CN113294411A - Exhaust device and method based on voice coil element - Google Patents
Exhaust device and method based on voice coil element Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- CN113294411A CN113294411A CN202110475729.4A CN202110475729A CN113294411A CN 113294411 A CN113294411 A CN 113294411A CN 202110475729 A CN202110475729 A CN 202110475729A CN 113294411 A CN113294411 A CN 113294411A
- Authority
- CN
- China
- Prior art keywords
- voice coil
- coil element
- gas
- liquid
- voltage
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 18
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 38
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 28
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 230000005284 excitation Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 21
- 238000009423 ventilation Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 230000003750 conditioning effect Effects 0.000 claims description 5
- XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N iron Substances [Fe] XEEYBQQBJWHFJM-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims description 5
- 229910052742 iron Inorganic materials 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000007613 environmental effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000011896 sensitive detection Methods 0.000 abstract description 2
- 239000010720 hydraulic oil Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000035945 sensitivity Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000005299 abrasion Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013016 damping Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000009792 diffusion process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005611 electricity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000005516 engineering process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005622 photoelectricity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013022 venting Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F15—FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL
- F15B—SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F15B21/00—Common features of fluid actuator systems; Fluid-pressure actuator systems or details thereof, not covered by any other group of this subclass
- F15B21/04—Special measures taken in connection with the properties of the fluid
- F15B21/044—Removal or measurement of undissolved gas, e.g. de-aeration, venting or bleeding
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F15—FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS; HYDRAULICS OR PNEUMATICS IN GENERAL
- F15B—SYSTEMS ACTING BY MEANS OF FLUIDS IN GENERAL; FLUID-PRESSURE ACTUATORS, e.g. SERVOMOTORS; DETAILS OF FLUID-PRESSURE SYSTEMS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F15B19/00—Testing; Calibrating; Fault detection or monitoring; Simulation or modelling of fluid-pressure systems or apparatus not otherwise provided for
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
- Magnetically Actuated Valves (AREA)
Abstract
The invention belongs to the technical field of hydraulic pressure, and discloses an exhaust device and method based on a voice coil element, which comprises an alternating current excitation source, the voice coil element, a sampling element, a demodulation circuit, a driving circuit and an exhaust valve; the voice coil element and the sampling element are connected in series between two power supply pins of the alternating current excitation source, and voltage signals at two ends of the sampling element are input into the demodulation circuit; the voice coil element is a sensitive element for detecting electromagnetic gas and liquid media; the demodulation circuit is connected with the driving circuit, and the driving circuit is connected with and controls the exhaust valve; the voice coil element is arranged in a closed container filled with a medium to be detected, and the exhaust valve is a ventilation valve of the closed container. The voice coil element is used as a sensitive element for gas-liquid detection, so that the method has the advantage of strong environmental adaptability; according to the physical characteristics of the detected object such as density, viscosity and the like, the method has the advantages of wide applicable object, sensitive detection and high reliability.
Description
Technical Field
The invention belongs to the technical field of hydraulic pressure, relates to an exhaust method, and particularly relates to an exhaust device and method based on a voice coil element.
Background
The hydraulic system utilizes hydraulic oil for energy transfer, and requires that the hydraulic oil has good rigidity and continuity. If air is mixed in the hydraulic system, the rigidity and the continuity of hydraulic oil can be obviously reduced, so that the hydraulic system generates vibration impact, the abrasion of hydraulic parts is aggravated, the service life of the system is shortened, and the reliability of the system is reduced.
The exhaust valve is an important part of the hydraulic system, is arranged at the highest point of the closed hydraulic system and is used for exhausting gas generated by the hydraulic system, and the service life and the working reliability of the hydraulic system are ensured. The exhaust valve is developed through three stages of a manual exhaust valve, a mechanical automatic exhaust valve and an electric control automatic exhaust valve.
The manual exhaust valve can not be automatically opened for exhaust, needs an operator to manually open and realize automatic closing, and therefore can be called as a semi-automatic exhaust valve. The manual exhaust valve depends on the experience of the operator and cannot perform effective exhaust.
The mechanical automatic exhaust valve utilizes the difference of the kinematic viscosity of liquid and gas to generate different pressure drops when flowing through the damping pipe, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the exhaust valve core. The temperature change range of the airplane hydraulic system is large, generally-55-135 ℃, and the kinematic viscosity of the hydraulic oil is obviously changed along with the temperature. If the temperature of the hydraulic oil is too high, the kinematic viscosity of the hydraulic oil is close to that of air, and the mechanical automatic exhaust valve is easy to lose effectiveness.
The electric control type automatic exhaust valve consists of an electromagnetic valve and a liquid level detection system, detects whether the liquid level reaches the exhaust liquid level by using detection elements such as photoelectricity or sound wave and the like, sends an exhaust enabling signal to a controller, and the controller makes a decision whether to exhaust and drives the exhaust electromagnetic valve to exhaust. The related technology is patented by foreign companies such as parker and eaton, and the product price is high.
Disclosure of Invention
The purpose of the invention is as follows: the exhaust device and the exhaust method based on the voice coil element are high in sensitivity, reliability and applicability, and can be suitable for occasions where closed containers exist and exhaust is needed, such as a hydraulic system.
The technical scheme of the invention is as follows:
an exhaust device based on a voice coil element comprises an alternating current excitation source, the voice coil element, a sampling element, a demodulation circuit, a driving circuit and an exhaust valve; the voice coil element and the sampling element are connected in series between two power supply pins of the alternating current excitation source, and voltage signals at two ends of the sampling element are input into the demodulation circuit; the voice coil element is a sensitive element for detecting electromagnetic gas and liquid media; the demodulation circuit is connected with the driving circuit, and the driving circuit is connected with and controls the exhaust valve; the voice coil element is arranged in a closed container filled with a medium to be detected, and the exhaust valve is a ventilation valve of the closed container.
Furthermore, the voice coil element is of a horn-shaped structure, and a horn part of the voice coil element is immersed in the medium to be detected.
Furthermore, the voice coil component is an electromagnetic horn component comprising a permanent magnet, a vibrating diaphragm, a voice coil and a U-shaped iron, and the vibrating diaphragm part of the voice coil component is arranged in a medium to be detected.
Further, the voice coil element is mounted inside the exhaust valve.
A gas-liquid two-phase detection method based on a voice coil element uses the gas-liquid two-phase detection device based on the voice coil element, and comprises the following steps:
firstly, enabling an alternating current excitation source to generate excitation voltage of fixed-frequency sine or square wave close to the minimum impedance frequency of a voice coil element in a gas phase, applying the voltage to a voice coil electrode of the voice coil element, and driving the voice coil element to generate mechanical vibration with the frequency consistent with the excitation voltage frequency of the alternating current excitation source;
placing the voice coil element in a medium to be detected;
thirdly, the voltage at the two ends of the voice coil element is sent to a demodulation circuit, and the demodulation circuit identifies the current medium around the piezoelectric element according to the characteristic parameters of the sampled voltage, so that the detection of the gas-liquid two-phase medium is realized;
step four, if the detected medium is gas, a demodulation circuit generates an exhaust enabling signal, and the step five is carried out, otherwise, the step first is carried out;
fifthly, sending an exhaust enable signal to a driving circuit, and enabling the driving circuit to drive an exhaust valve to open;
and sixthly, opening the exhaust valve, exhausting the gas in the closed container, and turning to the first step.
Further, the method for identifying the medium in the third step is: the impedance of the voice coil element in the gas phase is minimum, so that the amplitude of the sampling voltage at two ends of the sampling element is maximum; when the voice coil element is placed in liquid, the impedance value of the voice coil element is increased, so that the amplitude of sampling voltage at two ends of the sampling element is reduced; the medium is determined to be a gas or a liquid based on the magnitude of the voltage across the sampling element.
Furthermore, a certain value of characteristic values of the voice coil element in gas and liquid respectively is taken as a judgment threshold value k, the characteristic value obtained by detection or conditioning is compared with the judgment threshold value k, and whether the medium is gas or liquid is judged according to a comparison result.
Further, the characteristic value is a voltage or a frequency of the voice coil element in the gas and the liquid, respectively, or a value obtained by conditioning the amplitude or the frequency of the voltage.
The invention has the advantages that:
the voice coil component is used as a sensitive component for gas-liquid detection, consists of a voice coil, a permanent magnet, a magnetizer, a vibrating diaphragm, a protecting net and the like, and has the advantage of strong environmental adaptability; according to the physical characteristics of the detected object such as density, viscosity and the like, the method has the advantages of wide applicable object, sensitive detection and high reliability.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a voice coil element based venting method of the present invention;
the device comprises an alternating current excitation source 1, a voice coil element 2, a sampling circuit 3, a demodulation circuit 4, a driving circuit 5 and an exhaust valve 6.
Detailed Description
This section is an example of the present invention and is provided to explain and illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention.
The method for exhausting the hydraulic system based on the voice coil element is proposed according to the remarkable difference of the physical characteristics such as density, viscosity and the like existing in gas and hydraulic pressure. The hydraulic system exhaust method based on the voice coil element does not depend on the characteristics of electricity, light and the like of a detection object, and has the advantages of high sensitivity, high reliability, strong applicability and the like.
An exhaust device based on a voice coil element comprises an alternating current excitation source 1, a voice coil element 2, a sampling element 3, a demodulation circuit 4, a driving circuit 5 and an exhaust valve 6; the voice coil element 2 and the sampling element 3 are connected in series between two power supply pins of the alternating current excitation source 1, and voltage signals at two ends of the sampling element 3 are input into the demodulation circuit 4; the voice coil element 2 is a sensitive element for detecting electromagnetic gas and liquid media; the demodulation circuit 4 is connected with the driving circuit 5, and the driving circuit 5 is connected with and controls the exhaust valve 6; the voice coil element 2 is arranged in a closed container filled with a medium to be detected, and the exhaust valve 6 is a ventilation valve of the closed container. The voice coil element is adopted, the electro-optical characteristic of the element is not depended on, and the use environment of gas-liquid detection is guaranteed.
The voice coil element 2 is of a horn-like structure, and a horn portion of the voice coil element is immersed in a medium to be detected.
The voice coil component 2 is an electromagnetic horn component comprising a permanent magnet, a vibrating diaphragm, a voice coil and a U-shaped iron, and the vibrating diaphragm part of the voice coil component 2 is arranged in a medium to be detected. The trumpet-shaped diffusion structural element is arranged in the gas/liquid medium, so that the contact area of the detection part of the voice coil element 2 and the gas/liquid medium can be remarkably increased, and the detection sensitivity is improved.
The voice coil element 2 is mounted inside the exhaust valve 6. Not only the voice coil element 2 but also the entire closed container is provided inside the exhaust valve, so that the reliability and compactness of the system can be greatly increased.
A gas-liquid two-phase detection method based on a voice coil element uses the gas-liquid two-phase detection device based on the voice coil element, and comprises the following steps:
firstly, enabling an alternating current excitation source to generate excitation voltage of fixed-frequency sine or square wave close to the minimum impedance frequency of a voice coil element in a gas phase, applying the voltage to a voice coil electrode of the voice coil element, and driving the voice coil element to generate mechanical vibration with the frequency consistent with the excitation voltage frequency of the alternating current excitation source;
placing the voice coil element in a medium to be detected;
thirdly, the voltage at the two ends of the voice coil element is sent to a demodulation circuit, and the demodulation circuit identifies the current medium around the piezoelectric element according to the characteristic parameters of the sampled voltage, so that the detection of the gas-liquid two-phase medium is realized;
step four, if the detected medium is gas, a demodulation circuit generates an exhaust enabling signal, and the step five is carried out, otherwise, the step first is carried out;
fifthly, sending an exhaust enable signal to a driving circuit, and enabling the driving circuit to drive an exhaust valve to open;
and sixthly, opening the exhaust valve, exhausting the gas in the closed container, and turning to the first step.
The method for identifying the medium in the third step is: the impedance of the voice coil element in the gas phase is minimum, so that the amplitude of the sampling voltage at two ends of the sampling element is maximum; when the voice coil element is placed in liquid, the impedance value of the voice coil element is increased, so that the amplitude of sampling voltage at two ends of the sampling element is reduced; the medium is determined to be a gas or a liquid based on the magnitude of the voltage across the sampling element.
And taking a certain value among the characteristic values of the voice coil element in the gas and the liquid as a judgment threshold value k, comparing the characteristic value obtained by detection or conditioning with the judgment threshold value k, and judging whether the medium is gas or liquid according to a comparison result.
The characteristic value is the voltage or frequency of the voice coil element in the gas and the liquid respectively, or the value obtained by conditioning the amplitude or the frequency of the voltage.
Claims (8)
1. An exhaust device based on a voice coil element is characterized by comprising an alternating current excitation source (1), the voice coil element (2), a sampling element (3), a demodulation circuit (4), a driving circuit (5) and an exhaust valve (6); the voice coil element (2) and the sampling element (3) are connected in series between two power supply pins of the alternating current excitation source (1), and voltage signals at two ends of the sampling element (3) are input into the demodulation circuit (4); the voice coil element (2) is a sensitive element for detecting electromagnetic gas and liquid media; the demodulation circuit (4) is connected with the driving circuit (5), and the driving circuit (5) is connected with and controls the exhaust valve (6); the voice coil element (2) is arranged in a closed container filled with a medium to be detected, and the exhaust valve (6) is a ventilation valve of the closed container.
2. A voice coil element based exhaust device according to claim 1, characterized in that the voice coil element (2) is a horn-like structure, the horn portion of which is immersed in the medium to be tested.
3. An exhaust device based on a voice coil component according to claim 2, characterized in that the voice coil component (2) is an electromagnetic horn component comprising a permanent magnet, a diaphragm, a voice coil and a U-iron, and the diaphragm portion of the voice coil component (2) is arranged in the medium to be tested.
4. A voice coil element based exhaust device according to claim 1, characterized in that the voice coil element (2) is mounted inside the exhaust valve (6).
5. A voice coil component-based gas-liquid two-phase detection method, wherein the voice coil component-based gas-liquid two-phase detection device according to claim 1 is used, and the method comprises the following steps:
firstly, enabling an alternating current excitation source to generate excitation voltage of fixed-frequency sine or square wave close to the minimum impedance frequency of a voice coil element in a gas phase, applying the voltage to a voice coil electrode of the voice coil element, and driving the voice coil element to generate mechanical vibration with the frequency consistent with the excitation voltage frequency of the alternating current excitation source;
placing the voice coil element in a medium to be detected;
thirdly, the voltage at the two ends of the voice coil element is sent to a demodulation circuit, and the demodulation circuit identifies the current medium around the piezoelectric element according to the characteristic parameters of the sampled voltage, so that the detection of the gas-liquid two-phase medium is realized;
step four, if the detected medium is gas, a demodulation circuit generates an exhaust enabling signal, and the step five is carried out, otherwise, the step first is carried out;
fifthly, sending an exhaust enable signal to a driving circuit, and enabling the driving circuit to drive an exhaust valve to open;
and sixthly, opening the exhaust valve, exhausting the gas in the closed container, and turning to the first step.
6. The voice coil element-based gas-liquid two-phase detection method according to claim 5, wherein the medium identification method in the third step is: the impedance of the voice coil element in the gas phase is minimum, so that the amplitude of the sampling voltage at two ends of the sampling element is maximum; when the voice coil element is placed in liquid, the impedance value of the voice coil element is increased, so that the amplitude of sampling voltage at two ends of the sampling element is reduced; the medium is determined to be a gas or a liquid based on the magnitude of the voltage across the sampling element.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein a value of the characteristic value of the voice coil element between the gas and liquid is used as a determination threshold k, the characteristic value obtained by detection or conditioning is compared with the determination threshold k, and whether the medium is gas or liquid is determined according to the comparison result.
8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the characteristic value is the voltage or frequency of the voice coil element in the gas and the liquid, or the amplitude or the frequency of the voltage is adjusted.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202110475729.4A CN113294411B (en) | 2021-04-29 | 2021-04-29 | Exhaust device and method based on voice coil element |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202110475729.4A CN113294411B (en) | 2021-04-29 | 2021-04-29 | Exhaust device and method based on voice coil element |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN113294411A true CN113294411A (en) | 2021-08-24 |
| CN113294411B CN113294411B (en) | 2023-11-07 |
Family
ID=77320527
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN202110475729.4A Active CN113294411B (en) | 2021-04-29 | 2021-04-29 | Exhaust device and method based on voice coil element |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN113294411B (en) |
Citations (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1414382A (en) * | 2002-08-30 | 2003-04-30 | 天津大学 | Detector of gas liquid two phase flow split-phase content based on resistance chromatographic imaging and method |
| JP2006029918A (en) * | 2004-07-14 | 2006-02-02 | Seiko Epson Corp | Liquid detecting method and system |
| WO2008020903A2 (en) * | 2006-05-10 | 2008-02-21 | Drexel University | Self-exciting, self-sensing piezoelectric cantilever sensor for detection of airborne analytes directly in air |
| CN201255157Y (en) * | 2008-06-23 | 2009-06-10 | 杭州市电力局 | Intelligent exhaust for front low-pressure end of hydraulic system |
| CN106018676A (en) * | 2015-03-26 | 2016-10-12 | 通用电气公司 | Trace Gas Measurement Apparatus for Electrical Equipment |
| CN107238659A (en) * | 2017-05-25 | 2017-10-10 | 华中科技大学 | A kind of argoshield measuring method and device based on ultrasonic transducer |
| CN110006835A (en) * | 2018-01-05 | 2019-07-12 | 英飞凌科技股份有限公司 | System and method for estimating gas concentration |
| AT521457A1 (en) * | 2018-07-13 | 2020-01-15 | Ac2T Res Gmbh | Sensor for the detection of fluid properties |
| DE102018218947A1 (en) * | 2018-11-07 | 2020-05-07 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Device for determining the quality of a liquid, tank device |
-
2021
- 2021-04-29 CN CN202110475729.4A patent/CN113294411B/en active Active
Patent Citations (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1414382A (en) * | 2002-08-30 | 2003-04-30 | 天津大学 | Detector of gas liquid two phase flow split-phase content based on resistance chromatographic imaging and method |
| JP2006029918A (en) * | 2004-07-14 | 2006-02-02 | Seiko Epson Corp | Liquid detecting method and system |
| WO2008020903A2 (en) * | 2006-05-10 | 2008-02-21 | Drexel University | Self-exciting, self-sensing piezoelectric cantilever sensor for detection of airborne analytes directly in air |
| CN201255157Y (en) * | 2008-06-23 | 2009-06-10 | 杭州市电力局 | Intelligent exhaust for front low-pressure end of hydraulic system |
| CN106018676A (en) * | 2015-03-26 | 2016-10-12 | 通用电气公司 | Trace Gas Measurement Apparatus for Electrical Equipment |
| CN107238659A (en) * | 2017-05-25 | 2017-10-10 | 华中科技大学 | A kind of argoshield measuring method and device based on ultrasonic transducer |
| CN110006835A (en) * | 2018-01-05 | 2019-07-12 | 英飞凌科技股份有限公司 | System and method for estimating gas concentration |
| AT521457A1 (en) * | 2018-07-13 | 2020-01-15 | Ac2T Res Gmbh | Sensor for the detection of fluid properties |
| DE102018218947A1 (en) * | 2018-11-07 | 2020-05-07 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Device for determining the quality of a liquid, tank device |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN113294411B (en) | 2023-11-07 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| CN101592739B (en) | Transmitter of a system for detecting a buried conductor | |
| US20040227521A1 (en) | Electrical leak detecting apparatus | |
| RU2494364C2 (en) | Method and device for recognition of condition of test machine creating noises | |
| CN107561369A (en) | The passive and wireless monitoring of individual other capacitor container | |
| US11221356B2 (en) | Single-fault-tolerant isolation resistance determination in a photovoltaic system | |
| CN104834345A (en) | Underwater magnetic resonance type wireless power transmission maximum power tracking method | |
| CN113294411A (en) | Exhaust device and method based on voice coil element | |
| CN108700658A (en) | Especially it is used for range measurement and/or as vehicle parking auxiliary body ultrasound measurement system | |
| CN108008322A (en) | The detection method and circuit of multiple power supplies | |
| CN105791571A (en) | Instant message reminding method and device and mobile terminal | |
| CN112814975B (en) | Exhaust device and method based on separately excited piezoelectric element | |
| CN112736187B (en) | Exhaust device and method based on self-excitation type piezoelectric element | |
| CN104111420A (en) | Phase-loss detection method of direct-current motor system and direct-current motor system | |
| CN108629959A (en) | A kind of remote control underwater sound communication system and UAV navigation | |
| CN102932712B (en) | A kind of interface circuit design method, system and interface circuit | |
| CN105548839A (en) | Multichannel online detection underwater equipment insulation property system and method thereof | |
| CN113311064A (en) | Pulse eddy current detection method and system for lead sealing part of cable joint | |
| CN104658306B (en) | vehicle on-position detection method and parking space monitoring device | |
| CN208044000U (en) | Power distribution network repairing positioning device | |
| CN207894515U (en) | A kind of device vibrated for measuring transformer neutral point bias current and ontology | |
| CN113203793A (en) | Gas-liquid two-phase detection device and method based on voice coil element | |
| CN103674540B (en) | Hydraulic control valve diaphragm endurance testing device | |
| US10060881B2 (en) | Surface sensing method for corrosion sensing via magnetic modulation | |
| CN112834570B (en) | Gas-liquid two-phase detection device and method based on self-excitation type piezoelectric element | |
| CN112834571B (en) | Gas-liquid two-phase detection device and method based on separate excitation type piezoelectric element |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| PB01 | Publication | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| SE01 | Entry into force of request for substantive examination | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant | ||
| GR01 | Patent grant |