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14893039 | US20170229763A1-20170810 | Systems, Apparatuses and Methods for Biometric Sensing Using Conformal Flexible Antenna | ACCEPTED | 20170726 | 20170810 | H01Q1273 | [
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"inventor_name_last": "BARAK",
"inventor_name_first": "Ilan",
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] | This invention provides conformal antenna structures, how to make and use the antenna structures, and systems in which the antenna structures may be used for biometric sensing of humans and other animals. The antenna structures of the invention includes at least one relatively flexible section connecting relatively rigid sections. The relatively flexible section connecting relatively rigid sections may flex so that the relatively rigid sections connected to the relatively flexible section can change orientation relative to one another. This allows the relatively rigid sections to be conformed to a region of a surface of a human or animal that is not flat (that is curved). | 1. A system for biometric sensing comprising a conformal flexible antenna structure, said conformal flexible antenna structure comprising: a first metal layer a flexible dielectric layer below the first metal layer; a first rigid dielectric segment below the flexible dielectric layer; a second rigid dielectric segment below the flexible dielectric layer; an antenna feed; wherein the first metal layer has a an upper major surface and a lower major surface; wherein the flexible dielectric layer has an upper major surface and a lower major surface; wherein the lower major surface of the first metal layer opposes regions of the upper major surface of the flexible dielectric layer; wherein the first rigid dielectric segment has an upper surface; wherein the second rigid dielectric segment has an upper surface; wherein the upper surface of the first rigid dielectric segment opposes a first portion of the lower major surface of the flexible dielectric layer; wherein the upper surface of the second rigid dielectric segment opposes a second portion of the lower major surface of the flexible dielectric layer; wherein the first rigid dielectric segment and the second rigid section are spaced apart by a groove distance so that groove exists between the first rigid dielectric segment and the second rigid section such that the region of the conformal flexible antenna between the first rigid dielectric segment and the second rigid section is relatively flexible compared to flexibilities of the first rigid section and the second rigid section; wherein the first metal layer has interior edges defining a slot through the first metal layer upper major surface and the first metal layer lower major surface; wherein a first region of the slot is above a portion of the first rigid dielectric segment and another region of the slot is above a portion of the second rigid dielectric segment. 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one backplane metal layer on backsides of one or more of the the rigid dielectric segments so as to cause radiation emitted by the antenna to become unidirectional. 3. The system of claim 2, further comprising: conducting vias configured to connect the first metal layer and the backplane metal layer, said conducting vias disposed at least a shorting distance away from edges of both the first metal layer and the backplane metal layer, said shorting distance configured to allow creation of a short circuited plate transmission line. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is designed to function within in the frequency range from 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein a shape of the slot is configured to cause the antenna to be well matched in a bandwidth of at least 5 GHz in an ultra wide band of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein a shape of the slot is configured to allow heart rate detection by the antenna to be tolerant to misplacement up to about 6 mm in the plane parallel to the skin surface, from a point directly above any artery in a wrist area. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the shape of the slot follows a substantially exponential taper terminated at a substantially circular termination, said circular termination having a diameter larger than width of an end of the exponential taper. 8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the flexible dielectric layer and the plurality of rigid dielectric segments are realized on printed circuit board. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the rigid dielectric segments are adhered to the flexible dielectric layer one or more spacing distances away from each other, and wherein said spacing distances are configured to provide flexible interconnections to the rigid dielectric segments. 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the spacing distances are sized to limit total amount of radiation emitted into the public under limits set by regulatory agencies. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the antenna feed is terminated by a capacitive disk substantially in the shape of an ellipse. 12. A conformal antenna structure, comprising: a relatively flexible dielectric layer having a lower surface opposing an upper surface; a first relatively rigid dielectric layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; a second relatively rigid dielectric layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; a first region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer extending over the upper surface of said first relatively rigid section; a second region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer extending over the upper surface of said first relatively rigid section; said first region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer bonded or cobonded to said upper surface of said first relatively rigid section; said second region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer bonded or cobonded to said upper surface of said second relatively rigid section; a first metallic layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; the lower surface of said first metallic layer bonded or cobonded to a region of the upper surface of said relatively flexible section; wherein the lower surface and the upper surface of said first metallic layer defines a slot extending through said first metallic layer; wherein a portion of said slot extends over said the upper surface of said first relatively rigid dielectric layer; and wherein a portion of said slot extends over said the upper surface of said second relatively rigid dielectric layer. 13. The structure of claim 12 wherein a third region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer extends between said first region of said relatively flexible dielectric and said second region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer. 14. The structure of claim 12 further comprising: a first metal layer on the lower surface of said first relatively rigid dielectric layer; and a second metal layer on the lower surface of said second relatively rigid dielectric layer; wherein the first metal layer and the second metal layer function as a ground plane. 15. The structure of claim 12 further comprising: a third relatively rigid dielectric layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; a fourth relatively rigid dielectric layer having a lower surface and an upper surface; wherein regions of said relatively flexible dielectric layer extends over the upper surfaces of said third relatively rigid section and said fourth relatively rigid section. 16. The structure of claim 12 wherein said relatively flexible dielectric layer comprises a third region extending between said first region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer and said second region of said relatively flexible dielectric layer; and wherein the third region or said relatively flexible dielectric layer does not extend over any portion of either said first relatively rigid dielectric layer or said second relatively rigid dielectric layer. 17. The structure of claim 12 in which said relatively flexible dielectric layer is flexed so that said first relatively rigid dielectric layer and said second relatively rigid dielectric layer are not coplanar. 18. The structure of claim 12 designed so that the antenna is well matched in a bandwidth of at least 5 GHz in a UWB frequency range of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. 19. The structure of claim 12 further comprising an antenna feed structure and a diode detector. | <SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>This invention relates to biometric sensing of human beings and other animals using wearable devices. We disclose herein a type of antenna useful, for example in the invention disclosed in WO213118121 titled “A microwave contactless heart rate sensor.” The entire contents of WO/2013/118121 and U.S. provisional application 62/083981, filed Nov. 25, 2014 titled “Systems, Apparatuses and Methods for Biometric Sensing Using Conformal Flexible Antenna”, are incorporated herein by reference. It has been shown previously that radar technology may be used to estimate heart rates of humans or animals. For example, WIPO Patent Application WO/2013/118121, titled “A Microwave Contactless Heart Rate Sensor,” filed on Feb. 7, 2013, and the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses an antenna that radiates radio frequency (RF) fields into tissues. U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,665 describes a broadband magnetic antenna incorporating a ground plane directing the radiated energy only in one direction. The antenna disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,665 is an rigid slot type antenna that has two parallel slots with an additional spacer slot. The antenna for UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication described in “A Microstrip-Fed Ultra-Wideband Slot Antenna”, Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, APSURSI '09, IEEE, 2009, is bidirectional and rigid. | <SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>This invention provides conformal antenna structures, how to make and use the antenna structures, and systems in which the antenna structures may be used for biometric sensing of humans and other animals. The antenna structures of the invention includes at least one relatively flexible section connecting relatively rigid sections. The relatively flexible section connecting relatively rigid sections may flex so that the relatively rigid sections connected to the relatively flexible section can change orientation relative to one another. This allows the relatively rigid sections to be conformed to a region of a surface of a human or animal that is not flat (that is curved). Preferably, the antenna structures of the invention also include a ground plane. The existence of the ground plane limits radiation transmitted other than in the desired direction into the body of the human or animal Alternatively, or in addition to a ground plane, the antenna structure may include a microwave absorber. The absorber absorbs radiation in other than the desired direction into the body of the human or animal The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses and methods for biometrically sensing physiological parameters using radar technology. A thin miniaturized ultra wideband antenna that comprises a combination of relatively flexible and relatively rigid sections, is conformable to a curved portion of a surface of a body organ, and is useful for sensing biometric data. Examples of frequency ranges that may be used for sensing are from about 3.1 to about 10.6 GHz. The antenna structure may be constructed using relatively rigid printed circuit board (PCB) segments interconnected by relatively flexible portions to achieve conformability, broadband capability, low cost and unidirectional radiation characteristics. The relatively flexible sections are sufficiently flexible so that, for example, when worn as part of a wearable element, the relatively flexible sections will flex so that the antenna structure conforms to the surface of the body. The relatively flexible sections may for example be formed from a polyimide. Alternative relatively flexible materials include other flexible polymers, and composites comprising a polymer and other materials such as glass fabric. Any flexible material that is compatible with PCB manufacturing processes may be used for the flexible sections. These materials must be able to be metallized and to withstand temperatures of at least 160 Centigrade without irreversibly changing its dielectric constant, electrical conductivity, or relative flexibility by more than 10 percent. The relatively rigid section must be rigid enough to maintain the spatial separation of opposing metal surfaces. The segments may be printed using a multilayer rigid PCB technology, where the interconnecting sections are realized on flexible section, allowing the antenna to conform to the limb to which it is attached. The antenna may be attached to the limb using a strap, for example, a wrist band of watch strap, so as to illuminate arteries beneath it (e.g., radial or ulnar artery at the wrist). However, such attachments may be imprecise in locating the antenna in the vicinity of the arteries, and for adequate operation, the width of the electromagnetic field generated by the antenna, also called the beam width, may be large enough to compensate for misplacement of the antenna. In some instances, the antenna may be isolated from the wrist tissue by using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which is biocompatible, possesses good dielectric properties and has the flexibility needed for comfortable attachment to the human skin. In some instances, the PCB may include a ground plane on the back side to create a unidirectional radiation pattern. Preferably, an antenna structure comprises a sequence of layers including: a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer which is relatively rigid, a second metallic layer, a second dielectric layer which is relatively flexible, and a third metal layer. Each layer may have a different spatial extent as another layer, which results in the antenna structure shown for example in FIG. 3 . Additional dielectric and metal layers may reside between the specified sequence of layers. For example, the first dielectric layer may be replaced by a first and another dielectric layers in contact with one another, or separated from one another at some locations by an additional metal layer. Moreover, additional layers may include relatively thin adhesive layers to adhere various layers to one another. Preferably, nonconductive adhesive or other nonconductive layers cover surfaces of metal layers. The first metal layer defines a metallic conductive ground plane. Preferably, the first metallic layer is formed from copper. Preferably, this layer is from greater than one micron and 2000 microns, more preferably between 4 and 100 microns. Typically, copper on PC boards are 17-68 microns thick. Preferably, this layer has a conductivity of greater than 10,000,000 Siemens per meter. The first dielectric layer provides spacing between metal layers. Preferably, the first dielectric layer is formed from a material having a dielectric constant between 1 and 200, more preferably between 2 and 11; and having a dielectric loss factor of less than 0.1 and more preferably less than 0.05 for all frequencies between 3.1 and 10.6 Ghz. Preferably, the first dielectric layer is formed from the same material used to form PC boards. Preferably, this material is an epoxy glass. This first dielectric material is part of the relatively rigid sections and not part of the relatively flexible sections. The currently preferred material identified as FR4, which is a composite material composed of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder. The second metal layer provides the antenna feed. Preferably, the second metal layer is formed from a material having the same preferred properties and thicknesses as the first metal layer, but preferably no thicker than 100 microns. The preferred material forming the second metal layer is copper. However, the first and second metal layers may be different metals. However, the second layer is not essential for providing the antenna feed. Instead, the antenna feed may be provided for example by a coaxial connection, or a microstrip line including metal above the third metal layer or below the first metal layer. The second dielectric layer is sufficiently flexible so that it may flex to allow the relatively rigid sections (those sections including the relatively rigid first dielectric layer) to conform to a non flat surface. Preferably, the second dielectric layer is formed from material having a dielectric layer between 2 and 6; preferably the second dielectric layer is formed from material having a loss factor less than 0.02. Preferably, the second dielectric layer is formed a polymer or a composite material including a polymer. These polymers include polyester; polyimide; polyamide; and aramid. The second dielectric may be a composite of one or more polymers with a glass or other ceramic. Preferably, the relatively flexible second dielectric layer extends over the entire footprint of the antenna structure, which includes both the relatively rigid sections and the relatively flexible sections. The third metal layer defines an aperture there through. Preferably, the third metal layer is formed from a material having the same preferred properties and thicknesses as the first metal layer, but preferably no thicker than 100 microns. Preferably, the third layer is formed from copper. The antenna structure is fabricated so that it results in the relatively rigid sections connected by the relatively flexible sections. The relatively rigid sections each comprise a portion of the first metal layer (ground plane); a portion of the relatively rigid first dielectric layer; and a portion of the relatively flexible layer. Various regions of each relatively rigid section also include a portion of the third metallic layer. At least one of the relatively rigid sections also includes a portion, or all, of the second metallic layer providing the antenna feed. The antenna structure is fabricated so that it results in the relatively flexible sections including a portion of the relatively flexible second dielectric layer. Preferably, the relatively flexible section also includes at least part of the second metal layer providing the antenna feed. Preferably, the shape of each relatively rigid section is rectangular for ease of manufacturing. However, any shape is contemplated. Preferably, the shape of each relatively flexible section is also rectangular. Preferably, the antenna structure defines pathways through the first and second dielectric layers which contain conductive material. This conductive material in each pathway preferably contacts both the first metal layer and the third metal layer. Preferably, these conductive paths are define vias extending linearly to both the first metal layer and the third metal layer. Preferably, these conductive paths are each located near the periphery of the of second dielectric layer. Preferably, the vias are spaced from one another between 0.1 and 5 millimeters, and more preferably 0.2-1.0 millimeters. Less preferably, the antenna structure includes side plating which provides a conductive layer on at least those side surfaces of the relatively rigid sections that define outer peripheral sides faces of the antenna structure. Preferably, these vias define a ring surrounding an aperture in the third metal layer as shown in FIG. 3 . More preferably, the vias' ring is offset from the first and third metal edge by an essentially predefined distance, so as to form an open ended transmission line intended to suppress unwanted current on the first metal outer surface. The antenna feed preferably connects to or is part of a conductive path that is conductively connected to an electronic circuit external to the antenna structure. This conductive path may include a via extending through either the first or second dielectric layer or a path extending to a peripheral side of the antenna structure. Moreover, antenna structure may also comprise microwave absorbing material. For example, a thin, flexible, magnetically loaded, high-loss silicone rubber material for 6-35 GHz that is electrically non-conductive. This type of material is discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,275,880. Various microwave absorbing materials are commercially available. For example the materials under the trade name “Eccosorb” registered as U.S. trademark number 0643877, are microwave absorbing materials. The particularly preferred material contemplated by the inventor is trademark “Eccosorb GDS”. These materials are commercially available. A paper describing properties of such a material comprising magnetic granular composites is Gama, “Complex permeability and permittivity variation of carbonyl iron rubber in the frequency range of 2 to 18 GHz”, Journal of Aerospace Technology and Management,” V. 2, n. 1, January-April 2010. This microwave absorbing material may cover the side regions of the structure, such as the PCB side regions, between the ground plane structure and the antenna structure; also on the back side of the ground plate structure; and also in the bendable region or regions between rigid pieces of the dielectric, such as dielectric PC board, on which the antenna resides. This material may act to minimize radiation to free space from the antenna structure. | BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to biometric sensing of human beings and other animals using wearable devices. We disclose herein a type of antenna useful, for example in the invention disclosed in WO213118121 titled “A microwave contactless heart rate sensor.” The entire contents of WO/2013/118121 and U.S. provisional application 62/083981, filed Nov. 25, 2014 titled “Systems, Apparatuses and Methods for Biometric Sensing Using Conformal Flexible Antenna”, are incorporated herein by reference. It has been shown previously that radar technology may be used to estimate heart rates of humans or animals. For example, WIPO Patent Application WO/2013/118121, titled “A Microwave Contactless Heart Rate Sensor,” filed on Feb. 7, 2013, and the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein, discloses an antenna that radiates radio frequency (RF) fields into tissues. U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,665 describes a broadband magnetic antenna incorporating a ground plane directing the radiated energy only in one direction. The antenna disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,665 is an rigid slot type antenna that has two parallel slots with an additional spacer slot. The antenna for UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication described in “A Microstrip-Fed Ultra-Wideband Slot Antenna”, Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, APSURSI '09, IEEE, 2009, is bidirectional and rigid. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides conformal antenna structures, how to make and use the antenna structures, and systems in which the antenna structures may be used for biometric sensing of humans and other animals. The antenna structures of the invention includes at least one relatively flexible section connecting relatively rigid sections. The relatively flexible section connecting relatively rigid sections may flex so that the relatively rigid sections connected to the relatively flexible section can change orientation relative to one another. This allows the relatively rigid sections to be conformed to a region of a surface of a human or animal that is not flat (that is curved). Preferably, the antenna structures of the invention also include a ground plane. The existence of the ground plane limits radiation transmitted other than in the desired direction into the body of the human or animal Alternatively, or in addition to a ground plane, the antenna structure may include a microwave absorber. The absorber absorbs radiation in other than the desired direction into the body of the human or animal The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses and methods for biometrically sensing physiological parameters using radar technology. A thin miniaturized ultra wideband antenna that comprises a combination of relatively flexible and relatively rigid sections, is conformable to a curved portion of a surface of a body organ, and is useful for sensing biometric data. Examples of frequency ranges that may be used for sensing are from about 3.1 to about 10.6 GHz. The antenna structure may be constructed using relatively rigid printed circuit board (PCB) segments interconnected by relatively flexible portions to achieve conformability, broadband capability, low cost and unidirectional radiation characteristics. The relatively flexible sections are sufficiently flexible so that, for example, when worn as part of a wearable element, the relatively flexible sections will flex so that the antenna structure conforms to the surface of the body. The relatively flexible sections may for example be formed from a polyimide. Alternative relatively flexible materials include other flexible polymers, and composites comprising a polymer and other materials such as glass fabric. Any flexible material that is compatible with PCB manufacturing processes may be used for the flexible sections. These materials must be able to be metallized and to withstand temperatures of at least 160 Centigrade without irreversibly changing its dielectric constant, electrical conductivity, or relative flexibility by more than 10 percent. The relatively rigid section must be rigid enough to maintain the spatial separation of opposing metal surfaces. The segments may be printed using a multilayer rigid PCB technology, where the interconnecting sections are realized on flexible section, allowing the antenna to conform to the limb to which it is attached. The antenna may be attached to the limb using a strap, for example, a wrist band of watch strap, so as to illuminate arteries beneath it (e.g., radial or ulnar artery at the wrist). However, such attachments may be imprecise in locating the antenna in the vicinity of the arteries, and for adequate operation, the width of the electromagnetic field generated by the antenna, also called the beam width, may be large enough to compensate for misplacement of the antenna. In some instances, the antenna may be isolated from the wrist tissue by using thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which is biocompatible, possesses good dielectric properties and has the flexibility needed for comfortable attachment to the human skin. In some instances, the PCB may include a ground plane on the back side to create a unidirectional radiation pattern. Preferably, an antenna structure comprises a sequence of layers including: a first metal layer, a first dielectric layer which is relatively rigid, a second metallic layer, a second dielectric layer which is relatively flexible, and a third metal layer. Each layer may have a different spatial extent as another layer, which results in the antenna structure shown for example in FIG. 3. Additional dielectric and metal layers may reside between the specified sequence of layers. For example, the first dielectric layer may be replaced by a first and another dielectric layers in contact with one another, or separated from one another at some locations by an additional metal layer. Moreover, additional layers may include relatively thin adhesive layers to adhere various layers to one another. Preferably, nonconductive adhesive or other nonconductive layers cover surfaces of metal layers. The first metal layer defines a metallic conductive ground plane. Preferably, the first metallic layer is formed from copper. Preferably, this layer is from greater than one micron and 2000 microns, more preferably between 4 and 100 microns. Typically, copper on PC boards are 17-68 microns thick. Preferably, this layer has a conductivity of greater than 10,000,000 Siemens per meter. The first dielectric layer provides spacing between metal layers. Preferably, the first dielectric layer is formed from a material having a dielectric constant between 1 and 200, more preferably between 2 and 11; and having a dielectric loss factor of less than 0.1 and more preferably less than 0.05 for all frequencies between 3.1 and 10.6 Ghz. Preferably, the first dielectric layer is formed from the same material used to form PC boards. Preferably, this material is an epoxy glass. This first dielectric material is part of the relatively rigid sections and not part of the relatively flexible sections. The currently preferred material identified as FR4, which is a composite material composed of woven fiberglass cloth with an epoxy resin binder. The second metal layer provides the antenna feed. Preferably, the second metal layer is formed from a material having the same preferred properties and thicknesses as the first metal layer, but preferably no thicker than 100 microns. The preferred material forming the second metal layer is copper. However, the first and second metal layers may be different metals. However, the second layer is not essential for providing the antenna feed. Instead, the antenna feed may be provided for example by a coaxial connection, or a microstrip line including metal above the third metal layer or below the first metal layer. The second dielectric layer is sufficiently flexible so that it may flex to allow the relatively rigid sections (those sections including the relatively rigid first dielectric layer) to conform to a non flat surface. Preferably, the second dielectric layer is formed from material having a dielectric layer between 2 and 6; preferably the second dielectric layer is formed from material having a loss factor less than 0.02. Preferably, the second dielectric layer is formed a polymer or a composite material including a polymer. These polymers include polyester; polyimide; polyamide; and aramid. The second dielectric may be a composite of one or more polymers with a glass or other ceramic. Preferably, the relatively flexible second dielectric layer extends over the entire footprint of the antenna structure, which includes both the relatively rigid sections and the relatively flexible sections. The third metal layer defines an aperture there through. Preferably, the third metal layer is formed from a material having the same preferred properties and thicknesses as the first metal layer, but preferably no thicker than 100 microns. Preferably, the third layer is formed from copper. The antenna structure is fabricated so that it results in the relatively rigid sections connected by the relatively flexible sections. The relatively rigid sections each comprise a portion of the first metal layer (ground plane); a portion of the relatively rigid first dielectric layer; and a portion of the relatively flexible layer. Various regions of each relatively rigid section also include a portion of the third metallic layer. At least one of the relatively rigid sections also includes a portion, or all, of the second metallic layer providing the antenna feed. The antenna structure is fabricated so that it results in the relatively flexible sections including a portion of the relatively flexible second dielectric layer. Preferably, the relatively flexible section also includes at least part of the second metal layer providing the antenna feed. Preferably, the shape of each relatively rigid section is rectangular for ease of manufacturing. However, any shape is contemplated. Preferably, the shape of each relatively flexible section is also rectangular. Preferably, the antenna structure defines pathways through the first and second dielectric layers which contain conductive material. This conductive material in each pathway preferably contacts both the first metal layer and the third metal layer. Preferably, these conductive paths are define vias extending linearly to both the first metal layer and the third metal layer. Preferably, these conductive paths are each located near the periphery of the of second dielectric layer. Preferably, the vias are spaced from one another between 0.1 and 5 millimeters, and more preferably 0.2-1.0 millimeters. Less preferably, the antenna structure includes side plating which provides a conductive layer on at least those side surfaces of the relatively rigid sections that define outer peripheral sides faces of the antenna structure. Preferably, these vias define a ring surrounding an aperture in the third metal layer as shown in FIG. 3. More preferably, the vias' ring is offset from the first and third metal edge by an essentially predefined distance, so as to form an open ended transmission line intended to suppress unwanted current on the first metal outer surface. The antenna feed preferably connects to or is part of a conductive path that is conductively connected to an electronic circuit external to the antenna structure. This conductive path may include a via extending through either the first or second dielectric layer or a path extending to a peripheral side of the antenna structure. Moreover, antenna structure may also comprise microwave absorbing material. For example, a thin, flexible, magnetically loaded, high-loss silicone rubber material for 6-35 GHz that is electrically non-conductive. This type of material is discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,275,880. Various microwave absorbing materials are commercially available. For example the materials under the trade name “Eccosorb” registered as U.S. trademark number 0643877, are microwave absorbing materials. The particularly preferred material contemplated by the inventor is trademark “Eccosorb GDS”. These materials are commercially available. A paper describing properties of such a material comprising magnetic granular composites is Gama, “Complex permeability and permittivity variation of carbonyl iron rubber in the frequency range of 2 to 18 GHz”, Journal of Aerospace Technology and Management,” V. 2, n. 1, January-April 2010. This microwave absorbing material may cover the side regions of the structure, such as the PCB side regions, between the ground plane structure and the antenna structure; also on the back side of the ground plate structure; and also in the bendable region or regions between rigid pieces of the dielectric, such as dielectric PC board, on which the antenna resides. This material may act to minimize radiation to free space from the antenna structure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of antenna structure implementations conformable to a cylindrical body organ for sensing biometric data are disclosed herein. The disclosed methods, apparatuses and systems discuss embodiments of an ultra wideband miniaturized thin antenna implementation that is conformable to a curved portion of a body limb for sensing biometric data. In some instances, the antenna may be constructed using rigid flex PCB technology to achieve conformability, broadband capability, low cost and unidirectional radiation characteristics. Examples of body organs to which the antenna structure implementations can conform include cylindrical surface regions of a body organ. These regions include wrist, arm, neck, head, leg, ankle, shoulder, and chest. It should be appreciated that all combinations of the foregoing concepts and additional concepts discussed in greater detail below (provided such concepts are not mutually inconsistent) are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. In particular, all combinations of claimed subject matter appearing at the end of this disclosure are contemplated as being part of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein. It should also be appreciated that terminology explicitly employed herein that also may appear in any disclosure incorporated by reference should be accorded a meaning most consistent with the particular concepts disclosed herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The skilled artisan will understand that the drawings primarily are for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the inventive subject matter described herein. The drawings are not necessarily to scale; in some instances, various aspects of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein may be shown exaggerated or enlarged in the drawings to facilitate an understanding of different features. In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to like features (e.g., at least one of functionally and structurally similar). FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example embodiment of an ultra wideband microwave signal antenna structure used for sensing, for example, arteries, and an x-y-z coordinate system for orientation. FIG. 1 does not show a means to feed, in other words, excite, the antenna structure. FIG. 2 perspective view of an example of positioning of the antenna structure with respect to a limb containing an artery to be sensed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an antenna structure and an example of an antenna feeding structure for feeding energy into the antenna structure. This feeding structure is useful with embodiments of the antenna structures disclosed herein. FIG. 4 is a cross section in the x-z plane of layers of antenna structures disclosed herein, and an x-y-z coordinate system for orientation. FIG. 5 is a mixed sectional and perspective view of a body part, and a compound antenna structure comprising two antenna structures, a separating section, and relatively flexible sections. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME OF THE EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows ultra wideband microwave signal antenna structure 100 comprising opening or slot 101; metal plane 102; flexible PCB part 103; first rigid PCB section 104; second rigid PCB section 105; row or ring of vias 106; ground plane on the back side 107; and flexible section 108. FIG. 1 shows an antenna structure 100 comprising a metal plane 102 with an opening or slot 101. First rigid PCB section 104 and second rigid PCB section 105 may be covered and adhered to a flexible PCB part 103 comprising a flexible section 108 that may serve as an interconnecting portion for the first and second PCB sections, allowing the antenna to conform to a limb to which it may be attached. Rigid PCB sections 104, 105, are an embodiments of the relatively rigid sections discussed above. Flexible PCB part 103 is an embodiment of the relatively flexible section discussed above. The slot may be designed in a variety of shapes to achieve desired characteristics, including a taper design that gradually increases the slot characteristic impedance from twice the terminal impedance (e.g., slot characteristic impedance of about 100 ohm for a 50 ohm terminal impedance) to as high as practical before the slot gets terminated. For example, the slot may be shaped so that the antenna is well matched in a bandwidth of at least 5 GHz in a UWB of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz. In some instances, a longer slot length may lead to a lower center frequency, and a larger taper end width before the circular termination results in a wider antenna bandwidth. For example, the design of the slot width may follow the following configuration: for |x|<x0, the slot width s(x) may be designed following the equation s(x)=2 S0 ek|x|, while for |x|≧x0, it may be designed so that s(x) may have a shape of a circle centered around x=x0+k s2 (x0) with radius R=the square root of {s2(x0)+k s2(x0)}. For X<−X0, x=−X0−kŜ2(X0) These substantially circle shape terminated exponential taper slot shapes may be useful for attaining at least one of ultra wide broadband and large beam-width. In some instances, the antenna performance may not be sensitive to the exact shape of the slot, and deviations in the width of the slot (e.g., a few tens percent) may have limited effect on the antenna performance. In some instances, the shape of the antenna may be designed so as to account for some variations in the placement of the antenna proximate to a limb. For example, the slot may be shaped so as to allow for heart rate detection when positioned above an artery in the wrist area, even if the antenna is misplaced by up to 6 mm. In some instances, the PCB antenna structure may include a ground plane on the back side 107, creating a unidirectional radiation pattern. This backplane may be connected to the top metal surrounding the slot by a row (or ring) of vias 106, traversing the thickness of the antenna, and providing the equivalent electrical function of a continuous metal wall. The antenna structure 100 may be included as part of a wearable device (not shown). The wearable device may embed the antenna structure in a strap or clothing element, and may include polymer layers bonded to the antenna structure 100. FIG. 2 shows limb 201 and antenna structure 100. The antenna structure 100 is positioned with respect to a limb 201 containing an artery to be sensed. FIG. 2 shows rigid section 104 canted at an angle relative to rigid section 105 due to a bend (also called flex) in relatively flexible section 108. Preferably, the first rigid PCB section 104 and the second rigid PCB section 105 may be separated by a groove 121 to facilitate flexibility of the interconnecting flexible section 108 of the PCB part 103 so as to allow the antenna to conform to the shape of the limb. However, the groove (that is spatial extent along the direction of the text in FIG. 2) is not essential to flexing of the flexible section. All that is required is the flexible section can act as a hinge in at least one dimension. The relatively flexible section 108 may not be shielded by a backplane to not interfere with the flexibility. It is difficult to economically manufacture a zero length flexible hinge using conventional PCB manufacturing technology. However, the flexible section should be made as short as feasible for various reasons. FIG. 5 illustrates a a compound antenna structure and positioning of the compound antenna structure near two arteries of a body part. FIG. 500 shows compound antenna structure 500 comprising relatively rigid antenna sections 510, 511, 513, and 514; and also 512. Relatively rigid sections 510 and 511 and an intervening relatively flexible section (unnumbered) define one antenna structure. Relatively rigid sections 513 and 514 and an intervening relatively flexible section (unnumbered) define another antenna structure. Each antenna structure is spaced apart from the other by relatively rigid section 512, and relatively flexible sections 516 and 517. Relatively flexible sections 516, 517 also connect the relatively rigid section 512 to the two antennas. The antenna structure comprising the two antenna halfs 510, 511 are positioned relatively close to radial or ulnar artery 502. The antenna structure comprising the other two antenna halfs 513, 514 are positioned relatively close to the other one of the radial or ulnar artery 503. The sections 510, 511, 513, and 514; and also 512 comprise PCB. PCB part 512 may also serve as connection points for sensor electronics. As shown, each antenna structure is positioned relatively close to a respective artery in the body part for sensing changes in that artery. Each pair or relatively rigid sections is connected by a relatively flexible section. Hence, in some embodiments, only one pair relatively rigid sections connected by a single relatively flexible section exist. FIG. 3 shows an antenna structure and an antenna feeding structure. In some instances, the antenna may be fed by a microstrip line 305 printed on the inner surface of the flexible PCB material 303. That inner surface is the surface of the flexible material 303 that is opposite the surface metallization 302. Microstrip line 305 is terminated by elliptic shaped capacitive disk 304. Capacitive disk 304 may have a variety of shapes. Preferably the shape and location of the capacitive disk provides for a relatively short microstrip line. In other embodiments, the capacitive coupling can be replaced with an ohmic connection, implemented by a conductive via. In addition, an RF sensor may include a detector diode. The detector diode may be located on an a relatively rigid portion, or PCB antenna half, half thereby minimizing the electrical distance between the diode detector and the antenna. FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the layers of the antenna embodiments disclosed herein. FIG. 4 shows top slotted metal layer 401; backplane metal layer 402; flexible dielectric layer 403; PCB dielectric layer 405; and conducting vias 406. In some embodiments, top slotted metal layer 401 and backplane metal layer 402 are interconnected with conducting vias 406. The conductive layers are supported by dielectric layers. Flexible layer 403 (for example comprising Mylar), and PCB dielectric layer 405 (for example FR-4 material) support the conductive layers. The conductive layers 401 and 402 protrude in the plane of the layers beyond the shorting vias 406 by a shorting distance A. The existence of this shorting distance A allows for the creation of a short circuited plate transmission line. This short circuited plate transmission disrupts the flow path of the surface current on the top surface 401 from closing its current path on the outside skin of the ground plane 402. This limits radiation of electrical field in the negative Z direction, and also reduces reverse radiation intensity. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other structures for performing the function and obtaining the results and advantages described herein. Each of such variations and/or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein. More generally, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters, dimensions, materials, and configurations described herein are meant to be an example and that the actual parameters, dimensions, materials, and that configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings are used. Those skilled in the art will recognize, or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation, many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein. The foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that, within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto, inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed. The antenna structures of the invention are preferably formed by conventional PCB manufacturing techniques known to those skilled in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,444 for example discloses methods for manufacturing a rigid flexible PCB. The antenna structures of the invention are preferably incorporated into a wearable, such as a wrist strap shirt or trousers so that when the wearable is worn on a body, the antenna structures are each substantially flush with a surface of the body of the wearer. For example, the antenna structure may be molded into a band designed to be secured around the wrist, ankle, neck, or chest. For example, antenna structures of the invention may be sown into a pocket, or secured by sowing, into a region of fabric of a shirt or trousers. In addition, the method of fabrication of the antenna structures also includes electrically connecting the antenna structure to a source of electrical power, or including a source of electric power in the antenna structure. In addition, the method of fabrication comprises coupling the signal feed and a detector to suitable electronics for using the antenna to radiate signal towards the body of the human or other animal and analyzing the signal received by the antenna structure to determine physiologically relevant information therefrom. In a preferred embodiment, some part of this suitable electronics my reside on one or both faces of the intermediate section 512 of FIG. 5, as well as on any one or more of the backsides of sections 510, 511, 513, and 514. In use, the antenna structure radiates broadband energy toward a body part, and received reflected energy from that body part. The radiated energy and reflected energy are analyzed by electronics implementing models of physiological activity, for example models of heart rate, artery diameter, and blood flow, to provide an estimate or measure of the physiological quantity modeled. Any and all references to publications or other documents, including but not limited to, patents, patent applications, articles, webpages, books, etc., presented anywhere in the present application, are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. Moreover, all definitions, as defined and used herein, should be understood to control over dictionary definitions, definitions in documents incorporated by reference, and/or ordinary meanings of the defined terms. |
||
14905588 | US20170307948A1-20171026 | Array Substrate and Liquid Crystal Display Device | ACCEPTED | 20171011 | 20171026 | G02F1136286 | [
"G02F1136286",
"G02F1133514",
"G02F11368"
] | G02F11362 | [
"G02F11362",
"G02F11368",
"G02F11335"
] | 9857651 | 20170717 | 20180102 | 349 | 044000 | 58226.0 | PAN | JIA | [
{
"inventor_name_last": "ZENG",
"inventor_name_first": "Mian",
"inventor_city": "Shenzhen, Guangdong",
"inventor_state": "",
"inventor_country": "CN"
}
] | The present invention propose an array substrate and a liquid crystal display device. The array substrate includes data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red, green and blue sub-pixels. The data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The red, green and blue sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. The two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity, and sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. The present invention requires the fewer number of data lines, saving the cost of the array substrate. The present invention also saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. | 1. An array substrate, comprising: a plurality of data lines and scan lines, running across but not touching each other; and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels, lined in parallel along the data lines; each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT); each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different, wherein the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity, and sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. 2. The array substrate of claim 1, wherein each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. 3. The array substrate of claim 2, wherein the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. 4. The array substrate of claim 1, wherein a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. 5. An array substrate, comprising: a plurality of data lines and scan lines, running across but not touching each other; and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels, lined in parallel along the data lines; each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT); each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. 6. The array substrate of claim 5, wherein each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. 7. The array substrate of claim 6, wherein the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. 8. The array substrate of claim 5, wherein a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. 9. The array substrate of claim 5, wherein the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity. 10. The array substrate of claim 5, wherein sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. 11. The array substrate of claim 5, wherein the TFT comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixels, a gate electrically connected to the scan lines, and a source electrically connected to the data lines. 12. A liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprising: an array substrate; a color film substrate, disposed opposite to each other; and liquid crystal molecules sandwiched between the array substrate and color film substrate; wherein the array substrate comprises: a plurality of data lines and scan lines, running across but not touching each other; a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels, lined in parallel along the data lines; each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT); each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. 13. The LCD device of claim 12, wherein each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. 14. The LCD device of claim 13, wherein the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. 15. The LCD device of claim 12, wherein a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. 16. The LCD device of claim 12, wherein the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity. 17. The LCD device of claim 12, wherein sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. 18. The LCD device of claim 12, wherein the TFT comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixels, a gate electrically connected to the scan lines, and a source electrically connected to the data lines. | <SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH> | <SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>An object of the present invention is to provide an array substrate and LCD device, which not only lowers the number of data lines and production cost, but also saves the layout room and further reduces the area covered by a photoshield and improves the aperture ratio of pixels. According to the present invention, an array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels . The plurality of data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT). Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. The two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity, and sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. Furthermore, each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. Furthermore, the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. Furthermore, a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. According to the present invention, an array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels . The plurality of data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT). Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. Furthermore, each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. Furthermore, the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. Furthermore, a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. Furthermore, the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity. Furthermore, sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. Furthermore, the TFT comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixels, a gate electrically connected to the scan lines, and a source electrically connected to the data lines. According to the present invention, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprises an array substrate, a color film substrate disposed opposite to the array substrate, and liquid crystal molecules sandwiched between the array substrate and color film substrate. The array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels . The plurality of data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT). Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. Furthermore, the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. Furthermore, a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. Furthermore, the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity. Furthermore, sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. Furthermore, the TFT comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixels, a gate electrically connected to the scan lines, and a source electrically connected to the data lines. Different from conventional technology, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines of an array substrate of a present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, and form pixel areas. The present embodiment further comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines. Comparing with the conventional technology with which RGB sub-pixels lined along the scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines, saving the cost of two-thirds of the data lines, and therefore significantly reduces the cost of the array substrate. Each sub-pixel connects to its corresponding scan line and data line through a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines that form two neighboring pixel areas are different. It means that at least two scan lines are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas lined along a data line. It saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. | BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of liquid crystal display (LCD), and more specifically, to an array substrate and LCD device. 2. Description of the Prior Art In the field of display technology, flat-panel display device such as LCD and organic light emitting diode (OLED) has gradually replaced cathode ray tube (CRT) display device and been applied extensively to LCD TVs, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA), digital cameras, computer screens and notebook screens. An important component of LCDs or OLEDs is a display panel. Be it a display panel of LCD or OLED, a display panel usually has a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate. The TFT array substrate is formed with a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels arranged in arrays, and a plurality of scan lines and data lines. Each sub-pixel receives scan signals and data signals via its respective scan line and data line, so to display images. Please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a structure diagram of an array substrate formed by conventional technology. The array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines, vertically arranged and parallel to each other, such as D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5 in FIG. 1; a plurality of scan lines, horizontally arranged and parallel to each other, such as G1, G2, G3, and G4 in FIG. 1; and sub-pixels arranged in arrays. Each sub-pixel in the same row is electrically connected to a scan line above the row through a TFT. For example, each sub-pixel in the first row are electrically connected to scan line G1 via a TFT, each sub-pixel in the second row are electrically connected to scan line G2 via a TFT, and so on and so forth. Each sub-pixel in the same column is electrically connected to a data line in the left of the column through a TFT. For example, each sub-pixel in the first column is electrically connected to data line D1 via a TFT, each sub-pixel in the second column are electrically connected to data line D2 via a TFT, and so on and so forth. However, the regular connection method mentioned above requires a large layout room on the array substrate, occupies areas covered by a photoshield, and lowers the aperture ratio of the display device. With the method, the utilization rate of data lines and scan lines are low. It wastes resources and increases the production cost of the display device. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an array substrate and LCD device, which not only lowers the number of data lines and production cost, but also saves the layout room and further reduces the area covered by a photoshield and improves the aperture ratio of pixels. According to the present invention, an array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels . The plurality of data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT). Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. The two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity, and sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. Furthermore, each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. Furthermore, the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. Furthermore, a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. According to the present invention, an array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels . The plurality of data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT). Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. Furthermore, each pixel area is installed with two sub-pixels lined in parallel along data lines, and each sub-pixel is connected to its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines connect to different data lines. Furthermore, the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. Furthermore, a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. Furthermore, the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity. Furthermore, sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. Furthermore, the TFT comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixels, a gate electrically connected to the scan lines, and a source electrically connected to the data lines. According to the present invention, a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprises an array substrate, a color film substrate disposed opposite to the array substrate, and liquid crystal molecules sandwiched between the array substrate and color film substrate. The array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines and a plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels . The plurality of data lines and scan lines run across but not touching each other. The plurality of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) sub-pixels are lined in parallel along the data lines. Each sub-pixel connects corresponding scan line and data line via a thin film transistor (TFT). Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are different. Furthermore, the data lines are used to output column inversiondriving data or row inversiondriving data. Furthermore, a sub-pixel is installed in the pixel areas in odd rows and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan lines are installed in the pixel areas in even rows, with each sub-pixel connected to its corresponding scan line via its corresponding TFT; two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different scan lines, and two neighboring sub-pixels opposite to each other across the data line connect the same data line. Furthermore, the two neighboring sub-pixels have opposite polarity. Furthermore, sub-pixels lined horizontally along the scan lines is of the same color. Furthermore, the TFT comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixels, a gate electrically connected to the scan lines, and a source electrically connected to the data lines. Different from conventional technology, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines of an array substrate of a present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, and form pixel areas. The present embodiment further comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines. Comparing with the conventional technology with which RGB sub-pixels lined along the scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines, saving the cost of two-thirds of the data lines, and therefore significantly reduces the cost of the array substrate. Each sub-pixel connects to its corresponding scan line and data line through a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines that form two neighboring pixel areas are different. It means that at least two scan lines are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas lined along a data line. It saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a structure diagram of a conventional array substrate. FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of an array substrate according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a structure diagram of an array substrate according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a structure diagram of a liquid crystal display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An array substrate of a present embodiment comprises a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines, which run across but do not touch each other, and form a plurality of pixel areas. In a preferred embodiment, all data lines are in parallel and all scan lines are in parallel, whereas data lines and scan lines are perpendicular to each other. No limitation as such is applied to the present embodiment. Furthermore, the array substrate comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel with data lines. Each sub-pixel electrically connects its corresponding scan line and data line via a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines forming any two neighboring pixel areas are not the same. Please refer to FIG. 2 for specific description. FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of the array substrate of an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, scan lines 201 and data lines 202 run across but do not touch each other, forming a plurality of pixel areas 203. A plurality of RGB sub-pixels 2031 lines along the data line 202. Sub-pixels 2031 that lined horizontally along a scan line 201 are of the same color. Two neighboring sub-pixels 2031 are of opposite polarity. Comparing with conventional technology which arranges sub-pixels along scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines as RGB sub-pixels line along data lines 202. Although it means that the number of scan lines 201 must increase accordingly, chip on film (COF) on the side of the scan lines 201 is a lot cheaper than COF on the side of the data lines 202. In addition, in other embodiments, scan lines 201 can even installed on the substrate directly without COF. Therefore, RGB sub-pixels 2031 lining along data lines 202 can significantly reduce the cost of the array substrate. As shown in FIG. 2, scan lines 201 forming two neighboring pixel areas 203 are different, meaning that the two neighboring pixel areas 203 lined along the data line 202 do not share a same scan line 201. At least two scan lines 201 are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas 203 lined along the data line 202. The arrangement saves deployment space on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas and increases the aperture ratio. Each pixel area 203 is installed with two sub-pixels 2031 lined in parallel with a data line. Each sub-pixel 2031 connects its respective scan line 201 and data line 202 via its respective TFT 2032. The TFT 2032 comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixel 2031, a gate electrically connected to the scan line 201, and a source electrically connected to the data line 202. In a preferred embodiment, each sub-pixel 2031 connects the scan line 201 and data line 202 that are closest to it. For example, two scan lines 201 are deployed between two neighboring pixel areas 203 in the present embodiment. The sub-pixels 2031 deployed opposite to each other across the two scan lines 201 connect the one closest to themselves respectively. In addition, neighboring sub-pixels 2031 lined in parallel with the scan line 201 connect different data lines 202. For example, assume that there are two sub-pixels 2031 lined in parallel with the data line 202, with data lines arranged horizontally and scan lines vertically, as shown in FIG. 2. The sub-pixel 2031 on the upper part connects the data line 202 on the right of the pixel area 203, and the sub-pixel 2031 on the lower part connects the data line 202 on the left of the pixel area 203. It means that sub-pixels 2031 in odd rows and sub-pixels 2031 in even rows line alternately. When sub-pixels 2031 are arranged in arrays, sub-pixels 2031 of the same order number in the neighboring rows connect two neighboring data lines 202 respectively. Neighboring data lines provide different voltages, and when data lines 202 output column inversion data, dot inversion can be realized. The method not only saves the tremendous energy consumed by dot inversion, lowers the cost of the array substrate, and delivers good display effect brought by dot inversion, enhancing display quality. The horizontal deployment of scan lines 201 and vertical deployment of data lines 202 are relative. When the direction of the array substrate changes, the positions of scan lines 201 and data lines 202 change accordingly. Therefore, when the position of the array substrate turns 90 degrees or the viewing angle of users turns 90 degrees, the horizontal and vertical deployment switches accordingly. The column inversion becomes a row inversion, but its nature or effect does not change. No limitation as such is imposed here. Different from conventional technology, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines of an array substrate of a present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, and form pixel areas. The present embodiment further comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines. Comparing with the conventional technology with which RGB sub-pixels lined along the scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines, saving the cost of two-thirds of the data lines, and therefore significantly reduces the cost of the array substrate. Each sub-pixel connects to its corresponding scan line and data line through a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines that form two neighboring pixel areas are different. It means that at least two scan lines are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas lined along a data line. It saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. In addition, the two sub-pixels lined in parallel along a data line in each pixel area connect to their corresponding scan lines and data lines via their corresponding TFTs respectively. The two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along a scan line connect to different data lines, with neighboring data lines providing different voltages. When data lines output column inversion data, dot inversion can be realized. It not only saves the tremendous energy consumed by dot inversion, lowers the cost of the array substrate, but also delivers good display effect brought by dot inversion, enhancing display quality. Please refer to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a structure diagram of an array substrate of another embodiment of the present invention. The scan lines 301 and data lines 302 of the array substrate of the present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, forming a plurality of pixel areas 303. A plurality of sub-pixels RGB 3031 line along the data line 302. Sub-pixels 3031 lined horizontally along the scan line 301 are of the same color, and two neighboring sub-pixels 3031 are of opposite polarity. Comparing with conventional technology which arranges RGB sub-pixels along data lines 302, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines as RGB sub-pixels line along scan lines. Although it means that the number of scan lines 301 must increase accordingly, COF on the side of the scan lines 301 is a lot cheaper than COF on the side of the data lines 302. In addition, in other embodiments, scan lines 301 can even installed on the substrate directly without COF. Therefore, RGB sub-pixels 3031 lining along data lines 302 can significantly reduce the cost of the array substrate. As shown in FIG. 3, scan lines 301 forming two pixel areas 303 are different, meaning that the two neighboring pixel areas 303 lined along the data line 302 do not share a same scan line 301. At least two scan lines 301 are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas 303 lined along the data line 302. The arrangement saves deployment space on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas and increases the aperture ratio. In the present embodiment, scan lines 301 line horizontally and data lines 302 line vertically. A sub-pixel 3031 is installed in the pixel area 303 situated in odd rows on the array substrate. Two sub-pixels 3031 are installed in parallel along scan lines 301 in the pixel area 303 situated in even rows on the array substrate. Each sub-pixel 3031 connects its corresponding scan line via its respective TFT 3032. The TFT 3032 comprises a drain electrically connected to the sub-pixel 3031, a gate electrically connected to the scan line 301, and a source electrically connected to the data line 302. In addition, two neighboring sub-pixels 3031 lined in parallel along the scan line 301 connect to different scan lines 301. For example, two scan lines 301 are deployed between two pixel areas 303 lined along two data lines 302. Sub-pixels 3031 in odd rows and sub-pixels 3032 in even rows deployed opposite to each other across the two scan lines 301 connect to the scan line that is closet to them respectively. The two neighboring sub-pixels 3031 that are opposite to each other across the data line 302 connect to the same data line 302. Comparing with conventional technology that connects each sub-pixel in a row to a different data line, the present embodiment saves half of the data lines. It means that comparing with conventional technology shown in FIG. 1, the array substrate of the present embodiment only requires one-sixth of the data lines, saving five-sixths of the data lines and significantly reduces the production cost of the array substrate. Different from conventional technology, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines of an array substrate of a present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, and form pixel areas. The present embodiment further comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines. Comparing with the conventional technology with which RGB sub-pixels lined along the scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines, saving the cost of two-thirds of the data lines, and therefore significantly reduces the cost of the array substrate. Each sub-pixel connects to its corresponding scan line and data line through a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines that form two neighboring pixel areas are different. It means that at least two scan lines are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas lined along a data line. It saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. Moreover, the cost of the array substrate can be lowered even more, as the number of data lines can be further halved when two neighboring pixel areas opposite to each other across a data line connect the same data line. Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a structure diagram of an embodiment of a LCD device of the present invention. The LCD device of the present embodiment comprises an array substrate 401, a color film substrate 402, and liquid crystal molecules 403 that are sandwiched between the array substrate and the color film substrate. The array substrate comprises a plurality of data lines and scan lines. The data lines and scan lines run across but do not touch each other, forming a plurality of pixel areas. In a preferred embodiment, all data lines are in parallel and all scan lines are in parallel, whereas data lines and scan lines are perpendicular to each other. No such limitation is applied in the present embodiment. Furthermore, the array substrate comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels. The RGB pixels line in parallel with data lines, and each RGB pixel electrically connects its corresponding scan line and data line via a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines forming two neighboring pixel areas are not the same. In one of the embodiments, two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines are installed in each pixel area. Each sub-pixel connects its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT respectively. Two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along scan lines connect to different data lines. No such limitation is imposed here. Please refer to FIG. 2 and corresponding description for specifics. Different from conventional technology, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines of an array substrate of a present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, and form pixel areas. The present embodiment further comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines. Comparing with the conventional technology with which RGB sub-pixels lined along the scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines, saving the cost of two-thirds of the data lines, and therefore significantly reduces the cost of the array substrate. Each sub-pixel connects to its corresponding scan line and data line through a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines that form two neighboring pixel areas are different. It means that at least two scan lines are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas lined along a data line. It saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. In addition, the two sub-pixels lined in parallel along a data line in each pixel area connect to their corresponding scan lines and data lines via their corresponding TFTs respectively. The two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along a scan line connect to different data lines, with neighboring data lines providing different voltages. When data lines output column inversion data, dot inversion can be realized. It not only saves the tremendous energy consumed by dot inversion, lowers the cost of the array substrate, but also delivers good display effect brought by dot inversion, enhancing display quality. In another embodiment, a sub-pixel is installed in pixel areas of odd rows, and two sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan line are installed in the pixel areas of even rows. Each sub-pixel connects its corresponding scan line and data line via its corresponding TFT respectively. Two neighboring sub-pixels lined in parallel along the scan line connect to different scan lines. Two neighboring sub-pixels situated opposite across a data line connect to the same data line. No further explanation is provided here. Please refer to FIG. 3 and corresponding description for more specifics. Different from conventional technology, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of scan lines of an array substrate of a present embodiment run across but do not touch each other, and form pixel areas. The present embodiment further comprises a plurality of RGB sub-pixels lined in parallel along the data lines. Comparing with the conventional technology with which RGB sub-pixels lined along the scan lines, the present embodiment requires only one-third of the number of data lines, saving the cost of two-thirds of the data lines, and therefore significantly reduces the cost of the array substrate. Each sub-pixel connects to its corresponding scan line and data line through a TFT. Each pixel area is installed with at least one sub-pixel, and the scan lines that form two neighboring pixel areas are different. It means that at least two scan lines are deployed between any two neighboring pixel areas lined along a data line. It saves the layout room on the array substrate, reduces non-transparent areas, and increases aperture ratio. Moreover, the cost of the array substrate can be lowered even more, as the number of data lines can be further halved when two neighboring pixel areas opposite to each other across a data line connect the same data line. The present disclosure is described in detail in accordance with the above contents with the specific preferred examples. However, this present disclosure is not limited to the specific examples. For the ordinary technical personnel of the technical field of the present disclosure, on the premise of keeping the conception of the present disclosure, the technical personnel can also make simple deductions or replacements, and all of which should be considered to belong to the protection scope of the present disclosure. |
||
15023866 | US20170165717A1-20170615 | A POSTAL SORTING MACHINE WITH A FEED INLET HAVING A ROBOTIZED ARM AND A SLOPING FLAT CONVEYOR | ACCEPTED | 20170603 | 20170615 | B07C104 | [
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{
"inventor_name_last": "CREST",
"inventor_name_first": "Karine",
"inventor_city": "Etoile Sur Rhone",
"inventor_state": "",
"inventor_country": "FR"
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{
"inventor_name_last": "CAMPAGNOLLE",
"inventor_name_first": "Pierre",
"inventor_city": "Allex",
"inventor_state": "",
"inventor_country": "FR"
},
{
"inventor_name_last": "PETIT",
"inventor_name_first": "Jacques",
"inventor_city": "Bourg Les Valence",
"inventor_state": "",
"inventor_country": "FR"
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] | The postal sorting machine comprises a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for loosely storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that has a robotized arm and a vision sensor and that is suitable for picking up the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine and for putting them on the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch. The sorting conveyor has a flat conveyor that slopes sideways to form a jogging edge against which the postal articles are jogged by gravity. | 1. A postal sorting machine comprising a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that is suitable for injecting the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine onto the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch, said postal sorting machine being characterized in that the separator has a robotized arm provided with a pneumatic pickup that is steerable in three-dimensional space, a vision sensor suitable for observing a pile of postal articles stored loosely in the magazine to produce image data including a certain postal article to be separated from the pile of loose postal articles, and a monitoring and control unit that, on the basis of said image data produced by the vision sensor, is suitable for identifying a non-covered pickup face of said certain postal article so that said postal article can be gripped by the pickup, said monitoring and control unit also being arranged to control the robotized arm in such a manner as to come and pick up said certain postal article via its pickup face and put it onto the sorting conveyor, in that a flat conveying segment is organized to slope sideways, with a lower side edge and an upper side edge that is higher than the lower side edge, which is designed as a jogging edge, and in that the robotized arm is designed to put each postal article, separated from the pile of loose postal articles, individually onto the sideways-sloping flat conveying segment in such a manner that said article comes, by gravity, to be jogged against the lower edge of the conveyor. 2. A postal sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said monitoring and control unit is also arranged to control the robotized arm in such a manner that its pickup comes to pick up said certain postal article from the magazine via its pickup face and to inject it onto the sorting conveyor, and in that the monitoring and control unit is also arranged to detect that the data produced by the vision sensor is insufficient to identify said certain postal article, and to respond to such detection by causing the magazine to shake by moving it forwards and backwards to change the three-dimensional configuration of the pile of loose postal articles. 3. A postal sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said feed magazine has a platform for storing the pile of loose postal articles, which platform is mounted on an elevator, and in that said monitoring and control unit is arranged to control the elevator in such a manner as to keep the top of the pile of loose postal articles a certain setpoint distance away from the vision sensor. 4. A sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a plurality of juxtaposed magazines, in each of which postal articles are stored loose, a plurality of robotized arms associated with respective ones of said magazines, and a plurality of parallel flat conveying segments that are fed with parcels by said respective robotized arms in such a manner that the postal articles are placed such that they are aligned in rows on said first flat conveying segments so that they can be transferred in rows of postal articles to a second flat conveying segment on which the postal articles are placed in series and spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch. 5. A sorting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the postal articles aligned in rows are transferred to the second flat conveying segment by a pneumatic pickup. 6. A sorting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the sorting conveyor has a flat conveyor for transporting the postal articles in series, flat, and spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch, and a tipper-platform carrousel that is fed with postal articles by said flat conveyor and that feeds postal articles to a bin carrousel that serves the sorting outlets. | <SOH> TECHNICAL FIELD <EOH>The invention relates to the field of postal sorting. The invention relates more particularly to a postal sorting machine comprising a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that is suitable for injecting the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine onto the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch. | <SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>An object of the invention is to propose a postal sorting machine that is capable of automatically sorting heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type that are generally in the shape of rectangular blocks. Another object of the invention is to propose such a sorting machine that enables both homogeneous flat mailpieces and also heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type to be sorted at the same time into the sorting outlets. Another object of the invention is to propose such a postal sorting machine in which the footprints of the feed branches for feeding the homogeneous flat mailpieces and the heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type remain small. The basic idea of the invention is to unload the heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type arriving at the sorting center loosely into a feed magazine of the sorting machine, and to use a robotized arm as a separator, the arm coming to pick up the heterogeneous postal articles one-by-one from the magazine via a pneumatic pickup. The robotized arm is assisted by a vision system that observes the pile of heterogeneous articles stored loosely in the magazine to detect the postal article to be separated from the pile of postal articles and to identify a non-covered face of that postal article so as to enable the pickup of the robotized arm to take hold of the postal article in question via said pickup face. More particularly, the invention provides a postal sorting machine comprising a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that is suitable for injecting the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine onto the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch, said postal sorting machine being characterized in that the separator has a robotized arm provided with a pneumatic pickup that is steerable in three-dimensional space, a vision sensor suitable for observing a pile of postal articles stored loosely in the magazine to produce image data including a certain postal article to be separated from the pile of loose postal articles, and a monitoring and control unit that, on the basis of the image data produced by the vision sensor, is suitable for identifying a non-covered pickup face of the certain postal article so that said postal article can be gripped by the pickup, the monitoring and control unit also being arranged to control the robotized arm in such a manner as to come and pick up the certain postal article via its pickup face and inject it onto the sorting conveyor, in that a flat conveying segment is organized to slope sideways, with a lower side edge and an upper side edge that is higher than the lower side edge, which is designed as a jogging edge, and the robotized arm is designed to put each postal article, separated from the pile of loose postal articles, individually onto the sideways-sloping flat conveying segment in such a manner that said article comes, by gravity, to be jogged against the lower edge of the conveyor. In this postal sorting machine, the sorting conveyor may have bins, each of which is adapted to transport at least one postal article of the small parcel or packet type and to circulate along a closed-loop path above sorting outlet receptacles, e.g. removable trays. The magazine in which the small parcels or packets are stored loosely may constitute the inlet of a specific automatic feed branch of the machine. Another automatic feed branch may be provided for receiving homogeneous flat mailpieces placed in a stack and on edge. Said specific branch may have an injection point at which the heterogeneous postal articles are injected into the bins of the carrousel and that is separate from the injection point at which the homogeneous flat mailpieces are injected. With this arrangement, the homogeneous flat mailpieces and the heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type can be sorted into the same sorting outlet receptacles of the machine while being put flat in said sorting outlet receptacles. The postal sorting machine of the invention may also have the following features: the monitoring and control unit may also be arranged to detect that the image data produced by the vision sensor is insufficient to identify a non-covered pickup face of the certain postal article, and to respond to such detection by causing the magazine to shake by moving it forwards and backwards to change the three-dimensional configuration of the top of the pile of loose postal articles; the feed magazine may have a platform for storing the pile of loose postal articles, which platform is mounted on an elevator, and said monitoring and control unit may be arranged to control the elevator in such a manner as to keep the pile of loose postal articles a certain setpoint distance away from the vision sensor; the machine may have a plurality of juxtaposed magazines, in each of which heterogeneous postal articles are stored loose in a pile, a plurality of robotized arms associated with respective ones of the magazines, and a plurality of parallel sideways-sloping flat conveying segments that are fed with postal articles by the respective robotized arms in such a manner that the postal articles are placed such that they are aligned in rows on the sideways-sloping first flat conveying segments so that they can be transferred in rows of postal articles to a second flat conveying segment on which the postal articles are placed in series and spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch; the postal articles aligned in rows may be transferred to the second flat conveying segment by a pneumatic pickup of the suction type; and the sorting conveyor may have a flat conveyor for transporting the postal articles in series, flat, and spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch, and a tipper-platform carrousel that is fed with postal articles by the flat conveyor and that feeds postal articles to a bin carrousel that serves the sorting outlets. An embodiment of the postal sorting machine of the invention is described below with reference to the drawings. | TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to the field of postal sorting. The invention relates more particularly to a postal sorting machine comprising a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that is suitable for injecting the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine onto the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch. PRIOR ART Postal sorting machines are known that have bin carrousels for machine sorting of mixed mail comprising flat mailpieces of small format, and flat mailpieces of large format. Such machine-sortable mailpieces may, for example, have lengths lying in the range 140 millimeters (mm) to 400 mm, widths lying in the range 90 mm to 300 mm, and thicknesses lying in range 0.5 mm to 32 mm, with their weights lying in the range 10 grams (g) to 2 kilograms (kg). Such machine-sortable flat mailpieces may have (open or closed) paper envelopes, or have wrappers made of plastics material, or indeed be in banded bundles. The range of mail also includes small parcels or packets having very heterogeneous dimensions, weights, and packaging with values that can lie outside the ranges indicated above. Currently, such heterogeneous postal articles are not separated automatically. Such small parcels are currently separated semi-manually, and separately from homogeneous flat mailpieces, which increases postal sorting costs. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the invention is to propose a postal sorting machine that is capable of automatically sorting heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type that are generally in the shape of rectangular blocks. Another object of the invention is to propose such a sorting machine that enables both homogeneous flat mailpieces and also heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type to be sorted at the same time into the sorting outlets. Another object of the invention is to propose such a postal sorting machine in which the footprints of the feed branches for feeding the homogeneous flat mailpieces and the heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type remain small. The basic idea of the invention is to unload the heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type arriving at the sorting center loosely into a feed magazine of the sorting machine, and to use a robotized arm as a separator, the arm coming to pick up the heterogeneous postal articles one-by-one from the magazine via a pneumatic pickup. The robotized arm is assisted by a vision system that observes the pile of heterogeneous articles stored loosely in the magazine to detect the postal article to be separated from the pile of postal articles and to identify a non-covered face of that postal article so as to enable the pickup of the robotized arm to take hold of the postal article in question via said pickup face. More particularly, the invention provides a postal sorting machine comprising a sorting conveyor suitable for transporting postal articles in series past sorting outlets and a postal article feed unit having a magazine for storing postal articles to be sorted and a separator that is suitable for injecting the postal articles to be sorted one-by-one from the magazine onto the sorting conveyor while placing them in series at constant pitch, said postal sorting machine being characterized in that the separator has a robotized arm provided with a pneumatic pickup that is steerable in three-dimensional space, a vision sensor suitable for observing a pile of postal articles stored loosely in the magazine to produce image data including a certain postal article to be separated from the pile of loose postal articles, and a monitoring and control unit that, on the basis of the image data produced by the vision sensor, is suitable for identifying a non-covered pickup face of the certain postal article so that said postal article can be gripped by the pickup, the monitoring and control unit also being arranged to control the robotized arm in such a manner as to come and pick up the certain postal article via its pickup face and inject it onto the sorting conveyor, in that a flat conveying segment is organized to slope sideways, with a lower side edge and an upper side edge that is higher than the lower side edge, which is designed as a jogging edge, and the robotized arm is designed to put each postal article, separated from the pile of loose postal articles, individually onto the sideways-sloping flat conveying segment in such a manner that said article comes, by gravity, to be jogged against the lower edge of the conveyor. In this postal sorting machine, the sorting conveyor may have bins, each of which is adapted to transport at least one postal article of the small parcel or packet type and to circulate along a closed-loop path above sorting outlet receptacles, e.g. removable trays. The magazine in which the small parcels or packets are stored loosely may constitute the inlet of a specific automatic feed branch of the machine. Another automatic feed branch may be provided for receiving homogeneous flat mailpieces placed in a stack and on edge. Said specific branch may have an injection point at which the heterogeneous postal articles are injected into the bins of the carrousel and that is separate from the injection point at which the homogeneous flat mailpieces are injected. With this arrangement, the homogeneous flat mailpieces and the heterogeneous postal articles of the small parcel or packet type can be sorted into the same sorting outlet receptacles of the machine while being put flat in said sorting outlet receptacles. The postal sorting machine of the invention may also have the following features: the monitoring and control unit may also be arranged to detect that the image data produced by the vision sensor is insufficient to identify a non-covered pickup face of the certain postal article, and to respond to such detection by causing the magazine to shake by moving it forwards and backwards to change the three-dimensional configuration of the top of the pile of loose postal articles; the feed magazine may have a platform for storing the pile of loose postal articles, which platform is mounted on an elevator, and said monitoring and control unit may be arranged to control the elevator in such a manner as to keep the pile of loose postal articles a certain setpoint distance away from the vision sensor; the machine may have a plurality of juxtaposed magazines, in each of which heterogeneous postal articles are stored loose in a pile, a plurality of robotized arms associated with respective ones of the magazines, and a plurality of parallel sideways-sloping flat conveying segments that are fed with postal articles by the respective robotized arms in such a manner that the postal articles are placed such that they are aligned in rows on the sideways-sloping first flat conveying segments so that they can be transferred in rows of postal articles to a second flat conveying segment on which the postal articles are placed in series and spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch; the postal articles aligned in rows may be transferred to the second flat conveying segment by a pneumatic pickup of the suction type; and the sorting conveyor may have a flat conveyor for transporting the postal articles in series, flat, and spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch, and a tipper-platform carrousel that is fed with postal articles by the flat conveyor and that feeds postal articles to a bin carrousel that serves the sorting outlets. An embodiment of the postal sorting machine of the invention is described below with reference to the drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings: FIG. 1 is a very diagrammatic perspective view of a postal machine 1 of the invention; FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective view of an upstream portion of an automatic feed branch for heterogeneous postal articles; FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a downstream portion of the feed branch of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a view in more detail, showing the feed branch for heterogeneous articles, the platform conveyor and the bin conveyor; and FIG. 5 is a flow chart that shows a certain mode of operation of the control of the robotized arm. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a postal sorting machine of the invention seen overall and including a bin sorting carrousel 2. The bin sorting carrousel 2 has bins (not shown in FIG. 1 but that can be seen in FIG. 4), each of which is adapted for conveying at least one postal article, which, in this example lying within the ambit of the invention, is a flat mailpiece or a small parcel or packet. The bins of the carrousel 2 circulate around a closed-loop path above sorting receptacles 3 that, in this example, are removable trays in which the sorted articles are placed in superposed manner flat. FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows two feed branches 4, 5 that, in parallel, feed the bin carrousel 2 with homogeneous flat mailpieces of small and/or large format as is known to the person skilled in the art. These flat mailpieces may, for example, be letters, magazines, or the like. In FIG. 1, reference 6 designates a specific feed branch of the bin carrousel 2, which branch is specifically for heterogeneous postal articles such as small parcels or packets. The sorting machine 1 makes it possible to mix a stream of small parcels with a stream of mail, thereby making it possible to optimize postal sorting costs. Each of the feed branches 4 and 5 conventionally includes: a magazine in which the mailpieces are placed in a stack and on edge; an unstacker downstream from the magazine, which unstacker unstacks the mailpieces and puts them into series with constant spacing; a conveyor having nipping belts for transporting the mailpieces in series and on edge at constant spacing past a camera; and then an injector that injects each mailpiece into a bin of the carrousel. As is known, the camera forms a digital image of the face of each mailpiece that bears a delivery address, and, on the basis of optical character recognition (OCR) of the delivery address in the image, a control unit of the machine determines the receptacle 3 into which the mailpiece should be put by the bin carrousel. FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of the feed branch 6 that is specifically for heterogeneous postal articles 7. This feed branch 6 is adapted for automatically feeding postal articles 7 to the bin carrousel 2. The exit rate at which the postal articles exit from said feed branch is controlled by the control unit 8 of the sorting machine. It has an inlet that, in this example, is formed by a sort of hopper 6A into which the postal articles 7 are poured in loose manner. The postal articles 7 placed loosely in the hopper 6A are brought into two magazines 6C, in this example by an upwardly sloping belt conveyor 6B that forms the floor of the hopper 6A. In each magazine 6C, the articles 7 are stored loosely, as shown in FIG. 2. The feed branch 6 also includes a separator for putting the articles 7 in series, which separator is in the form of a robotized arm, or, as in this example, of two robotized arms 6D, coming to pick up the articles 7 one-by-one from respective ones of the two magazines 6C. In this example, the feed branch 6 also includes two flat conveyors 6E that are served with articles 7 by respective ones of the robotized arms 6D. More particularly, each flat conveyor 6E of the belt type has, for example at an upstream end, a flat conveying segment that slopes sideways with a lower side edge 9 and an upper side edge 10 that is higher than the lower side edge 9, which is designed as a jogging edge. Each robotized arm 6D is, for example, an arm that has six degrees of freedom, that is associated with a vision sensor 6F, and that is provided with a suction pneumatic pickup that is steerable in three-dimensional space. Preferably, the pickup may be of variable geometry, i.e. it may have a central plate provided with a plurality of suction cups and have at least two hinged, fold-up flaps on respective ones of two opposite sides of said central plate, each of which flaps is also provided with a plurality of suction cups. The suction cups of the central plate and of each flap are designed to be controlled selectively so that the grip area of the pickup can correspond either to the area of the central plate, or to the area of the central plate plus the area of one flap, or else to the area of the central plate plus the area of both flaps. This grip area of the variable-geometry pickup makes it possible to improve gripping of parcels or packets having heterogeneous dimensions. The pickup area on each of the parcels or packets is generally rectangular, and by having a grip area on the pickup that is of variable geometry, it is possible to adapt the grip area of the pickup to match the pickup area of the parcel or packet without going beyond that area so as not to touch or damage other articles in the pile of articles during picking up by the robotized arm. The feed branch 6 also has a second flat conveyor 6L on which the articles 7 are moved in series and flat, while being spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch. In this example, the flat conveyor 6L is perpendicular to the flat conveyors 6E. As can be seen in FIG. 2, the parcels or packets 7 that are put by a robotized arm 6D on a track of the corresponding flat conveyor 6E are spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch. In practice, one or more images of the top of the pile of articles 7 stored loosely in a magazine 6C are taken by the vision sensor 6F and image data A is transmitted to the unit 8, which detects the article 7 to be separated from the pile of articles and identifies a pickup face on said article. The unit 8 determines the area of said pickup face and controls one of the robotized arms 6D as indicated at B and at C to adapt the geometry of the pickup to match said pickup area, and to use the pickup to take hold of said article 7 via the previously identified pickup face. The unit 8 synchronizes the movement of the robotized arm with the movement of the flat conveyor 6E so that the robotized arm places the articles 7 successively picked up from the magazine with a constant pitch between their leading edges. In this example, the two robotized arms 6D operate with the unit 8 and with the vision sensor 6F to put the articles 7 on the two parallel tracks of the conveyor 6E while aligning the leading edges of the articles perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 6E. In accordance with the invention, each article 7 is put on the sideways-sloping portion of the conveyor 6E in such a manner as to be presented with its long length extending in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 6E and slightly above the lower edge of the conveyor constituting the jogging edge in such a manner that, once it is released by the pickup, the article comes, by gravity, to jog against the lower edge of the conveyor, thereby making it possible to recover any dispersion in the accuracy of the robotized arm. Said lower edge may be stationary or motor-driven. A suction-cup pneumatic system that is mounted to move forwards and backwards in the horizontal plane, as indicated by arrow 11 is disposed at the end of the conveyor 6E for taking hold of the articles 7 aligned in rows, the articles being taken hold of in pairs in this example, and for placing them on the flat conveyor 6L while continuing to space them apart at a constant pitch. It is understood that, if higher throughput rates are desired, a sorting machine of the invention may have more than two parallel tracks or flat conveyors 6E and thus as many robotized arms 6C for feeding the flat conveyor 6L with parcels or packets spaced apart in pairs at a constant pitch. With reference to FIG. 5, in an aspect of the sorting machine of the invention, the unit 8 may be arranged to detect at 51 (FIG. 5) that the image data A produced at 50 (FIG. 5) by the vision sensor 6F is insufficient to identify a completely non-covered pickup surface on the parcel or packet 7 at the top of the pile of articles in a magazine 6C, and to respond, at 52 (FIG. 5), to such detection by causing the magazine to shake by moving it forwards and backwards rapidly, as indicated by arrow 12 in FIG. 2 to change the three-dimensional configuration of the top of the pile of loose articles in the magazine. One or more new images of the top of the pile of articles placed loosely in the magazine is/are formed by the vision sensor and new image data A is transmitted to the unit 8, thereby possibly releasing the subsequent process of picking up a parcel or packet from the magazine. If the unit 8 sufficiently detects a pickup face on the article to be separated from the top of the pile, it continues at 53 (FIG. 5) its process of controlling the robotized arm. In another aspect of the sorting machine of the invention, each magazine 6C has a platform for storing the pile of loose articles 7, which platform is mounted on an elevator such as a hydraulic piston suitable for raising or lowering the platform as indicated by arrow 13. The unit 8 is arranged to control the elevator in such a manner as to keep the top of the loose pile at a certain setpoint distance from the vision sensor as the parcels are picked up by the robotized arm. Said setpoint distance corresponds to the distance between the focus plane and the camera of the vision sensor 6F. The depth of field is chosen to be small so that, in the image data A transmitted to the unit 8, the article 7 at the top of the pile of loose articles appears less blurred than the other articles in the pile of loose articles, thereby enabling the unit 8 to identify more precisely a non-covered pickup face on the article at the top of the pile of articles. FIG. 3 shows the downstream portion of the feed branch 6 with the flat conveyor 6L that transports the postal articles 7 in series, flat, and at constant pitch towards a tipper-platform carrousel 6M that serves to inject the postal articles 7 into the bins of the bin carrousel 2. As can be seen in FIG. 3, an image-taking system 6N is disposed in the path of the conveyor 6L so as to form two digital images of respective ones of the two opposite sides of each postal article 7. On the basis of the two digital images, the control unit can assess a delivery address for the postal article in question so as to direct said postal article into a corresponding sorting outlet tray. The tipper-platform carrousel 6M has tipper platforms 6P, each of which is mounted to tilt about a side pivot axis and which circulate over a closed-loop path above the bins of the bin conveyor 2. Each of the tipper platforms of the carrousel 6M is loaded with a postal article 7. The postal articles 7 arrive one-by-one on the platforms of the conveyor 6M via a downwardly sloping free end of the flat conveyor 6L, which is vertically above the carrousel 6M. As shown in FIG. 4, the tilt axis 6Q of each of the platforms of the platform-carrousel extends transversely to the direction of circulation of the platforms, and each of the bins of the bin carrousel has a long dimension (corresponding to the long dimension of the mailpieces) that extends transversely to the direction 21 of circulation of the bins 20 so that each postal article 7 is transferred by sliding from a platform to a bin, in which it is stored substantially on edge on its long side. It should be noted that the platforms of the carrousel 6M move synchronously with the bins 20 of the carrousel 2. The postal articles 7 are thus injected merely by gravity into the bins 20 of the carrousel 2. The injection point at which the articles 7 are injected into the carrousel 2 is upstream, relative to the direction 21, from the injection point at which the mailpieces coming from the feed branch 5 are injected. By way of example, the relative throughput rate of the specific branch 6 may be one postal article 7 for every six consecutive bins of the carrousel 2. At the end of the tilting movement, each platform is brought back up automatically into the horizontal position by a ramp system. Naturally, the present invention is in no way limited to the above description of one of its embodiments, which can undergo modifications without going beyond the ambit of the invention. |
||
15107403 | US20170089131A1-20170330 | Slat Holder | ACCEPTED | 20170316 | 20170330 | E06B938 | [
"E06B938",
"E06B9264",
"E06B20092643"
] | E06B938 | [
"E06B938",
"E06B9264"
] | 9909362 | 20170123 | 20180306 | 49 | 403000 | 88822.0 | REDMAN | JERRY | [
{
"inventor_name_last": "Schneider",
"inventor_name_first": "Frank",
"inventor_city": "Marktheidenfeld",
"inventor_state": "",
"inventor_country": "DE"
}
] | The invention relates to a holder for one or more elongate elements (70, 72), particularly slats for shading systems and daylight control systems, comprising an elastic or resilient compensating unit having two profiles (50, 150) which are located opposite one another and engage in one another and are arranged such as to be movable relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the elongate elements (70, 72), said two profiles forming a common interior (90). Accommodated in the interior (90) is a spring element (92) which is compressed when the elongate element (70, 72) expands under the effect of temperature and which relaxes when the elongate element (70, 72) contracts in the longitudinal direction of the elongate element (70, 72). The spring element is held in the interior (90) with a clamping fit or friction fit, a compensating movement in the longitudinal direction being possible. The profiles of the compensating unit each comprise, on the side facing away from the interior (90), a further profile (30, 130) which is formed in one piece therewith and is designed to hold the elongate elements (70, 72) or as a spacer from a window frame or carrier element (8). The components, consisting in each case of one profile (50, 150) of the compensating unit and a further profile (30, 130), are identical. | 1. A holder for one or more elongate elements, in particular slats for shading systems and daylight control systems, comprising: a resilient compensating unit having two movably arranged profiles which are located opposite one another, engage in one another, and are arranged so as to be movable relative to one another in a longitudinal direction of the one or more elongate elements, said two movably arranged profiles forming a common interior in which a spring element is accommodated, wherein the spring element is compressed when the one or more elongate elements expand as a result of a temperature change and relaxes when the one or more elongate elements contract in the longitudinal direction of the one or more elongate elements, wherein: the spring element is held in the common interior with a clamping fit or friction fit such that a compensating movement in the longitudinal direction of the one or more elongate elements is possible; the common interior of the resilient compensating unit is delimited by web parts that extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the one or more elongate elements and by inner central limbs of the movably arranged profiles of the resilient compensating unit, wherein the inner central limbs extend in the longitudinal direction of the one or more elongate elements and the web parts are provided as a stop for the inner central limbs; the resilient compensating unit comprises, on a side opposite the common interior and facing a first elongate element, a further profile for accommodating the first elongate element and, on a side of the resilient compensating unit opposite the further profile, a still further profile as a spacer from a window frame or carrier element or for accommodating one or more further elongate elements; the further profiles are each respectively formed in one piece with a correspondingly movably arranged profile of the resilient compensating unit, wherein each of the further profiles and the corresponding movably arranged profile share a common web part; outer sides of two outer central limbs of the movably arranged profiles of the resilient compensating unit are each respectively substantially aligned with a corresponding outer side of a respective peripheral limb located on the same side as a corresponding one of the further profiles relative to a corresponding respective web part, wherein the inner central limbs of the movably arranged profiles of the resilient compensating unit are not aligned with the peripheral limbs but are arranged offset with respect to a longitudinal axis thereof, located in an opposing movably arranged profile interior, and are surrounded by a corresponding outer central limb an opposing movably arranged profile; and each set of a respective movably arranged profile of the resilient compensating unit and a corresponding respective one of the further profiles sharing a common transverse web part therewith is identical to an opposing set of a respective movably arranged profile and a corresponding respective one of the further profiles sharing a common transverse web part therewith. 2. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring element is a leaf spring. 3. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spring element is a flexible main body having spring properties. 4. A holder as claimed in claim 3, wherein the spring element is an elastomer. 5. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the further profiles is a U-profile. 6. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least ones of the movably arranged profiles is a U-profile. 7. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein corresponding, attached ones of the outer central limbs and the peripheral limbs have aligned outer sides each include a bracket or outer flange on one end. 8. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movably arranged profiles and further profiles are provided on the outer sides with a surface design including fluting. 9. A holder as claimed in claim 7, wherein the brackets or outer flanges of the outer central limbs and the peripheral limbs, comprising the aligned outer sides, of one of the movably arranged profiles of the resilient compensating unit and of the further profile are substantially aligned with the outer side of the still further profile on the same side of the holder. 10. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein a sliding surface is recessed within of the resilient compensating unit. 11. A holder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more elongate elements are adhered into one or more of the further profiles. | The invention relates to a holder for slats, in particular slats for shading systems and daylight control systems. The slats of such systems are arranged in many of these systems between two window panes or in front of or behind the window pane. The slats can be attached to the window frame, to a carrier element or to the insulating glass spacer in various ways. They can extend at an angle or e.g. be located in a C-profile attached to the window frame or carrier element, can be suspended on a profile (DE 34 32 113 A1) or can be connected to a carrier element e.g. by adhesion or welding (DE 40 01 471 A1). It is also typical to mount the slats, arranged in the pane intermediate space, so as to be movable, in that they are held in elongate holes so that the slats can expand or contract as the temperature changes. A disadvantage of this type of holder is that the slats, owing to the clearance in the holder allowing the movement of the slats, tend to assume an undefined position in said holder. As a result, the slats can rattle. EP 0 558 154 A2 relates to window blinds actuated by a pull cord. FIG. 45(B) illustrates a sealing element 170 which is arranged in a frame structure 5 and has engagement pieces 172 and is pressurized by a spring 173 on the outer side. On the inner side, the sealing element 170 engages with a side edge of the pleat fabric 1 by means of a sliding element 174. A gap between the side edge of the pleat fabric 1 and the inner side of the opening/closing zone is closed by means of the described arrangement of the sealing element 170. The object of the invention is to provide a holder for slats of shading systems and daylight control systems, which holder is adapted to the changes in length of the slats under the effect of temperature and ensures a defined position for the slats. This object is achieved by a holder having the features of claim 1. Advantageous developments of the holder in accordance with the invention are described in the dependent claims. A holder in accordance with the invention for one or more elongate elements, in particular slats for shading systems and daylight control systems, thus includes an elastic or resilient compensating unit having two profiles which are located opposite one another and engage in one another and are arranged so as to be movable relative to one another in the longitudinal direction of the elongate elements, said two profiles forming a common interior in which a spring element is accommodated. The spring element is compressed when the elongate element expands under the effect of temperature and relaxes when the elongate element contracts in the longitudinal direction of the elongate element. The spring element is held in the interior with a clamping fit or friction fit. At the same time, the spring element has a degree of freedom of movement because, owing to the movability of the profiles, a compensating movement of the spring element in the longitudinal direction is made possible. The common interior of the compensating unit is delimited by web parts which extend transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the elongate elements and in each case by a limb, extending in the longitudinal direction, of the movably arranged profiles of the compensating unit. The web parts are provided as a stop for the limbs. The compensating unit comprises, on the side opposite the interior and facing the elongate elements, a further profile for accommodating the elongate elements and, on the side opposite the first profile, a still further profile as a spacer from a window frame or carrier element or for accommodating one or more further elongate elements. The further profiles are each formed in one piece with the corresponding movably arranged profiles of the compensating unit, wherein they each comprise a common web part therewith. In each case, the outer side of a limb of the profiles of the compensating unit is substantially aligned with the outer side of a limb, which is located on the same web side as seen in the transverse direction with respect to the elongate elements, of the relevant further profile. Each other limb of the profiles of the compensating unit is not aligned with the limb located on the same web side but is arranged offset with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof in the profile interior and is surrounded on the outside in each case by the other limb of the relevant further profile. The components, each consisting of one profile of the compensating unit and one further profile having a common transverse web, are identical. By providing the elastic or resilient compensating unit in the holder, an elastic, floating bearing for the elongate element(s) is provided. The holder is suitable for slats or slat hangings in the pane intermediate space of insulating glasses which are used for shading or daylight control. It is then supported, as seen in the horizontal direction, on the pane spacer which holds the two insulating glass panes in position. As seen in the vertical direction, it is typically located with the lower end on the pane spacer. The slats are always fixed in position. If the holder is inserted as a connection piece between two slat hangings, a secure arrangement can also be achieved by two and more slat hangings in the required length. Owing to the effect of the compensating element, an automatic, uniform length compensation occurs. In addition to the spring and compensation property with respect to changes in the slat length, the spring element has a connecting function owing to its friction fit or press fit, as will be explained further hereinafter. Owing to its clamping fit or friction fit and the provided biasing, the spring element fixes the limbs, which are laterally adjacent thereto, of the two movable profiles of the compensating unit (compensating profiles) which laterally delimit the interior. In this manner, the compensating profiles forming the interior are prevented from moving away from each other. In an advantageous manner, the further profiles are at least partially integrated with the compensating unit. Owing to the common web part, one profile of the compensating unit and one further profile thus form a single-piece component in each case. In the case of U-profiles, the integrated profiles are then H-profiles. The spring element is then located between these two components. The design having offset profile limbs, which terminate in a flush manner, of the compensating unit results in the holder having a flat external shape. If a flexible main body is located as a spring element for example in the interior of the compensating element, then this exerts a pressure in the longitudinal direction of the elongate element, such as e.g. the slat(s), against the web of the first profile, said pressure acting on the elongate element. At the same time, it also exerts a pressure in the transverse direction, i.e. in the direction of the outer and inner pane. As a result, the inner limbs, in contact with the spring element, of the two profiles of the compensating unit are connected together by the spring element. In this manner, relative movement of the two holding parts out of the pane plane is reliably prevented. Since the components or holder parts, each consisting of one profile of the compensating unit and a further profile, are identical, it is only necessary to produce and store one component. The components are paired to form the holder in that one of said components is pivoted about an axis in parallel with the profile limbs and about an axis transverse thereto. The holder preferably consists of metal, e.g. aluminum, stainless steel. It is possible to use other materials such as e.g. synthetic material or fiber composite materials which have the required properties in relation to strength, expansion properties. In order to prevent the holder from scraping against the adjacent window pane, it is preferable to provide spacers between the movable part of the holder and the window pane. Owing to the movement of the compensating unit under the effect of temperature, this spacer is located in the slide bearing arrangement on the window pane and lies securely against the outer side of the moving part of the holder. In an expedient manner, the spacers are produced from synthetic material, e.g. block profiles or pins. Owing to the slide bearing arrangement, the movable part of the holder can move back and forth together with the slat end(s) in the longitudinal direction of the slat under the effect of the compensating unit. The spring element of the compensating unit can be a spring, e.g. a leaf spring. This can be biased. In an advantageous manner, a flexible main body having the required elastic properties (spring property) can be used and is inserted into the interior of the compensating unit. An elastomer is used, for example, as the material. However, other synthetic materials or materials having elastic properties can also be used. The holder in accordance with the invention is suitable for holding just one elongate element but also a number of elongate elements. It is suitable for use in shading slats, in particular inner slats. However, the invention is not limited to holding slats. In one exemplified embodiment of the invention, at least one of the further or still further profiles is a U-profile. Also, at least one of the movably arranged profiles can be a U-profile. Other profile shapes are possible. These result from the respective application, mounting conditions, screening arrangement and aesthetic aspects, etc. The holder in accordance with the invention can be designed such that the profiles are provided on the outer sides with a surface design, in particular fluting, or a similar structuring for visual or aesthetic reasons. In another example of the invention, the aligned outer sides of the limbs are each provided at the ends with a bracket or outer flange. Then, the above-mentioned spacer, e.g. a block profile, is located between the two brackets or flanges and is securely positioned in this manner. In one embodiment of the invention, the brackets or outer flanges of the limbs, comprising the aligned outer sides, of one profile of the compensating unit and of the further profile are substantially aligned with the outer side of the still further profile on the same holder side. In this manner, the outer surface of the mounted holder is continuous and thus has an appealing visual appearance. In one embodiment of the holder in accordance with the invention, the sliding surface is recessed in the visible region of the compensating unit. This can be provided, for example, by forming a recess in the respective mating profile so that the two profiles do not slide one against the other in the region of the recess and at that location there is no material stress with resulting traces of abrasion. The elongate element is preferably attached to the holder, e.g. is adhered into the accommodating profile. In this manner, it is ensured that the movement caused by the temperature or expansion-contraction occurs in the longitudinal direction in the compensating unit. The invention will be further described hereinafter with the aid of exemplified embodiments and the drawing. This depiction is merely for illustrative purposes and is not intended to limit the invention to the feature combinations specifically stated. In the drawing: FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a holding part in accordance with the invention, FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the end section of a double-pane insulating glass in which a slat holder in accordance with the invention is shown in the mounted state, and FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a holder in accordance with the invention which is used as a connection element for, and the attachment of, two slat hangings. The holder in accordance with the invention will be explained hereinafter firstly with the aid of FIG. 1 and one exemplified embodiment which is provided for holding slats for shading systems and daylight control systems. The design is one with two identical components which are placed one inside the other after corresponding pivoting and are each referred to hereinafter as a holding part. The orientation of the illustrated holding part 2 is such that in FIG. 1 the slat is located on the left of the holding part 2 and the second holding part is located on the right of holding part 2. The holding part 2 includes a first web part 20 which is common for two profiles 30, 50 pointing in opposite directions. The profiles 30, 50 can have a different width and wall thickness, like in the illustrated exemplified embodiment. In the illustrated exemplified embodiment, the two profiles 30, 50 are U-profiles. They are integrated and thus together form an H-profile. The first profile 30 (accommodating profile) which faces the slats, is provided for accommodating the slats and has a smaller wall thickness is wider and accordingly the first web part 20 continues with a second web part 22 of thinner wall thickness. The two web parts 20, 22 together form the web of the first profile 30. The limbs 32, 34 of the profile 30 have different thicknesses. The limbs of the profile 30 can also have different thickness ratios or can have the same thickness. The thickness thereof is smaller than the thickness of the first web part 20. The thicker limb 32 extends from the outer end of the second web part 22 and the thinner limb 34 extends from the outer end of the web part 20, in each case in the slat direction. The limbs 32 and 34 are provided on the outside with a fluting 36. The limb 34 comprises, on the free end, an outer flange 40 provided as a stop. The second profile 50 which points in the opposite direction to the first profile 30 and forms a part of a compensating unit which is explained in more detail hereinafter has limbs 52 and 54, the thickness of which corresponds approximately to the thickness of the first web part 20 which represents the web of the second profile 50. The thickness of the limbs can also be different. The outer side of the limb 54 which points in the opposite direction to the thinner limb 34 is aligned with the outer side of the limb 34 and is likewise provided with the fluting 36. At the free end, the limb 54 is provided with an outer flange 42 used as a stop. On the inner side, the limb 54 is provided in the outer region with a recess 56 whilst the remaining region 58 is a sliding surface. The other limb 52 of the second profile 50 extends at the other end of the first web part 20 away therefrom. It is thus offset inwardly in relation to the thicker limb 36 of the first profile. The outer surface 62 of the limb 22 is likewise a sliding surface. The two limbs 52, 54 of the second profile 50 surround a space 60. On the outside, the second web part 22 protrudes from the second profile or the limb 52 thereof and forms a stop surface 24. FIG. 2 illustrates the mounted state and mode of operation of a holder, consisting of two holder parts 2, 102, in the pane intermediate space of a multi-pane insulating glass and FIG. 3 illustrates the arrangement in the case of a connection element for two slat hangings. FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the holder in different situations: in FIG. 2 with a completely compressed compensating unit and in FIG. 3 with a more relieved compensating unit. The reference numerals are the same in the two FIGS.. The holder parts 2, 102 are identical to the holder part 2 in FIG. 1 and therefore are not described in detail again. FIG. 2 illustrates two glass panes 4, 6. A spacer 8 holds the glass panes 4, 6 at a distance apart from each other. A seal 10 e.g. consisting of polysulfide or polyurethane is used to seal the interior. The spacer 8 is connected to the glass panes 4, 6 by means of an adhesive layer 12 consisting of e.g. butyl rubber and also having a sealing function. The holder part 102 is supported with respect to the spacer 8, wherein the holder part 102 is arranged rotated about two axes (longitudinal axis and transverse axis—with respect to the slat) compared with the illustration of the holder part 2 in FIG. 1, i.e. the wider profile 130 having the thinner walls points towards the spacer and the profile 150 having the thicker walls points into the window interior, thus in the direction of the slat and the profile limbs have swapped position with respect to the panes (inner/outer). The other holder part 2 provided for accommodating slats is shown in the same arrangement as in FIG. 1. As shown, one end of a slat 70 is accommodated by the profile 30. In order to fix the slat 70 in the profile 30, an adhesive layer 44 has been applied. Instead of adhesive, other fastening means can also be chosen, e.g. welding. As shown, the two holder parts 2, 102 are slid one inside the other. The limbs 52, 152 each terminate at the web of the opposite profile 150, 50 and surround, together with these bases, an interior 90 which is slightly smaller than the space 60 illustrated in FIG. 1 owing to the reduced width. The two other limbs 54, 154 each adjoin, on the outside, the limbs 52, 152 of each opposite profile 150, 50 in sliding engagement. In the position illustrated in FIG. 2, they abut against the stop surfaces 124, 24 with their end sides. Pins 80, 82 consisting of synthetic material are arranged between the outer sides of the limbs 54, 154 and the panes 4, 6 as spacers, wherein this is a slide bearing arrangement with respect to the panes. Instead of pins, e.g. block profiles can also be used. A spring element 92 is located in the interior 90. In the illustrated exemplified embodiment, this is a flexible main body consisting of synthetic material which is elastic and has spring properties. The main body 92 has larger dimensions than the interior 90 and is press-fitted therein. Owing to the resulting biasing, the main body prevents the two profiles 50, 150 of the compensating unit from being moved apart from each other. Longitudinal movement is possible because in this case a degree of freedom of movement is provided for the main body 92. FIG. 3 shows the holder, consisting of the two holder parts 2, 102, in its function as a connection element for two slat hangings. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the holder parts 2, 102 are not located in the completely slid-together position but are somewhat slid apart from each other, see reference numeral 94. The two profiles 30, 130 are used in this embodiment to accommodate slats 70, 72. If further slat hangings are to be combined, further connection elements have to be provided accordingly. The views in FIGS. 2 and 3 show the function of the recess 56 and 156 of the limb 54 and 154 respectively. The material recess ensures that when the outer surface of the limb 154 slides along the inner surface of the limb 54, the region 64 of the outer surface of the limb 54 which is visible from the outside remains free of material contact. Accordingly, the visible part 164 of the outer surface of the limb 152 is likewise not a sliding surface owing to the recess 156. In this manner, no visible traces of abrasion are produced on the profile outer surface in these regions. The function of the holder compensating for the effect of temperature fluctuations, i.e. of the compensating unit thereof having the profiles 50, 150 and the spring element 92, will be explained in more detail hereainafter. The dimensions of the interior 90 and the properties and dimensions of the spring element 92 (elasticity, expansion coefficient, etc.) are adapted to the material properties of the slats 70, 72 and also of the glass panes 4, 6. If the slats and the glass panes expand when the temperature increases, the spring element 92 is compressed until it reaches the stop of the U-limbs 52, 54 and 152, 154. This situation is shown in FIG. 2. However, the end position for the maximum slat expansion does not necessarily have to be the illustrated stop position but can also be located in front of this position in the direction of movement. The dimensions of the U-profiles 50, 150 must, for example, also be such that one of the limb pairs is located in abutment at this end position of maximum slat expansion and the other is not. In contrast, if the outside temperature cools, the slats contract somewhat and the spring element expands owing to its biasing and presses the profiles 50, 150 apart from each other. The slats can thus always be pressurized to the necessary extent in order to be fixed in position. Such a situation is shown in FIG. 2. The movement stroke compared with the situation in FIG. 3 is shown by the reference numeral 94. When the profile 50 moves, the spacer 80 has moved with it which is permitted by the slide bearing arrangement in relation to the window pane 6. |
||||
15115211 | US20170187296A1-20170629 | BIDIRECTIONAL DC/DC CONVERTER AND COTNROL METHOD THEREOF | ACCEPTED | 20170614 | 20170629 | H02M333546 | [
"H02M333546",
"H02M114",
"H02J70068"
] | H02M3335 | [
"H02M3335",
"H02J700",
"H02M114"
] | 10027232 | 20170201 | 20180717 | 363 | 021040 | 57639.0 | ZHANG | JUE | [{"inventor_name_last":"ZHENG","inventor_name_first":"LEO","inventor_city":"SHENZHEN","inventor_stat(...TRUNCATED) | "The present invention provides a bi-directional DC/DC converter and a control method thereof. The b(...TRUNCATED) | "1. A bi-directional DC/DC converter, comprising: an inverter circuit; a chargeable and dischargeabl(...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>A bi-directional DC/DC converter is a DC converter which can(...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>According to the above-mentioned prior art, the present inventi(...TRUNCATED) | "FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to power electronics, and particularly, to a b(...TRUNCATED) |
||
15117140 | US20170261294A1-20170914 | "FRAGMENTING PROJECTILE HAVING PROJECTILE CORES MADE OF PB OR PB-FREE MATERIALS HAVING FRAGMENTATION(...TRUNCATED) | ACCEPTED | 20170830 | 20170914 | F42B12367 | [
"F42B12367",
"F42B5025"
] | F42B1236 | [
"F42B1236",
"F42B502"
] | 9989339 | 20170515 | 20180605 | 102 | 514000 | 83122.0 | BERGIN | JAMES | [{"inventor_name_last":"RIESS","inventor_name_first":"Heinz","inventor_city":"Fürth","inventor_stat(...TRUNCATED) | "The invention relates to fragmenting projectiles. In order that all projectiles of a*waffe*Bug proj(...TRUNCATED) | "1. A fragmenting projectile having a graduated, defined fragmentation with the same point of impact(...TRUNCATED) | "The invention relates to fragmenting projectiles having a graduated, defined fragmentation with the(...TRUNCATED) |
||||
15119996 | US20170065735A1-20170309 | POWER SUPPLY | ACCEPTED | 20170223 | 20170309 | A61L2087 | [
"A61L2087",
"A61L220223"
] | A61L208 | [
"A61L208"
] | 9795698 | 20170130 | 20171024 | 250 | 492300 | 94656.0 | IPPOLITO | NICOLE | [{"inventor_name_last":"MELLBIN","inventor_name_first":"Håkan","inventor_city":"Hörby","inventor_s(...TRUNCATED) | "Power supply, in particular for a sterilization device, comprising a housing, wherein the housing c(...TRUNCATED) | "1. Power supply for a sterilization unit, comprising: a housing, the housing comprising at least a (...TRUNCATED) | "This invention relates to a power supply, in particular for a sterilization unit, to a power supply(...TRUNCATED) |
||||
15128231 | US20170190005A1-20170706 | Flux and Solder Paste | ACCEPTED | 20170621 | 20170706 | B23K35362 | [
"B23K35362",
"B23K35025",
"B23K353613",
"B23K35262",
"B23K35264",
"C22C1300"
] | B23K35362 | [
"B23K35362",
"C22C1300",
"B23K3526",
"B23K3502",
"B23K3536"
] | 9902022 | 20170302 | 20180227 | 148 | 023000 | 59463.0 | ZHU | WEIPING | [{"inventor_name_last":"Uehata","inventor_name_first":"Masashi","inventor_city":"Osaka","inventor_st(...TRUNCATED) | "Provided is a flux which can remove metal oxides to improve solder wettability and can fix the obje(...TRUNCATED) | "1. A flux comprising: thermosetting resin; and long-chain dibasic acid mixture including one or mor(...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> BACKGROUND <EOH>The flux used for soldering generally has efficacy to chemically remove any m(...TRUNCATED) | <SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH> | "TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a flux which can bond objects to be joined securel(...TRUNCATED) |
||
15129069 | US20170195544A1-20170706 | MOTION SENSOR DEVICE AND USE THEREOF | ACCEPTED | 20170621 | 20170706 | H04N523212 | [
"H04N523212",
"H04N5144",
"H04N523296",
"G06T720",
"G06K900335",
"G06K900624",
"H04N20052255"
] | H04N5232 | [
"H04N5232",
"G06T720",
"G06K900",
"H04N514"
] | 9769374 | 20170223 | 20170919 | 348 | 208100 | 68659.0 | COLEMAN | STEPHEN | [{"inventor_name_last":"Moeller","inventor_name_first":"Thomas","inventor_city":"Herford","inventor_(...TRUNCATED) | "A motion sensor device for detecting a detection object in a detection region, with detector means (...TRUNCATED) | "1. A motion sensor device for detecting a detection object in a detection region, with detector mea(...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The present invention relates to a motion sensor device. The(...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The present invention therefore is based on the objective of re(...TRUNCATED) | "BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a motion sensor device. The present in(...TRUNCATED) |
||
15300355 | US20170204343A1-20170720 | POWDER MIXTURE OF ABSORBENT FIBRES | ACCEPTED | 20170705 | 20170720 | C10L102 | ["C10L102","C07C2976","C07C6756","B01J2022","B01J2028023","E02B1500","B09C1002","C10L22000469","C10L(...TRUNCATED) | C10L102 | [
"C10L102",
"C07C6756",
"B09C100",
"B01J2028",
"E02B1500",
"C07C2976",
"B01J2022"
] | 9926504 | 20170406 | 20180327 | 252 | 184000 | 61119.0 | GODENSCHWAGER | PETER | [{"inventor_name_last":"ALMANZA VEGA","inventor_name_first":"Maria Carmen","inventor_city":"Puebla",(...TRUNCATED) | "This invention relates to a powder mixture of absorbent fibers with oleophilic and hydrophobic prop(...TRUNCATED) | "1. A powder mixture of absorbent fibers to absorb oil, solvent or other liquid comprising: typha la(...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> BACKGROUND <EOH>Oil spills, solvents and hazardous materials are an ongoing problem that has (...TRUNCATED) | "<SOH> BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The present invention provides a powder mixture of ab(...TRUNCATED) | "TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention pertains to the technical field of biotechnology. In particul(...TRUNCATED) |
End of preview. Expand
in Dataset Viewer.
Dataset Card for HUPD-DCG (Description-based Claim Generation)
This dataset is used for generating patent claims based on the patent description.
Dataset Information
- Repository: https://github.com/scylj1/LLM4DPCG
- Paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.19465
Dataset Structure
There are two zip files for training and test data. Training and test folders consist of 8,244 and 1,311 patent files respectively. Each file is in JSON format that includes detailed information of a patent application. We use the claims and full description parts.
Dataset Creation
Source Data
The Harvard USPTO Patent Dataset (HUPD) is a recently collected large-scale multi-purpose patent dataset, including more than 4.5 million patent documents with 34 data fields (patent description, abstract, and claims are included). HUPD-DCG is collected by filtering a portion of target documents based on this large dataset.
Data Collection and Processing
Firstly, we selected all the patent documents filed in 2017. We eliminated any pending or rejected documents and only kept granted documents to formulate a high-quality dataset for claim generation. Considering the context length of some LLMs, such as Llama-3, we opted for documents with a description length smaller than 8,000 tokens in our experiments. In practical settings, models are developed by training on existing patent documents and subsequently employed for new applications. To simulate realistic scenarios, we ordered the documents by date and used the last 1,311 documents for testing, which is about 14% of the whole dataset.
Citation
@article{jiang2024can,
title={Can Large Language Models Generate High-quality Patent Claims?},
author={Jiang, Lekang and Zhang, Caiqi and Scherz, Pascal A and Goetz, Stephan},
journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2406.19465},
year={2024}
}
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