JPH0724529B2 - Internal filter - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is provided in an aquarium for ornamental fish such as goldfish and tropical fish, and has an internal filtering device for filtering the water in the aquarium, particularly an air pump and a submersible pump as a power source for filtering. The present invention relates to a novel filtration device which is provided with and can be selectively used or used together.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an air pump is used as a power means of an internal filtration device for circulating and filtering water in a water tank (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 22686/1990), or a continuous rotary water pump. Those using (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-21204) are well known.

[0003]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, when breeding and watching ornamental fish such as goldfish, tropical fish and saltwater fish in an aquarium,
Recently, the way of viewing has been diversified. A large number of various aquatic plants are planted in the aquarium, and the aquatic plants are mainly used, and ornamental fish supplementarily raise a small number of small fish.

.. Freshwater fish such as tropical fish and goldfish are bred mainly, and a small amount of aquatic plants are supplementarily planted.

.. Bring saltwater fish.

[0006] Breed river fish such as traps and yamameme.

By the way, the above. In the case of, when an air pump is used as the power source of the filtration device, a large amount of air enters the water, and the water bubbles burst in the water, at which time CO ₂ in the water is released to the outside of the water. In this case, it is preferable to use a submersible pump that does not generate water bubbles as the power source, rather than an air pump, because it adversely affects the growth of aquatic plants.

Further, the above. In the case of many freshwater fish
Since it is bred, a large amount of O ₂Can be supplied
Required, sending more air into the water than the submersible pump
It is desirable to use an air pump that can
Yes.

Further, the above. ,. In this case, since it is necessary to generate a large water flow in the water tank and to increase the amount of O ₂ sent into the water, it is necessary to increase the capacity of the power source as compared with the capacity of the water tank. To be done.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to use an air pump and a submersible pump individually or in combination as a power source, and to cope with diversification of ornamental fish breeding, aquatic plant breeding and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel internal filtration device.

[0011]

To achieve the above object, the first feature of the present invention is that stored water in a water tank body is filtered by forcibly circulating the water in the water tank body through a filter material and a water supply pipe. In the internal filtration device, the submersible pump is provided inside the water tank body and the air pump is provided outside the water tank body, and the outlet of the submersible pump is connected to the inlet of the water pipe and the outlet of the air pump. That is, the air pipe connected to the water pipe is inserted into the water pipe and the jet port is opened in the water pipe.

A second feature of the present invention is that
The submersible pump circuit connected to the submersible pump and the air pump circuit connected to the air pump are connected to a power supply circuit via a switch group, and the submersible pump and the air pump are individually or together controlled by switching control of the switch group. That is to make it possible to drive.

A third feature of the present invention is that the air pump can be switched between strong and weak modes.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a state of use of the internal filtration device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a major part of the filtration device broken, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 3; FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3 of the filtration device; , A cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4, and FIG.
FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the opening / closing lid and the intermediate lid.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a water tank assembly V is an opaque body which is integrally molded in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a transparent acrylic resin, and an upper, lower edge and back surface of the water tank body 1. Of the synthetic resin material and a lid 3 capped on the upper surface of the opening of the aquarium body 1. The lid 3 has an upper lid 4 as will be described later.
And an intermediate lid 5.

A bottom filtration case 7 is accommodated and installed at the bottom of the aquarium body 1, and a side filtration case 8 is accommodated and supported at the back of the aquarium body 1. The stored water in the aquarium body 1 will be described in detail later. As described above, the water is divided into the two filtration cases 7 and 8 to be filtered.

The bottom filtration case 7 and the side filtration case 8 can be put in and taken out from the upper surface of the opening of the water tank body 1. As clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bottom filtration case 7 is formed in a dish shape from a synthetic resin material, and a plurality of rib pieces 10 for maintaining a gap are provided on the bottom surface thereof so as to project downward. When the bottom filtration case 7 is installed in the water tank body 1, the rib pieces 10 define a bottom water channel 11 between the bottom filtration case 7 and the bottom wall of the water tank body 1. Also the bottom wall ₇₁ of the bottom filtration case 7, Fig. 2 and 6
As shown clearly, a large number of slits 12 are bored, and water is allowed to flow through the slits 12 to the bottom channel 11. In the dish-shaped bottom filtration case 7, small stone groups such as Oiso as the bottom filtration material 13 are laid. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a tapered lip piece 14 extending forward and upward is integrally provided on the upper edge of the front wall of the bottom filtration case 7. The tip 14 ₁ of the lip piece 14 faces the front wall of the aquarium body 1 with a slight gap, and when the bottom filtering case 7 is pulled upward to take out the bottom filtering case 7, the bottom filtering medium 13, that is, a group of pebbles. Is guided and dropped from the bottom filtration case 7 to the inner bottom portion of the water tank body 1, so that the water tank body 1 is not damaged by the drag of the pebbles.

Further, the side filtration case 8 is composed of the water tank body 1.
It is housed and arranged in the back of the inside of the aquarium body 1
L-shaped section that divides the main chamber Cm of the vehicle into the auxiliary chamber Ca of the rear
The filter medium accommodating portion 17 is integrally formed on the back surface of the partition wall 16 of
And the partition wall 16 is a substantially vertical front wall 16₁And that
Bottom wall 16 extending from the lower part of the floor to the rear approximately horizontally₂Have and
It As shown in FIG. 3, the lower edge of the partition wall 16 is the bottom portion.
Standing wall 7 of filtration case 7 ₂Is watertightly polymerized with the upper edge
Therefore, water is prevented from flowing between them. Well
Front wall 16 of the partition wall 16₁In the lower part, the filter medium storage unit 1
7, a plurality of slits 18 are formed facing each other.
Water in the water tank body 1 passes through the slit 18 of
It flows to 17. Inside the filter medium storage unit 17
Is a front wall due to a picture wall 20 having a large number of water flow holes 19.
It is divided into a primary filtration chamber 21 and a rear secondary filtration chamber 22.
The front surface of the primary filtration chamber 21 is directly attached to the partition wall 16.
They face each other, and a void is formed between them. Well
A large number of small holes 23 are formed on the back surface of the secondary filtration chamber 22.
Then, the inside of the secondary filtration chamber 22 passes through these small holes 23 and
It communicates with the auxiliary chamber Ca at the rear of the tank body 1. The primary filtration
A plate-shaped primary filter material 24 made of a porous material is housed in the chamber 21.
And in the secondary filtration chamber 22 from pebbles such as Oiso.
The secondary filter medium 25 is contained. Then the aquarium body 1
The water in the main chamber Cm of the primary filter medium 2 is, as described later,
4. After being filtered stepwise by passing through the secondary filter medium 25,
It flows to the auxiliary chamber Ca at the back of the aquarium body 1.
It

In the auxiliary chamber Ca, a device accommodating chamber 26 is formed in parallel with the filter medium accommodating portion 17, and the device accommodating chamber 2 is formed.
A submersible pump Pw is housed in the lower part of 6, and the submersible pump Pw is adsorbed and held by the standing wall 7 ₂ of the bottom filtration case 7 through a plurality of suction cups 28, and its suction port 30
Is opened to the auxiliary chamber Ca, and the discharge port 31 is detachably connected to the lower end of a water supply pipe 32 that is expandable and contractible. The water pipe 32 penetrates the bottom wall 16 ₂ of the partition wall 16 and extends substantially vertically upward, and the elbow 3 is provided at the upper end thereof.
3 is connected so that the position can be adjusted up and down. The opening end of the elbow 33 penetrates the partition wall 16 and the water tank body 1
It opens to the upper part in the main chamber Cm. Therefore, the pressurized water from the submersible pump Pw is discharged to the upper part in the main chamber Cm through the water supply pipe 32 and the elbow 33.

As shown in FIG. 4, the bottom wall 1 of the partition wall 16
A through hole 34 for communicating the main chamber Cm and the auxiliary chamber Ca is bored in 6 ₁ . The through hole 34 is opened so that water flows uniformly throughout the water tank body 1, and is closed when the bottom filter medium 13 is not used for filtration.

A heater Hs with a thermostat is accommodated in the equipment accommodating chamber 26 in parallel with the water supply pipe 32. The heater Hs is the bottom wall 16 of the partition wall 16.
It is supported by a support cylinder 35 which is erected from _{2 so} as to be removable and positionally adjustable. By the operation of the heater Hs, the water in the water tank body 1 is kept at a constant temperature.

The upper lid 4, which is detachably capped with an opening on the upper surface of the water tank body 1, has a square entrance 4 ₁ opened in the front half thereof, and a bulging portion 4 ₂ bulging upward in the latter half thereof. There are formed, the opening lower surface of the expanded portion 4 _2, transparent bottom plate 37 as clearly shown in FIG. 7 is secured by a plurality of bolts 38, the upper pump chamber at its bulging portion 4 in ₂ 39 Is defined, and the air pump Pa is housed in the pump chamber 39. The elastic support leg 40 of the air pump Pa is fixedly supported by the bottom plate 37. A flexible conduit 42 is connected to the discharge port 41 of the air pump Pa, the conduit 42 penetrates the bottom plate 37 and extends to the auxiliary chamber Ca, and the lower end thereof is inserted into the water supply pipe 32. Connected to the air pipe 43. An air stone 45 is connected to the jet port 44 at the lower end of the air pipe 43. Therefore, according to the operation of the air pump Pa, the pressurized air is jetted out into the water supply pipe 32 through the conduit 42, the air pipe 43 and the air stone 45, and the ascending air current sucks up the water in the auxiliary chamber Ca through the water supply pipe 32 and the elbow. It can be released from 33 into the main chamber Cm of the water tank body 1.

As described above, in this embodiment, the water in the auxiliary chamber Ca is supplied by the submersible pump Pw or the air pump Pa.
Can be selectively released into the main chamber Cm.

[0025] In the said bulging portion 4 _2, a transparent bottom plate 3
A housing recess 46 is formed in the housing 7, and an illumination lamp, that is, two fluorescent lamps Lf are housed in the housing recess 46. Thus, the lower protruding portion of the transparent bottom plate 37 forming the accommodation recess 46 is immersed in the stored water in the water tank body 1 to allow the light from the fluorescent lamp Lf to pass through well in the water to enhance the illumination effect. be able to.

[0026] The entrance 4 ₁ is opened to the front of the top cover 4 as shown in FIG. 7, the opening and closing lid 6 is a pair of hinges 47
Openably are hinged, further the intermediate cover 5 dished is on the entrance 4 ₁ immediately below the said closing lid 6 is No設detachably up and down by.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the opening / closing lid 6 and the intermediate lid 5. Both the opening / closing lid 6 and the intermediate lid 5 are made of a transparent acrylic plate, and the opening / closing lid 6 has a rectangular shape and can be opened and closed via the hinge 47 so as to be flush with the front portion of the upper lid 4. Has been done. On the other hand, the intermediate lid 5 has a rectangular shape similar to the opening / closing lid 6 and is formed in a dish shape, and has a bottom plate 5 ₁ which bulges downward. Since the opening / closing lid 6 and the intermediate lid 5 are both transparent, the inside of the aquarium body 1 is seen through from above or through the intermediate lid 5 only when the opening / closing lid 6 is opened. be able to. When the water tank body 1 is filled with water, the lower half of the intermediate lid 5 is immersed in the stored water,
Since the bottom plate 5 ₁ is in contact with water over the entire surface, it becomes possible to clearly see through the intermediate lid 5 the ornamental fish, aquatic plants, etc. in the aquarium main body 1 without wavy surface of the water or irregular reflection of light. Become.

Further, the intermediate lid 5 can be used as a tray, and for example, a bait box or other small items can be stored therein.

9 to 11 show a specific structure of the hinged portion of the opening / closing lid 6 to the upper lid 4. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by an arrow 9 in FIG. 7, FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of FIG. 9, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

9 to 11, the hinge 47 is a synthetic resin.
The material is formed in a U-shaped cross section, and in the center
Is a neck-shaped hinge portion 47₁Is formed, one half of which
Part (left half of FIG. 9) is the opening / closing lid 6, and the other half
(The right half of FIG. 9) is adhered to the upper lid 4 and is opened.
When the lid 6 is opened and closed, the hinge 47 has its hinge portion 47.
₁Is bent. Therefore, by using such a hinge 47,
The upper surface of the hinge 47 and the upper and lower surfaces of the opening / closing lid 6 and the upper lid 4
Can be formed in one.

The water tank body 1 can also be used by removing the intermediate lid 5 as shown in FIG. In this case, the intermediate lid 5 can be used as a small case.

FIG. 13 shows a fluorescent lamp Lf and an air pump P.
a, submersible pump Pw and heater Hs with thermostat
FIG. 14 shows a control table showing ON / OFF control of the submersible pump Pw and the air pump Pa when the fluorescent lamp Lf is ON / OFF.

In FIG. 13, a fluorescent lamp L is attached to a power supply circuit 50 connected to a 100V power supply through an outlet 49.
f, the air pump Pa, the submersible pump Pw, and the heater Hs with a thermostat are connected to each other. The fluorescent lamp circuit 51 connecting the power supply circuit 50 and the fluorescent lamp Lf is provided with a double ON-OFF switch S _1. The ON-OFF changeover switch S ₁ , the resistor R and the three-position changeover switch S ₂ are connected to an air pump circuit 52 which is mounted and which connects the power supply circuit 50 and the air pump Pa, and further the power supply circuit 50 and the submersible pump Pw. The ON-OFF changeover switch S ₁ and the three-position changeover switch S ₂ are connected to the submersible pump circuit 53 that connects the power supply circuit 50 and the heater Hs with a thermostat directly to each other via the heater circuit 54. Has been done.

When the ON-OFF switch S ₁ is on the upper side as shown in FIG. 13, the fluorescent lamp circuit 51 is OFF.
In this state, the fluorescent lamp Lf is turned off. Figure 1
4 (A), ON / OFF control of the submersible pump Pw and the air pump Pa when the fluorescent lamp Lf is turned off will be described.

Now, when the three-position selector switch S ₂ is switched to the position, the submersible pump circuit 53 is turned off and the submersible pump Pw is in the operation stop state, whereas the air pump circuit 52 is connected to the power supply circuit 50 without the resistor R. When connected, the air pump Pa is operated strongly. When the three-position changeover switch S ₂ is switched to the position, the submersible pump circuit 53 is still in the OFF state and the submersible pump Pw continues to be in the operation stop state, while the air pump circuit 52 is connected to the power supply circuit 50 via the resistor R. Then, the air pump Pa is weakly operated. This weak operation of the air pump Pa is mainly performed at night, and when the aquatic plants are mainly raised,
Used for O ₂ supplementation for breeding small fish.

When the three-position selector switch S ₂ is further switched to the position, the submersible pump circuit 53 is still off.
While the submersible pump Pw is not operated in this state, the air pump circuit 52 is again connected to the power supply circuit 50 without the resistor R and the air pump Pa is again strongly operated. When the fluorescent lamp Lf is off as described above, the strength by the switching control of the air pump Pa only a three position selector switch S _2, a weak operation control, ornamental fish breeding in the aquarium body 1, the nurturing of weeds It is ready to respond.

Next, the ON-OFF switch S ₁ is shown in FIG.
When switched to the lower side in 3, the fluorescent lamp circuit 51 is turned on.
Then, the fluorescent lamp Lf is turned on. Here in FIG.
The ON / OFF control of the submersible pump Pw and the air pump Pa when the fluorescent lamp Lf is turned on will be described with reference to (B).

Now, when the three-position selector switch S ₂ is switched to the position, the submersible pump Pw is turned off and the submersible pump Pw is turned on.
Is in the operation stop state, whereas the air pump circuit 52 is connected to the power supply circuit 50 without the resistor R and the air pump P
a is driven hard. Further, when the three-position changeover switch S ₂ is switched to the position, the submersible pump circuit 53 is turned on and the submersible pump Pw starts operating, while the air pump circuit 52 is turned off and the air pump Pa stops operating. Further, when the three-position changeover switch S ₂ is switched to the position, the submersible pump circuit 53 maintains the ON state and the submersible pump Pw continues to operate while the air pump circuit 5
2 is also kept in the ON state without the resistance R, and the air pump Pa is again strongly operated.

As described above, when the fluorescent lamp Lf is turned on, the air pump Pa and the submersible pump Pw can be operated independently or simultaneously by the switching control of the three-position selector switch S ₂ . In any case, the air pump Pa is strongly operated, and the air pump Pa and the submersible pump Pw are used properly or in combination according to the mode of breeding ornamental fish and growing water plants.

In FIG. 13, 55 is a glow lamp of the fluorescent lamp Lf, 56 is a choke coil connected to the fluorescent lamp Lf circuit, and 57, 58 and 59 are joints.

The ON-OFF changeover switch S ₁ and the three-position changeover switch S ₂ may be manually changed over,
Further, switching control may be automatically performed using an optical sensor such as a photoelectric tube.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. If the submersible pump Pw is operated as described above, the water in the main chamber Cm of the aquarium body 1 is shown by arrows (a) and in FIGS. As shown in (b), the flow is split into the bottom and side filtration cases 7 and 8 and merges in the auxiliary chamber Ca. In the side part filtration case 7, as shown by the arrow (a),
It flows from the slit 18 to the filter medium accommodating portion 17, where it is gradually filtered through the primary and secondary filter mediums 24 and 25, and then enters the auxiliary chamber Ca, from which it is sucked into the submersible pump Pw through the suction port 30. Be done. On the other hand, the water filtered through the bottom filter medium 13 made of pebbles enters the bottom channel 11 through the slit 12 of the bottom filtration case 7, and then is sucked into the submersible pump Pw through the auxiliary chamber Ca.

The filtered water pressurized by the submersible pump Pw passes through the discharge port 31 through the water supply pipe 32 and is discharged from the elbow 33 to the upper part of the main chamber Cm.

When the air pump Pa is operated instead of the submersible pump Pw as described above, the pressurized air from the discharge port 41 is jetted into the water pipe 32 through the conduit 42, the air pipe 43 and the air stone 45. As a result of the upward flow of the jetted air, the filtered water that has flowed into the auxiliary chamber Ca through the bottom filter medium 13 and the side primary and secondary filter media 24 and 25 is sucked into the water supply pipe 32, and from there, the elbow 33 is supplied together with the air. Through the main chamber Cm.

When both the submersible pump Pw and the air pump Pa are operated as described above, the submersible pump Pw and the air pump Pa cooperate with each other so that the filtered water in the auxiliary chamber Ca is the sum of the discharge amounts of the pumps Pw and Pa. Minutes can be discharged into the main chamber Cm together with air through the water supply pipe 32, and the amount of filtered water per unit time in the water tank body 1 can be increased to increase the flow velocity of water flowing therethrough. .

As described above, the water filled in the water tank body 1 is always filtered and cleaned to ensure high transparency.

The ornamental fish and aquatic plants in the aquarium body 1 can be seen through not only the transparent side surface of the aquarium body 1, but also the transparent aquarium lid 6 and the intermediate lid 5 from above the aquarium assembly V. be able to. In this case, since the entire surface of the bottom plate 5 ₁ of the intermediate lid 5 is immersed in water, it is possible to prevent the inside of the aquarium main body 1 from being difficult to see due to water rippling or irregular reflection of light.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and various embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the bottom portion and the side portion filtering material are provided in the water tank body has been described, but either one of them may be provided.
The ON-OFF changeover switch and the three-position changeover switch may be controlled manually or automatically. In this case, the switch is controlled by using an optical sensor such as a photoelectric tube. When the fluorescent lamp is turned off, this should be sensed to perform weak operation control of the air pump, and when the fluorescent lamp is turned on, strong operation of the air pump, selective operation of the submersible pump, or combined operation control of them. Is also possible.

[0049]

As described above, according to the first feature of the present invention, the internal type filtration for filtering the stored water in the water tank body by forcibly circulating it in the water tank body through the filter material and the water supply pipe. In the device, a submersible pump in the aquarium body,
Further, air pumps are respectively provided outside the water tank main body, the discharge port of the submersible pump is connected to the inlet of the water supply pipe, and the air pipe connected to the discharge port of the air pump is inserted into the water supply pipe and the jet port thereof is used for the water supply. Since it is opened in the pipe, the filtration device can be operated by the selective operation of the submersible pump or the air pump or the combined operation thereof, and the most suitable water filtration according to the breeding and growing mode of the ornamental fish and aquatic plants in the aquarium. Will be possible.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the first aspect, the submersible pump circuit connected to the submersible pump and the air pump circuit connected to the air pump are powered by a switch group. Since the submersible pump and the air pump are connected to a circuit and can be operated independently or together by switching control of the switch group, selective operation and simultaneous operation of the submersible pump and the air pump can be easily performed by a switch operation. be able to.

According to the third feature of the present invention, in addition to the second feature, the air pump can be switched between strong and weak modes, so that the water filtration control can be performed more finely.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a usage state of an internal filtration device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of a main part of the filtration device, broken away.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the filtration device taken along line 3-3 in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the filtering device taken along line 4-4 in FIG.

5 is a partially enlarged view of a portion indicated by an alternate long and short dash line arrow 5 in FIG. 3;

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG.

7 is a partially enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 7-7 in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an opening / closing lid and an intermediate lid.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged partial view of a portion viewed from arrow 9 in FIG.

10 is a sectional view taken along the line 10-10 in FIG.

11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of FIG.

FIG. 12 is the same sectional view as FIG. 7 when the intermediate lid is removed.

FIG. 13 is an electric circuit diagram.

FIG. 14: Control table

[Explanation of symbols]

1 --- Water tank body 13 --- Bottom filter material 24 --- Primary filter material 25 --- Secondary filter material 31 --- Discharge port (submersible pump) 32 ··· Water pipe 41 ··· Discharge port (air pump) 43 ··· Air pipe 44 ··· Jet port 50 · · ··· Power supply circuit 52 ··· Air pump circuit 53 ··· · Submersible pump circuit Pa ··· Air pump Pw ···· Submersible pump S ₁ · · · · · · · ON-OFF change-over switch S ₂ · · · · · · · three position selector switch

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. The stored water in the water tank body (1) is passed through a filter medium (1).
3, 24, 25) and the water supply pipe (32), the internal type filtration device forcibly circulating the inside of the water tank body (1) to filter the water tank body (1) has a submersible pump (Pw). In addition, the air pump (P
a), each of which is provided with an air pipe (43) connected to the outlet (31) of the submersible pump (Pw) to the inlet of the water pipe (32) and to the outlet (41) of the air pump (Pa). Is inserted in the water supply pipe (32), and the jet port (44) is opened in the water supply pipe (32). 2. Water connected to the submersible pump (Pw)
For the middle pump circuit (53) and the air pump (Pa)
The connected air pump circuit (52) is a switch group
(S₁, S₂) Via a power circuit (50),
Switch group (S ₁, S₂) Switching control
Medium pump (Pw) and air pump (Pa) respectively
Characterized by being able to drive independently or together
The internal filtration device according to claim 1, wherein 3. The internal filtration device according to claim 2, wherein the air pump (Pa) can be switched between strong and weak modes.