liner should not deform such that it loses its seal integrity. depending upon the type of food and/or liquid contents, the filling temperature might be lower or higher than room temperature, thus placing even greater demands on the gasket. while there have been many different gasket materials, there continues to exist a need for olefin polymers and olefin polymer compositions useful in making gasket materials, and in the case of foodstuff, without adversely contributing to the taste and/or odor of the product. summary of the invention the aforementioned needs are met by various embodiments of the invention. in some embodiments, the polymer blend compositions comprises: (a) at least one ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer and (b) at least one other polymer which is a different component than the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, wherein the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer: (a) has a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5, at least one melting point, t m , in degrees celsius, and a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of t m and d correspond to the relationship: t m >−2002.9+4538.5( d )−2422.2( d ) 2 , or (b) has a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5, and is characterized by a heat of fusion, δh in j/g, and a delta quantity, δt, in degrees celsius, defined as the temperature difference between the tallest dsc peak and the tallest crystaf peak, wherein the numerical values of δt and δh have the following relationships: δ t>− 0.1299(δ h )+62.81 for δ h greater than zero and up to 130 j/g, δt≧ 48° c. for δ h greater than 130 j/g, wherein the crystaf peak is determined using at least 5 percent of the cumulative polymer, and if less than 5 percent of the polymer has an identifiable crystaf peak, then the crystaf temperature is 30° c.; or (c) is characterized by an elastic recovery, re, in percent at 300 percent strain and 1 cycle measured with a compression-molded film of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, and has a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of re and d satisfy the following relationship when ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is substantially free of a cross-linked phase: re> 1481−1629( d ); or (d) has a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using tref, characterized in that the fraction has a molar comonomer content of at least 5 percent higher than that of a comparable random ethylene interpolymer fraction eluting between the same temperatures, wherein said comparable random ethylene interpolymer has the same comonomer(s) and has a melt index, density, and molar comonomer content (based on the whole polymer) within 10 percent of that of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer; or(e) has a storage modulus at 25° c., g′(25° c.), and a storage modulus at 100° c., g′(100° c.), wherein the ratio of g′(25° c.) to g′(100° c.) is in the range of about 1:1 to about 9:1; or(f) at least one molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using tref, characterized in that the fraction has a block index of at least 0.5 and up to about 1 and a molecular weight distribution, mw/mn, greater than about 1.3; or(g) an average block index greater than zero and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, mw/mn, greater than about 1.3. in the polymer compositions, the other polymer is selected from a second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, an elastomer, a polyolefin, a polar polymer, and an ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer thereof. when the other polymer is a second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, the two ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers in the polymer blend compositions are different in comonomer content, molecular weight, structure, etc. moreover, the two ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers can differ in melt index and/or overall density. in some embodiments, the first ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer in the polymer blend compositions is present in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 99.5%, 5% to about 99.5%, 9% to 99.5%, 20% to about 80% or 10% to about 70% and the other polymer is present in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 99.5%, 5% to about 99.5%, 9% to 99.5%, 20% to about 80% or 10% to about 70% by total weight of the composition. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers used in the polymer blend compositions have the processability similar to highly branched low density polyethylene (ldpe), but the strength and toughness of linear low density polyethylene (lldpe). however, the ethylene/α-olefin polymers are distinctly different from traditional ziegler polymerized heterogeneous polymers (e.g., lldpe) and are also different from traditional free radical/high pressure polymerized highly branched ldpe, and different from metallocene or single site catalyzed polymers. this difference is believed to arise from the blocked nature of the interpolymer backbone. that is, nearly every interpolymer molecule has a segment of essentially linear monomer (e.g., high density polyethylene having little or no short chain branching from comonomer incorporation) alternating with a segment of highly short chain branched ethylene/α-olefin (e.g., from higher incorporation of α-olefin comonomer). this blocked nature of the backbone leads the interpolymers to have surprising performance, especially with regard to high temperature performance for such beneficial properties such as abrasion resistance, and the interpolymers have a melting points higher than that of traditional polyethylene, and random interpolymers of ethylene/α-olefins at the same or similar densities. for example, blocked interpolymers useful in embodiments of the invention having an overall density of about 0.9 g/cm 3 have a melting point of about 120° c., whereas a ziegler-natta polymerized ethylene polymer (traditionally labeled lldpe) having about the same density have a melting point of about 122° c., and a random ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer (such as that made using metallocene or single site catalysis) having about the same density have a melting point of about 90° c. in some embodiments, the other polymer is an elastomer selected from a thermoplastic vulcanizate, block copolymer, neoprene, functionalized elastomers, polybutadiene rubber, butyl rubber or a combination thereof. in some embodiments, the other polymer is a polyolefin selected from ldpe, lldpe, hdpe, eva, eaa, ema, ionomers thereof, metallocene lldpe, impact grade propylene polymers, random grade propylene polymers, polypropylene and a compbination thereof. in some embodiments, the other polymer is a polar polymer selected from nylon, polyamide, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (abs) copolymers, aromatic polycarbonates, ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers, acrylics and a combination thereof. in other embodiments, the other polymer is a olefin/carboxylic acid interpolymer selected from ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-itaconic acid copolymers, ethylene-methyl hydrogen maleate copolymers, ethylene-maleic acid copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid-ethacrylate copolymers, ethylene-itaconic acid-methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-itaconic acid-methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-methyl hydrogen maleate-ethyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid-carbon monoxide copolymers, ethylene-propylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid-acrylonitrile copolymers, ethylene-fumaric acid-vinyl methyl ether copolymers, ethylene-vinyl chloride-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-vinyl fluoride-methacrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethlyene-methacrylic acid copolymers and a combination thereof. the polymer composition may further comprise an additive selected from a slip agent, anti-blocking agent, plasticizer, antioxidant, uv stabilizer, colorant, pigment, filler, lubricant, antifogging agent, flow aid, coupling agent, cross-linking agent, nucleating agent, surfactant, solvent, flame retardant, antistatic agent, oil extender, odor absorber, barrier resin. the slip agent may be selected from polymethylsiloxane, erucamide, oleamide and a combination thereof. the extender may be a mineral oil, polybutene, siloxane, or a combination thereof. the odor absorber can be calcium carbonate, activated charcoal or a combination thereof. the barrier resin used herein can be selected from evoh, pvdc and a combination thereof. also provided are articles comprising the polymer compostions. one exemplary artcle is a gasket comprising the composition provided herein. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers in the compositions have an unusual combination of properties, making them especially useful for gasket materials comprising the compositions. preferably, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is an ethylene/c 3 -c 20 alpha-olefin interpolymer. in some embodiments, the other polymer in the gasket comprises the ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer thereof in an amount from about 4 percent to about 12 percent by weight of total composition. the ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer can have an acid content from about 3 percent by weight of the interpolymer to about 50 percent by weight of the interpolymer. in some embodiments, the gasket comprises a slip agent that comprises a primary amide agent and a secondary amide agent, together comprising from about 0.05 percent by weight of the total composition to about 5 percent by weight of the total composition. the primary amide agent can be present at a level at least twice that of the secondary amide agent. in some embodiments, the slip agent comprises a silane compound. in other embodiments, the gasket is foamed using a foaming agent, such as physical blowing agents, gaseous blowing agents and chemical blowing agents. the chemical blowing agents include, but are not limited to, sodium bicarbonate, dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, sulfonyl hydrazides, azodicarbonamide, p-toluenesulfonyl semicarbazide, 5-phenyltetrazole, diisopropylhydrazodicarboxylate, 5-phenyl-3,6-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazin-2-one, and sodium borohydride. in yet other embodiments, the foaming agent is a gaseous blowing agent selected from the group consisting of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. in another embodiment, the foaming agent is a physical blowing agent selected from a group consisting of pentanes, hexanes, heptanes, benzene, toluene, dichloromethane, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichlorofluoromethane, 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, ethyl ether, isopropyl ether, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methylene chloride; isobutane and n-butane, 1,1-difluoroethane. in some embodiments, the ethelyne/α-olefin interpolymer in the gasket provided herein comprises from about 25 to about 35% by weight of the composition, the other polymer comprises from about 55 to about 65% by weight of the composition, and the slip agent comprises from about 1 to about 3% by weight of the composition. in other embodiments, the gasket comprises the polymer composition provided herein that has either a static coefficient of friction or a dynamic coefficient of friction, or both, of less than about 1 or of about 0.6 or less. in some embodiments, the compostion has a melt index greater than or equal to about 5 g/10 minutes and a 70° c. compression set of less than 70% and and change in compression set between 23° c. and 70° c. is less than 55%. in other embodiments, the gasket provided herein comprises the polymer composition that comprises at least one ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer at about 80 to about 97.5 weight percent of the total weight of the composition; about 2 to about 15 weight percent of at least one ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer thereof and at least one slip agent, wherein the weight percentage of the two interpolymers are based on the total weight of composition. additional aspects of the invention and characteristics and properties of various embodiments of the invention become apparent with the following description. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 shows the melting point/density relationship for the inventive polymers (represented by diamonds) as compared to traditional random copolymers (represented by circles) and ziegler-natta copolymers (represented by triangles). fig. 2 shows plots of delta dsc-crystaf as a function of dsc melt enthalpy for various polymers. the diamonds represent random ethylene/octene copolymers; the squares represent polymer examples 1-4; the triangles represent polymer examples 5-9; and the circles represent polymer examples 10-19. the “x” symbols represent polymer examples a*-f*. fig. 3 shows the effect of density on elastic recovery for unoriented films comprising inventive interpolymers (represented by the squares and circles) and traditional copolymers (represented by the triangles which are various dow affinity® polymers). the squares represent inventive ethylene/butene copolymers; and the circles represent inventive ethylene/octene copolymers. fig. 4 is a plot of octene content of tref fractionated ethylene/1-octene copolymer fractions versus tref elution temperature of the fraction for the polymer of example 5 (represented by the circles) and comparative examples e* and f* (represented by the “x” symbols). the diamonds represent traditional random ethylene/octene copolymers. fig. 5 is a plot of octene content of tref fractionated ethylene/1-octene copolymer fractions versus tref elution temperature of the fraction for the polymer of example 5 (curve 1) and for comparative example f* (curve 2). the squares represent example f*; and the triangles represent example 5. fig. 6 is a graph of the log of storage modulus as a function of temperature for comparative ethylene/1-octene copolymer (curve 2) and ethylene/propylene copolymer (curve 3) and for two ethylene/1-octene block copolymers of the invention made with differing quantities of chain shuttling agent (curves 1). fig. 7 shows a plot of tma (1 mm) versus flex modulus for some inventive polymers (represented by the diamonds), as compared to some known polymers. the triangles represent various dow versify® polymers; the circles represent various random ethylene/styrene copolymers; and the squares represent various dow affinity® polymers. description of embodiments of the invention general definitions “polymer” means a polymeric compound prepared by polymerizing monomers, whether of the same or a different type. the generic term “polymer” embraces the terms “homopolymer,” “copolymer,” “terpolymer” as well as “interpolymer.” “interpolymer” means a polymer prepared by the polymerization of at least two different types of monomers. the generic term “interpolymer” includes the term “copolymer” (which is usually employed to refer to a polymer prepared from two different monomers) as well as the term “terpolymer” (which is usually employed to refer to a polymer prepared from three different types of monomers). it also encompasses polymers made by polymerizing four or more types of monomers. the term “ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer” refers to polymers with ethylene being the majority mole fraction of the whole polymer. preferably, ethylene comprises at least 50 mole percent of the whole polymer, more preferably at least 60 mole percent, at least 70 mole percent, or at least 80 mole percent, with the reminder of the whole polymer comprising at least another comonomer. for ethylene/octene copolymers, the preferred composition includes an ethylene content greater than about 80 mole percent with a octene content of equal to or less than about 20 mole percent. in some embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers do not include those produced in low yields or in a minor amount or as a by-product of a chemical process. while the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers can be blended with one or more polymers, the as-produced ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers are substantially pure and constitute the major component of a polymerization process. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers comprise ethylene and one or more copolymerizable α-olefin comonomers in polymerized form, characterized by multiple (i.e., two or more) blocks or segments of two or more polymerized monomer units differing in chemical or physical properties (block interpolymer), preferably a multi-block copolymer. in some embodiments, the multi-block copolymer can be represented by the following formula: (ab) n where n is at least 1, preferably an integer greater than 1, such as 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, or higher, “a” represents a hard block or segment and “b” represents a soft block or segment. preferably, as and bs are linked in a linear fashion, not in a branched or a star fashion. “hard” segments refer to blocks of polymerized units in which ethylene is present in an amount greater than 95 weight percent, and preferably greater than 98 weight percent. in other words, the comonomer content in the hard segments is less than 5 weight percent, and preferably less than 2 weight percent. in some embodiments, the hard segments comprises all or substantially all ethylene. “soft” segments, on the other hand, refer to blocks of polymerized units in which the comonomer content is greater than 5 weight percent, preferably greater than 8 weight percent, greater than 10 weight percent, or greater than 15 weight percent. in some embodiments, the comonomer content in the soft segments can be greater than 20 weight percent, greater than 25 eight percent, greater than 30 weight percent, greater than 35 weight percent, greater than 40 weight percent, greater than 45 weight percent, greater than 50 weight percent, or greater than 60 weight percent. in some embodiments, a blocks and b blocks are randomly distributed along the polymer chain. in other words, the block copolymers do not have a structure like: aaa-aa-bbb-bb in other embodiments, the block copolymers do not have a third type of block. in still other embodiments, each of block a and block b has monomers or comonomers randomly distributed within the block. in other words, neither block a nor block b comprises two or more segments (or sub-blocks) of distinct composition, such as a tip segment, which has a different composition than the rest of the block. the term “crystalline” if employed, refers to a polymer that possesses a first order transition or crystalline melting point (tm) as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (dsc) or equivalent technique. the term may be used interchangeably with the term “semicrystalline”. the term “amorphous” refers to a polymer lacking a crystalline melting point as determined by differential scanning calorimetry (dsc) or equivalent technique. the term “multi-block copolymer” or “segmented copolymer” refers to a polymer comprising two or more chemically distinct regions or segments (referred to as “blocks”) preferably joined in a linear manner, that is, a polymer comprising chemically differentiated units which are joined end-to-end with respect to polymerized ethylenic functionality, rather than in pendent or grafted fashion. in a preferred embodiment, the blocks differ in the amount or type of comonomer incorporated therein, the density, the amount of crystallinity, the crystallite size attributable to a polymer of such composition, the type or degree of tacticity (isotactic or syndiotactic), regio-regularity or regio-irregularity, the amount of branching, including long chain branching or hyper-branching, the homogeneity, or any other chemical or physical property. the multi-block copolymers are characterized by unique distributions of both polydispersity index (pdi or mw/mn), block length distribution, and/or block number distribution due to the unique process making of the copolymers. more specifically, when produced in a continuous process, the polymers desirably possess pdi from 1.7 to 2.9, preferably from 1.8 to 2.5, more preferably from 1.8 to 2.2, and most preferably from 1.8 to 2.1. when produced in a batch or semi-batch process, the polymers possess pdi from 1.0 to 2.9, preferably from 1.3 to 2.5, more preferably from 1.4 to 2.0, and most preferably from 1.4 to 1.8. the term “polar polymer” or “polar interpolymer” refers to a polymer that includes at least one polar monomer. a polar monomer is a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated compound bearing a polar group having a group moment in the range from about 1.4 to about 4.4 debye units as determined by smyth, c. p., dielectric behavior and structure, mcgraw-hill book company, inc., new york (1955). exemplary polar groups include —cn, —no 2 , —oh, —br, —cl, —nh 2 , —c(o)or and —oc(o)r wherein r is alkyl or aryl. preferably, the polar monomer is an ethylenically unsaturated nitrile such as acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile and fumaronitrile, and alkyl esters of α, β-ethylenically unsaturated acids, e.g., alkyl acrylates and methacrylates, methyl acrylate, butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate, with acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate being most preferred. in the following description, all numbers disclosed herein are approximate values, regardless whether the word “about” or “approximate” is used in connection therewith. they may vary by 1 percent, 2 percent, 5 percent, or, sometimes, 10 to 20 percent. whenever a numerical range with a lower limit, r l and an upper limit, r u , is disclosed, any number falling within the range is specifically disclosed. in particular, the following numbers within the range are specifically disclosed: r=r l +k*(r u −r l ), wherein k is a variable ranging from 1 percent to 100 percent with a 1 percent increment, i.e., k is 1 percent, 2 percent, 3 percent, 4 percent, 5 percent, . . . , 50 percent, 51 percent, 52 percent, . . . , 95 percent, 96 percent, 97 percent, 98 percent, 99 percent, or 100 percent. moreover, any numerical range defined by two r numbers as defined in the above is also specifically disclosed. embodiments of the invention provide various polymer blend compositons and gaskets, bottle cap liners, and enclosures made therefrom. the polymer compositions comprise at least one ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer and at least one other polymer which is different than the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer. the other polymer can be a second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, an elastomer, a polyolefin, a polar polymer, and an ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or an ionomer thereof. when the other polymer is a second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, the two ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers in the polymer blend compositions are different. the polymer blends possess unique physical and mechanical properties that are suitable for making molded articles for a variety of applications. preferably, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers are a multi-block copolymer comprising at least one soft block and at least one hard block. in some embodiments, the blends have relatively low modulus, while maintaining relatively high heat resistance. such balance of properties makes the blended suitable for making flexible molded articles. the molded articles should have an upper use or service temperature of at least 40° c., at least 50° c., at least 60° c., at least 80° c., or at least 90° c. the term “different” when referring to two polymers means that the two polymers differ in composition (monomer or comonomer type, monomer or comonomer content, etc.), structure, property, or a combination thereof. two polymers also are considered different if they have a different molecular weight, even though they have the same structure and composition. conversely, two polymer are considered different if they have a different structure even if they have the same composition and molecular weight. for example, a homogeneous ethylene/octene copolymer made by a metallocene catalyst is different than a heterogeneous ethylene/octene copolymer made by a zieglar-natta catalyst, even if they have identifical comonomer content and molecular weight. morever, two ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers can differ in the melt index and/or overall density. some gaskets should withstand temperatures higher than room temperature (about 25° c.) for brief times, particularly where the application is a “hot fill” application. for example, products which undergo pasteurization should have gaskets that have melting points greater than 100° c. because the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers described below have a unique melting point-density relationship, such interpolymers with a wide range of densities can be used to make gaskets. in contrast to homogeneously branched linear or homogeneously branched substantially linear olefin polymers which have lower melting points as density lowers, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers used in embodiments of the invention have melting points substantially independent of density. the density of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers used in embodiments of the invention is measured in accordance with astm d-792 and is generally from about 0.85 g/cm 3 to about 0.96 g/cm 3 , preferably from about 0.87 g/cm 3 to about 0.92 g/cm 3 , and especially from about 0.89 g/cm 3 to about 0.915 g/cm 3 . the food and drug administration (fda) currently limits hexane extractables for polyethylene for food contact to not more than 5.5%. the method is described in fda regulation 21 cfr ch. 1 (apr. 1, 1994 edition) §177.1520, pages 252-253. even though molecular weight distribution influences hexane extractables, larger amounts of comonomer, especially for heterogeneous polyethylene copolymers, causes higher levels of hexane extractables. for example, heterogeneous ethylene/1-octene linear polyethylene having densities from about 0.9017 to about 0.91 g/cm 3 generally have hexane extractables greater than 5%. in contrast, ethylene/1-octene copolymers described below having densities at least as low as about 0.8976 g/cm 3 have hexane extractables less than 5%, preferably less than about 4% and especially less than about 2%. ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers used in embodiments of the invention (also referred to as “inventive interpolymer” or “inventive polymer”) comprise ethylene and one or more copolymerizable α-olefin comonomers in polymerized form, characterized by multiple blocks or segments of two or more polymerized monomer units differing in chemical or physical properties (block interpolymer), preferably a multi-block copolymer. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers are characterized by one or more of the aspects described as follows. in one aspect, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers used in embodiments of the invention have a m w /m n from about 1.7 to about 3.5 and at least one melting point, t m , in degrees celsius and density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of the variables correspond to the relationship: t m >−2002.9+4538.5( d )−2422.2( d ) 2 , and preferably t m ≧−6288.1+13141( d )−6720.3( d ) 2 , and more preferably t m ≧858.91−1825.3( d )+1112.8( d ) 2 . such melting point/density relationship is illustrated in fig. 1 . unlike the traditional random copolymers of ethylene/α-olefins whose melting points decrease with decreasing densities, the inventive interpolymers (represented by diamonds) exhibit melting points substantially independent of the density, particularly when density is between about 0.87 g/cc to about 0.95 g/cc. for example, the melting point of such polymers are in the range of about 110° c. to about 130° c. when density ranges from 0.875 g/cc to about 0.945 g/cc. in some embodiments, the melting point of such polymers are in the range of about 115° c. to about 125° c. when density ranges from 0.875 g/cc to about 0.945 g/cc. in another aspect, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers comprise, in polymerized form, ethylene and one or more α-olefins and are characterized by a δt, in degree celsius, defined as the temperature for the tallest differential scanning calorimetry (“dsc”) peak minus the temperature for the tallest crystallization analysis fractionation (“crystaf”) peak and a heat of fusion in j/g, δh, and δt and δh satisfy the following relationships: δt>− 0.1299(δ h )+62.81, and preferably δ t≧− 0.1299(δ h )+64.38, and more preferably δ t≧− 0.1299(δ h )+65.95, for δh up to 130 j/g. moreover, δt is equal to or greater than 48° c. for δh greater than 130 j/g. the crystaf peak is determined using at least 5 percent of the cumulative polymer (that is, the peak must represent at least 5 percent of the cumulative polymer), and if less than 5 percent of the polymer has an identifiable crystaf peak, then the crystaf temperature is 30° c., and δh is the numerical value of the heat of fusion in j/g. more preferably, the highest crystaf peak contains at least 10 percent of the cumulative polymer. fig. 2 shows plotted data for inventive polymers as well as comparative examples. integrated peak areas and peak temperatures are calculated by the computerized drawing program supplied by the instrument maker. the diagonal line shown for the random ethylene octene comparative polymers corresponds to the equation δt=−0.1299 (δh)+62.81. in yet another aspect, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers have a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. when fractionated using temperature rising elution fractionation (“tref”), characterized in that said fraction has a molar comonomer content higher, preferably at least 5 percent higher, more preferably at least 10 percent higher, than that of a comparable random ethylene interpolymer fraction eluting between the same temperatures, wherein the comparable random ethylene interpolymer contains the same comonomer(s), and has a melt index, density, and molar comonomer content (based on the whole polymer) within 10 percent of that of the block interpolymer. preferably, the mw/mn of the comparable interpolymer is also within 10 percent of that of the block interpolymer and/or the comparable interpolymer has a total comonomer content within 10 weight percent of that of the block interpolymer. in still another aspect, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers are characterized by an elastic recovery, re, in percent at 300 percent strain and 1 cycle measured on a compression-molded film of an ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, and has a density, d, in grams/cubic centimeter, wherein the numerical values of re and d satisfy the following relationship when ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is substantially free of a cross-linked phase: re> 1481−1629( d ); and preferably re≧ 1491−1629( d ); and more preferably re≧ 1501−1629( d ); and even more preferably re≧ 1511−1629( d ). fig. 3 shows the effect of density on elastic recovery for unoriented films made from certain inventive interpolymers and traditional random copolymers. for the same density, the inventive interpolymers have substantially higher elastic recoveries. in some embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers have a tensile strength above 10 mpa, preferably a tensile strength ≧11 mpa, more preferably a tensile strength ≧13 mpa and/or an elongation at break of at least 600 percent, more preferably at least 700 percent, highly preferably at least 800 percent, and most highly preferably at least 900 percent at a crosshead separation rate of 11 cm/minute. in other embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers have (1) a storage modulus ratio, g′(25° c.)/g′(100° c.), of from 1 to 50, preferably from 1 to 20, more preferably from 1 to 10; and/or (2) a 70° c. compression set of less than 80 percent, preferably less than 70 percent, especially less than 60 percent, less than 50 percent, or less than 40 percent, down to a compression set of 0 percent. in still other embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers have a 70° c. compression set of less than 80 percent, less than 70 percent, less than 60 percent, or less than 50 percent. preferably, the 70° c. compression set of the interpolymers is less than 40 percent, less than 30 percent, less than 20 percent, and may go down to about 0 percent. in some embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers have a heat of fusion of less than 85 j/g and/or a pellet blocking strength of equal to or less than 100 pounds/foot 2 (4800 pa), preferably equal to or less than 50 lbs/ft 2 (2400 pa), especially equal to or less than 5 lbs/ft 2 (240 pa), and as low as 0 lbs/ft 2 (0 pa). in other embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers comprise, in polymerized form, at least 50 mole percent ethylene and have a 70° c. compression set of less than 80 percent, preferably less than 70 percent or less than 60 percent, most preferably less than 40 to 50 percent and down to close zero percent. in some embodiments, the multi-block copolymers possess a pdi fitting a schultz-flory distribution rather than a poisson distribution. the copolymers are further characterized as having both a polydisperse block distribution and a polydisperse distribution of block sizes and possessing a most probable distribution of block lengths. preferred multi-block copolymers are those containing 4 or more blocks or segments including terminal blocks. more preferably, the copolymers include at least 5, 10 or 20 blocks or segments including terminal blocks . comonomer content may be measured using any suitable technique, with techniques based on nuclear magnetic resonance (“nmr”) spectroscopy preferred. moreover, for polymers or blends of polymers having relatively broad tref curves, the polymer desirably is first fractionated using tref into fractions each having an eluted temperature range of 10° c. or less. that is, each eluted fraction has a collection temperature window of 10° c. or less. using this technique, said block interpolymers have at least one such fraction having a higher molar comonomer content than a corresponding fraction of the comparable interpolymer. in another aspect, the inventive polymer is an olefin interpolymer, preferably comprising ethylene and one or more copolymerizable comonomers in polymerized form, characterized by multiple blocks (i.e., at least two blocks) or segments of two or more polymerized monomer units differing in chemical or physical properties (blocked interpolymer), most preferably a multi-block copolymer, said block interpolymer having a peak (but not just a molecular fraction) which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c. (but without collecting and/or isolating individual fractions), characterized in that said peak, has a comonomer content estimated by infra-red spectroscopy when expanded using a full width/half maximum (fwhm) area calculation, has an average molar comonomer content higher, preferably at least 5 percent higher, more preferably at least 10 percent higher, than that of a comparable random ethylene interpolymer peak at the same elution temperature and expanded using a full width/half maximum (fwhm) area calculation, wherein said comparable random ethylene interpolymer has the same comonomer(s) and has a melt index, density, and molar comonomer content (based on the whole polymer) within 10 percent of that of the blocked interpolymer. preferably, the mw/mn of the comparable interpolymer is also within 10 percent of that of the blocked interpolymer and/or the comparable interpolymer has a total comonomer content within 10 weight percent of that of the blocked interpolymer. the full width/half maximum (fwhm) calculation is based on the ratio of methyl to methylene response area [ch 3 /ch 2 ] from the atref infra-red detector, wherein the tallest (highest) peak is identified from the base line, and then the fwhm area is determined. for a distribution measured using an atref peak, the fwhm area is defined as the area under the curve between t 1 and t 2 , where t 1 and t 2 are points determined, to the left and right of the atref peak, by dividing the peak height by two, and then drawing a line horizontal to the base line, that intersects the left and right portions of the atref curve. a calibration curve for comonomer content is made using random ethylene/α-olefin copolymers, plotting comonomer content from nmr versus fwhm area ratio of the tref peak. for this infra-red method, the calibration curve is generated for the same comonomer type of interest. the comonomer content of tref peak of the inventive polymer can be determined by referencing this calibration curve using its fwhm methyl:methylene area ratio [ch 3 /ch 2 ] of the tref peak. comonomer content may be measured using any suitable technique, with techniques based on nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectroscopy preferred. using this technique, said blocked interpolymers has higher molar comonomer content than a corresponding comparable interpolymer. preferably, for interpolymers of ethylene and 1-octene, the block interpolymer has a comonomer content of the tref fraction eluting between 40 and 130° c. greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.2013) t+20.07, more preferably greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.2013) t+21.07, where t is the numerical value of the peak elution temperature of the tref fraction being compared, measured in ° c. fig. 4 graphically depicts an embodiment of the block interpolymers of ethylene and 1-octene where a plot of the comonomer content versus tref elution temperature for several comparable ethylene/1-octene interpolymers (random copolymers) are fit to a line representing (−0.2013) t+20.07 (solid line). the line for the equation (−0.2013) t+21.07 is depicted by a dotted line. also depicted are the comonomer contents for fractions of several block ethylene/1-octene interpolymers of the invention (multi-block copolymers). all of the block interpolymer fractions have significantly higher 1-octene content than either line at equivalent elution temperatures. this result is characteristic of the inventive intelpolymer and is believed to be due to the presence of differentiated blocks within the polymer chains, having both crystalline and amorphous nature. fig. 5 graphically displays the tref curve and comonomer contents of polymer fractions for example 5 and comparative example f* to be discussed below. the peak eluting from 40 to 130° c., preferably from 60° c. to 95° c. for both polymers is fractionated into three parts, each part eluting over a temperature range of less than 10° c. actual data for example 5 is represented by triangles. the skilled artisan can appreciate that an appropriate calibration curve may be constructed for interpolymers containing different comonomers and a line used as a comparison fitted to the tref values obtained from interpolymers of the same monomers, preferably random copolymers made using a metallocene or other homogeneous catalyst composition. inventive interpolymers are characterized by a molar comonomer content greater than the value determined from the calibration curve at the same tref elution temperature, preferably at least 5 percent greater, more preferably at least 10 percent greater. in addition to the above aspects and properties described herein, the inventive polymers can be characterized by one or more additional characteristics. in one aspect, the inventive polymer is an olefin interpolymer, preferably comprising ethylene and one or more copolymerizable comonomers in polymerized form, characterized by multiple blocks or segments of two or more polymerized monomer units differing in chemical or physical properties (blocked interpolymer), most preferably a multi-block copolymer, said block interpolymer having a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c., when fractionated using tref increments, characterized in that said fraction has a molar comonomer content higher, preferably at least 5 percent higher, more preferably at least 10, 15, 20 or 25 percent higher, than that of a comparable random ethylene interpolymer fraction eluting between the same temperatures, wherein said comparable random ethylene interpolymer comprises the same comonomer(s), preferably it is the same comonomer(s), and a melt index, density, and molar comonomer content (based on the whole polymer) within 10 percent of that of the blocked interpolymer. preferably, the mw/mn of the comparable interpolymer is also within 10 percent of that of the blocked interpolymer and/or the comparable interpolymer has a total comonomer content within 10 weight percent of that of the blocked interpolymer. preferably, the above interpolymers are interpolymers of ethylene and at least one α-olefin, especially those interpolymers having a whole polymer density from about 0.855 to about 0.935 g/cm 3 , and more especially for polymers having more than about 1 mole percent comonomer, the blocked interpolymer has a comonomer content of the tref fraction eluting between 40 and 130° c. greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.1356) t+13.89, more preferably greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.1356) t+14.93, and most preferably greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.2013)t+21.07, where t is the numerical value of the peak atref elution temperature of the tref fraction being compared, measured in ° c. preferably, for the above interpolymers of ethylene and at least one alpha-olefin especially those interpolymers having a whole polymer density from about 0.855 to about 0.935 g/cm 3 , and more especially for polymers having more than about 1 mole percent comonomer, the blocked interpolymer has a comonomer content of the tref fraction eluting between 40 and 130° c. greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.2013) t+20.07, more preferably greater than or equal to the quantity (−0.2013) t+21.07, where t is the numerical value of the peak elution temperature of the tref fraction being compared, measured in ° c. in still another aspect, the inventive polymer is an olefin interpolymer, preferably comprising ethylene and one or more copolymerizable comonomers in polymerized form, characterized by multiple blocks or segments of two or more polymerized monomer units differing in chemical or physical properties (blocked interpolymer), most preferably a multi-block copolymer, said block interpolymer having a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c., when fractionated using tref increments, characterized in that every fraction having a comonomer content of at least about 6 mole percent, has a melting point greater than about 100° c. for those fractions having a comonomer content from about 3 mole percent to about 6 mole percent, every fraction has a dsc melting point of about 110° c. or higher. more preferably, said polymer fractions, having at least 1 mol percent comonomer, has a dsc melting point that corresponds to the equation: t m ≧(−5.5926) (mol percent comonomer in the fraction)+135.90. in yet another aspect, the inventive polymer is an olefin interpolymer, preferably comprising ethylene and one or more copolymerizable comonomers in polymerized form, characterized by multiple blocks or segments of two or more polymerized monomer units differing in chemical or physical properties (blocked interpolymer), most preferably a multi-block copolymer, said block interpolymer having a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c., when fractionated using tref increments, characterized in that every fraction that has an atref elution temperature greater than or equal to about 76° c., has a melt enthalpy (heat of fusion) as measured by dsc, corresponding to the equation: heat of fusion (j/gm)≦(3.1718)(atref elution temperature in celsius)−136.58, the inventive block interpolymers have a molecular fraction which elutes between 40° c. and 130° c., when fractionated using tref increments, characterized in that every fraction that has an atref elution temperature between 40° c. and less than about 76° c., has a melt enthalpy (heat of fusion) as measured by dsc, corresponding to the equation: heat of fusion (j/gm)≦(1.1312)(atref elution temperature in celsius)+22.97. atref peak comonomer composition measurement by infra-red detector the comonomer composition of the tref peak can be measured using an ir4 infra-red detector available from polymer char, valencia, spain (http://www.polymerchar.com/). the “composition mode” of the detector is equipped with a measurement sensor (ch 2 ) and composition sensor (ch 3 ) that are fixed narrow band infra-red filters in the region of 2800-3000 cm −1 . the measurement sensor detects the methylene (ch 2 ) carbons on the polymer (which directly relates to the polymer concentration in solution) while the composition sensor detects the methyl (ch 3 ) groups of the polymer. the mathematical ratio of the composition signal (ch 3 ) divided by the measurement signal (ch 2 ) is sensitive to the comonomer content of the measured polymer in solution and its response is calibrated with known ethylene alpha-olefin copolymer standards. the detector when used with an atref instrument provides both a concentration (ch 2 ) and composition (ch 3 ) signal response of the eluted polymer during the tref process. a polymer specific calibration can be created by measuring the area ratio of the ch 3 to ch 2 for polymers with known comonomer content (preferably measured by nmr). the comonomer content of an atref peak of a polymer can be estimated by applying a the reference calibration of the ratio of the areas for the individual ch 3 and ch 2 response (i.e. area ratio ch 3 /ch 2 versus comonomer content). the area of the peaks can be calculated using a full width/half maximum (fwhm) calculation after applying the appropriate baselines to integrate the individual signal responses from the tref chromatogram. the full width/half maximum calculation is based on the ratio of methyl to methylene response area [ch 3 /ch 2 ] from the atref infra-red detector, wherein the tallest (highest) peak is identified from the base line, and then the fwhm area is determined. for a distribution measured using an atref peak, the fwhm area is defined as the area under the curve between t 1 and t 2 , where t 1 and t 2 are points determined, to the left and right of the atref peak, by dividing the peak height by two, and then drawing a line horizontal to the base line, that intersects the left and right portions of the atref curve. the application of infra-red spectroscopy to measure the comonomer content of polymers in this atref-infra-red method is, in principle, similar to that of gpc/ftir systems as described in the following references: markovich, ronald p.; hazlitt, lonnie g.; smith, linley; “development of gel-permeation chromatography-fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for characterization of ethylene-based polyolefin copolymers”. polymeric materials science and engineering (1991), 65, 98-100.; and deslauriers, p. j.; rohlfing, d. c.; shieh, e. t.; “quantifying short chain branching microstructures in ethylene-1-olefin copolymers using size exclusion chromatography and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (sec-ftir)”, polymer (2002), 43, 59-170., both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. in other embodiments, the inventive ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is characterized by an average block index, abi, which is greater than zero and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, m w /m n , greater than about 1.3. the average block index, abi, is the weight average of the block index (“bi”) for each of the polymer fractions obtained in preparative tref from 20° c. and 110° c., with an increment of 5° c.: abi=σ ( w i bi i ) where bi i is the block index for the ith fraction of the inventive ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer obtained in preparative tref, and wi is the weight percentage of the ith fraction. for each polymer fraction, bi is defined by one of the two following equations (both of which give the same bi value): where t x is the preparative atref elution temperature for the ith fraction (preferably expressed in kelvin), p x is the ethylene mole fraction for the ith fraction, which can be measured by nmr or ir as described above. p ab is the ethylene mole fraction of the whole ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer (before fractionation), which also can be measured by nmr or ir. t a and p a are the atref elution temperature and the ethylene mole fraction for pure “hard segments” (which refer to the crystalline segments of the interpolymer). as a first order approximation, the t a and p a values are set to those for high density polyethylene homopolymer, if the actual values for the “hard segments” are not available. for calculations performed herein, t a is 372° k, p a is 1. t ab is the atref temperature for a random copolymer of the same composition and having an ethylene mole fraction of p ab . t ab can be calculated from the following equation: ln p ab =α/t ab +β where α and β are two constants which can be determined by calibration using a number of known random ethylene copolymers. it should be noted that α and β may vary from instrument to instrument. moreover, one would need to create their own calibration curve with the polymer composition of interest and also in a similar molecular weight range as the fractions. there is a slight molecular weight effect. if the calibration curve is obtained from similar molecular weight ranges, such effect would be essentially negligible. in some embodiments, random ethylene copolymers satisfy the following relationship: ln p=− 237.83/ t atref +0.639 t xo is the atref temperature for a random copolymer of the same composition and having an ethylene mole fraction of p x . t xo can be calculated from lnp x =α/t xo +β. conversely, p xo is the ethylene mole fraction for a random copolymer of the same composition and having an atref temperature of t x , which can be calculated from ln p xo =α/t x +β. once the block index (bi) for each preparative tref fraction is obtained, the weight average block index, abi, for the whole polymer can be calculated. in some embodiments, abi is greater than zero but less than about 0.3 or from about 0.1 to about 0.3. in other embodiments, abi is greater than about 0.3 and up to about 1.0. preferably, abi should be in the range of from about 0.4 to about 0.7, from about 0.5 to about 0.7, or from about 0.6 to about 0.9. in some embodiments, abi is in the range of from about 0.3 to about 0.9, from about 0.3 to about 0.8, or from about 0.3 to about 0.7, from about 0.3 to about 0.6, from about 0.3 to about 0.5, or from about 0.3 to about 0.4. in other embodiments, abi is in the range of from about 0.4 to about 1.0, from about 0.5 to about 1.0, or from about 0.6 to about 1.0, from about 0.7 to about 1.0, from about 0.8 to about 1.0, or from about 0.9 to about 1.0. another characteristic of the inventive ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is that the inventive ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer comprises at least one polymer fraction which can be obtained by preparative tref, wherein the fraction has a block index greater than about 0.1 and up to about 1.0 and a molecular weight distribution, m w /m n , greater than about 1.3. in some embodiments, the polymer fraction has a block index greater than about 0.6 and up to about 1.0, greater than about 0.7 and up to about 1.0, greater than about 0.8 and up to about 1.0, or greater than about 0.9 and up to about 1.0. in other embodiments, the polymer fraction has a block index greater than about 0.1 and up to about 1.0, greater than about 0.2 and up to about 1.0, greater than about 0.3 and up to about 1.0, greater than about 0.4 and up to about 1.0, or greater than about 0.4 and up to about 1.0. in still other embodiments, the polymer fraction has a block index greater than about 0.1 and up to about 0.5, greater than about 0.2 and up to about 0.5, greater than about 0.3 and up to about 0.5, or greater than about 0.4 and up to about 0.5. in yet other embodiments, the polymer fraction has a block index greater than about 0.2 and up to about 0.9, greater than about 0.3 and up to about 0.8, greater than about 0.4 and up to about 0.7, or greater than about 0.5 and up to about 0.6. for copolymers of ethylene and an α-olefin, the inventive polymers preferably possess (1) a pdi of at least 1.3, more preferably at least 1.5, at least 1.7, or at least 2.0, and most preferably at least 2.6, up to a maximum value of 5.0, more preferably up to a maximum of 3.5, and especially up to a maximum of 2.7; (2) a heat of fusion of 80 j/g or less; (3) an ethylene content of at least 50 weight percent; (4) a glass transition temperature, t g , of less than −25° c., more preferably less than −30° c., and/or (5) one and only one t m . further, the inventive polymers can have, alone or in combination with any other properties disclosed herein, a storage modulus, g′, such that log (g′) is greater than or equal to 400 kpa, preferably greater than or equal to 1.0 mpa, at a temperature of 100° c. moreover, the inventive polymers possess a relatively flat storage modulus as a function of temperature in the range from 0 to 100° c. (illustrated in fig. 6 ) that is characteristic of block copolymers, and heretofore unknown for an olefin copolymer, especially a copolymer of ethylene and one or more c 3-8 aliphatic α-olefins. (by the term “relatively flat” in this context is meant that log g′ (in pascals) decreases by less than one order of magnitude between 50 and 100° c., preferably between 0 and 100° c.). the inventive interpolymers may be further characterized by a thermomechanical analysis penetration depth of 1 mm at a temperature of at least 90° c. as well as a flexural modulus of from 3 kpsi (20 mpa) to 13 kpsi (90 mpa). alternatively, the inventive interpolymers can have a thermomechanical analysis penetration depth of 1 mm at a temperature of at least 104° c. as well as a flexural modulus of at least 3 kpsi (20 mpa). they may be characterized as having an abrasion resistance (or volume loss) of less than 90 mm 3 . fig. 7 shows the tma (1 mm) versus flex modulus for the inventive polymers, as compared to other known polymers. the inventive polymers have significantly better flexibility-heat resistance balance than the other polymers. additionally, the ethylene/ α-olefin interpolymers can have a melt index, i 2 , from 0.01 to 2000 g/10 minutes, preferably from 0.01 to 1000 g/10 minutes, more preferably from 0.01 to 500 g/10 minutes, and especially from 0.01 to 100 g/10 minutes. in certain embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers have a melt index, i 2 , from 0.01 to 10 g/10 minutes, from 0.5 to 50 g/10 minutes, from 1 to 30 g/10 minutes, from 1 to 6 g/10 minutes or from 0.3 to 10 g/10 minutes. in certain embodiments, the melt index for the ethylene/α-olefin polymers is 1 g/10 minutes, 3 g/10 minutes or 5 g/10 minutes. the polymers can have molecular weights, m w , from 1,000 g/mole to 5,000,000 g/mole, preferably from 1000 g/mole to 1,000,000, more preferably from 10,000 g/mole to 500,000 g/mole, and especially from 10,000 g/mole to 300,000 g/mole. the density of the inventive polymers can be from 0.80 to 0.99 g/cm 3 and preferably for ethylene containing polymers from 0.85 g/cm 3 to 0.97 g/cm 3 . in certain embodiments, the density of the ethylene/α-olefin polymers ranges from 0.860 to 0.925 g/cm 3 or 0.867 to 0.910 g/cm 3 . the process of making the polymers has been disclosed in the following patent applications: u.s. provisional application no. 60/553,906, filed mar. 17, 2004; u.s. provisional application no. 60/662,937, filed mar. 17, 2005; u.s. provisional application no. 60/662,939, filed mar. 17, 2005; u.s. provisional application no. 60/5662938, filed mar. 17, 2005; pct application no. pct/us2005/008916, filed mar. 17, 2005; pct application no. pct/us2005/008915, filed mar. 17, 2005; and pct application no. pct/us2005/008917, filed mar. 17, 2005, all of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. for example, one such method comprises contacting ethylene and optionally one or more addition polymerizable monomers other than ethylene under addition polymerization conditions with a catalyst composition comprising: the admixture or reaction product resulting from combining:(a) a first olefin polymerization catalyst having a high comonomer incorporation index,(b) a second olefin polymerization catalyst having a comonomer incorporation index less than 90 percent, preferably less than 50 percent, most preferably less than 5 percent of the comonomer incorporation index of catalyst (a), and(c) a chain shuttling agent. representative catalysts and chain shuttling agent are as follows. catalyst (a1) is [n-(2,6-di(1-methylethyl)phenyl)amido)(2-isopropylphenyl)(α-naphthalen-2-diyl(6-pyridin-2-diyl)methane)]hafnium dimethyl, prepared according to the teachings of wo 03/40195, 2003us0204017, u.s. ser. no. 10/429,024, filed may 2, 2003, and wo 04/24740. catalyst (a2) is [n-(2,6-di(1-methylethyl)phenyl)amido)(2-methylphenyl)(1,2-phenylene-(6-pyridin-2-diyl)methane)]hafnium dimethyl, prepared according to the teachings of wo 03/40195, 2003us0204017, u.s. ser. no. 10/429,024, filed may 2, 2003, and wo 04/24740. catalyst (a3) is bis[n,n′″-(2,4,6-tri(methylphenyl)amido)ethylenediamine]hafnium dibenzyl. catalyst (a4) is bis((2-oxoyl-3-(dibenzo-1h-pyrrole-1-yl)-5-(methyl)phenyl)-2-phenoxymethyl)cyclohexane-1,2-diyl zirconium (iv) dibenzyl, prepared substantially according to the teachings of us-a-2004/0010103. catalyst (b1) is 1,2-bis-(3,5-di-t-butylphenylene)(1-(n-(1-methylethyl)immino)methyl)(2-oxoyl) zirconium dibenzyl catalyst (b2) is 1,2-bis-(3 ,5-di-t-butylphenylene)(1-(n-(2-methylcyclohexyl)immino)methyl)(2-oxoyl) zirconium dibenzyl catalyst (c1) is (t-butylamido)dimethyl(3-n-pyrrolyl-1,2,3,3a,7a-η-inden-1-yl)silanetitanium dimethyl prepared substantially according to the techniques of u.s. pat. no. 6,268,444: catalyst (c2) is (t-butylamido)di(4-methylphenyl)(2-methyl-1,2,3,3a,7a-η-inden-1-yl)silanetitanium dimethyl prepared substantially according to the teachings of us-a-2003/004286: catalyst (c3) is (t-butylamido)di(4-methylphenyl)(2-methyl-1,2,3,3a,8a-η-s-indacen-1-yl)silanetitanium dimethyl prepared substantially according to the teachings of us-a-2003/004286: catalyst (d1) is bis(dimethyldisiloxane)(indene-1-yl)zirconium dichloride available from sigma-aldrich: shuttling agents the shuttling agents employed include diethylzinc, di(i-butyl)zinc, di(n-hexyl)zinc, triethylaluminum, trioctylaluminum, triethylgallium, i-butylaluminum bis(dimethyl(t-butyl)siloxane), i-butylaluminum bis(di(trimethylsilyl)amide), n-octylaluminum di(pyridine-2-methoxide), bis(n-octadecyl)i-butylaluminum, i-butylaluminum bis(di(n-pentyl)amide), n-octylaluminum bis(2,6-di-t-butylphenoxide, n-octylaluminum di(ethyl(1-naphthyl)amide), ethylaluminum bis(t-butyldimethylsiloxide), ethylaluminum di(bis(trimethylsilyl)amide), ethylaluminum bis(2,3,6,7-dibenzo-1-azacycloheptaneamide), n-octylaluminum bis(2,3,6,7-dibenzo-1-azacycloheptaneamide), n-octylaluminum bis(dimethyl(t-butyl)siloxide, ethylzinc (2,6-diphenylphenoxide), and ethylzinc (t-butoxide). preferably, the foregoing process takes the form of a continuous solution process for forming block copolymers, especially multi-block copolymers, preferably linear multi-block copolymers of two or more monomers, more especially ethylene and a c 3-20 olefin or cycloolefin, and most especially ethylene and a c 4-20 α-olefin, using multiple catalysts that are incapable of interconversion. that is, the catalysts are chemically distinct. under continuous solution polymerization conditions, the process is ideally suited for polymerization of mixtures of monomers at high monomer conversions. under these polymerization conditions, shuttling from the chain shuttling agent to the catalyst becomes advantaged compared to chain growth, and multi-block copolymers, especially linear multi-block copolymers are formed in high efficiency. the inventive interpolymers may be differentiated from conventional, random copolymers, physical blends of polymers, and block copolymers prepared via sequential monomer addition, fluxional catalysts, anionic or cationic living polymerization techniques. in particular, compared to a random copolymer of the same monomers and monomer content at equivalent crystallinity or modulus, the inventive interpolymers have better (higher) heat resistance as measured by melting point, higher tma penetration temperature, higher high-temperature tensile strength, and/or higher high-temperature torsion storage modulus as determined by dynamic mechanical analysis. compared to a random copolymer containing the same monomers and monomer content, the inventive interpolymers have lower compression set, particularly at elevated temperatures, lower stress relaxation, higher creep resistance, higher tear strength, higher blocking resistance, faster setup due to higher crystallization (solidification) temperature, higher recovery (particularly at elevated temperatures), better abrasion resistance, higher retractive force, and better oil and filler acceptance. the inventive interpolymers also exhibit a unique crystallization and branching distribution relationship. that is, the inventive interpolymers have a relatively large difference between the tallest peak temperature measured using crystaf and dsc as a function of heat of fusion, especially as compared to random copolymers containing the same monomers and monomer level or physical blends of polymers, such as a blend of a high density polymer and a lower density copolymer, at equivalent overall density. it is believed that this unique feature of the inventive interpolymers is due to the unique distribution of the comonomer in blocks within the polymer backbone. in particular, the inventive interpolymers may comprise alternating blocks of differing comonomer content (including homopolymer blocks). the inventive interpolymers may also comprise a distribution in number and/or block size of polymer blocks of differing density or comonomer content, which is a schultz-flory type of distribution. in addition, the inventive interpolymers also have a unique peak melting point and crystallization temperature profile that is substantially independent of polymer density, modulus, and morphology. in a preferred embodiment, the microcrystalline order of the polymers demonstrates characteristic spherulites and lamellae that are distinguishable from random or block copolymers, even at pdi values that are less than 1.7, or even less than 1.5, down to less than 1.3. moreover, the inventive interpolymers may be prepared using techniques to influence the degree or level of blockiness. that is the amount of comonomer and length of each polymer block or segment can be altered by controlling the ratio and type of catalysts and shuttling agent as well as the temperature of the polymerization, and other polymerization variables. a surprising benefit of this phenomenon is the discovery that as the degree of blockiness is increased, the optical properties, tear strength, and high temperature recovery properties of the resulting polymer are improved. in particular, haze decreases while clarity, tear strength, and high temperature recovery properties increase as the average number of blocks in the polymer increases. by selecting shuttling agents and catalyst combinations having the desired chain transferring ability (high rates of shuttling with low levels of chain termination) other forms of polymer termination are effectively suppressed. accordingly, little if any β-hydride elimination is observed in the polymerization of ethylene/α-olefin comonomer mixtures according to embodiments of the invention, and the resulting crystalline blocks are highly, or substantially completely, linear, possessing little or no long chain branching. polymers with highly crystalline chain ends can be selectively prepared in accordance with embodiments of the invention. in elastomer applications, reducing the relative quantity of polymer that terminates with an amorphous block reduces the intermolecular dilutive effect on crystalline regions. this result can be obtained by choosing chain shuttling agents and catalysts having an appropriate response to hydrogen or other chain terminating agents. specifically, if the catalyst which produces highly crystalline polymer is more susceptible to chain termination (such as by use of hydrogen) than the catalyst responsible for producing the less crystalline polymer segment (such as through higher comonomer incorporation, regio-error, or atactic polymer formation), then the highly crystalline polymer segments will preferentially populate the terminal portions of the polymer. not only are the resulting terminated groups crystalline, but upon termination, the highly crystalline polymer forming catalyst site is once again available for reinitiation of polymer formation. the initially formed polymer is therefore another highly crystalline polymer segment. accordingly, both ends of the resulting multi-block copolymer are preferentially highly crystalline. the ethylene α-olefin interpolymers used in the embodiments of the invention are preferably interpolymers of ethylene with at least one c 3 -c 20 α-olefin. copolymers of ethylene and a c 3 -c 20 α-olefin are especially preferred. the interpolymers may further comprise c 4 -c 18 diolefin and/or alkenylbenzene. suitable unsaturated comonomers useful for polymerizing with ethylene include, for example, ethylenically unsaturated monomers, conjugated or nonconjugated dienes, polyenes, alkenylbenzenes, etc. examples of such comonomers include c 3 -c 20 α-olefins such as propylene, isobutylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene, and the like. 1-butene and 1-octene are especially preferred. other suitable monomers include styrene, halo- or alkyl-substituted styrenes, vinylbenzocyclobutane, 1,4-hexadiene, 1,7-octadiene, and naphthenics (e.g., cyclopentene, cyclohexene and cyclooctene). while ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers are preferred polymers, other ethylene/olefin polymers may also be used. olefins as used herein refer to a family of unsaturated hydrocarbon-based compounds with at least one carbon-carbon double bond. depending on the selection of catalysts, any olefin may be used in embodiments of the invention. preferably, suitable olefins are c 3 -c 20 aliphatic and aromatic compounds containing vinylic unsaturation, as well as cyclic compounds, such as cyclobutene, cyclopentene, dicyclopentadiene, and norbornene, including but not limited to, norbomene substituted in the 5 and 6 position with c 1 -c 20 hydrocarbyl or cyclohydrocarbyl groups. also included are mixtures of such olefins as well as mixtures of such olefins with c 4 -c 40 diolefin compounds. examples of olefin monomers include, but are not limited to propylene, isobutylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene, and 1-dodecene, 1-tetradecene, 1-hexadecene, 1-octadecene, 1-eicosene, 3-methyl-1-butene, 3-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 4,6-dimethyl-1-heptene, 4-vinylcyclohexene, vinylcyclohexane, norbornadiene, ethylidene norbornene, cyclopentene, cyclohexene, dicyclopentadiene, cyclooctene, c 4 -c 40 dienes, including but not limited to 1,3-butadiene, 1,3-pentadiene, 1,4-hexadiene, 1,5-hexadiene, 1,7-octadiene, 1,9-decadiene, other c 4 -c 40 α-olefins, and the like. in certain embodiments, the α-olefin is propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-octene or a combination thereof. although any hydrocarbon containing a vinyl group potentially may be used in embodiments of the invention, practical issues such as monomer availability, cost, and the ability to conveniently remove unreacted monomer from the resulting polymer may become more problematic as the molecular weight of the monomer becomes too high. the polymerization processes described herein are well suited for the production of olefin polymers comprising monovinylidene aromatic monomers including styrene, o-methyl styrene, p-methyl styrene, t-butylstyrene, and the like. in particular, interpolymers comprising ethylene and styrene can be prepared by following the teachings herein. optionally, copolymers comprising ethylene, styrene and a c 3 -c 20 alpha olefin, optionally comprising a c 4 -c 20 diene, having improved properties can be prepared. suitable non-conjugated diene monomers can be a straight chain, branched chain or cyclic hydrocarbon diene having from 6 to 15 carbon atoms. examples of suitable non-conjugated dienes include, but are not limited to, straight chain acyclic dienes, such as 1,4-hexadiene, 1,6-octadiene, 1,7-octadiene, 1,9-decadiene, branched chain acyclic dienes, such as 5-methyl-1,4-hexadiene; 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene; 3,7-dimethyl-1,7-octadiene and mixed isomers of dihydromyricene and dihydroocinene, single ring alicyclic dienes, such as 1,3-cyclopentadiene; 1,4-cyclohexadiene; 1,5-cyclooctadiene and 1,5-cyclododecadiene, and multi-ring alicyclic fused and bridged ring dienes, such as tetrahydroindene, methyl tetrahydroindene, dicyclopentadiene, bicyclo-(2,2,1)-hepta-2,5-diene; alkenyl, alkylidene, cycloalkenyl and cycloalkylidene norbornenes, such as 5-methylene-2-norbornene (mnb); 5-propenyl-2-norbornene, 5-isopropylidene-2-norbornene, 5-(4-cyclopentenyl)-2-norbornene, 5-cyclohexylidene-2-norbornene, 5-vinyl-2-norbornene, and norbornadiene. of the dienes typically used to prepare epdms, the particularly preferred dienes are 1,4-hexadiene (hd), 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (enb), 5-vinylidene-2-norbornene (vnb), 5-methylene-2-norbornene (mnb), and dicyclopentadiene (dcpd). the especially preferred dienes are 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene (enb) and 1,4-hexadiene (hd). one class of desirable polymers that can be made in accordance with embodiments of the invention are elastomeric interpolymers of ethylene, a c 3 -c 20 α-olefin, especially propylene, and optionally one or more diene monomers. preferred α-olefins for use in this embodiment of the present invention are designated by the formula ch 2 =chr*, where r* is a linear or branched alkyl group of from 1 to 12 carbon atoms. examples of suitable α-olefins include, but are not limited to, propylene, isobutylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, and 1-octene. a particularly preferred α-olefin is propylene. the propylene based polymers are generally referred to in the art as ep or epdm polymers. suitable dienes for use in preparing such polymers, especially multi-block epdm type polymers include conjugated or non-conjugated, straight or branched chain-, cyclic- or polycyclic- dienes comprising from 4 to 20 carbons. preferred dienes include 1,4-pentadiene, 1,4-hexadiene, 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene, dicyclopentadiene, cyclohexadiene, and 5-butylidene-2-norbornene. a particularly preferred diene is 5-ethylidene-2-norbornene. because the diene containing polymers comprise alternating segments or blocks containing greater or lesser quantities of the diene (including none) and α-olefin (including none), the total quantity of diene and α-olefin may be reduced without loss of subsequent polymer properties. that is, because the diene and α-olefin monomers are preferentially incorporated into one type of block of the polymer rather than uniformly or randomly throughout the polymer, they are more efficiently utilized and subsequently the crosslink density of the polymer can be better controlled. such crosslinkable elastomers and the cured products have advantaged properties, including higher tensile strength and better elastic recovery. in some embodiments, the inventive interpolymers made with two catalysts incorporating differing quantities of comonomer have a weight ratio of blocks formed thereby from 95:5 to 5:95. the elastomeric polymers desirably have an ethylene content of from 20 to 90 percent, a diene content of from 0.1 to 10 percent, and an α-olefin content of from 10 to 80 percent, based on the total weight of the polymer. further preferably, the multi-block elastomeric polymers have an ethylene content of from 60 to 90 percent, a diene content of from 0.1 to 10 percent, and an α-olefin content of from 10 to 40 percent, based on the total weight of the polymer. preferred polymers are high molecular weight polymers, having a weight average molecular weight (mw) from 10,000 to about 2,500,000, preferably from 20,000 to 500,000, more preferably from 20,000 to 350,000, and a polydispersity less than 3.5, more preferably less than 3.0, and a mooney viscosity (ml (1+4) 125° c.) from 1 to 250. more preferably, such polymers have an ethylene content from 65 to 75 percent, a diene content from 0 to 6 percent, and an α-olefin content from 20 to 35 percent. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers can be functionalized by incorporating at least one functional group in its polymer structure. exemplary functional groups may include, for example, ethylenically unsaturated mono- and di-functional carboxylic acids, ethylenically unsaturated mono- and di-functional carboxylic acid anhydrides, salts thereof and esters thereof. such functional groups may be grafted to an ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, or it may be copolymerized with ethylene and an optional additional comonomer to form an interpolymer of ethylene, the functional comonomer and optionally other comonomer(s). means for grafting functional groups onto polyethylene are described for example in u.s. pat. nos. 4,762,890, 4,927,888, and 4,950,541, the disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. one particularly useful functional group is malic anhydride. the amount of the functional group present in the functional interpolymer can vary. the functional group can typically be present in a copolymer-type functionalized interpolymer in an amount of at least about 1.0 weight percent, preferably at least about 5 weight percent, and more preferably at least about 7 weight percent. the functional group will typically be present in a copolymer-type functionalized interpolymer in an amount less than about 40 weight percent, preferably less than about 30 weight percent, and more preferably less than about 25 weight percent. the amount of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer in the polymer blend compositions disclosed herein can be from about 5 to about 99.5 wt %, from about 9% to about 99.5%, from about 10 to about 90 wt %, from about 20 to about 80 wt %, from about 30 to about 70 wt %, from about 10 to about 50 wt %, from about 50 to about 90 wt %, from about 60 to about 90 wt %, or from about 70 to about 90 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. second polymers as discussed above, the polymer blends provided herein comprise a second polymer component. this second polymer component is different than the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer as the first polymer component. the second polymer can be a different ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, a polyolefin, a polar polymer, an elastomer, and so on. when a second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is used, the two ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers in the blend have a different melt index, comonomer type, comonomer content, and/or overall density. the amount of the second ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer in the polymer blend disclosed herein can be from about 5 to about 99.5 wt %, from about 9% to about 99.5%, from about 10 to about 90 wt %, from about 20 to about 80 wt %, from about 30 to about 70 wt %, from about 10 to about 50 wt %, from about 50 to about 90 wt %, from about 60 to about 90 wt %, or from about 70 to about 90 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. bimodal physical or in-the-reactor blends of two ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers offer improved combinations of properties (such as compression set) and processability than a single distribution ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers of the same melt index. polyolefins the polymer blends can comprise at least an polyolefin which may improve or modify the properties of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer. the polyolefin is a polymer derived from one or more olefins. an olefin (i.e., alkene) is a hydrocarbon contains at least one carbon-carbon double bond. some non-limiting examples of olefins include linear or branched, cyclic or acyclic, alkenes having from 2 to about 20 carbon atoms. in some embodiments, the alkene has between 2 and about 10 carbon atoms. in other embodiments, the alkene contains at least two carbon-carbon double bonds, such as butadiene and 1,5-hexadiene. in further embodiments, at least one of the hydrogen atoms of the alkene is substituted with an alkyl or aryl. in particular embodiments, the alkene is ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 1-hexene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, norbornene, 1-decene, butadiene, 1,5-hexadiene, styrene or a combination thereof. any polyolefin known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be used to prepare the polymer blend disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of polyolefins include polyethylenes (e.g., ultralow, low, linear low, medium, high and ultrahigh density polyethylene); polypropylenes (e.g., low and high density polypropylene); polybutylenes (e.g., polybutene-1); polypentene-1; polyhexene-1; polyoctene-1; polydecene-1; poly-3-methylbutene-1; poly-4-methylpentene-1; polyisoprene; polybutadiene; poly-1,5-hexadiene; interpolymers derived from olefins; interpolymers derived from olefins and other polymers such as polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polyurethane, and the like; and mixtures thereof. in some embodiments, the polyolefin is a homopolymer such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polypentene-1, poly-3-methylbutene-1, poly-4-methylpentene-1, polyisoprene, polybutadiene, poly-1,5-hexadiene, polyhexene-1, polyoctene-1 and polydecene-1. in other embodiments, the polyolefin is polypropylene or high density polyethylene (hdpe). in some embodiments, the polyolefin is selected from ldpe, lldpe, hdpe, eva, eaa, ema, ionomers thereof, metallocene lldpe, impact grade propylene polymers, random grade propylene polymers, polypropylene and a compbination thereof. the amount of the polyolefin in the polymer blend can be from about 5 to about 95 wt %, from about 10 to about 90 wt %, from about 20 to about 80 wt %, from about 30 to about 70 wt %, from about 10 to about 50 wt %, from about 50 to about 80 wt %, from about 60 to about 90 wt %, or from about 10 to about 30 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. elastomers in certain aspects, the polymer blends provided herein comprise at least one thermoplastic vulcanizates (tpvs), styrenic block copolymers (such as sbs, sebs, seeps, etc.), neoprene, engage®, affinity®, flexomer™, versify®, vistamaxx™, exact™, exceed™, functionalized elastomers (mahg, silane modified, azide modified) polybutadiene rubber, butyl rubber or a combination thereof. the elastomer may present in an amount ranging from about 1% to about 95%, about 5 % to about 91%, about 10% to about 80% or about 20% to about 50% of the total weight of the composition. thermoplastic elastomers are rubber-like materials that, unlike conventional vulcanized rubbers, can be processed and recycled like thermoplastic materials. when the thermoplastic elastomer contains a vulcanized rubber, it may also be referred to as a thermoplastic vulcanizate (tpv). tpvs are thermoplastic elastomers with a chemically cross-linked rubbery phase, produced by dynamic vulcanization. one measure of this rubbery behavior is that the material will retract to less than 1.5 times its original length within one minute, after being stretched at room temperature to twice its original length and held for one minute before release (astm d1566). another measure is found in astm d412, for the determination of tensile set. the materials are also characterized by high elastic recovery, which refers to the proportion of recovery after deformation and may be quantified as percent recovery after compression. a perfectly elastic material has a recovery of 100% while a perfectly plastic material has no elastic recovery. yet another measure is found in astm d395, for the determination of compression set. thermoplastic vulcanizates containing butyl or halogenated butyl rubber as the rubber phase and a thermoplastic polyolefin as the plastic or resin phase are known in the art. in one aspect, suitable thermoplastic vulcanizates (tpv) are made with polyurethane and chlorosulfonated polyethylene or a mixture of chlorosulfonated polyethylene and chlorinated polyethylene by dynamic vulcanization method wherein the vulcanizate contains about 30 to 70% polyurethane and about 70 to 30% chlorosulfonated polyethylene or a mixture of chlorosulfonated polyethylene and chlorinated polyethylene wherein the ratio of chlorosulfonated polyethylene to chlorinated polyethylene is about 3:1 to 1:3. examples of thermoplastic vulcanizates include ethylene-propylene monomer rubber and ethylene-propylene-diene monomer rubber thermoset materials distributed in a crystalline polypropylene matrix. one example of a commercial tpv is satoprene® thermoplastic rubber which is manufactured by advanced elastomer systems and is a mixture of crosslinked epdm particles in a crystalline polypropylene matrix. another example is vyram, consisting of a mixture of polypropylene and natural rubber, marketed by advanced elastomer systems. other suitable elastomers include kraton, a brand of styrene block copolymer (sbc) marketed by shell, and dynaflex g 6725 (brand), a thermoplastic elastomer marketed by gls corporation and which is made with kraton (brand) polymer. styrenic block coplymers in some embodiments, the polymer compositions provided herein comprise at least one block copolymer. block coplymers include block coplymers that comprise at least one styrenic block copolymer. the amount of a styrenic block copolymer in the polymer blend can be from about 0.5 to about 99 wt %, from about 1 to about 95 wt %, from about 10 to about 90 wt %, from about 20 to about 80 wt %, from about 30 to about 70 wt %, from about 5 to about 50 wt %, from about 50 to about 95 wt %, from about 10 to about 50 wt %, from about 10 to about 30 wt %, or from about 50 to about 90 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. in some embodiments, the amount of the styrenic block copolymer in the polymer blend can be from about 1 to about 25 wt %, from about 5 to about 15 wt %, from about 7.5 to about 12.5 wt %, or about 10 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. generally speaking, styrenic block copolymers include at least two monoalkenyl arene blocks, preferably two polystyrene blocks, separated by a block of a saturated conjugated diene, preferably a saturated polybutadiene block. the preferred styrenic block copolymers have a linear structure, although branched or radial polymers or functionalized block copolymers make useful compounds. the total number average molecular weight of the styrenic block copolymer is preferably from 30,000 to about 250,000 if the copolymer has a linear structure. such block copolymers may have an average polystyrene content from 10% by weight to 40% by weight. suitable unsaturated block copolymers include, but are not limited to, those represented by the following formulas: a-b-r(-b-a) n formula i or a x -(ba-) y -ba formula ii wherein each a is a polymer block comprising a vinyl aromatic monomer, preferably styrene, and each b is a polymer block comprising a conjugated diene, preferably isoprene or butadiene, and optionally a vinyl aromatic monomer, preferably styrene; r is the remnant of a multifunctional coupling agent (if r is present, the block copolymer can be a star or branched block copolymer); n is an integer from 1 to 5; x is zero or 1; and y is a real number from zero to 4. methods for the preparation of such block copolymers are known in the art. see, e.g., u.s. pat. no. 5,418,290. suitable catalysts for the preparation of useful block copolymers with unsaturated rubber monomer units include lithium based catalysts and especially lithium-alkyls. u.s. pat. no. 3,595,942 describes suitable methods for hydrogenation of block copolymers with unsaturated rubber monomer units to from block copolymers with saturated rubber monomer units. the structure of the polymers is determined by their methods of polymerization. for example, linear polymers result by sequential introduction of the desired rubber monomer into the reaction vessel when using such initiators as lithium-alkyls or dilithiostilbene and the like, or by coupling a two segment block copolymer with a difunctional coupling agent. branched structures, on the other hand, may be obtained by the use of suitable coupling agents having a functionality with respect to the block copolymers with unsaturated rubber monomer units of three or more. coupling may be effected with multifunctional coupling agents such as dihaloalkanes or alkenes and divinyl benzene as well as with certain polar compounds such as silicon halides, siloxanes or esters of monohydric alcohols with carboxylic acids. the presence of any coupling residues in the polymer may be ignored for an adequate description of the block copolymers. suitable block copolymers having unsaturated rubber monomer units include, but are not limited to, styrene-butadiene (sb), styrene-ethylene/butadiene (seb), styrene-isoprene(si), styrene-butadiene-styrene (sbs), styrene-isoprene-styrene (sis), α-methylstyrene-butadiene-α-methylstyrene and α-methylstyrene-isoprene-α-methylstyrene. the styrenic portion of the block copolymer is preferably a polymer or interpolymer of styrene and its analogs and homologs including α-methylstyrene and ring-substituted styrenes, particularly ring-methylated styrenes. the preferred styrenics are styrene and α-methylstyrene, and styrene is particularly preferred. block copolymers with unsaturated rubber monomer units may comprise homopolymers of butadiene or isoprene or they may comprise copolymers of one or both of these two dienes with a minor amount of styrenic monomer. in some embodiments, the block copolymers are derived from (i) a c 3-20 olefin substituted with an alkyl or aryl group (e.g., 4-methyl-1-pentene and styrene) and (ii) a diene (e.g. butadiene, 1,5-hexadiene, 1,7-octadiene and 1,9-decadiene). a non-limiting example of such olefin copolymer includes styrene-butadiene-styrene (sbs) block copolymer. preferred block copolymers with saturated rubber monomer units comprise at least one segment of a styrenic unit and at least one segment of an ethylene-butene or ethylene-propylene copolymer. preferred examples of such block copolymers with saturated rubber monomer units include styrene/ethylene-butene copolymers, styrene/ethylene-propylene copolymers, styrene/ethylene-butene/styrene (sebs) copolymers, styrene/ethylene-propylene/styrene (seps) copolymers. hydrogenation of block copolymers with unsaturated rubber monomer units is preferably effected by use of a catalyst comprising the reaction products of an aluminum alkyl compound with nickel or cobalt carboxylates or alkoxides under such conditions as to substantially completely hydrogenate at least 80 percent of the aliphatic double bonds while hydrogenating no more than 25 percent of the styrenic aromatic double bonds. preferred block copolymers are those where at least 99 percent of the aliphatic double bonds are hydrogenated while less than 5 percent of the aromatic double bonds are hydrogenated. the proportion of the styrenic blocks is generally between 8 and 65 percent by weight of the total weight of the block copolymer. preferably, the block copolymers contain from 10 to 35 weight percent of styrenic block segments and from 90 to 65 weight percent of rubber monomer block segments, based on the total weight of the block copolymer. the average molecular weights of the individual blocks may vary within certain limits. in most instances, the styrenic block segments will have number average molecular weights in the range of 5,000 to 125,000, preferably from 7,000 to 60,000 while the rubber monomer block segments will have average molecular weights in the range of 10,000 to 300,000, preferably from 30,000 to 150,000. the total average molecular weight of the block copolymer is typically in the range of 25,000 to 250,000, preferably from 35,000 to 200,000. further, the various block copolymers suitable for use in embodiments of the invention may be modified by graft incorporation of minor amounts of functional groups, such as, for example, maleic anhydride by any of the methods well known in the art. suitable block copolymers include, but are not limited to, those commercially available, such as, kraton™ supplied by kraton polymers llc in houston, tex., and vector™ supplied by dexco polymers, l.p. in houston, tex. polar polymers in some embodiments, the polymer compositions provided herein comprise at least one polar polymer. a polar polymer is intended to denote thermoplastic, elastomeric and heat-curable polymers resulting from polymerization by polyaddition or polycondensation, which have a permanent dipole moment or, in other words, which contain dipolar groups in their molecule. by way of examples of such polar polymers there may be mentioned halogenated polymers such as vinyl chloride, vinylidene chloride and vinyl bromide polymers (homo- and copolymers), polymers containing nitrile functional groups, such as polyacrylonitrile and acrylonitrile/styrene copolymers or acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (abs) copolymers, cellulose-based polymers, polyketones, both aliphatic and aromatic polyesters such as polymethyl or polyethyl acrylates and methacrylates and polyethylene terephthalate, vinyl alcohol/ethylene copolymers (that is o say vinyl acetate/ethylene copolymers in which at least 90% of the acetate groups have been converted into hydroxyl groups by hydrolysis or alcoholysis), aromatic polycarbonates, polyamides or nylons, and polyurethanes which, furthermore, are all well-known polymers. in some embodiments, polar polymers are nylon, polyamide, ethylene vinyl acetate, polyvinyl chloride, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (abs) copolymers, aromatic polycarbonates, ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymers or acrylics. the polar polymer may be present in a range from about 0.25% to about 90%, 1% to about 80%, 10% to about 50% or 10% to about 40% by total weight of the blend. in certain embodiments, the polar polymer in the polymer blend compositions is an olefin/carboxylic acid interpolymer. suitable carboxylic acid monomers include ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers that have three to eight carbon atoms per molecule, including anhydrides, alkyl esters, half esters, etc. examples of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids include, but are not limited to, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid and anhydride, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, crotonic acid, citraconic acid and anhydride, methyl hydrogen maleate, ethyl hydrogen maleate, etc. in addition, other ethylenically unsaturated monomers which are not entirely hydrocarbon may also be used to make the interpolymers. examples of such monomers include, but are not limited to, esters of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, such as ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, and methyl fumarate. they may also include unsaturated esters of non-polymerizable carboxylic acid, such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl benzoate, and vinyl halides, such as vinyl and vinylidene chloride, vinyl esters, ethylenically unsaturated amides and nitriles, such as acrylamide, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, and fumaronitrile. the olefin monomers should be present in the interpolymer in an amount from about 60 percent to about 90 percent by weight. the ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers should be present in the interpolymer from about 5 percent to about 25 percent by weight. another type of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers may be present from 0 to about 20 wt. percent in the interpolymer. the aforementioned interpolymers may be prepared by the methods and procedures as described in u.s. pat. no. 3,436,363; u.s. pat. no. 3,520,861; u.s. pat. no. 4,599,392; and u.s. pat. no. 4,988,781. the disclosures of these patents are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. one skilled in the art recognizes that the characteristics of such polymers may be tailored by adjusting various parameters, such are reaction time, temperature and pressure, of a polymerization method or procedure. one parameter that may be adjusted to control the melt index of a polymer is the hydrogen concentration. higher hydrogen concentrations tend to produce polymers with higher melt indices, although the relationship is not necessarily linear. suitable interpolymers can also be made from preformed, non-acid polymers by subsequent chemical reactions carried out thereon. for example, the carboxylic acid group may be supplied by grafting a monomer such as acrylic acid or maleic acid onto a polymer substrate such as ethylene. additionally, interpolymers containing carboxylic anhydride, ester, amide, acylhalide, and nitrile groups can be hydrolyzed to carboxylic acid groups. furthermore, the interpolymers may be further modified by the method described in u.s. pat. no. 5,384,373, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. the resulting modified interpolymer may also be used in embodiments of the invention. α-methyl styrene, toluene, t-butyl styrene, etc. suitable ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomers preferably have three to eight carbon atoms per molecule, including anhydrides, alkyl esters, half esters, etc. examples of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acids include, but are not limited to, acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid and anhydride, itaconic acid, fumaric acid, crotonic acid, citraconic acid and anhydride, methyl hydrogen maleate, ethyl hydrogen maleate, etc. in addition, other ethylenically unsaturated monomers which are not entirely hydrocarbon may also be used to make the interpolymers. examples of such monomers include, but are not limited to, esters of ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid, such as ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, isobutyl acrylate, and methyl fumarate. they may also include unsaturated esters of non-polymerizable carboxylic acid, such as vinyl acetate, vinyl propionate, vinyl benzoate, and vinyl halides, such as vinyl and vinylidene chloride, vinyl esters, ethylenically unsaturated amides and nitriles, such as acrylamide, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, and fumaronitrile. certain exemplary olefin/carboxylic acid interpolymers include ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-itaconic acid copolymers, ethylene-methyl hydrogen maleate copolymers, ethylene-maleic acid copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid-ethacrylate copolymers, ethylene-itaconic acid-methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-itaconic acid-methacrylate copolymers, ethylene-methyl hydrogen maleate-ethyl acrylate copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid-vinyl acetate copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid-vinyl alcohol copolymers, ethylene-acrylic acid-carbon monoxide copolymers, ethylene-propylene-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-methacrylic acid-acrylonitrile copolymers, ethylene-fumaric acid-vinyl methyl ether copolymers, ethylene-vinyl chloride-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-vinylidene chloride-acrylic acid copolymers, ethylene-vinyl fluoride-methacrylic acid copolymers and ethylene-chlorotrifluoroethlyene-methacrylic acid copolymers. the ionomers of olefin/carboxylic acid interpolymers are ionically crosslinked to thermoplastics generally obtained by neutralizing a copolymer containing pendant acid groups e.g., carboxylic acid groups, with an ionizable metal compound, e.g., a compound of the monovalent, divalent and/or trivalent metals of group i, ii, iv-a and viiib of the periodic table of the elements. preferred groups of ionomer resins are derived from a copolymer of at least one alpha-olefin and at least one ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid and/or anhydride. suitable alpha-olefins include ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 1-pentene, 1-hexene, 1-heptene, 3-methylbutene, isobutene, butadiene, isoprene, α-methyl styrene, toluene, t-butyl styrene and styrene and the like. suitable carboxylic acids and anhydrides include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, ethacrylic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, maleic anhydride, and the like. the foregoing copolymers generally contain from about 0.2 to about 20 mole percent, and preferably from about 0.5 to about 10 mole percent, carboxylic acid groups. preferred ionomers are obtained by reacting the foregoing copolymers with a sufficient amount of metal ions as to neutralize at least some portion of the acid groups, preferably at least about 5 percent by weight and preferably from about 20 to about 100 percent by weight, of the acid groups present. suitable metal ions include na + , k + , li + , cs + , rb + , hg + , cu + , be +2 , mg +2 , ca +2 , sr +2 , cu +2 , cd +2 , hg +2 , sn +2 , pb +2 , fe +2 , co +2 , ni +2 , zn +2 , al +3 and y +3 . preferred metals suitable for neutralizing the copolymers used herein are the alkali metals, particularly, cations such as sodium, lithium and potassium and alkaline earth metals, in particular, cations such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. one or more ionomers may be used in the present invention. preferred ionomers include surlyn™ 1702, which is a zinc salt of an ethylene and methacrylic acid copolymer and surlyn™ 8660, which is a sodium salt of an ethylene and methacrylic acid copolymer. both surlyn™ 1702 and surlyn™ 8660 may be obtained from e.i. dupont de nemours & company, wilmington, del. the ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer may be found in the gasket composition in the range from about 2% to about 15% by weight of the three component composition. preferably, the ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer may be found in the gasket composition in the range from about 4% to about 12%, about 2% to about 12% by weight, or from about 2% to about 10%. most preferably, the ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer may be found in the gasket composition in an amount in the range from about 4% to about 10%. the melt index of the interpolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid is about 0.15 to about 400 g/10 min. preferably, the melt index is about 1 to about 100 g/10 min., and most preferably, from about 1 to about 30 g/10 min. in another embodiment of the invention, a gasket composition may comprise ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention and a interpolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid. the acrylic acid can be found in the interpolymer in the range from about 3% to about 50% by weight of the interpolymer. preferably, the acrylic acid can be found in the range from about 5% to 18%, and most preferably, from about 6.5% to about 15%. an example of a suitable interpolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid is primacor™ 5980 (having about 20% acrylic acid and a melt index (i 2 ) of about 300 grams/10 minutes), which may be purchased from the dow chemical company. examples of other suitable interpolymers of ethylene and acrylic acid may be found in u.s. pat. nos. 4,500,664, 4,988,781 and 4,599,392, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. additives optionally, the polymer blends disclosed herein can comprise at least one additive for the purposes of improving and/or controlling the processibility, appearance, physical, chemical, and/or mechanical properties of the polymer blends. in some embodiments, the polymer blends do not comprise an additive. any plastics additive known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be used in the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable additives include slip agents, anti-blocking agents, plasticizers, antioxidants, uv stabilizers, colorants or pigments, fillers, lubricants, antifogging agents, flow aids, coupling agents, cross-linking agents, nucleating agents, surfactants, solvents, flame retardants, antistatic agents, oil or extender, odor absorber and combinations thereof. the total amount of the additives can range from about greater than 0 to about 80%, from about 0.001% to about 70%, from about 0.01% to about 60%, from about 0.1% to about 50%, from about 1% to about 40%, or from about 10% to about 50% of the total weight of the polymer blend. some polymer additives have been described in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition (2001), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. slip agents in some embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein comprise a slip agent. in other embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein do not comprise a slip agent. slip is the sliding of film surfaces over each other or over some other substrates. the slip performance of films can be measured by astm d 1894, static and kinetic coefficients of friction of plastic film and sheeting, which is incorporated herein by reference. in general, the slip agent can convey slip properties by modifying the surface properties of films; and reducing the friction between layers of the films and between the films and other surfaces with which they come into contact. in some embodiments, the slip agents include suitable abrasion resistance enhancing additives as would be known to the skilled artisan. any slip agent known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. in some embodiments, the slip agent is hydrocarbon having one or more functional groups selected from hydroxide, aryls and substituted aryls, halogens, alkoxys, carboxylates, esters, carbon unsaturation, acrylates, oxygen, nitrogen, carboxyl, sulfate and phosphate. in some embodiments, the slip agent is selected from esters, amides, alcohols and acids of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon oils. in another embodiment, the slip agent is carnauba wax, microcrystalline wax or polyolefin waxes or any other conventional wax. amounts of wax range from about 2 to about 15 weight % based on the total weight of the composition. any conventional wax useful in thermoplastic films may be contemplated. in some embodiments, the slip agent is a fluoro-containing polymer. in some embodiments, the slip agent is an oxidized polyethylene. in some embodiments, the slip agents are silicon based materials such as high molecular weight polydialkyl siloxanes such as polydimethyl siloxanes, silicone oil or gum additive; waxy materials that bloom to the surface such as erucamide, and some specialty materials that contain a combination of a hard tough plastic such as nylon with surface active agents. in some embodiments, the amount of polydialkylsiloxane is sufficient to reduce friction when the film may be formed or when it may be manipulated in packaging machinery. in a particular embodiment, the slip agent for the polymer blends disclosed herein is an amide represented by formula (i) below: wherein each of r 1 and r 2 is independently h, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl or aryl; and r 3 is alkyl or alkenyl, each having about 11 to about 39 carbon atoms, about 13 to about 37 carbon atoms, about 15 to about 35 carbon atoms, about 17 to about 33 carbon atoms or about 19 to about 33 carbon atoms. in some embodiments, r 3 is alkyl or alkenyl, each having at least 19 to about 39 carbon atoms. in other embodiments, r 3 is pentadecyl, heptadecyl, nonadecyl, heneicosanyl, tricosanyl, pentacosanyl, heptacosanyl, nonacosanyl, hentriacontanyl, tritriacontanyl, nonatriacontanyl or a combination thereof. in further embodiments, r 3 is pentadecenyl, heptadecenyl, nonadecenyl, heneicosanenyl, tricosanenyl, pentacosanenyl, heptacosanenyl, nonacosanenyl, hentriacontanenyl, tritriacontanenyl, nonatriacontanenyl or a combination thereof. in a further embodiment, the slip agent for the polymer blends disclosed herein is an amide represented by formula (ii) below: ch 3 —(ch 2 ) m —(ch═ch) p —(ch 2 ) n —c(═o)—nr 1 r 2 (ii) wherein each of m and n is independently an integer between about 1 and about 37; p is an integer between 0 and 3; each of r 1 and r 2 is independently h, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl or aryl; and the sum of m, n and p is at least 8. in some embodiments, each of r 1 and r 2 of formulae (i) and (ii) is an alkyl group containing between 1 and about 40 carbon atoms or an alkenyl group containing between 2 and about 40 carbon atoms. in further embodiments, each of r 1 and r 2 of formulae (i) and (ii) is h. in certain embodiments, the sum of m, n and p is at least 18. the amide of formula (i) or (ii) can be prepared by the reaction of an amine of formula h—nr 1 r 2 where each of r 1 and r 2 is independently h, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl or aryl with a carboxylic acid having a formula of r 3 —co 2 h or ch 3 —(ch 2 ) m —(ch═ch) p —(ch 2 ) n —co 2 h where r 3 is alkyl or alkenyl, each having at least 19 to about 39 carbon atoms; each of m and n is independently an integer between about 1 and about 37; and p is 0 or 1. the amine of formula h—nr 1 r 2 can be ammonia (i.e., each of r 1 and r 2 is h), a primary amine (i.e., r 1 is alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl or aryl and r 2 is h) or a secondary amine (i.e., each of r 1 and r 2 is independently alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkenyl or aryl). some non-limiting examples of primary amine include methylamine, ethylamine, octadecylamine, behenylamine, tetracosanylamine, hexacosanylamine, octacosanylamine, triacontylamine, dotriacontylamine, tetratriacontylamine, tetracontylamine, cyclohexylamine and combinations thereof. some non-limiting examples of secondary amine include dimethylamine, diethylamine, dihexadecylamine, dioctadecylamine, dieicosylamine, didocosylamine, dicetylamine, distearylamine, diarachidylamine, dibehenylamine, dihydrogenated tallow amine, and combinations thereof. the primary amines and secondary amines can be prepared by methods known to a person of ordinary skill in the art or obtained from a commercial supplier such as aldrich chemicals, milwaukee, wis.; icc chemical corporation, new york, n.y.; chemos gmbh, regenstauf, germany; abcr gmbh & co. kg, karlsruhe, germany; and acros organics, geel, belgium. the primary amines or secondary amines may be prepared by reductive amination reaction. the reductive amination is the process by which ammonia or a primary amine is condensed with an aldehyde or a ketone to form the corresponding imine which is subsequently reduced to an amine. the subsequent reduction of imine to amine may be accomplished by reacting the imine with hydrogen and a suitable hydrogenation catalyst such as raney nickel and platinum oxide, aluminum-mercury amalgam, or a hydride such as lithium aluminum hydride, sodium cyanoborohydride, and sodium borohydride. the reductive amination is described in u.s. pat. no. 3,187,047; and articles by haskelberg, “aminative reduction of ketones,” j. am. chem. soc., 70 (1948) 2811-2; mastagli et al., “study of the aminolysis of some ketones and aldehydes,” bull. soc. chim. france (1950) 1045-8; b. j. hazzard, practical handbook of organic chemistry, addison-wesley publishing co., inc., pp. 458-9 and 686 (1973); and alexander et al., “a low pressure reductive alkylation method for the conversion of ketones to primary amines,” j. am. chem. soc., 70, 1315-6 (1948). the above u.s. patent and articles are incorporated herein by reference. non-limiting examples of the carboxylic acid include straight-chain saturated fatty acids such as tetradecanoic acid, pentadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid, heptadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, nonadecanoic acid, eicosanoic acid, heneicosanic acid, docosanoic acid, tricosanoic acid, tetracosanoic acid, pentacosanoic acid, hexacosanoic acid, heptacosanoic acid, octacosanoic acid, nonacosanoic acid, triacontanoic acid, hentriacontanoic acid, dotriacontanoic acid, tetratriacontanoic acid, hexatriacontanoic acid, octatriacontanoic acid and tetracontanoic acid; branched-chain saturated fatty acids such as 16-methylheptadecanoic acid, 3-methyl-2-octylynonanoic acid, 2,3-dimethyloctadecanoic acid, 2-methyltetracosanoic acid, 11-methyltetracosanoic acid, 2-pentadecyl-heptadecanoic acid; unsaturated fatty acids such as trans-3-octadecenoic acid, trans-11-eicosenoic acid, 2-methyl-2-eicosenoic acid, 2-methyl-2-hexacosenoic acid, β-eleostearic acid, α-parinaric acid, 9-nonadecenoic acid, and 22-tricosenoic acid, oleic acid and erucic acid. the carboxylic acids can be prepared by methods known to a person of ordinary skill in the art or obtained from a commercial supplier such as aldrich chemicals, milwaukee, wis.; icc chemical corporation, new york, n.y.; chemos gmbh, regenstauf, germany; abcr gmbh & co. kg, karlsruhe, germany; and acros organics, geel, belgium. some known methods for the preparation of the carboxylic acids include the oxidation of the corresponding primary alcohols with an oxidation agent such as metal chromates, metal dichromates and potassium permanganate. the oxidation of alcohols to carboxylic acids is described in carey et al., “ advance organic chemistry, part b: reactions and synthesis, ” plenum press, new york, 2nd edition, pages 481-491 (1983), which is incorporated herein by reference. the amidation reaction can take place in a solvent that is not reactive toward the carboxylic acid. non-limiting examples of suitable solvents include ethers (i.e., diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran), ketones (such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone), acetonitrile, dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl formamide and the like. the amidation reaction can be promoted by a base catalyst. non-limiting examples of the base catalyst include inorganic bases such as sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, sodium acetate, ammonium acetate, and the like, metal alkoxides such as sodium methoxide, sodium ethoxide, and the like, amines such as triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, and the like. in some embodiments, the catalyst is an amine or a metal alkoxide. in some embodiments, the slip agent is a primary amide with a saturated aliphatic group having about 12 to about 40 carbon atoms or about 18 to about 40 carbon atoms (e.g., stearamide and behenamide). in other embodiments, the slip agent is a primary amide with an unsaturated aliphatic group containing at least one carbon-carbon double bond and between 18 and about 40 carbon atoms (e.g., erucamide and oleamide). in further embodiments, the slip agent is a primary amide having at least 20 carbon atoms. in some embodiments, the slip agents are secondary amides having about 18 to about 80 carbon atoms (e.g., stearyl erucamide, behenyl erucamide, methyl erucamide and ethyl erucamide); secondary-bis-amides having about 18 to about 80 carbon atoms (e.g., ethylene-bis-stearamide and ethylene-bis-oleamide); and combinations thereof. in further embodiments, the slip agent is erucamide, oleamide, stearamide, behenamide, ethylene-bis-stearamide, ethylene-bis-oleamide, stearyl erucamide, behenyl erucamide, erucyl erucamide, oleyl palimitamide, stearyl stearamide, erucyl stearamide, ethylene bisamides such as n,n-ethylenebisstearamide, n,n-ethylenebisolamide and the like, 13-cis-docosenamide or a combination thereof. in a particular embodiment, the slip agent is erucamide. in further embodiments, the slip agent is commercially available having a trade name such as atmer™ sa from uniqema, everberg, belgium; armoslip® from akzo nobel polymer chemicals, chicago, ill.; kemamide® from witco, greenwich, conn.; and crodamide® from croda, edison, n.j. where used, the amount of the slip agent in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 10 wt %, about greater than 0 to about 8 wt %, about greater than 0 to about 3 wt %, from about 0.0001 to about 2 wt %, from about 0.001 to about 1 wt %, from about 0.001 to about 0.5 wt % or from about 0.05 to about 0.25 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some slip agents have been described in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook, ” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 8, pages 601-608 (2001), which is incorporated herein by reference. anti-blocking agents optionally, the polymer blends disclosed herein can comprise an anti-blocking agent. in some embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein do not comprise an anti-blocking agent. the anti-blocking agent can be used to prevent the undesirable adhesion between touching layers of articles made from the polymer blends, particularly under moderate pressure and heat during storage, manufacture or use. any anti-blocking agent known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of anti-blocking agents include minerals (e.g., clays, chalk, and calcium carbonate), synthetic silica gel (e.g., sylobloc® from grace davison, columbia, md.), natural silica (e.g., super floss® from celite corporation, santa barbara, calif.), talc (e.g., optibloc® from luzenac, centennial, colo.), zeolites (e.g., sipernat® from degussa, parsippany, n.j.), aluminosilicates (e.g., silton® from mizusawa industrial chemicals, tokyo, japan), limestone (e.g., carborex® from omya, atlanta, ga.), spherical polymeric particles (e.g., epostar®, poly(methyl methacrylate) particles from nippon shokubai, tokyo, japan and tospearl®, silicone particles from ge silicones, wilton, conn.), waxes, amides (e.g. erucamide, oleamide, stearamide, behenamide, ethylene-bis-stearamide, ethylene-bis-oleamide, stearyl erucamide and other slip agents), molecular sieves, and combinations thereof. the mineral particles can lower blocking by creating a physical gap between articles, while the organic anti-blocking agents can migrate to the surface to limit surface adhesion. where used, the amount of the anti-blocking agent in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 3 wt %, from about 0.0001 to about 2 wt %, from about 0.001 to about 1 wt %, or from about 0.001 to about 0.5 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some anti-blocking agents have been described in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook, ” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 7, pages 585-600 (2001), which is incorporated herein by reference. plasticizers optionally, the polymer blends disclosed herein can comprise a plasticizer or plasticizing oil or an extender oil. in general, a plasticizer is a chemical that can increase the flexibility and lower the glass transition temperature of polymers. any plasticizer known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of plasticizers include abietates, adipates, alkyl sulfonates, azelates, benzoates, chlorinated paraffins, citrates, epoxides, glycol ethers and their esters, glutarates, hydrocarbon oils, isobutyrates, oleates, pentaerythritol derivatives, phosphates, phthalates, esters, polybutenes, ricinoleates, sebacates, sulfonamides, tri- and pyromellitates, biphenyl derivatives, stearates, difuran diesters, fluorine-containing plasticizers, hydroxybenzoic acid esters, isocyanate adducts, multi-ring aromatic compounds, natural product derivatives, nitriles, siloxane-based plasticizers, tar-based products, thioeters and combinations thereof. in further embodiments, the plasticizers include olefin oligomers, low molecular weight polyolefins such as liquid polybutene, phthalates, mineral oils such as naphthenic, paraffinic, or hydrogenated (white) oils (e.g. kaydol oil), vegetable and animal oil and their derivatives, petroleum derived oils, and combinations thereof. in some embodiments, the plasticizers include polypropylene, polybutene, hydrogenated polyisoprene, hydrogenated polybutadiene, polypiperylene and copolymers of piperylene and isoprene, and the like having average molecular weights between about 350 and about 10,000. in other embodiments, the plasticizers include glyceryl esters of the usual fatty acids and polymerization products thereof. in some embodiments, a suitable insoluble plasticizer may be selected from the group which includes dipropylene glycol dibenzoate, pentaerythritol tetrabenzoate; polyethylene glycol 400-di-2-ethylhexoate; 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phsophate; butyl benzyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, dioctyl phthalate, various substituted citrates, and glycerates. suitable dipropylene glycol dibenzoate and pentaerythritol tetrabenzoate may be purchased from velsicol chemical company of chicago, ill. under the trade designations “benzoflex 9-88 and s-552”, respectively. further, a suitable polyethylene glycol 400-di-2-ethylhexoate may be purchased from c.p. hall company of chicago, ill. under the trade designation “tegmer 809”. a suitable 2-ethylhexyl diphenyl phosphate, and a butyl benzyl phthalate may be purchased from monsanto industrial chemical company of st. louis, mo. under the trade designation “santicizer 141 and 160”, respectively. in some embodiments, affinity® ga high flow polymers, such as affinity® ga 1950 pop and affinity® ga 1900 pop as extenders to improve processability without noticeably reducing key performance properties. some plasticizers have been described in george wypych, “ handbook of plasticizers ,” chemtec publishing, toronto-scarborough, ontario (2004), which is incorporated herein by reference. where used, the amount of the plasticizer in the polymer blend can be from greater than 0 to about 65 wt %, greater than 0 to about 50 wt %, greater than 0 to about 25 wt %, greater than 0 to about 15 wt %, from about 0.5 to about 10 wt %, or from about 1 to about 5 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. tackifiers in some embodiments, the compositions disclosed herein can comprise a tackifier or tackifying resin or tackifier resin. the tackifier may modify the properties of the composition such as viscoelastic properties (e.g., tan delta), rheological properties (e.g., viscosity), tackiness (i.e., ability to stick), pressure sensitivity, and wetting property. in some embodiments, the tackifier is used to improve the tackiness of the composition. in other embodiments, the tackifier is used to reduce the viscosity of the composition. in further embodiments, the tackifier is used to render the composition a pressure-sensitive adhesive. in particular embodiments, the tackifier is used to wet out adherent surfaces and/or improve the adhesion to the adherent surfaces. any tackifier known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be used in the adhesion composition disclosed herein. tackifiers suitable for the compositions disclosed herein can be solids, semi-solids, or liquids at room temperature. non-limiting examples of tackifiers include (1) natural and modified rosins (e.g., gum rosin, wood rosin, tall oil rosin, distilled rosin, hydrogenated rosin, dimerized rosin, and polymerized rosin); (2) glycerol and pentaerythritol esters of natural and modified rosins (e.g., the glycerol ester of pale, wood rosin, the glycerol ester of hydrogenated rosin, the glycerol ester of polymerized rosin, the pentaerythritol ester of hydrogenated rosin, and the phenolic-modified pentaerythritol ester of rosin); (3) copolymers and terpolymers of natured terpenes (e.g., styrene/terpene and alpha methyl styrene/terpene); (4) polyterpene resins and hydrogenated polyterpene resins; (5) phenolic modified terpene resins and hydrogenated derivatives thereof (e.g., the resin product resulting from the condensation, in an acidic medium, of a bicyclic terpene and a phenol); (6) aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon resins and the hydrogenated derivatives thereof (e.g., resins resulting from the polymerization of monomers consisting primarily of olefins and diolefins); (7) aromatic hydrocarbon resins and the hydrogenated derivatives thereof; (8) aromatic modified aliphatic or cycloaliphatic hydrocarbon resins and the hydrogenated derivatives thereof; and combinations thereof. the amount of the tackifier in the composition can be from about 5 to about 70 wt %, from about 10 to about 65 wt %, or from about 15 to about 60 wt % of the total weight of the composition. in other embodiments, the tackifiers include rosin-based tackifiers (e.g. aquatac® 9027, aquatac® 4188, sylvalite®, sylvatac® and sylvagum® rosin esters from arizona chemical, jacksonville, fla.). in other embodiments, the tackifiers include polyterpenes or terpene resins (e.g., sylvares® terpene resins from arizona chemical, jacksonville, fla.). in other embodiments, the tackifiers include aliphatic hydrocarbon resins such as resins resulting from the polymerization of monomers consisting of olefins and diolefins (e.g., escorez® 1310lc, escorez® 2596 from exxonmobil chemical company, houston, tex.) and the hydrogenated derivatives thereof; alicyclic petroleum hydrocarbon resins and the hydrogenated derivatives thereof (e.g. escorez® 5300 and 5400 series from exxonmobil chemical company; eastotac® resins from eastman chemical, kingsport, tenn.). in further embodiments, the tackifiers are modified with tackifier modifiers including aromatic compounds (e.g., escorez® 2596 from exxonmobil chemical company) and low softening point resins (e.g., aquatac 5527 from arizona chemical, jacksonville, fla.). in some embodiments, the tackifier is an aliphatic hydrocarbon resin having at least five carbon atoms. in other embodiments, the tackifier has a ring and ball (r&b) softening point equal to or greater than 80° c. the ring and ball (r&b) softening point can be measured by the method described in astm e28. in some embodiments, the performance characteristics of the tackifier in the composition disclosed herein can be directly related to its compatibility with the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer. preferably, the compositions with desirable adhesive properties can be obtained with tackifiers that are compatible with the interpolymer. for example, when a compatible tackifier is added in the correct concentration to the interpolymer, desirable tack properties can be produced. although incompatible tackifiers may not produce desirable tack properties, they may be used to impact other desirable properties. for example, the properties of the composition can be fine-tuned by the addition of a tackifier having limited compatibility to reduce the tack level and/or increase the cohesive strength characteristics. antioxidants in some embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein optionally comprise an antioxidant that can prevent the oxidation of polymer components and organic additives in the polymer blends. any antioxidant known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable antioxidants include aromatic or hindered amines such as alkyl diphenylamines, phenyl-α-naphthylamine, alkyl or aralkyl substituted phenyl-α-naphthylamine, alkylated p-phenylene diamines, tetramethyl-diaminodiphenylamine and the like; phenols such as 2,6-di-t-butyl-4-methylphenol; 1,3,5-trimethyl-2,4,6-tris(3′,5′-di-t-butyl-4′-hydroxybenzyl)benzene; tetrakis[(methylene(3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxyhydrocinnamate)]methane (e.g., irganox™ 1010, from ciba geigy, new york); acryloyl modified phenols; octadecyl-3,5-di-t-butyl-4-hydroxycinnamate (e.g., irganox™ 1076, commercially available from ciba geigy); phosphites and phosphonites; hydroxylamines; benzofuranone derivatives; and combinations thereof. where used, the amount of the antioxidant in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 5 wt %, from about 0.0001 to about 2.5 wt %, from about 0.001 to about 1 wt %, or from about 0.001 to about 0.5 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some antioxidants have been described in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 1, pages 1-140 (2001), which is incorporated herein by reference. uv stabilizers in other embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein optionally comprise an uv stabilizer that may prevent or reduce the degradation of the polymer blends by uv radiations. any uv stabilizer known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable uv stabilizers include benzophenones, benzotriazoles, aryl esters, oxanilides, acrylic esters, formamidines, carbon black, hindered amines, nickel quenchers, hindered amines, phenolic antioxidants, metallic salts, zinc compounds and combinations thereof. where used, the amount of the uv stabilizer in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 5 wt %, from about 0.01 to about 3 wt %, from about 0.1 to about 2 wt %, or from about 0.1 to about 1 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some uv stabilizers have been described in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 2, pages 141-426 (2001), which is incorporated herein by reference. barrier resins barrier resins are resins of all types which protects infiltration of contaminants, exfiltration of flavor, color, odor, etc., as well as preservation of the contents of an article made from the polymers blends provided herein. exemplary barrier resins include, but are not limited to evoh, pvdc, nylon, pet, pp, pctfe, coc, lcp, nitrile (an-ma) copolymers, thermoplastic polyesters, tie layer resins, and vapor-permeable resins, and combinations thereof. the amount of barrier resin in the polymer blend can range from greater than 0% to about 10%, about 0.001% to about 10%, about 0.1% to about 8% or about 1% to about 5% of the total weight of the composition. pigments in further embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein optionally comprise a colorant or pigment that can change the look of the polymer blends to human eyes. any colorant or pigment known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable colorants or pigments include inorganic pigments such as metal oxides such as iron oxide, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide, mixed metal oxides, carbon black, organic pigments such as anthraquinones, anthanthrones, azo and monoazo compounds, arylamides, benzimidazolones, bona lakes, diketopyrrolo-pyrroles, dioxazines, disazo compounds, diarylide compounds, flavanthrones, indanthrones, isoindolinones, isoindolines, metal complexes, monoazo salts, naphthols, b-naphthols, naphthol as, naphthol lakes, perylenes, perinones, phthalocyanines, pyranthrones, quinacridones, and quinophthalones, and combinations thereof. where used, the amount of the colorant or pigment in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 10 wt %, from about 0.1 to about 5 wt %, or from about 0.25 to about 2 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some colorants have been described in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 15, pages 813-882 (2001), which is incorporated herein by reference. fillers optionally, the polymer blends disclosed herein can comprise a filler which can be used to adjust, inter alia, volume, weight, costs, and/or technical performance. any filler known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable fillers include talc, calcium carbonate, chalk, calcium sulfate, clay, kaolin, silica, glass, fumed silica, mica, wollastonite, feldspar, aluminum silicate, calcium silicate, alumina, hydrated alumina such as alumina trihydrate, glass microsphere, ceramic microsphere, thermoplastic microsphere, barite, wood flour, glass fibers, carbon fibers, marble dust, cement dust, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, antimony oxide, zinc oxide, barium sulfate, titanium dioxide, titanates and combinations thereof. in some embodiments, the filler is barium sulfate, talc, calcium carbonate, silica, glass, glass fiber, alumina, titanium dioxide, or a mixture thereof. in other embodiments, the filler is talc, calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, glass fiber or a mixture thereof. in some embodiments, the inclusion of an adsorptive inorganic additive has been found to improve the odor properties of the foamed products provided herein. the addition of an odor absorber additive such as charcoal, calcium carbonate or magnesium oxide in the range from about 0.1 to about 3 weight percent, or about 0.5 to about 2 weight percent, based on the total composition, is effective in eliminating odors. where used, the amount of the filler in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 80 wt %, from about 0.1 to about 60 wt %, from about 0.5 to about 40 wt %, from about 1 to about 30 wt %, or from about 10 to about 40 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some fillers have been disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,103,803 and zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 17, pages 901-948 (2001), both of which are incorporated herein by reference. lubricants optionally, the polymer blends disclosed herein can comprise a lubricant. in general, the lubricant can be used, inter alia, to modify the rheology of the molten polymer blends, to improve the surface finish of molded articles, and/or to facilitate the dispersion of fillers or pigments. any lubricant known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable lubricants include fatty alcohols and their dicarboxylic acid esters, fatty acid esters of short-chain alcohols, fatty acids, fatty acid amides, metal soaps, oligomeric fatty acid esters, fatty acid esters of long-chain alcohols, montan waxes, polyethylene waxes, polypropylene waxes, natural and synthetic paraffin waxes, fluoropolymers and combinations thereof. in some embodiments, lubricants comprise an organopolysiloxane. in some embodiments, the organopolysiloxane can have an average molecular weight not less than 40,000 and a viscosity of at least 50.000 cst. where used, the amount of the lubricant in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 5 wt %, from about 0.1 to about 4 wt %, or from about 0.1 to about 3 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some suitable lubricants have been disclosed in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 5, pages 511-552 (2001), both of which are incorporated herein by reference. antistatic agents optionally, the polymer blends disclosed herein can comprise an antistatic agent. generally, the antistatic agent can increase the conductivity of the polymer blends and to prevent static charge accumulation. any antistatic agent known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable antistatic agents include conductive fillers (e.g., carbon black, metal particles and other conductive particles), fatty acid esters (e.g., glycerol monostearate), ethoxylated alkylamines, diethanolamides, ethoxylated alcohols, alkylsulfonates, alkylphosphates, quaternary ammonium salts, alkylbetaines and combinations thereof. where used, the amount of the antistatic agent in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 5 wt %, from about 0.01 to about 3 wt %, or from about 0.1 to about 2 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some suitable antistatic agents have been disclosed in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 10, pages 627-646 (2001), both of which are incorporated herein by reference. cross-linking agents in further embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein optionally comprise a cross-linking agent that can be used to increase the cross-linking density of the polymer blends. any cross-linking agent known to a person of ordinary skill in the art may be added to the polymer blends disclosed herein. non-limiting examples of suitable cross-linking agents include organic peroxides (e.g., alkyl peroxides, aryl peroxides, peroxyesters, peroxycarbonates, diacylperoxides, peroxyketals, and cyclic peroxides) and silanes (e.g., vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris(2-methoxyethoxy)silane, vinyltriacetoxysilane, vinylmethyldimethoxysilane, and 3-methacryloyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane). where used, the amount of the cross-linking agent in the polymer blend can be from about greater than 0 to about 20 wt %, from about 0.1 to about 15 wt %, or from about 1 to about 10 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. some suitable cross-linking agents have been disclosed in zweifel hans et al., “ plastics additives handbook ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio, 5th edition, chapter 14, pages 725-812 (2001), both of which are incorporated herein by reference. the cross-linking of the polymer blends can also be initiated by any radiation means known in the art, including, but not limited to, electron-beam irradiation, beta irradiation, gamma irradiation, corona irradiation, and uv radiation with or without cross-linking catalyst. u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/086,057 (published as us2002/0132923 a1) and u.s. pat. no. 6,803,014 disclose electron-beam irradiation methods that can be used in embodiments of the invention. irradiation may be accomplished by the use of high energy, ionizing electrons, ultra violet rays, x-rays, gamma rays, beta particles and the like and combination thereof. preferably, electrons are employed up to 70 megarads dosages. the irradiation source can be any electron beam generator operating in a range from about 150 kilovolts to about 6 megavolts with a power output capable of supplying the desired dosage. the voltage can be adjusted to appropriate levels which may be, for example, 100,000, 300,000, 1,000,000 or 2,000,000 or 3,000,000 or 6,000,000 or higher or lower. many other apparati for irradiating polymeric materials are known in the art. the irradiation is usually carried out at a dosage between about 3 megarads to about 35 megarads, preferably between about 8 to about 20 megarads. further, the irradiation can be carried out conveniently at room temperature, although higher and lower temperatures, for example 0° c. to about 60° c., may also be employed. preferably, the irradiation is carried out after shaping or fabrication of the article. also, in a preferred embodiment, the ethylene interpolymer which has been incorporated with a pro-rad additive is irradiated with electron beam radiation at about 8 to about 20 megarads. crosslinking can be promoted with a crosslinking catalyst, and any catalyst that will provide this function can be used. suitable catalysts generally include organic bases, carboxylic acids, and organometallic compounds including organic titanates and complexes or carboxylates of lead, cobalt, iron, nickel, zinc and tin. dibutyltindilaurate, dioctyltinmaleate, dibutyltindiacetate, dibutyltindioctoate, stannous acetate, stannous octoate, lead naphthenate, zinc caprylate, cobalt naphthenate; and the like. tin carboxylate, especially dibutyltindilaurate and dioctyltinmaleate, are particularly effective for this invention. the catalyst (or mixture of catalysts) is present in a catalytic amount, typically between about 0.015 and about 0.035 phr. representative pro-rad additives include, but are not limited to, azo compounds, organic peroxides and polyfunctional vinyl or allyl compounds such as, for example,. triallyl cyanurate, triallyl isocyanurate, pentaerthritol tetramethacrylate, glutaraldehyde, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diallyl maleate, dipropargyl maleate, dipropargyl monoallyl cyanurate, dicumyl peroxide, di-tert-butyl peroxide, t-butyl perbenzoate, benzoyl peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, t-butyl peroctoate, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, 2,5-dimethyl-2,5-di(t-butyl peroxy)hexane, lauryl peroxide, tert-butyl peracetate, azobisisobutyl nitrite and the like and combination thereof. preferred pro-rad additives for use in the present invention are compounds which have polyfunctional (i.e. at least two) moieties such as c═c, c═n or c═o. at least one pro-rad additive can be introduced to the ethylene interpolymer by any method known in the art. however, preferably the pro-rad additive(s) is introduced via a masterbatch concentrate comprising the same or different base resin as the ethylene interpolymer. preferably, the pro-rad additive concentration for the masterbatch is relatively high e.g., about 25 weight percent (based on the total weight of the concentrate). the at least one pro-rad additive is introduced to the ethylene polymer in any effective amount. preferably, the at least one pro-rad additive introduction amount is from about 0.001 to about 5 weight percent, more preferably from about 0.005 to about 2.5 weight percent and most preferably from about 0.015 to about 1 weight percent (based on the total weight of the ethylene interpolymer. in addition to electron-beam irradiation, crosslinking can also be effected by uv irradiation. u.s. pat. no. 6,709,742 discloses a cross-linking method by uv irradiation which can be used in embodiments of the invention. the method comprises mixing a photoinitiator, with or without a photocrosslinker, with a polymer before, during, or after a fiber is formed and then exposing the fiber with the photoinitiator to sufficient uv radiation to crosslink the polymer to the desired level. the photoinitiators used in the practice of the invention are aromatic ketones, e.g., benzophenones or monoacetals of 1,2-diketones. the primary photoreaction of the monacetals is the homolytic cleavage of the α-bond to give acyl and dialkoxyalkyl radicals. this type of α-cleavage is known as a norrish type i reaction which is more fully described in w. horspool and d. armesto, organic photochemistry: a comprehensive treatment, ellis horwood limited, chichester, england, 1992; j. kopecky, organic photochemistry: a visual approach, vch publishers, inc., new york, n.y. 1992; n. j. turro, et al., acc. chem. res., 1972, 5, 92; and j. t. banks, et al., j. am. chem. soc., 1993, 115, 2473. the synthesis of monoacetals of aromatic 1,2 diketones, ar—co—c(or) 2 —ar′ is described in u.s. pat. no. 4,190,602 and ger. offen. 2,337,813. the preferred compound from this class is 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, c 6 h 5 —co—c(och 3 ) 2 —c 6 h 5 , which is commercially available from ciba-geigy as irgacure 651. examples of other aromatic ketones useful in the practice of this invention as photoinitiators are irgacure 184, 369, 819, 907 and 2959, all available from ciba-geigy. in some embodiments of the invention, the photoinitiator is used in combination with a photocrosslinker. any photocrosslinker that will upon the generation of free radicals, link two or more polyolefin backbones together through the formation of covalent bonds with the backbones can be used in this invention. preferably these photocrosslinkers are polyfunctional, i.e., they comprise two or more sites that upon activation will form a covalent bond with a site on the backbone of the copolymer. representative photocrosslinkers include, but are not limited to polyfunctional vinyl or allyl compounds such as, for example, triallyl cyanurate, triallyl isocyanurate, pentaerthritol tetramethacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, diallyl maleate, dipropargyl maleate, dipropargyl monoallyl cyanurate and the like. preferred photocrosslinkers for use in the present invention are compounds which have polyfunctional (i.e. at least two) moieties. particularly preferred photocrosslinkers are triallycyanurate (tac) and triallylisocyanurate (taic). certain compounds act as both a photoinitiator and a photocrosslinker in the practice of this invention. these compounds are characterized by the ability to generate two or more reactive species (e.g., free radicals, carbenes, nitrenes, etc.) upon exposure to uv-light and to subsequently covalently bond with two polymer chains. any compound that can preform these two functions can be used in the practice of this invention, and representative compounds include the sulfonyl azides described in u.s. pat. nos. 6,211,302 and 6,284,842. in another embodiment of this invention, the copolymer is subjected to secondary crosslinking, i.e., crosslinking other than and in addition to photocrosslinking. in this embodiment, the photoinitiator is used either in combination with a nonphotocrosslinker, e.g., a silane, or the copolymer is subjected to a secondary crosslinking procedure, e.g, exposure to e-beam radiation. representative examples of silane crosslinkers are described in u.s. pat. no. 5,824,718, and crosslinking through exposure to e-beam radiation is described in u.s. pat. nos. 5,525,257 and 5,324,576. the use of a photocrosslinker in this embodiment is optional at least one photoadditive, i.e., photoinitiator and optional photocrosslinker, can be introduced to the copolymer by any method known in the art. however, preferably the photoadditive(s) is (are) introduced via a masterbatch concentrate comprising the same or different base resin as the copolymer. preferably ,the photoadditive concentration for the masterbatch is relatively high e.g., about 25 weight percent (based on the total weight of the concentrate). the at least one photoadditive is introduced to the copolymer in any effective amount. preferably, the at least one photoadditive introduction amount is from about 0.001 to about 5, more preferably from about 0.005 to about 2.5 and most preferably from about 0.015 to about 1, wt % (based on the total weight of the copolymer). the photoinitiator(s) and optional photocrosslinker(s) can be added during different stages of the fiber or film manufacturing process. if photoadditives can withstand the extrusion temperature, a polyolefin resin can be mixed with additives before being fed into the extruder, e.g., via a masterbatch addition. alternatively, additives can be introduced into the extruder just prior the slot die, but in this case the efficient mixing of components before extrusion is important. in another approach, polyolefin fibers can be drawn without photoadditives, and a photoinitiator and/or photocrosslinker can be applied to the extruded fiber via a kiss-roll, spray, dipping into a solution with additives, or by using other industrial methods for post-treatment. the resulting fiber with photoadditive(s) is then cured via electromagnetic radiation in a continuous or batch process. the photo additives can be blended with the polyolefin using conventional compounding equipment, including single and twin-screw extruders. the power of the electromagnetic radiation and the irradiation time are chosen so as to allow efficient crosslinking without polymer degradation and/or dimensional defects. the preferred process is described in ep 0 490 854 b1. photoadditive(s) with sufficient thermal stability is (are) premixed with a polyolefin resin, extruded into a fiber, and irradiated in a continuous process using one energy source or several units linked in a series. there are several advantages to using a continuous process compared with a batch process to cure a fiber or sheet of a knitted fabric which are collected onto a spool. irradiation may be accomplished by the use of uv-radiation. preferably, uv-radiation is employed up to the intensity of 100 j/cm 2 . the irradiation source can be any uv-light generator operating in a range from about 50 watts to about 25000 watts with a power output capable of supplying the desired dosage. the wattage can be adjusted to appropriate levels which may be, for example, 1000 watts or 4800 watts or 6000 watts or higher or lower. many other apparati for uv-irradiating polymeric materials are known in the art. the irradiation is usually carried out at a dosage between about 3 j/cm 2 to about 500 j/scm 2, , preferably between about 5 j/cm 2 to about 100 j/cm 2 . further, the irradiation can be carried out conveniently at room temperature, although higher and lower temperatures, for example 0° c. to about 60° c., may also be employed. the photocrosslinking process is faster at higher temperatures. preferably, the irradiation is carried out after shaping or fabrication of the article. in a preferred embodiment, the copolymer which has been incorporated with a photoadditive is irradiated with uv-radiation at about 10 j/cm 2 to about 50 j/cm 2 . blowing agents foaming agents suitable for use in the gaskets disclosed herein include physical blowing agents which function as gas sources by going through a change of physical state. volatile liquids produce gas by passing from the liquid to gaseous state, whereas compressed gases are dissolved under pressure in the melted polymer. chemical blowing agents produce gas by a chemical reaction, either by a thermal decomposition or by a reaction between two components. suitable physical blowing agents include pentanes (e.g., n-pentane, 2-methylbutane, 2,2-dimethylpropane, 1-pentane and cyclopentane), hexanes (e.g., n-hexane, 2-methylpentane, 3-methylpentane, 2,3-dimethylbutane, 2,2-dimethylbutane, 1-hexene, cyclohexane), heptanes (e.g., n-heptane, 2-methylhexane, 2,2-dimethylpentane, 2,3-dimethylpentane, 2,4-dimethylpentane, 3,3-dimethylpentane, 3-ethylpentane, 2,2,3-trimethylbutane, 1-heptene), benzene, toluene, dichloromethane, trichloromethane, trichloroethylene, tetrachloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, trichlorofluoromethane, 1,1,2-trichlorotrifluoroethane, methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, ethyl ether, isopropyl ether, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, and methylene chloride. suitable gaseous blowing agents include carbon dioxide and nitrogen. suitable chemical blowing agents include sodium bicarbonate, dinitrosopentamethylenetetramine, sulfonyl hydrazides, azodicarbonamide (e.g., celogen™ aznp 130 made by uniroyal chemical), p-toluenesulfonyl semicarbazide, 5-phenyltetrazole, diisopropylhydrazodicarboxylate, 5-phenyl-3,6-dihydro-1,3,4-oxadiazin-2-one, and sodium borohydride. the amount of blowing agent is dependent on the desired density reduction. one can calculate the amount of blowing agent required by knowing the volume of gas produced per gram of blowing agent at a given temperature and the desired density reduction (or target density) for a desired application. for chemical blowing agents the range is 0.1 to 4% by weight and more preferably 0.25 to 2% by weight. this range can also be adjusted by the addition of activation agents (sometimes referred to as coagents) such as (zinc oxide, zinc stearate). foams useful for making the gaskets claimed herein can be made as described in u.s. pat. no. 5,288,762, u.s. pat. no. 5,340,840, u.s. pat. no. 5,369,136, u.s. pat. no. 5,387,620 and u.s. pat. no. 5,407,965, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. preparation of the polymer blends the ingredients of the polymer blends, i.e., the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, the at least one other polymer component, such as the elastomer, the polyolefin or the polar polymer and the optional additives, can be mixed or blended using methods known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, preferably methods that can provide a substantially homogeneous distribution of the polyolefin and/or the additives in the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer. non-limiting examples of suitable blending methods include melt blending, solvent blending, extruding, and the like. in some embodiments, the ingredients of the polymer blends are melt blended by a method as described by guerin et al. in u.s. pat. no. 4,152,189. first, all solvents, if there are any, are removed from the ingredients by heating to an appropriate elevated temperature of about 100° c. to about 200° c. or about 150° c. to about 175° c. at a pressure of about 5 torr (667 pa) to about 10 torr (1333 pa). next, the ingredients are weighed into a vessel in the desired proportions and the polymer blend is formed by heating the contents of the vessel to a molten state while stirring. in other embodiments, the ingredients of the polymer blends are processed using solvent blending. first, the ingredients of the desired polymer blend are dissolved in a suitable solvent and the mixture is then mixed or blended. next, the solvent is removed to provide the polymer blend. in further embodiments, physical blending devices that provide dispersive mixing, distributive mixing, or a combination of dispersive and distributive mixing can be useful in preparing homogenous blends. both batch and continuous methods of physical blending can be used. non-limiting examples of batch methods include those methods using brabender® mixing equipments (e.g., brabender prep center®, available from c.w. brabender instruments, inc., south hackensack, n.j.) or banbury® internal mixing and roll milling (available from farrel company, ansonia, conn.) equipment. non-limiting examples of continuous methods include single screw extruding, twin screw extruding, disk extruding, reciprocating single screw extruding, and pin barrel single screw extruding. in some embodiments, the additives can be added into an extruder through a feed hopper or feed throat during the extrusion of the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, the polyolefin or the polymer blend. the mixing or blending of polymers by extrusion has been described in c. rauwendaal, “ polymer extrusion ”, hanser publishers, new york, n.y., pages 322-334 (1986), which is incorporated herein by reference. when one or more additives are required in the polymer blends, the desired amounts of the additives can be added in one charge or multiple charges to the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, the polyolefin or the polymer blend. furthermore, the addition can take place in any order. in some embodiments, the additives are first added and mixed or blended with the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer and then the additive-containing interpolymer is blended with the polyolefin. in other embodiments, the additives are first added and mixed or blended with the polyolefin and then the additive-containing polyolefin is blended with the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer. in further embodiments, the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer is blended with the polyolefin first and then the additives are blended with the polymer blend. alternatively, master batches containing high concentrations of the additives can be used. in general, master batches can be prepared by blending either the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer, the polyolefin or the polymer blend with high concentrations of additives. the master batches can have additive concentrations from about 1 to about 50 wt %, from about 1 to about 40 wt %, from about 1 to about 30 wt %, or from about 1 to about 20 wt % of the total weight of the polymer blend. the master batches can then be added to the polymer blends in an amount determined to provide the desired additive concentrations in the end products. in some embodiments, the master batch contains a slip agent, an anti-blocking agent, a plasticizer, an antioxidant, a uv stabilizer, a colorant or pigment, a filler, a lubricant, an antifogging agent, a flow aid, a coupling agent, a cross-linking agent, a nucleating agent, a surfactant, a solvent, a flame retardant, an antistatic agent, or a combination thereof. in other embodiment, the master batch contains a slip agent, an anti-blocking agent or a combination thereof. in other embodiment, the master batch contains a slip agent. applications of polymer blends the polymer blends disclosed herein can be used to manufacture durable articles for the automotive, construction, medical, food and beverage, electrical, appliance, business machine, and consumer markets. in some embodiments, the polymer blends are used to manufacture flexible durable parts or articles selected from toys, grips, soft touch handles, bumper rub strips, floorings, auto floor mats, wheels, casters, furniture and appliance feet, tags, seals, gaskets such as static and dynamic gaskets, automotive doors, bumper fascia, grill components, rocker panels, hoses, linings, office supplies, seals, liners, diaphragms, tubes, lids, stoppers, plunger tips, delivery systems, kitchen wares, shoes, shoe bladders and shoe soles. in other embodiments, the polymer blends can be used to manufacture durable parts or articles that require a high tensile strength and low compression set. in further embodiments, the polymer blends can be used to manufacture durable parts or articles that require a high upper service temperature and low modulus. gasket configurations gaskets can have many different forms, including “o-rings” and flat seals (e.g., “film-like” gaskets having a thickness commensurate with the intended use). suitable end uses include gaskets for metal and plastic closures, as well as other gasket applications. these applications include beverage cap liners, hot fill juice cap liners, polypropylene cap liners, steel or aluminum cap liners, high density polyethylene cap liners, window glass gaskets, sealed containers, closure caps, gaskets for medical devices, filter elements, pressure venting gaskets, hot melt gaskets, easy twist off caps, electrochemical cell gaskets, refrigerator gaskets, galvanic cell gaskets, leak proof cell gaskets, waterproofing sheet, reusable gaskets, synthetic cork like materials, thin cell electromembrane separator, magnetic rubber materials, disc gaskets for alcoholic beverage bottle caps, freeze resistant seal rings, gaskets for plastic castings, expansion joints and waterstops, corrosion-resistant conduit connectors, flexible magnetic plastics, pipe joint seals, integral weatherproof plastic lid and hinge for electrical outlets, magnetic faced foamed articles, jar rings, flexible gaskets, glass seals, tamper evident sealing liners, pressure applicators, combined bottle cap and straw structures, large condiment bottle liners, metal caps for applesauce or salsa jars, home canning jars, “crowns,” and the like. gaskets made from the substantially linear or homogeneous linear ethylene polymers have numerous advantages, especially when used in food-stuff applications. these include: improved taste and odor over incumbent polymer gaskets such as ethylene/vinyl acetate; low adhesion to polar substrates (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, glass) which is useful for low torque removal of the closure/cap; low extractables (e.g., less than about 5.5% by weight) (also useful for food-stuffs, especially regarding regulatory compliance); good adhesion to non-polar substrates (e.g., polypropylene and high density polyethylene (either linear homopolymer polyethylene or linear heterogeneous high density polyethylene)); good adhesion in a cap or crown can be described as sufficiently adhering to the substrate. a gasket exhibits this type adhesion when it can only be removed under a cohesive failure mode. adhesion to metal (such as beer crowns) requires a lacquer that is both compatible with the polymer system and bonds to the metal. one such example that provides good adhesion is a modified polyester provided by watson standard (#40-207). modified epoxy lacquers have also demonstrated good adhesion. additional benefits include adequate gas and water barrier properties; high melting point relative to incumbent polymers (e.g., ethylene/vinyl acetate); good stress crack resistance; good chemical resistance; variable hardness (useful for specific packaging which may require more or less gasket stiffness, depending on the degree of torque required to seal the container and the internal pressure of the container). in certain embodiments, the ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention are present in the three component composition used in the gasket in an amount in the range from about 80% to about 97.5% by total weight of the three component composition. preferably, the ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention can be found in the three component gasket compositions in the range from about 85% to about 97.5%. more preferably, the ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention can be found in the gasket composition in the range of about 90% to about 97.5%. the three component composition can be admixed with other materials, such as styrene/butadiene/styrene block polymers (“sbs”). preferably, the three component composition comprises from about 50 percent, especially from about 80 percent, to 100 percent of the gasket, by weight of the gasket. the gaskets comprising the ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention should be hard enough to withstand compression, but still soft enough such that an adequate seal is formed. thus, the hardness of the polymer enables varying gaskets to be made, depending on the use. hardness is measured herein as “shore a” hardness (as determined using astm d-2240). for the ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention which comprise the gaskets, the shore a hardness ranges from about 50 to about 100, even without the use of petroleum oils commonly included to reduce the hardness of the polymer and resulting gasket. in some embodiments, the gaskets provided herein comprise additives such as antioxidants (e.g., hindered phenolics (e.g., irganox.rtm. 1010 made by ciba geigy corp.), phosphites (e.g., irgafos.rtm. 168 made by ciba geigy corp.)), cling additives (e.g., polyisobutylene (pib)), slip additives (e.g., erucamide), antiblock additives, pigments, and the like can also be included in the gasket compositions, to the extent that they do not interfere with the improved properties described herein. various gasket manufacturing techniques include those disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,215,587 (mcconnellogue et al.); u.s. pat. no. 4,085,186 (rainer); u.s. pat. no. 4,619,848 (knight et al.); u.s. pat. no. 5,104,710 (knight); u.s. pat. no. 4,981,231 (knight); u.s. pat. no. 4,717,034 (mumford); u.s. pat. no. 3,786,954 (shull); u.s. pat. no. 3,779,965 (lefforge et al.); u.s. pat. no. 3,493,453 (ceresa et al.); u.s. pat. no. 3,183,144 (caviglia); u.s. pat. no. 3,300,072 (caviglia); u.s. pat. no. 4,984,703 (burzynski); u.s. pat. no. 3,414,938 (caviglia); u.s. pat. no. 4,939,859 (bayer); u.s. pat. no. 5,137,164 (bayer); and u.s. pat. no. 5,000,992 (kelch). the disclosure of each of the preceding united states patents is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference. preferably, the gasket is made in a single step process by extruding a portion of the foaming ethylene/alpha-olefin polymers used in the present invention and then immediately compression molding that portion into a gasket, especially where the gasket adheres to a substrate such as phenolic, epoxy or polyester lacqueres. the gaskets claimed herein are different from those gaskets made by extruded sheets or films by conventional techniques as blown, cast or extrusion coated films, followed by stamping or cutting the gasket from the sheet or film since substantial waste is avoided and more control over gasket dimensions in 1-step process; another advantage of the 1-step process is achieving lower gasket thickness (e.g., from about 5 mils to about 50 mils). preferably, the 1-step process for forming a gasket having a shore a hardness from about 40 to about 95, comprising the steps of: (a) combining at least one ethylene/alpha-olefin interpolymer having the properties specified herein, at least one ethylene/carboxylic acid interpolymer or ionomer thereof, at least one slip agent, with at least one blowing agent to from a mixture,(b) extruding the mixture into a pellet,(c) cutting the extruded mixture into a pellet,(d) positioning the cut extruded mixture into a closure, and(e) compression shaping the positioned mixture in the closure. more preferably, for closures having a 28 mm diameter, the cut pellet weighs from about 120 mg to about 300 mg. multilayer film structures are also suitable for making the gaskets disclosed herein, with the proviso that at least one layer (preferably the inner layer which is located adjacent to the product) comprises the homogeneously branched linear or homogeneously branched substantially linear ethylene interpolymer. foam multilayer gaskets comprising the homogeneously branched linear or homogenously branched substantially linear ethylene interpolymers are also useful in the present invention. in some embodiments, the polymer blends disclosed herein can be used to manufacture gaskets with improved taste and odor properties. the use of ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers offer less sensitivity to temperature, for example in the range from below 40° f. to 158° f., for key closure liner or gasket physical properties. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers show reduced change in properties versus other polymer systems, over the temperature range from below 40° f. to 158° f. the key polymer properties are relatively insensitive to temperature in the key operational temperature range. the sealing gasket compositions of the present invention may also include various other components that are known to those skilled in the art. examples of other materials which may be included in the gasket composition are a lubricants and colorants. examples of suitable lubricants include, but are not limited to, stearates and fatty amides, such as kemmamide-e™ (also called erucamide), which can be obtained from the witco corporation. examples of suitable, colorants include, but are not limited to, thaloblue, which may be obtained from quantum chemical corporation. for closure liner application used in more extreme conditions, the addition of 30% or less of a very high molecular weight elastomer such as an sebs polymer of melt index less than 0.1 to ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers can result in a composition with physical properties similar to a the very high molecular weight elastomer. this blend composition offers advantages over the very high molecular weight elastomer including: improved processability and reduced cost. the very high molecular weight elastomers by themselves have such high viscosity that they can not be processed in production equipment used to produce closure liners. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers offer unique, advantaged combinations of properties of processability and physical properties that unmodified elastomers do not possess. in particular, elastomers such as sebs should be of very high molecular weight to exhibit the physical properties required for closure liner application but at these molecular weight the elastomers are totally unprocessable in standard closure liner equipment. typically these polymers must be modified with extenders and other polymers to obtain sufficient processability. the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers blends with polyolefin polymers, such as lldpe, sebs, and others show synergistic effect in compression set. manufacture of articles the polymer blends can be used to prepare these durable parts or articles with known polymer processes such as extrusion (e.g., sheet extrusion and profile extrusion), injection molding, molding, rotational molding, and blow molding. in general, extrusion is a process by which a polymer is propelled continuously along a screw through regions of high temperature and pressure where it is melted and compacted, and finally forced through a die. the extruder can be a single screw extruder, a multiple screw extruder, a disk extruder or a ram extruder. the die can be a film die, blown film die, sheet die, pipe die, tubing die or profile extrusion die. the extrusion of polymers has been described in c. rauwendaal, “ polymer extrusion ”, hanser publishers, new york, n.y. (1986); and m. j. stevens, “ extruder principals and operation ,” ellsevier applied science publishers, new york, n.y. (1985), both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. injection molding is also widely used for manufacturing a variety of plastic parts for various applications. in general, injection molding is a process by which a polymer is melted and injected at high pressure into a mold, which is the inverse of the desired shape, to form parts of the desired shape and size. the mold can be made from metal, such as steel and aluminum. the injection molding of polymers has been described in beaumont et al., “ successful injection molding: process, design, and simulation ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio (2002), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. molding is generally a process by which a polymer is melted and led into a mold, which is the inverse of the desired shape, to form parts of the desired shape and size. molding can be pressureless or pressure-assisted. the molding of polymers is described in hans-georg elias “ an introduction to plastics ,” wiley-vch, weinhei, germany, pp. 161-165 ( 2003), which is incorporated herein by reference. rotational molding is a process generally used for producing hollow plastic products. by using additional post-molding operations, complex components can be produced as effectively as other molding and extrusion techniques. rotational molding differs from other processing methods in that the heating, melting, shaping, and cooling stages all occur after the polymer is placed in the mold, therefore no external pressure is applied during forming. the rotational molding of polymers has been described in glenn beall, “ rotational molding: design, materials & processing ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio (1998), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. blow molding can be used for making hollow plastics containers. the process includes placing a softened polymer in the center of a mold, inflating the polymer against the mold walls with a blow pin, and solidifying the product by cooling. there are three general types of blow molding: extrusion blow molding, injection blow molding, and stretch blow molding. injection blow molding can be used to process polymers that cannot be extruded. stretch blow molding can be used for difficult to blow crystalline and crystallizable polymers such as polypropylene. the blow molding of polymers has been described in norman c. lee, “ understanding blow molding ,” hanser gardner publications, cincinnati, ohio (2000), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. the following examples are presented to exemplify embodiments of the invention. all numerical values are approximate. when numerical ranges are given, it should be understood that embodiments outside the stated ranges may still fall within the scope of the invention. specific details described in each example should not be construed as necessary features of the invention. examples testing methods in the examples that follow, the following analytical techniques are employed: gpc method for samples 1-4 and a-c an automated liquid-handling robot equipped with a heated needle set to 160° c. is used to add enough 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene stabilized with 300 ppm ionol to each dried polymer sample to give a final concentration of 30 mg/ml. a small glass stir rod is placed into each tube and the samples are heated to 160° c. for 2 hours on a heated, orbital-shaker rotating at 250 rpm. the concentrated polymer solution is then diluted to 1 mg/ml using the automated liquid-handling robot and the heated needle set to 160° c. a symyx rapid gpc system is used to determine the molecular weight data for each sample. a gilson 350 pump set at 2.0 ml/min flow rate is used to pump helium-purged 1,2-dichlorobenzene stabilized with 300 ppm ionol as the mobile phase through three plgel 10 micrometer (μm) mixed b 300 mm×7.5 mm columns placed in series and heated to 160° c. a polymer labs els 1000 detector is used with the evaporator set to 250° c., the nebulizer set to 165° c., and the nitrogen flow rate set to 1.8 slm at a pressure of 60-80 psi (400-600 kpa) n 2 . the polymer samples are heated to 160° c. and each sample injected into a 250 μl loop using the liquid-handling robot and a heated needle. serial analysis of the polymer samples using two switched loops and overlapping injections are used. the sample data is collected and analyzed using symyx epoch™ software. peaks are manually integrated and the molecular weight information reported uncorrected against a polystyrene standard calibration curve. standard crystaf method branching distributions are determined by crystallization analysis fractionation (crystaf) using a crystaf 200 unit commercially available from polymerchar, valencia, spain. the samples are dissolved in 1,2,4 trichlorobenzene at 160° c. (0.66 mg/ml) for 1 hr and stabilized at 95° c. for 45 minutes. the sampling temperatures range from 95 to 30° c. at a cooling rate of 0.2° c./min. ali infrared detector is used to measure the polymer solution concentrations. the cumulative soluble concentration is measured as the polymer crystallizes while the temperature is decreased. the analytical derivative of the cumulative profile reflects the short chain branching distribution of the polymer. the crystaf peak temperature and area are identified by the peak analysis module included in the crystaf software (version 2001.b, polymerchar, valencia, spain). the crystaf peak finding routine identifies a peak temperature as a maximum in the dw/dt curve and the area between the largest positive inflections on either side of the identified peak in the derivative curve. to calculate the crystaf curve, the preferred processing parameters are with a temperature limit of 70° c. and with smoothing parameters above the temperature limit of 0.1, and below the temperature limit of 0.3. dsc standard method (excluding samples 1-4 and a-c) differential scanning calorimetry results are determined using a tai model q1000 dsc equipped with an rcs cooling accessory and an autosampler. a nitrogen purge gas flow of 50 ml/min is used. the sample is pressed into a thin film and melted in the press at about 175° c. and then air-cooled to room temperature (25° c.). 3-10 mg of material is then cut into a 6 mm diameter disk, accurately weighed, placed in a light aluminum pan (ca 50 mg), and then crimped shut. the thermal behavior of the sample is investigated with the following temperature profile. the sample is rapidly heated to 180° c. and held isothermal for 3 minutes in order to remove any previous thermal history. the sample is then cooled to −40° c. at 10° c./min cooling rate and held at −40° c. for 3 minutes. the sample is then heated to 150° c. at 10° c./min. heating rate. the cooling and second heating curves are recorded. the dsc melting peak is measured as the maximum in heat flow rate (w/g) with respect to the linear baseline drawn between −30° c. and end of melting. the heat of fusion is measured as the area under the melting curve between −30° c. and the end of melting using a linear baseline. gpc method (excluding samples 1-4 and a-c) the gel permeation chromatographic system consists of either a polymer laboratories model pl-210 or a polymer laboratories model pl-220 instrument. the column and carousel compartments are operated at 140° c. three polymer laboratories 10-micron mixed-b columns are used. the solvent is 1,2,4 trichlorobenzene. the samples are prepared at a concentration of 0.1 grams of polymer in 50 milliliters of solvent containing 200 ppm of butylated hydroxytoluene (bht). samples are prepared by agitating lightly for 2 hours at 160° c. the injection volume used is 100 microliters and the flow rate is 1.0 ml/minute. calibration of the gpc column set is performed with 21 narrow molecular weight distribution polystyrene standards with molecular weights ranging from 580 to 8,400,000, arranged in 6 “cocktail” mixtures with at least a decade of separation between individual molecular weights. the standards are purchased from polymer laboratories (shropshire, uk). the polystyrene standards are prepared at 0.025 grams in 50 milliliters of solvent for molecular weights equal to or greater than 1,000,000, and 0.05 grams in 50 milliliters of solvent for molecular weights less than 1,000,000. the polystyrene standards are dissolved at 80° c. with gentle agitation for 30 minutes. the narrow standards mixtures are run first and in order of decreasing highest molecular weight component to minimize degradation. the polystyrene standard peak molecular weights are converted to polyethylene molecular weights using the following equation (as described in williams and ward, j. polym. sci., polym. let., 6, 621 (1968)): m polyethylene =0.431 (m polystyrene ). polyethylene equivalent molecular weight calculations are performed using viscotek trisec software version 3.0. compression set compression set is measured according to astm d 395. the sample is prepared by stacking 25.4 mm diameter round discs of 3.2 mm, 2.0 mm, and 0.25 mm thickness until a total thickness of 12.7 mm is reached. the discs are cut from 12.7 cm×12.7 cm compression molded plaques molded with a hot press under the following conditions: zero pressure for 3 min at 190° c., followed by 86 mpa for 2 min at 190° c., followed by cooling inside the press with cold running water at 86 mpa. density samples for density measurement are prepared according to astm d 1928. measurements are made within one hour of sample pressing using astm d792, method b. flexural/secant modulus/storage modulus samples are compression molded using astm d 1928. flexural and 2 percent secant moduli are measured according to astm d-790. storage modulus is measured according to astm d 5026-01 or equivalent technique. optical properties films of 0.4 mm thickness are compression molded using a hot press (carver model #4095-4pr1001r). the pellets are placed between polytetrafluoroethylene sheets, heated at 190° c. at 55 psi (380 kpa) for 3 min, followed by 1.3 mpa for 3 min, and then 2.6 mpa for 3 min. the film is then cooled in the press with running cold water at 1.3 mpa for 1 min. the compression molded films are used for optical measurements, tensile behavior, recovery, and stress relaxation. clarity is measured using byk gardner haze-gard as specified in astm d 1746. 45° gloss is measured using byk gardner glossmeter microgloss 45° as specified in astm d-2457 internal haze is measured using byk gardner haze-gard based on astm d 1003 procedure a. mineral oil is applied to the film surface to remove surface scratches. mechanical properties—tensile, hysteresis, and tear stress-strain behavior in uniaxial tension is measured using astm d 1708 microtensile specimens. samples are stretched with an instron at 500% min −1 at 21° c. tensile strength and elongation at break are reported from an average of 5 specimens. 100% and 300% hysteresis is determined from cyclic loading to 100% and 300% strains using astm d 1708 microtensile specimens with an instron™ instrument. the sample is loaded and unloaded at 267% min −1 for 3 cycles at 21° c. cyclic experiments at 300% and 80° c. are conducted using an environmental chamber. in the 80° c. experiment, the sample is allowed to equilibrate for 45 minutes at the test temperature before testing. in the 21° c., 300% strain cyclic experiment, the retractive stress at 150% strain from the first unloading cycle is recorded. percent recovery for all experiments are calculated from the first unloading cycle using the strain at which the load returned to the base line. the percent recovery is defined as: where ε f is the strain taken for cyclic loading and ε s is the strain where the load returns to the baseline during the 1 st unloading cycle. stress relaxation is measured at 50 percent strain and 37° c. for 12 hours using an instron™ instrument equipped with an environmental chamber. the gauge geometry was 76 mm×25 mm×0.4 mm. after equilibrating at 37° c. for 45 min in the environmental chamber, the sample was stretched to 50% strain at 333% min −1 . stress was recorded as a function of time for 12 hours. the percent stress relaxation after 12 hours was calculated using the formula: where l 0 is the load at 50% strain at 0 time and l 12 is the load at 50 percent strain after 12 hours. tensile notched tear experiments are carried out on samples having a density of 0.88 g/cc or less using an instron™ instrument. the geometry consists of a gauge section of 76 mm×13 mm×0.4 mm with a 2 mm notch cut into the sample at half the specimen length. the sample is stretched at 508 mm min −1 at 21° c. until it breaks. the tear energy is calculated as the area under the stress-elongation curve up to strain at maximum load. an average of at least 3 specimens are reported. tma thermal mechanical analysis (penetration temperature) is conducted on 30 mm diameter×3.3 mm thick, compression molded discs, formed at 180° c. and 10 mpa molding pressure for 5 minutes and then air quenched. the instrument used is a tma 7, brand available from perkin-elmer. in the test, a probe with 1.5 mm radius tip (p/n n519-0416) is applied to the surface of the sample disc with 1n force. the temperature is raised at 5° c./min from 25° c. the probe penetration distance is measured as a function of temperature. the experiment ends when the probe has penetrated 1 mm into the sample. dma dynamic mechanical analysis (dma) is measured on compression molded disks formed in a hot press at 180° c. at 10 mpa pressure for 5 minutes and then water cooled in the press at 90° c./min. testing is conducted using an ares controlled strain rheometer (ta instruments) equipped with dual cantilever fixtures for torsion testing. a 1.5 mm plaque is pressed and cut in a bar of dimensions 32×12 mm. the sample is clamped at both ends between fixtures separated by 10 mm (grip separation δl) and subjected to successive temperature steps from −100° c. to 200° c. (5° c. per step). at each temperature the torsion modulus g′ is measured at an angular frequency of 10 rad/s, the strain amplitude being maintained between 0.1 percent and 4 percent to ensure that the torque is sufficient and that the measurement remains in the linear regime. an initial static force of 10 g is maintained (auto-tension mode) to prevent slack in the sample when thermal expansion occurs. as a consequence, the grip separation δl increases with the temperature, particularly above the melting or softening point of the polymer sample. the test stops at the maximum temperature or when the gap between the fixtures reaches 65 mm. melt index melt index, or i 2 , is measured in accordance with astm d 1238, condition 190° c./2.16 kg. melt index, or 110 is also measured in accordance with astm d 1238, condition 190° c./10 kg. atref analytical temperature rising elution fractionation (atref) analysis is conducted according to the method described in u.s. pat. no. 4,798,081 and wilde, l.; ryle, t. r.; knobeloch, d. c.; peat, i. r.; determination of branching distributions in polyethylene and ethylene copolymers, j. polym. sci., 20, 441-455 (1982), which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. the composition to be analyzed is dissolved in trichlorobenzene and allowed to crystallize in a column containing an inert support (stainless steel shot) by slowly reducing the temperature to 20° c. at a cooling rate of 0.1° c./min. the column is equipped with an infrared detector. an atref chromatogram curve is then generated by eluting the crystallized polymer sample from the column by slowly increasing the temperature of the eluting solvent (trichlorobenzene) from 20 to 120° c. at a rate of 1.5° c./min. 13 c nmr analysis the samples are prepared by adding approximately 3 g of a 50/50 mixture of tetrachloroethane-d 2 /orthodichlorobenzene to 0.4 g sample in a 10 mm nmr tube. the samples are dissolved and homogenized by heating the tube and its contents to 150° c. the data are collected using a jeol eclipse™ 400 mhz spectrometer or a varian unity plus™ 400 mhz spectrometer, corresponding to a 13 c resonance frequency of 100.5 mhz. the data are acquired using 4000 transients per data file with a 6 second pulse repetition delay. to achieve minimum signal-to-noise for quantitative analysis, multiple data files are added together. the spectral width is 25,000 hz with a minimum file size of 32k data points. the samples are analyzed at 130° c. in a 10 mm broad band probe. the comonomer incorporation is determined using randall's triad method (randall, j. c.; jms-rev. macromol. chem. phys., c29, 201-317 (1989), which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. polymer fractionation by tref large-scale tref fractionation is carried by dissolving 15-20 g of polymer in 2 liters of 1,2,4-trichlorobenzene (tcb)by stirring for 4 hours at 160° c. the polymer solution is forced by 15 psig (100 kpa) nitrogen onto a 3 inch by 4 foot (7.6 cm×12 cm) steel column packed with a 60:40 (v:v) mix of 30-40 mesh (600-425 μm) spherical, technical quality glass beads (available from potters industries, hc 30 box 20, brownwood, tex., 76801) and stainless steel, 0.028″ (0.7 mm) diameter cut wire shot (available from pellets, inc. 63 industrial drive, north tonawanda, n.y., 14120). the column is immersed in a thermally controlled oil jacket, set initially to 160° c. the column is first cooled ballistically to 125° c., then slow cooled to 20° c. at 0.04° c. per minute and held for one hour. fresh tcb is introduced at about 65 ml/min while the temperature is increased at 0.167° c. per minute. approximately 2000 ml portions of eluant from the preparative tref column are collected in a 16 station, heated fraction collector. the polymer is concentrated in each fraction using a rotary evaporator until about 50 to 100 ml of the polymer solution remains. the concentrated solutions are allowed to stand overnight before adding excess methanol, filtering, and rinsing (approx. 300-500 ml of methanol including the final rinse). the filtration step is performed on a 3 position vacuum assisted filtering station using 5.0 μm polytetrafluoroethylene coated filter paper (available from osmonics inc., cat# z50wp04750). the filtrated fractions are dried overnight in a vacuum oven at 60° c. and weighed on an analytical balance before further testing. melt strength melt strength (ms) is measured by using a capillary rheometer fitted with a 2.1 mm diameter, 20:1 die with an entrance angle of approximately 45 degrees. after equilibrating the samples at 190° c. for 10 minutes, the piston is run at a speed of 1 inch/minute (2.54 cm/minute). the standard test temperature is 190° c. the sample is drawn uniaxially to a set of accelerating nips located 100 mm below the die with an acceleration of 2.4 mm/sec 2 . the required tensile force is recorded as a function of the take-up speed of the nip rolls. the maximum tensile force attained during the test is defined as the melt strength. in the case of polymer melt exhibiting draw resonance, the tensile force before the onset of draw resonance was taken as melt strength. the melt strength is recorded in centinewtons (“cn”). catalysts the term “overnight”, if used, refers to a time of approximately 16-18 hours, the term “room temperature”, refers to a temperature of 20-25° c., and the term “mixed alkanes” refers to a commercially obtained mixture of c 6-9 aliphatic hydrocarbons available under the trade designation isopar e®, from exxonmobil chemical company. in the event the name of a compound herein does not conform to the structural representation thereof, the structural representation shall control. the synthesis of all metal complexes and the preparation of all screening experiments were carried out in a dry nitrogen atmosphere using dry box techniques. all solvents used were hplc grade and were dried before their use. mmao refers to modified methylalumoxane, a triisobutylaluminum modified methylalumoxane available commercially from akzo-noble corporation. the preparation of catalyst (b1) is conducted as follows. a) preparation of (1-methylethyl)(2-hydroxy-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl)methylimine 3,5-di-t-butylsalicylaldehyde (3.00 g) is added to 10 ml of isopropylamine. the solution rapidly turns bright yellow. after stirring at ambient temperature for 3 hours, volatiles are removed under vacuum to yield a bright yellow, crystalline solid (97 percent yield). b) preparation of 1,2-bis-(3,5-di-t-butylphenylene)(1-n-(1-methylethyl)immino)methyl)(2-oxoyl) zirconium dibenzyl a solution of (1-methylethyl)(2-hydroxy-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl)imine (605 mg, 2.2 mmol) in 5 ml toluene is slowly added to a solution of zr(ch 2 ph) 4 (500 mg, 1.1 mmol) in 50 ml toluene. the resulting dark yellow solution is stirred for 30 min. solvent is removed under reduced pressure to yield the desired product as a reddish-brown solid. the preparation of catalyst (b2) is conducted as follows. a) preparation of (1-(2-methylcyclohexyl)ethyl)(2-oxoyl-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl)imine 2-methylcyclohexylamine (8.44 ml, 64.0 mmol) is dissolved in methanol (90 ml), and di-t-butylsalicaldehyde (10.00 g, 42.67 mmol) is added. the reaction mixture is stirred for three hours and then cooled to −25° c. for 12 hrs. the resulting yellow solid precipitate is collected by filtration and washed with cold methanol (2×15 ml), and then dried under reduced pressure. the yield is 11.17 g of a yellow solid. 1 h nmr is consistent with the desired product as a mixture of isomers. b) preparation of bis-(1-(2-methylcyclohexyl)ethyl)(2-oxoyl-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl) immino)zirconium dibenzyl a solution of (1-(2-methylcyclohexyl)ethyl)(2-oxoyl-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl)imine (7.63 g, 23.2 mmol) in 200 ml toluene is slowly added to a solution of zr(ch 2 ph) 4 (5.28 g, 11.6 mmol) in 600 ml toluene. the resulting dark yellow solution is stirred for 1 hour at 25° c. the solution is diluted further with 680 ml toluene to give a solution having a concentration of 0.00783 m. cocatalyst 1 a mixture of methyldi(c 14-18 alkyl)ammonium salts of tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate (here-in-after armeenium borate), prepared by reaction of a long chain trialkylamine (armeen™ rm m2ht, available from akzo-nobel, inc.), hcl and li[b(c 6 f 5 ) 4 ], substantially as disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,919,9883, ex. 2. cocatalyst 2 mixed c 14-18 alkyldimethylammonium salt of bis(tris(pentafluorophenyl)-alumane)-2-undecylimidazolide, prepared according to u.s. pat. no. 6,395,671, ex. 16. shuttling agents the shuttling agents employed include diethylzinc (dez, sa1), di(i-butyl)zinc (sa2), di(n-hexyl)zinc (sa3), triethylaluminum (tea, sa4), trioctylaluminum (sa5), triethylgallium (sa6), i-butylaluminum bis(dimethyl(t-butyl)siloxane) (sa7), i-butylaluminum bis(di(trimethylsilyl)amide) (sa8), n-octylaluminum di(pyridine-2-methoxide) (sa9), bis(n-octadecyl)i-butylaluminum (sa10), i-butylaluminum bis(di(n-pentyl)amide) (sa11), n-octylaluminum bis(2,6-di-t-butylphenoxide) (sa12), n-octylaluminum di(ethyl(1-naphthyl)amide) (sa13), ethylaluminum bis(t-butyldimethylsiloxide) (sa14), ethylaluminum di(bis(trimethylsilyl)amide) (sa15), ethylaluminum bis(2,3,6,7-dibenzo-1-azacycloheptaneamide) (sa16), n-octylaluminum bis(2,3,6,7-dibenzo-1-azacycloheptaneamide) (sa17), n-octylaluminum bis(dimethyl(t-butyl)siloxide (sa18), ethylzinc (2,6-diphenylphenoxide) (sa19), and ethylzinc (t-butoxide) (sa20). examples 1-4, comparative examples a*-c* general high throughput parallel polymerization conditions polymerizations are conducted using a high throughput, parallel polymerization reactor (ppr) available from symyx technologies, inc. and operated substantially according to u.s. pat. nos. 6,248,540, 6,030,917, 6,362,309, 6,306,658, and 6,316,663. ethylene copolymerizations are conducted at 130° c. and 200 psi (1.4 mpa) with ethylene on demand using 1.2 equivalents of cocatalyst 1 based on total catalyst used (1.1 equivalents when mmao is present). a series of polymerizations are conducted in a parallel pressure reactor (ppr) contained of 48 individual reactor cells in a 6×8 array that are fitted with a pre-weighed glass tube. the working volume in each reactor cell is 6000 μl. each cell is temperature and pressure controlled with stirring provided by individual stirring paddles. the monomer gas and quench gas are plumbed directly into the ppr unit and controlled by automatic valves. liquid reagents are robotically added to each reactor cell by syringes and the reservoir solvent is mixed alkanes. the order of addition is mixed alkanes solvent (4 ml), ethylene, 1-octene comonomer (1 ml), cocatalyst 1 or cocatalyst 1/mmao mixture, shuttling agent, and catalyst or catalyst mixture. when a mixture of cocatalyst 1 and mmao or a mixture of two catalysts is used, the reagents are premixed in a small vial immediately prior to addition to the reactor. when a reagent is omitted in an experiment, the above order of addition is otherwise maintained. polymerizations are conducted for approximately 1-2 minutes, until predetermined ethylene consumptions are reached. after quenching with co, the reactors are cooled and the glass tubes are unloaded. the tubes are transferred to a centrifuge/vacuum drying unit, and dried for 12 hours at 60° c. the tubes containing dried polymer are weighed and the difference between this weight and the tare weight gives the net yield of polymer. results are contained in table 1. in table 1 and elsewhere in the application, comparative compounds are indicated by an asterisk (*). examples 1-4 demonstrate the synthesis of linear block copolymers by the present invention as evidenced by the formation of a very narrow mwd, essentially monomodal copolymer when dez is present and a bimodal, broad molecular weight distribution product (a mixture of separately produced polymers) in the absence of dez. due to the fact that catalyst (a1) is known to incorporate more octene than catalyst (b1), the different blocks or segments of the resulting copolymers of the invention are distinguishable based on branching or density. table 1cat. (a1)cat (b1)cocatmmaoshuttlingex.(μmol)(μmol)(μmol)(μmol)agent (μmol)yield (g)mnmw/mnhexyls 1a*0.06—0.0660.3—0.13633005023.32—b*—0.10.1100.5—0.1581369571.222.5c*0.060.10.1760.8—0.2038455265.30 25.510.060.10.192—dez (8.0)0.1974287151.194.820.060.10.192—dez (80.0)0.146821611.1214.430.060.10.192—tea (8.0)0.208226751.714.640.060.10.192—tea (80.0)0.187933381.549.41 c 6 or higher chain content per 1000 carbons2 bimodal molecular weight distribution it may be seen the polymers produced according to the invention have a relatively narrow polydispersity (mw/mn) and larger block-copolymer content (trimer, tetramer, or larger) than polymers prepared in the absence of the shuttling agent. further characterizing data for the polymers of table 1 are determined by reference to the figures. more specifically dsc and atref results show the following: the dsc curve for the polymer of example 1 shows a 115.7° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 158.1 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 34.5° c. with a peak area of 52.9 percent. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 81.2° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 2 shows a peak with a 109.7° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 214.0 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 46.2° c. with a peak area of 57.0 percent. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 63.5° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 3 shows a peak with a 120.7° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 160.1 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 66.1° c. with a peak area of 71.8 percent. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 54.6° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 4 shows a peak with a 104.5° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 170.7 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 30° c. with a peak area of 18.2 percent. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 74.5° c. the dsc curve for comparative example a shows a 90.0° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 86.7 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 48.5° c. with a peak area of 29.4 percent. both of these values are consistent with a resin that is low in density. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 41.8° c. the dsc curve for comparative example b* shows a 129.8° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 237.0 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 82.4° c. with a peak area of 83.7 percent. both of these values are consistent with a resin that is high in density. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 47.4° c. the dsc curve for comparative example c* shows a 125.3° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 143.0 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 81.8° c. with a peak area of 34.7 percent as well as a lower crystalline peak at 52.4° c. the separation between the two peaks is consistent with the presence of a high crystalline and a low crystalline polymer. the difference between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 43.5° c. examples 5-19, comparative examples d*-f*, continuous solution polymerization, catalyst a1/b2+dez continuous solution polymerizations are carried out in a computer controlled autoclave reactor equipped with an internal stirrer. purified mixed alkanes solvent (isopar™ e available from exxonmobil chemical company), ethylene at 2.70 lbs/hour (1.22 kg/hour), 1-octene, and hydrogen (where used) are supplied to a 3.8 l reactor equipped with a jacket for temperature control and an internal thermocouple. the solvent feed to the reactor is measured by a mass-flow controller. a variable speed diaphragm pump controls the solvent flow rate and pressure to the reactor. at the discharge of the pump, a side stream is taken to provide flush flows for the catalyst and cocatalyst 1 injection lines and the reactor agitator. these flows are measured by micro-motion mass flow meters and controlled by control valves or by the manual adjustment of needle valves. the remaining solvent is combined with 1-octene, ethylene, and hydrogen (where used) and fed to the reactor. a mass flow controller is used to deliver hydrogen to the reactor as needed. the temperature of the solvent/monomer solution is controlled by use of a heat exchanger before entering the reactor. this stream enters the bottom of the reactor. the catalyst component solutions are metered using pumps and mass flow meters and are combined with the catalyst flush solvent and introduced into the bottom of the reactor. the reactor is run liquid-full at 500 psig (3.45 mpa) with vigorous stirring. product is removed through exit lines at the top of the reactor. all exit lines from the reactor are steam traced and insulated. polymerization is stopped by the addition of a small amount of water into the exit line along with any stabilizers or other additives and passing the mixture through a static mixer. the product stream is then heated by passing through a heat exchanger before devolatilization. the polymer product is recovered by extrusion using a devolatilizing extruder and water cooled pelletizer. process details and results are contained in table 2. selected polymer properties are provided in table 3. table 2process details for preparation of exemplary polymerscatcat a1catb2dezcocatcocatpolyc 8 h 16solv.ta1 2flowb2 3flowdezflowconc.flow[c 2 h 4 ]/rate 5convex.kg/hrkg/hrh 2 sccm 1° c.ppmkg/hrppmkg/hrconc %kg/hrppmkg/hr[dez] 4kg/hr% 6solids %eff. 7d*1.6312.729.90120142.20.14——0.190.328200.175361.8188.811.295.2e*″9.55.00″——1090.100.19″17430.404851.4789.911.3126.8f*″11.3251.6″71.70.0630.80.06——″0.11—1.5588.510.3257.75″″—″″0.1430.80.130.170.43″0.264191.6489.611.1118.36″″4.92″″0.1030.40.080.170.32″0.185701.6589.311.1172.77″″21.70″″0.0730.80.060.170.25″0.137181.6089.210.6244.18″″36.90″″0.06″″″0.10″0.1217781.6290.010.8261.19″″78.43″″″″″″0.04″″45961.6390.210.8267.910″″0.0012371.10.1230.30.140.340.1917430.084151.6790.3111.1131.111″″″12071.10.16″0.170.800.1517430.102491.6889.5611.1100.612″″″12171.10.15″0.07″0.0917430.073961.7090.0211.3137.013″″″12271.10.12″0.06″0.0517430.056531.6989.6411.2161.914″″″12071.10.05″0.29″0.1017430.103951.4189.429.3114.1152.45″″″71.10.14″0.17″0.1417430.092821.8089.3311.3121.316″″″12271.10.10″0.13″0.0717430.074851.7890.1111.2159.717″″″12171.10.10″0.14″0.081743″5061.7589.0811.0155.6180.69″″12171.1″″0.22″0.1117430.103311.2589.938.890.2190.32″″12271.10.06″″″0.0917430.083671.1690.748.4106.0*comparative, not an example of the invention1 standard cm 3 /min2 [n-(2,6-di(1-methylethyl)phenyl)amido)(2-isopropylphenyl)(α-naphthalen-2-diyl(6-pyridin-2-diyl)methane)]hafnium dimethyl3 bis-(1-(2-methylcyclohexyl)ethyl)(2-oxoyl-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl)immino) zirconium dibenzyl4 molar ratio in reactor5 polymer production rate6 percent ethylene conversion in reactor7 efficiency, kg polymer/g m where g m = g hf + g zr table 3properties of exemplary polymersheat ofcrystafdensitymwmnfusiont mt ct crystaftm − t crystafpeak areaex.(g/cm 3 )i 2i 10i 10 /i 2(g/mol)(g/mol)mw/mn(j/g)(° c.)(° c.)(° c.)(° c.)(percent)d*0.86271.510.06.5110,00055,8002.032374530799e*0.93787.039.05.665,00033,3002.0183124113794595f*0.88950.912.513.4137,3009,98013.89012511178472050.87861.59.86.7104,60053,2002.05512010148726060.87851.17.56.5109600533002.1551159444716370.88251.07.27.1118,50053,1002.26912110349722980.88280.96.87.7129,00040,1003.26812410680431390.88361.19.79.1129600287004.574125109814416100.87841.27.56.5113,10058,2001.95411692417552110.88189.159.26.566,20036,5001.86311493407425120.87002.113.26.4101,50055,1001.84011380308391130.87180.74.46.5132,10063,6002.1421148030818140.91162.615.66.081,90043,6001.9123121106734892150.87196.041.66.979,90040,1002.03311491328210160.87580.53.47.1148,50074,9002.04311796486965170.87571.711.36.8107,50054,0002.04311696437357180.91924.124.96.172,00037,9001.9136120106705094190.93443.420.36.076,80039,4001.9169125112804588 the resulting polymers are tested by dsc and atref as with previous examples. results are as follows: the dsc curve for the polymer of example 5 shows a peak with a 119.6° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 60.0 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 47.6° c. with a peak area of 59.5 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 72.0° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 6 shows a peak with a 115.2° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 60.4 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 44.2° c. with a peak area of 62.7 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 71.0° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 7 shows a peak with a 121.3° c. melting point with a heat of fusion of 69.1 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 49.2° c. with a peak area of 29.4 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 72.1° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 8 shows a peak with a 123.5° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 67.9 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 80.1° c. with a peak area of 12.7 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 43.4° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 9 shows a peak with a 124.6° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 73.5 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 80.8° c. with a peak area of 16.0 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 43.8° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 10 shows a peak with a 115.6° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 60.7 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 40.9° c. with a peak area of 52.4 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 74.7° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 11 shows a peak with a 113.6° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 70.4 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 39.6° c. with a peak area of 25.2 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 74.1° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 12 shows a peak with a 113.2° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 48.9 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows no peak equal to or above 30° c. (tcrystaf for purposes of further calculation is therefore set at 30° c.). the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 83.2° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 13 shows a peak with a 114.4° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 49.4 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 33.8° c. with a peak area of 7.7 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 84.4° c. the dsc for the polymer of example 14 shows a peak with a 120.8° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 127.9 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 72.9° c. with a peak area of 92.2 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 47.9° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 15 shows a peak with a 114.3° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 36.2 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 32.3° c. with a peak area of 9.8 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 82.0° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 16 shows a peak with a 116.6° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 44.9 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 48.0° c. with a peak area of 65.0 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 68.6° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 17 shows a peak with a 116.0° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 47.0 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 43.1° c. with a peak area of 56.8 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 72.9° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 18 shows a peak with a 120.5° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 141.8 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 70.0° c. with a peak area of 94.0 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 50.5° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of example 19 shows a peak with a 124.8° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 174.8 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 79.9° c. with a peak area of 87.9 percent. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 45.0° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of comparative example d* shows a peak with a 37.3° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 31.6 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows no peak equal to and above 30° c. both of these values are consistent with a resin that is low in density. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 7.3° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of comparative example e* shows a peak with a 124.0° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 179.3 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 79.3° c. with a peak area of 94.6 percent. both of these values are consistent with a resin that is high in density. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 44.6° c. the dsc curve for the polymer of comparative example f* shows a peak with a 124.8° c. melting point (tm) with a heat of fusion of 90.4 j/g. the corresponding crystaf curve shows the tallest peak at 77.6° c. with a peak area of 19.5 percent. the separation between the two peaks is consistent with the presence of both a high crystalline and a low crystalline polymer. the delta between the dsc tm and the tcrystaf is 47.2° c. physical property testing polymer samples are evaluated for physical properties such as high temperature resistance properties, as evidenced by tma temperature testing, pellet blocking strength, high temperature recovery, high temperature compression set and storage modulus ratio, g′(25° c.)/g′(100° c.). several commercially available polymers are included in the tests: comparative example g* is a substantially linear ethylene/1-octene copolymer (affinity®, available from the dow chemical company), comparative example h* is an elastomeric, substantially linear ethylene/1-octene copolymer (affinity®eg8100, available from the dow chemical company), comparative example i* is a substantially linear ethylene/1-octene copolymer (affinity®pl 1840, available from the dow chemical company), comparative example j* is a hydrogenated styrene/butadiene/styrene triblock copolymer (kraton™ g1652, available from kraton polymers), comparative example k* is a thermoplastic vulcanizate (tpv, a polyolefin blend containing dispersed therein a crosslinked elastomer). results are presented in table 4. table 4high temperature mechanical propertiestma-1 mmpellet blocking300% strainpenetrationstrengthg′(25° c.)/recovery (80° c.)compression setex.(° c.)lb/ft 2 (kpa)g′(100° c.)(percent)(70° c.) (percent)d*51—9failed—e*130—18——f*70141 (6.8)9failed10051040 (0)681496110—5—527113—484438111—4failed41997—4—6610108—5815511100—8—681288—8—791395—6847114125—7——1596—5—5816113—4—42171080 (0)4824718125—10——19133—9——g*75463 (22.2)89failed100h*70213 (10.2)29failed100i*111—11——j*107—5failed100k*152—3—40 in table 4, comparative example f* (which is a physical blend of the two polymers resulting from simultaneous polymerizations using catalyst a1 and b1) has a 1 mm penetration temperature of about 70° c., while examples 5-9 have a 1 mm penetration temperature of 100° c. or greater. further, examples 10-19 all have a 1 mm penetration temperature of greater than 85° c., with most having 1 mm tma temperature of greater than 90° c. or even greater than 100° c. this shows that the novel polymers have better dimensional stability at higher temperatures compared to a physical blend. comparative example j* (a commercial sebs) has a good 1 mm tma temperature of about 107° c., but it has very poor (high temperature 70° c.) compression set of about 100 percent and it also failed to recover (sample broke) during a high temperature (80° c.) 300 percent strain recovery. thus the exemplified polymers have a unique combination of properties unavailable even in some commercially available, high performance thermoplastic elastomers. similarly, table 4 shows a low (good) storage modulus ratio, g′(25° c.)/g′(100° c.), for the inventive polymers of 6 or less, whereas a physical blend (comparative example f*) has a storage modulus ratio of 9 and a random ethylene/octene copolymer (comparative example g*) of similar density has a storage modulus ratio an order of magnitude greater (89). it is desirable that the storage modulus ratio of a polymer be as close to 1 as possible. such polymers will be relatively unaffected by temperature, and fabricated articles made from such polymers can be usefully employed over a broad temperature range. this feature of low storage modulus ratio and temperature independence is particularly useful in elastomer applications such as in pressure sensitive adhesive formulations. the data in table 4 also demonstrate that the polymers of the invention possess improved pellet blocking strength. in particular, example 5 has a pellet blocking strength of 0 mpa, meaning it is free flowing under the conditions tested, compared to comparative examples f* and g* which show considerable blocking. blocking strength is important since bulk shipment of polymers having large blocking strengths can result in product clumping or sticking together upon storage or shipping, resulting in poor handling properties. high temperature (70° c.) compression set for the inventive polymers is generally good, meaning generally less than about 80 percent, preferably less than about 70 percent and especially less than about 60 percent. in contrast, comparative examples f*, g*, h* and j* all have a 70° c. compression set of 100 percent (the maximum possible value, indicating no recovery). good high temperature compression set (low numerical values) is especially needed for applications such as gaskets, window profiles, o-rings, and the like. table 5ambient temperature mechanical propertiestensile100%300%retractivestressabrasion:notchedstrainstrainstresscom-relax-flextensiletensileelongationtensileelongationvolumetearrecoveryrecoveryat 150%pressionationmodulusmodulusstrengthat break 1strengthat breaklossstrength21° c.21° c.strainset 21° c.at 50%ex.(mpa)(mpa)(mpa) 1(%)(mpa)(%)(mm 3 )(mj)(percent)(percent)(kpa)(percent)strain 2d*125——101074——9183760——e*895589—311029———————f*5746——1282493339786540042—530241495116111648—8774790143363329——14938———7586113—74437158461485439—827381020—84135137851481045461827476022—94338——12823—————25—102323——14902——867586012—113026——161090—976896651014301220171296113931—1247917570017—131614——13814—69191——21—14212160——29857———————151814121127101573—2074898377014—162320——12968——8883104013—172018——131252—127413839204—18323239——30808———————19706483——36871———————g*1515——171000—74686531102750h*1615——15829—569876038023—i*210147——29697———————j*————32609——9396190025—k*———————————30—1 tested at 51 cm/minute2 measured at 38° c. for 12 hours table 5 shows results for mechanical properties for the new polymers as well as for various comparison polymers at ambient temperatures. it may be seen that the inventive polymers have very good abrasion resistance when tested according to iso 4649, generally showing a volume loss of less than about 90 mm 3 , preferably less than about 80 mm 3 , and especially less than about 50 mm 3 . in this test, higher numbers indicate higher volume loss and consequently lower abrasion resistance. tear strength as measured by tensile notched tear strength of the inventive polymers is generally 1000 mj or higher, as shown in table 5. tear strength for the inventive polymers can be as high as 3000 mj, or even as high as 5000 mj. comparative polymers generally have tear strengths no higher than 750 mj. table 5 also shows that the polymers of the invention have better retractive stress at 150 percent strain (demonstrated by higher retractive stress values) than some of the comparative samples. comparative examples f*, g* and h* have retractive stress value at 150 percent strain of 400 kpa or less, while the inventive polymers have retractive stress values at 150 percent strain of 500 kpa (ex. 11) to as high as about 1100 kpa (ex. 17). polymers having higher than 150 percent retractive stress values would be quite useful for elastic applications, such as elastic fibers and fabrics, especially nonwoven fabrics. other applications include diaper, hygiene, and medical garment waistband applications, such as tabs and elastic bands. table 5 also shows that stress relaxation (at 50 percent strain) is also improved (less) for the inventive polymers as compared to, for example, comparative example g*. lower stress relaxation means that the polymer retains its force better in applications such as diapers and other garments where retention of elastic properties over long time periods at body temperatures is desired. optical testing table 6polymer optical propertiesex.internal haze (percent)clarity (percent)45° gloss (percent)f*842249g*5735651372606336953728575982065629613849101573671113696712875721377469145915621511746616397065172973661861226019741152g*57356h*127659i*207559 the optical properties reported in table 6 are based on compression molded films substantially lacking in orientation. optical properties of the polymers may be varied over wide ranges, due to variation in crystallite size, resulting from variation in the quantity of chain shuttling agent employed in the polymerization. extractions of multi-block copolymers extraction studies of the polymers of examples 5, 7 and comparative example e* are conducted. in the experiments, the polymer sample is weighed into a glass fritted extraction thimble and fitted into a kumagawa type extractor. the extractor with sample is purged with nitrogen, and a 500 ml round bottom flask is charged with 350 ml of diethyl ether. the flask is then fitted to the extractor. the ether is heated while being stirred. time is noted when the ether begins to condense into the thimble, and the extraction is allowed to proceed under nitrogen for 24 hours. at this time, heating is stopped and the solution is allowed to cool. any ether remaining in the extractor is returned to the flask. the ether in the flask is evaporated under vacuum at ambient temperature, and the resulting solids are purged dry with nitrogen. any residue is transferred to a weighed bottle using successive washes of hexane. the combined hexane washes are then evaporated with another nitrogen purge, and the residue dried under vacuum overnight at 40° c. any remaining ether in the extractor is purged dry with nitrogen. a second clean round bottom flask charged with 350 ml of hexane is then connected to the extractor. the hexane is heated to reflux with stirring and maintained at reflux for 24 hours after hexane is first noticed condensing into the thimble. heating is then stopped and the flask is allowed to cool. any hexane remaining in the extractor is transferred back to the flask. the hexane is removed by evaporation under vacuum at ambient temperature, and any residue remaining in the flask is transferred to a weighed bottle using successive hexane washes. the hexane in the flask is evaporated by a nitrogen purge, and the residue is vacuum dried overnight at 40° c. the polymer sample remaining in the thimble after the extractions is transferred from the thimble to a weighed bottle and vacuum dried overnight at 40° c. results are contained in table 7. table 7etheretherc 8hexanehexanec 8residuewt.solublesolublemolesolublesolublemolec 8 molesample(g)(g)(percent)percent 1(g)(percent)percent 1percent 1comp.1.0970.0635.6912.20.24522.3513.66.5f*ex. 51.0060.0414.08—0.0403.9814.211.6ex. 71.0920.0171.5913.30.0121.1011.79.91 determined by 13 c nmr additional polymer examples 19 a-f, continuous solution polymerization, catalyst a1/b2+dez continuous solution polymerizations are carried out in a computer controlled well-mixed reactor. purified mixed alkanes solvent (isopar™ e available from exxonmobil chemical company), ethylene, 1-octene, and hydrogen (where used) are combined and fed to a 27 gallon reactor. the feeds to the reactor are measured by mass-flow controllers. the temperature of the feed stream is controlled by use of a glycol cooled heat exchanger before entering the reactor. the catalyst component solutions are metered using pumps and mass flow meters. the reactor is run liquid-full at approximately 550 psig pressure. upon exiting the reactor, water and additive are injected in the polymer solution. the water hydrolyzes the catalysts, and terminates the polymerization reactions. the post reactor solution is then heated in preparation for a two-stage devolatization. the solvent and unreacted monomers are removed during the devolatization process. the polymer melt is pumped to a die for underwater pellet cutting. process details and results are contained in table 8. selected polymer properties are provided in table 9 and table 9a. table 8polymerization conditionscatcatcatcata1 2a1b2 3b2dezdezc 2 h 4c 8 h 16solv.h 2tconc.flowconc.flowconcflowex.lb/hrlb/hrlb/hrsccm 1° c.ppmlb/hrppmlb/hrwt %lb/hr19a55.2932.03323.031011206000.252000.423.00.7019b53.9528.96325.35771206000.252000.553.00.2419c55.5330.97324.375501206000.2162000.6093.00.6919d54.8330.58326.33601206000.222000.633.01.3919e54.9531.73326.752511206000.212000.613.01.0419f50.4334.80330.331241206000.202000.603.00.7419g50.2533.08325.611881206000.192000.593.00.5419h50.1534.87318.17581206000.212000.663.00.7019i55.0234.02323.59531206000.442000.743.01.7219k7.469.0450.6471201500.2276.70.360.50.19[zn] 4cocat 1cocat 1cocat 2cocat 2inpolyconc.flowconc.flowpolymerrate 5conv 6polymerex.ppmlb/hrppmlb/hrppmlb/hrwt %wt %eff 719a45000.655250.3324883.9488.017.2829719b45000.635250.119080.7288.117.229519c45000.615250.3324684.1388.917.1629319d45000.665250.6649182.5688.117.0728019e45000.645250.4936884.1188.417.4328819f45000.525250.3525785.3187.517.0931919g45000.515250.1619483.7287.517.3433319h45000.525250.7025983.2188.017.4631219i45000.705251.6560086.6388.017.627519k—————————1 standard cm 3 /min2 [n-(2,6-di(1-methylethyl)phenyl)amido)(2-isopropylphenyl)(α-naphthalen-2-diyl(6-pyridin-2-diyl)methane)]hafnium dimethyl3 bis-(1-(2-methylcyclohexyl)ethyl)(2-oxoyl-3,5-di(t-butyl)phenyl)immino) zirconium dimethyl4 ppm in final product calculated by mass balance5 polymer production rate6 weight percent ethylene conversion in reactor7 efficiency, kg polymer/g m where g m = g hf + g z table 9polymer physical propertiesheatcrystafoftm −peakpolymerdensitymwmnfusiontmtctcrystaftcrystafareaex. no.(g/cc)i2i10i10/i2(g/mol)(g/mol)mw/mn(j/g)(° c.)(° c.)(° c.)(° c.)(wt %)19g0.86490.96.47.1135000648002.1261209230909019h0.86541.07.07.1131600669002.02611888——— table 9aaverage block index for exemplary polymers 1examplezn/c 2 2average bipolymer f00polymer 80.560.59polymer 19a1.30.62polymer 52.40.52polymer 19b0.560.54polymer 19h3.150.591 additional information regarding the calculation of the block indices for various polymers is disclosed in u.s. patent application ser. no. (insert when known), entitled “ethylene/α-olefin block interpolymers”, filed on mar. 15, 2006, in the name of colin l. p. shan, lonnie hazlitt, et. al. and assigned to dow global technologies inc., the disclose of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.2 zn/c 2 * 1000 = (zn feed flow * zn concentration/1000000/mw of zn)/(total ethylene feed flow * (1 − fractional ethylene conversion rate)/mw of ethylene) * 1000.please note that “zn” in “zn/c 2 * 1000” refers to the amount of zinc in diethyl zinc (“dez”) used in the polymerization process, and “c2” refers to the amount of ethylene used in the polymerization process. polymer examples 20-25 and comparative examples a**-e** various multi-block copolymers having differing degrees of soft segment to hard segment weight ratios are compared to physical blends of metallocene polymers and ziegler natta produced polymers at similar soft to hard segment ratios to show how the blocked structure of the backbone performs differently from a physical blend of the same type of segments. various physical properties, including compression set, abrasion resistance, can be improved. maintaining a low shore hardness value is especially useful in forming gaskets and closures. the addition of a carboxylic acid copolymer and/or amide slip agents enhances some of these performance properties. table 10softsegment/overallhardzinc indensity,segmentpolymerpolymer examplemelt index, g/10 ming/cm 3ratioppm2010.87770/302502110.87770/301882210.87770/30882350.87770/305002410.86685/152502510.89350/50>500a**39.214.270/3020.9b**71.817.7505034.7c**13.418.2na21.4d**11.011.7na23.0e**51.031.2na44.9na = not applicable**= comparative examplea = engage ®* 8842 (1 melt index, 0.857 g/cm3, i10/i2 of about 8.3, metallocene)/dowlex ®* 2042 (7.7 melt index, 0.93 g/cm3, ziegler natta)b = engage ®*/dowlex ®* 2042 blendc = affinity ®* 8100 (1 melt index, 0.87 g/cm3, mw/mn about 2, metallocene)d = affinity ®* 8200 (5 melt index, 0.87 g/cm3, metallocene)e = affinity ®* pf 1140 (1.6 melt index, 0.8965 g/cm3, metallocene)*trademark of the dow chemical co.all polymers are ethylene/1-octene copolymers table 11flexuraltensiletrouserhardnesshardnessmoduluselastomertearcomp. setcomp. setshore ashore dabrasiondensityexample(mpa)(mpa)(n/mm)(23° c. 72 hrs)(70° c. 24 hrs)15 sec15 secdin (mm3)(g/cc)2024.319.328.014.439.177.322.751.20.87852124.619.428.314.035.676.422.848.30.87862221.218.524.317.644.474.921.854.10.87752318.712.127.416.951.372.719.298.50.8768248.414.819.118.559.156.512.7151.00.86532557.824.040.415.033.789.532.531.30.8915a**39.214.220.932.876.672.921.3213.80.879b**71.817.734.726.960.189.032.3102.60.8919c**13.418.221.439.298.173.121.1107.50.873d**11.011.723.039.288.970.718.9208.80.8719e**51.031.244.930.478.891.637.818.80.8955 examples of polymer blend compositions polymer blend compositions comprising the ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers of examples 26-28 and at least one other polymer were prepared, evaluated and tested for properties. ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers of examples 26-28 were made according to procedures similar to thoese described herein. the melt index and overall density for these ethylene/α-olefin interpolymers is provided below: example no.oveall densityi 2polymer example 260.8771polymer example 270.8785polymer example 280.87815 the following methods were used to determine the properties of the blends: 100% modulus,modulus at 100% elongation, with crosshead velocity of 500 mm/min,mpameasured in mega pascals, according to iso 37 type 1, (1994).uts, mpaultimate tensile strength, with crosshead velocity of 500 mm/min,measured in mega pascals, according to iso 37 type 1 (1994).ult. elong. %ultimate elongation percent, with crosshead velocity of 500 mm/min,according to iso 37 type 1 (1994).tear strength,tear strength, with crosshead velocity of 500 mm/min, measuredkn/min kn/m, according to iso 34 method b (1994).hardnessshore a durometer hardness measured at 15 seconds and at roomtemperature (23° c.), according to iso 868 (1985).compressioncompression set, at 125° c. for 70 hours, measured as aset, %percentage, according to iso 815 type a, plied sample (1991).oil swell, wt. %oil swell, at 125° c. for 70 hours using irm903 oil, measured inpercent by weight, according to iso 1817 (1999).gel content, %percent gel content, or crosslinked epdm, measured by soaking~1 g of chopped (≦1 mm) pellets in ~100 g of cyclohexane at23° c. for 48 hours, and weighing the dried residue, thensubtracting the weight of the components soluble in cyclohexane,other than rubber, such as extender oil, antioxidant, lightstabilizer, etc.shear viscosityapparent viscosity was measured at 230° c. with a capillary die15 × 1 mm, according to astm d-3835 (1996), at an apparentshear rate of 500 sec −1 . tables 12 and 13 provides various ingredients used in the blends and properties of the blend compositions. table 12polymer properties for exemplary polymer blendscompressioncompressionavg %set for 22set for 22cof (oncof (ondensity -elon-hours - 23 c.hours - 70 c.metal) -metal) -40 hourshardnessgationblend composition(73 f.)(158 f.)dynamicstatic@ b-3833(shore a)(%)comparative resinseva25.8nd0.630.960.931280.2619septon ® 80068.229.3%ndndndndndkraton g 156212.798.4%ndndndndndnexprene ® 905517.626.4%ndndndndndengage ® 877023.9ndndnd0.885086.0ndengage ® 810020.184.7%ndnd0.879062.0ndaffinity ® sm 1300ndndndndndndndethylene/α-olefin interpolymer containingndndndndndndndpolymer blend compositions83.33% polymer example 28/14.67% polymer30.559.8%2.002.000.878676.81280example 26/2.00% kemamide e ultra27.93% polymer example 26/70.70% lldpe43.4nd0.290.460.905785.29002517/2.00% kemamide e ultra98.00% polymer example 28/2.00% kemamide28.264.2%2.002.000.876676.6249e ultra89.00% polymer example 28/09.00% elvax ®29.463.9%2.002.000.882969.21126650q/2.00% kemamide e ultra89.00% polymer example 28/09.00% elvax ®28.661.0%2.002.000.882772.61087750/2.00% kemamide e ultra83.30% polymer example 28/14.70% versify ™28.567.3%2.002.000.876875.4ndde 3300.01/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% versify ™36.672.9%2.002.000.875571.8996de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide e ultra83.30% polymer example 28/14.70% versify ™28.463.4%1.872.000.879876.2495de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% versify ™30.565.4%1.591.850.881783.2366de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide e ultra29.40% polymer example 28/68.60% ldpe 722/39.672.6%0.290.410.906684.46982.00% kemamide e ultra49.00% polymer example 28/49.00% ldpe 722/36.668.0%0.560.730.898280.87882.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% ldpe 722/34.865.0%1.191.510.889980.06612.00% kemamide e ultra55.76% polymer example 27/42.24% lldpe 2517/37.061.5%0.911.300.894779.09732.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% septon ® 4055/nd51.5%2.002.000.886470.68282.00% kemamide e ultra75.65% polymer example 28/13.35%27.365.8%2.002.000.884973.4522versify ™ 3000.01/09.00% elvax ® 650q/2.00%kemamide e ultra75.65% polymer example 28/13.35%25.163.9%2.002.000.884175.4590versify ™ 3000.01/09.00% elvax ® 750/2.00%kemamide e ultra43.80% polymer example 26/29.20% septon ® 4055/27.9nd2.002.000.886070.473125.00% affinity ® ga 1950/2.00% kemamide e ultra43.80% polymer example 26/29.20% septon ® 8006/27.5nd2.002.000.889467.4nd25.00% affinity ® ga 1950/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% dmda-8007/46.8nd0.771.020.899782.63332.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% hpp h700-12/37.078.2%1.171.740.884679.21582.00% kemamide e ultra88.20% polymer example 28/09.80% hpp h700-12/28.162.3%1.992.000.880071.67872.00% kemamide e ultra71.52% polymer example 26/26.48% dmda-8965/42.7nd0.871.330.896681.68852.00% kemamide e ultra75.65% polymer example 28/13.35%25.1nd1.901.970.883475.8518versify ™ 3000.01/2.00% kemamide e ultra48.00% polymer example 28/48.00% ldpe 722/ndnd1.631.82ndndnd4.00% mb-50-00298.00% affinity ® sm 1300g/2.00% kemamide e21.4nd0.580.940.905077.4835ultra98.00% elvax ® 650q/2.00% kemamide e ultra25.8nd0.630.960.931280.261968.60% polymer example 26/29.40% septon ® 4055/ndnd2.002.000.886572.26892.00% kemamide e ultra/49.80% polymer example 26/33.20% septon ® 4055/ndnd2.002.000.887071.469615.00% affinity ® ga 1950/2.00% kemamide e ultra/nd = not determined table 13polymer properties for exemplary polymer blendsavg offavgavgavg adjavg adjyield100%300%avgavgavgyieldyieldgagegageloadmod-mod-thicknessultimatewidthstrainstrengthblend compositionlen1 (in)len2 (in)(lb)ulusulus(in)(psi)(in)(%)(psi)comparative resinseva1.002.5017.188762960.10913770.258.56628septon ® 8006kraton g 1562nexprene ® 9055engage ® 8770engage ® 8100affinity ® sm 1300ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer containingpolymer blend compositions83.33% polymer example 28/14.67% polymer1.002.506.6012365290.1215690.258.06218example 26/2.00% kemamide e ultra27.93% polymer example 26/70.70% lldpe1.002.5022.448772820.11118300.256.728052517/2.00% kemamide e ultra98.00% polymer example 28/2.00%1.002.506.4212265230.1174330.258.07219kemamide e ultra89.00% polymer example 28/09.00% elvax ®1.002.506.163871450.1114970.257.93221650q/2.00% kemamide e ultra89.00% polymer example 28/09.00% elvax ®1.002.505.943941450.1074880.256.90221750/2.00% kemamide e ultra83.30% polymer example 28/14.70%ndndndndndndndndndndversify ™ de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide eultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40%1.002.506.1811814410.1123320.256.99220versify ™ de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide eultra83.30% polymer example 28/14.70%1.002.507.3014716350.1114010.258.03262versify ™ de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide eultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40%1.002.509.0218057660.114510.258.48328versify ™ de 3300.01/2.00% kemamide eultra29.40% polymer example 28/68.60% ldpe1.002.5021.88381313510.1099180.257.04802722/2.00% kemamide e ultra49.00% polymer example 28/49.00% ldpe1.002.5016.00286610360.1118080.257.16574722/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% ldpe1.002.5010.4019917620.1114990.257.41374722/2.00% kemamide e ultra55.76% polymer example 27/42.24% lldpe1.002.5013.746192060.11412180.257.604812517/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40%1.002.504.703181370.11812510.256.02159septon ® 4055/2.00% kemamide e ultra75.65% polymer example 28/13.35%1.002.508.024851680.1083840.258.20296versify ™ 3000.01/09.00% elvax ® 650q/2.00% kemamide e ultra75.65% polymer example 28/13.35%1.002.507.844711690.1134400.257.15278versify ™ 3000.01/09.00% elvax ® 750/2.00% kemamide e ultra43.80% polymer example 26/29.20%1.002.505.023021370.12113640.255.89167septon ® 4055/25.00% affinity ® ga 1950/2.00% kemamide e ultra43.80% polymer example 26/29.20%ndndndndndndndndndndsepton ® 8006/25.00% affinity ® ga 1950/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% dmda-1.002.5015.086822230.115670.257.025518007/2.00% kemamide e ultra68.60% polymer example 28/29.40% hpp1.002.5010.9856700.1134600.257.76389h700-12/2.00% kemamide e ultra88.20% polymer example 28/09.80% hpp1.002.505.764071510.1093980.255.77212h700-12/2.00% kemamide e ultra71.52% polymer example 26/26.48% dmda-1.002.5014.446762570.1217210.257.364828965/2.00% kemamide e ultra75.65% polymer example 28/13.35%1.002.507.544721690.114630.257.03275versify ™ 3000.01/2.00% kemamide e ultra48.00% polymer example 28/48.00% ldpendndndndndndndndndnd722/4.00% mb-50-00298.00% affinity ® sm 1300g/2.00%1.002.5018.229392950.10715660.257.65682kemamide e ultra98.00% elvax ® 650q/2.00% kemamide e1.002.5017.188762960.10913770.258.56628ultra68.60% polymer example 26/29.40%1.002.505.523371620.12416150.257.69178septon ® 4055/2.00% kemamide e ultra49.80% polymer example 26/33.20%1.002.504.723161490.1214350.256.13158septon ® 4055/15.00% affinity ® ga 1950/2.00% kemamide e ultrand = not determined as seen from the data provided in tables 12 and 13, various physical properties, including compression set, abrasion resistance, were improved, while maintaining a low shore hardness value in the polymer blends comprising at least one ethylene/α-olefin interpolymer. such properties are especially useful in forming the gaskets and closures provided herein. in some embodiments, the addition of a carboxylic acid copolymer and/or amide slip agents enhances some of these performance properties. another improvement is a more puncture resistant surface. using a microscope and a metal probe, the puncture resistance of the surface on a series of closure liners is observed. the surface of closure liners (contained surly™ 1702) do not break until the probe penetrates about 4 mils into the liner. conversely, the surface of closure liners without any ethylene/carboxylic acid in the formulation break almost immediately upon penetration. the surface of liners containing the ethylene/carboxylic acid copolymer always respond differently to the polarized light, implying that the surface is more crystalline and/or more oriented; both of which would result in a more puncture resistant surface. the addition of these components improves the “stringing and scuffing” resistance of the liner because of enhanced slip performance and a more puncture resistant skin layer. while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, the specific features of one embodiment should not be attributed to other embodiments of the invention. no single embodiment is representative of all aspects of the invention. in some embodiments, the compositions or methods may include numerous compounds or steps not mentioned herein. in other embodiments, the compositions or methods do not include, or are substantially free of, any compounds or steps not enumerated herein. variations and modifications from the described embodiments exist. finally, any number disclosed herein should be construed to mean approximate, regardless of whether the word “about” or “approximately” is used in describing the number. the appended claims intend to cover all those modifications and variations as falling within the scope of the invention.
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040-470-864-289-217
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US
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[
"US"
] |
B62D63/06
| 2002-04-05T00:00:00 |
2002
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[
"B62"
] |
collapsible utility trailer
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a collapsible utility trailer having a trailer bed, a trailer frame, a front pair of wheels and a rear pair of wheels. the trailer bed has at least two bed sections and each of the bed sections has a length and a width. the trailer frame has a plurality of frame sections and each of the trailer frame sections have a length and a width that are less than the length and the width of the bed sections, respectively. the trailer bed sections are attached to the trailer frame. the front and rear pairs of wheels rotatably attached to the trailer frame so that the front and rear wheels are oriented substantially below the trailer bed.
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1 . a trailer of modular construction, comprising: a selectively extendable modular frame having a plurality of frame modules, the frame being extendable by means of additional frame modules; and a selectively extendable modular bed supportable on the frame and having a plurality of bed modules, the bed being extendable by means of additional bed modules. 2 . the trailer of claim 1 , the bed modules being of substantially the same size. 3 . the trailer of claim 1 , the bed modules being of substantially the same construction. 4 . the trailer of claim 3 , the bed modules being of frame and mesh construction. 5 . the trailer of claim 1 having at least three bed modules. 6 . the trailer of claim 1 including a plurality of shiftable, mutually supportable side wall panels couplable to the modular bed. 7 . the trailer of claim 6 , the side wall panels being couplable to the modular bed by means of readily removable pins. 8 . the trailer of claim 6 , the plurality of side wall panels being selectively shiftable from an upright disposition to a depending disposition. 9 . a method of forming a trailer of modular construction, comprising: forming a modular frame of a plurality of frame modules and selectively extending the frame by means of additional frame modules; and supporting a modular bed on the frame, forming the modular frame of a plurality of bed modules, and extending the bed by means of additional bed modules. 10 . the method of claim 9 including forming the bed modules of substantially the same size. 11 . the method of claim 9 including providing at least three bed modules. 12 . a trailer of modular construction, comprising: a selectively extendable modular frame having a plurality of frame modules; and a selectively extendable modular bed supportable on the frame and having a plurality of bed modules, each of the plurality of bed modules being supportable at least in part by a respective frame module. 13 . the trailer of claim 12 , the bed modules being of substantially the same size. 14 . the trailer of claim 12 , the bed modules being of substantially the same construction. 15 . the trailer of claim 14 , the bed modules being of frame and mesh construction. 16 . the trailer of claim 12 having at least three bed modules. 17 . the trailer of claim 12 including a plurality of shiftable, mutually supportable side wall panels couplable to the modular bed. 18 . the trailer of claim 17 , the side wall panels being couplable to the modular bed by means of readily removable pins. 19 . the trailer of claim 17 , the plurality of side wall panels being selectively shiftable from an upright disposition to a depending disposition. 20 . the trailer of claim 14 , the side wall panels being of frame and mesh construction.
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related application the present application is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 11/199,320, filed aug. 8, 2005, which is a continuation of u.s. patent application ser. no. 10/409,674, filed apr. 7, 2003, which is now u.s. pat. no. 6,962,370, issued nov. 8, 2005, which in turn claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 60/370,453 filed apr. 5, 2002, each hereby incorporated by reference. field of the invention the present invention relates to the field of trailer technology, and more specifically, to light duty utility trailers of modular construction. background of the invention conventional trailers typically include a substantially flat bed and a wheel assembly that is attached to the bed. trailers are typically assembled by the manufacturer and shipped to dealers where the trailers are held in inventory by the dealers until sale to the end-use customer. because the wheel assembly extends from the bed, it is not possible to densely stack the trailers during the distribution process. the inability to densely stack the trailers during distribution thereby increases the cost of the trailers. this factor becomes especially important when the trailers must be transported long distances during the distribution process. reductions in shipping size of the trailer and the elimination of assembly will result in dealer cost reductions and savings to the customer. it is also common to stow or store a trailer when not in use, rather than leave it attached to a vehicle. unfortunately, conventional trailers are bulky and difficult to store, typically taking up an equivalent amount of space as the towing vehicle. this factor especially raises problems for residential end users desiring a light duty trailer for home remodeling or landscaping use. such a user has limited storage space, usually only a garage. the lack of available storage usually forces the consumer to rent a trailer as needed, which, over time, is less efficient and more expensive. there have been various trailer designs that attempt to meet the preceding needs. for example, chepa, u.s. pat. no. 6,511,092, describes a trailer having a modular configuration. bed sections may be attached to or detached from the trailer depending on the intended use. dodson, u.s. pat. no. 5,340,134 and davis, u.s. pat. no. 4,746,142, each disclose a trailer with a bed formed from two sections that are pivotally attached to each other. pivoting the bed sections toward each other creates a recess that is adapted to retain the other portions of the trailer such as the wheels and the handle. harper, u.s. pat. no. 4,786,073, and burris, u.s. pat. no. 4,239,258, both describe a trailer having a front bed section, a middle bed section and a rear bed section. the front and rear bed sections are pivotally attached to the middle bed section to reduce the size of the trailer for storage. tétreault, u.s. pat. no. 4,768,806, discloses a trailer with a two-part bed. the two sections of the bed pivot upwardly along the center of the trailer, which permits the wheels to move towards each other to reduce the size of the trailer for storage. therefore, there is a need of the average consumer for a light duty trailer with lower production costs. such a trailer would be shipped in manageable pieces and assembled by the end user after purchase, resulting in savings associated with assembly, shipping, and storage. furthermore, there is a need for a trailer of modular design so that elements can be removed when not in use, or, be completely dismantled by the user if required. finally, the trailer should be of a general design easily adaptable to various load requirements of the consumer. summary of the invention the collapsible utility trailer of the present invention substantially meets the aforementioned needs. the present invention comprises a modular design shipped from manufacturer to dealer in boxes sized for convenient handling. moreover, shipping costs are reduced by sizing the boxes to maximize the number of unassembled trailers that fit within the weight and volume constraints of a standardized shipping container. these reductions result in lower overall costs to the end user. the present invention is a four-wheeled steerable trailer having a modular rectangular frame on which an elevated flatbed is disposed. the bed is defined by three separate modular steel mesh sections secured by threadable connectors. the bed is defined on all four sides by steel mesh side walls that are selectively removable or pivot to lie along the sides of the trailer. the four corners of the frame are further defined by a protruding axle to which each wheel is secured by a cotter pin. a tongue member coupled to the trailer tie rod assembly allows for pivoting of the front wheels. the tongue member is capable of coupling with a tractor or like vehicle. the trailer bed is elevated above the frame by metal posts to provide space for free tire rotation, space for the side walls to hang when lowered, and to minimize vehicle width. the modular design is formed by integrally formed frame and body sections connected by threaded fasteners and pins. the trailer is therefore easily assembled and maintained by the user without the need for special tools or sophisticated equipment. when not in use, many storage configurations are possible. in one scenario, for example, the wheels, tongue, and side walls are removed and stacked while the trailer frame and bed can set upright against a wall. fully assembled, the trailer is used in a conventional manner wherein objects are placed on the bed with the user having the further option of lowering or removing side walls depending on the load. in one embodiment, the trailer frame can comprise a front axle, a rear axle, and at least one longitudinal frame element that extends between the front axle and the rear axle, wherein the front axle, the rear axle and the at least one longitudinal frame element each have a length and a width that are less than the length and the width of the bed sections, respectively, and wherein the trailer bed is attached to the trailer frame. the trailer can further comprise a handle that is operably attached to the front axle. in some embodiments, the trailer can comprise a pair of side wall panels operably attached to the trailer bed, a front wall panel operably attached to the trailer bed and a rear wall panel operably attached to the trailer bed. in these embodiments, the pair of side wall panels, the front wall panel, and the rear wall panel can be fabricated from at least one wall section, wherein the at least one wall section has a length and a width that are less than the length and the width of the bed section. in some embodiments, the length of the trailer bed can be increased by attaching an additional bed section, wherein the additional bed section has a length and a width that are approximately the same as the length and the width of the bed sections. in some embodiments, the bed sections, the rear axle assembly, the front axle assembly and a plurality of support brackets can be packaged in a container having a length and width that substantially corresponds with the length and width of the bed sections. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view of a collapsible utility trailer of the present invention being towed by a tractor. fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the collapsible utility trailer. fig. 3 is a perspective view of a lower side of a bed for the collapsible utility trailer. fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the connector brackets for the modular bed assembly of the bed. fig. 5 is a perspective view of a frame for the collapsible utility trailer with bed frame supports attached. fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the bed frame supports. fig. 7 is a detailed perspective view of an angled support bracket as attached to a rear axle of the collapsible utility trailer. fig. 8 is a top perspective view of the bed with side panels installed viewed from the front looking down. fig. 9 is a detailed side perspective view of a side panel bracket attached to the side panels. fig. 10 is a detailed top perspective view of a locking pin and bracket mount on the top rail of the bed. detailed description of the drawings the collapsible utility trailer of the present invention is shown generally at 10 in the figures. referring to fig. 1 , the assembled trailer 10 generally includes a bed 12 , a frame 14 , wheels 16 , running gear 18 , and side walls 20 . to reduce manufacturing and distribution costs, the trailer 10 is comprised of modular elements that are assembled by the consumer. the modular design provides lower shipping costs in that the entire trailer is compactly shipped in a single compact carton rather than as a bulky completed unit. the compact packaging also alleviates storage issues for the dealer. the design of the trailer 10 according to the present invention provides the trailer with a very strong configuration for the relatively lightweight of materials used to fabricate the trailer 10 . when, for example, the trailer 10 has a length of about six feet and a width of about 6 feet, the trailer 10 has a capacity of about 2,000 pounds. these dimensions are only exemplary and should not be considered limiting. the trailer may be made to any desired dimensions. the modular design of trailer 10 provides numerous operational and storage options for the consumer. the entire structure is easily assembled or disassembled with hand tools or removable pins. the user can quickly raise or lower selected side walls 20 depending on the width or length of the load. the length of the trailer 10 can be extended by adding center bed sections. after use, the trailer 10 can be dismantled or selected sections removed by the user to fit available storage space. bed 12 , as depicted in figs. 2 and 3 , is preferably comprised of three equal-sized modular bed sections 12 a , 12 b , 12 c . however, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the concepts of the present invention may be used with different bed configurations and a different number of bed sections 12 a , 12 b , 12 c. the bed sections 12 a , 12 b , 12 c each preferably have a substantially equal length and width. each bed section 12 a , 12 b , 12 c is defined on four sides by an angle iron 22 to which steel mesh 24 is attached along the side extending parallel to the ground. each bed section 12 a , 12 b , 12 c is further preferably supported by center support 26 extending laterally across each bed section 12 a , 12 b , 12 c . the center support 26 preferably has an l-shaped configuration. to facilitate attaching the bed sections 12 a , 12 b , 12 c to each other and to the frame 14 , a downwardly extending lip 28 is preferably provided along intersecting lateral edges of the bed sections 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , as most clearly illustrated in fig. 3 . the center bed section 12 b is preferably secured to front bed section 12 a and rear bed section 12 c on the outboard ends by flat brackets 29 , as depicted in fig. 4 . the frame 14 is comprised of parallel longitudinally extending frame elements 30 a , 30 b positioned in spaced relationship and fixedly attached respectively to front axle frame 32 and rear axle frame 34 , as illustrated in figs. 2 and 5 . axle frames 32 , 34 each extend outward beyond longitudinal frame elements 30 a , 30 b for attachment of wheels 16 . each of the frame elements 30 a , 30 b have a length and a width that are less than the length and the width of the bed segments 12 a , 12 b , 12 c. each longitudinal frame element 30 a , 30 b preferably has a modular construction with first segments 40 a , 40 b ; second segments 42 a , 42 b ; and third segments 44 a , 44 b . the front segments 40 a , 40 b are fixedly attached to and extend substantially perpendicular from the front axle frame 32 . likewise, the second segments 42 a , 42 b are fixedly attached to and extend substantially perpendicular from the rear axle frame 34 . the third segments 44 a , 44 b are attached to and extend between ends of the first segments 40 a , 40 b and the second segments 42 a , 42 b that are opposite the front axle frame 32 and the rear axle frame 34 , respectively. the inner dimensions of the metal tubes comprising the third segments 44 a , 44 b are preferably slightly larger than outer dimensions of the mating ends of the first segments 40 a , 40 b and the second segments 42 a , 42 b to allow insertion of the complimentary ends into the third segments 44 a , 44 b . the third segments 44 a , 44 b are preferably removably attached to the first segments 40 a , 40 b and the second segments 42 a , 42 b with bolts. the bed 12 is elevated above the frame 14 by a series of support brackets. four vertical bed support brackets 50 extend vertically from the frame 14 , two to a side, evenly spaced on each longitudinal side element 30 a , 30 b . the bed support brackets 50 are spaced upon frame 14 to support the lateral edges of the center bed section 12 b. as depicted in fig. 6 , each bracket 50 contains a slot sized to accommodate and support the downwardly extending lip 28 of the center bed section 12 b and the downwardly extending lip 28 of the front or rear bed section 12 a , 12 c . the vertical support brackets 50 are secured by inserting bolts through pre-drilled matching slots in the bracket 50 and corresponding holes in the downwardly extending lips 28 . the four corners of the bed 12 are further elevated and supported by angled support brackets 52 extending from the outboard ends of the front axle frame 32 and the rear axle frame 34 and angled inboard to intercept the center support 26 (see fig. 7 ). the angled support brackets 52 are preferably secured in place using bolts. the trailer 10 is preferably attached to a motor vehicle or horse by the running gear 18 , as illustrated in figs. 1 and 2 and which is conventionally known and used in trailers of various types. running gear 18 includes a protruding wagon tongue 60 threadably connected to yoke 62 which is pivotably connected at the midpoint of forward axle frame 32 so that front wheels 16 track with movement of the wagon tongue 60 . the yoke 62 is further defined by the rod plate 64 disposed at the aft end of the yoke 62 and comprising two apertures for attaching the left and right tie rod 66 a , 66 b . the tongue 60 is configured for connection with a vehicle such as a tractor. the tongue 60 includes at the forward end two parallel plates defining a matching slot spaced to mate with the applicable tractor receiver (not shown), and secured by a pin. it is envisioned that the tongue 60 could be substituted with a conventional ball or other hitch style. a first end of the tie rods 66 a , 66 b is attached by pins to tie rod plate 64 . a second end of tie rods 66 a , 66 b is attached by pins to respective left and right front axle arm 82 . the front axles 80 are disposed at the outboard ends of the front axle frame 32 . each front axle 80 is “l” shaped with one leg pivotally attached to the front axle frame 32 and opposite leg sized to receive the wheel 16 . (see fig. 2 .) the front axle arm 82 is attached to the base of the front axle 80 at a first end with a second end extending towards the rear of the trailer 10 when the wheels 16 are aligned for straight travel. the front axle arm 82 contains a slot attachment for the tie rod 66 a , 66 b that is secured by a pin. since the bed 12 is elevated above the frame 14 , the wheels 16 are oriented substantially beneath the bed 12 . using this configuration minimizes interference of the wheels 16 with the operation of the trailer 10 while also enhancing the load that may be carried by the trailer 10 as the wheels 16 are relatively close to the center of the trailer 10 . in operation, pivoting tongue 60 produces a corresponding rotation in yoke 62 , the motion transferred to the front axles 80 through the tie rods 66 a , 66 b . the front wheels 16 track with rotation of tongue 60 . the rear axle frame 34 , which includes two independent non-pivoting rear axles 84 , does not pivot. the trailer 10 preferably includes side walls 20 which, at the discretion of the user, can be lowered or removed. there are two left side wall panels 90 , two right side wall panels 92 , a front wall panel 94 , and a rear wall panel 96 . like bed sections 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , the side wall panels 20 are of a metal frame construction supporting a wire mesh, although, the side panels could be covered by an alternate material. panel walls 90 , 92 , 94 , and 96 are connected at their base to bed 12 by way of a pivotable pin secured bracket mount 100 which allows the panel to rotate to a position perpendicular to the frame 14 from an upward position to a downward position (see fig. 10 ) in addition, the left side wall panels 90 and right side wall panels 92 receive support from a panel bracket 102 that extends from the bed 12 at the junction of the side panels (see fig. 9 ). pivoting of the panel bracket 102 to a position that is parallel with the bed 12 enables the bed 12 to have a substantially flat top surface. top edges of the side panels 90 , 92 , 94 , and 96 are secured to each other by pins at abutting edges. (see fig. 8 .) while the trailer 10 has been described with respect to an off-road configuration, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that it is possible to also use the concepts of the present invention to manufacture a trailer 10 that complies with the applicable provisions for on-road use such as are set forth by the united states department of transportation. forming the trailer 10 with the preceding configuration enables the components of the trailer to be relatively densely packaged in a container such as a box from transportation to the desired assembly location. packing the trailer in the container also enhances the ability of the container to be manually carried as the length and the width of the container are preferably about two feet by about three feet. it is contemplated that features disclosed in this application can be mixed and matched to suit particular circumstances. it is specifically envisioned that an alternate embodiment would be provided with reflectors and lights appropriate for highway use. various other modifications and changes will be apparent to those of ordinary skill.
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042-064-028-884-001
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
G06K9/46,H04B1/66,H04N7/12,H04N11/02,H04N11/04
| 2008-09-29T00:00:00 |
2008
|
[
"G06",
"H04"
] |
processing real-time video
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real-time video processing functionality may be provided using pre-processing and/or post-processing features to provide a video signal. components of a real-time video processing system may operate to receive a real-time video signal. the real-time video signal may be downscaled based in part on the use of features of a pre-processing component applying a downscale polyphase filter that may be used to compensate for bandwidth constraints associated with a real-time video conferencing environment. the downscaled real-time video may be communicated across a network, such as the internet. upon receipt of the downscaled real-time video, the downscaled real-time video may be upscaled based in part on the use of features of a post-processing component applying an upscale polyphase filter.
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1. a method of processing real-time video comprising: receiving a real-time video signal within a video conferencing application where a plurality of users are sharing the same bandwidth-constrained channel to transmit the real-time video signal; downscaling the real-time video signal with a polyphase downscale filter; encoding the real-time video signal; communicating the real-time video signal across a network; decoding the real-time video signal; upscaling the real-time video signal with a polyphase upscale filter; and sharpening the upscaled real-time video signal, wherein sharpening upscaled real-time video signal comprises: masking a pixel within the video frame; obtaining a correction factor by attenuating the resultant masked pixel value by a pre-determined gain value; applying a saturation function to the correction factor; determining whether the value of each pixel combined with the correction factor is greater than a pre-determined value; and updating the pixel if the pixel combined with the correction factor is not greater than a pre-determined value. 2. the method of claim 1 , further comprising: applying the sharpening algorithm of claim 1 to all pixels within the frame except pixels located on the border of the frame. 3. the method of claim 1 , further comprising: applying the sharpening algorithm of claim 1 to each color channel associated with the real-time video signal. 4. the method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving the real-time video signal from a web-based video camera. 5. the method of claim 1 , further comprising: monitoring the bandwidth availability on the network; determining a threshold level of data that can be transmitted on the network; and applying the threshold to the downscaling and upscaling polyphase filters. 6. a real-time video processing device comprising: a video acquisition device configured to capture a real-time video signal within a video conferencing application where a plurality of users are sharing the same bandwidth-constrained channel to transmit the real-time video signal; a pre-processor configured to: process the captured real-time video signal; provide a set of pre-processed pixel data, the set of pre-processed pixel data including a subset of pixels associated with a first frame of pixel data from the real-time video signal; and define a second frame of pixel data requiring less bandwidth to communicate than the first frame of pixel data by use of a polyphase downscale filter; a post-processor configured to: process the second frame of pixel data; provide a set of post-processed pixel data, the set of post-processed pixel data including a plurality of reconstructed pixel values determined in part by multiplying a plurality of pixel values from the second frame of pixel data by a plurality of weights to obtain a reconstructed real-time video frame associated with the captured real-time video signal by the use of a polyphase upscale filter; an encoder configured to encode the second frame of pixel data; a decoder configured to decode the encoded pixel data; and a sharpening processor configured to sharpen the reconstructed real-time video frame, wherein the sharpening processor is configured to: mask a pixel within the reconstructed real-time video frame; obtain a correction factor by attenuating the resultant masked pixel value by a pre-determined gain value; apply a saturation function to the correction factor; determine whether the value of each pixel combined with the associated correction factor is greater than a pre-determined value; and update the pixel if the pixel combined with the correction factor is not greater than a pre-determined value. 7. the real-time video processing device of claim 6 , where the video acquisition device comprises: a video camera capable of capturing a real-time video signal. 8. the real-time video processing device of claim 6 , wherein the sharpening processor is configured to sharpen all pixels except pixels located on the border of the reconstructed real-time video frame. 9. the real-time video processing device of claim 6 , wherein the sharpening processor is configured to: sharpen each color channel associated with the real-time video signal. 10. the real-time video processing device of claim 6 , further comprising: a monitoring processor configured to: monitor bandwidth availability on the network; determine a threshold level of high-quality video data that can be transmitted on the network; and apply the threshold of data to be transmitted to the downscaling and upscaling polyphase filters.
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related application related u.s. patent application ser. no. 12/240,554, filed on even date herewith in the name of walid ali and rony ferzli, entitled “perceptual mechanism for the selection of residues in video codes,” and assigned to the assignee of the present application, is hereby incorporated by reference. background real-time video processing technology can be used to provide high quality video conferencing and other interactive environments. for example, video conferencing systems can be used to enable interactions between two or more participants at remote locations. signal processing techniques can be used to enhance the user experience while participating in a video conference or in other real-time video applications. bandwidth constraints can limit the amount of data that can be used when distributing a given bandwidth budget to multiple conferencing users. as an example, some techniques sacrifice quality to compensate for a system load when multiple users share a common real-time communication channel. summary this summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. this summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the claimed subject matter's scope. real-time video processing functionality may be provided using pre-processing and/or post-processing features to provide a video signal. components of a real-time video processing system may operate to receive a real-time video signal. the real-time video signal may be downscaled based in part on the use of features of a pre-processing component applying a downscale polyphase filter that may be used to compensate for bandwidth constraints associated with a real-time video conferencing environment. the downscaled real-time video may be communicated across a network, such as the internet. upon receipt of the downscaled real-time video, the downscaled real-time video may be upscaled based in part on the use of features of a post-processing component applying an upscale polyphase filter. both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description provide examples and are explanatory only. accordingly, the foregoing general description and the following detailed description should not be considered to be restrictive. further, features or variations may be provided in addition to those set forth herein. for example, embodiments may be directed to various feature combinations and sub-combinations described in the detailed description. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present invention. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a video processing system; fig. 2 is a flow chart of a method for providing real-time video processing; fig. 3 is a diagram that illustrates a process of sharpening a video signal; fig. 4 illustrates a networked environment; and fig. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a computing environment. detailed description the following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. while embodiments of the invention may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. for example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the invention. instead, the proper scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. in real-time video conferencing applications, many users share the same channel. available bandwidth may become limited due to such usage. as such, video compression is performed using video encoding algorithms. to accommodate for as many video consumers as possible, the acquired video may be highly compressed. it is desired to maintain a high-level of real-time video quality even with a high compression ratio. this may accomplished through using pre-processing and post-processing to reduce the number of bits required to be transmitted over a network channel. as a result, the visual quality of the video remains high and a smaller amount of bandwidth is required. fig. 1 is a diagram depicting a video system 100 . video system 100 includes a network 110 or networks enabling a number of participants with video transmission and reception capability to communicate with one another over network 110 . a first participant device 102 and a second participant device 104 may include any computing device with audio/video capability such as a desktop, laptop computer, or other computing/communication device having a camera, microphone, speaker, display and/or video conferencing equipment. as shown in fig. 1 , first participant device 102 includes a video acquisition device (video camera 106 ) and second participant device 104 includes a display 108 . a video camera 106 and other video acquisition devices/systems may be used to provide video and other signals that may be used as part of a real-time video environment. as described below, pre-processing and/or post-processing features may be used to process captured pixel data irrespective of the mechanism or method used to capture the pixel data. for example, video camera 106 may be used to capture video at a designated frame rate (e.g., 15 frames/sec, 30 frames/sec, etc.) as part of a red-green-blue (rgb), yuv, or some other pixel format. video camera 106 may be a separate component or video capture functionality may be integrated with first participant device 102 . for example, a video camera 106 or other optical device may be wirelessly coupled or directly wired (e.g., universal serial bus (usb), peripheral component interface (pci), etc.) to an associated video conferencing device and used to capture and process real-time participant video. correspondingly, video system 100 may include computing/communication devices having video capture functionality and associated video processing features. moreover, video system 100 may include a plurality of computing/communication devices and the associated video capture functionality. as described below, video system 100 may include a pre-processor 112 and/or a post-processor 114 both providing functionality that may be used to process pixel data as part of providing a video signal for display on an associated display 108 . video system 100 may operate more efficiently by using pre-processor 112 and/or post-processor 114 functionality to compensate for bandwidth and other communication constraints associated with a real-time video environment. pre-processed and/or post-processed signals may be communicated to one or more components of video system 100 for further processing and use in providing an output real-time video 116 to second participant device 104 . a captured real-time video frame 118 may be transmitted to pre-processor 112 , wherein pre-processor 112 may be operable to downscale the field of pixel data through the application of a polyphase filter (not shown). a resultant pre-processed video frame 120 may include a lesser number of pixels than the number of pixels in captured real-time video frame 118 . resultantly, transmission of pre-processed video frame 120 over a network 110 may require less bandwidth than transmission of captured real-time video frame 118 . for example, captured real-time video frame 118 may be pre-processed to provide pre-processed video frame 120 . pre-processed frame 120 may include approximately half the number of pixels as compared to captured real-time video frame 118 . pre-processed video frame 120 may be communicated to an encoder 122 for further processing. correspondingly, a lower number of encoding operations are required by encoder 122 since pre-processed video frame 120 includes less pixel data than captured real-time video frame 118 . an encoded signal 124 may be transmitted over network 110 and a received signal 126 may be decoded by a decoder 128 . a decoded signal 130 may be transmitted to post-processor 114 where decoded signal 130 may be upscaled using a polyphase upscaling filter. when decoded signal 130 is upscaled, resultant output real-time video 116 may have the same number of rows and columns of pixels as captured real-time video frame 118 . output real-time video 116 may then be subsequently displayed in real-time at display 108 . video processing system 100 may monitor bandwidth availability on network 110 . a threshold level of data that may be transmitted on network 110 wherein high quality real-time video may be maintained determined. this data threshold may be applied to the downscaling and upscaling polyphase filters such that appropriate degrees of scaling may be used based on the determined available bandwidth on network 110 . with continuing reference to fig. 1 , network 110 may include any communication network or combination of networks. a real-time video conference may be facilitated by a single device/program or by a combination of devices and programs. for example, an audio/video server, firewall server, and/or mediation servers may be included and used for different aspects of a conference, such as storage and processing of audio and/or video files, security, and/or interconnection of various networks for real-time communication between conference participants. any of these example tasks and others may be performed by software, hardware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. additionally, functionality of one or more servers may be further combined to reduce the number of components. with continuing reference to fig. 1 , and as further example in a videoconferencing context, a multipoint control unit (mcu) (not shown) may be used as a primary facilitator of a real-time video conference in coordination with one or more of other components, devices, and/or systems. mcu may use various protocols such as internet protocol (ip) and variations thereof for example, and be structured as software program(s), hardware, or some combination thereof. mcu may be implemented as a stand-alone hardware device, or embedded into dedicated conferencing devices (e.g., audio/video server, mediation servers, etc.). additionally, mcu may be implemented as a decentralized multipoint, where each station in a multipoint call exchanges video and audio directly with the other stations with no central manager. fig. 2 is a flow diagram that illustrates a process of processing a real-time video signal. for example, the flow may be used to provide a high quality real-time video stream to one or more participants of a video conference while using a reduced amount of bandwidth on network 110 . the components of fig. 1 are used in the following description, but the process is not so limited. for example, a first participant device 102 may use any real-time video system including, a video conferencing device, such as a laptop, desktop, handheld, or other computing device and a video camera 106 (whether internal or external) to capture captured real-time video frames 118 at some frame rate associated with a real-time video environment. video camera 106 or other optical device may be wirelessly coupled or directly wired to first participant device 102 and used to receive information associated with a real-time video processing environment to provide a captured real-time video frame 118 at 200 . at 202 , pre-processor 112 may operate to downscale captured real-time video frame 118 to provide pre-processed video frame 120 . for each captured real-time video frame 118 , the pre-processor 112 may create a frame buffer containing a number of rows equal to the number of columns in captured real-time video frame 118 multiplied by a scaling factor and a number of columns equal to the number of rows in captured real-time video frame 118 . pre-processor 112 may fetch from memory a predetermined number of pixels from a video frame row wherein the predetermined number is a filter length. pre-processor 112 may fetch from memory filter coefficients corresponding to the predetermined filter length. the fetched pixels may be multiplied by the corresponding filter coefficients. the results of these multiplications may be stored in a frame buffer. pre-processor 112 may transpose the frame buffer into pre-processed video frame 120 containing a number of rows equal to the number of columns in the captured real-time video frame 118 multiplied by a downscaling factor and containing a number of columns equal to the number of rows in the captured real-time video frame 118 multiplied by a downscaling factor. at 204 , pre-processed signal 120 may be loaded to encoder 122 for encoding operations. for example, encoder 122 may include functionality to perform quantization/de-quantization operations, compression operations, motion estimation operations, transform/inverse transform operations, de-blocking operations, prediction operations, variable-length and/or other coding operations, etc. encoded signal 124 may be communicated across network 110 . at 206 , received encoded signal 126 provided by encoder 122 may be decoded by decoder 128 to produce decoded signal 130 . at 208 , post-processor 114 may receive decoded signal 130 and upscale decoded signal 130 such that output real-time video 116 may contain the same number of rows and columns as captured real-time video frame 118 . for each video frame in decoded signal 130 , post-processor 114 may create a frame buffer containing a number of rows equal to the number of columns in the video frame in decoded signal 130 multiplied by a upscaling factor and a number of columns equal to the number of rows in the decoded signal 130 . post-processor 114 may fetch from memory a predetermined number of pixels from a row in a video frame in decoded signal 130 . the predetermined number may be an upscale filter length. post-processor 114 may fetch from memory upscale filter coefficients corresponding to the predetermined upscale filter length. the fetched pixels may be subsequently multiplied by the corresponding upscale filter coefficients. the results of these multiplications may be stored in a frame buffer. post-processor 114 may transpose the frame buffer into output real-time video 116 containing a number of rows and columns equal to the number of rows and columns in the captured real-time video frame 118 . at 210 , post-processor 114 may provide output real-time video 116 consisting of upscaled video frames of pixel data from the processed fields of pixel data that may be displayed on display 108 . fig. 3 is a diagram that illustrates a process of sharpening a video signal. an input frame 301 may represent a video frame that has gone through the pre-processing, encoding, decoding, and post-processing according to an embodiment as described above. input frame 301 may be provided to the sharpening algorithm in a rgb format. input frame 301 may proceed to stage 303 at that point a color conversion may occur that converts input frame 301 from rgb format to yuv color format. a copy of the yuv-converted frame formed at stage 303 is passed to stage 309 wherein it will be used in conjunction with the results of stages 305 and 307 as described below. each color channel of the yuv-converted frame from stage 303 may be passed to a highpass filter illustrated at stage 305 . the highpass filter at 305 may receive each of the color channels and extract the details of the frame. highpass filters, contrary to low-pass filters, may attenuate the low frequency image components and in particular, make it possible to accentuate details and contrast. a filter may be a mathematical transformation that allows the value of a pixel to be modified according to the values of neighboring pixels, with coefficients, for each pixel of the region to which it is applied. the filter may be represented by a table (matrix), that may be characterized by its dimensions and its coefficients, whose center corresponds to the pixel concerned. the table coefficients may determine the properties of the filter. the highpass filter at 305 may apply a 5×5 masking pixel to each pixel in the upscaled video frame. the extracted details from 305 may be passed through a variable gain controller at stage 307 . the variable gain controller at 307 may further eliminate noise from the video signal. after the extracted video frame details are passed through the variable gain controller at 307 , the resultant details may be added back to the original video frame at stage 309 . each pixel may be attenuated by a value (e.g., 0.125) to obtain the correction factor. a saturation function may be applied to the correction factor that limits the correction factor to a pre-determined range (e.g., between −5 and 125). each pixel may be added to its calculated correction factor. then it may be determined if the resultant addition value is greater than a predetermined value (e.g., 240). if the addition value is greater than the predetermined value, the original pixel may not be updated and remains identical to the pixel received by the sharpening algorithm. if the addition value is not greater than the predetermined value, the original pixel may be updated with the correction factor. the sharpening algorithm may skip pixels on the borders of the video frame (e.g., the two vertical and horizontal lines of pixels on the edges of the frame. one disadvantage to the use of high-pass filters and subsequent addition to the original video frame is the possibility of saturation that may lead to so-called “artifacts” in the video data. one example of a negative impact of “artifacts” in real-time video data is resultant jittering in the received video stream. to counteract any potential negative impacts of using a high-pass filter, the video frame information may proceed to stage 311 . at 311 a saturation and noise amplification prevention mechanism may be applied to the video frame. 311 may involve clipping mechanisms as well as coring mechanisms that may be applied to low value pixels to counteract any amplified noise such that the resultant signal remains high-quality even when being processed in real time. fig. 4 illustrates a networked environment 400 . real-time video processing operations may be implemented in networked environment 400 . as shown in fig. 4 , networked environment 400 may include a topology of servers (e.g., a web server 402 , a mediation server 404 , a collaboration server 406 , etc.), clients, devices, internet service providers, communication media, and/or other network/communication functionality. networked environment 400 may include a static or dynamic topology. video conferencing devices (e.g., a smart phone 408 , a laptop 410 , a desktop 412 , etc.) may be configured with a video camera 106 to provide a real-time video stream to one or more components of networked environment 400 . a user may use a video camera 106 that includes various augmentation features that may be used to provide a real-time video stream to a second participant device 104 . networked environment 400 may include a secure network such as an enterprise network, an unsecure network such as a wireless open network, the internet, or some other network or combination of networks. by way of example, and not limitation, networked environment 400 may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and/or wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (rf), infrared, and/or other wireless media. many other configurations of computing devices, applications, data sources, data distribution systems, etc. may be employed to implement video processing and other functionality. moreover, networked environment 400 of fig. 4 is included for illustrative purposes. embodiments are not limited to the example applications, modules, devices/systems, or processes described herein. exemplary operating environment referring now to fig. 5 , the following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a computing environment. while the invention is described in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with program modules that run on an operating system on a personal computer, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may also be implemented in combination with other types of computer systems and program modules. generally, program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. in a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. referring now to fig. 5 , a computing device 502 may comprise a general purpose desktop, laptop, handheld, tablet, or other type of computer capable of executing one or more application programs. computing device 502 may include at least one central processing unit 508 (“cpu”), a system memory 512 , including a random access memory 518 (“ram”), a read-only memory (“rom”) 520 , and a system bus 510 that couples the memory to cpu 508 . a basic input/output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer, such as during startup, may be stored in rom 520 . computing device 502 may further include a mass storage device 514 for storing an operating system 526 , application programs, and/or other program modules. mass storage device 514 may be connected to cpu 508 through a mass storage controller (not shown) connected to bus 510 . mass storage device 514 and its associated computer-readable media may provide non-volatile storage for computing device 502 . although the description of computer-readable media contained herein refers to mass storage device 514 , such as a hard disk or cd-rom drive, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable media may be any available media that may be accessed or utilized by computing device 502 . computer-readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. computer storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. computer storage media may include ram, rom, eprom, eeprom, flash memory or other solid state memory technology, cd-rom, digital versatile disks (“dvd”), or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store the desired information and which may be accessed by computing device 502 . computing device 502 may operate in networked environment 400 using logical connections to remote computers through network 110 , such as a local network, the internet, etc. for example. computing device 502 may connect to network 110 through a network interface unit 516 connected to bus 510 . it should be appreciated that network interface unit 516 may be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computing systems. computing device 502 may include an input/output controller 522 for receiving and processing input from a number of input types, including a keyboard, mouse, keypad, pen, stylus, finger, speech-based, and/or other means. other input means are available including combinations of various input means including video camera 106 . similarly, input/output controller 522 may provide output to a display, a printer, or other type of output device. additionally, a touch screen or other digitized device may serve as an input and an output mechanism. as mentioned briefly above, a number of program modules and data files may be stored in mass storage device 514 and ram 518 of computing device 502 , including an operating system 526 suitable for controlling the operation of a networked personal computing device, such as the windows operating systems from microsoft corporation of redmond, wash. mass storage device 514 and ram 518 may also store one or more program modules. mass storage device 514 , or other storage, and ram 518 may store other application programs or modules, including video application 524 . components of the systems/devices described above may be implemented as part of networked, distributed, and/or other computer-implemented and communication environments. moreover, the real-time video processing functionality may be used in conjunction with a desktop computer, laptop, smart phone, personal data assistant (pda), ultra-mobile personal computer, and/or other computing or communication devices to provide real-time video data. aspects of a real-time video processing system may be employed in a variety of computing/communication environments. a real-time video conferencing system may include devices/systems having networking, security, and other communication components that are configured to provide communication and other functionality to other computing and/or communication devices. while certain communication architectures are shown and described herein, other communication architectures and functionalities may be used. additionally, functionality of various components may be also combined, further divided, expanded, etc. the various embodiments described herein may also be used with a number of applications, systems, and/or other devices. certain components and functionalities may be implemented in hardware and/or software. while certain embodiments include software implementations, they are not so limited and also encompass hardware, or mixed hardware/software solutions. accordingly, the embodiments and examples described herein are not intended to be limiting and other embodiments are available. it should be appreciated that various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented (1) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and/or (2) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system. the implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance requirements of a computing system implementing the invention. accordingly, logical operations including related algorithms can be referred to variously as operations, structural devices, acts or modules. it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that these operations, structural devices, acts and modules may be implemented in software, firmware, special purpose digital logic, and any combination thereof without deviating from the spirit and scope of the present invention as recited within the claims set forth herein. generally, consistent with embodiments of the invention, program modules may include routines, programs, components, data structures, and other types of structures that may perform particular tasks or that may implement particular abstract data types. moreover, embodiments of the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like. embodiments of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. in a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. furthermore, embodiments of the invention may be practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors. embodiments of the invention may also be practiced using other technologies capable of performing logical operations such as, for example, and, or, and not, including but not limited to mechanical, optical, fluidic, and quantum technologies. in addition, embodiments of the invention may be practiced within a general purpose computer or in any other circuits or systems. embodiments of the invention, for example, may be implemented as a computer process (method), a computing system, or as an article of manufacture, such as a computer program product or computer readable media. the computer program product may be a computer storage media readable by a computer system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. the computer program product may also be a propagated signal on a carrier readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process. accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.). in other words, embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system. a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that may contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. the computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, device, or propagation medium. more specific computer-readable medium examples (a non-exhaustive list), the computer-readable medium may include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), an optical fiber, and a portable compact disc read-only memory (cd-rom). note that the computer-usable or computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program may be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted, or otherwise processed in a suitable manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory. embodiments of the present invention, for example, are described above with reference to block diagrams and/or operational illustrations of methods, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. the functions/acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order as shown in any flowchart. for example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved. while certain embodiments of the invention have been described, other embodiments may exist. furthermore, although embodiments of the present invention have been described as being associated with data stored in memory and other storage mediums, data may also be stored on or read from other types of computer-readable media, such as secondary storage devices, like hard disks, floppy disks, or a cd-rom, a carrier wave from the internet, or other forms of ram or rom. further, the disclosed methods' stages may be modified in any manner, including by reordering stages and/or inserting or deleting stages, without departing from the invention. while the specification includes examples, the invention's scope is indicated by the following claims. furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments of the invention. although the invention has been described in connection with various exemplary embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that many modifications can be made thereto within the scope of the claims that follow. accordingly, it is not intended that the scope of the invention in any way be limited by the above description, but instead be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow. all rights including copyrights in the code included herein are vested in and the property of the applicant. the applicant retains and reserves all rights in the code included herein, and grants permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.
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045-558-064-751-950
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US
|
[
"US"
] |
H04N5/93,G06F3/00
| 2006-08-23T00:00:00 |
2006
|
[
"H04",
"G06"
] |
custom content compilation using digital chapter marks
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digital marks are used to define segments that are sequenced in a custom content compilation that provides a virtual program. a system is configured to receive definitions of digital marks that locate segments within program content. the segments are scenes or other portions of programs that constitute less than the entirety of the program content. a series of digital marks are associated as being within a content compilation sequence. playback of the virtual program entails sequential output of the segments corresponding to the digital marks. alternative content includes user photos, video clips and audio clips. the virtual program may also be automatically built through access to user profile or related information.
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1. a method for providing a custom content compilation using digital marks, the method comprising: receiving an indication of a first digital mark locating a first segment within a first program content that constitutes less than the entirety of the first program content; receiving an indication of a second digital mark locating a second segment within a second program content that constitutes less than the entirety of the second program content; associating the first and second digital marks as being within a content compilation sequence; providing a custom content compilation reproduction mode that sequentially outputs program content according to the content compilation sequence; receiving a command requesting an update to the content compilation sequence while a third program content is being output; interrupting the output of the third program content and receiving an indication of a third digital mark locating a third segment within the third program content; updating the content compilation sequence to include the third digital mark; and graphically displaying the content compilation sequence, including a visual identification of a sequence of digital marks in the content compilation sequence with a descriptive information corresponding to each segment respectively located by digital marks in the content compilation sequence, wherein the descriptive information includes text identifying a title of a program content, and a user-provided custom description for the segment. 2. the method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the indication of the first, second and third digital marks includes an identification of the respective start and end points of the first, second and third segments. 3. the method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the indication of the third digital mark includes a concurrent display of the third program content and user interfaces for defining the third segment. 4. the method of claim 3 , wherein defining the third segment includes an identification of the start and end points of the third segment. 5. the method of claim 1 , wherein the program content comprises video content stored in a storage device. 6. the method of claim 1 , wherein the user-provided custom description is output between segments in the custom compilation sequence. 7. the method of claim 6 , wherein the user-provided custom description contains one or more of audio, video and text provided by the user. 8. a method for providing a custom content compilation using digital marks, the method comprising: receiving an indication of a first digital mark locating a first custom content having a first content type; receiving an indication of a second digital mark locating a second custom content having a second content type that differs from the first content type; associating the first and second digital marks as being within a content compilation sequence; providing a custom content compilation reproduction mode that sequentially outputs content according to the content compilation sequence; receiving a command requesting an update to the content compilation sequence while a third custom content is being output; interrupting the output of the third custom content and receiving an indication of a third digital mark within the third custom content; updating the content compilation sequence to include the third digital mark; and graphically displaying the content compilation sequence, including a visual identification of a sequence of digital marks in the content compilation sequence with a descriptive information corresponding to each segment respectively located by digital marks in the content compilation sequence, wherein the descriptive information includes text identifying a title of a program content, and a user-provided custom description for the segment. 9. the method of claim 8 , wherein the different content types provided in the content compilation sequence comprise audio, video, and digital photographs. 10. a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program code for providing a custom content compilation using digital marks that is executable by a computer to cause operations, comprising: receiving an indication of a first digital mark locating a first segment within a first program content that constitutes less than the entirety of the first program content; receiving an indication of a second digital mark locating a second segment within a second program content that constitutes less than the entirety of the second program content; associating the first and second digital marks as being within a content compilation sequence; providing a custom content compilation reproduction mode that sequentially outputs program content according to the content compilation sequence; receiving a command requesting an update to the content compilation sequence while a third program content is being output; interrupting the output of the third program content and receiving an indication of a third digital mark locating a third segment within the third program content; updating the content compilation sequence to include the third digital mark; and graphically displaying the content compilation sequence, including a visual identification of a sequence of digital marks in the content compilation sequence with a descriptive information corresponding to each segment respectively located by digital marks in the content compilation sequence, wherein the descriptive information includes text identifying a title of a program content, and a user-provided custom description for the segment. 11. a computer apparatus for providing a custom content compilation using digital marks, comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory memory, the non-transitory memory storing program code for providing a custom content compilation using digital marks that is executable by the processor to cause the computer apparatus to perform operations comprising: receiving an indication of a first digital mark locating a first segment within a first program content that constitutes less than the entirety of the first program content; receiving an indication of a second digital mark locating a second segment within a second program content that constitutes less than the entirety of the second program content; associating the first and second digital marks as being within a content compilation sequence; providing a custom content compilation reproduction mode that sequentially outputs program content according to the content compilation sequence; receiving a command requesting an update to the content compilation sequence while a third program content is being output; interrupting the output of the third program content and receiving an indication of a third digital mark locating a third segment within the third program content; updating the content compilation sequence to include the third digital mark; and graphically displaying the content compilation sequence, including a visual identification of a sequence of digital marks in the content compilation sequence with a descriptive information corresponding to each segment respectively located by digital marks in the content compilation sequence, wherein the descriptive information includes text identifying a title of a program content, and a user-provided custom description for the segment. 12. the computer apparatus of claim 11 , wherein receiving the indication of the first, second and third digital marks includes an identification of the respective start and end points of the first, second and third segments.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention this invention relates generally to digital content, and more particularly to custom content compilation using digital marks. 2. description of the related art as more and more content is stored and managed by users, techniques for organizing and management the enjoyment of that content have developed. it is known to collect user preference information and to use that information to determine whether programming should be captured and retained for later enjoyment. programs selected in this fashion may also be arranged in a virtual channel. however, these techniques treat entire programs as the smallest unit of content. programs in the virtual channel are by default initiated at scheduled times and are regularly deleted after their scheduled viewing. also, these virtual channels are assembled from content to be recorded in the future as opposed to content already recorded. this places limitations on how the programs in the virtual channel can be scheduled. this also limits the ability of the user to truly customize the channel as he or she must choose the schedule before he or she has viewed the content. additionally, these techniques fail to recognize that more than program content may be stored on a given system. the user may also store photos and other multimedia information, in addition to broadcast program content. other systems seek to simulate the traditional broadcast channel paradigm with recorded content, creating virtual channels to which recoded content is mapped. again, these systems merely take entire programs and assemble them in a fashion thought to be desired by a user. these systems do not allow users to select and sequence particular scenes within such programs. thus, while they may offer suggestions to users, they do not offer much customization or flexibility to the user. conventional systems also allow users to bookmark content. these bookmarks allow a user to return to a particular spot in a program. bookmarked content is not assembled and sequenced according to user input or expectations. it is also known to index content for abbreviated playback. however, this is typically an indexing of a single program, such as a sporting event. these systems do not offer the ability to compile content from various different sources of content into a customized virtual program. while various useful content compilation and navigation techniques have been developed, there is a need for better management of the various program and custom content that may be stored and managed by users. summary of the invention the present invention provides custom content compilation using digital chapter marks. digital marks are used to define segments that are sequenced in a custom content compilation that provides a virtual program. a system is configured to receive definitions of digital marks that locate segments within program content. the segments are scenes or other portions of programs that constitute less than the entirety of the program content. a series of digital marks are associated as being within a content compilation sequence. playback of the virtual program entails sequential output of the segments corresponding to the digital marks. alternative content includes user photos, video clips and audio clips. the virtual program may also be automatically built through access to user profile or related information. the present invention can be embodied in various forms, including business processes, computer implemented methods, computer program products, computer systems and networks, user interfaces, application programming interfaces, and the like. brief description of the drawings these and other more detailed and specific features of the present invention are more fully disclosed in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a dvr system that includes a customized content compilation module in accordance with the present invention. fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a system in accordance with the present invention. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a customized content compilation module in detail, in accordance with the present invention. fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of providing custom content compilations in accordance with the present invention. fig. 5 is a display diagram illustrating an example of an interface for displaying and managing a virtual program having custom content in accordance with the present invention. fig. 6 is a display diagram illustrating an example of a digital mark information area. fig. 7 is a display diagram illustrating a custom content compilation sequence using alternative content. detailed description of the invention in the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth, such as flowcharts and system configurations, in order to provide an understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention. however, it is and will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the present invention. fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a digital video recorder (dvr) dvr system 100 for implementing one or more aspects of the invention. although a dvr system 100 is one example of a system implementing the invention, it is noted that other types of systems are equally applicable for such implementation. for example, fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a system 200 that implements one or more aspects of the invention as a set-top box (stb) 202 which is separate from a dvr-type device. in this embodiment, the stb 202 is in communication with a dvr 204 . the ensemble of the stb 202 and the dvr 204 collectively may be coupled to a display device, such as display 206 . in one embodiment, the user may interact with the stb 202 by means of control instructions sent by pressing buttons on the wireless remote 212 . the user may press the display button 208 to input a control instruction to the stb 202 to begin displaying information in a status bar at the bottom of the screen of the tv set 206 , about the programming being displayed on display device 206 . in another embodiment, the remote control 212 may include a power key, which is used to power the stb 204 on or off. it should equally be appreciated that a user may provide instructions to the stb 202 using any other known user input means. moreover, wireless remote 212 may have more or fewer input options. these other types of systems include but are not limited to any stb having stored content (whether in conjunction with a dvr or not), conventional computer systems having components for storing and reproducing stored content, display devices having internal facilities for storing and reproducing stored content (e.g., a television with internal receiver and storage), portable multimedia devices (e.g., an ipod™ or similar device for playing content), or portable communication devices (e.g., cellular phones). still referring to fig. 1 , the illustrated dvr system 100 includes an input module 102 , a media switch 112 , and an output module 104 . the input module 102 accepts video input streams in one or more forms (e.g., national television standards committee (ntsc), pal, digital satellite system (dss), digital broadcast system (dbs), advanced television standards committee (atsc), etc.). dbs, dss, and atsc are based on standards called moving pictures experts group 2 (mpeg2) and mpeg2 transport. mpeg2 transport is a standard for formatting the digital data stream from the source transmitter so that a receiver can disassemble the input stream to find programs in the multiplexed signal. the input module 102 may produce mpeg streams. an mpeg2 transport multiplex supports multiple programs in the same broadcast channel, with multiple video and audio feeds and private data. the input module 102 also accommodates tuning to particular channels, extracting particular programs, and feeding the same to the rest of the system. analog video signals may be encoded into mpeg format using separate video and audio encoders. information may be modulated into the vertical blanking interval (vbi) of the analog video signal in a number of standard ways. for example, the north american broadcast teletext standard (nabts) may be used to modulate information onto lines 10 through 20 of an ntsc signal, while the fcc mandates the use of line 21 for closed caption (cc) and extended data services (eds). such signals may be decoded by the input module 102 and passed to the other modules as if they were delivered via a mpeg2 private data channel. the media switch 112 mediates between a microprocessor cpu 106 , storage device 108 (e.g., a hard disk) and memory 110 . the dvr system 100 also implements a cache, which may be found in memory 110 . input streams are converted to an mpeg stream and sent to the media switch 112 . the media switch 112 buffers the mpeg stream into memory 110 . if the user is watching real time broadcast content, the media switch 112 may send the stream to the output module 104 , as well as simultaneously write it to the hard disk or storage device 108 . the output module 104 may take the mpeg streams as input and produces an analog video signal according to a particular standard (e.g., ntsc, pal, or other video standard). in one embodiment, the output module 104 contains an mpeg decoder, on-screen display (osd) generator, analog video encoder and audio logic. the osd generator may be used to supply images which will be overlaid on top of the resulting analog video signal. additionally, the output module 104 can modulate information supplied by the program logic onto the vbi of the output signal in a number of standard formats, including nabts, cc, and eds. the user may input control instructions for displaying such programming information via button a remote control device, for example. it should equally be appreciated that a user may provide instructions to the dvr system 100 using any other known user input means. the memory 110 also contains instructions that are used for various functions. these instructions may originally reside in the storage device 108 and may be uploaded during a boot up sequence or whenever the relevant functionality is a perceived requirement. for example, these instructions accommodate various typical dvr-related operations related to the management and reproduction of content, including the insertion of programming information directly into the mpeg data stream. the instructions also may accommodate various guide management and related functions, including the generation and management of digital chapter marks, also referred to as digital marks, in connection with aspects of the present invention, and the generation of thumbnail images including those used in connection with digital marks. the instructions include those for providing a custom content compilation module 114 according to one or more aspects of the present invention. the custom content compilation module 114 is preferably software, but also may be provided as hardware or firmware, or any combination of software, firmware and hardware. according to one aspect, the custom content compilation module 114 provides interfaces and corresponding management of information to allow a user to apply digital marks to program segments, to maintain an association of digital marks as being within a content compilation sequence, and to facilitate a custom content reproduction (e.g., video playback) mode that sequentially outputs marked segments according to the content compilation sequence. the user is thus allowed to create a “virtual program” by browsing through content and marking multiple pieces of such content using digital marks. for example, if the user has engaged the dvr system 100 to store multiple episodes of the program “seinfeld”, the user can navigate among that content and create a customized “best of seinfeld” program by creating digital chapter marks for segments within various episodes. the custom content compilation module 114 maintains these digital chapter marks for the virtual program (the content compilation sequence), and plays them back in the appropriate order as specified by the user. according to another aspect, the custom content compilation module 114 allows the management of digital chapter marks in conjunction with provision of a “virtual album” wherein the compilation comprises recorded content of various media types. for example, the album may contain still images, video clips and audio clips. it is believed that this aspect may be useful for the management of user-customized content, such as photographs, video, and audio corresponding to a family vacation that is stored on the dvr (or, perhaps, on the storage device of a personal computer). according to still another aspect, the custom content compilation module 114 communicates with a preference engine and/or user profile information of the dvr system 100 and uses that information to automatically generate virtual programs that contain all of the content that the identified user(s) would most likely watch. these virtual programs may also be categorized into general areas such as news, sports, etc., and may be preferentially displayed (or retained) as available based upon date and time information. for example, a given virtual program may be perceived as more desirable at a particular time of day. since the custom content compilation module 114 generates these virtual programs automatically and suggests them to user(s), the custom content compilation module 114 may also automatically delete stale virtual programs according to some preferred schedule. the latter feature may be engaged unilaterally by the custom content compilation module 114 , or in conjunction with other dvr system 110 modules that manage the retention of programs. as another alternative, the digital marks are to facilitate editing out sections of recorded content. the user similarly marks the content, but designates the segment as being excluded during playback. this causes the segment to be skipped during a playback of the content. according to this alternative, the user may edit out only undesired segments (e.g., undesired advertisements or portions of a program) in a customized fashion. fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a custom content compilation module 300 . as described above, the custom content compilation module 300 is preferably software but may be variously embodied. also, the custom compilation module 300 may reside within various systems, as noted, including but not limited to a dvr system. the custom compilation module 300 includes a digital mark management (dmm) module 302 , a sequence maintenance module 304 , a compilation reproduction module 306 , and an automatic program generation module 308 . although one modular breakdown of the custom content compilation system 300 is illustrated, it should be understood that the described functionality may also be provided using greater, fewer, or differently named sub-modules. the dmm module 302 allows the definition of digital marks by the user, and communicates with the sequence maintenance module 304 with regard to updates regarding the same. to the extent necessary, the dmm module 302 also communicates with other dvr system 100 modules that provide conventional content maintenance and guide management functions. for example, the dmm module 302 may retrieve identification of previously stored content, the location of that content, as well as metadata related to the content. this information is variously displayed for the user to assist in the marking process. the dmm module 302 is configured to receive indications of digital marks that locate respective segments within program content, such as stored broadcast program content. preferably, these segments (at least some) constitute less than the entirety of the program content to which they are applicable. that is, the segment may be a scene or other portion found within a stored television program. in this fashion, first, second, third, etc. digital marks respectively locate segments in various programs. preferably, the indication of digital marks includes an identification of the respective start and end points of their respective segments. thus, a given “digital mark” comprises both start and end points. these points may be defined based upon respective time offsets within the corresponding program. digital marks that define segments may also have start and end points that differ from those established by chapter marks defined by users for other purposes. the information for digital marks may also be collected while program content is being displayed (or, paused or otherwise manipulated using conventional commands such as rewind and fast forward). the sequence maintenance module 304 communicates with the dmm module 302 and receives identification of the digital marks and related information. the sequence maintenance module 304 maintains a current digital mark sequence for one or more content compilation sequences. these content compilation sequences, as defined by the digital marks, provide content that may be referred to as a virtual program or virtual album. a given virtual program may be reviewed and manipulated by the user. for example, a user may decide that a particular segment would be more appealing in another location in the sequence. the sequence maintenance module 304 provides interfaces useful for accommodating management of the sequence. of course, as a user makes changes to the sequence, or as new digital marks are introduced, the sequence maintenance module 304 updates the stored sequence to reflect the same. updates to previously-established content compilation sequences are also facilitated, by the sequence maintenance module 304 in conjunction with the dmm module 302 . this may be done by receiving a command requesting an update to the content compilation sequence while program content is being output, interrupting output of the program content and receiving an indication of a new digital mark locating a segment within the current program content. the content compilation sequence is then updated to include the new digital mark. the compilation reproduction module 306 provides a custom content compilation reproduction mode that sequentially outputs program content according to the content compilation sequence. a user selects a given virtual program for playback. this may be variously accomplished, such as through the conventional dvr system 100 menu or directly through the sequence maintenance module 304 . the compilation reproduction module 306 may invoke the playback functionality of the dvr system 100 to sequentially play segments defined by the digital marks, as dictated by the content compilation sequence of the selected virtual program. the dmm module 302 and/or sequence maintenance module 304 are also preferably configured to provide interfaces that ease the definition and management of digital marks. this entails graphically displaying the content compilation sequence, including a visual identification of the sequence of digital marks in the content compilation sequence. for example, a graphical bar type display may illustrate a sequence of digital marks. the user may also provide customized descriptions for segments associated with digital marks. this may take many forms. for example, a user may want to associate text or voice that states “here is my favorite scene in this series, ever!” in association with a given segment. preferably, the custom description will play between segments in the sequence. this is just one example of a custom description, which may be various audio, video and text provided by the user. it may also be quips or scenes from another program. for example, a “homer simpson” quote may precede a given set of segments for a sitcom. as described, according to another aspect, the custom content compilation module manages digital chapter marks in conjunction with provision of a “virtual album” containing still images, video clips and audio clips, preferably user-customized content such as photographs, video, and audio. the sub-modules function similarly, with the represented content being the user-customized content in lieu of broadcast program content or the like. this allows management of personal media. the automatic program generation module 308 automatically generates custom virtual programs based upon perceived user preferences. the automatic generation module 308 may communicate with a preference engine provided by the dvr system 100 , or may operate on profile information that is manually entered or managed by the user. this information is used to automatically generate virtual programs that contain all of the content that the identified user(s) would most likely watch. in one example, the programs are virtual programs generated from content that is received and stored by the dvr system 100 . these virtual programs may also be categorized into general areas such as news, sports, etc., and may be preferentially displayed (or retained) as available based upon date and time information. for example, a given virtual program may be perceived as more desirable at a particular time of day. one or more virtual programs may be suggested for the user(s), along with other conventional suggestions, when the dvr system 100 is accessed. automatic generation of the virtual programs can be based upon various techniques for determining whether a program is likely to be desirable to a user, including but not limited to investigation of keywords in title and program description data, analysis of viewing patterns, identification of programs favored by users with similar profiles, and expert based systems. virtual albums may also be automatically built and suggested based upon user profile information. the user may assist this process by associating metadata with entries that are loaded into the system. for example, the names of subjects within photos, or the particular portion of a vacation may be described. a given virtual album may comprise content perceived as belonging together based upon this metadata. of course, as described, the user may manipulate sequences and add or remove content as desired. fig. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a process 400 for providing custom content compilation using digital marks in accordance with the present invention. specifically, fig. 4 refers to a process 400 for associating segments defined by digital marks to a virtual program. the process 400 initiates with receiving 402 a command requesting custom content compilation. as described, this may be through receipt of a command from a remote control, either through a dedicated button or through menu selection during a prescribed mode of operation. for example, a dedicated “custom content” button allows a user to immediately navigate to panels that allow the review and management of virtual programs. alternatively, virtual programs may be shown as available content alongside regular program content. a virtual program comprises a series of segments respectively defined by digital marks, with playback of the virtual program providing a seamless integration of those segments. the user may also establish and manage several different virtual programs. the process continues with identification 404 of the virtual program to be processed. this may be through a selection of a row corresponding to a previously established virtual program in a program guide. alternatively, it may be a completely new virtual program. the content in the virtual program may then be managed by adding, deleting, moving, and describing the segments that comprise the virtual channel. the process 400 commences with identification 406 of current source content to be marked using digital marks, which allow the segment in the source content to be identified and included in the virtual program. in one embodiment, this source content is preferably a stored program, such as a broadcast television program that is stored according to the dvr system functionality. in other embodiments, the source content may also comprise other content, including but not limited to a user's personal photographs, videos and audio. the process 400 continues with receipt 408 of the definition of a digital mark corresponding to the current source content. the information defining the digital mark may include the start point and end point for a segment in the source content. for example, this segment may be a favorite scene in the source content. descriptive information corresponding to the digital mark is also received. this information may include text that is entered using conventional commands, audio clips, or even video clips. preferably, the descriptive information relates to the segment defined by the digital mark. the current virtual program may then be updated 410 to include the piece of content defined by the digital mark. the digital mark may be manipulated, preferably using a graphical indication of the sequence of digital marks in the virtual program. this allows the segment to be placed wherever the user desires in the sequence of segments to be played back when the virtual program is later accessed for enjoyment. the initial placement may be at the end of the sequence for the current virtual program. conventional user-interfacing may be used to accommodate editing of the sequence, including selection of a digital mark and cursor based operations to move the segment within a current virtual program. the process 400 continues with additional identification 406 of source content and corresponding definition 408 of digital marks and updating 410 of the virtual program, when it is determined 412 that the user wants to add pieces of content to the current virtual program. of course, the user may indicate a desire to create or edit more virtual programs, with processing determined 414 accordingly. fig. 5 is a display diagram illustrating an embodiment of a display device 500 and display screen 505 , along with a virtual program information area 510 . the display screen 505 displays video content concurrently with the presentation of the virtual program information area 510 , or may also be configured to display a blank screen or other information. the virtual program information area 510 illustrates the sequence of segments for user review, navigation and manipulation. a first row of information includes a cell 518 that identifies the virtual program (e.g., “1”) being reviewed, which may be any number, name or other identifying information. the row also identifies the sequence of segments in the virtual program. cells 512 a - d respectively identify the digital marks corresponding to the displayed sequence of segments. within each of those cells 512 a - d , a global number for the digital mark is illustrated (e.g., 39, 18, 44, 84). the numbering of the segments as part of the virtual program may also be provided, according to the currently configured sequence of segments in the virtual program. as indicated, the first number may correspond to the particular virtual program, and the second number to the numbering of the segments within the virtual program. other information such as the duration of each individual segment is also provided. a virtual program duration indicator 524 indicates the total time of the virtual program. in addition to the identification of the digital marks, a second row of information depicts respective identification of the source content corresponding to each digital mark, in another series of cells 514 a - d . this source content may, for example, be identified according to the title of the program containing the segment defined by the digital mark. although broadcast program content is the source content in one embodiment, the source content may alternatively come from other sources, including custom content that is loaded into the system by the user. still another row of information in the virtual program information area 510 includes descriptive information for each segment, again within cells 516 a - d respectively corresponding to the segments. as a shorthand, the descriptive information may be referred to as “notes”. the descriptive information is preferably customizable by the user, and may include text, audio and/or video information that the user wishes to associate with the segment. the text information may be entered using conventional remote control operations, such as through provision of a keyboard overlay on the screen from which selection of alphanumeric characters is made. of course, in some embodiments an actual keyboard may be provided for input as well. audio clips may be entered through a microphone, or may be previously uploaded clips that are selected for association with the segment. the virtual program information area 510 is configured to allow user navigation among the cells 512 a - d for the digital marks. selection of a given digital mark prompts display of additional information corresponding to the digital mark, as well as segment editing and review. fig. 6 is a display diagram illustrating a digital mark information area 610 containing an example of the additional information corresponding to a digital mark, as well as facilities for editing the definition of the digital mark and corresponding segment. the digital mark information area 610 is illustrated with concurrent display of a display screen 605 of the display device 600 . the digital mark information area 610 is used to both convey and receive information corresponding to the definition of the digital mark (or marks). a table of information includes the virtual program identifier 612 , digital mark number 614 , source identification 616 , duration 618 and “notes” identification 620 . the digital mark information area 610 also contains a program bar 622 that offers a depiction of the source content as well as the relative location of the segment within that source content. specifically a start point 624 a and end point 624 b respectively correspond to the currently selected digital mark. a segment illustration bar 626 repeats an identification of the digital mark, such as through presentation of its identification number, and may offer additional information corresponding to the segment such as duration. presentation of the segment in this fashion allows the user to easily edit the bounds of the segment within the source content. if the segment is determined to be too long, too short, or in the wrong location, the user may move either or both endpoints using cursor control and related inputs. video, including that from the segment, is concurrently played on the display screen 605 . a play status bar 628 indicates the location of the video currently played on the screen 605 . as with conventional dvr system functionality, the play status bar 628 may be moved, with the video playback updating accordingly. this allows the user to easily move to different locations within the program, so that the most desirable start and end points of a given segment may be easily identified. as described above, management of digital chapter marks may also be in conjunction with provision of a “virtual album” wherein the compilation comprises recorded content of various media types, such as still images, video clips and audio clips. this allows the management of user-customized content, such as photographs, video, and audio to be stored and enjoyed in a desired “program” and sequence. in this alternative, in lieu of program content being displayed as the source content associated with a content compilation, these other forms of content are noted as the source. fig. 7 illustrates an example of a display device 700 , display screen 705 , and virtual program information area 710 according to this aspect. the cells 714 a - d corresponding to segments indicate stored user photos, video, audio as the sources of content. the remaining elements of the virtual program information area 710 , namely the virtual program identification 718 , digital mark identification 712 a - d , and descriptive information cells 714 a - d are analogous to the functionality described in connection with fig. 5 above. the management of the digital marks and corresponding playback of content, including during a virtual program editing session, may be accommodated according to any number of alternatives, including those described in commonly owned, co-pending application ser. no. 11/081,217, entitled method and apparatus for navigating video content. for example, as described in that document, thumbnail images may be depicted in association with the segments corresponding to digital marks. a panel may comprise a sequence of thumbnails that correspond to the chapter marks, and a user may scroll through the thumbnails using directional navigation and related commands to manipulate the custom content compilation sequence represented by the thumbnails. thus embodiments of the present invention produce and provide custom content compilation. although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof, the invention may be variously embodied without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. therefore, the following claims should not be limited to the description of the embodiments contained herein in any way.
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046-333-330-116-028
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EP
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[
"US"
] |
G01D11/00,C09D11/02
| 2004-12-21T00:00:00 |
2004
|
[
"G01",
"C09"
] |
ink-jet ink set for producing images with large colour gamut and high stability
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an ink-jet ink set comprising three colour inks each containing at least one pigment, wherein, the first colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm, the second colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm, the third colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm, characterized in that each colour ink has a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70 with ssf=a max /a ref . a method for preparing the ink-jet ink set is also disclosed.
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1 . an ink-jet ink set comprising three colour inks each containing at least one pigment, wherein, the first colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm, the second colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm, the third colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm, characterized in that each colour ink has a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70 with ssf=a max /a ref . 2 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein the yellow colour ink has a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 120. 3 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the colour inks is a water based ink-jet ink. 4 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the colour inks is a radiation curable ink-jet ink. 5 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises a black ink. 6 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises an azo pigment as a yellow pigment, a quinacridone as a magenta pigment and a cu-phthalocyanine pigment as a cyan pigment. 7 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 7 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises an azoacetoacetanilide pigment as a yellow pigment, a quinacridone as a magenta pigment and a cu-phthalocyanine pigment as a cyan pigment. 8 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 8 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises the pigments c.i. pigment yellow 74, c.i. pigment red 122 and a β-cu phthalocyanine pigment. 9 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises an ink wherein the pigment has an average particle size larger than 100 nm. 10 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 9 , wherein two or more colour inks comprise pigments with an average particle size larger than 100 nm. 11 . an ink-jet ink set according to claim 1 , wherein said ink-jet ink set is a multi-density ink-jet ink set. 12 . a method for preparing an ink-jet ink set comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a first colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm; (b) preparing a second colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm; (c) preparing a third colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm; characterized in that each colour ink is milled until a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70 with ssf=a max /a ref is measured. 13 . a method for preparing an ink-jet ink set according to claim 12 comprising the steps of: (a) preparing a first colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm; (b) preparing a second colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm; (c) preparing a third colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm; (d) milling the mixtures of polymeric dispersants and pigments of each colour ink; (e) measuring the absorbances at a max and at a ref and calculating the spectral separation factor ssf for each colour ink; (f) repeating steps (d)-(e) at least once for the colour ink(s) having a spectral separation factor ssf smaller or equal than 70. 14 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein said first colour ink has a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 120. 15 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the colour inks is a water based ink-jet ink. 16 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein at least one of the colour inks is a radiation curable ink-jet ink. 17 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises a black ink. 18 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises an azo pigment as a yellow pigment, a quinacridone as a magenta pigment and a cu-phthalocyanine pigment as a cyan pigment. 19 . a method according to claim 18 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises an azoacetoacetanilide pigment as a yellow pigment, a quinacridone as a magenta pigment and a cu-phthalocyanine pigment as a cyan pigment. 20 . a method according to claim 19 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises the pigments c.i. pigment yellow 74, c.i. pigment red 122 and a β-cu phthalocyanine pigment. 21 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein said ink-jet ink set comprises an ink wherein the pigment has an average particle size larger than 100 nm. 22 . a method according to claim 21 , wherein two or more colour inks comprise pigments with an average particle size larger than 100 nm. 23 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein said ink-jet ink set is a multi-density ink-jet ink set. 24 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein the average size of the beads used for milling is between 0.2 and 0.5 mm. 25 . a method according to claim 12 , wherein at least 50 volume % of the mill grind consists of beads. 26 . a method according to claim 13 , wherein the average size of the beads used for milling is between 0.2 and 0.5 mm. 27 . a method according to claim 13 , wherein at least 50 volume % of the mill grind consists of beads. 28 . a method according to claim 24 , wherein at least 50 volume % of the mill grind consists of beads. 29 . a method according to claim 26 , wherein at least 50 volume % of the mill grind consists of beads.
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cross-reference to related patent applications this application claims the benefit of u.s. provisional application no. 60/646,021 filed jan. 21, 2005, which is incorporated by reference. in addition, this application claims the benefit of european applications no. 04106784 filed dec. 21, 2004 and no. 05100741 filed feb. 3, 2005, which are also incorporated by reference. technical field the present invention relates to ink-jet ink sets exhibiting a large colour gamut and a high light- and ozone-fastness and methods for preparing them. background art in ink-jet printing tiny drops of ink fluid are projected directly onto an ink-receiver surface without physical contact between the printing device and the ink-receiver. the printing device stores the printing data electronically and controls a mechanism for ejecting the ink drops image-wise onto the ink-receiver. printing can be accomplished by moving a print head across the ink-receiver or vice versa. early patents on ink-jet printers include u.s. pat. no. 3,739,393 (mead corp), u.s. pat. no. 3,805,273 (mead corp) and u.s. pat. no. 3,891,121 (mead corp). the jetting of the ink droplets can be performed in several different ways. in a first type of process called continuous ink-jet printing, the ink stream jetted from an orifice of the print head is broken up, by applying a pressure wave pattern to this orifice, into ink droplets of uniform size and spacing, which can be electrostatically charged or not as desired. in one embodiment the charged drops are deflected by an electric field into a gutter for recuperation, while the uncharged drops are undeflected and land on the ink-receiver to form an image. in an alternative embodiment it is the charged droplets which land on the ink-receiver to form an image and it are the uncharged droplets, which are recuperated. according to a second process the ink droplets can be created by a “drop on demand” method (dod). a drop-on-demand device ejects ink droplets only when they are needed for imaging on the ink-receiver, thereby avoiding the complexity of drop charging, deflection hardware, and ink collection. in drop-on-demand ink-jet printing, the ink droplet can be formed by means of a pressure wave created by a mechanical motion of a piezoelectric transducer (so-called “piezo method”), or by means of discrete thermal pushes (so-called “bubble jet” method, or “thermal jet” method). it will be readily understood that the optimal composition of the ink is dependent on the ink jetting method used and on the nature of the ink-receiver to be printed. the ink compositions can be roughly divided into: water based, the drying mechanism involving absorbance, penetration and evaporation;oil based, the drying involving absorbance and penetration;solvent based, the drying mechanism involving penetration but primarily evaporation;hot melt or phase change, in which the ink is liquid at the ejection temperature but solid at room temperature and wherein drying is replaced by solidification;uv-curable, in which drying is replaced by polymerization. in many applications of ink-jet printing the final product at the disposal of the end-user is a printed colour image. colour gamut is an important feature of colour ink-jet printing, since it is a measure of the range of colours that can be produced using a given combination of colorants. it is desirable for the colour gamut to be as large as possible. the colour gamut is controlled primarily by the absorbance characteristics of the set of colorants used to produce the image. subtractive imaging systems typically employ three or more colorants, typically including at least cyan (c), magenta (m), and yellow (y). it is also common for such systems to include an achromatic (neutral density) colorant such as black (k). the colorants in the ink-jet inks can be dyes or pigments. ink-jet inks based on dyes exhibit a much larger colour gamut than pigment inks. however, colour images printed with dye based ink-jet inks tend to show poor light-fastness and ozone fastness. light-fastness is a measure of how colours fade in a printed image when that image is exposed to light, while ozone fastness is a measure of how colours fade in a printed image exposed to an atmosphere rich of ozone. u.s. pat. no. 6,712,449 (hewlett-packard) discloses a method for optimizing colour gamut and light-fastness by blending high- and low-chroma dye based inks. it was observed that light-fastness and colour gamut tend to relate inversely, in that the better the light fastness, the worse the colour gamut and vice versa. high chroma-inks produce images with high gamut values but low light fastness, while low chroma-inks have increased light fastness. the use of high- and low-chroma dye based inks leads to a complex system for colour management and reproduction. in u.s. pat. no. 6,682,589 (hewlett-packard), specific dyes are selected for composing an ink-jet ink set with a high colour gamut and an improved light fastness. the improvement is observed when exposed to office light, but remains insufficient when exposed to the sun or other strong uv radiation sources. although many other patents (e.g. u.s. pat. no. 6,706,102 (kodak), u.s. pat. no. 6,673,140 (hewlett-packard), u.s. pat. no. 6,780,912 (hewlett packard), . . . ) describe how fading by light and/or gas (e.g. ozone) of colour ink-jet images produced by dye based inks can be reduced, the stability obtainable by using pigment ink-jet inks has not been reached. on the other hand, pigment ink-jet inks show a much smaller colour gamut than dye based inks. many patents disclose ways to improve the colour gamut of pigment ink-jet inks. one method for improving the colour gamut of pigmented ink-jet inks is disclosed by u.s. pat. no. 6,152,999 (kodak), wherein additional pigmented ink-jet inks are used containing an orange, a green and a violet pigment. a similar ink set is also disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 6,530,986 (ilford). sometimes a multi-density ink-jet ink set is used to improve the colour reproduction by decreasing the graininess, adding only a limited increase of colour gamut. a multi-density ink-jet ink set uses combinations of ink-jet inks with about the same hue but different chroma and lightness. these ink-jet inks are made by using the same colorants at different concentrations or using different colorants with about the same hue. an example of such a multi-density ink-jet ink set is given by u.s. pat. no. 6,670,409 (seiko epson), which discloses an ink-jet recording ink set comprising light colour inks of a plurality of colours, each of the light colour inks having at least a pigment, water and a fine polymer particle; and dark colour inks of a plurality of colours, each of the dark colour inks having at least a pigment and water, wherein each of the dark colour inks either does not contain a fine polymer particle or contains a fine polymer particle in smaller quantity than any of said light colour inks. the increase of the number of pigmented inks in all the ink-jet ink sets, disclosed by u.s. pat. no. 6,152,999 (kodak), u.s. pat. no. 6,530,986 (ilford) and u.s. pat. no. 6,670,409 (seiko epson), lead to a more complex system for colour management and reproduction. colour gamut is often thought to be maximized by the use of so-called “block dyes”. it has been suggested that the optimum gamut could be obtained with a subtractive three-colour system using three theoretical block dyes where the blocks are separated at approximately 490 nm and 580 nm. this proposal is interesting but cannot be implemented for various reasons. in particular, there are no real colorants corresponding to the proposed block dyes. nevertheless, attempts are made by selecting and blending pigments in u.s. pat. no. 5,738,716 (kodak) and u.s. pat. no. 5,679,141 (kodak) in order to approach the absorbance of “block dyes”. u.s. pat. no. 5,738,716 (kodak) discloses an ink-jet ink set for colour printing comprising a magenta pigment, a yellow pigment, and a cyan pigment wherein the normalized spectral transmission density distribution curve of the cyan pigment has a density between 0.66 and 0.94 at 600 nm and a density between 0.83 and 1.0 at 610 nm, and the magenta pigment has a density between 0.25 and 0.93 at 520 nm, a density between 0.9 and 1.0 at 540 nm, and a density between 0.9 and 1.0 at 560 nm. u.s. pat. no. 5,679,141 (kodak) discloses an ink-jet pigment set comprising a magenta pigment, a yellow pigment, and a cyan pigment wherein the normalized spectral transmission density distribution curve of the magenta pigment has a density between 0.25 and 0.93 at 520 nm, a density between 0.9 and 1.0 at 540 nm, and a density between 0.9 and 1.0 at 560 nm. also dye based inks and pigmented inks have been used in combination in order to obtain images with the colour gamut of a dye-based ink and the light-fastness of a pigmented ink. u.s. pat. no. 6,705,702 (kodak) discloses a method of ink-jet printing, comprising: providing a pigmented supply of a pigmented ink having a colour; providing a dye-based supply of a dye-based ink having the colour; and printing a region of a medium with the colour by depositing drops from the pigmented supply and drops from the dye-based supply on different subregions of the region. the increase of the number of inks in the ink set again leads to a more complex system for colour management and reproduction. improvements in colour gamut have also been realized in u.s. pat. no. 5,679,138 (kodak), u.s. pat. no. 6,719,452 (du pont) and wo 02074866 (du pont) by controlling the milling conditions. the colour gamut can be improved by aiming at pigmented inks with a small particle size and narrow size distributions. however, an average particle diameter less than 100 nm, preferably even less than 50 nm as disclosed by u.s. pat. no. 6,786,959 (ricoh), leads to problems of particle reagglomeration and low light-fastness. polymeric dispersants are commonly added to retard particle reagglomeration. small particles have a much larger specific surface area and hence require the addition of very large amounts of polymeric dispersants to obtain stable dispersed pigment particles. beside the difficulty in realizing good colloidal stability, problems in jetting the ink may arise due to an increased viscosity of the ink. u.s. pat. no. 5,679,138 (kodak) discloses a process for making ink-jet inks, comprising the steps of: (a) providing an organic pigment dispersion containing a pigment, a carrier for the pigment and a dispersant; (b) mixing the pigment dispersion with rigid milling media having an average particle size less than 100 μm; (c) introducing the mixture of step (b) into a high speed mill; (d) milling the mixture from step (c) until a pigment particle size distribution is obtained wherein 90% by weight of the pigment particles have a size less than 100 nanometers (nm); (e) separating the milling media from the mixture milled in step (d); and (f) diluting the mixture from step (e) to obtain an ink-jet ink having a pigment concentration suitable for ink-jet printers. a spectrophotometer is used in u.s. pat. no. 6,719,452 (du pont) and wo 02074866 (du pont) to control the milling conditions, so that more reliable inks are obtained exhibiting approximately the same properties, e.g. of colour gamut and dispersion stability. u.s. pat. no. 6,719,452 (du pont) discloses a process for making a transparent tint which comprises (a) charging the components of a transparent tint, said components comprising a clear polymeric binder for the tint, solvent for the tint, and colorant in a mixing vessel; (b) blending the components to form a liquid tint composition; (c) shading the tint during its manufacture by passing the liquid tint through a controlled pathlength transmittance cell coupled to a spectrophotometer; (d) measuring the spectral transmittance of the liquid tint over the visible spectrum; (e) calculating the colour values of the wet tint being manufactured from the light transmittance measurements; (f) comparing the colour values of the wet tint being manufactured to the colour values of the standard wet tint and calculating the difference between the values of the tint being manufactured and the standard tint and calculating the quantity of colorants to be added to the tint to bring the tint within specified colour and strength tolerance values; (g) adding to the tint being manufactured the quantities of components calculated in step (f); (h) repeating steps (b)-(f) at least once in the event the tint is not within the specified colour and strength tolerance until the tint being manufactured is within said tolerance. wo 02074866 (du pont) discloses a process for making single pigmented dispersions which comprises: (a) charging the components of a single pigment liquid dispersion into a mixing vessel; (b) grinding the components together to form a liquid dispersion; (c) passing the liquid dispersion through a transmittance cell coupled to a spectrophotometer; (d) measuring the spectral transmittance of the wet dispersion over the visible spectrum (e) calculating the optical density of the dispersion at two specific wavelengths from the transmittance measurements and comparing the ratio of optical density values at the two specific wavelengths to that of a known standard dispersion to determine achievement of the desired particle size and thus the desired testing strength; (f) repeating steps (b)-(e) at least once in the event the dispersion is not within the desired particle size tolerance until the dispersion being manufactured is within said desired particle size tolerance. many improvements have been made for improving the colour, but most of them render the printing process or manufacturing process more difficult often in a trade-off with other properties, e.g. light fastness. therefore, it would be highly desirable to have an ink-jet ink set producing colour images exhibiting high colour gamut and light-fastness in a printing process with a simple system for colour management and reproduction. objects of the invention it is an object of the present invention to provide an ink-jet ink set capable of producing colour images exhibiting high colour gamut, light-fastness and ozone-fastness it is a further object of the present invention to provide an ink-jet ink set suitable for a printing process with a simple system for colour management and reproduction. further objects of the invention will become apparent from the description hereinafter. summary of the invention it has been surprisingly found that for obtaining images exhibiting a large colour gamut, that it is not necessary to make an ink-jet ink set consisting of inks with very small pigment particles which are difficult to stabilize, to use extra inks in the ink set causing a more difficult system for colour reproduction, or to combine the inks in some manner with dyes and simultaneously reduce light-fastness of the printed images. objects of the present invention have been realized with an ink-jet ink set comprising three colour inks each containing at least one pigment, wherein, the first colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm, the second colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm, the third colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm, characterized in that each colour ink has a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70 with ssf=a max /a ref . objects of the present invention have also been realized by a method for preparing such an ink-jet. further advantages and embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description. disclosure of the invention definitions the term “colour ink”, as used in disclosing the present invention, means an ink-jet ink exhibiting a colour different from black, e.g. cyan, magenta, yellow, orange, violet, red, blue and green. the term “ink-jet ink set”, as used in disclosing the present invention, means a combination of at least three colour inks, e.g. cyan ink (c), magenta ink (m) and yellow ink (y). the term “multi-density ink-jet ink set”, as used in disclosing the present invention, means an ink-jet ink set as defined above comprising at least one combination of ink-jet inks with about the same hue but different chroma and lightness. the term “graininess” as used in disclosing the present invention, means a state in which dots of discharged ink can be visually identified in the recorded image. the term “colorants”, as used in disclosing the present invention, means dyes and pigments. the term “dye”, as used in disclosing the present invention, means a colouring agent having a solubility of 10 mg/l or more in the medium in which it is applied and under the ambient conditions pertaining. the term “pigment” is defined in din 55943, herein incorporated by reference, as an inorganic or organic, chromatic or achromatic colouring agent that is practically insoluble in the application medium under the pertaining ambient conditions, hence having a solubility of less than 10 mg/l therein. the term “c.i.” is used in disclosing the present application as an abbreviation for colour index. the term “absorption spectrum”, as used in disclosing the present invention, means a plot of how much radiation a sample absorbs over a range of wavelengths; the absorption spectrum is a plot of absorbance versus wavelength. the term “absorbance”, as used in disclosing the present invention, is the common logarithm of the reciprocal of the transmittance of a solution. the term “maximum absorbance”, as used in disclosing the present invention, is the highest value of absorbance measured in the visible spectrum, i.e. the absorbance a max at a wavelength λ max in the wavelength range of 400 to 700 nanometers. the term “vis” is used in disclosing the present application as an abbreviation for visible radiation. the term “visible radiation” as used in disclosing the present invention, means electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of 400 to 700 nanometers. the term “nir” is used in disclosing the present application as an abbreviation for near infrared radiation. the term “near infrared radiation” as used in disclosing the present invention, means electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of 700 to 1500 nanometers. the term “uv” is used in disclosing the present application as an abbreviation for ultraviolet radiation. the term “ultraviolet radiation” as used in disclosing the present invention, means electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of 4 to 400 nanometers. the term “actinic radiation” as used in disclosing the present invention, means electromagnetic radiation capable of initiating photochemical reactions. the term “alkyl” means all variants possible for each number of carbon atoms in the alkyl group i.e. for three carbon atoms: n-propyl and isopropyl; for four carbon atoms: n-butyl, isobutyl and tertiary-butyl; for five carbon atoms: n-pentyl, 1,1-dimethyl-propyl, 2,2-dimethylpropyl and 2-methyl-butyl etc. the term “acyl group” means —(c═o)-aryl and —(c═o)-alkyl groups. the term “aliphatic group” means saturated straight chain, branched chain and alicyclic hydrocarbon groups. the term “unsaturated aliphatic group” means straight chain, branched chain and alicyclic hydrocarbon groups which contain at least one double or triple bond. the term “aromatic group” as used in disclosing the present invention means an assemblage of cyclic conjugated carbon atoms, which are characterized by large resonance energies, e.g. benzene, naphthalene and anthracene. the term “alicyclic hydrocarbon group” means an assemblage of cyclic carbon atoms, which do not form an aromatic group, e.g. cyclohexane. the term “substituted” as used in disclosing this present invention means that one or more of the carbon atoms and/or that a hydrogen atom of one or more of carbon atoms in an aliphatic group, an aromatic group or an alicyclic hydrocarbon group, are replaced by an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a halogen atom, a silicon atom, a sulphur atom, a phosphorous atom, selenium atom or a tellurium atom. such substituents include hydroxyl groups, ether groups, carboxylic acid groups, ester groups, amide groups and amine groups. the term “heteroaromatic group” means an aromatic group wherein at least one of the cyclic conjugated carbon atoms is replaced a nitrogen atom, a sulphur atom an oxygen atom or a phosphorous atom. the term “heterocyclic group” means an alicyclic hydrocarbon group wherein at least one of the cyclic carbon atoms is replaced by an oxygen atom, a nitrogen atom, a phosphorous atom, a silicon atom, a sulphur atom, a selenium atom or a tellurium atom. spectral separation factor (ssf) the spectral separation factor ssf was found to be an excellent measure to characterize an ink-jet ink, as it takes into account properties related to light-absorption (e.g. wavelength of maximum absorbance λ max , shape of the absorption spectrum and absorbance-value at λ max ) as well as properties related to the dispersion quality and stability. a measurement of the absorbance at a higher wavelength gives an indication on the shape of the absorption spectrum. the dispersion quality can be evaluated based on the phenomenon of light scattering induced by solid particles in solutions. light scattering in pigment inks may be detected as an increased absorbance at higher wavelengths than the absorbance peak of the actual pigment. the dispersion stability can be evaluated by comparing the ssf before and after a heat treatment of e.g. a week at 80° c. the spectral separation factor ssf of the ink is calculated by using the data of the recorded spectrum of an ink solution and comparing the maximum absorbance to the absorbance at a reference wavelength. the choice of this reference wavelength is dependent on the pigment(s) used: if the colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm then the absorbance a ref must be determined at a reference wavelength of 600 nm,if the colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm then the absorbance a ref must be determined at a reference wavelength of 650 nm,if the colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm then the absorbance a ref must be determined at a reference wavelength of 830 nm. the spectral separation factor is calculated as the ratio of the maximum absorbance a max over the absorbance a ref at the reference wavelength. the ssf is an excellent tool to design ink-jet ink sets with large colour gamut. often ink-jet ink sets are now commercialized, wherein the different inks are not sufficiently matched with each other. for example, the combined absorption of all inks does not give a complete absorption over the whole visible spectrum, e.g. “gaps” exist between the absorption spectra of the colorants. another problem is that an ink might be absorbing in the range of another ink. the resulting colour gamut of these ink-jet ink sets is low or mediocre. objects of the present invention can be realized with a method for preparing an ink-jet ink set comprising the steps of: (a) preparing colour inks; (b) determining the spectral separation factor for the colour inks; (c) selecting colour inks with an ssf larger than 70; and (d) composing an ink-jet ink set comprising three colour inks of the colour inks selected with an ssf larger than 70. an ink-jet ink set according to the present invention contains at least three colour inks with a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70, particular preferably a ssf larger than 80, particular preferably a ssf larger than 120. an ink-jet ink set according to the present invention preferably contains at least one colour ink with a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 120, most preferably at least two colour inks with a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 120. it was observed that especially when the yellow ink had an ssf larger than 120, excellent colour gamut was obtained. calculation of colour gamut in order to avoid a cumbersome measurement of colour gamut, methods have been developed to calculate the potential gamut volume of colour devices and colour images. important references are: u.s. pat. no. 6,633,408 (kpg) discloses a method of modelling spectral characteristics of a photographic print.mahy, m. gamut calculation of colour reproduction devices. scottsdale, ariz.: 4th is&t/sid color imaging conference, 1995. p. 145-150 (volume 4).saito, r., et al. extraction of image gamut surface and calculation of its volume. scottsdale, ariz.: 8th is&t/sid color imaging conference, 2000. p. 330-334 (volume 4). the method for the calculation of the potential colour gamut for an ink-jet ink set according to present invention is based on a simulation of the colour gamut of an imaging material in reflection geometry, which can be thought of being produced by a given set of colorants in an idealized printing process. this ideal printing process is characterized by the validity of the lambert-beer law for the mixing of colorants within the image receiving layer (inner spectra) and the applicability of the saunderson equation in order to describe the influence of the effect of the air interface (external spectra). in a second step, a surface triangulation method is used to calculate the volume of the simulated colour gamut. the choice of the ideal printing process facilitates to make abstraction from the limitations of paper, printers and/or printer driver settings in any real printing process, such that two ink sets can objectively be compared based on their spectral properties. the model of the ideal printing process incorporates the following assumptions: 1. homogenous distribution of colorants (and their mixtures) jetted on the imaging layer, i.e. continuous-tone printing like in a chromogenic photographic paper. the halftone structure of the printing process is not taken into account: all simulated test-patches are assumed to represent homogenous flat-fields. in addition, light-scattering processes are assumed to be absent within in the image receiving layer, unless the ideal diffuse reflection given by the paper base.2. mixtures and variations of the concentration of colorants in/on the imaging layer (inner spectra) are calculated according to the lambert-beer law, i.e. linear combination of the colorants absorption spectra in terms of spectral optical density d c (λ), d m (λ), d y (λ), d k (λ) of c, m, y and k, respectively, which are initially measured by a spectrophotometer in transmission mode (i.e. liquid solutions of the neat colorants in a quartz cell with a given nominal concentration). the coefficients c, m and y (0-100%) represent a relative part of the nominal concentration of the colorants and run over all combinations representing the surface of the cmy cube (i.e. at least one of the coefficients c,m,y has the value 0% or 100%). d (λ)= c·d c (λ)+ m·d m (λ)+ y·d y (λ)+ k·d k (λ) c,m,yε┌0% . . . 100%┐3. in addition, grey component removal is applied, i.e. the grey component k(d c (λ)+d m (λ)+d y (λ)) is replaced by the corresponding amount of k d k (λ), wherein k denotes the minimum of c, m, y. d (λ)=( c−k )· d c (λ)+( m−k )· d m (λ)+( y−k )· d y (λ)+ k·d k (λ) k=min(c,m,y)1. starting from the calculated “internal optical density spectra” d(λ) of colorant mixtures assumed to be homogeneously distributed, the optical effect of the air interface has to be taken into account to realistically simulate reflection image behaviour (i.e. “external spectra”). the presence of an air interface introduces two phenomena, namely 1) direct external surface reflections of the incoming light beam (reflectance factor r s ) and 2) internal surface reflections of light (reflectance factor r i ), that has been diffusely reflected by the substrate (reflectance spectrum r s (λ)) at the lower boundary of the imaging layer. the internal reflection at the air interface gives rise to multiple optical reflections within the imaging layer. all these effects are taking into account by the formalism of saunderson, that allows to calculate external reflection spectra r ext (i) from internal reflection spectra r int (i):2. the effective pathlength “epl” describes the factor, by which the pathlength of the light inside the imaging layer is increased in comparison to the transmission case. this is due to geometric reasons: light is travelling twice through the layer because of reflection geometry. furthermore, the pathlength is increased for beams other than normal with respect to the interface. in case of diffuse illumination, another factor 2 is found for the epl. it is assumed, that r s , r i and epl do not vary with the wavelength λ. the parameter settings used are: r s =0.001 (high gloss surface), r i =0.6, epl=2.4 (assuming 45/0 reflection geometry). in accordance with the assumption of an ideal printing process, a substrate without absorption is considered, i.e. r s (λ)=1. 1. from the set of reflection spectra, that represent all the combinations of colorants on the surface of the cmy cube, the corresponding set of cie l*a*b* co-ordinates are calculated based on the cie 1931 (2 degree) observer and d50 as illuminant.2. the set of cie l*a*b* values represents an ordered cloud of points of the surface of the potential colour gamut. to calculate the volume enclosed by these points—i.e. the gamut volume—first a surface triangulation technique is applied (delaunay type), from which a set of triangle facets is obtained, that completely cover the colour gamut. in a next step, an arbitrarily chosen, but then fixed point inside the cloud of points, e.g. the centre of gravity in terms of l*a*b*) is defined as “inner point”. together with this “inner point” each surface triangle facet forms a tetrahedron, from which the volume can be calculated using standard methods of vector analysis: v= ⅙ |e 1 ·( e 2 ×e 3 )|wherein e 1 , e 2 and e 3 denote the vectors connecting the aforementioned “inner point” with each of the 3 cornerpoints of a surface triangle facet. the total volume of the colour gamut is then obtained by summing up the volume of all individual tetrahedrae. by using this model of an ideal printing process and the triangulation technique of the gamut surface, the potential colour gamut of a colorant set can be calculated and quantitatively compared with other sets of colorants. due to the idealized nature of the printing process the potential colour gamut of a set of colorants is obtained regardless of interactions of the colorants with the receiving imaging material and/or performance of the printer and its control software. this circumvents the known shortcomings in experimental gamut determination due to limitations and/of availability of paper, printer and the printing process. the method can be regarded as an absolute, objective benchmark for the determination of the potential gamut volume of a given set of colorants. the method described above is referred to in the examples as the colour gamut calculation method. ink-jet ink set the ink-jet ink set according to present invention comprises three colour inks each containing at least one pigment, wherein, the first colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm, the second colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm, the third colour ink has a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm, characterized in that each colour ink has a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70 with ssf=a max /a ref . in a preferred embodiment the ink-jet ink set according to this invention, at least one of the colour inks is a water based ink-jet ink. in another preferred embodiment the ink-jet ink set according to this invention, at least one of the colour inks is a radiation curable ink-jet ink. in a particular preferred embodiment the ink-jet ink set according to this invention, at least one of the colour inks is a radiation curable ink-jet ink containing a photoinitiator. in a preferred embodiment the ink-jet ink set according to this invention, comprises at least one black ink-jet ink. in a preferred embodiment the ink-jet ink set according to this invention is a multi-density ink-jet ink set. objects of the present invention have been realized with a method for ink-jet printing comprising the steps of: (a) providing a ink-jet ink set according to the present invention; and (b) jetting colour inks of said ink-jet ink set on an ink-receiver. ink-jet ink the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention each contain at least one pigment to impart the desired colour to the ink. the pigment may be present in the ink composition in any effective amount, generally from about 0.5 to about 20 percent by weight of the ink. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may contain at least one humectant to prevent the clogging of the nozzle, due to its ability to slow down the evaporation rate of ink. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may further include at least one surfactant. the surfactant can be anionic, cationic, non-ionic, or zwitter-ionic and added in a total amount below 20 wt % based on the total ink weight. a biocide may be added to the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention to prevent unwanted microbial growth, which may occur in the ink-jet ink over time. the biocide may be used either singly or in combination. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may further comprise at least one thickener for viscosity regulation in the ink-jet ink. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may further comprise at least one antioxidant for improving the storage stability of an image. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may contain water and/or organic solvents, such as alcohols, fluorinated solvents and dipolar aprotic solvents. preferable solvents are methanol, ethanol, propanol, 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-butanol, t.-butanol, glycol, glycolethers, n-methylpyrrolidone, n,n-dimethylacetamid, n,n-dimethylformamid, 2,4-pentanedione and hexafluoroacetone are used. in one embodiment the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention are radiation curable ink-jet inks containing a radiation curable compound. the radiation curable compound can be selected from monomers and/or oligomers that can be polymerized by the curing means of the ink-jet printer. the radiation curable colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may preferably further comprise at least one photo-initiator. the radiation curable colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may preferably further comprise at least one inhibitor. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may include additives such as buffering agents, anti-mold agents, ph adjustment agents, electric conductivity adjustment agents, chelating agents, anti-rusting agents, light stabilizers, monomers, dendrimers, polymers, and the like. such additives may be included in the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention in any effective amount, as desired. examples of ph controlling agents suitable for inks of the present invention include, but are not limited to, acids, and bases, including organic amines and hydroxides of alkali metals such as lithium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. the amount included will depend, of course, on the specific component being included. the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may further comprise conducting or semi-conducting polymers, such as polyanilines, polypyrroles, polythiophenes such as poly(ethylenedioxythiophene) (pedot), substituted or unsubstituted poly(phenylenevinylenes) (ppv's) such as ppv and meh-ppv, polyfluorenes such as pf6, etc. pigments the pigment particles should be sufficiently small to permit free flow of the ink through the ink-jet printing device, especially at the ejecting nozzles which usually have a diameter ranging from 10 μm to 50 μm. the particle size influences also the pigment dispersion stability. it is also desirable to use small particles for maximum colour strength. the average particle diameter of the pigment should be between 0.005 μm and 15 μm. preferably, the average pigment particle size is between 0.005 and 5 μm, more preferably between 0.005 and 1 μm, and particularly preferably between 0.005 and 0.3 μm. larger pigment particle sizes may be used as long as the objectives of the present invention are achieved. very fine dispersions of pigments and methods for their preparation are disclosed in e.g. ep 776952 a (kodak), u.s. pat. no. 5,538,548 (brother), u.s. pat. no. 5,443,628 (videojet systems), ep 259130 a (olivetti), u.s. pat. no. 5,285,064 (extrel), ep 429828 a (canon) and ep 526198 a (xerox). in a preferred embodiment the ink-jet ink set comprises an ink wherein the pigment has an average particle size larger than 100 nm, more preferably the ink-jet ink set comprises two or more colour inks having pigments with an average particle size larger than 100 nm. in striving to obtain a high colour gamut, milling of pigments to average particle sizes smaller than 100 nm, for example, about 20 to 50 nm delivers an increased colour gamut but also a decrease in the light fastness of printed inkjet images. the pigment can be black, cyan, magenta, yellow, red, orange, violet, blue, green, brown, mixtures thereof, and the like. suitable pigments for the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention include: c. i. pigment yellow 17, c. i. pigment blue 27, c. i. pigment red 49:2, c. i. pigment red 81:1, c. i. pigment red 81:3, c. i. pigment red 81:x, c. i. pigment yellow 83, c. i. pigment red 57:1, c. i. pigment red 49:1, c. i. pigment violet 23, c. i. pigment green 7, c. i. pigment blue 61, c. i. pigment red 48:1, c. i. pigment red 52:1, c. i. pigment violet 1, c. i. pigment white 6, c. i. pigment blue 15, c. i. pigment yellow 12, c. i. pigment blue 56, c. i. pigment orange 5, c. i. pigment yellow 14, c. i. pigment red 48:2, c. i. pigment blue 15:3, c. i. pigment yellow 1, c. i. pigment yellow 3, c. i. pigment yellow 13, c. i. pigment orange 16, c. i. pigment yellow 55, c. i. pigment red 41, c. i. pigment orange 34, c. i. pigment blue 62, c. i. pigment red 22, c. i. pigment red 170, c. i. pigment red 88, c. i. pigment yellow 151, c. i. pigment red 184, c. i. pigment blue 1:2, c. i. pigment red 3, c. i. pigment blue 15:1, c.i. pigment blue 15:3, c.i. pigment blue 15:4, c. i. pigment red 23, c. i. pigment red 112, c. i. pigment yellow 126, c. i. pigment red 169, c. i. pigment orange 13, c. i. pigment red 1-10, 12, c.i. pigment blue 1:x, c.i. pigment yellow 42, c.i. pigment red 101, c.i. pigment brown 6, c. i. pigment brown 7, c. i. pigment brown 7:x, c. i. pigment metal 1, c. i. pigment metal 2, c.i. pigment yellow 128, c.i. pigment yellow 93, c.i. pigment yellow 74, c.i. pigment yellow 138, c.i. pigment yellow 139, c.i. pigment yellow 154, c. i. pigment yellow 185, c.i. pigment yellow 180, c.i. pigment red 122, c.i. pigment red 184, bridged aluminium phthalocyanine pigments and solid solutions of pigments. for the black ink, suitable pigment materials include carbon blacks such as regal 400r, mogul l, elftex 320 from cabot co., or carbon black fw18, special black 250, special black 350, special black 550, printex 25, printex 35, printex 55, printex 150t from degussa co., and c.i. pigment black 7 and c.i. pigment black 11. additional examples of suitable pigments are disclosed in u.s. pat. no. 5,389,133 (xerox). further the pigment may be chosen from those disclosed by herbst, w, et al. industrial organic pigments, production, properties, applications. 2nd edition. vch, 1997. particular preferred pigments are c.i. pigment yellow 1, 3, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 65, 73, 74, 75, 83, 93, 109, 120, 128, 138, 139, 150, 151, 154, 155, 180, 185; c.i. pigment red 17, 22, 23, 57:1, 122, 144, 146, 170, 176, 184, 185, 188, 202, 206, 207, 210; c.i. pigment violet 19 and c.i. pigment violet 19; c.i. pigment blue 15:1, c.i. pigment blue 15:2, c.i. pigment blue 15:3, c.i. pigment blue 15:4, and c.i. pigment blue 16. the ink-jet ink set according to the present invetion preferably comprises an azoacetoacetanilide pigment as a yellow pigment, a quinacridone as a magenta pigment and a cu-phthalocyanine pigment as a cyan pigment. in a preferred embodiment the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention are prepared using the pigments c.i. pigment yellow 74, c.i. pigment red 122 and a β-cu phthalocyanine pigment. dispersant in the preparation of an ink-jet ink, the pigment may be added in the form of a dispersion comprising a dispersant, which is also called a pigment stabilizer. the dispersant used in a colour ink for the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention is a preferably polymeric dispersant. the polymeric dispersant may be, for example, of the polyester, polyurethane, polyvinyl of polyacrylate type, especially in the form of copolymer or block copolymer with a molecular weight between 2000 and 100000, more preferably between 2500 and 25000, and would typically be incorporated at 2.5% to 200% by weight of the pigment. suitable examples are disperbyk™ dispersants available from byk chemie, joncryl™ dispersants available from johnson polymers and solsperse™ dispersants available from zeneca. a detailed list of non-polymeric as well as some polymeric dispersants is disclosed by mc cutcheon. functional materials, north american edition. glen rock, n.j.: manufacturing confectioner publishing co., 1990. p. 110-129. suitable pigment stabilizers are also disclosed in de 19636382 (bayer), u.s. pat. no. 5,720,802 (xerox), u.s. pat. no. 5,713,993 (du pont), pct/gb95/02501, u.s. pat. no. 5,085,689 (basf) and u.s. pat. no. 2,303,376 (fujitsu isotec). polymeric dispersants can be prepared via addition or condensation type polymerizations. typical monomers that can be used for addition type polymerizations include: acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid (or their salts), maleic anhydride; alkyl(meth)acrylates (linear, branched and cycloalkyl) such as methyl(meth)acrylate, n-butyl(meth)acrylate, tert-butyl(meth)acrylate, cyclohexyl(meth)acrylate, and 2-ethylhexyl(meth)acrylate; aryl(meth)acrylates such as benzyl(meth)acrylate, and phenyl(meth)acrylate; hydroxyalkyl(meth)acrylates such as hydroxyethyl(meth)acrylate, and hydroxypropyl(meth)acrylate; (meth)acrylates with other types of functionalities (e.g. oxirane, amino, fluoro, polyethylene oxide, phosphate-substituted) such as glycidyl(meth)acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl(meth)acrylate, trifluoroethyl acrylate, methoxypolyethyleneglycol(meth)acrylate, and tripropyleneglycol(meth)acrylate phosphate; allyl derivatives such as allyl glycidyl ether; styrenics such as styrene, α-methylstyrene, 4-methylstyrene, 4-hydroxystyrene, 4-acetoxystyrene, and styrenesulfonic acid; (meth)acrylonitrile; (meth)acrylamides (including n-mono and n,n-disubstituted) such as n-benzyl(meth)acrylamide; maleimides such as n-phenyl maleimide, n-benzyl maleimide, and n-ethyl maleimide; vinyl derivatives such as vinylcaprolactam, vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole, vinylnaphthalene, and vinyl halides; vinylethers such as vinylmethyl ether; vinylesters of carboxylic acids such as vinylacetate, vinylbutyrate, and vinyl benzoate. typical condensation type polymers include polyurethanes, polyamides, polyesters, polycarbonates, polyethers, polyureas, polyimines, polyimides, and polyketones, or combinations thereof. monomers that can be used to prepare such polycondensation products can be found in polymer handbook (eds. j. brandrup, e. h. immergut, e. a grulke), 4 th edition, vol. 1+2, wiley-interscience (1999). humectants suitable humectants include triacetin, n-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, glycerol, urea, thiourea, ethylene urea, alkyl urea, alkyl thiourea, dialkyl urea and dialkyl thiourea, diols, including ethanediols, propanediols, propanetriols, butanediols, pentanediols, and hexanediols; glycols, including propylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and mixtures and derivatives thereof. a preferred humectant is glycerol and added to the ink-jet ink formulation in an amount of 0.1 to 30 wt % of the formulation, more preferably 0.1 to 10 wt % of the formulation, and most preferably approximately 4.0 to 7.0 wt %. other preferred humectants are propanediol; 1,2-pentanediol, 1,5-pentanediol 1,2-hexanediol and 1,6-hexanediol that are known as penetrating solvents having properties pertaining to surfactants. surfactants suitable surfactants include fatty acid salts, ester salts of a higher alcohol, alkylbenzene sulphonate salts, sulphosuccinate ester salts and phosphate ester salts of a higher alcohol (for example, sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate and sodium dioctylsulphosuccinate), ethylene oxide adducts of a higher alcohol, ethylene oxide adducts of an alkylphenol, ethylene oxide adducts of a polyhydric alcohol fatty acid ester, and acetylene glycol and ethylene oxide adducts thereof (for example, polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether, and surfynol™ 104, 104h, 440, 465 and tg available from air products & chemicals inc. biocides suitable biocides for the ink-jet ink of the present invention include sodium dehydroacetate, 2-phenoxyethanol, sodium benzoate, sodium pyridinethion-1-oxide, ethyl p-hydroxybenzoate and 1,2-benzisothiazolin-3-one and salts thereof. a preferred biocide for the ink-jet ink of the present invention is proxel™ gxl available from zeneca colours. a biocide is preferably added in an amount of 0.001 to 3 wt %, more preferably 0.01 to 1.00 wt. %, each based on the ink-jet ink. thickeners suitable thickeners for use in the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention include urea or urea derivatives, hydroxyethylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, derived chitin, derived starch, carrageenan, and pullulan; dna, proteins, poly(styrenesulphonic acid), poly(styrene-co-maleic anhydride), poly(alkyl vinyl ether-co-maleic anhydride), polyacrylamid, partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamid, poly(acrylic acid), poly(vinyl alcohol), partially hydrolyzed poly(vinyl acetate), poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate), poly(methyl vinyl ether), polyvinylpyrrolidone, poly(2-vinylpyridine), poly(4-vinylpyridine) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). the thickener is added preferably in an amount of 0.01 to 20 wt %, more preferably 0.1 to 10 wt % based on the ink-jet ink. preferably the viscosity of the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention are lower than 100 mpa·s, more preferably lower than 50 mpa·s, and most preferably lower than 30 mpa·s at a shear rate of 100 s −1 and a temperature between 20 and 110° c. antioxidants as the antioxidant for improving storage stability of an image, various organic and metal complex types fading preventives can be used in the invention. organic fading preventives include hydroquinones, alkoxyphenols, dialkoxyphenols, phenols, anilines, amines, indanes, coumarones, alkoxyanilines and heterocycles, while metal complexes include nickel complexes and zinc complexes. more specifically, compounds as described in “research disclosure, no. 17643, vii, section i or j, no. 15162, no. 18716, left column on page 650, no. 36544, page 527, no. 307105, page 872, and the patent cited in no. 15162, and compounds embraced in the formula of the typical compounds and compound examples described on pages 127 to 137 of jp 62215272 a (fuji). the stabilizer is added in an amount of 0.1 to 30 wt %, preferably 1 to 10 wt % based on the ink. monomers and oligomers monomers and/or oligomers are polymerized by the curing means of the ink-jet printer. monomers, oligomers or prepolymers may possess different degrees of functionality, and a mixture including combinations of mono-, di-, tri- and higher functionality monomers, oligomers or prepolymers may be used. these components are preferably uv curable. adjusting the ratio between the monomers and oligomers is also a method of adjusting the viscosity of the ink. a higher functionality results in a higher viscosity. any method of conventional radical polymerization, photo-curing system using photo acid or photo base generator, or photo induction alternating copolymerization may be employed. in general, radical polymerization and cationic polymerization are preferred, and photo induction alternating copolymerization needing no initiator may also be employed. further, a hybrid system of combinations of these systems is also effective. radical polymerization is the most widely employed process. cationic polymerization is however superior in effectiveness due to lack of inhibition of polymerization by oxygen, however it is slow and its cost is high. if cationic polymerization is used, it is preferred to use an epoxy compound. any polymerizable compound commonly known in the art may be employed. particularly preferred for the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention, are monofunctional and/or polyfunctional acrylate monomers, oligomers or prepolymers, such as isoamyl acrylate, stearyl acrylate, lauryl acrylate, octyl acrylate, decyl acrylate, isoamylstyl acrylate, isostearyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl-diglycol acrylate, 2-hydroxybutyl acrylate, 2-acryloyloxyethylhexahydrophthalic acid, butoxyethyl acrylate, ethoxydiethylene glycol acrylate, methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate, methoxypolyethylene glycol acrylate, methoxypropylene glycol acrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, isobornyl acrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 2-hydroxypropyl acrylate, 2-hydroxy-3-phenoxypropyl acrylate, vinyl ether acrylate, 2-acryloyloxyethylsuccinic acid, 2-acryloyxyethylphthalic acid, 2-acryloxyethyl-2-hydroxyethyl-phthalic acid, lactone modified flexible acrylate, and t-butylcyclohexyl acrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene glycol diacrylate, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate, polypropylene glycol diacrylate, 1,4butanediol diacrylate, 1,6hexanediol diacrylate, 1,9nonanediol diacrylate, neopentyl glycol diacrylate, dimethyloltricyclodecane diacrylate, bisphenol a eo (ethylene oxide) adduct diacrylate, bisphenol a po (propylene oxide) adduct diacrylate, hydroxypivalate neopentyl glycol diacrylate, propoxylated neopentyl glycol diacrylate, alkoxylated dimethyloltricyclodecane diacrylate and polytetramethylene glycol diacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, eo modified trimethylolpropane triacrylate, tri(propylene glycol)triacrylate, caprolactone modified trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, pentaerithritol tetraacrylate, pentaerythritolethoxy tetraacrylate, dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, ditrimethylolpropane tetraacrylate, glycerinpropoxy triacrylate, and caprolactam modified dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, or an n-vinylamide such as, n-vinylcaprolactam or n-vinylformamide; or acrylamide or a substituted acrylamide, such as acryloylmorpholine. furthermore, methacrylates corresponding to the above-mentioned acrylates may be used with these acrylates. of the methacrylates, methoxypolyethylene glycol methacrylate, methoxytriethylene glycol methacrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, phenoxyethyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, tetraethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and polyethylene glycol dimethacrylate are preferred due to their relatively high sensitivity and improved adhesion to an ink-receiver surface. furthermore, the colour inks may also contain polymerizable oligomers. examples of these polymerizable oligomers include epoxy acrylates, aliphatic urethane acrylates, aromatic urethane acrylates, polyester acrylates, and straight-chained acrylic oligomers. photo-initiators a catalyst called a photo-initiator typically initiates the polymerization reaction. the photo-initiator requires less energy to activate than the monomers and oligomers to form the polymer. the photo-initiator absorbs light and is responsible for the production of free radicals or cations. free radicals or cations are high-energy species that induce polymerization of monomers, oligomers and polymers and with polyfunctional monomers and oligomers thereby also inducing crosslinking. a preferred amount of photo-initiator is 1 to 30 wt % of the total ink weight, and more preferably 1 to 10 wt % of the total ink weight. irradiation with actinic radiation may be realized in two steps by changing wavelength or intensity. in such cases it is preferred to use two types of photo-initiator together. photo-initiators are necessary for free radical curing and may include, but are not limited to, the following compounds or combinations thereof: benzophenone and substituted benzophenones, 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone, thioxanthones such as isopropylthioxanthone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenylpropan-1-one, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-(4-morpholinophenyl)butan-1-one, benzil dimethylketal, bis(2,6-dimethylbenzoyl)-2,4,4-trimethylpentylphosphine oxide, 2,4,6trimethylbenzoyidiphenylphosphine oxide, 2-methyl-1-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-morpholinopropan-1-one, 2,2-dimethoxy-1,2-diphenylethan-1-one or 5,7-diiodo-3-butoxy-6-fluorone, diphenyliodonium fluoride and triphenylsulfonium hexafluophosphate. suitable photo-initiators for use in the radiation curable colour inks of an ink-jet ink set according to the present invention include irgacure™ 184, irgacure™ 500, irgacure™ 907, irgacure™ 369, irgacure™ 1700, irgacure™ 651, irgacure™ 819, irgacure™ 1000, irgacure™ 1300, irgacure™ 1870, darocur™ 1173, darocur™ 4265 and darocur™ itx available from ciba specialty chemicals, lucerin tpo available from basf ag, esacure™ kt046, esacure™ kip150, esacure™ kt37 and esacure™ edb available from lamberti, h-nu™ 470 and h-nu™ 470x available from spectra group ltd. and isopropyl-thioxanthone. inhibitors suitable polymerization inhibitors include phenol type antioxidants, hindered amine light stabilizers, phosphor type antioxidants, hydroquinonemonomethyl ether commonly used in (metha)acrylate monomers, and hydroquinone, t-butylcatechol, pyrogallol may also be used. of these, a phenol compound having a double bond in molecules derived from acrylic acid is particularly preferred due to its having a polymerization-restraining effect even when heated in a closed, oxygen-free environment. suitable inhibitors are, for example, sumilizer™ ga-80, sumilizer™ gm and sumilizer™ gs produced by sumitomo chemical co., ltd; genorad™ 16 available from rahn. since excessive addition of these polymerization inhibitors will lower the ink sensitivity to curing, it is preferred that the amount capable of preventing polymerization be determined prior to blending. the amount of a polymerization inhibitor is generally between 200 and 20,000 ppm of the total ink weight. suitable combinations of compounds which decrease oxygen polymerization inhibition with radical polymerization inhibitors are: 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)-butane-1 and 1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone; 1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone and benzophenone; 2-methyl-1[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-morpholinopropane-1-on or 2-methyl-1 [4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-morpholinopropane-1-on and diethyltuioxanthone or isopropylthioxanthone; and benzophenone and acrylate derivatives having a tertiary amino group, and addition of tertiary amines. an amine compound is commonly employed to decrease an oxygen polymerization inhibition or to increase sensitivity. however, when an amine compound is used in combination with a high acid value compound, the storage stability at high temperature tends to be decreased. therefore, specifically, the use of an amine compound with a high acid value compound in ink-jet printing should be avoided. synergist additives may be used to improve the curing quality and to diminish the influence of the oxygen inhibition. such additives include, but are not limited to actilane™ 800 and actilane™ 725 available from akzo nobel, ebecryl™ p115 and ebecryl™ 350 available from ucb chemicals and cd 1012, craynor cn 386 (amine modified acrylate) and craynor cn 501 (amine modified ethoxylated trimethylolpropane triacrylate) available from cray valley. the content of the synergist additive is in the range of 0 to 50 wt %, preferably in the range 5 to 35 wt % based on the total weight of the radiation curable colour ink. solvents the colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention may contain as a solvent, water and/or organic solvents, such as alcohols, fluorinated solvents and dipolar aprotic solvents. preferably the ink-jet inks contain a solvent in a concentration between 10 and 80 wt %, particularly preferably between 20 and 50 wt %, each based on the total weight of the ink-jet ink. radiation curable colour inks of the ink-jet ink set according to the present invention preferably consist of 100% solids. sometimes, it can be advantageous to add an extremely small amount of an organic solvent to improve adhesion to the ink-receiver surface after uv curing. in this case, the added solvent can be any amount in the range which does not cause problems of solvent resistance and voc, and preferably 0.1-5.0 wt %, and particularly preferably 0.1-3.0 wt %, each based on the total weight of the radiation curable ink-jet ink. suitable organic solvents include alcohol, aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, esters, aliphatic hydrocarbons, higher fatty acids, carbitols, cellosolves, higher fatty acid esters. suitable alcohols include, methanol, ethanol, propanol and 1-butanol, 1-pentanol, 2-butanol, t.-butanol. suitable aromatic hydrocarbons include toluene, and xylene. suitable ketones include methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 2,4-pentanedione and hexafluoroacetone. also glycol, glycolethers, n-methylpyrrolidone, n,n-dimethylacetamid, n,n-dimethylformamid may be used. preparation of an ink-jet ink a pigment dispersion for preparing a colour ink of an ink-jet ink set according to the present invention, may be prepared by mixing, milling and dispersion of pigment and polymeric dispersant. mixing apparatuses may include a pressure kneader, an open kneader, a planetary mixer, a dissolver, and a dalton universal mixer. suitable milling and dispersion apparatuses are a ball mill, a pearl mill, a colloid mill, a high-speed disperser, double rollers, a bead mill, a paint conditioner, and triple rollers. the dispersions may also be prepared using ultrasonic energy. many different types of materials may be used as milling media, such as glasses, ceramics, metals, and plastics. in a preferred embodiment, the grinding media can comprise particles, preferably substantially spherical in shape, e.g. beads consisting essentially of a polymeric resin or yttrium stabilized zirconium beads. for efficient milling, the size of the beads used is preferably between 0.2 and 0.5 mm, most preferably between 0.3 and 0.4 mm. preferably at least 50% of the volume (=50 volume %) is effectively filled with beads. this means, for example, that for a bead mill having an internal volume of 10 l, the beads are present in a volume of 5 l (=weight of beads used divided by the density of the beads). in the process of mixing, milling and dispersion, each process is performed with cooling to prevent build up of heat, and for radiation curable inks also as much as possible under light conditions in which uv-light has been substantially excluded. if the colour ink contains more than one pigment, the colour ink may be prepared using separate dispersions for each pigment, or alternatively several pigments may be mixed and co-milled in preparing the dispersion. the dispersion process can be carried out in a continuous, batch or semi-batch mode. the preferred amounts and ratios of the ingredients of the mill grind will vary widely depending upon the specific materials and the intended applications. the contents of the milling mixture comprise the mill grind and the milling media. the mill grind comprises pigment, dispersant and a liquid carrier such as water. for aqueous ink-jet inks, the pigment is usually present in the mill grind at 1 to 50 wt %, excluding the milling media. the weight ratio of pigment over dispersant is preferably 20:1 to 1:2. the milling time is determined by the ssf. a colour ink is milled until a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70 with ssf=a max /a ref is measured. the milling time can vary widely and depends upon the pigment, mechanical means and residence conditions selected, the initial particle size, etc. in the present invention pigment dispersions with an average particle size of less than 100 nm may be prepared. after milling is completed, the milling media is separated from the milled particulate product (in either a dry or liquid dispersion form) using conventional separation techniques, such as by filtration, sieving through a mesh screen, and the like. often the sieve is built into the mill, e.g. for a bead mill. the milled pigment concentrate is preferably separated from the milling media by filtration. in general it is desirable to make the colour ink in the form of a concentrated mill grind, which is subsequently diluted to the appropriate concentration for use in the ink-jet printing system. this technique permits preparation of a greater quantity of pigmented ink from the equipment. if the mill grind was made in a solvent, it is diluted with water and optionally other solvents to the appropriate concentration. if it was made in water, it is diluted with either additional water or water miscible solvents to make a mill grind of the desired concentration. if the pigment dispersion is intended for preparing a radiation curable colour ink, it is preferably diluted using monomers and/or oligomers. by dilution, the ink is adjusted to the desired viscosity, surface tension, colour, hue, saturation density, and print area coverage for the particular application. in a preferred embodiment the method for preparing an ink-jet ink set according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) preparing a first colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 600 nm; (b) preparing a second colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 650 nm; (c) preparing a third colour ink by mixing a polymeric dispersant and a pigment having a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm and an absorbance a ref at a reference wavelength of 830 nm; (d) milling the mixtures of polymeric dispersants and pigments of each colour ink; (e) measuring the absorbances at a max and at a ref and calculating the spectral separation factor ssf for each colour ink; (f) repeating steps (d)-(e) at least once for the colour ink(s) having a spectral separation factor ssf smaller or equal than 70. examples the present invention will now be described in detail by way of examples hereinafter. materials all materials used in the examples were readily available from standard commercial sources such as aldrich chemical co. (belgium) unless otherwise specified. the following materials were used: hansa brilliant yellow™ is c.i. pigment yellow 74 available from hoechst. ink-jet magenta™ is c.i. pigment red 122 available from clariant. sunfast™ blue is c.i. pigment blue 15:3 available from sun chemical. duasyn direct turquoise blue™ frl-sf liq. is a cyan dye available from clariant. duasyn briljant red™ f3b-sf liq. is a magenta dye available from clariant. duasyn yellow™ 3g-sf liq. is a yellow dye available from clariant. surfynol™ 104h is a solution of 2,4,7,9-tetramethyl-5-decyn-4,7-diol available from air products and chemical co. acticide™ bw10 is a biocide available from thor chemicals (uk) ltd. proxel™ ultra 5 is a biocide from avecia. edaplan™ 482 is a polymeric dispersant from munzing chemie gmbh. epson 2000p™, epson 7600p™, and epson r800™ are high quality pigment ink-jet ink sets available from epson. hp5000 p™ is a high quality pigment ink-jet ink set available from hewlett-packard. agfa sherpa™ is a high quality pigment ink-jet ink set from agfa. sty is an abbreviation for styrene available from acros. maa is an abbreviation for methacrylic acid from acros. buma is an abbreviation for n-butyl methacrylate from acros. mpeg350ma is an abbreviation for methoxypolyethyleneglycol 350 methacrylate from cognis performance chemicals under the tradename of bisomer™ mpeg 350ma eha is an abbreviation for 2-ethyl hexyl acrylate from acros. ea is an abbreviation for ethyl acrylate from acros. mpeg550ma is an abbreviation for methoxypolyethyleneglycol 350 methacrylate from sartomer co. under the tradename of sartomer™ cd550. etegma is an abbreviation for (ethyltriethyleneglycol)methacrylate from röhm gmbh & co. kg. bn(m)a is an abbreviation for benzyl(meth)acrylate from aldrich. measurement methods 1. spectral separation factor ssf a spectrophotometric measurement of the uv-vis-nir absorption spectrum of the diluted ink was performed in transmission-mode with a double beam-spectrophotometer using the settings of table 1. the measurement used quartz cells with a path length of 10 mm and water was chosen as a blank. table 1modeabsorbancewavelength range240-1100nmslit width3.0nmscan interval1.0nmdetectorphoto-multiplier(uv-vis)pbs-detektor (nir the ink was diluted to have a pigment concentration of 0.002% if the absorbance maximum was between 400 and 500 nm or between 600 and 700 nm to have a pigment concentration of 0.005% if the absorbance maximum was between 500 and 600 nm. the spectral separation factor (ssf) of the ink was calculated, using the data of the recorded spectrum. the maximum absorbance was compared to the absorbance at a reference wavelength. the choice of this reference wavelength was dependent on the pigment used: if the colour ink had a maximum absorbance a max between 400 and 500 nm then the absorbance a ref was determined at a reference wavelength of 600 nm,if the colour ink had a maximum absorbance a max between 500 and 600 nm then the absorbance a ref was determined at a reference wavelength of 650 nm,if the colour ink had a maximum absorbance a max between 600 and 700 nm then the absorbance a ref was determined at a reference wavelength of 830 nm. the spectral separation factor was calculated as the ratio of the maximum absorbance a max over the absorbance a ref at the reference wavelength. 2. colour gamut measurement method this method measures the colour gamut delivered by an ink set in terms of number of colours that can be printed, based upon an imagexpert test target printed with an agfa sherpa™ 43 printer. the full density patches of cyan, magenta, yellow, black, green, red and blue, together with the unprinted paper whiteness are measured with a gretag™ spm50 spectrophotometer in ciel*a*b* colour space. from these values a simplified calculation of the potential volume of the colour gamut was performed with following assumptions: 1. straight connections between the l*a*b*-values of the colour patches 2. no paper-ink interactions (dot gain) 3. no ink-ink interactions this delivers a volume of a triangulated colour gamut (relative whitepoint, true blackpoint). this value is very well suited for a relative comparison between two or more ink sets. 3. accelerated light-fastness test this light fading test simulates the indoor office fading according to the iso/fdis 18909:2003(e) standard method. the apparatus used in the test was a ci3000+ wheaterometer from atlas with window glass filtered xe-arc light. light conditions: black standard temperature of 50° c., irradiance of 50 w/m 2 (300-400 nm) and light intensity of 96 klux. chamber climate was maintained at 30° c., 50% rh and air flow was controlled such that black panel temperature in the sample plane did not exceed 50° c. the total exposure time covered 80 hours and was applied in cycles of 16 hours of light exposure and 8 hours in a dark room. the total exposure therefore accumulated to 96 klux multiplied with 80 hours or 7680 klux. prints were made with an agfa sherpa™ printer on agfajet™ uipp glossy 170 g from agfa. test patches of cyan (c), magenta (m) and yellow (y) at density 1.00 were printed. the test prints were dried for 48 hours prior to the light-fading test. directly before starting the light fading test and after completion of the light fading test, the l*a*b* readings of the test patches were collected. in order to quantify the light stability, colour differences in terms of delta e94 (cie94) were determined. to obtain a life time prediction from the accelerated test, 1 day indoor exposure was considered to be equal to 450 lux/hour during 12 hours window glass filtered xe-arc. assuming reciprocity behaviour, the 80 hours exposure at a 96 klux dose results in a prediction of 3.9 years lifetime for the aforementioned indoor conditions. 4. average particle size the average particle size of pigment particles in a pigment dispersion was determined by photon correlation spectroscopy at a wavelength of 632 nm on a tenfold-diluted sample of a pigment dispersion. the particle size analyzer used was a brookhaven bi90plus available from brookhaven instruments corporation. 5. polymer analysis all polymers have been characterized with gel permeation chromatography (gpc) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (nmr). random or block copolymers were analyzed with nmr by dissolving them in a deuterated solvent. for 1 h-nmr±20 mg polymer was dissolved in 0.8 ml cdcl 3 or dmso-d6 or acetonitrile-d3 or d 2 o (with or without naod addition). spectra were recorded on a varian inova 400 mhz instrument equipped with an id-probe. for 13 c-nmr±200 mg polymer was dissolved in 0.8 ml cdcl 3 or dmso-d6 or acetonitrile-d3 or d 2 o (with or without naod addition). spectra were recorded on a varian gemini2000 300 mhz equipped with a sw-probe. m n , m w , m z and polydispersity (pd) values were measured using gel permeation chromatography. for polymers dissolvable in organic solvents pl-mixed b columns (polymer laboratories ltd) were used with either thf or thf+5% acetic acid as mobile phase using polystyrene with known molecular weights as calibration standards. these polymers were dissolved in the mobile phase at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. for polymers dissolvable in water pl aquagel oh-60, oh-50, oh-40 and/or oh-30 (polymer laboratories ltd) column combinations were used depending on the molecular weight region of the polymers under investigation. as mobile phase water/methanol mixtures adjusted to ph 9.2 with e.g. disodiumhydrogen phosphate were used with or without the addition of neutral salts e.g. sodium nitrate. as calibration standards polyacrylic acids with known molecular weights were used. the polymers were dissolved in either water or water made basic with ammonium hydroxide at a concentration of 1 mg/ml. refractive index detection was used. some examples are now given to illustrate the calculation of the composition of the (block)copolymers: determination of the average composition of a random (=statistical) copolymer p(maa-c-eha): determine mn of copolymer with gpc=>mn=5000 determine molar percentage of each monomer type by nmr=>45 mol % maa and 55 mol % eha (0.45 ×m maa )+(0.55 ×m eha )=140.09 5000/140.09=total number of monomeric units in average polymer chain=36average number of maa units=0.45×(5000/140.09)=16 unitsaverage number of eha units=0.55×(5000/140.09)=20 unitsthus, the average composition is p(maa 16 -c-eha 20 ). determination of the average composition of ab block copolymer p(aa-b-bna): block copolymer was prepared via atrp. first a ptba macroinitiator was prepared: mn of this macroinitiator (based on nmr) is 6600 g/mol. thus, the block length is 6600/m tba =51 tba units. subsequently, the second block is prepared using bna. applying nmr the molar ratio between the two monomer types can be determined: 65/35 (tba/bna). thus, the average composition of the block copolymer is p(tba 51 -b-bna 27 ). after hydrolysis of the tba units the final composition of the fully unprotected block copolymer is p(aa 51 -b-bna 27 ). example 1 in this example commercially available ink-jet ink sets capable of delivering top quality images (photograde quality) were analyzed by determining the spectral separation factor of the yellow, magenta and cyan inks present in the ink set. table 2ink-jet ink setink-jet inkλ maxa maxλ refa refssfcomp-1epson 2000p ™ yellow4101.0096000.006168epson 2000p ™ magenta5610.6986500.02232epson 2000p ™ cyan6141.0858300.01860comp-2epson 7600p ™ yellow4281.2956000.01968epson 7600p ™ magenta5601.0126500.04125epson 7600p ™ cyan6130.8468300.01556comp-3hp5000 p ™ c4943a yellow4101.1456000.011104hp5000 p ™ c4942a magenta5610.6536500.00973hp5000 p ™ c4941a cyan6121.0148300.01568comp-4agfa sherpa ™ 43 p yellow4380.9516000.03230agfa sherpa ™ 43 p magenta5630.2646500.00929agfa sherpa ™ 43 p cyan6160.3978300.00666comp-5epson r800 ™ yellow t05444391.4066000.03738epson r800 ™ magenta t05435551.0686500.02249epson r800 ™ cyan t05426101.5288300.01790 from table 2, it should be clear that, although occasionally one or two inks may have a spectral separation factor ssf larger than 70, that none of the high quality ink-jet ink sets have three inks c, m and y with a ssf larger than 70. example 2 this example illustrates the possibility of ink-jet inks with a ssf larger than 70 and still having an average particle size larger than 100 nm. preparation of the pigment dispersion the components were mixed in a 60 ml flask according to the general formulation of table 3. table 3componentweight (g)concentration (%)ink-jet magenta ™15polymer (5% solution)123water7— the dispersions disp-1 to disp-5 were prepared with the polymers according to table 4. the polymer is applied as a 5% aqueous solution. the moleculair weight mn and the composition of the statistical polymers is also given by table 4 in the last 2 columns, for example, p(sty-maa-buma-mpeg350ma) has mn of 16099 and consists of 21 mol % of sty, 39 mol % maa, 29 mol % of buma and 11 mol % of mpeg350ma. table 4polymercompositiondispersionpolymeric dispersantmn(mol %)disp-1p(sty-maa-buma-mpeg350ma)1609921/39/29/11disp-2p(mpeg350ma-maa-eha)1440713/35/52disp-3p(maa-mpeg550ma-sty-buma)2114831/14/24/31disp-4p(maa-etegma-sty-buma)1495731/13/23/33disp-5p(maa-mpeg350ma-bnma-eha)908738/11/24/27 each mixture was subjected to a wet dispersion treatment using a roller mill and 0.4 mm yttrium stabilized zirconium beads ytz™ grinding media (available from tosoh corp.). the flask is filled to half its volume with the grinding beads and put onto the roller mill. the speed is set at 150 rotations per minute for three days. after milling, the dispersion is separated from the beads using a filter cloth. preparation of the ink the pigment dispersion served as the basis for the preparation of the ink. the ink-jet inks were prepared by mixing the components according to the general formulation of table 5. table 5componentweight(g)pigment dispersion71.0propylene glycol21.0glycerol7.0surfynol ™ 104h0.1acticide ™ bw100.4triethanol amine0.5 the pigment dispersions according to table 6 were used to prepare ink-jet inks with a pigment concentration of 3.55%. table 6ink-jet inkpigment dispersion usedink-1disp-1ink-2disp-2ink-3disp-3ink-4disp-4ink-5disp-5 each mixture according to table 5 and table 6 was stirred for 10 minutes and filtered afterwards. the filtration is performed in two steps. first, the ink mixture is filtered using a plastipak™ syringe with a microfiber disposable filtercapsule having a cap with a 1 μm pore diameter and gf/b microfiber (available from whatman inc.). afterwards the same procedure is repeated on the filtrate. after the second filtration the ink is ready for evaluation. if filtration is difficult with 1 μm filtercaps, 1.6 μm filtercaps are used. if there is no improvement when using these caps, the ink is left unfiltered and evaluated as such. evaluation the spectral separation factor ssf and the average particle size were determined for the ink-jet inks ink-1 to ink-5. table 7inkssfparticle size (nm)ink-184122ink-292132ink-394130ink-489126ink-591115 the results in table 7 show that although the average particle size of the c.i. pigment red 122 in the inks ink-1 tot ink-5 was larger than the 100 nm, a ssf of higher than 70 was reached. example 3 this example illustrates that the invention pigment ink set combines the light-fastness of a pigment ink-jet ink set with the colour gamut (high ssf) of a dye-based ink-jet ink set. ink sets the comparative ink-jet ink set comp-4 of example 1 was used as typical pigment ink-jet ink set. a comparative ink-jet ink set comp-6 consisting of a yellow, magenta and cyan dye-based ink was prepared according to table 8 expressed in weight % based on the total weight of the ink. table 8cyanmagentayellowcomponent(wt %)(wt %)(wt %)duasyn direct turquoise blue ™3.530—0.004frl-sf liq.duasyn briljant red ™—3.000—f3b-sf liq.duasyn yellow ™ 3g-sf liq.——2.000polypropylene glycol21.00021.00021.000glycerol7.0007.0007.000surfynol ™ 104h0.0900.0900.0901,2-hexanediol4.0004.0004.000proxel ™0.8000.8000.800waterto complete 100.000 wt % the inventive ink-jet ink set inv-1 was prepared according to table 9. each of the pigment inks of inv-1 was prepared in two steps. in a first step, a concentrated aqueous pigment dispersion was made in the same way as described in example 2, comprising pigment, polymeric dispersant and water. the polymeric dispersant used was a copolymer of acrylate-acrylic acid. in a second step the other components were added and mixed with the pigment dispersion in the same way as described in example 2. the final composition of the pigment ink-jet inks of the inventive ink-jet ink set inv-1 is given in table 9 expressed in weight % based on the total weight of the ink. table 9cyan inkmagenta inkyellow inkcomponent(wt %)(wt %)(wt %)sunfast ™ blue1.9——ink-jet magenta ™—2.7—hansa brilliant yellow ™——4.0polymeric dispersant1.52.23.21,2-hexanediol5.05.05.0glycerol20.020.020.0waterto complete 100.0 wt % for each of the pigment inks, the viscosity and surface tension was measured and these are shown in table 10. table 10ink of inv-1viscositysurface tensioncyan ink2.8 mpa · s31.8 mn/mmagenta ink3.4 mpa · s32.6 mn/myellow ink3.6 mpa · s31.5 mn/m results the comparative ink-jet ink sets comp-4 and comp-6 and the inventive ink-jet ink set inv-1 were compared by using the accelerated light-fastness test. the delta e94 values for yellow (y), magenta (m) and cyan (c) patches printed at optical density 1.00 are given by table 11. the colour gamut was determined with the colour gamut measurement method. table 11light fadingmeasureddeltaaverageink-jetcoloure94delta e94ink setink-jet inkssfgamutvaluevaluecomp-4sherpa ™ 43 p (y)305618000.91.0sherpa ™ 43 p (m)291.3sherpa ™ 43 p (c)660.9comp-6dye ink (y)>>705825323.65.7dye ink (m)>>7011.8dye ink (c)>>701.7inv-1pigment ink (y)1286433130.20.8pigment ink (m)751.5pigment ink (c)730.7 table 11 shows that the inventive pigment ink-jet ink set inv-1 combines a large colour gamut with a high light fastness. example 4 this example illustrates the relation between the colour gamut and the ssf of ink-jet ink sets. ink sets polymeric dispersants were prepared according to table 12 using standard methods of synthesis. the polymeric dispersants pol-1 and pol-3 to pol-8 were statistical copolymers (noted as p(a-b) wherein a and b represent monomers). the polymeric dispersant pol-2 was a block copolymer (noted as pa-b-pb wherein a and b represent monomers). the monomer ratio shows, in the same sequence, the mol % of monomers present in the polymer. table 12polymericpolymer compositiondispersantpolymermn(mol %)pol-1p(sty-ssa)588650-50pol-2p(aa-b-bua)*635583-17pol-3p(aa-bua)*265568-32pol-4p(aa-eha)*1278950-50pol-5p(maa-sty-ea)3485120-20-60pol-6p(sty-b-aa)*414040-60pol-7p(msty-b-aa)*1236513-87pol-8p(aa-eha)*1353558-42*analytical results (mn, based on gpc, and polymer composition, based on nmr) of these polymers are the results of the tba precursor copolymer. the inventive ink-jet ink sets inv-2 and inv-3 and the comparative ink-jet ink sets comp-6 to comp-7 were prepared in the same manner as for example 3 according to table 9 except that the polymeric dispersants were used according to table 13. table 13ink-jet ink setyellow inkmagenta inkcyan inkinv-2pol-1pol-2pol-3inv-3pol-4pol-2pol-3comp-6pol-5pol-2pol-3comp-7pol-6pol-7pol-8comp-8pol-5pol-5pol-5 results the colour gamut was calculated for the inventive ink-jet ink sets inv-2 and inv-3 and the comparative ink-jet ink sets comp-6 to comp-7. the colour gamut calculation method was used to determine the colour gamut of the comparative ink-jet ink sets comp-1 to comp-5 of example 1. table 14ink-jetcalculatedink setink-jet inkssfcolour gamutcomp-1epson 2000ptm yellow168520253epson 2000ptm magenta32epson 2000ptm cyan60comp-2epson 7600ptm yellow68449717epson 7600ptm magenta25epson 7600ptm cyan56comp-3hp5000 ptm c4943a yellow104498348hp5000 ptm c4942a magenta73hp5000 ptm c4941a cyan68comp-4agfa sherpatm 43 p yellow30308899agfa sherpatm 43 p magenta29agfa sherpatm 43 p cyan66comp-5epson r800tm yellow t054438442211epson r800tm magenta t054349epson r800tm cyan t054290comp-6yellow ink13530028magenta ink91cyan ink81comp-7yellow ink67509008magenta ink45cyan ink36comp-8yellow ink13278259magenta ink12cyan ink11inv-2yellow ink>340787643magenta ink91cyan ink81inv-3yellow ink157694862magenta ink91cyan ink81 from table 14 it is clear that only the inventive ink-jet ink sets inv-2 and inv-3 exhibited a very high colour gamut since all spectral separation factor ssf were larger than 70. even substitution of only the yellow ink of the inventive ink-jet ink sets inv-2 and inv-3 by a yellow ink having a ssf smaller than 70 reduces the colour gamut to a large extent as illustrated by the comparative ink-jet ink set comp-6. this is also illustrated for a cyan ink by the comparative ink-jet ink set comp-3. example 5 this example illustrates the use of the ssf factor to determine the required milling time for c.i. pigment blue 15:3 to prepare cyan ink for ink-jet ink set exhibiting a high colour gamut. preparation of the pigmented ink-jet ink a pigment dispersion was prepared according to the formulation of table 15. table 15componentweight (g)sunfast ™ blue150.0edaplan ™ 482175.4proxel ™ ultra 54.0water670.6 4.0 g of a 5.5 wt % solution of the biocide proxel™ ultra 5 in water and 175.4 g of a 85.5 wt % solution of edaplan™ 482 in water were mixed in 670.6 g of water. under stirring with a disperlux from atp engineering, 150.0 g of the pigment sunfast™ blue was added to obtain a 30% solids mixture. this mixture was milled with a dynomill kdl from bachoven using 0.3 mm yttrium stabilized zirconium beads ytz™ grinding media (available from tosoh corp.) with 50% of the volume effectively filled with beads. the dispersion was circulated at a feeding rate of 200 ml/min and the rotation speed of 15 m/s. during milling the dispersion was cooled to 25° c. samples were taken after different residence times (i.e. the time that the pigment dispersion remained in the mill) to determine the ssf factor. the calculated ssf and measured average particle sizes are listed in table 16. table 16residence timeaverage particle(min)sizessf18131 nm3636121 nm5254113 nm6472107 nm73 an ssf higher than 70 was obtained after 72 minutes of residence time. the cyan ink was suitable for preparing ink-jet ink sets with excellent color gamut. having described in detail preferred embodiments of the current invention, it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appending claims.
|
047-282-846-603-133
|
US
|
[
"EP",
"US",
"MX",
"JP",
"CA",
"CN",
"WO"
] |
B32B5/02,B32B5/26,B32B7/027,B32B27/32,C08L23/10,D01F6/06,D01F6/30,D04H5/00,D04H13/00,D06M17/00
| 1994-05-24T00:00:00 |
1994
|
[
"B32",
"C08",
"D01",
"D04",
"D06"
] |
fibers and fabrics incorporating lower melting propylene polymers
|
propylene homopolymers and copolymers formed by metallocene catalyst system exhibit generally lower melting behavior than previous propylene polymers. this lower melting behavior will be of use in the fabrication and use of fibers and fabrics that depend upon either lower melting behavior in general or upon a melting point differential between two fabrics or fibers to achieve bonding. such fibers are, for instance, chenille or tufted cord, core and sheath. fabrics such as spunbonded and meltblown, when combined in sm or sms fabrics will show bonding at lower temperatures with fewer pinholes. such fabrics may also be bonded by adhesives such as hot melt, water based and extruded polyolefins. combinations of ziegler-natta catalyzed and metallocene catalyzed polymers are contemplated.
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1. a fiber bundle comprising at least one fiber of an isotactic copolymer of propylene and at least one alpha-olefin having 5 or more carbon atoms, wherein said alpha-olefin is present in said copolymer in the range of from about 0.2 to about 6 mole percent based on the total moles of said propylene and said alpha-olefin in said copolymer, said copolymer having a m.sub.w /m.sub.n .ltoreq.3 as polymerized, and a t.sub.m up to 140.degree. c.; wherein said fiber bundle includes at least a second fiber of a propylene polymer having a m.sub.w /m.sub.n .ltoreq.5, as polymerized, and having a t.sub.m of at least 145.degree. c. wherein one or both said copolymer or said propylene polymer have a propylene tacticity distribution greater than about 90 percent mmmm pentads. 2. the fiber bundle of claim 1 wherein said alpha-olefin is selected from the group consisting of 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene. 3. the fiber bundle of claim 1 wherein said copolymer further comprises a monomer, said monomer being selected from the group consisting of ethylene, 1-butene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene. 4. the fiber bundle of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein one or both said copolymer or said propylene polymer have a propylene tacticity distribution in the range of from about 94 to about 98 percent mmmm pentads. 5. the fiber bundle of claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein one or both said copolymer or said propylene polymer have a propylene tacticity distribution in the range of from about 95 to about 97 percent mmmm pentads. 6. the fiber bundle of claim 3 wherein said alpha-olefin is present in the range of from about 0.5 to about 3 mole percent based on the total moles of monomer in said copolymer. 7. the fiber bundle of claim 3 wherein said second fiber is a homopolymer polypropylene. 8. the fiber bundle of claim 3 wherein said .alpha.-olefin is present in said copolymer in the range of from about 0.2 to about 6 mole percent based on the total moles of monomer in said copolymer; and wherein said copolymer has a m.sub.w /m.sub.n .ltoreq.2.2, as polymerized. 9. the fiber bundle of claim 1 wherein said copolymer as polymerized has a m.sub.w /m.sub.n .ltoreq.2.5. 10. the fiber bundle of claim 1 wherein said copolymer has a melting point up to about 140.degree. c. 11. the fiber bundle of claim 1 wherein said copolymer comprises propylene and at least one of 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene or 1-octene, said alpha-olefin or alpha-olefins being present in said copolymer in the range of from about 0.2 to about 6 mole percent based on the total moles of monomer in said copolymer.
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technical field this invention relates generally to fibers, fabrics and other products and processes for making these products from polymers, specifically propylene homopolymers or propylene copolymers of ethylene and/or .alpha.-olefins where the polymers are produced utilizing a metallocene catalyst system. the articles made from the polymers exhibit lower melting points than conventional (ziegler-natta catalyzed) homopolymers or conventional (ziegler-natta catalyzed) copolymers. background polyolefin polymers are well known articles of commerce. the uses of polyolefins are many and well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. polyolefins have many useful properties. however, in many fiber, fabric, or similar product applications, conventional (for purposes of this application, conventional will mean ziegler-natta catalyzed propylene homopolymers and copolymers) polyolefins have melting points which prevent or substantially limit their use in applications where lower melting points or larger melting point temperature differences would be of advantage. polypropylene, homopolymers, and copolymers have come into wide use. over 2 million tons of polypropylene are manufactured each year in the united states alone. polypropylene has a wide range of commercial uses from packaging films and sheeting to molded food containers and fibrous constructions employed in diapers and hospital gowns. there are several classes of polypropylene, one of these classes is statistical copolymers of propylene and other olefins, sometimes also known as random copolymers. in the past, this class has tended to be represented largely by copolymers of propylene and ethylene, usually made using ziegler-natta catalyst. copolymerization of higher alpha-olefins (hao) (those alpha-olefins of 5 or greater carbon atoms) with propylene using ziegler-natta catalyst has been problematic in the past due to the lower reactivity of these catalysts towards the higher alpha-olefins. ziegler-natta (z-n) catalyzed propylene-ethylene copolymers have generally found use based on their substantially different properties when compared to propylene homopolymers (z-n catalyzed). broadly the differences between the ziegler-natta catalyzed homopolymers and propylene-ethylene copolymers are seen in properties for the copolymer such as lowered melting point, greater flexibility, better clarity, and slightly improved toughness in relation to the homopolymer. in fiber or fabrics the softness of the copolymer in nonwoven diaper coverstock and/or improved resistance to degradation when exposed to high energy radiation, for example gamma rays, ultraviolet, or electron beam, provides it an advantage. recently advances in catalysis of polyolefins have lead to different catalysts known as metallocenes: ep 0 495 099 a1 to mitsui petrochemical industries, discloses a propylene .alpha.-olefin copolymer where the propylene is present from 90-99 mole percent and the .alpha.-olefin is present from 1-10 mole percent. this document discloses that the propylene .alpha.-olefin copolymers would have a narrow molecular weight distribution (mw/mn), the copolymer would have a low melting point, and the copolymers have excellent softness. the document discloses a method for polymerization of the propylene .alpha.-olefins utilizing metallocene-alumoxane catalyst systems. the document also discloses a straight line relationship between t.sub.m and propylene content, however, no distinction is drawn to the melting point depression effect of different .alpha.-olefins. ep 0 318 049 a1 to ausimont discloses crystalline copolymers of propylene with minor portions of ethylene and/or .alpha.-olefins. the copolymers are disclosed to have very good mechanical properties. the copolymers are polymerized in the presence of methyalumoxane compounds. the examples of this document show propylene-ethylene and propylene-1-butene copolymers. also in the past, differences such as lower melting point of ziegler-natta propylene-ethylene copolymers have been used to advantage in some fiber and fabric applications. however, two practical limitations have limited such applications. the first is the ability of polypropylene manufacturers to economically incorporate ethylene at above 4-5 weight percent. commercial products above 5 weight percent ethylene, are not in wide use or production. second, above about 4 to 5 weight percent ethylene, the copolymer's ability to economically be drawn in to a fiber is substantially diminished. u.s. pat. no. 5,188,885 to kimberly clark corporation discloses a fabric laminate that is softer, stronger, more abrasion resistant and has reduced particle emissions compared to fabric laminates that are thermally spot bonded made from isotactic polypropylene. the fabric laminate has at least some layers formed from an olefin copolymer, terpolymer or blends of olefin polymers. where the olefinic polymers have a crystallinity of less than 45 percent, preferably between 31-35 percent. it is disclosed that such a polymer has a broadened melt temperature range. in an embodiment a random propylene copolymer can be formed by copolymerizing 0.5 to 5 weight percent of ethylene into a propylene backbone, preferred is 3 weight percent ethylene. further this document discloses that unless a melt temperature differential of about 10.degree. c.-40.degree. c. exists between the spunbonded and melt-blown layers, bonding will not be optimum and strength will be reduced. in traditional apparel manufacture utilizing nonwoven materials, different types of fabrics and polymers are used to take advantage of the particular areas of strong performance of the different fabric materials. an example of such a difference is in the combination of a spunbond-melt blown-spunbond (sms) composite laminate or construction commonly used for surgical garments. the middle layer is formed from a melt blown fiber. the melt blown fiber is generally softer and relatively impervious to fluids, however, by itself, it is characterized as being relatively weak (e.g. low tear values). accordingly, in order to utilize the melt blown layer and its good protection from fluids, such as body fluids during surgery, 1 or usually 2 layers of spunbond material (which is relatively stronger than melt blown fabrics, but relatively porous) are laminated to the layer of melt blown fabric. the laminate achieves properties from both the s and the m layers, that is it is strong (s layer) and substantially impervious to fluids (m layer). this laminatation may be accomplished by several techniques. thermal laminatation would be an ideal and inexpensive method of laminatation. however, when there is an insufficient melting or softening point temperature difference between the two or more layers, with heat laminatation the possibility of "burn through" (commonly known as pinholing) presents the opportunity for voids which would permit the passage of for instance body fluids, which would therefore defeat the protective purpose of the sm or sms laminate. another method of combining these fabrics is by binders or adhesives, specifically hot melt adhesives, water-based adhesives, or melted polymer. adhesive laminatation, while effective, is expensive and often does not result in an optimum fabric. the adhesive must be sprayed, coated, and when water based requires drying. adhesive laminated fabrics can tend to "boardy" or stiff and potentially uncomfortable or nonfunctional. another area where differential melting polymer would be of advantage, would be in the making of so called chenille tufted cord. the production of these types of materials that are synthetic polymers, depends upon extruding fibers of a higher melting material (generally 2 to 3 fibers). these higher melting fibers then are mechanically twisted and heated to give the fibers a permanent twist. then extra warp or filling fiber is drawn through the loops that result from the mechanical twisting. then ends or loops of these last fibers are then cut off giving the fiber, fiber bundle, a tuft or "cut pile or pipe cleaner" look. subsequent to the cutting action, the fiber, fiber bundle, or yarn is then passed over a heated godet which will ideally cause the lower melting fiber in the fiber bundle or yarn to soften or come close to its melting point, ideally, bonding the cut fiber in a substantially transverse direction to the direction of the remainder of the mechanically twisted fibers in the fiber bundle, cord, or yarn. many low melting polymers have been tried in applications such as this. however, they generally suffer from at least one of two disadvantages. the first of these is cost, for instance, when a polyamide or a polyester is extruded in polyolefin chenille production operation, the cost for the fiber bundle yarn or fabric would be adversely affected by the cost of the non-polyolefin. on the other hand, when lower cost materials, such as polyethylene and ethylene copolymers or even propylene copolymers (high ethylene, ziegler-natta), have been used, they often lack the ability to be spun into an acceptable fiber at commercial rates. there is therefore a need for a polyolefin, specifically a propylene copolymer, that has the ability to be spun or extruded into a fiber and has a sufficiently low melting or softening point in relation to propylene polymers that are available. summary of the invention it has been discovered that propylene homopolymers and copolymers produced in the presence of metallocene catalyst systems have lower peak melting point temperature than conventional (ziegler-natta catalyzed) homopolymers or copolymers. this lower melting point behaviour of the metallocene catalyzed propylene polymers can be utilized advantageously in a number of ways. spunbond-melt blown fabrics (sm) may be bonded by using the lower melting point or lower softening point of one polymer versus another when used for the s fabric, the other for the melt blown (m) fabric. however, other combinations are also possible, for example, a higher melting point fiber may be made into a melt blown fabric which has smaller diameter fibers, while a lower melting polymer may be used to form a spunbonded fabric. the combination of the melting point differentials between the two polymers and/or their relative fiber diameter thicknesses, permit bonding of the two such layers that will result in a relatively strong, relatively fluid-impervious fabric. further expanding the range of possible combinations is an unexpected melting point depression effect of higher alpha-olefin (hao) comonomers (5-20 carbon atoms) when compared to the melting point depression of copolymers of propylene and either ethylene or butene (all metallocene catalyzed). other combinations, such as chenille fiber cords, and core and sheath fibers will also benefit from lower bonding temperatures and/or fabrication temperatures available from the polymers and fibers made from the polymers of a version of the present invention. thus it can be seen that articles made from the polymers of an embodiment of the present invention will be particularly useful in applications and processes where a lower differential softening or melting point is important. brief description of the drawings these and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where: fig. 1 shows the effect of comonomer addition on melting point depression in a propylene alpha-olefin copolymer. description of the preferred embodiments the present invention concerns certain classes of fabricated polypropylene articles, their manufacture, and their uses. these articles have unique characteristics which make them well suited for use in certain applications. the fibers, fabrics, and articles made therefrom utilize metallocene catalyzed homopolymer propylene and propylene alpha-olefin copolymers that may be spun or extruded through conventional fiber spinning dies and may be then made into either fibers, yarns, fabrics, or combinations thereof. alternatively, the polymer may be extruded directly into a fabric. the polymer of an embodiment of the present invention can exhibit a lower melting point than other polyolefin fibers with which they may be combined in either yarn or fabrics, most often this yarn or fabric is composed of polypropylene homopolymer or a polypropylene copolymer. a detailed description follows of certain preferred resins for use in fabricating articles within the scope of our invention, and preferred methods of producing these resins and their products. those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications to these preferred embodiments can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. for example, all of the properties of the fibers, yarns, and fabrics are used to exemplify the attributes of the polymers, the polymers have numerous other uses. to the extent that our description is specific, this is solely for the purpose of illustrating the preferred the embodiment of our invention and should not be taken as limiting our invention to these specific embodiments. the term random or statistical copolymer as used herein shall mean copolymers of propylene and other .alpha.-olefins polymerized in a medium which the contents of the various comonomers and other process conditions are maintained substantially constant throughout the course of the reaction. variations in the composition of the resulting copolymers due to the existence of chemically distinct sites within the catalytic entity or to variations experienced in sequence reactors, as long as the resulting "reactor blend" polymers are miscible in the melt, are accepted in the current definition. we have discovered that certain metallocene catalyst systems can be used to polymerize propylene statistical resins having properties which are highly desirable for conversion into various products. generally these resins are isotactic polypropylene statistical copolymers and homopolymers, the copolymers utilize propylene and one or more alpha-olefins. for purposes of this application, the term isotactic is intended to mean a polymer where propylene tacticity distribution will be greater than about 90 percent mmmm pentads, where m is a meso diad, (m is defined as the same relative configuration of methyl groups of two successive monomer units (diad) to each other), preferably in the range of from about 94 to about 98 percent mmmm pentads, most preferably in the range of from about 95 to about 97 percent mmmm pentads, as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr). production of the resin the polypropylene homopolymers or copolymers of the present invention are generally produced using supported metallocene catalyst. the copolymers may be produced in a fluidized bed or stirred bed gas phase reactors, slurry or bulk liquid reactors of the tank or loop types. series, preferably two, bulk boiling liquid pool propylene reactors are preferred. specific metallocene-type catalyst are known to be useful for product isotactic olefin polymers may be found in, for example, ep a 485 820, ep a 485 821, ep a 485 822, ep a 485 823 by winter et al. and u.s. pat. no. 5,017,867 by welborn. these publications are incorporated by references for purpose of the u.s. patent practice. various publications describe placing catalyst systems on a support medium and the use of the resulting supported catalyst. these include u.s. pat. nos. 5,006,500, 4,925,821, 4,937,217, 4,953,397, 5,086,025, 4,912,075, and 4,937,301 by chang and u.s. pat. nos. 4,808,561, 4,897,455, 5,077,255, 5,124,418, and 4,701,432 by welborn. all of these are incorporated in the present application by reference for the purpose of u.s. patent practice. specific information on the use of support techniques for metallocene catalyst, for use in the preparation of propylene alpha-olefin polymers may be found in u.s. pat. no. 5,240,894 by burkhardt, also incorporated by reference for the purpose of u.s. patent practice. while catalysts used for the following examples were employed in a bulk liquid phase polymerization, in commercial use other processes may be used, for example, gas phase, and slurry processes. as described in the above referrenced documents, processes and catalysts can usefully incorporate alpha-olefin comonomers into propylene copolymers in the range of from about 0.2 mole percent to about 6 mole percent, based on the total moles in the copolymers. above about 6 mole percent the resulting resin will make a fiber oriented film with a melting point too low for many preferred applications. in a preferred embodiment the alpha-olefin comonomer is present in range from about 0.5 to about 3 mole percent. in the most preferred embodiment, the alpha-olefin is present in the range of from about 1 to about 3 mole percent. in one preferred embodiment, the catalyst system comprises of silicon-bridged bis(substituted 2-methyl-indenyl)zirconiumdichloride or a derivative thereof, methylalumoxane and inorganic support. in another preferred embodiment, dimethylsilyl bis (2-methyl-benzidenyl)zirconiumdichloride is the metallocene of choice. the latter preferred catalyst system was used to generate propylene-ethylene and propylene-hexene resins used in films whose properties are shown in table i. the film data will be an indicator of gross or polymer properties such as melting point, and will be somewhat indicative of fiber and fabric properties. however, it would be possible to copolymerize most any alpha-olefin of 2 to 20 carbon atoms utilizing these and similar catalyst systems. other activators in addition to alumoxane are also contemplated. further details regarding the preparation of the catalyst system and production of the resin are provided in the examples that follow. characteristics of the resins in a preferred embodiment the polymers are substantially isotactic in nature. the polymers will generally have a narrow molecular weight distribution (mwd) or m.sub.w /m.sub.n (weight average molecular weight/number average molecular weight), .ltoreq.5. preferably .ltoreq.3.5, more preferably .ltoreq.3, and most preferably .ltoreq.2.2. these mwds are achieved in the reactor, generally not in a post reaction step. the polymers will exhibit melting points in the range of from about 100.degree. c. to about 145.degree. c., more preferably, in the range of from about 110.degree. c. to about 135.degree. c., most preferably in the range of from about 110.degree. c. to about 130.degree. c. useful melt flow rates of the polymers of the present invention are in the range of from about 0.1 to about 5,000 dg/min. in a preferred embodiment in a spun bonded application the melt flow rates are in the range of from about 0.5 to about 100 dg/min. in a most preferred embodiment (for spunbond fibers) the melt flow rates are in the range of from about 10 to about 100 dg/min. in a preferred embodiment for melt blown fabrics, the melt flow will be in the range of from about 1000 to about 2500 dg/min. melt flow rates are measured by astm d-1238 condition l. in addition to the above characteristics of a resin or an article made from the resin, decreased peak melting points and decreased softening points in addition to a resistance to cold flow, better tenacity, better mechanical capacity, and greater softness are important product attributes. articles made from the resins it has been discovered that propylene polymers made in the presence of a metallocene catalyst system offer surprising advantages in applications that depend largely upon a melting point temperature differences (.delta.t.sub.m) of two or more polymers to achieve utility. it is especially in the broad areas of fibers and fabrics where this .delta.t.sub.m is depended upon and where the fibers and fabrics of an embodiment of the present invention will find application. in an embodiment of the present invention chenille tufted cords, core and sheath fibers, spun bonded-melt blown (sm), and spun bonded-melt blown-spun bonded (sms), fibers and fabrics are comprised of a metallocene catalyst system catalyzed polypropylene. in any of these applications these metallocene catalyzed homopolymers or copolymers of propylene and an .alpha.-olefin (for purposes of this application, ethylene and .alpha.-olefins of 4 to 20 carbon atoms are included) can be used to advantage. this is especially true where the .delta.t.sub.m is large enough or the bonding temperature of one fabric is low enough in relation to the softening point temperature of the other fabric, to achieve a bond without damaging the integrity (pin-holing) of the fabric. this can perhaps be best illustrated in commonly used techniques to bond sm or sms fabrics. it is known that a useful sms laminate will use a center or core layer of melt blown fibers, commercially this is often a conventional homopolypropylene. also known is using spunbonded (s) fabric made from conventional random propylene-ethylene copolymer where the ethylene is present at about 3 weight percent based on the total weight of the polymer. such a fabric construction will generally be weaker than the fabrics disclosed herein as embodiments of the present invention. this is due to the generally higher bonding temperatures required. the melting point profile of the resins of a typical structure is: ______________________________________ s 144.degree. c. m 161.degree. c. s 144.degree. c. ______________________________________ when the structure is heat laminated or calendared it might be expected that the outer layers would soften/melt to provide the bond, but in fact this probably does not happen. the very fine (low diameter) of the m layer fiber causes it to soften before the s layers and bond to the fibers of the s layer(s) before softening or melting of the fibers of the s layer. the lower bond temperatures resulting from lower softening and/or melting points are especially useful in spunbonded melt blown (sm) or in spunbond, melt blown, spunbond (sms) fabric structures, permitting bonding substantially free from burn-through of the melt blown layer. fiber diameters also have an effect on bonding temperatures. the advantages of the fibers and fabrics disclosed as an embodiment of the present invention can be achieved in many potential combinations. these include, but are not limited to: a) sm or sms fabrics or combinations containing such fabrics. these will include both heat laminated (calendared) and binder or adhesive laminated fabrics; b) chenille tufted cord; and c) core and sheath fibers. these new propylene polymers can enable those of ordinary skill in the art to use the peak melting point temperature t.sub.m as measured by a differential scanning calorimeter (dsc) in relation to peak melting points of other polymers, to fabricate useful and novel articles. two important fundamentals are, .delta.t.sub.m and t.sub.b. the .delta.t.sub.m is a fairly straightforward measure of the difference in melting point between 2 polymers. the bond temperature t.sub.b of a polymer is that temperature, generally between its softening point and its melting point, where it will form a bond (mechanical or physical) with another fiber, the other fiber being either polymeric or non-polymeric. the opportunity to bond various fiber and fabric combinations is substantial. those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the combinations possible, from the wide range of melting temperatures shown below, understanding that the ability of a polymer to make a fiber is also of importance. table a ______________________________________ typical melting points t.sub.m resin t.sub.m .degree. c. ______________________________________ conventional z-n pp (homopolymer) 161 conventional z-n rcp (random copolymer) 3 (ethylene wt %) 144 5 (ethylene wt %) 133 metallocene pp (homopolymer) 145 metallocene rcp 3 (ethylene wt %) 124 rcp 5 (ethylene wt %) 109 3 (hexene wt. %) 124 5 (hexene wt %) 110 ______________________________________ the above typical melting points are those of "neat" or polymers without additives or blend components that may effect the melting point. some possible combinations for the sm or sms embodiments follow. 1) a sm or sms fabric where the spunbond fabric is made of a material that has a lower t.sub.m or lower bond temperature relative to the melt blown fabric. this could be achieved in several ways. these include, but are not limited to: 1) m=conventional (ziegler-natta catalyzed) polypropylene homopolymer s=propylene copolymer (metallocene catalyzed) 2) m=conventional copolymer s=metallocene catalyzed copolymer 3) m=metallocene catalyzed copolymer s=metallocene catalyzed copolymer 4) m=metallocene catalyzed copolymer s=conventional copolymer 5) m=conventional copolymers s=metallocene catalyzed homopolymer 6) m=metallocene catalyzed homopolymer s=metallocene catalyzed copolymer 7) m=conventional homopolymer s=metallocene catalyzed homopolymer. those of ordinary skill in the art can use the known principles of using the finer (lower) denier fiber formed melt blown fabric to achieve relative low fluid permeability and lower bonding temperatures, when compared to the thicker fiber formed (higher denier) spunbond fabric, to achieve the desired strong, fluid impermeable fabric. at least two techniques of combining the fabrics are possible: a) heat laminating (calendaring) b) binder or adhesive lamination. in these and other embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that additives and blend components may be added to the polymers discussed in this application. such additions may effect, for example, physical properties, and such additions are also contemplated. heat laminating to achieve an effective heat laminated structure (sm or sms, for example), minimum differences in bond temperatures must be achieved to prevent pin-holing. thermally bonded fabrics can be made by many techniques. these include, but are not limited to: point bond calendaring, bar sealing, nip rolls, radio frequency, hot air and sonic wave sealers. the melting points disclosed in table a will permit those of ordinary skill in the art to pick from the available homopolymers and copolymers to achieve a viable lamination. binder lamination using a low melting point (in relation to the bonding temperatures of the s and m layers) fiber or polymer melt as a binder, the binder could be a nonwoven fabric, a fiber or a film that would be sprayed, coextruded, or distributed into a layer to be formed between s and m layers, and if necessary subsequently laminated. within the broad melting and softening point differences between on the one hand conventional propylene homopolymers (ziegler-natta catalyzed) (high melting .about.161.degree. c.) and on the other hand high comonomer content (higher .alpha.-olefin) (low melting .about.121.degree. c.) propylene copolymers (catalyzed with metallocene catalysts) on the other hand, those of ordinary skill in the art have a wide selection of polymers that will form fibers, to choose from. articles made from metallocene catalyzed homopolymers and copolymers will be particularly useful in such articles due to the propylene polymers lower peak melting points. making oriented fibers and fabrics in an embodiment of the present invention, novel fibers may be formed by any method in which a fiber is formed from a molten polymer including traditional melt spinning of the fibers as yarns as well as spunbonding processes, and melt blowing, or by nontraditional methods including centrifugal spinning, sheet slitting, and film fibrillation. the fabric will be stronger than a similar fabric made from a polymer or polymer combinations catalyzed by ziegler-natta catalyst system. additionally fibers made by blending other thermoplastic polymers with a metallocene catalyzed propylene polymers and/or fibers made with various additives including pigments, anti-static agents, antioxidants, or other additives are also contemplated. these tougher, stronger, creep resistant, lower melting fibers and fabrics made from them may be used to make textiles such as knitted woven and nonwoven fabrics, particularly sms, knitted fabric, staple fiber, monofilaments, fiber, nonwovens, randonly dispersed, spun bonded, melt blown, and other techniques that will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. also contemplated as useful products utilizing the polymers of a version of the present invention, are side-by-side fiber extrusions where one fiber would be a higher melting material made with any suitable resin, and the second fiber being a lower melting material of an embodiment of the present invention. also contemplated is a core sheath extrusion where the core would be a higher melting fiber forming polymer and the sheath would be a lower melting fiber forming metallocene catalyzed propylene copolymer of a version of the present invention. such binary fiber bundles or core sheath fibers would exhibit superior properties in a single nonwoven fabric. these properties would be achieved by applying enough heat to the fabric to soften and bond the lower melting component but not enough heat to melt or deform the entire fabric or fiber. the softening or melting of the lower melting constituent would provide a tie point to improve the strength of a single-ply fabric. laminates of such a fabric, either to itself or to other woven or nonwoven, are also contemplated. example 1 preparation of metallocene catalyst a silica supported metallocene catalyst was prepared according to the teachings of u.s. pat. no. 5,240,894 using dimethyl silyl, bis(2 methyl, 4,5 benzene indenyl) zirconium dichloride as the metallocene as disclosed in organometallics, v.13, no. 3, 1994, p 954-963. the catalyst recipe was 400 grams of silica (davison 948), 10 grams of metallocene and 3 liters of 10 weight percent mao in toluene solution. approximately 600 grams of the finished catalyst system was recovered. this catalyst was prepolymerized with one weight of ethylene per weight of catalyst system at a temperature of about 15.degree. c. the ethylene was added over a period of 1.5 hours to assure slow reaction rate. example 2 preparation of propylene-ethylene copolymers approximately 15 grams of ethylene and 550 grams of propylene were added to an autoclave maintained at 30.degree. c. after allowing time for equilibration, 0.2 grams of the prepolymerized catalyst of example 1 was added to the reactor and the temperature raised to 50.degree. c. over a period of several minutes. an immediate reaction was observed. the reaction was terminated after 30 minutes to limit the extent of conversion of the ethylene so that its concentration in the reaction medium would be nearly constant over the period of the reaction. a total of 114 grams of propylene-ethylene statistical copolymer was obtained. its weight average molecular weight as measured by size exclusion chromatography was 184,000, its ethylene content (measured by ftir) was 3.3 weight percent, and its peak melting point was 121.degree. c. example 3 preparation of propylene-hexene copolymers to the autoclave of example 2 was added 550 grams of propylene and 34 grams of hexene-1. the catalyst of example 1 was added (0.2 grams) and the temperature controlled as in example 2. the reaction was allowed to run for a total of two hours in this case since the relative reactivities of propylene and hexene-1 are nearly the same under these conditions. a total of 222 grams of propylene-hexene statistical copolymer was obtained. its weight average molecular weight as measured by size exclusion chromatography was 204,000, its hexene-1 content was 2.9 weight percent (measured by ftir), and its peak melting point was 126.degree. c. example 4 (prospective example) preparation of propylene 1-octene copolymers to the autoclave of example 2, 550 grams of propylene would be added along with approximately 45 grams of 1-octene as the molar amount of example 3. the catalyst of example 1 would be added and the temperature would be controlled as in example 2. the reaction would be allowed to run for 2-3 hours as the reactivities of propylene and 1-octene would be nearly the same under these conditions. over 200 grams of propylene-octene statistical copolymers could be expected. the average molecular weight as measured by size exclusion chromatography would be expected to exceed 200,000. the octene-1 content would be expected to be about 4 weight percent (if measured by ftir), and its peak melting point would be expected to be in the range of 125.degree.-130.degree. c. example 5 (prospective example) production of fibers fiber and fabric formation examples fibers are prepared as spun, partially oriented yarns (poy) by mechanical take-up of the fiber bundle or fully oriented yarns (foy) by mechanical draw after poy spinning from its extruded melt. this is accomplished on a fiberline assembled by j. j. jenkins, inc. (stallings, n.c.). the line consists of a 5 cm (2 inch) davis standard extruder (with 30:1 length/diameter ratio) and 6 cc/rev zenith metering pump forcing molten polymer through a spinneret plate of 72 holes of 0.6 mm and 1.2 length/diameter ratio. a metering pump rate of 10 rpm is employed which will yield a through-put of 0.625 g/hole/minute. fibers are drawn from the 232.degree. c. (450.degree. f.) melt by an axially spinning unheated godet at 2000 m/min. the fiber bundle, expressed as total denier/total filaments collected at each rate was 203/72. the fiber bundles are collected for characterization as five minute runs by leesona winder. the fiber bundle tenacity (g/denier) and elongation are measured by pulling to break on an instron. fiber testing is performed on an instron machine, model 1122 coupled with the instron computer which supports the sintech sima (testworks ii.about.) computerized system for material testing. instron pneumatic cord and yarn grips (model 2714) are used for gripping the samples. a sample with 2.5 cm (1 inch) gauge and 0.1 gram preload is pulled at 500 mm/min to break. break sensitivity was 95 percent drop in force. fibers are melt spun from both a 22 and a 100 mfr polypropylene copolymer. these are materials which are produced by previously described metallocene-type catalysis. fibers spun from a traditionally catalyzed polypropylene randon copolymers containing 3 percent ethylene which is subjected to controlled rheology treatment (post-reactor oxidative degradation) having 33 mfr (exxon chemical company, pd-9355) and will serve for comparison. results obtained from tenacity and elongation testing of those fibers which are spun with take-up rates of 2000 m/min. example 6 (prospective examples) spunbonding procedure spunbonded nonwoven fabric layers of multilayer sm fabrics are prepared on a one meter reicofil spunbond line made by the reifenhauser gmbh of troisdorf, germany. the reicofil employs a 7 cm (2.75 in.) extruder with a 30:1 length:diameter ratio. there are 3719 die plate holes, each having a diameter of 0.4 mm with l/d=4/1. the spunbonding process is one which is well known in the art of fabric production. generally, continuous fibers are extruded, laid on an endless belt, and then bonded to each other, and to a second layer such as a melt blown layer, often by a heated calendar roll, or addition of a binder. an overview of spunbonding may be obtained from l. c. wadsworth and b. c. goswami, nonwoven fabrics: "spunbonded and melt blown processes" proceedings eight annual nonwovens workshop, jul. 30-aug. 3, 1990, sponsored by tandec, university of tennessee, knoxville, tenn. in the following prospective examples, spunbond layers of 17 g/m.sup.2 ( 0.50 oz/yd.sup.2) are prepared. the processing conditions are typical of those employed in reicofil operation. they include a 400.degree. f. (205.degree. c.) die melt temperature, 45.degree.-50.degree. f. (6.degree.-10.degree. c.) cooling air temperature, and a 21 m/min belt speed. melt blowing procedure melt blown fabric layers are prepared employing a 51 cm (20 inch) accurate products melt blown line built by accuweb meltblown systems of hillside, n.j. the extruder is a 5 cm (2 in.) davis standard with a 30:1 length:diameter ratio. the die nozzle has 501 die holes. the diameter of each being 0.4 mm (0.15 in.). die length is 15:1 and the air gap is set to 0.15 mm (0.060 in.). melt blown fabric layers are prepared with weights of about 30 g/m.sup.2 (0.88 oz/yd.sup.2). representative processing conditions include a polymer melt temperature of 500.degree. f. (260.degree. c.) and an air temperature of 500.degree. f. (260.degree. c.). the technology of preparing melt blown fabrics is also well known in the art of nonwoven fabric preparation production. an overview of the process may be obtained from "melt blown process", melt blown technology today, miller freeman publications, inc. san francisco, calif., 1989, pps. 7-12. optimum bonding temperature determination the optimum bonding temperature (obt) is found by evaluation of the thermal bonding curve. the obt is the point-bond calendar temperature at which the peak bonding strength for a laminated nonwoven fabric is developed. the thermal bonding curve and obt is determined in two steps. 1. unbonded fabric laminates are passed thru the nip of progressively warmer calendar rolls. the rolls are heated at temperatures between 200.degree. f. (94.degree. c.) and 300.degree. f. (150.degree. c.) in 5.degree. f. (.about.2.8.degree. c.) increments. a series of fabric samples each bonded at a different temperature is produced 2. the machine direction (md) and transverse direction (td) tensile strengths are then measured as set forth in astm d 1682-64 (reapproved 1975). the bonding curves are graphic comparisions of calendar temperature and peak bond strength in md and td. comparision of bonding temperature and peak bond strength on the bonding curves permits identification of the obt. control resins in the examples which follow, a commercial 35 dg/min mfr controlled rheology polypropylene is employed in preparation of control spunbonded fabrics. the specific polymer is pp-3445 available from exxon chemical company, houston, tex. control melt blown fabrics are prepared from pd3435g also available from exxon chemical company. pd3435g is a peroxide coated granular polypropylene with mfr of about 1100 dg/min. preparation of sm fabrics laminated with copolymers prepared with metallocene catalysts (prospective) an unbonded, bilayer (sm) control fabric consisting of a spunbonded layer (s) and a melt blown layer (m) is prepared. the m layer, made with the commercial 1100 mfr polypropylene, is directly extruded on the web of the s-layer. the latter is made from the 35 mfr commercial polypropylene. obt of the bilayer fabric is then evaluated by point bonding of the control fabric with heated calendar rolls and subsequent preparation and analysis of a thermal bonding curve. additional unbonded sm fabrics are prepared. these fabrics contained a second melt blown layer (10 g/m.sup.2 or 0.30 oz/yd.sup.2) of the polymers of examples 2, 3, and 4 respectively, and would be extruded between the s and m layers formed of commercial polypropylenes. the obt of these fabrics would be evaluated, and the results are given in table b. table b ______________________________________ anticipated strength, barrier polymer of optimum bonding and filtration example invention temperature, .degree.c. properties ______________________________________ control none 143 good 6 propylene-co- 98 excellent ethylene 7 propylene-co- 105 excellent hexene-1 8 propylene-co- 110 excellent octene-1 ______________________________________ as shown, the obt of the examples of the invention bond at temperatures lower than the commercial control. excellent barrier and filtration properties are anticipated for the polymers of the invention since the obt is sufficently low to do no damage to the small thermally sensitive fibrils of the melt blown layer. furthermore, since the spunbonded layer in examples 6 thru 8 is the commercial 35 mfr polypropylene the overall fabric strength will be as high as the control. preparation of sm fabrics containing one layer of a polypropylene prepared from metallocene catalysts (prospective) as previously described, control sm laminated fabrics of the commercial 35 mfr polypropylene (s layer) and the commercial 1100 mfr polypropylene are prepared and evaluated for obt. an additional sm laminate fabric is prepared. the s layer of this fabric is made with the polyproplene of example 5. subsequent addition of a melt blown, m layer, of the commercial 1100 mfr polypropylene would complete this fabric. the fabric is evaluated for obt as previously described. the results are summarized in table c. table c ______________________________________ anticipated strength, barrier, polymer of optimum bonding and filtration example invention temperature, .degree.c. properties ______________________________________ control none 143 good example 9 polypropylene 132 excellent ______________________________________ as shown, the obt of the example of this invention has a lower obt than the control. yet, improved barrier and filtration properties are anticipated for the polymer of the invention since a lower obt is employed. despite the use of reduced obt, application of a homopolymer of propylene as the s layer will result in no loss of laminated fabric strength.
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047-737-901-014-576
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US
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[
"US",
"WO",
"EP"
] |
A61B5/16,A61B3/11,A61B5/00,A61B3/113,G06F3/01,A61B5/11
| 2017-01-17T00:00:00 |
2017
|
[
"A61",
"G06"
] |
a method and system for monitoring attention of a subject
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methods and systems, which are computerized, monitor the attention level of a subject, by obtaining at least one set of biomarkers from a subject during a time period, and, calculate, from asymmetries between the biomarkers of the at least one set of obtained biomarkers, a score of attention of the subject during the time period.
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1 . a method for monitoring the attention level of a subject, comprising: obtaining at least one set of biomarkers from the left side of the face and the right side of the face of the subject during at least one time period; and, calculating, by a processor, from asymmetries between the biomarkers of the at least one set of obtained biomarkers, a score of attention of the subject during the at least one time period. 2 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one set of biomarkers includes a plurality of sets of biomarkers, and the obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers includes: obtaining, from an imaging apparatus, a plurality of images of the face of the subject over the at least one time period; and, defining the biomarkers for each set of biomarkers from each image of the obtained plurality of images. 3 . (canceled) 4 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers is performed by at least one of a camera or an eye tracker. 5 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the biomarkers are associated with left and right eyes of the subject. 6 . the method of claim 5 , wherein the biomarkers include at least one of pupil diameter or pupil area. 7 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers occurs during the performance of a cognitive task. 8 . the method of claim 1 , wherein the calculating the score of attention of the subject includes calculating at least one correlation between the biomarkers relating to: 1) the left side of the face over the at least one time period, and, 2) the right side of the face, over the at least one time period. 9 . the method of claim 1 , additionally comprising: obtaining an overall metric of attention of the subject by combining each said score of attention over the at least one time period. 10 . (canceled) 11 . the method of claim 8 , wherein the overall metric for attention is compared to a threshold in order to diagnose attention deficit disorder (add) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd). 12 . (canceled) 13 . the method of claim 7 , wherein the cognitive task includes presenting to the subject at least one of visual and auditory contents. 14 - 15 . (canceled) 16 . a system for monitoring the attention level of a subject, comprising: an eye tracker for obtaining at least one set of biomarkers from the left side of the face and the right side of the face of the subject during at least one time period; and, a processor for receiving data associated with the eye tracker, the processor programmed to: calculate asymmetries between the biomarkers of the at least one set of obtained biomarkers, a score of attention of the subject during the at least one time period. 17 . the system of claim 16 , wherein the eye tracker includes an imaging apparatus, and wherein the at least one set of biomarkers includes a plurality of sets of biomarkers, and the processor is additionally programmed to: obtain, from the imaging apparatus, a plurality of images of the face of the subject over the at least one time period; and, define the biomarkers for each set of biomarkers from each image of the obtained plurality of images. 18 . the system of claim 17 , wherein the imaging apparatus includes at least one of cameras and eye trackers. 19 . the system of claim 17 , the eye tracker for obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers includes at least one of an eye tracking device or a camera. 20 . the system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is additionally programmed to associate the biomarkers with left and right eyes of the subject. 21 . the system of claim 20 , wherein the biomarkers include at least one of pupil diameter or pupil area. 22 . the system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is additionally programmed to calculate the score of attention of the subject by calculating at least one correlation between the biomarkers relating to: 1) the left side of the face over the at least one time period; and, 2) the right side of the face, over the at least one time period. 23 . the system of claim 22 , wherein the processor is additionally programmed to obtain an overall metric of attention of the subject by combining each said score of attention over the at least one time period. 24 . (canceled) 25 . the system of claim 23 , wherein the processor is additionally programmed to compare the overall metric for attention to a threshold in order to diagnose attention deficit disorder (add) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd). 26 . (canceled) 27 . the system of claim 16 , additionally comprising at least one of lights, display or speakers for presenting a cognitive task in at least one of visual or auditory content. 28 - 29 . (canceled)
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cross references to related applications this application is related to and claims priority from commonly owned u.s. provisional patent application ser. no. 62/446,849, entitled: a method for diagnosing and monitoring attention deficit via asymmetry between the eye pupils, filed on jan. 17, 2017, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein. field of the invention the invention relates to monitoring of the attention level of people (e.g., subjects) over time and the diagnosis of conditions that lower the ability of people to maintain attention over time. background of the invention attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) is a neurological developmental disorder affecting both children and adults. it is manifested by persistent patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interrupts daily life. individuals with adhd may also have difficulties with focusing their executive function (i.e. the brain's ability to begin an activity, organize itself and manage tasks) and their working memory. despite its prevalence, the current diagnostic criteria for adhd is debated and is based mostly on its clinical presentation (via explicit behavior). that is, via characterization of inattention, hyperactivity, disruptive impulsivity etc., as observed at school, at work, at home and during the diagnostic session. the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition, (dsm-5), published by the american psychiatric association lays out the criteria to be used by mental health professionals when making a diagnosis of adhd. it lists specific symptoms in all cognitive domains that have been related with adhd in numerous studies. however the exact criteria are inconsistent across these studies, despite the fact that the most robust findings are impairment in the ability to sustain attention and efficiently retrieve information from working memory. in practice, psychiatrists and clinicians typically diagnose adhd cases by implementing the following lengthy assessment procedure: 1. when pertaining to children, parents and teachers fill up the vanderbilt adhd diagnostic rating scale (vadprs) questionnaire, or the conners comprehensive behavior rating scales (cbrs) questionnaire. 2. a physical-clinical evaluation is performed by a medical doctor. 3. cognitive assessment is accomplished using computerized tests, such as t.o.v.a., cpt or brc to evaluate cognitive abilities\deficiencies. 4. in rare cases, eeg recordings are performed as well to rule out the possibility of more severe brain impairment. after completing this lengthy evaluation process, the expert uses the mass of information gathered to make a decision about the prevalence of adhd. however, the numerous steps of these processes, coupled with the need to carefully integrate its result may involve a subjective perspective, which may skew or otherwise affect the result. other research into adhd and attention analysis over the past five decades has looked at the eye's pupil responses with the level of exerted attention. accumulating evidence from multiple studies indicates that changes in the state of attention are well reflected in the dilation of the pupil (laeng b. sirois s. gredeback g. (2012). pupillometry: a window to the preconscious? perspectives on psychological science, 7 (1), 18-27). thus implying that ongoing measures of pupil diameter may be used as a psychophysiological gauge of mental effort and attention. the suggested underlying cause for this relation between attention and the pupil was found to lie in a brain-stem nucleus, called the locus coeruleus (lc) which plays a fundamental role in the noradrenaline (ne) system (sara, s. j., 2009. the locus coeruleus and noradrenergic modulation of cognition. nat rev neurosci 10, 211-223). additionally, slamovits t l, glaser j s, mbekeani j, in, the pupils and accommodation in neuro-ophthalmology, (glaser j s, ed) 4th ed., j b lippincott, philadelphia, pa. (2002) suggested that, as a rule of thumb, “the pupils are round and practically equal in diameter”. therefore, it has also been widely believed, so far, that the change in the diameter of two pupils of a person's eyes over the course of time is highly symmetric. summary of the invention the present invention is directed to a method for diagnosis and/or monitoring of attention deficit in a subject via one or more biomarkers measured from images of the subject. for example, the images are of the left and right eyes of a subject, including observations of asymmetric behavior of the pupils of the eyes. the present invention provides methods for diagnosing adhd and attention deficit disorder (add) using a universal biomarker. the present invention is directed to methods and systems, which are computerized, and which monitor the attention level of a subject, by obtaining at least one set of biomarkers from a subject during a time period, and, calculate, from asymmetries between the biomarkers of the at least one set of obtained biomarkers, a score of attention of the subject during the time period. the present invention is directed to methods for diagnosing adhd and add using biomarkers derived from the measurement of asymmetries from images of the subject, such as from eye pupils. the present invention is directed to methods and systems for diagnosing and/or monitoring of adhd and add using an indicator of asymmetry in the pupils of the eyes. the present invention provides an apparatus that supports the measurement of attention levels in a subject, and, for example, includes a camera. the present invention provides a shorter and more rigorous process for determining the presence of adhd, by using a neurobiological biomarker. this enables objective monitoring of attention of the subject for the diagnosis of adhd. moreover, the aforementioned biomarkers are using phenomenological markers alone. the present invention provides a method for monitoring attention level of a subject, comprising: (a) obtaining a series of images containing the face of the subject and specifically containing both eyes of a subject;(b) measuring a series of biometrics pertaining to facial parameters in said series of images, and specifically to the pupil diameters or pupil areas for each pupil (left and right) from said series of images;(c) computing a measure of asymmetry based on said biometrics, and specifically a measure of asymmetry between left and right pupils, based on fluctuations in their size with time; and,(d) compiling from said measure of asymmetry and other possible parameters a score of attention which could be temporal or general. optionally, the score of attention is measured while the subject is engaged in a cognitive task. optionally, the score of attention is compared to a predetermined threshold supporting a decision regarding the attention capacity of the subject. optionally, the series of images is divided into at least two, optionally partially overlapping sub-series and each sub-series is separately analyzed, obtaining a temporal score of attention. optionally, the temporal score of attention is presented to the subject in real time. embodiments of the invention are directed to a method for monitoring the attention level of a subject. the method comprises: obtaining at least one set of biomarkers from the left side of the face and the right side of the face of the subject (for example, the face is a symmetric or at least substantially symmetric part of the body) during at least one time period (e.g., a time window); and, calculating, by a processor, from asymmetries between the biomarkers of the at least one set of obtained biomarkers, a score of attention of the subject during the at least one time period. optionally, for the aforementioned method, the at least one time period may also be a plurality of time periods and the at least one time window may be a plurality of partially overlapping time windows. optionally, the at least one set of biomarkers includes a plurality of sets of biomarkers, and the obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers includes: obtaining, from an imaging apparatus, a plurality of images of the face of the subject over the at least one time period; and, defining the biomarkers for each set of biomarkers from each image of the obtained plurality of images. optionally, the imaging apparatus includes at least one of cameras and eye trackers. optionally, the obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers is performed by at least one of a camera or an eye tracker. optionally, the biomarkers are associated with left and right eyes of the subject. optionally, the biomarkers include at least one of pupil diameter or pupil area. optionally, the obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers occurs during the performance of a cognitive task. optionally, the calculating the score of attention of the subject includes calculating at least one correlation between the biomarkers relating to: 1) the left side of the face over the at least one time period, and, 2) the right side of the face, over the at least one time period. optionally, method additionally comprises: obtaining an overall metric of attention of the subject by combining each said score of attention over the at least one time period. optionally, the at least one time period includes a plurality of time periods. optionally, the overall metric for attention is compared to a threshold in order to diagnose attention deficit disorder (add) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd). optionally, the score of attention is presented to the subject in real time. optionally, the cognitive task includes presenting to the subject at least one of visual and auditory contents. optionally, the presenting the visual contents includes alternating presentations of a set of visual triggers such that no more than one visual trigger is presented at any given time. optionally, the auditory contents include at least one of single tones, music or speech. embodiments of the invention are directed to a system for monitoring the attention level of a subject. the system comprises: an eye tracker for obtaining at least one set of biomarkers from the left side of the face and the right side of the face of the subject during at least one time period; and, a processor for receiving data associated with the eye tracker. the processor is programmed to: calculate asymmetries between the biomarkers of the at least one set of obtained biomarkers, a score of attention of the subject during the at least one time period. optionally, the eye tracker includes an imaging apparatus, and wherein the at least one set of biomarkers includes a plurality of sets of biomarkers, and the processor is additionally programmed to: obtain, from the imaging apparatus, a plurality of images of the face of the subject over the at least one time period; and, define the biomarkers for each set of biomarkers from each image of the obtained plurality of images. optionally, the imaging apparatus includes at least one of cameras and eye trackers. optionally, the eye tracker for obtaining the at least one set of biomarkers includes at least one of an eye tracking device or a camera. optionally, the processor is additionally programmed to associate the biomarkers with left and right eyes of the subject. optionally, the biomarkers include at least one of pupil diameter or pupil area. optionally, the processor is additionally programmed to calculate the score of attention of the subject by calculating at least one correlation between the biomarkers relating to: 1) the left side of the face over the at least one time period; and, 2) the right side of the face, over the at least one time period. optionally, the processor is additionally programmed to obtain an overall metric of attention of the subject by combining each said score of attention over the at least one time period. optionally, the processor is additionally programmed to define the at least one time period to include a plurality of time periods. optionally, the processor is additionally programmed to compare the overall metric for attention to a threshold in order to diagnose attention deficit disorder (add) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd). optionally, the system additionally comprises a display in electrical and/or data communication with the processor, and the processor is additionally programmed to send the score of attention to the display for presentation in real time. optionally, the system of additionally comprises at least one of lights, display or speakers for presenting a cognitive task in at least one of visual or auditory content. optionally, the lights or the display are activatable to define visual triggers for the cognitive task, and are controllable such that no more than one visual trigger is presented at any given time. optionally, the auditory content from the speakers includes at least one of single tones, music or speech. this document references terms that are used consistently or interchangeably herein. these terms, including variations thereof, are as follows. a “computer” includes machines, computers and computing or computer systems (for example, physically separate locations or devices), servers, computer and computerized devices, processors, processing systems, computing cores (for example, shared devices), and similar systems, workstations, modules and combinations of the aforementioned. the aforementioned “computer” may be in various types, such as a personal computer (e.g., laptop, desktop, tablet computer), or any type of computing device, including mobile devices that can be readily transported from one location to another location (e smart: phone, personal digital assistant (pda), mobile telephone or cellular telephone). a “server” is typically a remote computer or remote computer system, or computer program therein, in accordance with the “computer” defined above, that is accessible over a communications medium, such as a communications network or other computer network, including the internet. a “server” provides services to, or performs functions for, other computer programs (and their users), in the same or other computers. a server may also include a virtual machine, a software based emulation of a computer. an “application”, includes executable software, and optionally, any graphical user interfaces (gui), through which certain functionality may be implemented. all the above and other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become well understood through the following illustrative and non-limitative description of embodiments thereof, with reference to the appended drawings. brief description of the drawings some embodiments of the present invention are herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. with specific reference to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of embodiments of the invention. in this regard, the description taken with the drawings makes apparent to those skilled in the art how embodiments of the invention may be practiced. attention is now directed to the drawings, where like reference numerals or characters indicate corresponding or like components. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a schematically shows a cognitive task requiring the subject to identify a specific geometrical shape, used in a feasibility study of the proposed method; fig. 2a is a block diagram of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; fig. 2b is a block diagram of the controller of fig. 2a ; fig. 2c is a block diagram of a system in accordance with another embodiment of the invention; fig. 2d schematically shows the main steps of a method for the calculation of a score of attention from the measurement of pupil sizes; fig. 3 ; schematically show pupil sizes of both eyes from a sample subject over a period of approximately 6 minutes; figs. 4a and 4b schematically show a table of the attention score and a graph of the sliding window correlation for each of the 21 participants of the study, including normal subjects in fig. 4a and adhd subjects in fig. 4b ; and, figs. 5a and 5b show the mean synchronized trigger response in the left and right eyes, comparing results between two typical subjects, one normal and one with adhd. detailed description of embodiments of the present invention before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not necessarily limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components and/or methods set forth in the following description and/or illustrated in the drawings. the invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system, method or computer program product. accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.” furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more non-transitory computer readable (storage) medium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon. the inventors have found that subjects (e.g., human subjects) characterized by malfunctioning attention faculty are also inclined to exhibit incoherent changes in their pupil size, such that both eyes' pupil sizes do not follow the same pattern. accordingly, the present invention provides a method for monitoring the attention level of a subject, which may be used for diagnosing or monitoring of attention deficit disorder (add) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (adhd) which uses an indicator of asymmetry in the body, such as in the face and typically in the pupils of the eyes. the inventors have found that people with attention deficit disorder often show deviations from behaviors characterized as normal. in people with add and adhd, the left and right pupil sizes often display different patterns over time, both at rest and while the person is attempting to attend to a cognitive task. as all muscle activities, eye muscles, including the pupils, are controlled by the opposite hemisphere of the brain, i.e., right eye muscles are controlled by the left hemisphere and vice versa. thus, asymmetry between left and right eye parameters, such as pupil size, are possibly an indication for a reduced coherency between the two hemispheres of the brain, and thus a plausible aspect of mental disorders, e.g., add and adhd. accordingly, the present invention relates to a method for diagnosing and/or monitoring attention levels of subjects by measuring the asymmetry between left and right biomarkers of the eyes. such biomarkers may include any combination of the following biomarkers: (a) pupil size (b) time-domain or frequency-domain analysis of pupil sizes, (c) blinking patterns (d) eye movement patterns. for example, the biomarkers, as disclosed herein, may be scored, with the score for a biomarker represented by a single number describing a single feature in a single image or similar digital representation, for example, left pupil diameter. according to one aspect of the present invention, measuring of the biomarkers of the eye is done while the subject is attempting to attend to a cognitive task. the cognitive task could be, for example comprised of a series of cognitive triggers creating a cognitive load. cognitive triggers may be either visual, auditory or any other sensory inputs or combination thereof. triggers may specifically stimulate user to perform a predefined cognitive task, for example identifying objects, counting objects, comparing different objects, making decisions, memorizing data, performing mathematical computations, and the like. the subject may be required to respond to each trigger or provide a certain response following several triggers. triggers may be presented to the user in a periodic manner, with roughly equal time lags between triggers, on in a non-periodic manner triggers may present equal levels of challenge or different levels of challenge. the cognitive task may have an overall uniform cognitive load level, for example, by presenting triggers of equal challenge in a periodical manner, or, alternatively, present a non-uniform cognitive load to the subject, such as, for example, an escalating cognitive load, obtained e.g. by gradually increasing the cognitive challenge level presented by each trigger, or e.g. by gradually reducing the time lag between successive triggers. alternatively, the cognitive task may include reference periods in which eye biomarkers data is registered. however no triggers are presented to the user over a time of, for example, more than 15 seconds, such as more than 30 seconds, and in some cases over 60 seconds. such reference periods may be placed in the beginning of the cognitive task, at the end of the cognitive task or during the cognitive task. comparison between reference periods and cognitive task periods may provide additional metrics enabling the differentiation between different types or levels of attention capacity. visual triggers may include e.g. different objects, in an object recognition task, as discussed below. visual triggers may, for example, be alternating presentations of a set of visual triggers such that no more than one visual trigger is presented at any given time. likewise, auditory triggers may include different types of sounds, as e.g. separate words, meaningful combinations of words such as speech, different natural sounds, tones of different volume or pitch, or sequences of tones such as musical pieces, that can be used in a sound recognition task. auditory triggers could also be used as distraction while the cognitive load which requires the subject's attention is visual, or vice versa. alternatively, cognitive load may be produced using any gaming application, any third-party application which is running on the same system which runs the test or on an adjunct system. alternatively, cognitive load may be produced by exposing the subject to any sensory input of sufficient information content, for example, requiring the subject to read a sufficiently long text, having the subject view a video clip which requires some cognitive effort to understand, and the like. an example of a cognitive task based on visual inputs is shown in fig. 1 and will be described below. according to another aspect of the present invention, eye biomarkers are measured without presenting a cognitive task to the subject, e.g., deliberately allowing the subject to enter a state of rest and mind wandering, for example, by letting the subject focus on a dot in the center of an empty screen. according to yet another aspect of this invention, biomarker results from the resting period are used in combination with biomarker results obtained during a cognitive task in order to improve the results of the overall attention assessment process. fig. 2a shows a diagram of an exemplary system 200 used in performing the invention. the system 200 includes an optical device 202 , for obtaining the requisite biomarkers, linked to a controller 204 , which is in turn linked to lights 206 , one or more speakers 208 and a display 210 , viewable by the subject being analyzed. “linked” as used herein includes both wired or wireless links, either direct or indirect, such that the computers, including, servers, components and the like, are in electronic and/or data communications with each other. the optical device 202 , which obtains the biomarkers, includes, for example, an imaging apparatus, such as a camera or eye tracker, both, for example, with image processing capabilities, and eye tracking glasses. the lights 204 are optional, and are a series of lights to provide visual triggers, as detailed herein. the lights 204 are also used, for example, to illuminate the face of the subject. the lights 204 may also be a light-emitting display. the brightness of the light source, and hence, the lights, is automatically adjusted in order to provide sufficient illumination to the face of the subject, as is measurable by the spatial noise in the image. the speakers 208 , or auditory outputs, provide auditory contents such as single tones, music and speech, at various intervals. the display 210 provides both a means to display different visual triggers that are part of the cognitive load, as e.g., video, geometric shapes and the like, and is also optionally used to provide audio and visual indications of a score and/or diagnosis to the subject, for example, in real time. the speakers 208 may also be, for example, loudspeakers or headphones. the output from the speakers 208 serves as auditory inputs to the subject during the measurement, for example, auditory triggers, synchronized or not with visual triggers, background noise, such as white noise, or music. fig. 2b shows the controller 204 in detail. the controller 204 is, for example, processor based, and includes a central processing unit (cpu) 220 with associated storage/memory 221 , and modules including stored machine executable instructions to be executed by the cpu 220 , the modules including those for inputs and outputs (i/o) 224 , optical device control 226 , image storage 228 , data processing/biomarker analysis/scoring/threshold comparison and analysis 230 , visual triggers 232 , auditory 234 , display control 236 and gaming applications 238 . the central processing unit (cpu) 220 is formed of one or more processors, including microprocessors, and are programmed to perform the functions and operations detailed herein, including controlling the modules for inputs and outputs (i/o) 224 , optical device control 226 , image storage 228 , data processing/biomarker analysis/scoring/threshold comparison and analysis 230 , visual triggers 232 , audio stimulation 234 , display control 236 and gaming applications 238 , along with the processes and subprocesses shown in fig. 2d , as detailed below. the processors are, for example, conventional processors, such as those used in servers, computers, and other computerized devices. for example, the processors may include x86 processors from amd and intel, xenon® and pentium® processors from intel, as well as any combinations thereof. the storage/memory 221 is any conventional storage media. the storage/memory 221 stores machine executable instructions for execution by the cpu 220 , to perform the processes of the invention. the storage/memory 221 also, for example, stores rules and policies, as applied by the cpu 220 , for the processes of the invention, as detailed herein. the processors of the cpu 220 and the storage/memory 221 , although shown as a single component for representative purposes, may be multiple components. the input/output (i/o) module 224 includes instructions for receiving input, e.g., data from the optical device, and sends output, e.g., signals to the lights 206 , speakers 208 and display 210 , to perform various actions (detailed herein), based on instructions from the respective visual triggers 232 , auditory 236 and display control 236 modules, as processed by the cpu 220 . the optical device control module 226 includes instructions for processing by the cpu 220 to control the optical devices 202 , for obtaining the biomarkers. the image storage module 228 stores various images obtained from the optical devices, and is, for example, a storage media. the data processing/biomarker analysis/scoring/threshold comparison and analysis module 230 provides instructions to the cpu 220 for processing the data associated with biomarkers and sets of biomarkers to determine attention scores (scores of attention), as well as comparing the threshold scores, for determining metrics such as add and/or adhd. as used herein, a score of attention (attention score) is measured over a time window (tw) of, for example, overlapping time windows of, for example, 10-30 seconds, reflecting the attention at a given “point in time”. this is the basic unit of measurement but it is still obtained from multiple images (hundreds). this score is also usable for online monitoring or e.g. for biofeedback if presented to the user in real time. alternately, each time window interval has a length of e.g., 10-120 seconds, or alternately 20-60 seconds. the time windows are discussed in further detail below. as used herein, the overall metric of attention is a series of attention scores combined over a longer period of time, e.g. over the time of a cognitive task that is 5 minutes long. this figure is usable, for example, for daily monitoring by the subject or for initial diagnosis by a doctor or other professional or clinician. the game application module 238 stores various games, which may be executed by the optical device 204 or peripheral devices associated therewith, such as headsets, e.g., augmented reality and virtual reality headsets, displays and the like (not shown). fig. 2c shows a system 200 ′ similar to the system 200 , except that the controller 204 is part of a server, 250 linked to a network 252 , with the server 250 in the “cloud”. the optical device 202 , lights 206 , speaker 208 and display are also linked to the network 252 . the network 252 includes, for example, public networks such as the internet and may include single or multiple networks, including data networks and cellular networks. in another embodiment, the system 200 may be embodied on a computer device, such as a smartphone. fig. 2d is a schematic flow chart of a method according to one embodiment of the present invention. the first step 261 consists of measuring any biomarker of both eyes of the subject, e.g., the size of both pupils of the subject, using an optical device 202 or instrument, e.g., standard eye-tracking device (such as ir remote eye trackers or eye-tracking glasses), or any apparatus comprising a camera, such as e.g. a smartphone, and recording both eyes' pupil size over a period of time. recording time may be a predetermined period of time or until sufficiently data has been obtained. without loss of generally, in the following reference is made to pupil size as the biomarker of choice, however the same methods may be similarly applied for other biomarkers of the eye, as mentioned above or other biomarkers of the face, as e.g. eyebrows positions, mouth corners positions, blinks and the like. the data received from this step 261 , consists of two vectors of numbers, which represent the size of the pupils, e.g. pupil diameter in millimeters (or equivalent index), or pupil area in millimeter squared, as a function of time. the first vector (x-dimension) delineates the pupil size of the left eye over time and the second vector (y-dimension) delineates the size of the right pupil over time. the second step 262 involves processing of the data received from the first step 261 , i.e., the two pupil size vectors. the first sub-step 262 a , involves preprocessing the raw pupil-size time-course to deal with temporary loss of signal or noise that may be due to blinks or device artefacts. a corrected vector per each pupil is thereby generated using standard smoothing and interpolation techniques. in a later sub-step 262 b the corrected vectors are divided into sliding time-windows. that is, the pupil-size time-course vector of each pupil is broken down into shorter consecutive time-window intervals (tw) of s seconds (where s is a configurable argument having a typical length of 20-120 seconds), with a time shift of d seconds between the start time of each consecutive window (where d is also configurable with typical setting of 1-5 seconds). in the third step 263 , the correlation between aligned tw intervals of both pupils is computed, e.g. using the pearson correlation coefficient given by the following formula: where x i and y i are the momentary pupil size (at time i) and the terms x and y stand for average size of the left and right pupil, respectively, during the time window (tw). summation is performed across the time-points of the tw, ranging between 1 to n. the possible values for the r xy coefficient in the above formula may fall between −1 to 1, however, under actual “real life” conditions scenarios, expected values are typically greater than 0. based on our preliminary findings (see below discussion and figs. 4a, 4b ), results for this coefficient occurring at a level of −0.9 or higher are typical in most normal subjects during a period of good attention, whereas lower values may indicate temporary lack of attention. on the other hand, repeating episodes of lower values are typical of subjects with adhd and may indicate an attention abnormality. in step 264 , an additional, optional, quantitative analysis is performed, consisting of the cross-correlation between the same tw intervals vectors. this analysis which relies on a time-shifted application of the same pearson correlation formula as in step 263 , provides indication of the lag time to peak correlation between the movements of both pupils, providing additional properties of their asymmetry. from this cross-correlation analysis step two additional scores may be obtained: (a) a lag index—1 xy , normalized between 0-1, where 1 implies expected peak correlation at 0-lag, and 0 denotes abnormal result of lag, e.g. equal or greater than 1 second. (b) a symmetry index—s xy , normalized in the range of 0-1, where 1 indicates perfect minor symmetry for correlation values at corresponding positive and negative lags, and 0 implies a strongly asymmetric behavior, such as an accumulated distance equal to twice or more standard deviation units of the mean across the time-courses of x and y. finally, in step 265 , a joint asymmetry index is computed through a combination of the three scores—the correlation coefficient—r xy , the lag index—1 xy and the symmetry index—s xy . in general, the joint asymmetry index could be any function of r xy , 1 xy and s xy , for example a simple multiplication, i.e.: a xy =r xy *l xy *s xy equation 1 alternative, simpler to compute, asymmetry indexes that could also be used include only the correlation r xy for the final index, as in: a xy =r xy equation 2 or, using only two of these factors for the final index, as in: a xy =r xy *1 xy equation 3 a xy =r xy *s xy equation 4 in the following, a xy will refer in general to any vector of asymmetry index over time computed using any of the above formulae or any other means of computing a measure of asymmetry. the result a xy is, for example, a vector of scores of attention, providing a temporal indication for the attention of the tested subject, over the time of the test. in the rest of the text this vector is also referred to as “sliding window graph”. one or more overall scores of attention are computed from said vector of measure of attention over time, a xy . one or more overall attention scores can finally be obtained for the whole test, e.g. by taking the average of the attention scores vector over the entire time-course of the test, or e.g. by using the median value or any other percentile, or, for example, by measuring the variability of the scores over time. alternatively, correlation between data measured from both eyes using the whole data set can be calculated, without going through the steps of dividing the data into time windows and averaging multiple temporal correlation values. also alternatively, cross correlation between the eyes data can be computed for different time lags between the eyes and the maximal value can then be chosen as the overall score. the calculating the score of attention of the subject, for example, includes calculating at least one correlation between the biomarkers relating to: 1) the left side of the face over the at least one time period, and, 2) the right side of the face, over the at least one time period. the processes of blocks 262 a , 262 b , 263 , 264 and 265 , are, for example, performed by the module 230 and the cpu 220 in the controller 204 of figs. 2a, 2b and 2c . another feature includes analyzing the evolution of the temporal score of attention over the course of the cognitive task. for example, comparing the average attention score during a first, earlier part of the cognitive task to the average attention score during a second, later part of the cognitive task, one can determine the general trend over the time of the cognitive task. a general trend indicating a decline in attention score over the time of the cognitive task can be expected for subjects with adhd who are having a difficulty to maintain high attention level over a prolonged period of time, and could thus be factored into the overall score to reduce the final overall score. conversely, a general trend indicating an increase in attention score over the time of the cognitive task, could be indicatory e.g. of an initial lack of attention due to other factors, e.g. anxiety resulting from taking the test, which is not related to adhd, and could thus be factored in to increase the overall attention score. thus, two subjects having a similar average score, averaging over the whole time of the test, may eventually receive a different overall score based also on the general trend during the time of the test. the overall attention score obtained using the general method provided above, in any of its variants, can e.g. be used to diagnose attention deficiencies, including adhd, for example, by comparing the one or more scores obtained by the tested subject to predetermined threshold values. such values should be derived from statistically significant clinical studies and could depend on the personal parameters of the subject, such as age and sex. in a monitoring mode of operation, changes in overall attention score(s), or a history of such scores, can be monitored over time in order to gauge the effect of certain activities or actions on the attention level of the tested subject. these activities include, for example, performing physical exercise before or during the test, eating, relaxing or taking any kind of prescribed medication. according to another aspect of the present invention, the temporal score of attention is presented to the subject in real time. for example, using a smartphone, the triggers for the cognitive task could be presented on the smartphone screen while the smartphone's front camera could capture the subjects pupil image allowing computation of the score of attention in real time. the result is displayed in real time on the smartphone screen, allowing the user to be aware of his or her temporal attention level. real time display of attention levels may be performed by multiple methods. these methods include, for example, displaying a number, by using a color code, by sound, or by vibration. for example, a color code may use blue color for good (or high) attention and red color for poor or low attention. for example, a full continuous spectrum of colors can be used, e.g. using part of the natural spectrum of the rainbow or a discrete set of colors for example, using sound for displaying results may include modifying the volume or pitch of a tone, or controlling the parameters, e.g. the volume, of a musical piece running throughout the test. for example, using vibration can be done by operating the vibrator whenever attention level is dropping below a certain threshold level or is dropping at a fast rate above a threshold absolute change rate. according to another embodiment of the invention, the level of the cognitive task presented to the subject is changed by the system, such as systems 200 and 200 ′ (detailed above) in real time, for example, in a pre-programmed way, or adjusted in response to the measured attention level. adjustment may be performed, in order to improve measurement accuracy, by exposing the subject to different cognitive task levels, such that the system can better differentiate between similar but non-identical overall attention capacity levels. adjustments can alternatively be done with the aim of allowing the subject to attempt to improve his or her score during the test, in addition or instead of attempting to provide an overall score by the end of the test. in another embodiment of the invention, the steps of computing an asymmetry measure of the subject comprise the following steps: defining a set of consecutive images, contained in a pre-determined time window, or pertaining to a certain stage in the cognitive test; identifying and calculating in each image one or more matching pairs of facial parameters in both left and right parts of the face, pupil positions, pupil sizes, eyelid positions (blinks), eyebrow positions, mouth edge positions, etc.; computing a correlation coefficient between the set of facial parameters obtained from the left part of the face and the matching set of facial parameters obtained from the right part of the face. in another embodiment of the invention, the systems 200 , 200 ′ include steps of computing an asymmetry measure between the two pupils and extracting from the computed asymmetry a score of attention. the method comprises steps including: obtaining two time-matched vectors of pupil sizes of both eyes over time; dividing said vectors into shorter sliding window intervals; computing for each interval the correlation coefficient between right eye and left eye pupil size vector, r xy and interpreting the calculated correlation coefficient as a temporal measure of attention, a xy , from equations 1-4. in another embodiment of the present invention, time-matched vectors of pupil sizes of both eyes over time are further analyzed using cross-correlation, adding variable time shifts between left and right vectors and resulting in a lag index, l xy define as the peak correlation found over all time shifts, and a measure of attention over time, a xy , is computed as a product of the indexes: a xy =r xy *l xy according to another aspect of the present invention, the method of computing attention score over time from a time series of pupil sizes involved computing the mean value or the median value of said vector of measure of attention over time. according to another aspect of the present invention, the method of computing attention score over time from a time series of pupil sizes comprises a step of preprocessing, which provides smooth pupil size vectors from raw data, utilizing smoothing and interpolation techniques. in an embodiment of the present invention, a series of images is obtained using an apparatus which includes an optical device 202 camera and a display, as, for example, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone), utilizing the display in order to present visual contents to the subject while capturing a series of images by the camera, for example, from front camera of the mobile device. the visual contents may include, a cognitive test including variable geometric shapes, a game including visual aspects or any video film not necessarily including any deliberate cognitive challenges. while the methods and systems detailed above are shown for monitoring, analyzing and evaluating adhd, they are also usable for monitoring, analyzing and evaluating add. example in order to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed methods, a feasibility study was conducted with including 21 human subjects. study subjects were divided into a normal control group, including 8 subjects who did not have any history or any symptoms resembling adhd, and a positive adhd group, including 13 subjects that had been previously diagnosed with adhd or showed clear symptoms of adhd. during the study, the 21 subjects were exposed to a cognitive load, while pupil sizes were collected using a standard eye tracker (et). the cognitive load selected for this study required the subjects to focus for 5-10 minutes on a dot at the center of screen (of the eye tracker), on which 3 optional geometric shapes were been flashed (flash time ˜200 msec) every 1 and 3 seconds, as the subjects participated in a go/no-go test, as shown in fig. 1 . of the 3 geometric shapes one (square) had a 60% appearance frequency, one (circle) had a 35% appearance frequency and the third shape (triangle), a diverter, had a much lower appearance frequency of 5%. the subject was required to respond by clicking (“go” condition) a button every time a circle appeared while avoiding to respond (“no-go” condition) to the other shapes. this go/no-go test generally resembles the “test of variables of attention”, described in leark et al. (leark, greenberg, kindschi, dupuy, & hughes), in, test of variables of attention: professional manual. los alamitos: the tova company (2007). task performance parameters were collected but were not a mandatory part of the analysis. as mentioned above, other ways of creating a cognitive load could be used and the specific details of the task used during this study are only given by way of example and do not limit the scope of the invention. during this study, pupil sizes were recorded using an smi redn remote eye-tracker (sensomotoric instruments), set at 250 hz. subjects sat about 70 cm from a 21″ monitor (display or display screen). in a separate study, a smartphone camera was successfully utilized for collecting video images from which pupil sizes were extracted and similar results were obtained. hence, the specifics of the apparatus by which pupil sizes are been measured, including equipment parameters such as frame rate and resolution, are not an essential part of the method, since pupil sizes can be sufficiently accurately determined as a function of time. typical results of one sample subject are provided in fig. 3 , showing the pupil area of the left eye 301 and the right eye 302 over a period of approximately 6 minutes, during which the subject performed a cognitive task. as can be seen, the two curves are highly correlated, practically overlapping. in the beginning of the task, this high correlation exemplifies a high level of attention. however, the correlation is lower in the second half of the task, exemplifying lower attention. in general, it was observed that normal (i.e., those not showing indications and/or scores indicative of adhd) subjects typically present high correlation between the eyes throughout the task, while diagnosed adhd subjects typically present longer periods of low correlation between the eyes. the correlation levels can be analyzed using one or more of the methods provided above to provide a measure of correlation between the eyes as a function of time. these correlation graphs can then be summarized using one of the methods described above, to provide an attention level. in analyzing the data from the 21 subjects of the study, equation 1 (above) was used to compute a temporal attention score over sliding time windows of 30 seconds each. the mean attention score over the full 10 minute duration of the task to compute an overall attention score per subject was then computed. the results are summarized in fig. 4a , showing the results of 8 normal subjects, and fig. 4b , showing the results of 13 adhd subjects. as can be appreciated from figs. 4a and 4b , different subjects present drastically different attention patterns over time and are rich with information. for example, subjects c 1 and c 2 show a high and stable attention levels throughout the test and are a good example for people with high attention. on the contrary, subjects a 8 -a 13 show highly unstable levels of attention and even their highest temporary attention levels are often far from being close to 100%. thus, these subjects exemplify the performance of people with severe adhd in our test. the large difference in all the characteristics of the graphs shows the strength of the method of the invention and its ability to clearly differentiate between people of different attention levels. this difference is also summarized in the overall attention score which is ˜0.94 for subjects c 1 and c 2 and is lower than 0.8 for the subjects a 8 -a 13 . as was be expected, people are never made up of only two discrete groups and a gray area, including people with various degrees of attention deficits, exists in-between the two extremes. according to this study, subjects that may be regarded as having a mild level of attention deficit, may include a 5 , a 6 , a 7 , c 7 and c 8 . according to medical practice, usually a binary yes/no decision has to be made, determining if a subject is having a certain condition or not. based on the finding of this study we could use a threshold of e.g. 0 . 88 to separate between adhd subjects and no-adhd subjects. using this value, 11 of the 13 subjects were potentially diagnosed as in the adhd group, indicating a sensitivity of ˜85% and correctly negatively diagnose 7 of the 8 subjects in the control group, indicating a specificity of ˜87%. these results may be further improved using enhanced algorithms, such as those indicated above. in summary, although this study was not a rigorous double-blinded study, it has demonstrated the feasibility and the potential value of the method of the invention. the aforementioned analysis ignored the timing of the triggers provided to the subject as part of the cognitive task, here, for example,—the flashing times of the different shapes. an alternative way of analyzing the pupils' size over time is by relating the response to the time since the last trigger, known as. time locking. time locking of pupil responses to visual stimuli events in the abovementioned study, enabled computation of the mean pupil responses of each of the eyes, averaging over all stimuli. figs. 5a and 5b demonstrate the profile of this mean response in the left and right eyes, comparing results between a typical normal subject and a typical adhd subject. the canonical pupil response pattern peaking at ˜1 s after stimuli onset is clearly visible in both subjects. results for the right ( 501 , dashed line) and left ( 502 , solid line) pupils of the normal control subject ( fig. 5a ) demonstrate highly symmetric responses in both pupils. on the other hand, results for an adhd subject ( fig. 5b ) demonstrate clear incoherence between the two pupils 503 and 504 . while the left pupil 504 appears to follow the typical response profile, the right pupil 503 manifests early average constriction in this subject. this result clearly demonstrates how the coherence between the two pupils during a demanding cognitive task may be different between control and adhd subject. accordingly, it yet another embodiment of the present invention to compute a measure of attention of a subject using the following steps: (a) measure the pupil sizes of both eyes of the subject during a cognitive task comprising multiple cognitive triggers; (b) compute the average time-locked pupil sizes of both eyes of the subject; (c) compute a measure of asymmetry between the eyes, e.g. by computing correlation. in another embodiment of the invention, a pupil asymmetry biomarker, in any of the implementations described above, is combined with additional biomarkers, including, for example, blinking frequency, and eye movement parameters, as per the index of cognitive activity (ica) (marshall s. p., aviation, space, and environmental medicine , vol. 78, no. 5, section ii (may 2007)). in another embodiment of the invention, an auxiliary optical instrument is used in conjunction with a smartphone (e.g., the auxiliary instrument is mounted to the smartphone) to obtain a series of images. these images are later used for the analysis according to any of the methods described above. for example, the auxiliary optical instrument contains at least one reflective surface, at least two reflective surfaces, or at least one diffusive element, enabling the instrument to illuminate the eyes of the subject, using light emanating from at least one light source, and for example, directing the image of the user's eyes toward the smart phone's rear camera. the light and light source is part of the smartphone. alternately, the auxiliary optical instrument is electronically connected to the smartphone and comprises at least one light source, optionally operating the infrared (ir) band of the spectrum, and an optional camera. in another embodiment of the invention, a different task involving a behavioral paradigm other than the go/no-go performance test is implemented. this test is used to display the emergence of pupil asymmetry during periods of inattention. in another embodiment of the invention, a normalized level of pupil symmetry (i.e., reduced asymmetry) is demonstrated in adhd subjects after standard consumption of alternative adhd stimulant medication (such as concerta), or alternately after consumption of coffee (or caffeine in different forms). implementation of the method and/or system of embodiments of the invention can involve performing or completing selected tasks manually, automatically, or a combination thereof. moreover, according to actual instrumentation and equipment of embodiments of the method and/or system of the invention, several selected tasks could be implemented by hardware, by software or by firmware or by a combination thereof using an operating system. for example, hardware for performing selected tasks according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a chip or a circuit. as software, selected tasks according to embodiments of the invention could be implemented as a plurality of software instructions being executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. in an exemplary embodiment of the invention, one or more tasks according to exemplary embodiments of method and/or system as described herein are performed by a data processor, such as a computing platform for executing a plurality of instructions. optionally, the data processor includes a volatile memory for storing instructions and/or data and/or a non-volatile storage, for example, non-transitory storage media such as a magnetic hard-disk and/or removable media, for storing instructions and/or data. optionally, a network connection is provided as well. a display and/or a user input device such as a keyboard or mouse are optionally provided as well. for example, any combination of one or more non-transitory computer readable (storage) medium(s) may be utilized in accordance with the above-listed embodiments of the present invention. the non-transitory computer readable (storage) medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. a computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. more specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (ram), a read-only memory (rom), an erasable programmable read-only memory (eprom or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (cd-rom), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. in the context of this document, a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, in baseband or as part of a carrier wave. such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to, electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. a computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. as will be understood with reference to the paragraphs and the referenced drawings, provided above, various embodiments of computer-implemented methods are provided herein, some of which can be performed by various embodiments of apparatuses and systems described herein and some of which can be performed according to instructions stored in non-transitory computer-readable storage media described herein. still, some embodiments of computer-implemented methods provided herein can be performed by other apparatuses or systems and can be performed according to instructions stored in computer-readable storage media other than that described herein, as will become apparent to those having skill in the art with reference to the embodiments described herein. any reference to systems and computer-readable storage media with respect to the following computer-implemented methods is provided for explanatory purposes, and is not intended to limit any of such systems and any of such non-transitory computer-readable storage media with regard to embodiments of computer-implemented methods described above. likewise, any reference to the following computer-implemented methods with respect to systems and computer-readable storage media is provided for explanatory purposes, and is not intended to limit any of such computer-implemented methods disclosed herein. the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. in this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). it should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures. for example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. the descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. the terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. it is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination or as suitable in any other described embodiment of the invention. certain features described in the context of various embodiments are not to be considered essential features of those embodiments, unless the embodiment is inoperative without those elements. the above-described processes including portions thereof can be performed by software, hardware and combinations thereof. these processes and portions thereof can be performed by computers, computer-type devices, workstations, processors, micro-processors, other electronic searching tools and memory and other non-transitory storage-type devices associated therewith. the processes and portions thereof can also be embodied in programmable non-transitory storage media, for example, compact discs (cds) or other discs including magnetic, optical, etc., readable by a machine or the like, or other computer usable storage media, including magnetic, optical, or semiconductor storage, or other source of electronic signals. the processes (methods) and systems, including components thereof, herein have been described with exemplary reference to specific hardware and software. the processes (methods) have been described as exemplary, whereby specific steps and their order can be omitted and/or changed by persons of ordinary skill in the art to reduce these embodiments to practice without undue experimentation. the processes (methods) and systems have been described in a manner sufficient to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to readily adapt other hardware and software as may be needed to reduce any of the embodiments to practice without undue experimentation and using conventional techniques. although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
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048-691-987-408-482
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
D04C1/02,D04C1/12
| 1984-06-25T00:00:00 |
1984
|
[
"D04"
] |
composite metallic core line
|
a multiple-layer braided line having a high tensile strength composite steel core in which the innermost braided fibrous sheath layer is nylon, securely bonded to the composite steel core. an outer braided fibrous sheath is polyester formed over the inner sheath. the core is selected with a tensile strength over the desired rate load-carrying ability of the line, but less than that of the overall tensile strength of the inner and outer sheaths. the line is lightweight and has a high tensile strength and improved resistance to severing, melting and burning results, suitable for use by mountaineers, firemen and rescue workers. the line substantially eliminates backlash.
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1. a composite line structure, comprising: a core of a heat-resistant, substantially inelastic, metallic cable, having a tensile strength sufficient to separately support the desired rated load; an inner nylon sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said core; and an outer polyester sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said inner sheath and shielding said inner sheath from exposure to sunlight or abrasion, said inner and outer sheaths having a combined tensile strength substantially exceeding the tensile strength of said core and containing said core therewithin upon breakage of said core under extreme loading to substantially eliminate backlash, said core having a weight sufficient to minimize backlash of said inner and outer sheaths upon subsequent breakage thereof, whereby a substantially static line is provided which will support the rated load even if said inner and outer sheaths are melted or severed by fire, heat or sharp objects, which substantially eliminates backlash, and which protects the nylon inner sheath from abrasion and sunlight. 2. the composite line structure of claim 1 wherein said inner sheath is securely adhered to said core to prevent its axial movement along said core. 3. the composite line structure of claim 2 wherein said inner and outer sheaths are adhered together. 4. the composite line structure of claim 1 wherein said sheath is braided around said core after said core has been coated with rubber cement. 5. the composite line structure of claim 1 wherein said core further includes high tensile strength polymer fibers. 6. the composite line structure of claim 1 wherein said core has an eleastic memory causing said line to assume a coiled configuration whenever tension on said line is relieved. 7. the composite line structure of claim 1 wherein said core is a non-rotating cable, whereby the line is non-rotating. 8. the composite line structure of claim 1 wherein said inner and outer sheaths have a diamond braid for gripping the sheath or core next within under loading. 9. the composite line structure of claim 1 further including one or more additional sheaths braided about said outer sheath to increase the diameter of the line to facilitate grasping and to increase the combined tensile strengths of the sheaths. 10. a composite line structure, comprising: a core of a heat-resistant, substantially inelastic, metallic cable, having a tensile strength sufficient to separately support the desired rated load; an inner sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said core; and an outer sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said inner sheath, said inner and outer sheaths having a combined tensile strength substantially exceeding the tensile strength of said core and containing said core therewithin upon breakage of said core under extreme loading to substantially eliminate backlash, said core having a weight sufficient to minimize backlash of said inner and outer sheaths upon subsequent breakage thereof, whereby a substantially static line is provided which will support the rated load even if said inner and outer sheaths are melted or severed by fire, heat or sharp objects, and which substantially eliminates backlash. 11. a composite line structure, comprising: a core of a heat-resistant, substantially inelastic, metallic cable, having a tensile strength sufficient to separately support the desired rated load; and at least one sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said core, said at least one sheath having a tensile strength substantially exceeding the tensile strength of said core and containing said core therewithin upon breakage of said core under extreme loading to substantially eliminate backlash, said core having a weight sufficient to minimize backlash of said at least one sheath upon subsequent breakage thereof. 12. a composite line structure, comprising: a core of a heat-resistant, substantially inelastic, metallic cable, having a tensile strength sufficient to separately support the desired rated load; an inner sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said core; and an outer sheath braided or wrapped tightly about said inner sheath, said inner and outer sheaths having a combined tensile strength substantially exceeding the tensile strength of said core and containing said core therewithin upon breakage of said core under extreme loading to substantially eliminate backlash.
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technical field this invention relates to mountaineering and survival gear, and more particularly, to lightweight lines widely used by mountaineers, rescue workers and firemen, and in certain military and marine applications. the line of this invention is resistant to severing, sunlight, chemicals, shock, and also to destruction by fire or high temperatures, such as may be encountered in its use by firemen. background art heretofore, multiple-layered mountaineering and survival-type lines have been known. however, their use in extremely hazardous situations has been limited by their inherent nature. for example, in the event of fire or high temperature applications, the nylon and other synthetic materials used in manufacturing such lines melt or burn, or are so severely weakened that the line becomes unusable. all too frequently, it has been determined that firemen will choose more dangerous escape routes from the upper floors of structures over a less dangerous route which requires use of a line when a flame is close by for fear the line will burn or melt, causing their fall. the choice sometimes results in the death of a trapped fireman. lines subjected to duty in which they come into contact with a rock outcropping or other sharp object may be severed or partially severed since the synthetic materials utilized in their construction are not highly resistant to chafing and severing. in addition, if the line is partially severed, the multiple-layer construction allows the individual layers frequently to slip along the core or relative to another, making it difficult to grasp. exposure to chemicals can also degrade the line and cause its failure. for safety, line is frequently discarded and not used again as a precaution if subjected to any chemicals or even if chemicals are found on the ground in the area where the line has been on the ground. exposure of a nylon line to ultraviolet light will break down the nylon fiber and degrade the line. for safety, nylon line is discarded after being exposed to sunlight for a period of time. the same disposal procedure is sometimes followed when a line is subjected to extreme shock. in all of these situations, ont only is complete failure of the line possible during use, but the line when discarded may still possess sufficient strength to function adequately. since it is impossible to determine this for a fact, and since, should the line fail, the user could be seriously injured or killed, it is general practice to incur the expense of premature disposal of the line. another disadvantage of conventional multiple-layer line, particularly when used for rescue, is its elasticity. during a rescue, there is frequently but one opportunity afforded to make the rescue. by using a conventional line which experiences a certain degree of stretch and bounce when under load, the timing and precision of the rescue can be adversely affected, resulting in an unsuccessful rescue attempt. while use of a metal cable will avoid the fire/heat and severing problems, avoid the problem of exposure to chemicals, ultraviolet light and shock, and avoid the elasticity problem, cables are difficult to grasp due to their small diameter and difficult to tie and otherwise manipulate due to their unwieldly nature. generally, a knot cannot be tied in cable which will cinch tightly enough to hold and be safe. it is not possible to increase the diameter of the cable to facilitate grasping of the cable due to weight and other considerations, and doing so would make tying of knots even more difficult. another problem with metal cable is that its outer surface is sometimes too slippery to be securely grasped, making for an unsafe condition, and is sometimes too abrasive to be safely handled, depending on the type and condition of the cable. another serious disadvantage when using a metal cable, should the cable snap under load, is that the inherent whip or backlash causes the severed and loose ends of the cable to be propelled, sometimes at great speed, toward the source of the load. the ends generally flail about as they fly through the air and can cause great injury and even death to the cable user and bystanders. of course, if the severing results in a fall of the user, injury or death could also result. while described herein for wire cables, the backlash problem exists for synthetic ropes also. it is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight, manipulatable, easy-to-grasp line of relatively high strength for use such as by mountaineers, firemen and others. the line should be a static line without significant stretch. exposure to fire/heat, sharp objects, chemicals, sunlight or shock should not produce failure of the line or require its premature disposal. if the load-carrying limits of the line are exceeded, it should not fail completely and dangerous backlash should not occur. even if the line is severed completely, backlash should be minimized. it is another object of this invention to provide a line having a plurality of braided or woven layers which are resistant to axial movement along a core and each other. disclosure of the invention the present invention resides in a composite line having a core of heat-resistant, substantially in elastic metallic cable, and at least one fiber sheath thereabout. a preferred embodiment uses an inner fiber sheath braided tightly about the core, and an outer fiber sheath braided tightly about the inner sheath. the core has a tensile strength sufficient to separately support the desired rate at load. the inner and outer sheaths have a combined tensile strength substantially exceeding the tensile strength of the core, and contain the core therewithin upon breakage of the core under extreme loading to substantially eliminate backlash. the core has a weight sufficient to minimize backlash of the inner and outer sheaths upon subsequent breakage thereof. as such, a substantially static line is provided which will support the rated load even if the inner and outer sheaths are melted or severed by fire, heat or sharp objects. in the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner sheath is nylon and the outer sheath is polyester. the outer polyester sheath shields the inner nylon sheath from exposure to sunlight or abrasion, thus protecting the nylon from both and prolonging the life and increasing the durability of the line. the inner sheath is securely adhered to the cord to prevent its axial movement therealong, and the inner and outer sheaths are adhered together. the core may include high tensile strength polymer fibers, or have an elastic memory causing the line to assume a coiled configuration whenever tension on the line is relieved. other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. brief description of the drawings fig. 1 is a perspective view partly broken away of one embodiment of this invention. fig. 2 is a side elevational view partly in section of the line shown in fig. 1. fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 3--3 of fig. 2. best mode for carrying out the invention referring particularly to the drawings wherein line numerals indicate like parts, there is shown a survival or mountaineering line 10 having significantly improved resistance to destruction by heat and fire, sharp objects, chemicals, sunlight and shock. the line 10 is constructed with a central core 12 made of a high tensile strength, heat-and cut-resistant material, such as a twisted cable of stainless steel or other strand-formed metallic cable. for certain applications, the core may be woven or braided from metal strands in a manner to provide a non-rotating cable as the core, and hence a non-rotating line. a preferred material for the core 12 is itself a multiple-layer stranded cable having an interior core of a polyarimid of aromatic tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride sold under the trademark kevlar.rtm. and more specifically defined in u.s. pat. no. 3,179,634. the cable is manufactured under u.s. pat. no. 4,034,547 and sold by loss & co., inc., under the trademarks k-kore.rtm. and k-flex.rtm.. fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the invention with portions thereof cut away for clarity. the core 12 is a multiple-strand cable made of a plurality of stainless steel strands surrounding its own core 14 of kevlar.rtm. aramid fiber. the exterior of the core 12 has been coated with an adhesive material 15, such as a rubber cement, which exhibits good adhesion to the exterior of the cable and to the interior of an inner primary sheath or sleeve 16 of the line 10. the primary sheath 16 is comprised of a cylindrical braid of nylon filaments/fibers, such as sixty fibers braided in a standard, well-known, eight-carrier braid construction over the core 12. the core 12, treated with the adhesive material 15 on its exterior, is preferably passed upwardly through the center of the eight-carrier braiding apparatus whereupon the inner primary sheath 16 is tightly braided in direct contact with the exterior of the core 12. the adhesive material 15 causes the tightly braided primary sheath 16 to be securely adhered to the outer surface of the core 12. the primary sheath is preferably braided with four strands of nylon yarn in each carrier, with the braid thereof being formed in a conventional diamond braid. to protect the inner primary sheath 16 from sunlight, to increase the overall diameter of the line 10, and to also increase the tensile strength of the line, one or more outer secondary sheaths or sleeves 18 are formed, much like the primary sheath, but using polyester fibers. the secondary sheath 18 may comprise, for example, a cylindrical braid of polyester fibers, such as sixty fibers braided in a standard eight-carrier braid construction over the inner primary sheath 16. the composite inner primary sheath 16 and core 12 is passed upwardly through the center of the eight-carrier braiding apparatus, whereupon the outer secondary sheath 18 is tightly braided over the outer surface of the primary sheath in a conventional diamond braid. the secondary sheath may be adhered, as by rubber cement, to the inner primary sheath. of course, other well-known fibers and braid configurations may be used for the primary and secondary sheaths to alter the tensile strength and appearance of the resulting line. by using the metallic central core 12, with the inner primary sheath 16 and one or more outer secondary sheaths 18 of fiber, the line 10 will not fail if exposed to the fire and heat or to sharp objects usually encountered by firemen, mountaineers and rescue workers. should the primary and secondary sheaths 16 and 18 melt, burn or be severed, the metallic core 12 will remain intact, having been selected with sufficient weight-carrying strength to carry the rated load without complete failure of the line 10. with this arrangement, the line 10 is highly resistant to fire, heat, chafing and severing, and also to chemicals and shock. the line need no longer be prematurely discarded just on the chance it has received sufficient exposure to cause failure during subsequent use, when in fact the line has not. with the line 10 of the present invention, the user may safely rely upon the inherent strength of the metallic core 12. in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner primary sheath 16 is manufactured of nylon to achieve all the wall-recognized advantages of nylon. the outer secondary sheaths 18 are manufactured of a material other than nylon, such as polyester, which is not so susceptible to degradation when exposed to sunlight. in addition to adding to the thickness of the line 10 to facilitate its grasping by users, the outer secondary sheaths 18 shield the nylon inner primary sheath 16 and protect it from ultraviolet light, which in time would otherwise degrade the nylon. as such, the line 10 can be made using nylon and be exposed to sunlight without the disadvantage of light-induced degradation. the use of a polyester outer secondary sheath 18 also protects the less abrasion-resistant nylon inner primary sheath 16 from abrasion damage that would weaken the nylon. another advantage of the line 10 embodying the present invention is that it provides a static line. the metallic core 12 prevents any significant elongation of the line 10 during use, and avoids the bouncing or spring resulting therefrom even during extreme loading. this is achieved with the primary and secondary sheaths 16 and 18 providing a cover for the metallic core 10 which protects the user from directly grasping the metallic core, which can be too slippery or abrasive to handle. the line 10 is lightweight, and as a result of the sheaths 16 and 18, the line may be tied into knots which will cinch tightly enough to provide a safe hold. the line 10 can be easily and conveniently manipulated since it is not as unwieldly as cable. should the primary and secondary sheaths 16 and 18 burn or melt, or be severed at a point above where the load is applied to the line 10, the construction of the line will prevent the sheaths from slipping longitudinally along the core or relative to each other. in addition to the use of adhesive material 15 between the core 12 and the sheaths 16 and 18, and even when no adhesive is used, the diamond weave of the sheaths provides an interlock or chinese-finger-trap effect when the sheaths break. as such, they tend to grip and hold onto the core or sheath within. while the metallic core 12 is of a relatively high tensile strength, one of the important advantages of the line 10 of the present invention is achieved by selecting a core material with a tensile strength greater than the desired rated load-carrying ability for the line but substantially less than the overall tensile strength of the combined primary and secondary fibrous sheaths 16 and 18. as such, when the load limit of the metallic core 12 is exceeded and the core breaks, the core is entrapped and maintained within the still operative fibrous sheaths 16 and 18, and cannot snap back. in a manner, the sheaths provide a shock-absorber-like effect. this eliminates the danger of backlash to user and bystanders, and the sheaths 16 and 18 provide a load-carrying safety margin. the tensile strength of the sheaths 16 and 18 is selected to be sufficiently greater than that of the core 12 such that the tension on the two severed core portions will be completely relaxed before reaching the breaking strength of the sheaths under normal loading. the construction of the line 10 further eliminates backlash of the fibrous sheaths 16 and 18 should they subsequently break. since each of the severed portions of the line 10 will contain one of the previously severed metallic core portions, the backlash of the sheaths 16 and 18 is minimized by the dead weight of the untensioned core portions. in one embodiment of the line 10, the selected core 12 was a 3/16-inch diameter non-rotating metal cable with a tensile strength of about 3,800 pounds. the sheaths 16 and 18 were selected with a combined tensile strength of about 6,000 pounds. the three examples set forth below provide the details for several 1/8-inch diameter cores. in all cases, the combined tensile strength of the sheaths 16 and 18 was about 6,000 pounds, having the same construction as the sheaths mentioned above with only the core size and type varied. example 1 a rescue and safety line was manufactured for primary use as a fireman's safety rope. the rescue and safety line was manufactured using a 1/8-inch diameter stainless steel core with two layers of polymeric fiber sheaths braided about the core. the primary sheath was securely adhered to the core with rubber cement. the elements of the line had the following characteristics: core: 1/8-inch diameter, seven strands of 19 wires each being twisted with standard wire rope techniques. the wires were made of type 304 stainless steel. the resulting cable, commonly known as "aircraft cable," had a breaking strength of 1,760 pounds per mil-w-83420 or rr-w410. primary sheath: a synthetic sheath braided around and tightly adhered to the core and composed of dupont nylon, type 707. the primary sheath was formed in a 16-carrier braiding apparatus with a 2.times.2 weave, using two strands per carrier of 8400 denier per strand with a 2.17 multiplier. secondary sheath: a synthetic sheath braided about the primary sheath and composed of allied chemical corporation polyester 1w81. the secondary sheath was formed in a 16-carrier braiding apparatus with a 1.times.2 twill weave, using two strands per carrier of 10,00 denier per strand with a 5.48 multiplier. the resulting line was relatively flexible and did not part when a 200-pound weight was suspended by the line and the sheath burned off with a propane torch. at the burned area, the sheath remained adhered to the core so that no axial movement between the core and the sheaths occurred. example 2 the rescue and safety line with the construction of example 1 was manufactured, but using a composite core of stainless steel fibers and kevlar.rtm. polyaramid fibers, manufactured according to the teachings of u.s. pat. no. 4,034,547 and sold under the trademark k-flex.rtm.. the core was a 1/8-inch diameter (3.2 mm) cable having a rated breaking strength of 2,100 pounds. the primary sheath was adhered to the core with rubber cement to prevent bunching and axial movement along the rope. the resulting composite line had a nominal outer diameter of 1/2 inch. example 3 a line similar in construction to examples 1 and 2 was manufactured using a stainless steel core with a coil memory built in. this caused the line to assume a coiled configuration when not in tension. a 1/8-inch diameter coiled stainless steel cable was used and is sold by the cable and wire rope division of loos and co., inc., pomfret, conn., under the trademark kobrakoil.rtm.. the resulting line was a self-coiling line ideally suited for boat bow lines, which would self-coil when tension was relieved. in compliance with the statute, the invention has been described in language more or less specific as to structural features. it is to be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the specific features shown. the means and construction herein disclosed comprise a preferred form of putting the invention into effect. the invention is therefore claimed in any of its forms or modifications within the legitimate and valid scope of the appended claims appropriately interpreted in accordance with the doctrine of equivalents.
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050-345-163-369-986
|
US
|
[
"US"
] |
H04N5/765,H04N7/10
| 1979-03-26T00:00:00 |
1979
|
[
"H04"
] |
method and apparatus for connecting a cable television system to a video cassette recorder
|
apparatus for connecting a cable television system utilizing a multi-channel converter having a preselector switch and a preselected converter very high frequency output signal to a video cassette recorder and/or a television receiver. the apparatus includes an input for receiving the signals transmitted by the cable system; first and second conduits defining first and second flow paths, with the converter being disposed in the first flow path; a trap disposed in the second flow path for eliminating the preselected converter output signal from the signals transmitted by the cable system and passing through the second flow path; and a device for combining the preselected converter output signal in the first flow path and the signals transmitted through the second flow path and for transmitting the combined signal to the video cassette recorder and/or television receiver.
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1. apparatus for connecting a cable television system utilizing a multi-channel converter having a preselector switch and a preselected converter very high frequency output signal to a television receiver comprising: input means for receiving a plurality of very high frequency television signals transmitted by said cable television system; means for directing said transmitted signals through first and second conduits defining respectively first and second signal flow paths, with said converter box being disposed in said first flow path; trap means including an output provided in said second flow path for eliminating said preselected converter output signal from the very high frequency signals transmitted by said cable television system; means connected to said first and second conduits for combining said preselected converter output signal and the very high frequency signals transmitted from the ouput of said trap means and for transmitting said combined signals to a television receiver. 2. apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further including second trap means for receiving said preselected converter output signal for removing any additional very high frequency signals carried with said selected converter output signal.
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background of the invention this invention relates to broadening the utility of video cassette recorders and in particular to apparatus for enabling a user of a video cassette recorder connected to a cable television system employing a multi-channel converter box to achieve full programmer utility for the recorder. the number of television receivers nationwide connected to cable television systems has grown dramatically in the last several years. market surveys indicate approximately 13,000,000 homes are connected to a cable system, accounting for approximately a 20% market penetration. forecasts indicate the market penetration will increase to at least 30% by 1982. many of these cable television systems utilize a multi-channel converter for descrambling the very high frequency signals transmitted through the cable system. the converter has a preselected very high frequency output signal to which the television receiver is continuously set, e.g. channel 4. the converter also includes a preselector switch unit for permitting the user to select a single very high frequency signal from the entire range of signals transmitted by the cable system. the converter alters the selected very high frequency signal to the predetermined or preselected output signal for transmission to the television receiver. as used herein the term "very high frequency signals" includes the low and high band channels 2 through 13. channels 2-13 are broadcast by the commercial television systems, whereas cable systems transmit both standard channels 2-13 and generally one or more of the special channels such as mid-band channels, a through i, subchannels a, c, or e, mid band channels a through i, or super band channels j through s. in addition to the widespread use of cable television systems, the introduction of consumer video cassette recorders in the past few years has further increased the utility and overall user enjoyment of television. video cassette recorders enable a person to video tape a television show for his own personal viewing pleasure. essentially, the video cassette recorder is a convenience device for enabling a viewer to tape a television program that he may be unable to view when actually broadcast, either because the broadcast time is inconvenient or the viewer wishes to watch another program broadcast simultaneously with the program he wishes to record. a recent improvement in video cassette recorders enables a user to program the video cassette recorder to operate at preselected times during any consecutive seven days to record preselected programs appearing on any of the channels whether very high frequency or ultra high frequency, broadcast within the viewing area and received through the standard television antenna. however, video cassette recorders used in conjunction with cable television systems employing a multi-channel converter have not afforded the user full recorder utility. for example, heretofore it has often been necessary for a user to obtain from a cable company a second converter box if the user wishes to record a first channel while viewing a second channel. in addition, the user must manually manipulate an external co-axial switch or switches to achieve the desired recording and viewing capabilities. the cable company's monthly charge to the user is increased by the foregoing arrangement since the cable company generally charges a monthly fee which increases with the number of converter boxes rented to the user. further, although programmable video cassette recorders are designed to automatically turn on and off and change channels at a predetermined time, on a given day within a seven day time span, the programmable video cassette recorder cannot override the preselector switch used in conjuntion with the multi-channel converter box. thus, programmable video cassette recorders are not fully functional with cable systems employing multi-channel converter boxes. for example, the programmable video cassette recorder may be connected to the cable system through a manual switch whereby the recorder may select any regular or standard very high frequency channel, i.e. channels 2-13, transmitted through the cable system. however, if it is desired to record a special channel, i.e., a channel transmitted through the cable system that is not a standard very high frequency channel, such as the sub band, mid band or super band channels, it is necessary to connect the multi-channel converter to the video recorder. once the input of the recorder is connected to the output of the converter, the channel changing feature of the programmable video cassette recorder is eliminated. although the present invention achieves particular utility with television receivers in association with video cassette recorders and cable systems of the type described, the invention may also be employed with television receivers connected to the described cable systems and utilizing remote control channel changers. in cable systems using the multi-channel converter, the television receiver tuner is set at one channel, which is the preselected converter output channel, e.g. channel 4. thus, the remote channel changer presently cannot be employed to change channels transmitted through the multi-channel converter device. summary of the invention it is an object of this invention to broaden the utility of a video cassette recorder. it is a further object of this invention for enabling a user of a video cassette recorder connected to a cable television system employing a multi-channel converter box to record one program and view a second program on a different channel without needing to rent a second multi-channel converter box from the cable television system and/or utilize a number of manually operated external switches. it is a further object of this invention to enable a programmable video cassette recorder to automatically change channels even though the signals for the channels are transmitted by a cable television system employing a multi-channel converter box. it is yet another object of this invention to provide apparatus capable of increasing the utility of remote control channel changing devices employed with television receivers connected to cable television systems employing multi-channel converters. these and other objects of the present invention are attained in apparatus for connecting a cable television system to a video cassette recorder and/or a television receiver including input means for receiving a plurality of very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable television system. the apparatus further includes means for directing said transmitted signals through first and second signal conduits respectively defining first and second flow paths. a multi-channel converter is provided in the first flow path. the converter includes selector means for selecting a single very high frequency signal from the total signals transmitted through the cable television system. the converter changes the selected signal to a preselected converter very high frequency output signal. the apparatus further includes trap means including an output provided in the second flow path for eliminating the preselected converter output signal from the very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable television system. combining means are connected to the first and second conduits for combining the preselected converter output signal with the very high frequency signals transmitted through the output of the trap means and for further transmitting the combined signals to a video cassette recorder and/or a television receiver. brief description of the drawing the single figure of the drawing schematically illustrates the invention herein disclosed. description of the preferred embodiment referring now to the drawing, there is schematically illustrated a system in accordance with the present invention. the system 10 includes electrically conductive conduit 12 for receiving the television signals transmitted by a cable television system. typically, the signals permit a viewer to watch a number of standard channels, i.e. channels 2 through 13 and a number of special channels, such as sub channels a, c, and e, mid band channels a through i, and super band channels j through s. a two-way signal splitter 14 of the type sold by magnavox corporation, model no. ml-2d is connected to conduit 12 for directing the very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable television system through a first flow path defined by electrically conductive conduit 16 and a second flow path defined by electrically conductive conduit 18. a multi-channel converter 20 is disposed within the first flow path defined by conduit 16. the multi-channel converter is supplied by the cable television system, and includes a preselector switch unit 22 which enables the user of the cable television system to select a desired channel for viewing on his television receiver. selector switch unit 22 includes a plurality of sub-switches for selecting the desired channel. converter 20 alters the selected single very high frequency signal selected by the viewer to a preselected converter very high frequency output signal delivered at output 30 of the converter. a descrambler 24 may be connected to the output 30 of converter 20. descrambler 24 may be used to descramble the signal of a premium channel broadcast by the cable television system for an additional fee. the preselected converter very high frequency output signal is thence transmitted to a special band pass filter 26. the function of band pass filter 26 will be more fully described hereinafter. the signal delivered through band pass filter 26 is thence transmitted to one input 31 of a second splitter 35, similar to the type of splitter 14 hereinbefore identified. the very high frequency signals transmitted through conduit 18 defining the second flow path are delivered into a special trap 32. trap 32 is tuned to pass all the very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable television system except for the preselected very high frequency output signal delivered by converter 20. the specially tuned traps have been obtained from eagle comtronics inc. of phoenix, n.y. eagle is a manufacturer of channel traps for the cable system industry. at this time, it has been necessary to specially tune standard traps sold by eagle to achieve the described function. presently, the traps have been tuned to remove both the audio and video components of an entire preselected channel signal to a -60db. for example, if the preselected converter output signal is channel 4, then trap 32 will operate to pass all very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable television system except for channel 4. the signals transmitted through trap 32 are delivered to an output 33 thereof, connected to a second input 34 of splitter 35. splitter 35 combines the signals transmitted through the first and second flow paths and delivers same through an electrically conductive conduit 40 to the input of a video cassette recorder 36. recorder 36 may be either programmable or non-programmable with each type of recorder having utility with the present invention. the output from the recorder is delivered to the input of a television receiver 38. alternatively, conduit 40 may be connected directly to the input of television receiver 38 in systems not having video cassette recorders wherein the television receiver is either remote controlled and/or electronically tuneable to receive one or more of the aforementioned special channels. as noted previously, one of the primary features users of video cassette recorders desire is the capability to record a first program while viewing a second program on a different channel. in addition, the channel changing capability of the programmable video cassette recorder is one of its most attractive features from a marketing viewpoint. presently, the user of a video cassette recorder employed with a cable television system having a multi-channel converter must utilize a second converter and/or at least one manually operated co-axial switch for enabling the user to view a first program broadcast on any of the channels transmitted through the cable system, while recording a second program on any of the other channels transmitted through the system. further, the programmable type recorder's channel changing feature can not be utilized with any signal only transmitted through the multi-channel converter since the channel changing feature of the video cassette recorder can not override the preselector switch associated with the multi-channel converter. the programmable feature can only be utilized for unattended automatic selection of those channels transmitted by the cable system not requiring the user to employ the converter box for reception of the signals by the recorder and/or television receiver. owners of programmable recorders connected to a multi-channel converter have been quite displeased by the aforedescribed short-coming of their relatively expensive recorders. the present invention eliminates the problems discussed hereinabove in the following manner. the user of the video cassette recorder selects one special channel for continuous transmission through multi-channel converter 20 by depressing the appropriate sub-switch of selector switch unit 22. all the very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable television system are directed by splitter 14 to the input of multi-channel converter 20 and trap 32 respectively connected to first conduit 16 and second conduit 18. the depressed sub-switch of selector switch unit 22 associated with converter 20 continuously connects a single special channel to the output of converter 20. thus, the preselected converter very high frequency output signal generated by converter 20 continuously transmits the same selected special channel so long as the depressed sub-switch of selector switch unit 22 remains in its chosen position. trap 32, as noted hereinbefore, will pass all of the standard signals transmitted by the cable system, except the preselected converter output signal generated by converter 20. for example, as noted previously, if the converter output signal is channel 4, then trap 32 will prevent continued transmission of channel 4 through the second flow path. thus all the standard very high frequency signals transmitted by the cable system will pass through trap 32 and appear at its output 33 except for channel 4. trap 32 is specifically designed and tuned to remove the entire converter output channel from output 33. splitter 35 functions to combine the preselected converter output signal, i.e. channel 4, with the signals transmitted through trap 32, i.e. all standard very high frequency signals transmitted through the cable television system except for channel 4. thus, if the user of video cassette recorder 36 wishes to record the preselected channel and view any of the other standard channels, or vice versa, he is able to do so since the output from splitter 35 includes all signals transmitted by the cable television system. secondly, if the video cassette recorder includes a programmable feature, the user thereof may obtain the benefits of the channel selecting feature since, all standard channels plus at least one special channel transmitted through the cable television system will appear at the output of splitter 35. if the video cassette recorder is programmed to record the preselected special channel determined by selector switch unit 22, that channel will appear at the input to the recorder as the preselected converter very high frequency output signal. if the recorder is programmed to record one of the standard channels at any other time the standard channels are also provided at the input of the recorder via the transmission of such signals through trap 32. thus, greater programmer utility is obtained through the operation of the present invention. to insure that only the preselected converter output signal is transmitted through the first flow path to combining means 35, band-pass filter 26 may be employed. filter 26 removes any portions of additional very high frequency signals that may be carried with the preselected output signal due to harmonics or other interference causing phenomena. while the present invention is particularly useful in combination with video cassette recorders and television receivers connected to cable systems using a multi-converter device, the invention can also be employed with television receivers using a remote control channel changing device and connected to a cable system of the type described. by continuously connecting a preselected special channel to the converter output signal, typically a standard very high frequency channel, and then passing the remaining channels through trap 32, the invention continuously transmits all standard channels plus at least one special channel to the television receiver. in effect, converter 20 changes a special, non-standard signal transmitted by the system to a conventional or standard very high frequency signal for transmission to the television receiver. thus, the remote channel changer can be utilized to select one desired special channel for viewing from any of the signals transmitted through splitter 35. while a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described and illustrated, the invention should not be limited thereto but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.
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050-687-172-878-707
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DE
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[
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"US",
"CN",
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C09K11/06,C08K5/00,C08K5/3417,H01L51/00,H01L51/50,H05B33/10,C07C13/567,C07C15/14,C07F15/00,C08G61/10,C08G61/12,C08K5/3437,C08K5/56,C08L65/00,C07C15/50,C07C49/784,C07C49/796,C08F12/32,H05B33/26,H01L51/54,H01J1/63,H01L51/56,C07D209/82,C07D251/24
| 2010-10-14T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"C09",
"C08",
"H01",
"H05",
"C07"
] |
materials for organic electroluminescence devices
|
the present invention relates to a blend comprising; a) at least one polymer or copolymer or a mixture of a plurality of polymers and/or copolymers which contain a main chain and a side chain, where at least one side chain contains a structural unit of the following formula (i), the symbols and indices used here are as defined below; b) at least one host molecule which has electron- or hole-transporting functionality, and c) at least one emitter molecule.
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blend comprising: a) at least one polymer or copolymer or a mixture of a plurality of polymers and/or copolymers, where the at least one polymer or copolymer contains at least one structural unit of the following formula (i) in the side chains where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer or copolymer backbone, and the other symbols and indices used have the following meanings: l is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, a single covalent bond or a straight-chain alkylene group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkylene group having 3 to 20 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c=cr 2 , c≡c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c=o, c=s, c=se, c=nr 2 , p(=o) (r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , preferably a single covalent bond; ar 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a divalent, mono- or polycyc-lic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring sys-tem having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ; ar 2 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a mono- or polycyclic, aro-matic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ; q is a unit selected from the group consist-ing of a group -x(=a)-, where a = o, s, se or te, and mono- or polycyclic aromatic ring systems having 6 to 60 aromatic car-bon atoms or mono- or polycyclic hetero-aromatic ring systems having 2 to 50 aro-matic carbon atoms; m is 0, 1, 2 or 3, preferably 0 or 1; l is 0, 1, 2 or 3; s is 1 in the case of q = -x(=a)-; is 1 to 5, preferably 1 to 3, in the case where q is selected from the group consisting of mono- or polycyclic aromatic ring systems having 6 to 60 aromatic carbon atoms or mono- or polycyclic heteroaromatic ring systems having 2 to 50 aromatic carbon atoms; and is 1 or 2 in the case m = 0; r 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, d, f, cl, br, i, n(ar 3 ) 2 , cn, no 2 , si(r 2 ) 3 , b(or 2 ) 2 , c(=o) ar 3 , p(=o)(ar 3 ) 2 , s(=o) ar 3 , s (=o) 2 ar 3 , - cr 2 =cr 2 (ar 3 ) , a mono- or polycyclic, aro-matic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, tosylate, triflate, oso 2 r 2 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 2 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c=cr 2 , c=c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 2 , 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c=o, c=s, c=se, c=nr 2 , p(=o)(r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or a combination of these systems; where two or more adjacent substituents r 1 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z; x is selected from the group consisting of c, p(ar 4 ), s and so, preferably c or p(ph); r 2 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 c atoms, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by nh, o or s and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, or a mono- or polycylic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 20 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radi-cals r 3 ; where two or more substituents r 2 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z; r 3 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 c atoms, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by nh, o or s and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f; where two or more substituents r 3 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z; ar 3 and ar 4 are on each occurrence, identi-cally or differently, a mono- or poly-cyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 3 ; z represents a divalent group -(cr 4 2 ) q-; q is equal to 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; r 4 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 c atoms, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by nh, o or s and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f. b) at least one host molecule which has electron- or hole-transporting functionality, and c) at least one emitter molecule. blend according to claim 1, characterised in that q is selected from the group consisting of -x(=o)-; 1,3,5-triazylene and/or radicals derived from benzene, naphthalene, anthra-cene, benzanthracene, phenanthrene, benzo-phenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene, benzofluoranthene, naphthacene, pentacene, benzopyrene, biphenyl, biphenyl-ene, terphenyl, terphenylene, fluorene, spirobifluorene, dihydrophenanthrene, dihydropyrene, tetrahydropyrene, cis- or trans-indenofluorene, cis- or trans-mono-benzoindenofluorene, cis- or trans-dibenzo-indenofluorene, truxene, isotruxene, spiro-truxene, spiroisotruxene, furan, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzo-thiophene, pyrrole, indole, isoindole, carba-zole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine, phenanthridine, benzo-5,6-quino-line, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quino-line, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, naphth-imidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimida-zole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, oxazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthrox-azole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thia-zole, 1,3-thiazole, benzothiazole, pyrida-zine, benzopyridazine, pyrimidine, benzopyri-midine, quinoxaline, 1,5-diazaanthracene, 2,7-diazapyrene, 2,3-diazapyrene, 1,6-diaza-pyrene, 1,8-diazapyrene, 4,5-diazapyrene, 4,5,9,10-tetraazaperylene, pyrazine, phena-zine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, fluorubine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthroline, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-tri-azole, benzotriazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thia-diazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thia-diazole, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, tetrazole, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, purine, pteridine, indolizine and benzothiadiazole, where the 1,3,5-triazylene or the radicals may each be substituted at any desired posi-tion by one or more radicals r 1 , r 2 and/or r 3 and/or may be linked to the aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system via any desired positions; and s is 1 in the case of q = -x(=o)-; is 1 or 2 in the case q = 1,3,5-triazylene; or is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in the case where q is selected from the radicals indicated above. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that characterised in that ar 1 or ar 2 or ar 1 and ar 2 are selected on each occurrence, independently of one another, from the group consisting of radicals derived from benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, benzanthracene, phenanthrene, benzophenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene, benzofluoranthene, naphthacene, pentacene, benzopyrene, biphenyl, biphenylene, terphenyl, terphenylene, fluorene, spirobifluorene, dihydrophenanthrene, dihydropyrene, tetrahydropyrene, cis- or trans-indenofluorene, cis- or trans-monobenzoindenofluorene, cis- or trans-dibenzoindenofluorene, truxene, isotruxene, spirotruxene, spiroisotruxene, furan, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, pyrrole, indole, isoindole, carbazole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine, phenanthridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimidazole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, oxazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, benzothiazole, pyridazine, benzopyridazine, pyrimidine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, 1,5-diazaanthracene, 2,7-diazapyrene, 2,3-diazapyrene, 1,6-diazapyrene, 1,8-diazapyrene, 4,5-diazapyrene, 4,5,9,10-tetraazaperylene, pyrazine, phenazine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, fluorubine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthroline, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, benzotriazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, tetrazole, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, purine, pteridine, indolizine and benzothiadiazole, each of which may be substituted at any desired position by one or more radicals r 1 , r 2 and/or r 3 and/or may be linked to the aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system via any desired positions. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the structural unit of the formula (i) is selected from the group consisting of a) structural units having electron-transporting substituents, of the following general formulae (ii) and/or (iii) b) and/or structural units having hole-transporting substituents, of the general formulae (iv) and/or (v) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer or copolymer backbone, r 1 has the meaning given above, and in each case, independently of one another, o = 0 or 1 to 10. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a) the structural unit having electron-transporting substituents is selected from the group consisting of the following structural units: b) and/or the structural unit having hole-transporting substituents is selected from the group consisting of the following structural units: where the dashed line in each case represents the connection to the polymer or copolymer backbone. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that , besides the side chain containing the structural unit of the formula (i), it includes at least one further side chain which contains a further structural unit. blend according to the preceding claim, in which the further structural unit is a unit of the following formula (vi) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, and the symbol l has the same meanings as the preceding claims, and the other symbols used have the following meanings: y is a trivalent unit which is selected from the group consisting of n, b, si(ar 4 ), sir 5 , ge (ar 4 ), ger 5 , p and as; ar 5 is a divalent, mono- or polycyclic, aro-matic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be sub-stituted by one or more radicals r 1 ; ar 6 is a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ; r 5 is on each occurrence, identically or differ-ently, h, d, f, cl, br, i, n(ar 3 ) 2 , cn, no 2 , si(r 2 ) 3 , b(or 2 ) 2 , c (=o) ar 3 , p (=o) (ar 3 ) 2 , s(=o)ar 3 , s(=o) 2 ar 3 , cr 2 =cr 2 (ar 3 ), tosylate, triflate, oso 2 r 2 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 2 , where one or more non-adja-cent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c=cr 2 , c=c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c=o, c=s, c=se, c=nr 2 , p(=o)(r 2 ), so, so 2 nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 2 , or a combination of these systems; where two or more adjacent substituents r 5 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a diva-lent group z; where r 1 , r 2 , ar 3 , ar 4 and z have the same meanings as defined in the preceding claims. blend according to one of the two preceding claims, characterised in that a further structural unit is a unit of the following formula (vii) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, the non-specific bonds which end in the centre of the aromatic rings indicate that the radical r 1 may sit at each of positions 1 to 8 of the carbazole, the symbols l, r 1 and ar 5 have the same meanings as in the preceding claims, and the index i is equal to 0,1, 2, 3 or 4. blend according to one or more of claims 6 to 8, characterised in that a further structural unit is a unit of the following formula (viii) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, the non-specific bonds which end in the centre of the aromatic rings indicate that the symbols r 1 and l 1 may each sit at each of the corresponding positions 1 to 8 of the carbazole, the symbols l, r 1 and ar 5 and the index i have the same meanings as in the above claims, and the other symbols and indices used have the following meanings: l 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a single covalent bond or a straight-chain alkylene group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkylene group having 3 to 20 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c=cr 2 , c≡c, si (r 2 ) 2 , ge (r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c=o, c=s, c=se, c=nr 2 , p (=o) (r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 ; n is equal to 0, 1, 2 or 3, with the proviso that, if n > 1, a maximum of one l 1 may be an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system; ar 7 is a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substi-tuted by one or more radicals r 1 . blend according to one or more of claims 6 to 9, characterised in that a further structural unit is a unit of the following formula (ix) where the dashed line represents a connection to the polymer backbone, and the symbols and indices used have the following meanings: l 2 and l 3 are, independently of one another, on each occurrence, identically or differ-ently, a mono- or polydentate ligand; m is a transition metal, a main-group metal, a lanthanoid or an actinoid; r is equal to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, depending on the denticity of the ligands l 2 and l 3 and the coordination number of the metal m. blend according to one or more of claims 6 to 10, characterised in that a further structural unit is a unit of the following formula (xi) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, the non-specific bonds which end in the centre of the aromatic rings indicate that the symbols r 1 , l and l 1 may each sit at each of the free positions of the aromatic rings, the symbols r 1 , l and l 1 and the indices i and n have the same meanings as in the above claims, and the other symbols used have the following meanings: v and w are selected, independently of one another, from the group from c(ar 3 ) 2 , c(r 5 ) 2 , si(ar 3 ) 2 , si(r 5 ) 2 , ge(ar 3 ) 2 , ge(r 5 ) 2 , c=o, o, s, se, n(ar 4 ), n(r 5 ), p(ar 4 ), p(r 5 ), p=o(ar 3 ), p=o(r 5 ), b and (r 5 ) 2 co; ar 8 is a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substi-tuted by one or more radicals r 1 ; where the symbols r 5 , ar 3 and ar 4 have the same meanings as defined in the above claims. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the at least one host molecule is selected from the group consisting of a) carbazole compounds of the general formula (xiii) where the following applies to the symbols and indices used: ar 9 is on each occurrence an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substi-tuted by one or more radicals r 6 ; r 6 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, f, cl, br, i, n(ar 10 ) 2 , cn, no 2 , si(r 7 ) 3 , b(or 7 ) 2 , c(=o)ar 10 , p (=o) (ar 10 ) 2 , s(=o)ar 10 , s(=o) 2 ar 10 , -cr 7 =cr 7 (ar 10 ), oso 2 r 7 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substi-tuted by one or more radicals r 7 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 7 c=cr 7 , c=c, si(r 7 ) 2 , ge(r 7 ) 2 , sn(r 7 )2, c=o, c=s, c=se, c=nr 7 , p(=o)(r 7 ), so, so 2 , nr 7 , o, s or conr 7 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or an aromatic or hetero-aromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aro-matic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or a combination of these systems; two or more substituents r 6 and/or r 7 here may also form a mono or polycyclic aliphatic or aro-matic ring system with one another; ar 10 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 ; r 7 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms; or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substitu-ted by one or more radicals r; r is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, n(ar 10 ) 2 , a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 5 c atoms or branched alkyl group having 3 to 5 c atoms, where in each case one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by -r 8 c=cr 8 -, where r 8 is as defined below, or -o- and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, or an aryl group having 6 to 16 c atoms or heteroaryl group having 2 to 16 c atoms or a spirobifluorene group, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or a combination of two of these systems; two or more substituents r 7 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system with one another; u is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; v is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and w is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; and/or b) neutral compounds of the general formulae (xiv) or (xv) where the following applies to the symbols and indices used: x 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, cr 8 ; or two directly adjacent groups x 1 stand for a unit of the following formula (xvi), where the dashed bonds indicates the linking of the unit to the adjacent c atoms; y 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a single bond or a group selected from c(r 8 ) 2 , c(=c(r 8 ) 2 ), si(r 8 ) 2 , c(r 8 ) 2 -c(r 8 ) 2 , or cr 8 =cr 8 ; z 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, cr 8 ; r 8 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, a straight-chain alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 10 , or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 9 , or a combination of these systems; two or more adjacent substituents r 8 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; or a unit of the general formula (xvii) where the dashed bonds indicate the linking of the unit to the adjacent c atoms; r 9 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aromatic or hetero-aromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aro-matic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 8 ; r 10 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms, in which, in addi-tion, h atoms may be replaced by f; two or more adjacent substituents r 10 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; and x is 1 or 2; and/or c) neutral compounds of the general formula (xxx) where r 11 an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 9 , or a combination of these systems; two or more adjacent sub-stituents r 10 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring sys-tem with one another; or a unit of the gen-eral formula (xxxi) where the dashed bonds indicate the linking of the unit to the c atom of the keto group. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a) the at least one host molecule has electron-transporting functionality and is selected from the group consisting of the compounds depicted below b) and/or the at least one host molecule has hole-transporting functionality and is selected from the group consisting of the compounds depicted below blend according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterised in that the emitter molecule is a compound of the formulae (21) to (24), where the following applies to the symbols used: dcy is, identically or differently on each occurrence, a cyclic group which contains at least one donor atom, preferably nitro-gen, carbon in the form of a carbene or phosphorus, via which the cyclic group is bonded to the metal, and which may in turn carry one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of r 12 or cn, borane radicals or silyl radicals, where r 12 is selected from the group consisting of h, d or an aliphatic or aromatic hydro-carbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms; the groups dcy and ccy are connected to one another via a covalent bond; ccy is, identically or differently on each occurrence, a cyclic group which contains a carbon atom via which the cyclic group is bonded to the metal and which may in turn carry one or more substituents selected from the group consisting of h, d, f, cn, secondary or tertiary amines, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms, or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 1 to 60 c atoms; a is, identically or differently on each occurrence, a monoanionic, bidentate-che-lating ligand, preferably a diketonate ligand; and r 12 is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, h, d, f, cn, n(r 13 ) 2 , a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms, which may be substituted by r 14 or may also be unsubstituted, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by - r 15 c=cr 15 -, -c=c-, si(r 15 ) 2 , ge(r 15 ) 2 , sn(r 15 ) 2 , c=o, c=s, c=se, c=nr 15 , -o-, -s-, -nr 15 or -conr 15 - and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 1 to 60 c atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 14 , where two or more substituents r 12 may also, together with the atoms to which they are bonded, form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; where at least one group r 12 has a bond to a further structural unit of the polymer; r 13 is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 22 c atoms, in which, in addition, one or more non-adjacent c atoms may be replaced by -r 15 c=cr 15 -, -c=c-, si(r 15 ) 2 , ge(r 15 ) 2 , sn(r 15 ) 2 , -nr 15 -, -o-, -s-, -co-o-, -o-co-o-, where, in addition, one or more h atoms may be replaced by fluorine, an aryl, heteroaryl or aryloxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms, which may also be substituted by one or more radicals r 14 , or oh or n(r 14 ) 2 ; r 14 is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, r 15 or cn, b(r 15 ) 2 or si(r 15 ) 3 ; r 15 is on each occurrence, identically or dif-ferently, h, d or an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the proportion of the emitter molecule in the mixture is 0.1 to 40% by weight. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that a) the structural unit in the side chains of the at least one polymer or copolymer has electron-transporting functionality and the at least one host molecule has hole-transporting functionality, or b) the structural unit in the side chains of the at least one polymer or copolymer has hole-transporting functionality and the at least one host molecule has electron-transporting functionality. blend according to one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the polymer backbone is a polyethylene structure. formulation comprising a blend according to one of the preceding claims, and at least one further component. formulation according to the preceding claim, characterised in that the at least one further component is selected from the group consisting of solvents, where the formulation in this case is preferably in the form of a solution, dispersion, suspension or slurry; light stabilisers; uv stabilisers; flameproofing agents; fillers and combinations thereof. compound of the following formula (ia) in which the symbols and indices used have the same meanings as in the above claims, and the symbol p is a polymerisable group. electronic device comprising an anode, a cathode and a layer, arranged between anode and cathode, comprising a blend according to one of claims 1 to 17 or a formulation according to one of claims 18 to 19. electronic device according to the preceding claim, comprising a layer, arranged between the cathode and the layer comprising the blend, comprising a conductive polymer, in particular pedot:pss. electronic device according to the preceding claim, comprising a hole-injection layer, in particular comprising an arylamine polymer, arranged between the conductive polymer and the layer comprising the blend. electronic device according to one of claims 22 to 23, characterised in that a) the cathode is formed from a semiconducting mixed oxide, in particular ito (indium tin oxide), and/or b) the anode is formed from metals, in particular barium, aluminium and/or combinations or alloys thereof. electronic device according to one of claims 22 to 24, characterised in that a) the anode is applied to a substrate, in particular to a glass or plastic substrate, which is arranged on the side of the anode facing away from the layer comprising the blend, and/or b) the cathode is provided with a cover glass or a transparent plastic, which is arranged on the side of the cathode facing away from the layer comprising the blend. electronic device according to one of claims 22 to 25, characterised in that the layer thickness a) of the layer comprising the blend is from 10 to 1000 nm, preferably from 30 to 300 nm, particularly preferably from 50 to 110 nm, b) of the cathode is from 3 to 300 nm, preferably from 3 to 160 nm, c) of the layer comprising the conductive polymer is from 10 to 500 nm, preferably from 20 to 200 nm, particularly preferably from 60 to 80 nm, and/or d) of the hole-injection layer is from 5 to 500 nm, preferably from 10 to 100 nm, particularly preferably from 10 to 30 nm. electronic device according to one of claims 22 to 26, characterised in that the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of organic electroluminescent devices, in particular oleds or pleds, organic integrated circuits (o-ics), organic field-effect transistors (o-fets), organic thin-film transistors (o-tfts), organic light-emitting transistors (o-lets), organic solar cells (o-scs), organic optical detectors, organic photoreceptors, organic field-quench devices (o-fqds), organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (oecs) or organic laser diodes (o-lasers). use of a blend according to one of claims 1 to 17 and/or a formulation according to one of claims 18 to 19 for electronic devices, in particular electronic devices, selected from the group consisting of organic electroluminescent devices, in particular oleds or pleds, organic integrated circuits (o-ics), organic field-effect transistors (o-fets), organic thin-film transistors (o-tfts), organic light-emitting transistors (o-lets), organic solar cells (o-scs), organic optical detectors, organic photoreceptors, organic field-quench devices (o-fqds), organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (oecs) or organic laser diodes (o-lasers).
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the present invention relates to a blend comprising a) at least one polymer or copolymer or a mixture of a plurality of polymers and/or copolymers which contain a main chain and a side chain, where at least one side chain contains a structural unit of the following formula (i) the symbols and indices used here are as defined below;b) at least one host molecule which has electron- or hole-transporting functionality, andc) at least one emitter molecule. the invention is furthermore directed to formulations comprising the above-mentioned blends, uses thereof, polymerisable compounds from which the polymers or copolymers of the blend according to the invention can be prepared, and electronic devices or components, in particular organic electroluminescent devices, which comprise the blend according to the invention. the structure of organic electroluminescent devices (oleds) in which organic semiconductors are employed as functional materials is described, for example, in u.s. pat. no. 4,539,507, u.s. pat. no. 5,151,629, ep 0 676 461 and wo 98/27136. a development in the area of organic electroluminescent devices are phosphorescent oleds. these have significant advantages owing to the higher achievable efficiency compared with fluorescent oleds. however, there is still a need for improvement in the case of phosphorescent oleds. this applies, in particular, to the efficiency and the lifetime of the device. in accordance with the prior art, electron-conducting materials, inter alia ketones (for example in accordance with wo 04/093207) or triazine derivatives (for example in accordance with the unpublished application de 100 2008 036 982), are used as matrix materials for phosphorescent emitters. in particular with ketones, low operating voltages and long lifetimes are achieved, which makes this class of compound a very interesting matrix material. however, there is still a need for improvement, in particular with respect to the efficiency and the lifetime of the device, in the case of the use of these matrix materials, as in the case of other matrix materials. the prior art furthermore discloses organic electroluminescent devices which comprise a phosphorescent emitter doped into a mixture of two matrix materials. us 2007/0252516 discloses phosphorescent organic electroluminescent devices which comprise a mixture of a hole-conducting matrix material and an electron-conducting matrix material. improved efficiency is disclosed for these oleds. no effect on the lifetime is evident. us 2007/0099026 discloses white-emitting organic electroluminescent devices, where the green- or red-emitting layer comprises a phosphorescent emitter and a mixture of a hole-conducting matrix material and an electron-conducting matrix material. hole-conducting materials indicated are, inter alia, triarylamine and carbazole derivatives. electron-conducting materials indicated are, inter alia, aluminium and zinc compounds, oxadiazole compounds and triazine or triazole compounds. further improvements are also still desirable for these oleds. wo 2008/086851 a1 discloses carbazole compounds and the use thereof in organic electroluminescent devices, in particular as matrix material in phosphorescent devices, where ketone compounds may likewise be present. wo 2005/040302 a1 discloses organic semiconductors comprising a polymer, compounds containing l=x structural units and triplet emitter compounds. the compounds mentioned therein have good solubility and are readily accessible synthetically. nevertheless, there continues to be a need for improvement with respect to solubility for solution-processable systems and with respect to lifetime and efficiency. the technical object on which the invention is based was therefore the provision of a mixture which can be processed simply from solution and results in a very long lifetime and good efficiency in an organic electroluminescent device. the object is achieved in accordance with the invention by a blend comprising a) at least one polymer or copolymer or a mixture of a plurality of polymers and/or copolymers, where the at least one polymer or copolymer contains at least one structural unit of the following formula (i) in the side chains where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer or copolymer backbone, and the other symbols and indices used have the following meanings:l is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a single covalent bond or a straight-chain alkylene group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkylene group having 3 to 20 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c═cr 2 , c≡c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c═o, c═s, c═se, c═nr 2 , p(═o)(r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , preferably a single covalent bond;ar 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a divalent, mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ;ar 2 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ;q is a unit selected from the group consisting of a group —x(=a)-, where a=o, s, se or te, and mono- or polycyclic aromatic ring systems having 6 to 60 aromatic carbon atoms or mono- or polycyclic heteroaromatic ring systems having 2 to 50 aromatic carbon atoms;m is 0, 1, 2 or 3, preferably 0 or 1;l is 0, 1, 2 or 3;s is 1 in the case of q=—x(=a)-; is 1 to 5, preferably 1 to 3, in the case where q is selected from the group consisting of mono- or polycyclic aromatic ring systems having 6 to 60 aromatic carbon atoms or mono- or polycyclic heteroaromatic ring systems having 2 to 50 aromatic carbon atoms; and is 1 or 2 in the case m=0;r 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, d, f, cl, br, i, n(ar 3 ) 2 , cn, no 2 , si(r 2 ) 3 , b(or 2 ) 2 , c(═o)ar 3 , p(═o) (ar 3 ) z , s(═o) ar 3 , s(═o) 2 ar 3 , —cr 2 ═cr 2 (ar 3 ), a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, tosylate, triflate, oso 2 r 2 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 2 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c═cr 2 , c≡c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c═o, c═s, c═se, c═nr 2 , p(═o)(r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or a combination of these systems; where two or more adjacent substituents r 1 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z;x is selected from the group consisting of c, p(ar 4 ), s and so, preferably c or p(ph);r 2 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 c atoms, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by nh, o or s and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, or a mono- or polycylic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 20 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 3 ; where two or more substituents r 2 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z; r 3 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 c atoms, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by nh, o or s and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f; where two or more substituents r 3 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z; ar 3 and ar 4 are on each occurrence, identically or differently, a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 3 ;z represents a divalent group —(cr 4 2 ) q —;q is equal to 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;r 4 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl group having 3 to 20 c atoms, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by nh, o or s and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f.b) at least one host molecule which has electron- or hole-transporting functionality, andc) at least one emitter molecule. an aromatic ring system in the sense of this invention contains 6 to 60 c atoms in the ring system. a heteroaromatic ring system in the sense of this invention contains 1 to 60 c atoms and at least one heteroatom in the ring system, with the proviso that the sum of c atoms and heteroatoms is at least 5. the heteroatoms are preferably selected from n, o and/or s. an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system in the sense of this invention is intended to be taken to mean a system which does not necessarily contain only aryl or heteroaryl groups, but instead in which, in addition, a plurality of aryl or heteroaryl groups may be interrupted by a non-aromatic unit (preferably less than 10% of the atoms other than h), such as, for example, an sp 3 -hybridised c, n or o atom or a carbonyl group. thus, for example, systems such as 9,9′-spirobifluorene, 9,9-diarylfluorene, triarylamine, diaryl ether, stilbene, etc., are also intended to be taken to be aromatic ring systems in the sense of this invention, as are systems in which two or more aryl groups are interrupted, for example, by a linear or cyclic alkyl group or by a silyl group. an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5-60 aromatic ring atoms, which may also in each case be substituted by the above-mentioned radicals r and which may be linked to the aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system via any desired positions, are taken to mean, for example, groups derived from benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, benzanthracene, phenanthrene, benzophenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene, benzofluoranthene, naphthacene, pentacene, benzopyrene, biphenyl, biphenylene, terphenyl, terphenylene, fluorene, spirobifluorene, dihydrophenanthrene, dihydropyrene, tetrahydropyrene, cis- or trans-indenofluorene, cis- or trans-monobenzoindenofluorene, cis- or trans-dibenzoindenofluorene, truxene, isotruxene, spirotruxene, spiroisotruxene, furan, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, pyrrole, indole, isoindole, carbazole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine, phenanthridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimidazole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, oxazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, benzothiazole, pyridazine, benzopyridazine, pyrimidine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, 1,5-diazaanthracene, 2,7-diazapyrene, 2,3-diazapyrene, 1,6-diazapyrene, 1,8-diazapyrene, 4,5-diazapyrene, 4,5,9,10-tetraazaperylene, pyrazine, phenazine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, fluorubine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthroline, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, benzotriazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, tetrazole, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, purine, pteridine, indolizine and benzothiadiazole. in the case where l represents a single covalent bond, the radicals ar 1 and ar 2 in the formula i are, for example, connected directly to one another. alternatively or in addition, in the case where l represents a single covalent bond, the radical ar 1 in the formula i may also be bonded directly to the polymer backbone. in the case where m=0, the two groups ar 1 in the formula i are likewise covalently linked directly. surprisingly, significant increases in performance, such as, for example, current efficiency, and lifetime can be achieved with the novel blends of the polymers or copolymers with electron- or hole-transport structure bonded as side group and the corresponding, soluble small molecules having hole- or electron-transport properties compared with pure polymer blends of side-group polystyrenes containing a preferably electron-transporting or hole-transporting side group, which represent the prior art. the said matrix materials here are each doped with an emitter consisting of a transition-metal complex. compared with pure blends of hole- and electron-transporting small molecules, significant advantages are achieved with respect to significantly improved film formation. furthermore, the blend of polymer and small molecule results in the transition-metal complex being arranged in a favourable morphology, preferably in a component of the blend, so that quenching processes can be considerably suppressed and the light yield of the device can thus be increased. by mixing small molecules into, for example, a polystyrene side-group polymer, the crystallisation tendency of the former is reliably suppressed. the structural unit of the formula (i) is preferably an electron- or hole-transporting unit. in the present application, the term polymer or copolymer is taken to mean both polymeric compounds, oligomeric compounds and dendrimers. the polymeric compounds according to the invention preferably have 10 to 10000, particularly preferably 20 to 5000 and in particular 50 to 2000 structural units. the oligomeric compounds according to the invention preferably have 3 to 9 structural units. the branching factor of the polymers here is between 0 (linear polymer, no branching points) and 1 (fully branched dendrimer). the term “dendrimer” in the present application is intended to be taken to mean a highly branched compound which is built up from a multifunctional centre (core), to which branched monomers are bonded in a regular structure, so that a tree-like structure is obtained. both the centre and the monomers can adopt any desired branched structures here which consist both of purely organic units and also organometallic compounds or coordination compounds. “dendrimer” here is generally intended to be understood as described, for example, by m. fischer and f. vögtle ( angew. chem., int. ed. 1999, 38, 885). an electronic component, in particular an organic electroluminescent device, is taken to mean a device which comprises anode, cathode and at least one emitting layer which is arranged between the anode and the cathode, where at least one layer between the anode and the cathode comprises at least one organic or organometallic compound. the emitting layer here preferably comprises at least one polymer according to the invention which comprises at least one structural unit of the formula (i) in the side chains, either as matrix material or, if the polymer also has emitting units, as emitting material. an organic electroluminescent device does not necessarily have to comprise only layers which are built up from organic or organometallic materials. thus, it is also possible for one or more layers to comprise inorganic materials or to be built up entirely from inorganic materials. a fluorescent compound in the sense of the present application is a compound which exhibits luminescence from an excited singlet state at room temperature. for the purposes of the present application, all luminescent compounds which contain no heavy atoms, i.e. no atoms having an atomic number greater than 36, are, in particular, intended to be regarded as fluorescent compounds. a phosphorescent compound in the sense of the present invention is a compound which exhibits luminescence from an excited state having relatively high spin multiplicity, i.e. from a state having a spin quantum number s greater than or equal to 1, at room temperature. a phosphorescent compound in the sense of the present invention is preferably taken to mean a compound which emits light and/or radiation from an excited triplet (s=1, (2s+1)=3) and/or from an excited quintet (s=2, (2s+1)=5) state, very preferably from an excited triplet state. for the purposes of the present application, all luminescent compounds which contain a transition metal, preferably compounds containing cu or other transition metals having an atomic number greater than 36 and particularly preferably compounds containing cu, pt or ir, are, in particular, intended to be regarded as phosphorescent compounds. for the purposes of the present application, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl group is taken to mean an alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl groups preferably having 1 to 40 c atoms, particularly preferably 1 to 20 c atoms, or 3 to 40 c atoms, in particular 3 to 20 c atoms. cyclic alkyl groups can be mono-, bi- or polycyclic alkyl groups. individual —ch— or —ch 2 — groups may be replaced by n, nh, o or s. preference is given to the radicals methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, s-butyl, t-butyl, 2-methylbutyl, n-pentyl, s-pentyl, t-pentyl, cyclopentyl, n-hexyl, cyclohexyl, n-heptyl, cyclo-heptyl, n-octyl, cyclooctyl, 2-ethylhexyl, trifluoromethyl, pentafluoroethyl, 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl, ethenyl, propenyl, butenyl, pentenyl, cyclopentenyl, hexenyl, cyclohexenyl, heptenyl, cycloheptenyl, octenyl, cyclooctenyl, ethynyl, propynyl, butynyl, pentynyl, hexynyl, heptynyl and octynyl. an alkylene group in the present application is taken to mean an alkyl group as defined above in which two hydrogen radicals are not present and have been replaced by the further bond. preferred aromatic ring systems are, for example, benzene, biphenyl, terphenyl, naphthalene, anthracene, binaphthyl, phenanthrene, benzanthracene, dihydrophenanthrene, pyrene, dihydropyrene, chrysene, perylene, tetracene, pentacene, benzopyrene, fluorene, spirobifluorene and indene. a mono- or polycyclic, heteroaromatic ring system in the sense of this invention is preferably taken to mean a heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 40 ring atoms, particularly preferably 5 to 30, in particular 5 to 14 ring atoms. the heteroaromatic ring system contains at least one heteroatom selected from n, o and s (the remaining atoms are carbon). a heteroaromatic ring system is in addition intended to be taken to mean a system which does not necessarily contain only aromatic or heteroaromatic groups, but instead in which, in addition, a plurality of aromatic or heteroaromatic groups may be interrupted by a short non-aromatic unit (<10% of the atoms other than h, preferably <5% of the atoms other than h), such as, for example, sp 3 -hybridised c, o, n, etc., or a co group. these heteroaromatic ring systems can be monocyclic or polycyclic, i.e. they may contain one ring (for example pyridyl) or two or more rings, which may also be condensed or covalently bonded, or contain a combination of condensed and linked rings. preferred heteroaromatic ring systems are, for example, 5-membered rings, such as pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, tetrazole, furan, thiophene, selenophene, oxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 6-membered rings, such as pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, or condensed groups, such as indole, isoindole, indolizine, indazole, benzimidazole, benzotriazole, purine, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimidazole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, benzothiazole, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, quinoline, isoquinoline, pteridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, benzoisoquinoline, acridine, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, benzopyridazine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, phenazine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthridine, phenanthroline, thieno[2,3b]thiophene, thieno[3,2b]thiophene, dithienothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, benzothiadiazothiophene, or combinations of these groups. particular preference is given to imidazole, benzimidazole and pyridine. a divalent mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system is taken to mean a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system as described above in which one hydrogen radical is not present and has been replaced by the further bond. an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms is taken to mean a group which carries a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms as described above via an o atom. in a further embodiment of the present invention, l in the structural unit of the formula (i) is preferably a single covalent bond in the sense of the definition indicated above. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, q is selected from the group consisting of —x(═o)—; 1,3,5-triazylene and/or radicals derived from benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, benzanthracene, phenanthrene, benzophenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene, benzofluoranthene, naphthacene, pentacene, benzopyrene, biphenyl, biphenylene, terphenyl, terphenylene, fluorene, spirobifluorene, dihydrophenanthrene, dihydropyrene, tetrahydropyrene, cis- or trans-indenofluorene, cis- or trans-monobenzoindenofluorene, cis- or trans-dibenzoindenofluorene, truxene, isotruxene, spirotruxene, spiroisotruxene, furan, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, pyrrole, indole, isoindole, carbazole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine, phenanthridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimidazole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, oxazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, benzothiazole, pyridazine, benzopyridazine, pyrimidine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, 1,5-diazaanthracene, 2,7-diazapyrene, 2,3-diazapyrene, 1,6-diazapyrene, 1,8-diazapyrene, 4,5-diazapyrene, 4,5,9,10-tetraazaperylene, pyrazine, phenazine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, fluorubine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthroline, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, benzotriazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, tetrazole, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, purine, pteridine, indolizine and benzothiadiazole, where the 1,3,5-triazylene or the radicals may each be substituted at any desired position by one or more radicals r 1 , r 2 and/or r 3 and/or may be linked to the aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system via any desired position; and s is 1 in the case where q=—x(═o)—; is 1 or 2 in the case q=1,3,5-triazylene; or is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in the case where q is selected from the radicals indicated above. particularly preferred radicals q here are —c(═o)— and 1,3,5-triacylene or the radicals mentioned above. in a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, ar 1 or ar 2 or ar 1 and ar 2 are selected on each occurrence, independently of one another, from the group consisting of benzene, naphthalene, anthracene, benzanthracene, phenanthrene, benzophenanthrene, pyrene, chrysene, perylene, fluoranthene, benzofluoranthene, naphthacene, pentacene, benzopyrene, biphenyl, biphenylene, terphenyl, terphenylene, fluorene, spirobifluorene, dihydrophenanthrene, dihydropyrene, tetrahydropyrene, cis- or trans-indenofluorene, cis- or trans-monobenzoindenofluorene, cis- or trans-dibenzoindenofluorene, truxene, isotruxene, spirotruxene, spiroisotruxene, furan, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, thiophene, benzothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, pyrrole, indole, isoindole, carbazole, pyridine, quinoline, isoquinoline, acridine, phenanthridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, pyrazole, indazole, imidazole, benzimidazole, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimidazole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, oxazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, benzothiazole, pyridazine, benzopyridazine, pyrimidine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, 1,5-diazaanthracene, 2,7-diazapyrene, 2,3-diazapyrene, 1,6-diazapyrene, 1,8-diazapyrene, 4,5-diazapyrene, 4,5,9,10-tetraazaperylene, pyrazine, phenazine, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, fluorubine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthroline, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, benzotriazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, tetrazole, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, purine, pteridine, indolizine and benzothiadiazole, each of which may be substituted at any desired position by one or more radicals r 1 , r 2 and/or r 3 and/or may be linked to the aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system via any desired position. the radicals ar 1 here each have two single bonds to the structural elements shown adjacent in the formula i, i.e l and/or q; the radical ar 2 is connected to the group l by a single bond. the single bonds can emanate from ar 1 and/or ar 2 from any desired position. in a further embodiment of the present invention, m in the structural unit of the formula (i) is preferably equal to 0 or 1. in a further preferred embodiment, x in the structural unit of the formula (i) is, in the case where m=1, likewise equal to c or p(ph) (ph=phenyl), particularly preferably c. preferred structural units of the formula (i) are depicted below: particularly preferred structural units of the formula (i) are depicted below: especially preferred structural units of the formula (i) are depicted below: in the preferred, particularly preferred and especially preferred structural units depicted above, the other aromatic and heteroaromatic ring systems besides the groups ar 1 and ar 2 may also be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 . in particular, it is preferred for the structural unit of the formula (i) to be selected from the group consisting of a) structural units having electron-transporting substituents, of the following general formulae (ii) and/or (iii) b) and/or structural units having hole-transporting substituents, of the general formulae (iv) and/or (v) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer or copolymer backbone, r 1 has the meaning given above, and in each case, independently of one another, o=0 or 1 to 10. particularly preferred structural units having electron-transporting substituents here are selected from the group consisting of the following structural units: particularly preferred structural units having hole-transporting substituents here are selected from the group consisting of the following structural units: where the dashed line in each case represents the connection to the polymer or copolymer backbone. besides the side chains containing the structural units of the formula (i), the polymers according to the invention may include one or more further side chains which contain at least one further structural unit. for the purposes of the present invention, it is also conceivable for the polymers according to the invention to include, besides the structural units of the formula (i), a plurality of further side chains which contain various further structural units. this (these) further structural unit(s) are preferably selected from the group consisting of electron-transporting units, hole-transporting units, charge-neutral units and emitting units. in a further embodiment of the present invention, the polymers according to the invention preferably also contain, besides one or more structural units of the general formula i, at least one further structural unit which is different from the structural unit of the formula i. these are, inter alia, those as disclosed and extensively listed in wo 02/077060 a1 and in wo 2005/014689 a2. these are regarded as part of the present invention by way of reference. the further structural units can originate, for example, from the following classes: group 1: units which influence the hole-injection and/or hole-transport properties of the polymers;group 2: units which influence the electron-injection and/or electron-transport properties of the polymers;group 3: units which have combinations of individual units from group 1 and group 2;group 4: units which modify the emission characteristics to such an extent that electrophosphorescence can be obtained instead of electrofluorescence;group 5: units which improve transfer from the so-called singlet state to the triplet state;group 6: units which influence the emission colour of the resultant polymers;group 7: units which are typically used as backbone;group 8: units which influence the film morphology and/or the rheological properties of the resultant polymers. preferred polymers according to the invention are those in which at least one structural unit has charge-transport properties, i.e. which contain units from group 1 and/or 2. structural units from group 1 which have hole-injection and/or hole-transport properties are, for example, triarylamine, benzidine, tetraaryl-paraphenylenediamine, triarylphosphine, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, dihydrophenazine, thianthrene, dibenzo-para-dioxin, phenoxathiyne, carbazole, azulene, thiophene, pyrrole and furan derivatives and further o-, s- or n-containing heterocycles having a high homo (homo=highest occupied molecular orbital). these arylamines and heterocycles preferably result in an homo in the polymer of greater than −5.8 ev (against vacuum level), particularly preferably greater than −5.5 ev. a structural unit from group 1, which may be in the form of a side chain in the polymer according to the invention, is a unit of the following formula (vi) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, and the symbol l has the same meanings as in relation to formula (i), and the other symbols used have the following meanings: y is a trivalent unit which is selected from the group consisting of n, b, si(ar 4 ), sir 5 , ge(ar 4 ), ger 5 , p and as;ar 5 is a divalent mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ;ar 6 is a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ;r 5 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, f, cl, br, i, n(ar 3 ) 2 , cn, no 2 , si(r 2 ) 3 , b(or 2 ) 2 , c(═o)ar 3 , p(═o)(ar 3 ) 2 , s(═o)ar 3 , s(═o) 2 ar 3 , —cr 2 ═cr 2 (ar 3 ), tosylate, triflate, oso 2 r 2 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 2 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c═cr 2 , c≡c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c═o, c═s, c═se, c═nr 2 , p(═o)(r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 2 , or a combination of these systems; where two or more adjacent substituents r 5 may also be linked to one another via a single covalent bond or a divalent group z; where r 1 , r 2 , ar 3 , ar 4 and z have the same meanings as defined above in relation to formula (i). examples of a structural unit of the formula (vi) are the following: a further structural unit from group 1, which may be in the form of a side chain in the polymer according to the invention, is a unit of the following formula (vii) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, the non-specific bonds which end in the centre of the aromatic rings are intended to indicate that the radical r 1 may sit at each of positions 1 to 8 of the carbazole, the symbols l, r 1 and ar 5 have the same meanings as in relation to formula (i), and the index i is equal to 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4. an example of a structural unit of the formula (viii) is the following: a further structural unit from group 1, which may be in the form of a side chain in the polymer according to the invention, is a unit of the following formula (viii) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, the non-specific bonds which end in the centre of the aromatic rings are intended to indicate that the symbols r 1 and l 1 may each sit at each of the corresponding positions 1 to 8 of the carbazole, the symbols l, r 1 and ar 5 and the index i have the same meanings as in relation to formula (i) or (vii), and the other symbols and indices used have the following meanings: l 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a single covalent bond or a straight-chain alkylene group having 1 to 20 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkylene group having 3 to 20 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 2 c═cr 2 , c≡c, si(r 2 ) 2 , ge(r 2 ) 2 , sn(r 2 ) 2 , c═o, c═s, c═se, c═nr 2 , p(═o)(r 2 ), so, so 2 , nr 2 , o, s or conr 2 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 ;n is equal to 0, 1, 2 or 3, with the proviso that, if n>1, a maximum of one l 1 may be an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system;ar 7 is a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 . an example of a structural unit of the formula (viii) is the following: structural units from group 2 which have electron-injection and/or electron-transport properties are, for example, pyridine, pyrimidine, pyridazine, pyrazine, oxadiazole, quinoline, quinoxaline, anthracene, benzanthracene, pyrene, perylene, benzimidazole, triazine, ketone, phosphine oxide and phenazine derivatives, but also triarylboranes and further o-, s- or n-containing heterocycles having a low lumo (lumo=lowest unoccupied molecular orbital). these units in the polymer preferably result in an lumo of less than −2.5 ev (against vacuum level), particularly preferably less than −2.7 ev. it may be preferred for the polymers according to the invention to contain units from group 3 in which structures which increase the hole mobility and structures which increase the electron mobility (i.e. units from groups 1 and 2) are bonded directly to one another or structures which increase both the hole mobility and the electron mobility. some of these units can serve as emitters and shift the emission colour into the green, yellow or red. their use is thus suitable, for example, for the generation of other emission colours from originally blue-emitting polymers. structural units from group 4 are those which are able to emit light from the triplet state with high efficiency, even at room temperature, i.e. exhibit electrophosphorescence instead of electrofluorescence, which frequently causes an increase in the energy efficiency. suitable for this purpose are firstly compounds which contain heavy atoms having an atomic number of greater than 36. preference is given to compounds which contain d- or f-transition metals which satisfy the above-mentioned condition. particular preference is given here to corresponding structural units which contain elements from groups 8 to 10 (ru, os, rh, ir, pd, pt). suitable structural units for the polymers according to the invention here are, for example, various complexes, as described, for example, in wo 02/068435 a1, wo 02/081488 a1, ep 1 239 526 a2 and wo 2004/026886 a2. corresponding monomers are described in wo 02/068435 a1 and in wo 2005/042548 a1. a structural unit from group 4 which may be in the form of a side chain in the polymer according to the invention is a unit of the following formula (ix) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, and the symbols and indices used have the following meanings: l 2 and l 3 are, independently of one another on each occurrence, identically or differently, a mono- or polydentate ligand;m is preferably a transition metal, a main-group metal, a lanthanoid or an actinoid;r is equal to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7, depending on the denticity of the ligands l 2 and l 3 and the coordination number of the metal m. a mono- or polydentate ligand is taken to mean a compound which is able to form one or coordination bond(s) with a metal. the ligand preferably forms an organometallic compound unit with the central metal. the organometallic compound unit is preferably an organometallic coordination compound. an organometallic coordination compound is taken to mean a compound having a metal atom or ion in the centre of the compound surrounded by an organic compound as ligand. an organometallic coordination compound is additionally characterised in that a carbon atom of the ligand is bonded to the central metal via a coordination bond. it is furthermore preferred for the organic ligand to be a chelate ligand. a chelate ligand is taken to mean a bi- or multidentate ligand, which is able to bond to the central metal correspondingly via two or more atoms. the ligand l 2 and l 3 is preferably an organic ligand which includes a unit (referred to as ligand unit below) which is represented by the following formula (x): where the atoms from which the arrows point away are coordinated to the metal atom, and the numerals 2 to 5 and 8 to 11 merely represent a numbering in order to distinguish the c atoms. the organic ligand unit of the formula (x) may, instead of hydrogen at positions 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11, have, independently of one another, a substituent which is selected from the group consisting of c 1-6 -alkyl, c 6-20 -aryl, 5- to 14-membered heteroaryl and further substituents. the expression “c 1-6 -alkyl” used herein denotes a linear or branched alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms. examples of such carbon atoms are methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, secbutyl (1-methylpropyl), tert-butyl, isopentyl, n-pentyl, tert-pentyl (1,1-dimethylpropyl), 1,2-dimethylpropyl, 2,2-dimethylpropyl (neopentyl), 1-ethylpropyl, 2-methylbutyl, n-hexyl, isohexyl, 1,2-dimethylbutyl, 1-ethyl-1-methylpropyl, 1-ethyl-2-methylpropyl, 1,1,2-trimethylpropyl, 1,2,2-trimethylpropyl, 1-ethylbutyl, 1-methylbutyl, 1,1-dimethylbutyl, 2,2-dimethylbutyl, 1,3-dimethylbutyl, 2,3-dimethylbutyl, 3,3-dimethylbutyl, 2-ethylbutyl, 1-methylpentyl, 2-methylpentyl, 3-methylpentyl and the like, where methyl and ethyl are preferred. the expression “c 6-20 -aryl” denotes an aromatic ring system having 6 to 20 carbon atoms. an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system in the sense of the present invention is intended to be taken to mean a system which does not necessarily contain only aromatic or heteroaromatic groups, but instead in which, in addition, a plurality of aromatic or heteroaromatic groups may be interrupted by a short non-aromatic unit (<10% of the atoms other than h, preferably <5% of the atoms other than h), such as, for example, sp 3 -hybridised c, o, n, etc. aromatic groups may be monocyclic or polycyclic, i.e. they may contain one ring (for example phenyl) or two or more rings, which may also be condensed (for example naphthyl) or covalently linked (for example biphenyl), or contain a combination of condensed and linked rings. preference is given to fully conjugated aromatic groups. preferred aromatic ring systems are, for example, phenyl, biphenyl, triphenyl, naphthyl, anthracene, binaphthyl, phenanthrene, dihydrophenanthrene, pyrene, dihydropyrene, chrysene, perylene, tetracene, benzopyrene, fluorene, indene, indenofluorene and spirobifluorene. “5- to 14-membered heteroaryl” is taken to mean an aromatic group in which one or more carbon atom(s) has (have) been replaced by an n, o or s. examples thereof include the following: 5-membered rings, such as pyrrole, pyrazole, imidazole, 1,2,3-triazole, 1,2,4-triazole, tetrazole, furan, thiophene, selenophene, oxazole, isoxazole, 1,2-thiazole, 1,3-thiazole, 1,2,3-oxadiazole, 1,2,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,5-oxadiazole, 1,3,4-oxadiazole, 1,2,3-thiadiazole, 1,2,4-thiadiazole, 1,2,5-thiadiazole, 1,3,4-thiadiazole, 6-membered rings, such as pyridine, pyridazine, pyrimidine, pyrazine, 1,3,5-triazine, 1,2,4-triazine, 1,2,3-triazine, 1,2,4,5-tetrazine, 1,2,3,4-tetrazine, 1,2,3,5-tetrazine, or condensed groups, such as indole, isoindole, indolizine, indazole, benzimidazole, benzotriazole, purine, naphthimidazole, phenanthrimidazole, pyridimidazole, pyrazinimidazole, quinoxalinimidazole, benzoxazole, naphthoxazole, anthroxazole, phenanthroxazole, isoxazole, benzothiazole, benzofuran, isobenzofuran, dibenzofuran, quinoline, isoquinoline, pteridine, benzo-5,6-quinoline, benzo-6,7-quinoline, benzo-7,8-quinoline, benzoisoquinoline, acridine, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, benzopyridazine, benzopyrimidine, quinoxaline, phenazine, naphthyridine, azacarbazole, benzocarboline, phenanthridine, phenanthroline, thieno-[2,3b]thiophene, thieno[3,2b]thiophene, dithienothiophene, isobenzothiophene, dibenzothiophene, benzothiadiazothiophene or combinations of these groups. the heteroaryl groups may also be substituted by alkyl, alkoxy, thioalkyl, fluorine, fluoroalkyl or further aryl or heteroaryl groups. further possible substituents on the ligand unit of the formula (x) are preferably selected from the group consisting of silyl, sulfo, sulfonyl, formyl, amine, imine, nitrile, mercapto, nitro, halogen, hydroxyl or combinations of these groups. preferred substituents are, for example, solubility-promoting groups, such as alkyl or alkoxy, electron-withdrawing groups, such as fluorine, nitro or nitrile, or substituents for increasing the glass transition temperature (tg) in the polymer. particularly preferred substituents are, for example, f, cl, br, i, —cn, —no 2 , —nco, —ncs, —ocn, —scn, —c(═o)n(r) 2 , —c(═o)r, —c(═o)r and —n(r) 2 , in which r is a hydrogen, alkyl or aryl, optionally substituted silyl, aryl having 4 to 40, preferably 6 to 20, c atoms, and straight-chain or branched alkyl, alkoxy, alkylcarbonyl, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyloxy or alkoxycarbonyloxy having 1 to 22 c atoms, in which one or more h atoms may optionally be replaced by f or cl. it is furthermore preferred for two adjacent carbon atoms on the phenyl ring or pyridyl ring of the ligand unit of the formula (x) to be bridged via a —ch═ch—ch═ch— group, where a naphthyl unit forms in the case of the phenyl ring and an azanaphthyl unit forms in the case of the pyridyl ring. these may in turn carry via a further —ch═ch—ch═ch— group bridging via two adjacent carbon atoms. in a further preferred embodiment, the carbon atoms at positions 5 and 8 are bridged via a —ch═ch— group. further bridges between phenyl units of the ligand unit can be divalent (ch 3 )c— units, which are preferably linked in such a way that a further 6-membered ring forms. preferred examples of the ligands of the formula (x) are the following compounds (x-1) to (x-10: particular preference is given for the purposes of the present invention to compounds (x-1), (x-3) and (x-10). furthermore, the ligand l 2 is preferably bonded to the polymer backbone via a c atom in the 2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, 8-, 9-, 10- or 11-position. the ligand is particularly preferably bonded to the polymer backbone via position 9 or 11, in particular via position 9. besides the above-mentioned ligand unit l 2 , which is bonded to the polymer backbone, the coordination compound may comprise further ligands l 3 which are not bonded to the polymer backbone. these further ligands are likewise defined like the above-mentioned ligand l 2 , with the difference that none of the h atoms has been replaced by a bond to the polymer. in other words, this ligand preferably contains a hydrogen radical instead of the bond to the polymer at the corresponding site. preferred examples of the further ligand are the same as mentioned above. particularly preferred examples are ligands of the above-mentioned formulae (x-1) to (x-10). the further ligand is particularly preferably a ligand of the formulae (x-1), (x-3) and (x-10). the metal of the metal-ligand coordination compound is preferably a transition metal, a main-group metal, a lanthanoid or an actinoid. if the metal is a main-group metal, it is then preferably a metal from the third, fourth or fifth main group, in particular tin. if the metal is a transition metal, it is then preferably ir, ru, os, pt, zn, mo, w, rh or pd, in particular ir and pt. eu is preferred as lanthanoid. preference is given to metal-ligand coordination compounds in which the metal is a transition metal, in particular a tetracoordinated, pentacoordinated or hexacoordinated transition metal, particularly preferably selected from the group consisting of chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, iridium, nickel, palladium, platinum, copper, silver and gold, in particular molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, copper and gold. very particular preference is given to iridium and platinum. the metals here can be in various oxidation states. the above-mentioned metals here are preferably in the oxidation states cr(0), cr(ii), cr(iii), cr(iv), cr(vi), mo(0), mo(ii), mo(iii), mo(iv), mo(vi), w(0), w(ii), w(iii), w(iv), w(vi), re(i), re(ii), re(iii), re(iv), ru(ii), ru(iii), os(ii), os(iii), os(iv), rh(i), rh(iii), ir(i), ir(iii), ir(iv), ni(0), ni(ii), ni(iv), pd(ii), pt(ii), pt(iv), cu(i), cu(ii), cu(iii), ag(i), ag(ii), au(i), au(iii) and au(v); very particular preference is given to mo(0), w(0), re(i), ru(ii), os(ii), rh(iii), ir(iii), pt(ii) and cu(i), in particular ir(iii) and pt(ii). in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the metal is a tetracoordinated metal having one, two, three or four ligands. in this way, the ligands may be mono-, bi-, tri- or tetradentate ligands. if the metal is coordinated to one ligand, it is a tetradentate ligand. if the metal is coordinated to two ligands, either both ligands are bidentate ligands, or one is a tridentate ligand and one is a monodentate ligand. if the metal is coordinated to three ligands, one ligand is a bidentate ligand and two are a monodentate ligand. if the metal is coordinated to four ligands, all ligands are monodentate. in a further preferred embodiment of the invention, the metal is a hexacoordinated metal having one, two, three, four, five or six ligands. in this way, the ligands may be mono-, bi-, tri-, tetra-, penta- or hexadentate ligands. if the metal is coordinated to one ligand, it is a hexadentate ligand. if the metal is coordinated to two ligands, either both are tridentate ligands or one is a bidentate ligand and one is a tetradentate ligand or one is a monodentate ligand and one is a pentadentate ligand. if the metal is coordinated to three ligands, either all three ligands are bidentate ligands or one is a tridentate ligand, one is a bidentate ligand and one is a monodentate ligand or one is a tetradentate ligand and two are monodentate ligands. if the metal is coordinated to four ligands, one ligand is a tridentate ligand and three are a monodentate ligand or two are bidentate ligands and two are monodentate ligands. if the metal is coordinated to five ligands, one is a bidentate ligand and four are monodentate ligands. if the metal is coordinated to six ligands, all ligands are monodentate. the metal centre of the organic coordination compound is preferably a metal atom in oxidation state 0 and the metal-ligand coordination compound is preferably a charge-neutral compound. in a very particularly preferred embodiment, the metal centre is pt or ir. if the metal centre is pt, it preferably has the coordination number 4. in the case of ir as metal centre, the coordination number is preferably 6. furthermore, it is preferred for pt to be coordinated by two ligand units of the formula (x) and ir to be coordinated by three ligand units of the formula (x) in the manner indicated above. consequently, r is preferably 1 if the coordination number of the metal is 4 and the ligands l 2 and l 3 are each bidentate, and r is preferably 2 if the coordination number of the metal is 6 and the ligands l 2 and l 3 are each bidentate. examples of a structural unit of the formula (ix) are the following: structural units from group 5 are those which improve transfer from the singlet state to the triplet state and which, employed in support of the structural elements from group 4, improve the phosphorescence properties of these structural elements. suitable for this purpose are, in particular, carbazole and bridged carbazole dimer units, as described, for example, in wo 2004/070772 a2 and wo 2004/113468 a1. also suitable for this purpose are ketones, phosphine oxides, sulfoxides, sulfones, silane derivatives and similar compounds, as described, for example, in wo 2005/040302 a1. structural units from group 6, besides those mentioned above, are those which have at least one further aromatic structure or another conjugated structure which does not fall under the above-mentioned groups, i.e. which have only little influence on the charge-carrier mobilities, are not organometallic complexes or do not influence singlet-triplet transfer. structural elements of this type can influence the emission colour of the resultant polymers. depending on the unit, they can therefore also be employed as emitters. preference is given here to aromatic structures having 6 to 40 c atoms and also tolan, stilbene or bisstyrylarylene derivatives, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r. particular preference is given here to the incorporation of 1,4-phenylene, 1,4-naphthylene, 1,4- or 9,10-anthrylene, 1,6-, 2,7- or 4,9-pyrenylene, 3,9- or 3,10-perylenylene, 4,4′-biphenylylene, 4,4″-terphenylylene, 4,4′-bi-1,1′-naphthylylene, 4,4′-tolanylene, 4,4′-stilbenzylene, 4,4″-bisstyrylarylene, benzothiadiazole and corresponding oxygen derivatives, quinoxaline, phenothiazine, phenoxazine, dihydrophenazine, bis(thiophenyl)arylene, oligo(thiophenylene), phenazine, rubrene, pentacene or perylene derivatives, which are preferably substituted, or preferably conjugated push-pull systems (systems which are substituted by donor and acceptor substituents) or systems such as squarines or quinacridones, which are preferably substituted. structural units from group 7 are units which contain aromatic structures having 6 to 40 c atoms, which are typically used as polymer backbone. these are, for example, 4,5-dihydropyrene derivatives, 4,5,9,10-tetrahydropyrene derivatives, fluorene derivatives, 9,9′-spirobifluorene derivatives, phenanthrene derivatives, 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene derivatives, 5,7-dihydrodibenzoxepine derivatives and cis- and trans-indenofluorene derivatives. structural units from group 8 are those which influence the film morphology and/or rheological properties of the polymers, such as, for example, siloxanes, long alkyl chains or fluorinated groups, but also particularly rigid or flexible units, such as, for example, liquid crystal-forming units or cross-linkable groups. a further structural unit which may be in the form of a side chain in the polymer according to the invention is a unit of the following formula (xi) where the dashed line represents the connection to the polymer backbone, the non-specific bonds which end in the centre of the aromatic rings are intended to indicate that the symbols r 1 , l and l 1 may each sit at each of the free positions of the aromatic rings, the symbols r 1 , l and l 1 and the indices i and n have the same meanings as in relation to formula (i) or (vi), and the other symbols used have the following meanings: v and w are selected, independently of one another, from the group consisting of c(ar 3 ) 2 , c(r 5 ) 2 , si(ar 3 ) 2 , si(r 5 ) 2 , ge(ar 3 ) 2 , ge (r 5 ) 2 , c═o, o, s, se, n(ar 4 ), n(r 5 ), p(ar 4 ), p(r 5 ), p═o(ar 3 ), p═o(r 5 ), b and (r 5 ) 2 co;ar 8 is a mono- or polycyclic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 1 ; where the symbols r 5 , ar 3 and ar 4 have the same meanings as defined above. depending on the meaning of the radicals v and w in the structural unit of the formula (xi), the structural unit can be one from group 1, 2, 5, 6 or 8. examples of a structural unit of the formula (xi) are the following: preference is given to polymers according to the invention which, besides structural units of the formula (i), simultaneously additionally comprise one or more units selected from groups 1 to 8. it may likewise be preferred for more than one further structural unit from a group to be present at the same time. preference is given here to polymers according to the invention which, besides at least one structural unit of the formula (i), also contain units from group 7, particularly preferably at least 50 mol % of these units, based on the total number of structural units in the polymer. it is likewise preferred for the polymers according to the invention to contain units which improve the charge transport or charge injection, i.e. units from group 1 and/or 2; a proportion of 0.5 to 30 mol % of these units is particularly preferred; a proportion of 1 to 10 mol % of these units is very particularly preferred, based on the entire recurring unit on which the functional side chain hangs. a recurring unit includes all atoms which are incorporated into the polymer by polymerisation of a monomer. it is furthermore particularly preferred for the polymers according to the invention to contain structural units from group 7 and units from group 1 and/or 2, in particular at least 50 mol % of units from group 7 and 0.5 to 30 mol % of units from group 1 and/or 2. the polymers according to the invention are either homopolymers or copolymers. the polymers according to the invention may be linear or branched. besides one or more structural units of the formula (i), copolymers according to the invention may potentially have one or more structures from the above-mentioned groups 1 to 8. the copolymers according to the invention can have random, alternating or block-like structures or also a plurality of these structures in an alternating manner. the copolymers according to the invention particularly preferably have random or block-like structures. the copolymers are particularly preferably random or block-like copolymers. the way in which copolymers having block-like structures can be obtained and what further structural elements are particularly preferred for this purpose is described in detail, for example, in wo 2005/014688 a2. this is incorporated into the present application by way of reference. it should likewise again be emphasised at this point that the polymer may also have dendritic structures. it may additionally be preferred for the polymers according to the invention not to be used as pure substance, but instead as a mixture (blend) together with further polymeric, oligomeric, dendritic or low-molecular-weight substances of any desired type. these may, for example, improve the electronic properties or themselves emit. above and below, a mixture comprising at least one polymeric component according to the invention is referred to as “mixture” or “blend”. the present invention thus furthermore relates to a polymer mixture (blend) which comprises one or more polymers according to the invention, and one or more further polymeric, oligomeric, dendritic or low-molecular-weight substances. a preferred low-molecular-weight substance in the mixture according to the invention is an emitting compound. the emitting compound is preferably a compound of the following formula (xii) m(l 3 ) k formula (xii) where m and l 3 have the same meanings as above in relation to formula (ix), and k is equal to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, depending on the denticity of the ligand l 3 and the coordination number of the metal m. the invention furthermore relates to solutions and formulations comprising one or more polymers or mixtures according to the invention in one or more solvent(s). the way in which such solutions can be prepared is known to the person skilled in the art and is described, for example, in wo 02/072714 a1, wo 03/019694 a2 and the literature cited therein. these solutions can be used in order to produce thin polymer layers, for example by area-coating methods (for example spin coating) or by printing processes (for example ink-jet printing). suitable and preferred solvents are, for example, toluene, anisole, xylene, methyl benzoate, dimethylanisole, mesitylene, tetralin, veratrol and tetrahydrofuran, and mixtures thereof. the present invention additionally relates to processes for the preparation of the polymers according to the invention, which are characterised in that the polymers are prepared by cationic or anionic, ring-opening, free-radical or catalytic polymerisation. monomers of the following formulae (ia) and via) to (xia) can be linked to one another here either to form a homopolymer or to form a copolymer. the present invention thus also relates to a compound of the following formula (ia) in which the symbols and indices used have the same meanings as in relation to formula (i), and the symbol p is a polymerisable group. the polymerisable group is preferably a group which has been reacted with further polymerisable groups by ionic, ring-opening, free-radical and/or catalytic polymerisation to form a polymer. the polymerisable group preferably comprises a double covalent bond or an oxirane ring. the following polymerisable groups can be employed here: where the dashed line represents the connection to the symbol l. compounds of the formula (ia) which are preferred in accordance with the invention are the following: the invention furthermore relates to a composition which comprises a compound of the formula (ia). besides the compound of the formula (ia), the composition according to the invention may also comprise one or more further polymerisable compound(s). the one or more further polymerisable compound(s) here are preferably selected from the group consisting of the following compounds: in which the symbols and indices used have the same meanings as defined above. preferred compounds of the formulae (iia) and (via) to (xia) are the following: the composition according to the invention may preferably also comprise a solvent or solvent mixture. the composition may furthermore comprise further assistants, such as stabilisers, substances which support film formation, sensitisers and the like. the composition according to the invention can be used for the preparation of a polymer. the preparation of the polymer is preferably carried out by cationic, anionic, free-radical, ring-opening or coordinative polymerisation. the polymer may in turn be dissolved in a solvent or solvent mixture, giving a formulation which is suitable for the production of electronic devices. in a preferred embodiment of the blend according to the invention, the host molecule is selected from carbazole compounds of the formula (xiii) where the following applies to the symbols and indices used:ar g is on each occurrence an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 6 ;r 6 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, f, cl, br, i, n(ar 10 ) 2 , cn, no 2 , si(r 7 ) 3 , b(or 7 ) 2 , c(═o)ar 10 , p(═o)(ar 10 ) 2 , s(═o)ar 10 , s(═o) 2 ar 10 , —cr 7 ═cr 7 (ar 10 ), oso 2 r 7 , a straight-chain alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by r 7 c═cr 7 , c≡c, si(r 7 ) 2 , ge(r 7 ) 2 , sn(r 7 ) 2 , c═o, c═s, c═se, c═nr 7 , p(═o)(r 7 ), so, so 2 , nr 7 , o, s or conr 7 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or an aryloxy or heteroaryloxy group having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or a combination of these systems; two or more substituents r 6 and/or r 7 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another;ar 10 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 ;r 7 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms; or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r aliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms; two or more substituents r 7 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system with one another;r is on each occurrence, identically or differently, an h, d, n(ar 10 ) 2 , a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 5 c atoms or branched alkyl group having 3 to 5 c atoms, where in each case one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by —r 8 c═cr 8 — or —o— and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, or an aryl group having 6 to 16 c atoms or heteroaryl group having 2 to 16 c atoms or a spirobifluorene group, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or a combination of two of these systems, two or more substituents r 7 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic, aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system with one another.u is on each occurrence, identically or differently, 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4;v is on each occurrence, identically or differently, 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; andw is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; if the index w is equal to 1, this means that ar 9 in compounds of the formula (iii) represents a divalent group. if the index w is greater than 1, this means that in total three or more carbazole groups are bonded to the aromatic ring system ar 9 in compounds of the formula (iii). in compounds of the formula (iii), ar 9 is a trivalent group for w=2 and a correspondingly polyvalent group for w>2. the index w is preferably 1 or 2, particularly preferably w=1. the carbazole compounds of the formula (iii) employed in accordance with the invention preferably have a glass-transition temperature t g of greater than 120° c., particularly preferably greater than 140° c. for the purposes of the present invention, the carbazole compound of the formula (iii) serves principally as matrix material and/or as hole-transport material. a hole-transporting material in the sense of the present application is characterised by an homo of preferably greater than −5.4 ev. an electron-transporting material in the sense of the present application is characterised by an lumo of preferably less than −2.4 ev. the homo and lumo positions and the energy gap are preferably determined by cyclic voltammetry. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the indices u in compounds of the formula (iii) are on each occurrence, identically or differently, 0 or 1. the indices u are particularly preferably 0. in an embodiment, the index v in the compound of the formula (iii) is preferably, identically or differently on each occurrence, 0, 1 or 2, particularly preferably 0 or 1. if the index v is equal to 1, the substituent r 6 is preferably bonded in the 5-position or in the 7-position of the carbazole, particularly preferably in the 5-position. if the index v is equal to 2, the substituents r 6 are preferably bonded in the 5- and 7-position of the carbazole. for the purposes of clarity, the numbering of the positions of the carbazole is depicted in the following formula: preferred groups ar 9 and r 7 in formula (iii) contain only phenyl and/or naphthyl groups or heteroaromatic groups having not more than two condensed, aromatic or heteroaromatic rings, but no larger condensed aromatic systems. preferred groups ar 9 and r 7 are therefore aromatic ring systems built up from phenyl and/or naphthyl groups or linkings of these systems, such as, for example, biphenyl, fluorene and spirobifluorene. particularly preferred groups ar 9 are selected from the group consisting of 1,2-phenylene, 1,3-phenylene, 1,4-phenylene, 1,3,5-benzene, 3,3′-biphenyl, 4,4′-biphenyl, 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene, triphenylamine, 2,7-fluorenylene, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 6 , 2,7-spirobifluorenylene, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 6 , indenofluorenylene, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 6 , 4,4′″-(1,1′:2′,1″,2″,1′″-quarter-phenyl), 4,4′-(2,2′-dimethylbiphenyl), 4,4′-(1,1′-binaphthyl), 4,4′-stilbenzyl and dihydrophenanthrenyl, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 6 . particularly preferred groups r 7 of the carbazole compound are selected, identically or differently, from the group consisting of phenyl, 1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, 2-carbazolyl, 3-carbazolyl, 9-carbazolyl, triphenylamine, naphthyldiphenylamine and dinaphthylphenylamine, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r. the two last-mentioned groups here may be bonded via the naphthalene in the 1- or 2-position or via the phenyl group. a 2- or 3-carbazolyl group here is preferably substituted on the nitrogen by an aromatic radical ar 9 . preference is furthermore given to compounds of the formula (iii) in which the symbol r stands, identically or differently on each occurrence, for h, d, n(ar 10 ) 2 , a straight-chain alkyl group having 1 to 5 c atoms or branched alkyl group having 3 to 5 c atoms, where in each case one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by —r 8 c═cr 8 — or —o— and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, or an aryl group having 6 to 16 c atoms or heteroaryl group having 2 to 16 c atoms or a spirobifluorene group, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 7 , or a combination of two of these systems. particularly preferred radicals r are, identically or differently on each occurrence, h, d, methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, tert-butyl, where in each case one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, or a phenyl, naphthyl or spirobifluorenyl group, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r, or a combination of two of these systems. in the case of compounds which are processed from solution, linear or branched alkyl chains having up to 10 c atoms are particularly preferred. bromine, boronic acid or boronic acid derivatives as substituents are preferred, above all, for use of this compound as intermediate compound for the preparation of further compounds according to the invention, for example polymers, oligomers or dendrimers. preference is furthermore given to compounds of the formula (iii) in which the symbol r 6 is defined, identically or differently on each occurrence, correspondingly to the preferred substituent r or stands for ar 10 or f. examples of further preferred compounds of the formula (iii) are structures (iii-1) to (iii-91) depicted below. the carbazole compounds of the formula (iii) employed in accordance with the invention can be synthesised by standard methods of organic chemistry, as also disclosed in detail in wo 2008/086851. the contents of this specification are incorporated into the present invention by way of reference. thus, it is known that 2-nitrobiphenyl derivatives can be reacted with a trialkyl phosphite to give the corresponding carbazole derivatives (m. tavasli et al., synthesis 2005, pp. 1619-1624). this reaction can be used to build up 2-aryl-substituted carbazole derivatives by firstly building up a corresponding aryl-substituted 2-nitrobiphenyl derivative, which is subsequently reacted with trialkyl phosphite. the 2-aryl-substituted carbazole derivative can be coupled to a dibromoaromatic compound in a hartwig-buchwald coupling under standard conditions to give the compound of the formula (iii). the various methods and reaction conditions for carrying out the hartwig-buchwald coupling are known to the person skilled in the art of organic synthesis. instead of a dibromoaromatic compound, it is also possible to use corresponding compounds containing different leaving groups, for example chlorine, iodine, triflate, tosylate or sulfonates in general. the use of trisubstituted aromatic compounds or compounds containing even more leaving groups enables compounds of the formula (iii) in which the index w stands for 2 or more to be synthesised correspondingly. the synthesis of compounds of the formula (iii) is depicted in scheme 1 below, where, for the purposes of clarity, w was selected to be 1 and no substituents r or r 6 are depicted: in addition or as an alternative to the above-mentioned carbazole compounds, the host molecule present may be a neutral compound, which is preferably a pure hydrocarbon compound, in particular an aromatic hydrocarbon compound. particular preference is given here to neutral compounds of the general formulae (xiv) or (xv) where the following applies to the symbols and indices used:x 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, cr 8 ; or two directly adjacent groups x 1 stand for a unit of the following formula (xvi), where the dashed bonds indicate the linking of the unit to the adjacent c atoms;y 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a single bond or a group selected from c(r 8 ) 2 , c(═c(r 8 ) 2 ), si(r 8 ) 2 , c(r 8 ) 2 —c(r 8 ) 2 , or cr 8 ═cr 8 ;z 1 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, cr 8 ;r 8 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, a straight-chain alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group having 1 to 40 c atoms or a branched or cyclic alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group having 3 to 40 c atoms, each of which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 10 , or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 10 , or a combination of these systems; two or more adjacent substituents r 8 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; or unit of the general formula (xvii) where the dashed bonds indicates the linking of the unit to the adjacent c atoms;r 9 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 8 ;r 10 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aliphatic, aromatic and/or heteroaromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms, in which, in addition, h atoms may be replaced by f; two or more adjacent substituents r 10 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; andx is 1 or 2. the neutral compounds and thus also the compounds of the formula (xiv) preferably have a glass-transition temperature t g of greater than 70° c., particularly preferably greater than 100° c. and very particularly preferably greater than 110° c. as evident from the formula (xiv), x=2 means that two aryl radicals which are substituted in the 3,5-position are bonded in the compound in the 9,9-position of the fluorene or the corresponding derivative, while n=1 means that one such aryl radical is present and furthermore a group r 8 . in an embodiment of the invention, the symbol x 1 preferably stands, identically or differently on each occurrence, for cr 8 . the symbol z 1 in the unit of the formula (xiv) preferably stands for cr 8 . a preferred embodiment of the compounds of the formula (xiv) are the compounds of the formula (xviii), (xix) and (xx): where the symbols and indices used have the meanings indicated above. preference is furthermore given to the compounds of the formulae (xxi), (xxii) and (xxiii): where the symbols and indices used have the meanings given above. in a preferred embodiment of the invention, x=2. a further preferred embodiment of the compounds of the formula (xiv) are the compounds of the formula (xxiv): where the symbols used have the meanings indicated above. a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention are the compounds of the following formulae (xxv), (xxvi) and (xxvii) where the symbols and indices used have the meanings given above. in a further embodiment of the present invention, the symbol r 8 in compounds of the above-mentioned formulae (xiv) to (xxvii) stands, identically or differently on each occurrence, for an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 30 aromatic ring atoms, which may be substituted by one or more non-aromatic radicals r 8 . substituents r 8 which are furthermore preferred are halogen, preferably br and i, o-tosylate, o-triflate, o—so 2 r 10 , b(or 10 ) 2 and sn(r 10 ) 3 , particularly preferably br, since these are valuable intermediates in the synthesis of further compounds according to the invention. in a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, all symbols r 8 in compounds of the above-mentioned formulae (xiv) to (xxvii) are selected identically. this preference can be explained by the easier synthetic accessibility of the compounds. examples of preferred compounds of the formulae (xiv) to (xxvii) are structures (xiv-1) to (xiv-32) depicted below. a particularly preferred compound of the formula here is the compound of the formula (xv-1) according to a further embodiment of the present invention, the neutral compound is a compound of the formula (xxviii): where r 8 can adopt the meanings indicated in relation to formula (xiv). according to still a further embodiment of the present invention, the neutral compound is a compound of the formula (xxix): where r 8 can adopt the meanings indicated in relation to formula (xiv). a particularly preferred neutral compound of the formula (xxix) is the following structure: the compounds of the formula (xiv) according to the invention can be prepared by synthetic steps which are generally known to the person skilled in the art. the starting compound used for symmetrically substituted compounds according to the invention can be, for example, 3,3′,5,5′-tetrabromobenzophenone ( eur. j. org. chem. 2006, pp. 2523-2529). this can be reacted, for example in accordance with scheme 2, by reaction with a substituted or unsubstituted 2-lithiobiphenyl, 2-lithiodiphenyl ether, 2-lithiodiphenyl thioether, 2-(2-lithiophenyl)-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxolane or 2-lithiophenyldiphenylamine to give the corresponding triarylmethanols, which are then cyclised under acidic conditions, for example in the presence of acetic acid and a mineral acid, such as hydrogen bromide. the organolithium compounds required for this reaction can be prepared by transmetallation of the corresponding aryl bromides (2-bromobiphenyl, 2-bromodiphenyl ether, 2-bromodiphenyl thioether, 2-(2-bromophenyl)-2-phenyl-1,3-dioxolane, 2-bromophenyldiphenylamine, etc.) using alkyllithium compounds, such as n-butyllithium. it is of course possible to employ the corresponding grignard compounds analogously. the tetrabromides produced in this way can be converted further by methods known to the person skilled in the art. the palladium-catalysed reaction with boronic acids (suzuki coupling) or palladium-catalysed reaction with organozinc compounds (negishi coupling) results in aromatic or heteroaromatic compounds according to the invention (scheme 3). the bromine function can be converted by transmetallation using organolithium compounds or grignard compounds into an electrophilic group, which are then coupled to a multiplicity of electrophiles, such as, for example, aryl-boron halides, aldehydes, ketones, nitriles, esters, halogen esters, carbon dioxide, arylphosphine halides, halosulfinic acids, haloarylsulfonic acids, etc., where the resultant compounds may be end products according to the invention or alternatively intermediates which can be reacted further. asymmetrically substituted compounds according to the invention can be obtained by the sequence according to scheme 4 starting from fluorenone and analogous aryl ketones by addition of an aryl-metal compound, for example 1-lithio-3,5-dibromobenzene, onto the carbonyl function, conversion of the brominated aromatic compound by one of the methods mentioned above with build-up of the one functionality and subsequent introduction of the other functionality via acid-catalysed friedel-crafts arylation on 1,3-dibromobenzene and conversion of the brominated aromatic compound by one of the methods mentioned above (see, for example, org. lett. 2001, 3(15), p. 2285). in the above-mentioned schemes, y=y 1 and r or r1=r 8 . the corresponding indenofluorene derivatives, indenocarbazole derivatives and the further derivatives of the formula (xiv) can be synthesised correspondingly. the compounds described above and employed in accordance with the invention, in particular compounds which are substituted by reactive leaving groups, such as bromine, iodine, triflate, tosylate, boronic acid or boronic acid ester, can be used as monomers for the generation of corresponding dimers, trimers, tetramers, pentamers, oligomers, polymers or as core of dendrimers. the oligomerisation or polymerisation here preferably takes place via the halogen functionality or the boronic acid functionality. in addition or as an alternative to the above-mentioned carbazole compounds or to the neutral compounds described above, it is likewise possible for neutral compounds, also neutral compounds of the general formula (xxx) to be present, where r 11 an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 5 to 60 aromatic ring atoms, which may in each case be substituted by one or more radicals r 9 , or a combination of these systems; two or more adjacent substituents r 10 here may also form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; or a unit of the general formula (xxxi) where the dashed bonds indicate the linking of the unit to the c atom of the keto group. particularly preferred host molecules here have electron-transporting functionality and are, in particular, selected from the group consisting of the compounds depicted below as an alternative or in addition thereto, the host molecule may also have hole-transporting functionalities, in particular it is then selected from the group consisting of the compounds depicted below as already stated above, the mixture according to the invention or the blend according to the invention also comprises an emitter molecule. an emitter molecule or an emitter compound (phosphorescent compound) in the sense of the present invention is a compound which exhibits luminescence from an excited state having relatively high spin multiplicity, i.e. a spin state >1, in particular from an excited triplet state, at room temperature. for the purposes of the present invention, all luminescent transition-metal complexes containing transition metals from the second and third transition-metal series, in particular all luminescent iridium, platinum and copper compounds, are to be regarded as phosphorescent compounds. in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the triplet emitter compound is a red-phosphorescent compound or a green-phosphorescent compound. suitable as triplet emitter compound (phosphorescent compound) are, in particular, compounds which emit light, preferably in the visible region, on suitable excitation and in addition contain at least one atom having an atomic number greater than 20, preferably greater than 38 and less than 84, particularly preferably greater than 56 and less than 80. compounds which contain copper, molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium, ruthenium, osmium, rhodium, iridium, palladium, platinum, silver, gold or europium, in particular compounds which contain iridium, platinum or copper, are preferably used as triplet emitter compound. particularly preferred mixtures according to the invention comprise, as triplet emitter compound, a compound of the formulae (21) to (24), where the following applies to the symbols used: dcy is, identically or differently on each occurrence, a cyclic group which contains at least one donor atom, preferably nitrogen, carbon in the form of a carbene or phosphorus, via which the cyclic group is bonded to the metal, and which may in turn carry one or more substituents r 12 ; the groups dcy and ccy are connected to one another via a covalent bond;ccy is, identically or differently on each occurrence, a cyclic group which contains a carbon atom via which the cyclic group is bonded to the metal and which may in turn carry one or more substituents r 14 ;a is, identically or differently on each occurrence, a monoanionic, bidentate-chelating ligand, preferably a diketonate ligand;r 12 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d, f, cn, n(r 13 ) 2 , a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl, alkoxy or thioalkoxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms, which may be substituted by r 14 or may also be unsubstituted, where one or more non-adjacent ch 2 groups may be replaced by —r 15 c═cr 15 —, —c═c—, si(r 15 ) 2 , ge(r 15 ) 2 , sn(r 15 ) 2 , c═o, c═s, c═se, c═nr 15 , —o—, —s—, —nr 15 — or —conr 15 and where one or more h atoms may be replaced by f, cl, br, i, cn or no 2 , or an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring system having 1 to 60 c atoms, which may be substituted by one or more radicals r 14 , where two or more substituents r 12 may also, together with the atoms to which they are bonded, form a mono- or polycyclic, aliphatic or aromatic ring system with one another; where at least one group r 12 has a bond to a further structural unit of the polymer;r 13 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, a straight-chain, branched or cyclic alkyl or alkoxy group having 1 to 22 c atoms, in which, in addition, one or more non-adjacent c atoms may be replaced by —r 15 c═cr 15 —, —c≡c—, si(r 15 ) 2 , ge(r 15 ) 2 , sn(r 15 ) 2 , —nr 15 —, —o—, —s—, —co—o—, —o—co—o—, where, in addition, one or more h atoms may be replaced by fluorine, an aryl, heteroaryl or aryloxy group having 1 to 40 c atoms, which may also be substituted by one or more radicals r 14 , or oh or n(r 14 ) 2 ;r 14 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, r 15 or cn, b(r 15 ) 2 or si(r 15 ) 3 ;r 15 is on each occurrence, identically or differently, h, d or an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon radical having 1 to 20 c atoms. due to formation of ring systems between a plurality of radicals r 12 , a bridge may also be present between the groups dcy and ccy. furthermore, due to formation of ring systems between a plurality of radicals r 12 , a bridge may also be present between two or three ligands ccy-dcy or between one or two ligands ccy-dcy and the ligand a, giving a polydentate or polypodal ligand system. examples of the emitters described above are revealed by wo 00/70655, wo 01/41512, wo 02/02714, wo 02/15645, ep 1 191 613, ep 1 191 612, ep 1 191 614, wo 04/081017, wo 05/033244, wo 05/042550, wo 05/113563, wo 06/008069, wo 06/061182, wo 06/081973, de 10 2008 015 526, de 10 2008 027 005 and de 10 2009 007 038. in general, all phosphorescent complexes as used in accordance with the prior art for phosphorescent oleds or pleds and as are known to the person skilled in the art in the area of organic electroluminescence are suitable, and the person skilled in the art will be able to use further phosphorescent compounds without an inventive step. in particular, it is known to the person skilled in the art what phosphorescent complexes emit with what colour. examples of suitable phosphorescent compounds are structures (t-1) to (t-140) shown in the following table. (t-1)(t-2)(t-3)(t-4)(t-5)(t-6)(t-7)(t-8)(t-9)(t-10)(t-11)(t-12)(t-13)(t-14)(t-15)(t-16)(t-17)(t-18)(t-19)(t-20)(t-21)(t-22)(t-23)(t-24)(t-25)(t-26)(t-27)(t-28)(t-29)(t-30)(t-31)(t-32)(t-33)(t-34)(t-35)(t-36)(t-37)(t-38)(t-39)(t-40)(t-41)(t-42)(t-43)(t-44)(t-45)(t-46)(t-47)(t-48)(t-49)(t-50)(t-51)(t-52)(t-53)(t-54)(t-55)(t-56)(t-57)(t-58)(t-59)(t-60)(t-61)(t-62)(t-63)(t-64)(t-65)(t-66)(t-67)(t-68)(t-69)(t-70)(t-71)(t-72)(t-73)(t-74)(t-75)(t-76)(t-77)(t-78)(t-79)(t-80)(t-81)(t-82)(t-83)(t-84)(t-85)(t-86)(t-87)(t-88)(t-89)(t-90)(t-91)(t-92)(t-93)(t-94)(t-95)(t-96)(t-97)(t-98)(t-99)(t-100)(t-101)(t-102)(t-103)(t-104)(t-105)(t-106)(t-107)(t-108)(t-109)(t-110)(t-111)(t-112)(t-113)(t-114)(t-115)(t-116)(t-117)(t-118)(t-119)(t-120)(t-121)(t-122)(t-123)(t-124)(t-125)(t-126)(t-127)(t-128)(t-129)(t-130)(t-131)(t-132)(t-133)(t-134)(t-135)(t-136)(t-137)(t-138)(t-139)(t-140) the mixture according to the invention preferably comprises: a) 1 to 70% by weight, particularly preferably 5 to 60% by weight and very particularly preferably 10 to 50% by weight of the at least one polymer or copolymer of the general formula i,b) 1 to 70% by weight, particularly preferably 5 to 60% by weight and very particularly preferably 10 to 50% by weight of the at least one host molecule, andc) 0.1 to 40% by weight, particularly preferably 0.5 to 30% by weight and very particularly preferably 1 to 25% by weight of emitter molecule. it is furthermore preferred for a) the structural unit in the side chains of the at least one polymer or copolymer to have electron-transporting functionality and for the at least one host molecule to have hole-transporting functionality, orb) for the structural unit in the side chains of the at least one polymer or copolymer to have hole-transporting functionality and for the at least one host molecule to have electron-transporting functionality. the polymer or copolymer backbone here is preferably a polyethylene structure. this structure can be obtained through the polymerisable compounds described above having, for example, a vinylic function. polymerisation of this type enables homopolymers to be obtained which have a polyethylene backbone, where every second carbon atom of the chain is provided with a side chain of the general formula (i). corresponding copolymers can be obtained by copolymerisation of polymerisable compounds of this type with further monomers, such as, for example, ethylene, propylene, styrene, etc. in addition, the present invention relates to a formulation which comprises a blend as described above and at least one further component. the at least one further component here is preferably selected from the group consisting of solvents, where the formulation in this case is preferably in the form of a solution, dispersion, suspension or slurry; light stabilisers; uv stabilisers; flameproofing agents; fillers and combinations thereof. suitable and preferred solvents are, for example, toluene, anisole, xylenes, methyl benzoate, dimethylanisoles, trimethylbenzenes, tetralin, veratrols, tetrahydrofuran, chlorobenzene or dichlorobenzene, and mixtures thereof. the formulations as solution or dispersion or suspension are highly suitable for the generation or deposition of layers. the mixture according to the invention is suitable for use in organic electroluminescent devices (oleds, pleds), in particular in a luminescent layer of such devices. the invention therefore furthermore relates to the use of the blend according to the invention in organic electronic devices, in particular in organic electroluminescent devices, in particular oleds or pleds, organic integrated circuits (o-ics), organic field-effect transistors (o-fets), organic thin-film transistors (o-tfts), organic light-emitting transistors (o-lets), organic solar cells (o-scs), organic optical detectors, organic photoreceptors, organic field-quench devices (o-fqds), organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (oecs) or organic laser diodes (o-lasers). the invention again furthermore relates to organic electronic devices comprising the blend according to the invention, in particular organic electroluminescent devices, comprising anode, cathode and at least one emitting layer, which is characterised in that at least one layer comprises a mixture according to the invention. in particular, such devices are designed as organic electroluminescent devices, in particular oleds or pleds, organic integrated circuits (o-ics), organic field-effect transistors (o-fets), organic thin-film transistors (o-tfts), organic light-emitting transistors (o-lets), organic solar cells (o-scs), organic optical detectors, organic photoreceptors, organic field-quench devices (o-fqds), organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (oecs) or organic laser diodes (o-lasers). apart from cathode, anode and the at least one emitting layer which was described above, the organic electroluminescent device may also comprise further layers. these are selected, for example, from in each case one or more hole-injection layers, hole-transport layers, hole-blocking layers, electron-transport layers, electron-injection layers, electron-blocking layers, exciton-blocking layers, charge-generation layers and/or organic or inorganic p/n junctions. in addition, interlayers which control, for example, the charge balance in the device may be present. in particular, such interlayers may be appropriate as interlayer between two emitting layers, in particular as interlayer between a fluorescent layer and a phosphorescent layer. furthermore, the layers, in particular the charge-transport layers, may also be doped. doping of the layers may be advantageous for improved charge transport. however, it should be pointed out that each of the layers mentioned above does not necessarily have to be present and the choice of layers is always dependent on the compounds used. the use of such layers is known to the person skilled in the art, and he will be able to use all materials in accordance with the prior art that are known for such layers for this purpose without an inventive step. it is furthermore possible to use more than one emitting layer, for example two or three emitting layers, which preferably have different emission colours. a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention relates to a white-emitting organic electroluminescent device. this is characterised in that it emits light having cie colour coordinates in the range from 0.28/0.29 to 0.45/0.41. the general structure of a white-emitting electroluminescent device of this type is disclosed, for example, in wo 05/011013. the cathode of the electroluminescent device according to the invention preferably comprises metals having a low work function, metal alloys or multilayered structures comprising various metals, such as, for example, alkaline-earth metals, alkali metals, main-group metals or lanthanoids (for example ca, ba, mg, al, in, mg, yb and sm). in the case of multilayered structures, further metals which have a relatively high work function, such as, for example, ag, may also be used in addition to the said metals, in which case combinations of the metals, such as, for example, ca/ag or ba/ag, are generally used. preference is likewise given to metal alloys, in particular alloys of an alkali metal or alkaline-earth metal and silver, particularly preferably an alloy of mg and ag. it may also be preferred to introduce a thin interlayer of a material having a high dielectric constant between a metallic cathode and the organic semiconductor. suitable for this purpose are, for example, alkali metal or alkaline-earth metal fluorides, but also the corresponding oxides or carbonates (for example lif, li 2 o, csf, cs 2 co 3 , baf 2 , mgo and naf). the layer thickness of this layer is preferably between 0.5 and 5 nm. the anode of the electroluminescent device according to the invention preferably comprises materials having a high work function. the anode preferably has a work function of greater than 4.5 ev vs. vacuum. suitable for this purpose are on the one hand metals having a high redox potential, such as, for example, ag, pt or au. on the other hand, metal/metal oxide electrodes (for example al/ni/nio x , al/pto x ) may also be preferred. at least one of the electrodes here must be transparent in order to facilitate the coupling-out of light. a preferred structure uses a transparent anode. preferred anode materials here are conductive mixed metal oxides. particular preference is given to indium tin oxide (ito) or indium zinc oxide (izo). preference is furthermore given to conductive doped organic materials, in particular conductive doped polymers. the device is correspondingly (depending on the application) structured, provided with contacts and finally hermetically sealed, since the lifetime of devices of this type is drastically shortened in the presence of water and/or air. in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the polymers according to the invention are employed as emitting compounds in an emitting layer. the organic electroluminescent device here may comprise one emitting layer or it may comprise a plurality of emitting layers, where at least one emitting layer comprises at least one polymer according to the invention, as defined above. if a plurality of emission layers are present, these preferably have in total a plurality of emission maxima between 380 nm and 750 nm, resulting overall in white emission, i.e. various emitting compounds which are able to fluoresce or phosphoresce are used in the emitting layers. particular preference is given to three-layer systems, where the three layers exhibit blue, green and orange or red emission (for the basic structure see, for example, wo 05/011013). if the polymers according to the invention are employed as emitting compounds in an emitting layer, they are preferably employed in combination with one or more matrix materials. the mixture of the polymers according to the invention and the matrix material comprises between 1 and 99% by weight, preferably between 2 and 90% by weight, particularly preferably between 3 and 40% by weight, in particular between 5 and 15% by weight of the polymers according to the invention, based on the mixture as a whole comprising emitter polymer and matrix material. correspondingly, the mixture comprises between 99 and 1% by weight, preferably between 98 and 10% by weight, particularly preferably between 97 and 60% by weight, in particular between 95 and 85% by weight of the matrix material, based on the mixture as a whole comprising emitter polymer and matrix material. preferred matrix materials are cbp (n,n-biscarbazolylbiphenyl), carbazole derivatives (for example in accordance with wo 05/039246, us 2005/0069729, jp 2004/288381), azacarbazoles (for example in accordance with ep 1 617 710, ep 1 617 711, ep 1 731 584, jp 2005/347160), ketones (for example in accordance with wo 04/093207), phosphine oxides, sulfoxides and sulfones (for example in accordance with wo 05/003253), oligophenylenes, aromatic amines (for example in accordance with us 2005/0069729), bipolar matrix materials (for example in accordance with wo 07/137725) or silanes (for example in accordance with wo 05/111172). preference is furthermore given to an organic electroluminescent device where one or more layers are coated with small molecules by means of a sublimation process, where the materials are applied by vapour deposition in vacuum-sublimation units at a pressure of less than 10 −5 mbar, preferably less than 10 −6 mbar, particularly preferably less than 10 −7 mbar. preference is likewise given to an organic electroluminescent device, characterised in that one or more layers are coated by means of the ovpd (organic vapour phase deposition) process or with the aid of carrier-gas sublimation, where the materials are applied at a pressure between 10 −5 mbar and 1 bar. preference is furthermore given to an organic electroluminescent device, characterised in that one or more layers are produced from solution, such as, for example, by spin coating, or by means of any desired printing process, such as, for example, screen printing, flexographic printing or offset printing, but particularly preferably liti (light induced thermal imaging, thermal transfer printing) or ink-jet printing. soluble compounds are necessary for this purpose, which are obtained, if necessary, by suitable substitution. in general, all further materials as are employed in accordance with the prior art in organic electroluminescent devices, can be employed in the emitting layer in combination with the mixture according to the invention. very particular preference is given to an organic electroluminescent device which is characterised in that one or more layers are produced from solution, such as, for example, by spin coating, or by means of any desired printing process, such as, for example, screen printing, flexographic printing or offset printing, but particularly preferably liti (light induced thermal imaging, thermal transfer printing) or ink-jet printing. soluble systems are necessary for this purpose, as are provided by the mixture according to the invention. the organic electroluminescent device can also be produced as hybrid system by applying one or more layers from solution and applying one or more further layers by vacuum vapour deposition. preference is thus furthermore given to an organic electroluminescent device which is characterised in that one or more layers are coated by means of a sublimation process, in which the materials are applied by vapour deposition in vacuum-sublimation units at an initial pressure of less than 10 −5 mbar, preferably less than 10 −6 mbar. however, it should be noted that the initial pressure may be even lower, for example less than 10 ˜7 mbar. preference is likewise given to an organic electroluminescent device which is characterised in that one or more layers are coated by means of the ovpd (organic vapour phase deposition) process or with the aid of carrier-gas sublimation, where the materials are applied at a pressure between 10 −5 mbar and 1 bar. a special case of this process is the ovjp (organic vapour jet printing) process, in which the materials are applied directly through a nozzle and thus structured (for example m. s. arnold et al., appl. phys. lett. 2008, 92, 053301). these processes are generally known to the person skilled in the art and can be applied by him to the organic electroluminescent devices according to the invention without an inventive step. the organic electroluminescent devices according to the invention have the following surprising advantages over the prior art: 1. the organic electroluminescent device according to the invention has very high efficiency.2. the organic electroluminescent device according to the invention simultaneously has an improved lifetime. the invention is described in greater detail by the following examples, without wishing to restrict it thereby. the person skilled in the art will be able, without being inventive, to produce further organic electroluminescent devices according to the invention. working examples a) preparation of the monomers example 1 phenyl 4-vinylphenyl ketone (m1) 8.88 g of magnesium is suspended in 150 ml of dry thf in a flask which has been dried by heating, and a small amount of chlorostyrene and 2.6 ml of dichloroethane are added, and the mixture is warmed. as soon as the reaction has started, the remaining chlorostyrene (46.4 g) is added dropwise at such a rate that it boils gently. the mixture is subsequently heated under reflux for 30 minutes until the magnesium has completely dissolved. 34.2 g of benzonitrile in 60 ml of dry thf are then added dropwise over the course of 15 minutes under reflux, and the mixture is heated at the boil for a further 15 minutes. 200 ml of ice-water with 30 ml of conc. h 2 so 4 are initially introduced, and the batch is added with stirring, and the mixture is stirred for a further 10 minutes. the reaction mixture is subsequently trans-ferred into a separating funnel with ethyl acetate and extended with heptane until phase separation. the phases are separated, the aqueous phase is extracted once with ethyl acetate/hexane 1/1, the organic phases are combined and washed with a saturated nahco 3 solution and water, dried over mgso 4 , filtered, and the solvent is stripped off in vacuo. the residue is recrystallised from hexane (melting point: 49° c.), giving 62.5 g of a white solid. example 2 1st step 2,4-bisbiphenyl-3-yl-6-(3-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine 171 g of biphenyl-3-carbonitrile [24973-50-0] are slowly added at 100° c. to a suspension of 60 ml of 3-bromobenzoyl chloride [1711-09-7], 10 ml of thionyl chloride and 60.6 g of aluminium chloride in 800 ml of dichlorobenzene. the temperature increases slightly, and the reaction solution becomes an orange colour. the reaction is stirred at 115° c. until the cloudiness has disappeared. the reaction is cooled to 100° c., and aluminium chloride is added, and the mixture is stirred at 100° c. for 20 hours. the solution is cooled to room temperature and poured into 3 l of methanol, stirred for a further hour, and the resultant precipitate is filtered off with suction. the precipitate obtained is washed in hot ethanol, filtered off with suction and dried in vacuo, giving 92 g of a white solid. 2nd step 2,4-bisbiphenyl-3-yl-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-3-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (m2) 50 g of 2,4-bisbiphenyl-3-yl-6-(3-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine and 13.8 g of styreneboronic acid [2156-04-9] are dissolved in 300 ml of toluene, and 100 ml of a 2m sodium carbonate solution are added. the reaction mixture is carefully degassed, and 200 mg of tetrakistriphenylphosphinepalladium are added, and the mixture is heated under reflux for 20 hours. the solution is cooled to room temperature. the phases are separated. the aqueous phase is extracted three times with toluene, the combined organic phases are subsequently washed twice with water, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent is stripped off in vacuo. the residue is recrystallised from isopropanol, giving 18.8 g (36%) of a white solid having a purity of 99.7%. example 3 4-styryl-5-terphenyl (m3) 1,3,5-tribromo-2-iodobenzene 22.5 g (68.25 mmol) of tribromoaniline are dissolved in 60 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid and cooled to 0° c. separately, 4.92 g (71.3 mmol) of sodium nitrite are dissolved in 22.5 ml of water. this solution is added dropwise to the hydrochloric acid solution and stirred at rt for 30 min. in parallel, 113.3 g (682.5 mmol) of potassium iodide are dissolved in 171 ml of water. reaction solution 1 is added dropwise to the potassium iodide solution and stirred at rt for 1 h. after addition of 300 ml of dichloromethane and 30 ml of a 0.5 m sodium sulfite solution, the phases are separated. the aqueous phase is washed with dichloromethane. the organic phase is washed with 10% naoh solution and with a saturated sodium chloride solution. the combined organic phases are dried over sodium sulfate, evaporated to dryness and recrystallised in hexane/dichloromethane. 21.1 g (69%) of clean substance are isolated. 5′-bromo-[1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl 10 g (0.023 mol) of 2,4,6-tribromophenylamine are dissolved in 100 ml of thf. in a second apparatus, 228 ml of phenylmagnesium bromide is heated under reflux. the dissolved 2,4,6-tribromophenylamine is added dropwise to the phenylmagnesium bromide solution, stirred under reflux for 1 h and at room temperature for a further 12 h. after addition of saturated sodium chloride solution, the aqueous phase is washed with diethyl ether and dried over sodium sulfate. after removal of the solvent, the product is recrystallised in hexane/dichloromethane. 4.8 g (77%) of clean substance are isolated. 4-styryl-5-terphenyl 2.2 g (0.007 mol) of 5-bromoterphenyl, 1.32 g (0.010 mol) of vinylphenylboronic acid and 0.023 g (0.02 mmol) of tetrakispalladium are initially introduced. after addition of 30 ml of a 1 m sodium carbonate solution and 45 ml of thf, the mixture is stirred under reflux for 22 h. the mixture is filtered through celite and taken up in ethyl acetate. the organic phase is washed 3× with water. the combined organic phases are evaporated to dryness, and the residue is recrystallised from ethanol/chloroform. further purification is carried out by column chromatography (eluent: hexane/chloroform). 1.3 g (77%) of pure substance are isolated. elemental analysis: c: 90.83% h: 6.19% n: 0.04% example 4 5′-vinyl-[1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl (m4) [1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl-5′-carbaldehyde 21.38 g (0.081 mol) of 3,5-dibromobenzaldehyde, 16.82 g (0.162 mol) of phenylboronic acid and 1.04 g (0.90 mmol) of tetrakispalladium are initially introduced. 500 ml of 1 m sodium carbonate solution and 300 ml of thf are added, and the reaction is brought to reaction under reflux for 24 h. after cooling to room temperature and filtration through celite, ethyl acetate is added to the mother liquor. the organic phase is washed a number of times with water and evaporated to dryness. a first recrystallisation is carried out in ethanol and a second is carried out in dichloromethane/hexane. after successful recrystallisation, 9.3 g (47%) of pure substance are isolated. 5′-vinyl-[1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl 25 ml of thf are added at 0° c. to 4.82 g (0.0228 mol) of methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide and 1.64 g (0.0146 mol) of potassium tert-butoxide, and the mixture is stirred for 20 minutes. 3.33 g (0.01289 mol) of [1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl-5′-carbaldehyde are dissolved in 12 ml of thf and added to methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide solution. the yellowish mixture is stirred at 0° c. for 1 h. after cooling to room temperature, the mixture is taken up in dichloromethane. the solution is washed with water, and the combined organic phases are dried over sodium sulfate. the mixture is evaporated to dryness. column chromatography is carried out with hexane/ethyl acetate. the column chromatography results in a yield of 2.4 g (71%) of clean substance. elemental analysis: c: 92.68% h: 6.69% example 5 2,4-diphenyl-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-3-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (m5) 2-(3-bromophenyl)-4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine 60.587 g (0.454 mol) of aluminum trichloride are initially introduced. after addition of 9.889 ml (0.136 mol) of thionyl chloride, 60 ml (0.454 mol) of 3-bromobenzoyl chloride, 800 ml of 1,2-dichlorobenzene and 98.398 ml (0.954 mol) of benzonitrile, the mixture is stirred at 100° c. for 20 h. after 1 h, 48.61 g (0.909 mol) of ammonium chloride are added. the reaction solution is poured into 3 l of methanol and stirred for 45 min. the solid is filtered off, and 1.25 l of hot ethanol are added. the mixture is heated under reflux for a further 10 min with stirring, cooled to rt, and the product is filtered off. 37.7 g (20%) of clean substance are isolated. 2,4-diphenyl-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-3-yl)-1,3,5-triazine 1.16 g (0.003 mol) of 2-(3-bromophenyl)-4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine, 0.74 g (0.005 mol) of 4-styreneboronic acid and 0.023 g (0.02 mmol) of tetrakispalladium phosphate are stirred under reflux for 24 h in 45 ml of thf and 30 ml of 1m sodium carbonate solution. after cooling to room temperature, the mixture is filtered through celite and taken up in ethyl acetate. after washing three times with water, the combined organic phases are evaporated to dryness in a rotary evaporator. the residue is recrystallised from chloroform/ethanol, which gives 0.8 g (61%) of clean substance. elemental analysis: c: 83.77% h: 5.08% n: 10.13% example 6 2,4-diphenyl-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (m6) 2-(4-bromophenyl)-4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazine 12.15 g (0.091 mol) of aluminium trichloride and 20.0 g (0.091 mol) of 4-bromobenzoyl chloride are initially introduced. the solids are dissolved in 200 ml of 1,2-dichlorobenzene. after addition of 2.20 ml (0.030 mol) of thionyl chloride and 19.90 ml (0.191 mol) of benzonitrile, the mixture is stirred at 100° c. for 20 h. after 1 h, 9.73 g (0.182 mol) of ammonium chloride are added. the reaction solution is poured into 500 ml of methanol and stirred for 2 h. the solid is filtered off, and 250 ml of hot ethanol are added. the mixture is heated under reflux for a further 10 min with stirring, cooled to rt, and the product is filtered off. 7.6 g (21%) of clean substance are isolated. 2,4-diphenyl-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine 3.48 g (0.009 mol) of 3-bromophenyldiphenyltriazine, 2.22 g (0.015 mol) of 4-vinylphenylboronic acid and 0.069 g (0.06 mmol) of pd(pph 3 ) 4 are weighed out. after addition of 150 ml of thf (absolute) and 90 ml of a 1m sodium carbonate solution, the mixture is stirred under reflux for 24 h. the mixture is filtered through celite and taken up in ethyl acetate. after washing three times with water, the organic phase is evaporated to dryness in a rotary evaporator. the recrystallisation is carried out in a mixture of dichloromethane/hexane. column chromatography is carried out with hexane/ethyl acetate, which gives 1.0 g (26%) of clean substance. elemental analysis: c: 83.04% h: 4.97% n: 10.05% example 7 2,4-bisbiphenyl-4-yl-6-(4-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine (m7) 2,4-bisbiphenyl-4-yl-6-(4-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine 1.21 g (0.0091 mol) of aluminium chloride, 1.997 g (0.0091 mol) of 4-bromobenzoyl chloride and 3.42 g (0.01911 mol) of 4-cyanobiphenyl are initially introduced. the solids are dissolved in 80 ml of 1,2-dichlorobenzene. 0.2 ml (0.00274 mol) of thionyl chloride is added. the reaction is carried out at 120° c. for 24 h. after a reaction time of 1 h, 0.9736 g (0.00182 mol) of ammonium chloride is added. as work-up, the mixture is poured into 50 ml of methanol. the white solid is filtered off with suction and recrystallised in chloroform/ethanol. 1.7 g (34%) of clean substance are isolated. 2,4-bisbiphenyl-4-yl-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine 1.0 g (0.00185 mol) of 2,4-bisbiphenyl-4-yl-6-(4-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine, 0.4106 g of 4-vinylphenylboronic acid and 0.02368 g of pd(pph 3 ) 4 are brought to reaction under reflux for 48 h with addition of 15 ml of 1m sodium carbonate solution and 30 ml of thf. after filtration, the mother liquor is taken up in ethyl acetate. the organic phase is extracted three times with water. the solvent is removed completely, and a recrystallisation is carried out in chloroform/ethanol. 0.5 g (48%) of clean substance are isolated. elemental analysis: c: 87.25% h: 5.15% n: 7.42% example 8 2,4-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine (m8) 2-(4-bromophenyl)-4,6-bis(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine 1.6747 g (0.01256 mol) of aluminium chloride are initially introduced. after addition of 5.32 ml (0.0314 mol) of 4-tert-butylbenzonitrile, 25 ml of 1,2-dichlorobenzene, 1.66 ml (0.01256 mol) of 3-bromobenzoyl chloride and 0.274 ml (0.003768 mol) of thionyl chloride, the mixture is brought to reaction at 130° c. for 24 h. after one hour, 1.344 g (0.02512 mol) of ammonium chloride are added. for work-up, the mixture is cooled and poured into 100 ml of methanol. the white precipitate is filtered off with suction. this precipitate shows 3.1 g (21%) of substance isolated in clean form. 2,4-bis-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-6-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-4-yl)-1,3,5-triazine 2.0 g (0.0040 mol) of 2-(4-bromophenyl)-4,6-bis-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,5-triazine and 0.8878 g (0.006 mol) of vinylphenylboronic acid and 0.050 g (0.0432 mmol) of pd(pph 3 ) 4 are initially introduced. after addition of 26 ml of sodium carbonate solution and 54 ml of thf, the mixture is brought to reaction under reflux for 24 h. for work-up, the mixture is filtered through celite and taken up in ethyl acetate. the organic phase is extracted a number of times with water. the solvent of the combined organic phases is removed completely. a recrystallisation is carried out from chloroform/ethanol, and subsequent column chromatography is carried out with hexane:ethyl acetate. after the column chromatography, 1.6 g (76%) of clean substance are isolated. elemental analysis: c: 86.13% h: 7.34% n: 7.38% example 9 [1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl-5′-yl-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-3-yl)methanone (m9) (3-bromophenyl)-[1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl-5′-ylmethanone 0.78 g (3.2*10 −2 mol) of magnesium is initially introduced. 9.00 g (2.91*10 −2 mol) of 5′-bromo-[1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl are dissolved in 120 ml of dry thf and added via a dropping funnel. the mixture is stirred under reflux for 2 h. after cooling to −78° c., 5.30 g (2.91*10 −2 mol) of 3-bromobenzonitrile, dissolved in 100 ml of dry thf, are added dropwise. the mixture is stirred under reflux for 4 h. the reaction solution is added to saturated nh 4 cl solution in ice-water. after dilution with ethyl acetate and washing with h 2 o, the mixture is dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered and evaporated in a rotary evaporator. the oil is dissolved in 60 ml of nmp, and 7.7 ml of h 2 o and 0.67 ml of glacial acetic acid are added. the reaction mixture is stirred at 145° c. for 4 h and subsequently at room temperature overnight. the solution is taken up in ethyl acetate, washed three times with h 2 o, dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered and evaporated to dryness. column chromatography with toluene/hexane as eluent results in 5.69 g (55.1%) of clean product. elemental analysis: c: 72.55% h: 4.10% [1,1′;3′,1″]terphenyl-5′-yl-(4′-vinylbiphenyl-3-yl)methanone 8.00 g (1.94*10 −2 mol) of 3-bromophenyl-[1,1;3′,1″]-terphenyl-5′-ylmethanone; 5.73 g (3.87*10 −2 mol) of 4-vinylphenylboronic acid and 0.25 g (2.16*10 −4 mol) of tetrakistripheylphosphine palladium (ii) are initially introduced. after addition of 300 ml of dry thf and 200 ml of 2m sodium carbonate solution, the mixture is stirred at 60° c. overnight. the reaction solution is cooled, the organic phase is washed with saturated nahco 3 and h 2 o, dried over na 2 so 4 , filtered and evaporated in a rotary evaporator. column chromatography with toluene give 7.04 g (83%) of clean product. elemental analysis: c: 98.82% h: 5.48% example 10 9-(4′-carbazol-9-ylbiphenyl-4-yl)-2-(4-vinylphenyl)-9h-carbazole (m10) 4-(9h-carbazol-2-yl)benzaldehyde 10.0 g of 2-bromo-9h-carbazole (4.06 10 −2 mol), 9.22 g of 4-formylphenylboronic acid (6.15 10 −2 mol), 0.63 g of tetrakistriphenylpalladium (5.5 10 −4 mol), 42.0 g of potassium carbonate (3 10 −1 mol) are initially introduced. after flushing through 300 ml of water with argon, 400 ml of thf is added. the reaction mixture is stirred under reflux for 2 days. after filtration through celite, the organic phase is separated, dried over na 2 co 4 , and the aqueous phase is washed 2× with ch 2 cl 2 and dried over na 2 so 4 . column chromatography with toluene as eluent give 2.0 g (53%) of clean product. 9-(4′-bromobiphenyl-4-yl)-9h-carbazole 5.0 g of 9h-carbazole (3.0 10 −2 mol), 0.67 g of cui (3.2 10 −3 mol), 10.0 g of k 2 co 3 (7.2 10 −2 mol), 1.16 g of 1,10 phenanthroline (6.4 10 −3 mol), and 9.36 g of 4,4′-dibromobiphenyl (3.0 10 −2 mol) are initially introduced. after addition of 200 ml of dmf, the reaction mixture is stirred under reflux for 12 h. after filtration through celite with suction, it is precipitated using water and filtered off with suction. the solid is dissolved in hot thf and precipitated using ethanol, giving 7.7 g (64%) of clean substance. 4-[9-(4′-carbazol-9-ylbiphenyl-4-yl)-9h-carbazol-2-yl]benzaldehyde 2.27 g (0.008367 mol) of 1-(9h-carbazol-2-yl)benzaldehyde, 4.0 g (0.010 mol) of 9-(4′-bromobiphenyl-4-yl)-9h-carbazole, 3.79 g of cu bronze, 0.53 g (0.00294 mol) of 1,10-phenanthroline and 11.39 g (0.082 mol) of potassium carbonate are initially introduced. the solids are dissolved in 53 ml of 1,2-dichlorobenzene and stirred under reflux for 2 days. after filtration through celite, the mixture is evaporated to dryness. column chromatography with toluene/hexane as eluent give 2.4 g (49%) of clean product. 9-(4′-carbazol-9-ylbiphenyl-4-yl)-2-(4-vinylphenyl)-9h-carbazole 0.86 g (0.00767 mol) of potassium tert-butoxylate and 2.55 g (0.00714 mol) of methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide are initially introduced. the apparatus is cooled to 0° c., and the solids are dissolved using 15 ml of thf (abs.). the mixture is stirred for 30 min, while, in a second apparatus, 2.31 g (0.0039 mol) of 4-[9-(4′-carbazol-9-ylbiphenyl-4-yl)-9h-carbazol-2-yl]benzaldehyde is weighed out and dissolved using 25 ml of thf. at 0° c., solution 2 is added to solution 1 and stirred for a further 1.5 h. the mixture is taken up in ch 2 cl 2 and washed by shaking three times with water. the combined organic phases are dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered off and evaporated to dryness. column chromatography with toluene give 2.1 g (93%) of clean substance. elemental analysis: c: 89.42% h: 5.31% n: 4.57% example 11 preparation of a comonomer diphenyl(4-vinylphenyl)amine 19 g of methylphosphonium bromide is suspended in dried thf under protective gas, and 6 g of potassium tert-butoxide are added in portions at 0° c. an immediate colour change to orange occurs. 14 g of n,n-diphenyl-p-aminobenzaldehyde are added to the reaction solution at 0° c. the mixture is warmed to room temperature and stirred for a further 20 hours. the solvent is stripped off in vacuo, the residue is taken up in dichloromethane, and the solution is extracted with water dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent is stripped off in vacuo. the yellow oil obtained is chromatographed over silica gel, giving 12 g (86%) of a white solid having a purity of 99.5%. example 12 2,4-bisbiphenyl-3-yl-6-{3-[2-(3-ethyloxetan-3-ylmethoxy)ethyl]phenyl}-1,3,5-triazine 13.1 g of 3-ethyl-3-vinyloxymethyloxetane and 11.3 g of 9-bbn dimer (9-borabicyclo(3.3.1)nonane dimer) are dissolved in 200 ml of toluene at room temperature under protective gas and stirred for 20° c. during the reaction, the suspension of 9bbn slowly dissolves. 50 g of 2,4-bis-biphenyl-3-yl-6-(3-bromophenyl)-1,3,5-triazine and 50 ml of a 1m naoh solution are subsequently added to the reaction solution. the reaction mixture is carefully degassed, and 200 mg of tetrakistriphenylphosphinepalladium are added, and the mixture is heated under reflux for 20 hours. the solution is cooled to room temperature. the phases are separated. the aqueous phase is extracted three times with toluene, the combined organic phases are subsequently washed twice with water, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and the solvent is stripped off in vacuo. the residue is recrystallised from ethanol/toluene 3:1, giving 54 g (97%) of a white solid having a of purity 99.8%. the structures of emitter t1 and of the small molecules used are depicted below for clarity. structure of emitter t1: structures of the host molecules based on small molecules: elementaldevicepolymeranalysisconstruction1.98 g (79%) 1c: 91.99% h: 6.01% n: 0.12% mw = 57862 mn = 16710 tg = 166° c.sm1 + polymer1 + t1 polymer3 + polymer1 + t10.43 g (87%) 2c: 94.72% h: 6.27% n: 0.12% mw = 58423 mn = 15661 tg = 153° c.sm1 + polymer2 + t12.9 g (83%) 3c: 84.32% h: 5.13% n: 10.22% mw = 66288 mn = 22908 tg = 202° c.polymer3 + sm2 + t1 polymer3 + polymer1 + t10.8 g (83%) 4c: 84.16% h: 5.27% n: 10.03% mw = 382949 mn = 33213 tg = 244° c.polymer4 + sm2 + t10.3 g (72%) 5c: 86.32% h: 5.13% n: 7.28% mw: not measurable mn: not measurable tg = 294° c.device construction not possible0.4 g (74%) 6c: 84.50% h: 7.13% n: 7.95% mw = 100834 mn = 34603 tg = 277° c.polymer6 + sm2 + t12.7 g (68%) 7c: 90.44% h: 5.61% n: 0.07% mw = 100870 mn = 48930 tg = 154° c.polymer7 + sm2 + t1 polymer7 + sm3 + t10.3 g (62%) 8c: 89.13% h: 5.08% n: 4.78% mw = 208289 mn = 82964 tg = 267° c.sm1 + polymer8 + t1 sm4 + polymer8 + t1 device results: the phpled devices were each produced using the corresponding constituents (polymer/small molecule or small molecule/polymer) with mixing-in of the triplet emitter (examples 1-5). for comparison, the polymer/polymer mixtures were then prepared using the triplet emitter (example 6). the construction of the device structures is described below. for the construction, use was made of ito glass substrates having a surface resistance of 10 to 15 ohm/square which have in total four identical pixel structures of 4 mm 2 . the following construction is carried out by way of example: the ito substrates are cleaned by wet-chemical methods and exposed to an oxygen plasma. immediately thereafter, the substrates are introduced into a glove box, where the pedot:pss layer (clevios®) (ch8000 or al4083) is applied and conditioning is carried out at 180° c. for 60 min, which resulted in a dry-layer thickness of about 60 to 80 nm. a further hole-injection layer (hil1: arylamine polymer) is then applied. this material is applied from a 0.5% solution of toluene. after conditioning of 180° c. and 60 min, a final layer thickness of about 20 nm is obtained. the polymer/small molecule and the polymer/polymer mixtures can be dissolved both in chlorobenzene and also toluene with a 2.5% solution concentration, depending on the solubility of the individual components, with addition of the triplet emitter. the spin-coating process of the finished solutions results in layer thicknesses between 50 and 110 nm. the solvent is evaporated at up to 180° c. in 15 min. the cathode structure is subsequently applied by vapour deposition under high-vacuum conditions with barium (3 nm) and aluminium (150 nm). edge encapsulation with a cao absorber fixed in the cover glass is then carried out. the liv measurements are carried out using a source measure unit from keithley 237 and a minolta cs-2000 camera. the lifetime is determined by an accelerated lifetime test at initial luminances of 9000, 6000, 5000, 4000 cd/m2. examples small molecule/polymer example 1 small molecule sm1 is mixed with polymer 1 in the ratio 2:1 and 16.6% of triplet emitter t1. the hole-injection layer is ch8000. sm1 + polymer1 +device propertiest1 2:1 (ch8000)voltage/v @ 100 cd/m 24.0voltage/v @ 1000 cd/m 25.75voltage/v @ 5000 cd/m 27.3voltage/v @ 10 ma/cm 27.1luminosity/cd/a +43 @ 6 vlifetime20306 h example 2 small molecule sm1 is mixed with polymer 2 in the ratio 2:1 and 16.6% of triplet emitter. the hole-injection layer was produced using ch8000. sm1 + polymer2device properties(2:1) + t1 (ch8000)voltage/v @ 100 cd/m 23.9voltage/v @ 1000 cd/m 25.3voltage/v @ 5000 cd/m 27.0voltage/v @ 10 ma/cm 26.0luminosity/cd/a +22 @ 6.5 vlifetime749 h example 3 polymer 3 is mixed with small molecule sm2 in the ratio 1:2 and 16.6% of triplet emitter. the hole-injection layer was produced using ch8000. polymer3 + sm2device properties(1:2) + t1 (ch8000)voltage/v @ 100 cd/m 23.6voltage/v @ 1000 cd/m 24.85voltage/v @ 5000 cd/m 26.1voltage/v @ 10 ma/cm 25.6luminosity/cd/a +28.6 @ 5 vlifetime27508 h example 4 polymer 4 is mixed with small molecule sm2 in the ratio 1:2 and 16.6% of triplet emitter. the hole-injection layer was produced using ch8000. polymer4 + sm2device properties(1:2) + t1 (ch8000)voltage/v @ 100 cd/m 24.2voltage/v @ 1000 cd/m 26.0voltage/v @ 5000 cd/m 27.7voltage/v @ 10 ma/cm 27.1luminosity/cd/a +35 @ 5.3 vlifetime940 h example 5 polymer 6 is mixed with small molecule sm2 in the ratio 1:2 and 16.6% of triplet emitter. the hole-injection layer was produced using ch8000. polymer6 +sm2device properties(1:2) + t1 (ch8000)voltage/v @ 100 cd/m 27.3voltage/v @ 1000 cd/m 210voltage/v @ 5000 cd/m 2>10voltage/v @ 10 ma/cm 2>10luminosity/cd/a +17.4 @ 10 vlifetime957 h reference example polymer/polymer example 6 this example shows the mixture of two polymers in the ratio 1:2 with 16.7% of triplet emitter. here too, ch8000 was again employed for comparison. polymer3 + polymer1 +device propertiest1 (1:2) (ch8000)voltage/v @ 100 cd/m 27.8voltage/v @ 1000 cd/m 2>10voltage/v @ 5000 cd/m 2>10voltage/v @ 10 ma/cm 2>10luminosity/cd/a +6 @ 10 vlifetime152 h comparison of examples 1 to 5 with example 6 clearly shows the advantage of the mixtures of small molecule/corresponding polymer compared with the polymer/polymer mixtures. the mixtures of small molecule/polymer are preferred, irrespective of the polymer structures employed, not only in the performance (for example luminosity at the corresponding voltages), but also, in particular, in the lifetime. particular preference is given to polymers 1 and 3 with the corresponding small molecules.
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052-907-206-600-389
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KR
|
[
"CN",
"KR",
"US",
"JP"
] |
H04L12/28,H04W84/12,G06F13/00,G06Q10/00,G06Q50/00,H04M1/72415,H04M11/00,H04Q9/00,H04W92/08
| 2000-11-27T00:00:00 |
2000
|
[
"H04",
"G06"
] |
network control method and device for domestic appliances
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purpose: a home appliance network system and method is provided to easily control the operations of home appliances from the outside by constructing a home server at a low price. constitution: a home appliance network system is comprised of external communication devices(110,140), an internal communication device(190), a communication part(160), and a radio communication network(170). the external communication devices(110,140) control the operations of home appliances from the outside. the internal communication device(190) is located in a home in order to control the operations of relevant home appliances according to the operation control signals inputted from the external communication devices(110,140). the communication part(160) is provided for data input and output between the external communication devices(110,140) and the internal communication device(190). the radio communication network(170) forms a communication network with the communication part(160) in order to transmit the control signals outputted from the external communication devices(110,140) to the internal communication device(190).
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1 . an apparatus for controlling a home appliance network having at least one or more home appliances comprising: an external communication means for inputting a predetermined operation control command to control the operation of the home appliances by externally accessing a home page of a corresponding communication service provider through an internet; a radio communication network for transmitting the operation control command input to the home page through the external communication means in a radio type; and an internal communication means located within home, for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance of the home appliance network to correspond to the operation control command transmitted in a radio type through the radio communication network. 2 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the external communication means includes at least one of a first external communication equipment accessed to the home page through a cable communication network and a second external communication equipment accessed to the home page through a radio communication network or the cable communication network. 3 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the cable communication network includes a telephone communication network or an internet private communication network. 4 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the radio communication network is a portable radio communication network. 5 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first external communication equipment includes at least one of a pc, a private terminal unit, and a server. 6 . the apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the second external communication equipment is a portable personal communication terminal unit. 7 . the apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the internal communication means is a portable personal communication terminal unit. 8 . in a method for controlling an apparatus for controlling a home appliance network having at least one or more home appliances, the apparatus comprising an external communication equipment for controlling the network directly or in accordance with an external control command, an external communication equipment for externally controlling the internal communication equipment through a predetermined communication network, a communication network for connecting the internal communication equipment with the external communication equipment, and a communication service provider for providing internet services, the method comprising the steps of: searching data required for the operation and control of home appliances on an internet provided by the communication service provider using the internal communication equipment and downloading the data; outputting the downloaded data to a corresponding home appliance within home; outputting an operation control signal of the home appliance by externally accessing the internal communication equipment through the communication network provided by the communication service provider using the external communication equipment; and controlling at the internal communication equipment the corresponding home appliance in accordance with the operation control signal. 9 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: monitoring the operation state of the home appliance through the internal communication equipment; and transmitting the operation state to the external communication equipment through the communication network. 10 . the method of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of: detecting at the home appliance whether there is any error and outputting the detected result to the internal communication equipment; and outputting at the internal communication equipment the detected result to the external communication equipment if the one accesses the other.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to a home appliance network, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for controlling a home appliance network. 2. background of the related art currently, a home appliance network is implemented in such a manner that a home server such as a personal computer (pc) and a set top box is established within each home and is provided with a unique ip address through a communication network such as lan or cable telephone network. external users are accessed to the home server of the home appliance network through tie communication network so that they can remotely control the operation of a desired home appliance. a related art home appliance network will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. fig. 1 illustrates a related art home appliance network. as shown in fig. 1 , the related art home appliance network includes an external communication equipment 10 , a home server 40 , an internet 20 , and a cable communication network 30 . the external communication equipment 10 externally controls the operation of home appliances 50 within home. the home server 40 controls the operation of the home appliances 50 in accordance with an operational control signal of the external communication equipment 10 . the cable communication network 30 transmits the operational control signal of the external communication equipment 10 from the internet 20 to the home server 40 . the operation of the aforementioned related art home appliance network will now be described with reference to fig. 1 . an apparatus established as the home server 40 of the home appliance network, such as a pc or a set top box, is connected with the internet 20 and then is in standby state to receive information transmitted to the home server 40 . the home server 40 includes a sub network that can transmit and receive signals to and from the home appliances 50 . also, the home server 40 should be provided with a program that can establish a server environment. meanwhile, a user externally accesses the internet 20 through a pc or other communication terminal unit 10 connected with the cable communication network 30 such as lan or telephone communication network. then, the user moves to a home page for access to the home server 40 within home on the internet 20 . once the user accesses the home server 40 having a unique ip address in a corresponding home page, a signal to control the operation of the home appliances 50 within home is output to the home server 40 . the home server 40 receives the operation control signal of the corresponding home appliance 50 through the cable communication network 30 in accordance with a user's request in a home page on the internet 20 . then, the home server 40 outputs the operation control signal of the corresponding home appliance 50 among the home appliances included in a subnet in the home server 40 in accordance with the received control signal. the home server 40 and the home appliances 50 transmit and receive data through a protocol prescribed by a data transceiver system. meanwhile, the home appliances 50 included in the subnet and connected with the home server 40 perform the operation corresponding to the operation control signal in accordance with the output operation control signal and outputs data on their operation state to the home server 40 . the home server 40 outputs the data on the operation state of the home appliances 50 to an external user. the related art home appliance network has several problems. first, if the home server uses a communication system such as adsl, the home server has a variable ip not a fixed ip. in this case, it is difficult for the external user to easily search the ip address of the home server and access the home server. furthermore, to establish the home server, the user should purchase a pc or other equipment and is required to subscribe to a charged cable network that can access a communication network. accordingly, the required cost increases. summary of the invention accordingly, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and method for controlling a home appliance network that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art. an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling a home appliance network in which a home server is established at low cost so that an external user can easily control the operation of home appliances within home. additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. the objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. to achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, a home appliance network having at least one or more home appliances includes an external communication means for inputting a predetermined operation control command to control the operation of the home appliances by externally accessing a home page of a corresponding communication service provider through an internet, a radio communication network for transmitting the operation control command input to the home page through the external communication means in a radio type, and an internal communication means located within home, for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance of the home appliance network to correspond to the operation control command transmitted in a radio type through the radio communication network. it is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. brief description of the drawings the accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. in the drawings: fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a related art home appliance network; fig. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus for controlling a home appliance network according to the present invention; fig. 3 is a flow char illustrating a method for controlling a home appliance network according to the first embodiment of the present invention; fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for downloading data of an internal communication equipment according to the present invention; and fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling a home appliance network according to the second embodiment of the present invention. detailed description of the invention reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. as shown in fig. 2 , an apparatus for controlling a home appliance network according to the present invention includes external communication equipments 110 and 140 for inputting a predetermined operation control command to control the operation of home appliances 200 within home by externally accessing a home page of a corresponding communication service provider through an internet, a radio communication network 120 for transmitting the operation control command input to the home page through the external communication equipments 110 and 140 in a radio type, and an internal communication equipment 190 located within home, for controlling the operation of a corresponding home appliance of the home appliance network to correspond to the operation control command transmitted in a radio type through the radio communication network 120 . a method for controlling the home appliance network according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. first embodiment as shown in fig. 3 , in a home appliance network within home, an internal communication equipment 190 , e.g., a portable communication terminal unit is established as a home server. then, a user accesses an internet 160 provided by a communication service provider through the portable communication terminal unit (s 11 ), so that data required for the operation of home appliances 200 within home or other control are searched through the internet 160 and then downloaded (s 12 ). the internal communication equipment 190 outputs the downloaded data to corresponding home appliances 200 (s 13 ). meanwhile, the home server 190 and the home appliances 200 transmit and receive data through a protocol prescribed by a data transceiver system not through ip addresses. the corresponding home appliances 200 receive and store corresponding data, and then perform the operation of the stored data in accordance with an external control signal. therefore, the data of the operation or the other control operation are input to the home appliances 200 included in a subnet and connected with the home server, i.e., the internal communication equipment 190 . an environment that can control the operation of the corresponding home appliance 200 in accordance with a control signal of the internal communication equipment 190 is established. once the home appliance network within home is established, the home appliance network can be managed in accordance with the control operation of an external user or an internal user within home. subsequently, if an environment that can receive an external signal is set up, the external user accesses the internal communication equipment 190 through an external communication equipment such as a radio communication equipment 110 (e.g., portable communication terminal unit) and cable communication terminal units 140 (e.g., pc) connected with lan or other cable network (s 14 ). to access the internal communication equipment using the external communication equipment, the user accesses a home page of the communication service provider using the radio communication equipment 110 or the cable communication terminal unit 140 and inputs a telephone number of the internal communication equipment 190 within home in the home page. the radio communication equipment 110 is connected with the internet 160 through the radio communication network 120 and the cable communication network 131 provided by the communication service provider. the cable communication terminal unit 140 is connected with the internet 160 through the cable communication network 131 . once the user accesses the internal communication equipment 190 using the radio communication equipment 110 and the cable communication equipment 140 connected with the external network, the user controls the operation of a desired home appliance 200 or implements a menu to check the operation state of the desired home appliance 200 . a control signal for implementing the menu is output to the home server, i.e., the internal communication equipment 190 within home through the radio communication network 180 on the internet 160 . subsequently, the internal communication equipment 190 determines whether a signal for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance is input through the radio communication network 180 on the internet 160 (s 15 ) . once the signal for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance is input, the internal communication equipment 190 outputs a remote control signal for operating the corresponding home appliance according to the operation control signal in a desired state to the corresponding home appliance (s 16 ) . if the input signal is not for controlling the operation of the corresponding home appliance, the input signal is determined as a monitoring signal for checking the current operation state of the corresponding home appliance so that the monitoring signal is output to the corresponding home appliance (s 17 ). once the corresponding home appliance 200 is remotely controlled, i.e., is operated by the operation control signal, the corresponding home appliance 200 continues to output the current operation state to the internal communication equipment 190 in accordance with the operation control signal. if the monitoring signal is input to the corresponding home appliance 200 , the corresponding home appliance 200 outputs the current operation state to the internal communication equipment 190 . meanwhile, the internal communication equipment 190 outputs the operation state according to the remote control of the corresponding home appliance 200 or the current monitoring result of the corresponding home appliance 200 to the external communication equipment through the radio communication network 180 and the internet 160 (s 18 ). afterwards, the user checks the monitoring result of the home appliance 200 or the operation state according to the operation control, and determines whether to control the next operation. in the aforementioned home appliance network, a method for searching data required for the operation of the home appliance and downloading the data will now be described in detail with reference to fig. 4 . first, the user connects the internal communication equipment 190 subscribed to a communication service of a communication service provider with the communication service of a corresponding communication service provider (s 101 ). once the internal communication equipment 190 is connected with the corresponding communication service, the user accesses the internet 160 through the communication service so as to establish an environment that can search for data (s 102 ). then, the internal communication equipment 190 can use the internet 160 and a search window is displayed in the internal communication equipment. the user inputs a search word of data required to operate the home appliance in the search window so that sites of the search results of the data are searched (s 103 ). subsequently, the user selects a desired site among the sites according to the search results of the data and moves to the desired site (s 104 ). then, the user downloads desired data from the corresponding site (s 105 ). second embodiment as shown in fig. 5 , in a home appliance network within home, an internal communication equipment 190 , e.g., a portable communication terminal unit is established as a home server. then, a user accesses an internet 160 using the internal communication equipment 190 (s 51 ), so that data required for the operation of home appliances 200 within home or other control are searched through the internet 160 and then downloaded (s 52 ). the internal communication equipment 190 outputs the downloaded data to corresponding home appliances 200 (s 53 ). meanwhile, the home server 190 and the home appliances 200 transmit and receive data through a protocol prescribed by a data transceiver system not through ip addresses. the corresponding home appliances 200 receive and store corresponding data, and then perform the operation of the stored data in accordance with an external control signal. therefore, the data of the operation or the other control operation are input to the home appliances 200 included in a subnet and connected with the home server, i.e., the internal communication equipment 190 . an environment that can control the operation of the corresponding home appliance 200 in accordance with a control signal of the internal communication equipment 190 is established. thus, the home appliance network within home is set up. once the home appliance network within home is set up, the home appliance network can be managed in accordance with the control operation of an external user or an internal user within home. meanwhile, once the data are input to the home appliance within home to set up the home appliance network, the home appliance has an additional function of determining whether there is any error such as failure and searching the error. also, since the data can be input and output through the protocol, the home appliance detects whether there is any error (s 54 ). if it is detected whether there is any error, the home appliance outputs the detected result to the internal communication equipment (s 55 ). subsequently, if an environment that can receive an external signal is set up, the external user accesses the internal communication equipment 190 through an external communication equipment such as a radio communication equipment 110 (e.g., a portable communication terminal unit) and cable communication terminal units 140 (e.g., pc) connected with lan or other cable network (s 56 ). then, the internal communication equipment 190 outputs the detected result to the user through the external communication equipment regardless of the operation control signal of the user (s 57 ). afterwards, the user checks whether the home appliance has any error, through the external communication equipment, and determines whether to control the operation of the corresponding home appliance. meanwhile, a method for searching data required for the operation of the home appliance in the home appliance network and downloading the data is identical to the method according to the first embodiment. as aforementioned, the apparatus and method for controlling a home appliance network has the following advantages. first, since the radio communication terminal unit is used without a separate home server, the network can be set up at low cost. also, unlike the communication network using the variable ip address such as adsl, since the telephone number of the internal communication equipment acts as a fixed ip address, the external user can easily access the home appliance network within home. further, the internal communication equipment, i.e., the portable communication terminal unit is available for the home appliance network according to a data input and output function in addition to a data transmitting and receiving function. the forgoing embodiments are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. the present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. the description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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053-092-725-113-525
|
US
|
[
"US",
"EP",
"CA",
"WO"
] |
C07C1/00,C10L1/188,C10G3/00,C10L1/08
| 2009-09-29T00:00:00 |
2009
|
[
"C07",
"C10"
] |
pretreatment of oils and/or fats
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disclosed are methods for pretreating triglyceride containing material prior to contacting with a hydrotreating catalyst to produce fuel range hydrocarbons without causing reactor fouling or catalyst plugging.
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1 . a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: (a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; (b) subjecting said feedstock to a heating zone to form treated feedstock a; (c) subjecting said treated feedstock a to a separation device to form a treated feedstock b; and (d) reacting said treated feedstock b with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons, wherein said temperature in said heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c., and wherein said condition in said reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. 2 . the process of claim 1 , wherein said triglyceride is present in said feedstock in an amount in the range of from about 0.01 to about 100 weight percent based on the total weight of said feedstock. 3 . the process of claim 1 , wherein said triglyceride is selected from the group consisting of vegetable oil, soybean oil, yellow grease, animal fats and mixtures thereof. 4 . the process of claim 1 , wherein said feedstock further comprises elements selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and combinations thereof. 5 . the process of claim 1 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises nickel and molybdenum. 6 . the process of claim 1 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises cobalt and molybdenum. 7 . the process of claim 1 , wherein said separation device is a filter with a pore size of at least 0.1 μm. 8 . a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: (a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; (b) mixing said feedstock with a hydrocarbon boiling in the temperature range of from about 25° c. to about 760° c. to form a feedstock mixture; (c) subjecting said feedstock mixture to a heating zone to form treated feedstock mixture a; (d) subjecting said treated feedstock mixture a to a separation device to form a treated feedstock mixture b; and (e) reacting said treated feedstock mixture b with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons, wherein said temperature in said heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c., and wherein said condition in said reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. 9 . the process of claim 8 , where in said step (c) is carried out in the presence of a co-feed gas. 10 . the process of claim 8 , wherein said triglyceride is present in said feedstock in an amount in the range of from about 0.01 to about 100 weight percent based on the total weight of said feedstock. 11 . the process of claim 8 , wherein said triglyceride is selected from the group consisting of vegetable oil, soybean oil, yellow grease, animal fats and mixtures thereof. 12 . the process of claim 8 wherein said feedstock further comprises elements selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and combinations thereof. 13 . the process of claim 8 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises nickel and molybdenum. 14 . the process of claim 8 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises cobalt and molybdenum. 15 . the process of claim 8 , wherein said separation device is a filter with a pore size of at least 0.1 μm. 16 . the process of claim 8 , wherein said hydrocarbon boiling in the temperature range of from about 25° c. to about 760° c. is selected from the group consisting of gasoline, naphtha, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, light cycle oil, vacuum gas oil, atmospheric gas oil, atmospheric tower bottom, and combinations of any two or more thereof. 17 . the process in accordance with claim 9 wherein said co-feed gas is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, nitrogen, helium, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. 18 . a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: (a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; (b) maintaining said feedstock in a temperature sufficient to keep said feedstock in liquid form; (c) settling said feedstock for a retention time to form a clear top layer and a bottom layer of sediment; and (d) recovering and reacting said clear layer with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons, wherein said temperature in step (b) is in the range of from about 30° c. to about 150° c., wherein said retention time in step (c) is at least 30 minutes, and wherein said condition in said reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. 19 . the process of claim 18 , wherein said triglyceride is present in said feedstock in an amount in the range of from about 0.01 to about 100 weight percent based on the total weight of said feedstock. 20 . the process of claim 18 , wherein said triglyceride is selected from the group consisting of vegetable oil, soybean oil, yellow grease, animal fats and mixtures thereof. 21 . the process of claim 18 wherein said feedstock further comprises elements selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and combinations thereof. 22 . the process of claim 18 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises nickel and molybdenum. 23 . the process of claim 18 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises cobalt and molybdenum. 24 . the process of claim 18 , wherein said bottom layer of sediment is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, metals, solids, proteins, bone materials, and any combinations thereof. 25 . the process of claim 18 , wherein said clear top layer maybe separated from said bottom layer of sediment by a separation method selected from a group consisting of separation funnel, decanting method, or centrifugation method. 26 . a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock and comprising: (a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; (b) subjecting said feedstock to a separation device to remove at least part of impurities from said feedstock and produce an effluent stream; (c) reacting said effluent stream with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons, wherein said condition in said reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. 27 . the process of claim 26 , wherein said triglyceride is present in said feedstock in an amount in the range of from about 0.01 to about 100 weight percent based on the total weight of said feedstock. 28 . the process of claim 26 , wherein said triglyceride is selected from the group consisting of vegetable oil, soybean oil, yellow grease, animal fats and mixtures thereof. 29 . the process of claim 26 wherein said feedstock further comprises elements selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and combinations thereof. 30 . the process of claim 26 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises nickel and molybdenum. 31 . the process of claim 26 , wherein said hydrotreating catalyst comprises cobalt and molybdenum. 32 . the process of claim 26 , wherein said separation device is a filter with a pore size of at least 0.1 μm. 33 . the process of claim 26 , wherein said impurities is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, metals, solids, proteins, bone materials, and any combinations thereof.
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cross-reference to related applications this application is a non-provisional application which claims benefit under 35 usc §119(e) to both u.s. provisional application ser. no. 61/246,704 filed sep. 29, 2009, entitled “pretreatment of oils and/or fats” and u.s. provisional application ser. no. 61/246,732 filed sep. 29, 2009, entitled “pretreatment of oils and/or fats for conversion to transportation fuel” which are incorporated herein in their entirety. statement of federally sponsored research none field of the invention the present invention relates generally to the pretreatment of triglycerides containing material prior to its conversion to fuel range hydrocarbons. background of the invention there is a national interest in the discovery of alternative sources of fuels and chemicals, other than from petroleum resources. as the public discussion concerning the availability of petroleum resources and the need for alternative sources continues, government mandates will require transportation fuels to include, at least in part, hydrocarbons derived from sources besides petroleum. as such, there is a need to develop alternative sources for hydrocarbons useful for producing fuels and chemicals. one possible alternative source of hydrocarbons for producing fuels and chemicals is the natural carbon found in plants and animals, such as for example, oils and fats. these so-called “natural” carbon resources (or renewable hydrocarbons) are widely available, and remain a target alternative source for the production of hydrocarbons. for example, it is known that oils and fats, such as those contained in vegetable oil, can be processed and used as fuel. “bio diesel” is one such product and may be produced by subjecting a base vegetable oil to a transesterification process using methanol in order to convert the base oil to desired methyl esters. after processing, the products produced have very similar combustion properties as compared to petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. however, the use of bio-diesel as an alternative fuel has not yet been proven to be cost effective. in addition, bio-diesel often exhibits “gelling” thus making it unable to flow, which limits its use in pure form in cold climates. unmodified vegetable oils have also been used as additives in diesel fuel to improve the qualities of the diesel fuel, such as for example, the lubricity. however, problems such as injector coking and the degradation of combustion chamber conditions have been associated with these unmodified additives. since cetane (c 16 h 34 ), heptadecane (c 17 h 36 ) and octadecane (c 18 h 38 ) by definition have very good ignition properties (expressed as cetane rating), it is often desired to add paraffinic hydrocarbons in the c 16 -c 18 range, provided that other properties of the additive, such as for example, viscosity, pour point, cloud point, etc., are congruent with those of the diesel fuel. processes for converting animal fat and vegetable oil into hydrocarbons have been achieved, such as, for example, contacting a diesel/vegetable oil mixture with a hydrotreating catalyst. however, oftentimes, animal fat and vegetable oils can contain significant amounts of solids, metals and phosphorus compounds and other impurities, which can cause catalyst deactivation and plugging of the reactor catalyst bed. as such, it is desirable to develop a process of pretreating the animal fat and vegetable oil prior to contacting them with a hydrotreating catalyst to produce a diesel boiling range hydrocarbons without causing reactor fouling or catalyst plugging. summary of the invention in one embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) subjecting the feedstock to a heating zone to form treated feedstock a; c) subjecting the treated feedstock a to a separation device to form a treated feedstock b; and d) reacting the treated feedstock b with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c., and the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. in another embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) mixing the feedstock with a hydrocarbon boiling in the temperature range of from about 25° c. to about 760° c. to form a feedstock mixture; c) subjecting the feedstock mixture to a heating zone to form treated feedstock mixture a; d) subjecting the treated feedstock mixture a to a separation device to form a treated feedstock mixture b; and e) reacting the treated feedstock mixture b with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c., and the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. in yet another embodiment of the present invention, the step (c) is carried out in the presence of a co-feed gas. in yet another embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) maintaining the feedstock in a temperature sufficient to keep the feedstock in liquid form; c) settling the feedstock for a retention time to form a clear top layer and a bottom layer of sediment; and d) recovering and reacting the clear layer with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the temperature in step (b) is in the range of from about 30° c. to about 150° c., and the retention time in step (c) is at least 30 minutes, and the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. in yet another embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock and comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) subjecting the feedstock to a separation device to remove at least part of impurities from the feedstock and produce an effluent stream; c) reacting the effluent stream with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. detailed description of the invention in one embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) subjecting the feedstock to a heating zone to form treated feedstock a; c) subjecting the treated feedstock a to a separation device to form a treated feedstock b; and d) reacting the treated feedstock b with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c., and the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. in another embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) mixing the feedstock with a hydrocarbon boiling in the temperature range of from about 25° c. to about 760° c. to form a feedstock mixture; c) subjecting the feedstock mixture to a heating zone to form treated feedstock mixture a; d) subjecting the treated feedstock mixture a to a separation device to form a treated feedstock mixture b; and e) reacting the treated feedstock mixture b with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c., and the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. in yet another embodiment of the present invention, the step (c) is carried out in the presence of a co-feed gas. generally, the co-feed gas is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, nitrogen, helium, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. in one embodiment, the co-feed gas can be hydrogen or nitrogen. according to the embodiments above, a thermally treated feed can pass through a separation device before passing to the hydrotreating reaction zone, which will be described later in detail. any suitable separation device capable of separating the solid from the triglyceride containing feed may be used. a separation device according to one embodiment of the current invention is a commercially available bag or cartridge filter with a pore size of at least 0.1 μm. in another embodiment with the feedstock being the inedible tallow, the first separation device of choice is a commercially available bag or cartridge filter with a pore size anywhere from 0.1 to 25 μm. generally, a treated feed after the above separation device can be contacted with a catalyst composition under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. in yet another embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) maintaining the feedstock in a temperature sufficient to keep the feedstock in liquid form; c) settling the feedstock for a retention time to form a clear top layer and a bottom layer of sediment; and d) recovering and reacting the clear layer with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the temperature in step (b) is in the range of from about 30° c. to about 150° c., and the retention time in step (c) is at least 30 minutes, and the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. according to this embodiment of the invention, a feedstock comprising triglyceride was kept in liquid form by maintaining the feedstock in a temperature range from about 30 to 150° c. the feedstock is allowed to settle for at least 30 minutes to thereby form a clear top layer of treated feedstock and a bottom layer of sediment. the layer of the treated feedstock is recovered but not limited by separation funnel, decanting method, centrifugation, and etc. further refereeing to this embodiment of the current invention, the bottom layer of sediment is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, metals (e.g. alkali metals, alkaline earth metals), solids, proteins, bone materials, and any combinations thereof. the amounts of these compounds are generally in the range of from about 0 ppmw to about 10,000 ppmw. in addition, a treated feed, after the settling process can be contacted with a catalyst composition under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. in yet another embodiment of the present invention, a process for treating a triglyceride containing feedstock and comprising: a) providing a feedstock comprising at least one triglyceride; b) subjecting the feedstock to a separation device to remove at least part of impurities from the feedstock and produce an effluent stream; c) reacting the effluent stream with a hydrotreating catalyst in a reaction zone under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. the condition in the reaction zone includes a pressure in the range of from 100 to 2000 psig and a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. according to this embodiment of the invention, a feedstock comprising triglyceride is subject to a separation device wherein part of impurities are removed from the feedstock. any suitable separation device capable of separating the solid from an oil phase feed may be used. the separation device according to one embodiment of the current invention is a commercially available bag or cartridge filter with a pore size of at least 0.1 μm. in another embodiment with the feedstock being the inedible tallow, the separation device of choice is a commercially available bag or cartridge filter with a pore size anywhere from 0.1 to 25 μm, which removes at least 50% of the impurities from the inedible tallow feedstock to produce the effluent stream. further according to this embodiment of the invention, the impurities is selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, metals (e.g. alkali metals, alkaline earth metals), solids, proteins, bone materials, and any combinations thereof. the amounts of these compounds are generally in the range of from about 0 ppmw to about 10,000 ppmw. in addition, a treated feed, after the separation process can be contacted with a catalyst composition under a condition sufficient to produce a reaction product containing diesel boiling range hydrocarbons. according to the invention in general, triglycerides or fatty acids of triglycerides, or mixtures thereof, may be converted to form a hydrocarbon mixture useful for liquid fuels and chemicals. the term, “triglyceride,” is used generally to refer to any naturally occurring ester of a fatty acid and/or glycerol having the general formula ch 2 (ocor 1 )ch(ocor 2 )ch 2 (ocor 3 ), where r 1 , r 2 , and r 3 are the same or different, and may vary in chain length. useful triglycerides in the present invention include, but are not limited to, triglycerides that may be converted to hydrocarbons when contacted under suitable reaction conditions. examples of triglycerides useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, animal fats (e.g. poultry grease, edible or inedible beef fat also referred as tallow, milk fat, and the like), vegetable oils (e.g. soybean, corn oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed oil, coconut oil, babassu oil, grape seed oil, poppy seed oil, almond oil, hazelnut oil, walnut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, sesame, oil, tall oil, cottonseed oil, palm oil, ricebran oil, canola oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, butyrospermum, wheat germ oil, illipe butter, meadowfoam, seed oil, rapeseed oil, borage seed oil, linseed oil, castor oil, vernoia oil, tung oil, jojoba oil, ongokea oil, algae oil, jatropha oil, yellow grease such as those derived from used cooking oils, and the like), and mixtures and combinations thereof. generally, the triglyceride may be present in an amount in the range of from about 0.1 to about 100 percent, based on the total weight percent of the feed. the triglyceride can also be present in an amount in the range of from about 50 weight percent to about 99.9 weight percent based on the total weight of the mixture. the triglyceride can also be present in the feed in an amount of 100 weight percent. generally, the triglyceride contains amounts of metal compounds and phosphorus compounds. the elements that the triglyceride contains are generally selected from the group consisting of phosphorus, alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and combinations thereof. the amounts of these compounds are generally in the range of from about 0 ppmw to about 10,000 ppmw. in according to the invention, triglyceride starting materials may be processed alone or in combination with other hydrocarbons. the hydrocarbons generally boil at a temperature of from about 25° c. to about 760° c. examples of suitable hydrocarbons include middle distillate fuels. middle distillate fuels generally contain hydrocarbons that boil in the middle distillate boiling range in the range from about 150° c. to about 400° c. typical middle distillates may include for example, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, light cycle oil, atmospheric gas oil, and vacuum gas oil. if a middle distillate feed is employed in the process of the present invention, the feed generally may contain a mixture of hydrocarbons having a boiling range (astm d86) of from about 150° c. to about 400° c. in addition, the middle distillate feed may have a mid-boiling point (astm d86) of greater than about 175° c. a middle distillate feed employed in one embodiment of the present invention is diesel fuel. in addition, one or more triglycerides can mix with a middle distillate feed. in addition to middle distillate fuels, other suitable hydrocarbons include, but are not limited to, gasoline, naphtha, and atmospheric tower bottom. in one embodiment of the present invention the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 40° c. to about 540° c. in another embodiment of the present invention, the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 120° c. to about 430° c., and in yet another embodiment of the present invention, the temperature in the heating zone is in the range of from about 200° c. to about 400° c. useful catalyst compositions in the present invention include catalysts effective in the conversion of triglycerides to hydrocarbons when contacted under suitable reaction conditions. examples of suitable catalysts include hydrotreating catalysts. the term “hydrotreating” as used herein, generally describes a catalyst that is capable of utilizing hydrogen to accomplish saturation of unsaturated materials, such as aromatic compounds. examples of hydrotreating catalysts useful in the present invention include, but are not limited to, materials containing compounds selected from group vi and group viii metals, and their oxides and sulfides. examples of hydrotreating catalysts include but are not limited to alumina supported cobalt-molybdenum, nickel sulfide, nickel-tungsten, cobalt-tungsten and nickel-molybdenum. the metal of the catalyst useful in the present invention is usually distributed over the surface of a support in a manner than maximizes the surface area of the metal. examples of suitable support materials for the hydrogenation catalysts include, but are not limited to, silica, silica-alumina, aluminum oxide (al 2 o 3 ), silica-magnesia, silica-titania and acidic zeolites of natural or synthetic origin. the metal catalyst may be prepared by any method known in the art, including combining the metal with the support using conventional means including but not limited to impregnation, ion exchange and vapor deposition. in an embodiment of the present invention, the catalyst contains molybdenum and cobalt supported on alumina or molybdenum and nickel supported on alumina. this process in accordance with the present invention can be carried out in any suitable reaction zone that enables intimate contact of the treated feed and control of the operating conditions under a set of reaction conditions that include total pressure, temperature, liquid hourly space velocity, and hydrogen flow rate. the catalyst can be added first to the reactants and thereafter, fed with hydrogen. in the present invention, either fixed bed reactors or fluidized bed reactors can be used. as used herein, the term “fluidized bed reactor” denotes a reactor wherein a fluid feed can be contacted with solid particles in a manner such that the solid particles are at least partly suspended within the reaction zone by the flow of the fluid feed through the reaction zone and the solid particles are substantially free to move about within the reaction zone as driven by the flow of the fluid feed through the reaction zone. as used herein, the term “fluid” denotes gas, liquid, vapor and combinations thereof. generally, the reaction conditions at which the reaction zone is maintained generally include a temperature in the range of from about 260° c. to about 430° c. preferably, the temperature is in the range of from about 310° c. to about 370° c. in accordance with the present invention, regardless of whether a fixed or fluidized bed reactor is used, the pressure is generally in the range of from about 100 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) to about 2000 psig. generally, in a fixed bed reactor, the pressure is in the range of from about 100 psig to about 1500 psig. in a fixed bed reactor, the pressure can also be about 600 psig. in a fluidized bed reactor, the pressure is generally in the range of from about 400 psig to about 750 psig, and can also be about 500 psig. the following examples are presented to further illustrate the present invention and are not to be construed as unduly limiting the scope of this invention. example 1 a mixture of soybean oil and diesel was fed into a heated tube operated at a temperature of about 330° c. and a pressure of 700 psig (there was no co-feed gas present). the mixture was then passed through a filter and sent to a hydrotreating reactor containing a hydrotreating catalyst. table 2 below shows that the hydrotreating reactor experienced no pressure drop, unlike when the same mixture is fed through a hydrotreating reactor without the pre-treatment. table 1reactor configurationhydrotreatingheated tube/filter/reactor onlyhydrotreating reactortime on-stream,50100hrsreactor pressure100nonedrop, psig example 2 a mixture of beef tallow and diesel was fed into a heated tube operated at a temperature of about 300° c. the resulting liquid was passed through a filter and then sent to a hydrotreating reactor containing a hydrotreating catalyst. table 3 below shows that the hydrotreating reactor experienced no pressure drop after 20 days on stream while the untreated feed led to 90 psig pressure drop after 1 day on stream operation. table 2reactor configurationhydrotreatingheated tube/filter/reactor onlyhydrotreating reactortime on-stream,120daysreactor pressure90nonedrop, psig example 3 a tallow sample was kept at 65° c. (in liquid form) for one week. a layer of brownish sediment was settled at the bottom of a glass container. the top clear tallow liquid was decanted out and sent to a hydrotreating reactor containing a hydrotreating catalyst. table 1 below shows that the hydrotreating reactor experienced no pressure drop after 10 days on stream while the untreated feed led to 90 psig pressure drop after 1 day on stream operation. therefore, using the decanted clear tallow sample as feed can reduce reactor fouling issue. table 3reactor configuration20% untreated technical20% decanted cleartallow with 80% diesel/tallow with 80% diesel/hydrotreating reactorhydrotreating reactortime on-stream,110daysreactor pressure90nonedrop, psig example 4 a tallow sample was passed through a 2 μm filter. the filtered tallow was thereafter sent to a hydrotreating reactor containing a hydrotreating catalyst. table 2 below shows that the hydrotreating reactor experienced no pressure drop after 14 days on stream while the untreated feed led to 90 psig pressure drop after 1 day on stream operation. table 4reactor configuration20% untreated technical20% filtered tallowtallow with 80% diesel/(2 μm) with 80% diesel/hydrotreating reactorhydrotreating reactortime on-stream,114daysreactor pressure90nonedrop, psig while this invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration, it should not be construed as limited thereby but intended to cover all changes and modifications within the spirit and scope thereof.
|
054-142-161-391-739
|
KR
|
[
"SG",
"JP",
"KR",
"US",
"WO"
] |
C02F1/46,B63B13/00,C02F1/34,C02F1/461,C02F1/44,C02F1/66,C02F103/08,C02F1/00,C02F1/467
| 2010-04-07T00:00:00 |
2010
|
[
"C02",
"B63"
] |
ballast water treatment system using a highly efficient electrolysis device
|
]ballast water treatment system using a highly efficient electrolysis devicedisclosed is a ballast water treatment system to remove or eradicate various aquatic organisms or microbes remaining ballast water. a water treatment tube manufactured in a filter type is primarily installed to apply physical shock to aquatic organisms having the size of 50 µm or more by modifying the flow of the ballast water to remove or damage aquatic organisms, so10 that the life power of the aquatic organisms is weakened. secondarily, a high efficiency electrolysis device employing dual negative electrodes is installed to generate chlorine, so that the remaining aquatic organisms or remaining microbes are completely eradicated. in order to completely eradicate ocean15 organisms, the ballast water treatment system includes a neutralizing device capable of returning the ballast water to the similar natural sea water by processing remaining chlorine components excessively produced.90 fig 1
|
1 . a ballast water treatment system using a highly efficient electrolysis device, the ballast water treatment system comprising: a filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ) installed on an inlet pipe of ballast water to apply physical shock to aquatic organisms or microbes by changing flow of the ballast water, so that the aquatic organisms or the microbes are killed or life power of the aquatic organisms or the microbes are weakened; an electrolysis vessel ( 10 ) installed on a pipe provided at an output side of the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ) and completely eradicating remaining aquatic organisms or remaining microbes by generating chlorine through an electrolysis device used for treatment of ballast water and employing dual negative electrodes; and a neutralizing device ( 50 ) which neutralizes chlorine remaining in the ballast water, which is discharged from the electrolysis vessel ( 10 ) through a ballast tank, by using a neutralizing agent and discharges the ballast water, wherein the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ) is installed at a front stage of the electrolysis device, and a plurality of filter-type diaphragms ( 41 ) are provided in the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ), so that efficiency of the electrolysis vessel ( 10 ) is increased. 2 . the ballast water treatment system of claim 1 , wherein each filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ) installed in the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ) has a size in a range of 25 μm or 100 μm. 3 . the ballast water treatment system of claim 1 , wherein each filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ) provided in the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ) has a sectional area corresponding to 30% to 95% of an inner diameter of the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ). 4 . the ballast water treatment system of claim 1 , wherein each filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ) provided in the filter-type water treatment tube ( 40 ) is installed in a state that the filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ) is rotated at an angle of 45 degrees to 180 degrees, so that the flow of the ballast water is changed. 5 . the ballast water treatment system of claim 1 , wherein filter support plates ( 44 ), which have been bored, are installed at both sides of each filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ). 6 . the ballast water treatment system of claim 5 , further comprising a baffle ( 45 ) provided at an end portion of each filter support plate ( 44 ) to flow water back so that foreign matters are removed from a surface of the filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ) when the foreign matters are attached to the surface of the filter-type diaphragm ( 41 ).
|
technical field the present invention relates to a ballast water treatment system using a highly efficient electrolysis device capable of removing or eradicating various aquatic organisms and various microbes remaining in ballast water of a ship. more particularly, the present invention relates to a ballast water treatment system using a highly efficient electrolysis device, in which physical shock is applied to aquatic organisms and microbes through a filter-type water treatment tube, chlorine is generated by an electrolysis device employing dual negative electrodes to eradicate the aquatic organisms and microbes, and remaining chlorine is neutralized, so that ballast water is recovered to natural sea water. background art in general, most ships has a ballast water tank serves as a device to maintain the balance of the ships by collecting and storing the predetermined quantity of sea water for the purpose of maintaining the balance of the ship and safely navigating the ship in the state that the freights are not loaded on the ships. however, ballast water collected for the safety navigation of the ship serves as a medium to carry aquatic organisms and move viruses to break out diseases, thereby mainly causing ocean pollution and the destruction of an ecosystem of other regions. according to the request of the united nations conference on environment and development in 1992, the international maritime organization has suggested two schemes of replacing ballast water with new one in a predetermined sea before a ship enters a port and physically and chemically sterilize or disinfect loaded ballast water in order to prevent non-indigenous organisms from being spread due to the ballast water and prevent the eco-system from being destructed due to the ballast water. in addition, if sell fishes or microbes live in a cooling water treating apparatus to collect and use fresh water or sea water or a ballast water treating apparatus related to the safety operation of a ship, heat exchange efficiency may be lowered, a constant flow rate may not be supplied, and a great difficulty may be made in managing facilities. accordingly, in order to solve the problem, various technologies to dispose the organisms have been developed. when comparing several treatment apparatuses and schemes, such as a filtering scheme, a uv disinfection scheme, a heating scheme, a chemical treatment scheme, and an electrical treatment scheme, used for the above objects, an electrolysis treatment apparatus represents the greatest effect in terms of economics, safety, and treatment efficiency. the electrolysis treatment apparatus is used to introduce a predetermined amount of sodium chloride (nacl) into the fresh water when the electrolysis treatment apparatus is used for the fresh water, and used to generate sodium hypochlorite (naocl) from sodium chloride (nacl) having the content of about 3% in seawater so that the attachment and the propagation of organisms can be prevented by the strong sterilizing power of the sodium hypochlorite (naocl) when the electrolysis treatment apparatus is used for the sea water. fresh water or sea water treating apparatuses according to the related art are disclosed in korean patent application no. 10-2002-0036086 (filed on jun. 26, 2002) “electrolytic sterilizing arrangements of the waste water disposal treatment”, korean patent application no. 10-2005-0085605 (filed on sep. 14, 2005) “sterilizingapparatus for shipballast water using electrolysis”, and korean unexamined patent publication no.10-2006-0113865 (publishedonoct. 14, 2006) “sterilizing apparatus of ballast water of a ship using double pole type electrolysis system”. however, as described in korean patent application no. 10-2005-0073408 (filed on aug. 10, 2005) “an apparatus for monitoring deposits on the electrode of the direct sea water electrolysis system” and korean patent application no. 10-2006-0126694“the method of electrolysis system for sea-water, freshwater and waste-water using precision switching rectifier”, most of the fresh water or sea water treating apparatuses have problems such as the increase of electrolytic voltage, the damage of an electrode, and the degradation of the electrolysis efficiency as a great amount of magnesium hydroxide (mg(oh) 2 ) or calcium hydroxide (ca(oh) 2 ) serving as a by-product of electrolysis are attached to an electrode or an electrolysis vessel in electrolysis facilities. however, the ballast water excessively produced may cause damages to ocean organisms living in an area in which the ballast water is discharged. therefore, there are required a scheme capable of improving the electrolysis efficiency by minimizing the attachment of foreign matters and a technology capable of minimizing the pollution of the surrounding ocean caused by the excessively produced electrolysis treatment water when operating an electrolysis device of fresh water or sea water used as the ballast water and industrial cooling water. disclosure technical problem accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to a ballast water treatment system of a ship using a highly efficient electrolysis device, in which a water treatment tube manufactured in a filter type is primarily installed to apply physical shock to aquatic organisms having the size of 50 μm or more by modifying the flow of the ballast water thereby removing or damaging aquatic organisms, so that the life of the aquatic organisms is weakened. secondarily, the high efficiency electrolysis device employing dual negative electrodes are installed to generate chlorine, so that the remaining aquatic organisms or remaining microbes can be completely eradicated. in order to completely eradicate ocean organisms, the ballast water treatment system includes a neutralizing device capable of returning the ballast water to water similar to the natural sea water by processing remaining chlorine components excessively produced. technical solution in order to accomplish the object of the present invention, there is provided a ballast disinfection processing device which applies the physical shock to microbes having the size of 50 μm or more by primarily utilizing a filter-type water treatment tube, thereby improving the disinfection treatment efficiency of ocean organisms in an electrolysis vessel serving as a secondary treatment device. in addition, an electrode including a plurality of positive electrode plates and a plurality of negative electrode plates is provided in the electrolysis vessel in a direction that electrolytic water flows, so that current can be supplied to the electrode plates through a rectifier (not shown). the negative electrode plates are provided corresponding to the positive electrode plates, in which one negative plate keeps operating, and remaining negative electrode plates alternately remove attached foreign matters so that treatment efficiency can be maximized. further, before the ballast water of the ship is discharged to the ocean, the ballast water passes through the neutralizing device so that neutralization efficiency of excessively produced chlorine is enhanced, thereby realizing a small-size device and minimize the use of the neutralizing agent to prevent the surrounding ocean from being polluted. advantageous effect as described above, in order to treat the ballast water of the ship, the electrolysis vessel and the electrode structure are modified, and a primary treatment step of the ballast water is employed at a front stage of the electrolysis vessel, thereby maximizing the electrolysis efficiency. in addition, the optimal neutralizing device capable of improving the efficiency of the neutralizing agent is provided, thereby preventing the ocean from being polluted and thereby safely disposing the ocean microbes. description of drawings fig. 1 is a schematic view showing a ballast water treatment system according to the present invention; fig. 2 is a schematic view showing a water treatment tube according to the present invention; figs. 3 to 6 are schematic views showing filter-type diaphragms provided in the water treatment tube according to the present invention; figs. 7 and 8 are schematic views showing the arrangement of electrodes of an electrolysis device; and fig. 9 is a schematic view showing a neutralizing device to neutralize chlorine remaining in ballast water to be discharged by using a neutralizing agent and to discharge the ballast water. best mode an object of the present invention is to acquire an economical profit by lowering electrolytic voltage, increasing electrolysis efficiency, and enabling the safe operation of a ballast disinfection processing device when producing a material, such as sodium hypochlorite (naocl), hypochlorite (hocl), and ozone (o 3 ), representing strong oxidativity in order to treat ballast water of a ship. in addition, ocean microbes can be eradicated by treating ballast water, and chlorine, which is excessively produced, is neutralized, so that the ballast water is discharged as similar natural sea water. in order to accomplish the above object of the present invention, there is provided a ballast water treatment system of a ship, in which a water treatment tube manufactured in a filter type is primarily installed to apply physical shock to aquatic organisms having the size of 50 μm or more by modifying the flow of the ballast water to remove or damage aquatic organisms, so that the life of the aquatic organisms is weakened. secondarily, a high efficiency electrolysis device employing dual negative electrodes is installed to generate chlorine, so that the remaining aquatic organisms or remaining microbes can be completely eradicated. in order to completely eradicate ocean organisms, the ballast water treatment system includes a neutralizing device capable of returning the ballast water to the similar natural sea water by processing remaining chlorine components excessively produced. the filter-type water treatment tube is installed at the front stage of the electrolysis device, and a plurality of filter-type diaphragms are provided in the filter-type water treatment tube, so that the efficiency of the electrolysis vessel can be improved. in addition, according to the present invention, in order to improve the efficiency of the electrolysis vessel, positive electrode plates are aligned in line with each other, and a plurality of negative electrode plates are provided corresponding to the positive electrode plates, in which one end portion of each negative electrode plate is narrowed or widened in a longitudinal direction, thereby minimizing the attachment of the foreign matters to the electrode provided in the electrolysis vessel by changing the flow and the flow rate of electrolysis water. mode for invention hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings. if detailed description of well-known functions or configurations may make the subject matter of the present invention unclear in the following description, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. a ballast water treatment system according to the present invention includes a filter-type water treatment tube 40 , which is installed on an inlet pipe of ballast water to apply the physical shock to aquatic organisms or microbes by changing the flow of the ballast water, thereby killing the aquatic organisms or the microbes or weakening the life of the aquatic organisms or the microbes, an electrolysis vessel 10 , which is installed on a pipe provided at the output side of the filter-type water treatment tube 40 and completely eradicates remaining aquatic organisms or remaining microbes by generating chlorine through an electrolysis device for the treatment of ballast water employing dual negative electrodes, and a neutralizing device 50 , which neutralizes chlorine remaining in the ballast water, which is discharged from the electrolysis vessel 10 through a ballast tank, by using a neutralizing agent and discharges the ballast water. the filter-type water treatment tube 40 is installed at the front stage of the electrolysis device, and a plurality of filter-type diaphragms 41 are provided in the filter-type water treatment tube 40 , so that the efficiency of the electrolysis vessel 10 can be increased. in other words, as shown in fig. 1 , the ballast water treatment system applies the physical shock to the microbes having the size of 50 μm or more by primarily utilizing the filter-type water treatment tube 40 so that a portion of aquatic organisms is eradicated or the life of the aquatic organisms is weakened, thereby improving the treatment efficiency of the electrolysis vessel 10 serving as a disinfection device, and includes the neutralizing device 50 , which improves the neutralization efficiency of the remaining chlorine excessively produced in order to eradicate the microbes living in the ballast water of the ship, has a small size, and uses the minimum of neutralizing agents, so that the surrounding ocean can be prevented from being polluted when the ballast water is discharged from the ballast tank. the filter-type water treatment tube 40 is installed at the front stage of the electrolysis device, and the filter-type diaphragms 41 are installed inside the filter-type water treatment tube 40 , so that the efficiency of the electrolysis vessel 10 can be increased. fig. 2 is a schematic view showing the filter-type water treatment tube 40 used in the ballast water treatment system according to the present invention. a portion or an entire portion of the filter-type water treatment tube 40 is blocked by the diaphragms 41 having the size of 50 μm or less, so that the ocean life having aquatic organisms having the size of 50 μm or more receive physical shock while the influence exerted on the flow of the seawater can be minimized. the pressure difference between the front and rear ends of the filter-type diaphragms 41 can enable the filter-type diaphragms 41 to be automatically cleaned. each filter-type diaphragm 41 installed in the filter-type water treatment tube 40 has a size in the range of 25 μm or 100 μm. figs. 3 and 4 are views showing the structure of the filter-type diaphragm 41 installed in the filter-type water treatment tube. in order to maximize the shock applied to the aquatic organisms having the size of 50 μm or more, the filter-type diaphragms 41 , which are provided in the shape of a fan, are alternately installed at the top and the bottom or at the left and the right of the diaphragm support part 43 . the filter-type diaphragms 41 of the filter-type water treatment tube 40 has a sectional area corresponding to 30% to 95% of the inner diameter of the filter-type water treatment tube 40 and are installed in the state that the filter-type diaphragms 41 are rotated at an angle of 45 degrees to 180 degrees, so that the flow of the ballast water can be changed. fig. 5 is a view showing the detailed structure of the filter-type diaphragms 41 installed in the filter-type water treatment tube 40 . filter support plates 44 , which have been bored, are installed at both sides of the filter-type diaphragms 41 . fig. 6 is a view showing the shape of a baffle 45 to prevent the surface of the filter-type diaphragm 41 from being clogged. when foreign matters are attached to the surface of the filter-type diaphragm 41 , water flows back to remove the foreign matters from the surface of the filter-type diaphragm 41 so that the diaphragms 41 can be automatically washed. figs. 7 and 8 are views showing the ballast water electrolysis device. the electrolysis device includes the electrolysis vessel 10 , which is provided at one side thereof with an introduction part 12 and provided at an opposite side thereof with a discharge part 14 so that electrolytic water including fresh water or sea water passes through the electrolysis vessel 10 . an electrode including a plurality of positive electrode plates 20 and a plurality of negative electrode plates 30 is provided in the electrolysis vessel 10 in a direction that the electrolytic water flows, so that current can be supplied to the electrode plates through a rectifier (not shown). the negative electrode plates 30 are provided corresponding to the positive electrode plates 20 , in which one negative electrode plate 30 keeps operating, and remaining negative electrode plates 30 alternately remove attached foreign matters, so that the electrolysis vessel can operate for a long time. in addition, when viewed from the plan view, the positive electrode plate 20 and the negative electrode plates 30 , which are arranged in a direction that the electrolytic water passing through the inner part of the electrolysis vessel 10 flows, are aligned in line with each other and the sides of both plates are spaced apart from each other by an equal interval 3 a while being parallel to each other. fig. 9 is a view showing the neutralizing device 50 to neutralize chlorine remaining in the discharged ballast water by using a neutralizing agent and to discharge the ballast water. the neutralizing device 50 is provided therein with a porous diaphragm 51 , which is bored, in order to enhance the mixing effect of the neutralizing agent introduced from a neutralizing agent inlet port 52 and the discharged treatment water. the boring ratio of the diaphragm 51 corresponds to at least 50% of the whole area of the diaphragm 51 . hereinafter, several comparative examples of the ballast water treatment system according to the present invention capable of treating the ballast water of a ship will be described. embodiment 1-3 the ballast water treatment system is provided with a ballast water treatment tube (having a diameter of 2.5 cm, and a length of 25 cm) having a 50 μm filter-type diaphragm and an electrolysis device, which has an internal space with a length of 10 cm, a width of 20 cm, and a height of 10 cm and includes four groups of electrodes, each of which includes a pair of a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, for the disinfection process for the ballast water. in order to neutralize the excessively produced chlorine, the ballast water treatment employs a neutralizing device manufactured with a diameter of 20 cm and a length of 50 cm. the used sea water represents the salinity of 2.9%, and the electrolysis reaction and the neutralization reaction are performed while applying dc current under the condition in which the flow rate is 5 ton/time. table 1remainingamount of introducedefficient ofsupplyelectrolysischlorineneutralizing agentneutralizingembodimentcurrent (a)voltage (v)(ppm)(l/min)agent (%)132.14.103.71.290243.44.636.52.095 table 2elapsed days afteramount of remainingembodimenttreatmentchlorine (ppm)30 (the very day of6.6treatment)15.444.564.4113.0 when the electrolysis device provided at the front stage thereof with a filter-type water treatment tube and including a plurality of negative electrode plates corresponding to positive electrode plates is operated, the variation of an amount of chlorine remaining in the disinfected sea water according to the lapse of time is less represented. the increase of the voltage caused by the attachment of the foreign matters can be minimized, so that the disinfection effect of the ballast water can be prolonged, and the efficiency of the electrolysis device can be improved. therefore, since the variation in the amount of remaining chlorine according to the installation of the filter-type water treatment tube is less represented, an amount of remaining chlorine, which is initially produced to maintain the disinfection effect for a predetermined time, can be reduced, so that the use of the neutralizing agent can be optimized. accordingly, the neutralizing device can be minimized. embodiment 4-6 a water treatment tube (having a diameter of 2.5 cm and a length of 25 cm) including a 50 μm filter type diaphragm is installed. after the sea water, into which various aquatic organisms (artemia and rotofer) having a size of at least 50 μm are introduced, passes through the water treatment tube, living aquatic organisms are checked. about one million aquatic organisms are initially introduced into the seawater, and living aquatic organisms passing through the water treatment tube are checked while varying flow rates of 44 l/min, 63 l/min, and 83 l/min. table 3embodiment456flow rate44 l/min63 l/min83 l/minthe number of living organisms618,000588,000192,000the number of organisms that1,050,660were initially introduced as shown in table 3, as the flow rate is increased, the efficiency to dispose microbes having the size of 50 μm or more by the water treatment tube can be increased. however, when a filter type diaphragm employing at least 100 μm-filter is installed, the microbes are less removed. when a filter type diaphragm employing an excessively-small filter (25 μm or less) is used, the internal pressure may be increased. in addition, as the size of the section of the filter type diaphragm is increased, the device becomes enlarged. in addition, as the size of the section of the filter type diaphragm is reduced, the effect to remove the microbes may be reduced. in other words, the expected usefulness is represented in the ballast water treatment system employing the filter-type diaphragm 41 of the water treatment tube 40 designed with a sectional area occupying 30% to 95% of a pipe diameter of the water treatment tube based on the effectiveness of disposing microbes. although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
|
056-627-317-261-403
|
JP
|
[
"US"
] |
A61B1/04,H04N5/225
| 1993-03-19T00:00:00 |
1993
|
[
"A61",
"H04"
] |
endoscope-image processing apparatus for performing image processing of emphasis in endoscope image by pigment concentration distribution
|
in an endoscope apparatus, an image processing unit for an endoscope, and a method of emphasizing an endoscope image, conversion processing is performed in which an amount of pigment, such as a hemoglobin pigment, is calculated from the endoscope image which is detected by the use of the endoscope, by a pigment calculating circuit. the amount of pigment is substituted for an amount of pigment in which an amount of shift from a value such as average of the amount of pigment is enlarged, and the amount of pigment is returned to the endoscope image having an amount of pigment in which the amount of shift from an average is enlarged, whereby tone of most parts having the amount of pigment of the average is not changed to an original endoscope image, but the endoscope image in which tone of a portion having the amount of pigment which is shifted from the average is emphasized is generated.
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1. an endoscope apparatus comprising: an endoscope provided with an inserting section insertable into an organism, illuminating-light outputting means for outputting illuminating light to a part to be inspected within said organism, from the side of a forward end of said inserting section, and an image pickup device for photoelectrically converting an optical image on the basis of an objective optical system which is provided on the side of the forward end of said inserting section; signal processing means for performing signal processing for displaying an image of said part to be inspected, from an output signal from said image pickup device; pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to said part to be inspected, from the output signal from said image pickup device; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said pigment-amount calculating means has judging means for judging whether or not it is adequate to find said amount of pigment with respect to an output signal from said image pickup device, and wherein said pigment-amount calculating means finds said amount of pigment with respect to the output signal from the image pickup device which is not excluded by said judging means. 2. an endoscope apparatus comprising: an endoscope provided with an inserting section insertable into an organism, illuminating-light outputting means for outputting illuminating light to a part to be inspected within said organism, from the side of a forward end of said inserting section, and an image pickup device for photoelectrically converting an optical image on the basis of an objective optical system which is provided on the side of the forward end of said inserting section; signal processing means for performing signal processing for displaying an image of said part to be inspected, from an output signal from said image pickup device; pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to said part to be inspected, from the output signal from said image pickup device; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said illuminating-light outputting means performs illumination by the illuminating light of a wavelength region in which a pigment which emits fluorescence is excited. 3. an endoscope apparatus comprising: an endoscope provided with an inserting section insertable into an organism, illuminating-light outputting means for outputting illuminating light to a part to be inspected within said organism, from the side of a forward end of said inserting section, and an image pickup device for photoelectrically converting an optical image on the basis of an objective optical system which is provided on the side of the forward end of said inserting section; signal processing means for performing signal processing for displaying an image of said part to be inspected, from an output signal from said image pickup device; pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to said part to be inspected, from the output signal from said image pickup device; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said image pickup device has separating means for optically separating lights of a plurality of wavelength regions from each other. 4. an endoscope apparatus comprising: pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to an image signal corresponding to an endoscope image which is produced by the use of the endoscope; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said pigment-amount calculating means has most-dominant-value calculating means for calculating a most dominant value in distribution of the amount of pigment which is contained in said endoscope image. 5. an endoscope apparatus comprising: pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to an image signal corresponding to an endoscope image which is produced by the use of the endoscope; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said pigment-amount calculating means has concentration distribution calculating means for calculating amounts of pigments with respect to respective parts of said endoscope image, from said image signal to calculate concentration distribution of the amount of pigment with respect to said endoscope image, wherein said emphasis means performs such emphasis processing that frequency distribution of said amount of pigment which is calculated with respect to various parts of said endoscope image spreads in a direction of said amount of pigment in the vicinity of a most dominant value which is the highest in frequency. 6. an endoscope apparatus comprising: pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to an image signal corresponding to an endoscope image which is produced by the use of the endoscope; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said pigment-amount calculating means has concentration distribution calculating means for calculating amounts of pigments with respect to respective parts of said endoscope image, from said image signal to calculate concentration distribution of the amount of pigment with respect to said endoscope image, wherein said emphasis means performs emphasis processing by filtering processing with respect to two-dimensional distribution of said amount of pigment. 7. an endoscope apparatus comprising: pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to an image signal corresponding to an endoscope image which is produced by the use of the endoscope; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, wherein said pigment-amount calculating means has concentration distribution calculating means for calculating amounts of pigments with respect to respective parts of said endoscope image, from said image signal to calculate concentration distribution of the amount of pigment with respect to said endoscope image, wherein said emphasis means performs emphasis processing by a weighting function with respect to two-dimensional distribution of said amount of pigment. 8. an endoscope apparatus comprising: pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to an image signal corresponding to an endoscope image which is produced by the use of the endoscope; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, including limiting means for limiting said emphasis-processed image so that a level of said emphasis-processed image may not exceed a set value. 9. an endoscope apparatus comprising: pigment-amount calculating means for calculating an amount of pigment with respect to an image signal corresponding to an endoscope image which is produced by the use of the endoscope; emphasis means for performing emphasis processing to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of the amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating means; and display means for displaying said emphasis-processed image which is processed in emphasis by said emphasis means, including means for administrating material containing said pigment, to said part to be inspected, before at least said amount of pigment is calculated. 10. a method of emphasizing an endoscope image, comprising: a pigment-amount calculating step of calculating an amount of pigment contained in an endoscope image, from an image signal corresponding to the endoscope image which is produced by the use of an endoscope; an emphasis-processed image signal generating step of generating an emphasis-processed image signal in which emphasis processing is applied to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of said amount of pigment which is calculated in said pigment-amount calculating step; and a display step of displaying said emphasis-processed image signal, wherein said pigment amount calculating step has a concentration distribution calculating step of calculating amounts of pigments at respective various parts of said endoscope image from said image signal, to calculate concentration distribution of the amount of pigment with respect to said endoscope image, wherein said emphasis-processed image signal generating step replaces various amounts of pigments in said endoscope image such that an amount of shift from a reference amount of pigment which serves as a reference is enlarged, to thereby generate said emphasis-processed image, wherein said pigment-amount calculating step has an exclusion step of excluding an image signal of a portion which is inadequate for calculation of said reference amount of pigment in a case where said reference amount of pigment is calculated from said image signal. 11. a method of emphasizing an endoscope image, comprising: a pigment-amount calculating step of calculating an amount of pigment contained in an endoscope image, from an image signal corresponding to the endoscope image which is produced by the use of an endoscope; an emphasis-processed image signal generating step of generating an emphasis-processed image signal in which emphasis processing is applied to said image signal so as to obtain an emphasis-processed image having a color-tone of said endoscope image, on the basis of said amount of pigment which is calculated in said pigment-amount calculating step; and a display step of displaying said emphasis-processed image signal, wherein said emphasis-processed image-signal generating step generates said emphasis-processed image signal with respect only to an interest region of a part of said endoscope image. 12. a method of emphasizing an endoscope image, according to claim 11, wherein said pigment-amount calculating step judges whether or not it is said interest region, on the basis of a reference amount of pigment which serves as a reference. 13. a method of emphasizing an endoscope image, comprising: a pigment-amount calculating step of calculating an amount of pigment which is contained in an endoscope image, from an image signal corresponding to said endoscope image which is produced by the use of an endoscope; an emphasis-processed image signal generating step of applying emphasis processing to said image signal by an amount of shift from a reference amount of pigment which serves as a reference, with respect to said amount of pigment which is calculated by said pigment-amount calculating step to thereby generate an emphasis-processed image signal which emphasizes an endoscope image portion having an amount of pigment which is shifted from said reference amount of pigment; and a display step of displaying said emphasis-processed image signal, wherein said emphasis-processed image-signal generating step does not generate an emphasis-processed image signal, with respect to an endoscope image portion having an amount of pigment in a case where an amount of shift from said reference amount of pigment breaks away from a set range.
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background of the invention 1. field of the invention the present invention relates to an endoscope-image processing apparatus for performing image processing, which emphasizes an endoscope image which is detected in a visible region, on the basis of a signal of pigment concentration distribution which is calculated by pigment-amount calculation means, to produce the endoscope image, which is provided with ordinary characteristics of the endoscope image and characteristics of the pigment concentration distribution. 2. description of the related art in recent years, an endoscope in which medical treatment, can be performed without excision by the fact that a body cavity of a patient is observed and a treatment tool is used as occasion demands has widely been used in a medical field. further, there is a case where image processing is performed with respect to an endoscope image which is produced by an endoscope, whereby image processing is applied to facilitate discrimination of a normal part or a lesion part. regarding the endoscope image, as a prior art which discloses image processing, there is known a method in which rgb images are converted into hue, saturation and brightness and, thereafter, emphasis processing is performed, as disclosed in japanese patent laid-open no. sho 62-266028. a method in which histograms of respective hue, saturation and brightness are elongated and are moved, is disclosed in japanese patent laid-open no. sho 63-54144. a method in which a quantity of hemoglobin is calculated to perform imaging, is disclosed in japanese patent publication no. hei 5-3295. moreover, as disclosed in japanese patent laid-open no. hei 2-224635, processing in which a difference between images which are separated in color from each other is taken to perform emphasis processing on the basis of information thereof is performed. however, the processing method disclosed in each of japanese patent laid-open no. sho 62-266028 and japanese patent laid-open no. sho 63-54144 aims at emphasis processing which is matched to a visual sense of a human being. accordingly, in a case, for example, where color emphasis is performed, a change of delicate color is emphasized. therefore, contrast is too strong, and an image is inadequate to perform observation for a long period of time. furthermore, in the method in which the quantity of hemoglobin is imaged as disclosed in japanese patent publication no. hei 5-3295, comparison with an endoscope image which is detected in an ordinary or normal visible region is required. that is, the image is brought to an image in a two-dimensional pattern in which an outline and a stereoscopic structure of an affected or diseased part are unknown. accordingly, by comparison with an ordinary endoscope image, it becomes necessary and indispensable to perform confirmation of a position and a shape or contour of the affected part or the like. in this case, there is such a drawback that, if both the images cannot simultaneously be displayed, confirmation of the position and the contour becomes difficult. meanwhile, in the processing method disclosed in japanese patent laid-open no. hei 2-224635, the possibility of producing an image which is provided with organism functional information and characteristics of the ordinary endoscope image cannot be totally denied. however, it becomes very difficult to produce an image which is provided with characteristics suitable for diagnosis. that is, in the publication, the image emphasis performs multiplication between the color signal and the difference signal substantially in proportion to the quantity of hemoglobin, for example. accordingly, there are many cases where the characteristics of the normal endoscope image are largely varied or modified by the quantity of hemoglobin. thus, it is possible to change color of the affected part so as to be conspicuous, for example. however, since the healthy parts are also changed in tone, it becomes difficult to notice an affected part. thus, the image is not provided with characteristics suitable for diagnosis. generally, an image in which it is easy to detect the early stages of a lesion (hereinafter referred to as "an early stage of a lesion") is provided with characteristics slightly different from a condition of a healthy part (hereinafter referred to as "a healthy part") becomes an image which is provided with characteristics suitable for diagnosis. in this case, in order to easily identify the early stages of a lesion, it is desirable that the healthy part is also provided with characteristics which are not substantially changed with the tone of the normal endoscope image. that is, an image processing unit in which image processing capable of assuring the production of an image which is provided with a tone of a normal endoscope image with respect to most parts and which is provided with characteristics which are conspicuous in deceased lesion parts is performed is adequate for diagnosis. for this reason, it becomes necessary to improve upon the prior art disclosed in the above-described publications so as to ensure production of the image which is provided with the characteristics of both the images and which is suitable for diagnosis. summary of the invention it is an object of the invention to provide an endoscope-image processing apparatus capable of producing an endoscope image provided with characteristics suitable for diagnosis, on the basis of organism functional information such as a hemoglobin pigment and the like. it is another object of the invention to provide an endoscope-image processing apparatus capable of producing an endoscope image which is provided with characteristics easy to discriminate or identify a lesion part under an initial condition. according to the invention, there is provided an endoscope-image processing apparatus comprising imaging means for imaging a subject image, pigment-quantity distribution calculating means for producing distribution of at least one pigment quantity from the image produced by said imaging means, and emphasis means for replacing the pigment quantity by a pigment quantity enlarged in a quantity of shift from a reference value and thereafter, transforming the replaced pigment quantity to an endoscope image provided with the substituted pigment quantity to thereby perform emphasis of an image. a value higher than the reference value is substituted for a higher pigment quantity, and a value lower than the reference value is replaced with a lower pigment quantity. thereafter, the pigment quantity is returned to an endoscope image to produce an endoscope image which has an emphasized image, whereby there is produced an endoscope image which is provided with characteristics of a normal endoscope image and which is characterized in that a lesion part is emphasized as to be conspicuous. brief description of the drawings figs. 1 to 8 relate to a first embodiment of the invention, fig. 1 being a side elevational view showing an entire endoscope apparatus of the first embodiment; fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of fig. 1; fig. 3 is a graph showing a transparent characteristic of a color transparent filter; fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of an image emphasis unit; fig. 5 is an explanatory view showing emphasis processing function due to the image emphasis unit; fig. 6 is a flow chart showing an entire image emphasis method; fig. 7 is a flow chart of hemoglobin-amount calculation processing and average calculation processing; fig. 8 is a flow chart of emphasis image creating processing; fig. 9 is a side elevational view showing an entire endoscope apparatus which is provided with a modification of the first embodiment. detailed description of the preferred embodiment a preferred embodiment of the present invention will hereunder be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. as shown in fig. 1, and endoscope apparatus 1 provided with the present embodiment comprises an electronic endoscope 2 provided with image pickup means, a video processor 3 for supplying illuminating light to the electronic endoscope 2 and for performing signal processing, a monitor 4 for displaying an image signal which is output from the video processor 3, and an image filling device 5 connected to the video processor 4 for performing image processing and for filing the image. the image filing device 5 includes an image emphasis unit 6 for processing, in emphasis, the image signal which is outputted from the video processor 3. the electronic endoscope 2 has an inserting section 7 which is, for example, movable and which is elongated. a relatively wide operating section 8 is connected to a rearward end of the inserting section 7. a flexible universal cord 9 extends from a side portion of the operating section 8 on the side of a rearward end thereof. the universal cord 9 has an end thereof which is provided with a connector 11. a rigid forward end 12 and a curvable curvature portion 13 on the side of a rearward end thereof adjacent to the forward end 12 are successively provided on a forward end of the inserting section 7. furthermore, a curvature operating knob 14 which is provided on the operating section 8 is operated in angular movement, whereby the curvature portion 13 can be curved both in a lateral direction or in a vertical direction. moreover, the operating section 8 is provided therein with an inserting port 15 which is in communication with a treatment-tool channel which is provided within the inserting section 7. as shown in fig. 2, an illuminating lens 16 and an objective optical system 17 are mounted respectively on an illuminating window and an observing window in the forward end 12. a light guide 18 having a fiber bundle is connected to a rearward side of the illuminating lens 16. the light guide 18 is inserted into the inserting section 7, the operating section 8 and the universal cord 9, and is connected to the connector 11. the connector 11 is connected to the video processor 3, whereby the arrangement is such that illuminating light which is output from a light source unit 3a within the video processor 3 is input to an incident end of the light guide 18. the light source unite 3a is provided with a lamp 19, a rotary filter 21 arranged in an illuminating optical path of the lamp 19 and rotated by a motor 20, and the rotary filter 21 and the lamp 19. the lamp 19 outputs light in wavelengths ranging from the ultraviolet to the infrared. color transparent filters 21a, 21b and 21c for transparentizing lights of wavelength ranges different from each other are arranged on the rotary filter 21 along a peripheral direction. characteristics of the respective color transparent filters 21a, 21b and 21c arranged on the rotary filter 21 are set to characteristics in which wavelength ranges of respective r, g and b shown in fig. 3 are transparentized. the arrangement is such that light which is output from the lamp 19 is separated in a time-series manner into wavelength ranges, by the rotary filter 21, and is incident upon the incident end of the light guide 18. the illuminating light is arranged as to be able to be guided to the forward end 12 by the light guide 18, to pass through the illuminating lens 16 which is mounted on the illuminating window in a forward-end surface, and to be irradiated upon a subject such as a part to be inspected 45. meanwhile, a ccd array 23, for example, serving as a solid-state image pickup device is arranged on an imaging position of the objective optical system 17. the subject image which is illuminated by the surface-sequential illuminating light is imaged onto a photoelectric conversion surface of the ccd array 23 by the objective optical system 17, and is converted to an electric signal by the ccd array 23. the arrangement is such that the image signal from the ccd array 23 is input into a signal processing circuit 3b, and is input to an amplifier 24 for performing amplification to output an electrical signal within a predetermined range (0.about.1 volt, for example). after the output electrical signal of the amplifier 24 has been .gamma.-corrected by a .gamma. correction circuit 25, the output electrical signal of the amplifier 24 is converted to a digital signal by an a/d converter 26, and is input to a selector 27 having a single input and three outputs. rgb signals which are sent in a time series manner are separated into respective r, g and b color signals by the selector 27, and are input to a memory section 28. the arrangement is such that the separated r, g and b color signals are stored respectively into memories 28r, 28g and 28b of the memory section 28 which correspond respectively to r, g and b color signals. the arrangement is such that the color signals r, g and b which are read out respectively from the memories 28r, 28g and 28b are converted respectively to analog three-primary-color signals r, g and b by d/a converters 29r, 29g and 29b included in d/a converter section 29. the color signals r, g and b pass through a switch sw1 and are respectively output to the monitor 4 from signal output ends of the respective r, g and b d/a converters. furthermore, a synchronous signal s from a synchronous-signal generating circuit 30 is output from a synchronous-signal output end thereof, together with the three-primary-color signals r, g and b. the three-primary-color signals r, g and b and the synchronous signal s are output to the monitor 4 through the switch sw1. further, the three-primary-color signals r, g and b and the synchronous signal s are input to an image recording/reproducing unit 5a through a switch sw2 within the image filing device 5. moreover, a control-signal generating portion 31 is provided in the signal processing circuit 3b. the color-signal generating portion 31 sends control signals respectively to the synchronous-signal generating circuit 30 and the motor 20, in addition to control signals which perform control of timing with respect to the conversion operation of the a/d converter 26, changeover or switching of the selector 27, writing/reading-out of the memories 28r, 28g and 28b, and conversion operations of the d/a converters 29r, 29g and 29b. at the image filing device 5, a file name in a case where recording is performed, from a keyboard portion 5c of a front panel 5b is input whereby endoscope image data are recorded onto the recording/reproducing unit 5a by an assigned file name. furthermore, in a case where reproduction is indicated, if the file name is input from the keyboard portion 5c, the endoscope image data of the assigned file name are read out and are input to an image emphasis unit 6. in a case where image emphasis is performed by the image emphasis unit 6, indication of an amount of emphasis is performed further from a selective switching portion 5d or the keyboard portion 5c of the front panel 5b. the arrangement can also be such that emphasis is performed by a preset predefined value without performing the indication. emphasis processing as shown in fig. 6 is performed by the image emphasis unit 6. the endoscope image data processed in emphasis are recorded on the image recording/reproducing unit 5a through the switch sw2, or are output to the monitor 4 through the switch sw1 of the video processor 3, so that the endoscope image processed in emphasis can be displayed. the image emphasis unit 6 calculates distribution of an amount of hemoglobin (hereinafter referred simply to as "ihb") as an amount of pigment, with respect to the three-primary-color signals r, g and b which are inputted in synchronism with the synchronous signal. that is, the image emphasis unit 6 calculates distribution of hemoglobin concentration. after the concentration has been processed in emphasis, the concentration is converted to three-primary-color signals r', g' and b', and the image emphasis unit 6 outputs the converted three-primary-color signals r', g' and b' from an output end as a video signal which is processed in emphasis by the amount of hemoglobin, together with the synchronous signal s. the three-primary-color signals r', g' and b' processed in emphasis are recorded by the image recording/reproducing unit 5a, and are output to the monitor 4 through contacts b of the switch sw1. any one of the video signals which is not processed in emphasis and the video signal which is processed in emphasis is inputted to the monitor 4 by selection of the switch sw1. a corresponding unemphasized or emphasized endoscope image is displayed by the input video signal. fig. 4 shows, in block diagram, an arrangement of the image emphasis unit 6. as shown in fig. 4, the image emphasis unit 6 is provided therein with a/d converters 32a.about.32c for converting the three-primary-color signals r, g and b which are sent from the image recording/reproducing unit 5a, to digital signals. a controller 40 controls the incorporation of the three-primary-color signals r, g and b due to the a/d converters 32a.about.32c in synchronism with the input synchronous signal s. reverse .gamma. correction conversion is performed with respect to the three-primary-color signals r, g and b which are converted to the digital signals, by lookup tables (hereinafter referred simply to as "lut") 33a.about.33c which are provided at a later stage. the three-primary-color signals r, g and b are converted by logarithms in luts 34a.about.34c. a matrix circuit 35 for calculating an amount of hemoglobin is provided at a later stage of the luts 34a.about.34c. at a further later stage, a rom 36 and an average calculating circuit 37 are provided. the signal which passes through the average calculating circuit 37 is transferred to the rom 36 so that the emphasis coefficient is calculated. the signal which passes through the rom 36 for adjusting an amount of emphasis by data wd of the weighting coefficient which is decided by selection of an operator, through the front panel 5c. the arrangement is such that the operator operates the selective switching portion 5d of the front panel 5c to thereby variably set the weighting coefficient wd, whereby setting can be made to the order of emphasis and tone which the operator likes. signal lines sent from the luts 33a.about.33c are connected respectively to the roms 39a.about.39c for conversion of the emphasis image, which are provided at the later stage of the rom 38, through a frame memory 41 for adjustment of timing. d/a converters 42a.about.42c are connected to a later stage of the signal lines. the analog signal which is d/a-converted is output to the image recording/reproducing unit 5a within the image filing device 5 through sw2, and is output to the monitor 4 through the switch sw1 within the video processor 3. the schematic arrangement of the image emphasis unit 6 illustrated in fig. 4 is as shown in fig. 5. the color signals r, g and b are converted to a color signal having linear characteristics by the inverse .gamma. correcting circuit 46, thereafter, are inputted to a transform section 47, and is input to an ihb calculating portion 48. the ihb calculating portion 48 calculates ihb from the color signal for each pigment having linear characteristics. that is, the ihb concentration distribution data are calculated. further, an average <ihb> of the concentration is found. the concentration distribution data are generated such that the ihb is emphasized by the emphasis portion 49, with respect to an amount of shift from the average <ihb>. subsequently, the emphasized concentration distribution data are converted to a color signal in which the ihb in the color signal is emphasized in amount of shift from the average, by the transform section 47. the color signal is output as color signals r', g' and b' having the .gamma. characteristics, by a .gamma.-correcting circuit 50. the emphasis portion 49 performs emphasis in accordance with emphasis-amount setting data from an emphasis-amount setting portion 49a. the present embodiment is characterized as follows. that is, the concentration distribution data of the ihb are calculated from the original picture image as shown in fig. 5 and, thereafter, emphasis of the concentration distribution of the ihb (emphasis of the concentration distribution with respect to shift from the average of the ihb) is performed without the fact that the original picture image is not emphasized directly by the calculated concentration distribution data of the ihb. thereafter, conversion is made to the original picture image so as to have the emphasized concentration distribution of the ihb (replacement or substitution of the ihb of the original picture image to or for the emphasized ihb). as a result, an image in which the concentration distribution of the ihb is emphasized by the amount of shift from the average is calculated with respect to the original picture image. accordingly, as will be seen from the processing, the endoscope image produced by the present embodiment has characteristics of a normal endoscope image (endoscope image which is image-picked up in a visible range of r, g and b) with respect to a majority of the normal parts having an average of the ihb. thus, there is provided an emphasis image having the concentration distribution of the ihb such that a pigment-amount portion (a portion which is high in possibility of being abnormal) in which the ihb is shifted from the average is conspicuous. next, operation of the endoscope apparatus 1 provided with the first embodiment will hereunder be described. first, the electronic endoscope 2, the video processor 3, the monitor 4 and the image filing device 5 are connected to each other as shown in fig. 1. the inserting section 7 of the electronic endoscope 2 is inserted into an organism 44. a part to be inspected 45, such as an affected or diseased part, is set to a position capable of being observed. under the condition, the illuminating lights of the respective visible wavelength ranges of r, g and b are supplied from the light-source unit 3a illustrated in fig. 2 to the end surface of the light guide 18 of the electronic endoscope 2 adjacent to the side at hand. the illuminating light is transferred and is output forwardly from the end surface adjacent to the forward end 12, to successively illuminate the part to be inspected 45 by the respective lights of r, g and b. the illuminated part to be inspected 45 is imaged onto the photoelectric conversion surface of the ccd array 23 by the objective optical system 17 which is mounted on the observation window. the image signal which is photoelectrically converted, that is, an image signal corresponding to the endoscope image is output from the ccd array 23 to the signal processing circuit 3b of the video processor 3. by the signal processing circuit 3b, processing in which a standard image signal is generated is performed so that the three-primary-color signals r, g and b are generated. the three-primary-color signals r, g and b are arranged such that, in a case where the switch sw is set to the side of a contact a, the endoscope image which is detected in the visible region is displayed. moreover, the three-primary-color signals r, g and b are input to the image recording/reproducing unit 5a of the image filing device 5. the endoscope image data which are detected in the visible range are recorded. in a case where reproduction is indicated and emphasis processing is indicated with respect to the endoscope image data which are recorded onto the image recording/reproducing unit 5a, inputting is made to the image emphasis unit 6, and processing as illustrated in fig. 6 is performed. as shown in step s1, setting of a parameter is performed. in this case, data required for the emphasis processing such as inputting of the file name of the image data which are processed in emphasis and which are reproduced, from the keyboard portion 5c of the front panel 5b, turning-on and -off of the selective switching portion 5d, or designation of the weighting coefficient wd of the emphasis from the keyboard portion 5c, are input. next, as shown in step s2, the designated rbg image data are input to the image emphasis unit 6. that is, the image data of the inputted file name are read into the image emphasis unit 6 from the image recording/reproducing unit 5a. .gamma. correction for linearizing the input and output characteristics of the monitor 4 is applied to the read image data. accordingly, as shown in step s3, inverse .gamma. correction is performed, and the image data are brought to linear data. subsequently, as shown in step s4, calculation of the amount of hemoglobin (ihb) is performed. the amount of hemoglobin that is the functional information of the organism tissue is calculated for every pigment. accordingly, the concentration distribution of the ihb in the rgb images is calculated. as shown in step s5, an average of the amount of hemoglobin corresponding to a single image plane is found with respect to effective pigments. a new amount of hemoglobin is decided for every pigment with the average serving as a reference. in a case where a reference value such as the average of the amount of hemoglobin, is calculated, the reference value is calculated except for a portion which is considered such that the amount of hemoglobin, for example, cannot accurately be calculated (the foreign matters except for organism such as halation, a dark part, a dyeing part, forceps or the like). further, the weighting coefficient wd of the emphasis and the average which are input at the beginning is used to perform processing to calculate an emphasized ihb' from the ihb as shown in step s6, that is, processing of data conversion to be converted to the emphasized ihb' concentration distribution. after the emphasized ihb' has been calculated, the ihb' is used as shown in step s7 to perform creation processing of the emphasis image which is turned to the rgb image data. that is, image data in which an amount of hemoglobin shifted from the average of the amount of hemoglobin is emphasized are created with respect to the image data which are inverse-.gamma.-corrected. the .gamma. correction is further performed as shown in step s8 with respect to the emphasized image data. as shown in step s9, the image data are output as an image file. the image file is recorded onto the image recoding/reproducing unit 5a or is output to the display unit such as the monitor 4. here, the calculating method of the amount of hemoglobin and the average calculating method (steps s4 and step s5 in fig. 6) will be described by the use of the flow chart in fig. 7. it is assumed that, if the image is expressed by two-dimensional array im (x, y), x means an image size in an x-direction, while y means an image size in a y-direction. it is assumed that r(i, j) expresses an intensity level of the r-signal in a position (i, j), g(i, j) expresses an intensity level of the g-signal in a position (i, j) and ihb(i, j) expresses the amount of hemoglobin in the position (i, j). it is assumed that avgihb expresses the average of the amount of hemoglobin corresponding to a single image plane. first, initial setting is performed as shown in step s11. a variable or parameter i indicating a position in the x-direction, a variable j indicating a position in the y-direction and avgihb are initialized (substitution of 0). then, processing in which the amount of hemoglobin of each pigment is calculated is performed by the following steps s12.about.s19: (1) numeral in which a coefficient of 32 is multiplied to a logarithmic ratio between r(i, j) and g(i, j) is substituted into ihb(i, j) (step s12). (2) avgihb=avgihb+ihb(i, j) is executed (step s13). (3) i is counted up through one (1) (step s14). (4) it is judged whether or not i.gtoreq.x (step s15). if i<x, the program is returned to the processing of (1), while, if i.gtoreq.x, (5) is executed. (5) i is counted up through one (1) (step s16). (6) it is judged whether or not j.gtoreq.y (step s17). if j<y, the program is returned to the processing of (1) through step s18 of i=0, while, if j.gtoreq.y, (7) is executed. (7) avgihb=avgihb/(x+y) is executed (step s19). by the above-described steps, calculation of the amount of hemoglobin and calculation of the average are performed. next, the method of creating the emphasis image will be described by the use of the flow charge in fig. 8. it is assumed that ihb'(i, j) expresses a newly decided amount of hemoglobin in the position (i, j) .epsilon.r, .epsilon.g and .epsilon.b express respectively absorbency coefficients of hemoglobin in r, g and b filter bands, and ar(i, j), ag(i, j) and ab(i, j) are respective emphasis coefficients of the r, g and b images in the position (i, j). moreover, r'(i, j), g'(i, j) and b'(i, j) are the intensity levels of r, g and b in a position (i, j) which are newly decided. emphasis image creation processing is performed by the following steps: (1) initialization of 1 i=0 and j=0 is performed (step s21). (2) ihb'(i, j) is calculated (step s22), and the details thereof will be described later. (3) .alpha.r(i, j)=.epsilon.r.multidot.(ihb(i, j)-ihb'(i, j))/(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r), .alpha.g(i, j)=.epsilon.g.multidot.(ihb(i, j)-ihb'(i, j))/(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r), and .alpha.b(i, j)=.epsilon.b.multidot.(ihb(i, j)-ihb'(i, j))/(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r) are executed (step s23). (4) r'(i, j)=r(i, j).multidot.10 (.alpha.r(i, j)), g'(i, j)=g(i, j).multidot.10 (.alpha.g(i, j)), and b'(i, j)=b(i, j).multidot.10 (.alpha.b(i, j)), are executed (step s24). (5) i is counted up through one (1) (step s25). (6) it is judged whether or not i.gtoreq.x (step s26). if i<x, the program is returned to the processing of (1), while if i.gtoreq.x, the processing of (7) is executed. (7) j is counted up through one (1) (step s27). (8) it is judged whether or not j.gtoreq.y (step s28). if j<y, the program is returned to the processing of (2) through step s29 of i=0, while, if j.gtoreq.y, the program proceeds to the subsequent or next step. by the above-described steps, the emphasis processing image data which are processed in emphasis in accordance with the amount of hemoglobin are created. here, the equations which are used in the above-described processing of steps will be described. these equations are all led form the lambert-beer's law. it is assumed that io is irradiating light intensity, l is a length of an optical path, c(i, j) and c'(i, j) are hemoglobin concentration in a position (i, j), and as is a correction term such as scattering or the like. assuming that r(i, j) is changed to r'(i, j) in a case where the hemoglobin concentration of the organism is changed from c(i, j) to c'(i, j), there are provided the following equations, from the lambert-beer's law: log(io/r(i,j))=.epsilon.r.multidot.i.multidot.c(i,j)+as (1) log(io/r'(i,j))=.epsilon.r.multidot.i.multidot.c'(i,j)+as (2) by the above-described equations (1) and (2), there is provided the following equation (3): r'(i,j)=r(i, j).multidot.10 (.epsilon.r.multidot.1.multidot.(c(i,j)-c'(i,j))) (3) here, the relationship is as follows: ihb(i,j)=(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r).multidot.1.multidot.c(i,j)(4) ihb'(i,j)=(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r).multidot.1.multidot.c'(i,j)(5) accordingly, from the equations (4) and (5), there is provided the following equation: r'(i,j)=r(i,j).multidot.10 (.epsilon.r.multidot.r(ihb(i,j)-ihb'(i,j))/(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r)(6) similarly to the equation (6), there are provided the following equations: g'(i,j)=g(i,j).multidot.10 (.epsilon.g.multidot.(ihb(i,j)-ihb'(i,j))/(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r)(7) b'(i,j)=b(i,j).multidot.10 (.epsilon.b.multidot.(ihb(i,j)-ihb'(i,j))/(.epsilon.g-.epsilon.r)(8) in this manner, if the new amount of hemoglobin ihb' is decided, there is provided an image in which the amount of hemoglobin ihb(i, j) is converted to ihb'(i, j) in the original picture image. that is, if the amount of hemoglobin in the position (i, j) is calculated from the newly decided image, there is provided ihb'(i, j). furthermore, a method of deciding the amount of hemoglobin ihb'(i, j) is such that a pigment higher in value than the average avgihb of the hemoglobin within the image is converted to an amount of hemoglobin of a further higher value, while a pigment lower in value than the average avgihb is converted to am amount of hemoglobin of a further lower value. if k is a variable coefficient, the following equation is provided: ihb'(i, j)=(ihb(i,j)-avgihb).multidot.k+avgihb (9) here, the average is used as a reference value. however, a fixed value such as the result that the amount of hemoglobin in the organism tissue is taken as data by prior experiments or the like may be used. further, setting may be made such that each value ihb'(i, j) is larger than the amount of hemoglobin of the original picture image. operation of the image emphasis will next be described with reference to the arrangement in fig. 4. a signal sent from the image recording/reproducing unit 5a is converted to a digital signal by the a/d converters 32a.about.32c. the inverse .gamma. correction conversion is performed with respect to the rgb signals which are converted to the digital signals, by the luts 33a.about.33c, and is sent to the frame memory 41 and the luts 34a.about.34c. in the luts 34a.about.34c, logarithmic conversion that becomes preprocessing in which step s12 in the hemoglobin calculating processing in fig. 7 is performed. after the color signals r, g and b have been converted in logarithm, processing (or step s4 in fig. 6) corresponding to step s12 in the hemoglobin calculating processing in fig. 7 is performed at the matrix circuit 35, to calculate the amount of hemoglobin ihb. the calculated amount of pigment is sent to the average calculating circuit 37. in the average calculating circuit 37, processing corresponding to step s19 in fig. 7 is performed, to calculate average avgihb data of the amount of hemoglobin. the calculated avgihb data and the pigment-amount data outputted from the matrix circuit 35 are sent to the rom 36. in the rom 36, the emphasis treatment in step s6 in fig. 6, that is, ihb conversion processing to calculate the emphasis-processed ihb' (or step s22 in fig. 8) is performed. data conversion corresponding to step s23 in fig. 8 is performed by the rom 38 with respect to the ihb' which is calculated by the rom 36, and the ihb' is transmitted to the roms 39a.about.39c. in the roms 39a.about.39c, data conversion corresponding to step s7 in fig. 6 or step 24 in fig. 8 is performed by the rgb signals which are adjusted in timing by the frame memory 41 and aa, ab and ac which are calculated by the rom 38. furthermore, .gamma. correction is also performed by the roms 39a.about.39c. the r', g' and b' image signals which are created here are converted to analog signals by the d/a converts 42a.about.42c and, thereafter, are recorded by the filing portion 5a. the r', g' and b' image signals are displayed on the monitor 4 through the contact b of the switch sw1 within the video processor 3. further, in the present embodiment, the rom and the matrix circuit are used to perform conversion of the data. however, a field programmable gate array may be used in place of the rom and the matrix circuit to perform processing. according to the present embodiment, it is possible to express more effectively and naturally the emphasis of a part in which a bloodstream condition is changed from a peripheral mucous membrane or the like, such as a blood vessel portion, a diseased or affected part or the like. if the present embodiment is further described, the present embodiment has the following merits. in the present embodiment, the concentration distribution of ihb is calculated with respect to the endoscope image which is detected in the visible region, the average thereof is calculated, and the emphasis processing which is converted to the endoscope image in which each ihb is substituted so that each ihb is enlarged by the amount of shift from the average is performed. accordingly, the image is brought to an image in which a diseased part of an initial condition such as erythrogenesis in which ihb is slightly shifted from the average is distinguished in tone from the average portion (that is, most normal part portions). for this reason, the diseased part can be identified at an early stage, the possibility that an operator overlooks the diseased part can be reduced, and a discovery of the diseased part is facilitated. thus, it is possible to reduce the burden of the operator. moreover, since the diseased part can be identified at an early stage, medical treatment can also be facilitated. furthermore, since the average portion is not emphasized, the normal part portion which corresponds to the average portion is the same as the one which is detected in the normal visible region. accordingly, it is possible to provide an emphasized endoscope image which is suitable for diagnosis having no feeling of physical disorder. that is, only a portion having ihb which is changed from the ihb of the normal part is emphasized with respect to a normal endoscope image. accordingly, the present embodiment is capable of identifying the diseased part from only the image processed in emphasis, without comparison with the normal endoscope image. thus, the present embodiment can provide a very effective image in a case of being diagnosed. further, the first embodiment calculates the ihb from the endoscope image which is image-picked up by normal visibility so that there can be produced an image having the above-described merits. that is, it is possible to produce an emphasis image suitable for diagnosis having the above-described merits, by addition of the image emphasis unit 6, also with respect to the endoscope image which has already been recorded on the existing endoscope image recording device or the like, without the use of an image which is detected in a special or specific wavelength region. accordingly, it is possible to provide an auxiliary diagnosis or device which has a wide range of applications. by the way, the above-described embodiment is an embodiment regarding an image which has no affection such as a dyeing pigment or the like. since, however, an image of a portion which is dyed by a dyeing pigment such as methylene blue or the like is et such that the amount of hemoglobin is ihb=0, the image of a portion which is dyed by a dyeing pigment is emphasized by an emphasis coefficient similar to that of a portion in which ihb does not exist. moreover, a conversion equation which converges the emphasized amount of hemoglobin to 0 (zero) may be used. furthermore, since the amount of hemoglobin ihb of the portion which is dyed by methylene blue becomes a negative value, if the emphasis processing performed as it is, the emphasized image is produced also with respect to the dyeing. further, in the first embodiment, calculation is performed such that the absorption coefficients in the wavelength regions of g and b of the hemoglobin are separated from each other. however, the calculation may be performed as the absorption coefficients in the wavelength regions of g and b of the hemoglobin being simply the same or identical to each other. as described above, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to emphasize a portion in which the bloodstream condition is changed from the peripheral mucous membrane, such as the blood vessel portion, the diseased portion or the like. thus, it is possible to produce the image which is easy to easily perform identification of the diseased part. further, it is possible to perform expression naturally. accordingly, the first embodiment is effective in a case where the bloodstream condition is diagnosed, and is also effective for preventing the diseased part from being overlooked. fig. 9 shows an endoscope apparatus 51 according to a modification of the first embodiment. the modification is arranged such that the image filling device 5 does not incorporate therein the image emphasis unit 6, but incorporates therein a person computer (pasocon) 52 for performing the emphasis processing shown in fig. 6 (or the emphasis processing illustrated in figs. 7 and 8) by software. operation of the modification is the same as that described with reference to fig. 6 (or figs. 7 and 8) and, accordingly, the description thereof will be omitted. the modification is such that it takes much more time than the first embodiment to produce the endoscope image which is processed in emphasis, but can produce similar advantages. meanwhile, in the first embodiment it is possible to produce the endoscope image processed in emphasis, substantially with real time. moreover, the present invention should not be limited to the electronic endoscope having the solid-state image pickup device at the forward end of the inserting section, but is applicable to an endoscope which is so used that an exterior television camera having a solid-state image pickup device such as a ccd or the like is connected to an ocular portion of an endoscope which is capable of performing naked-eye observation such as a fiber scope, a rigid mirror or the like, or with replacement to the ocular portion. furthermore, the arrangement may be a system in which processing circuits of a simultaneous or concurrent system and a surface sequential system are provided within the camera control unit, and the illuminating light of the light source is changed or modified, whereby the normal color image and the infrared observation are made possible by the surface sequential scope, to perform normal, fluorescent and infrared observation.
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