1. A motor vehicle transfer case comprising, in combination,
an input shaft;
a primary output shaft;
a chain drive sprocket disposed about said input shaft;
a secondary output having a driven chain sprocket;
a chain engaging said sprockets;
an interaxle differential having an input driven by said input shaft, a first output coupled to said primary output shaft, and a second output coupled to said chain drive sprocket;
an armature coupled to said chain drive sprocket;
a rotor disposed adjacent said armature and coupled to said input shaft; and
an electromagnetic coil disposed adjacent said rotor.
2. The motor vehicle transfer case of claim 1 wherein said input shaft is adapted to be driven by an output of a transmission.
3. The motor vehicle transfer case of claim 1 further including a housing adapted to rotatably receive said shafts.
4. The motor vehicle transfer case of claim 1 wherein said armature is a circular plate and said rotor is U-shaped in cross-section and partially surrounds said electromagnetic coil.
5. The motor vehicle transfer case of claim 1 wherein said electromagnetic coil is driven by an output of a microprocessor.
6. The motor vehicle transfer case of claim 1 further including a microprocessor having an output driving said electromagnetic coil and a throttle position sensor providing a signal to said microprocessor.
7. The motor vehicle transfer case of claim 1 wherein said armature and said rotor define pluralities of discontinuous arcuate slots.
8. A transfer case having an electromagnetic drag assembly, comprising, in combination:
an input shaft;
a primary output shaft;
a secondary output shaft;
an interaxle differential having an input driven by said input shaft, a first output coupled to said primary output shaft, and a second output driving said secondary output shaft;
an electromagnetic synchronizer and brake assembly having a first member coupled to said second output, a second member disposed adjacent said first member and coupled to said input shaft and a stationary electromagnetic coil disposed adjacent said second member.
9. The transfer case of claim 8 further including a housing adapted to rotatably receive said shafts.
10. The transfer case of claim 8 wherein said first member is a plate and said second member is U-shaped in cross-section and partially surrounds said electromagnetic coil.
11. The transfer case of claim 8 further including a chain drive sprocket disposed on said input shaft and coupled to said second output of said differential, a driven chain sprocket coupled to said secondary output shaft and a chain engaging said sprockets.
12. The transfer case of claim 8 wherein said first and said second members are circular and define a plurality of discontinuous arcuate slots.
13. The transfer case of claim 8 wherein said interaxle differential includes planet gears and a carrier driven by said input shaft.
14. An electromagnetic synchronizer and brake for a motor vehicle powertrain component, comprising, in combination:
an interaxle differential having an input, adapted to be driven by an output of a transmission, a first output adapted to drive a first driveline and a second output adapted to drive a second driveline; and
an electromagnetic synchronizer and brake assembly having a first member coupled to said second output for rotation therewith, a second member disposed adjacent said first member and coupled to said input for rotation therewith and a stationary electromagnetic coil;
whereby energization of said electromagnetic coil synchronizes and brakes rotation of said input and said second output.
15. The synchronizer and brake assembly of claim 14 further including an input shaft for driving said input, a primary output shaft driven by said first output and a secondary output shaft driven by said second output.
16. The synchronizer and brake assembly of claim 15 further including a first chain sprocket coupled to said first member, a second chain sprocket coupled to said secondary output shaft and a chain engaging said sprockets.
17. The synchronizer and brake assembly of claim 14 wherein said first member is a circular plate having a plurality of arcuate, spaced apart slots.
18. The synchronizer and brake assembly of claim 14 wherein said second member is U-shaped in cross-section and partially surrounds said electromagnetic coil.
19. The synchronizer and brake assembly of claim 18 wherein said second member further includes at least one circular discontinuous path of arcuate slots.
20. The synchronizer and brake assembly of claim 14 wherein said interaxle differential includes a carrier driven by said input, a first plurality of stepped planet gears and a second plurality of straight planet gears.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. Method for detecting response to damage in a potato plant or crop comprising detecting Active Oxygen Species (AOS) selected from superoxide (.O2), nitric oxide radical NO., peroxynitrite radical ONOO and hydroxyl radical .OH, in a quantitative assay in the first or second peak concentration of AOS of a biphasic response, at a time t from damage, in which the response in terms of AOS production is linear to the bruising response.
2. Method for detecting response to disease in a potato plant or crop comprising detecting Active Oxygen Species (AOS) selected from superoxide (.O2), nitric oxide radical NO., peroxynitrite radical ONOO and hydroxyl radical .OH, in a quantitative assay in the first or second peak concentration of AOS of a biphasic response, at a time t from damage, in which the response in terms of AOS production is linear to the bruising response.
3. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 or 2 wherein Active Oxygen Species comprises superoxide radical (.O2).
4. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3 which comprises detecting AOS generated and comparing to indicate damage or disease status, wherein quantitative assay is chemical or electrical and gives a colour or electric signal response which is graded by intensity of colour or magnitude of electronic signal.
5. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 4 wherein time t is 0.5 to 2 hours or 4.5 to 6 hours after exposure.
6. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5 which comprises detecting AOS in a second peak of bi-phasic response.
7. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 which is a method for detecting whether damage or disease has occurred, and comprises conducting the assay on the suspected site of damage or disease.
8. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6 which is a method for diagnosing the susceptibility of a potato tuber from the plant or crop to respond to damage or disease, and comprises in a first stage exposing a potato tuber from the plant or crop to damage or disease and in a second stage detecting AOS in a quantitative assay, at a time t after exposure.
9. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 8 wherein exposure is deliberate or incidental and is directly within the body of a potato tuber from the plant or crop or indirectly to a sample comprising tissue explant, core, slice or piece of the subcutaneous matter from the damage or disease site of a potato tuber from the plant or crop.
10. Method as claimed in any of claims 1 to 9 wherein exposure to damage or disease is direct and comprises deliberate or incidental exposure to mechanical impact, pressure, vibration or shock or exposure to disease substances, organisms, fungus, bacteria or virus by contact, injection or otherwise contamination.
11. Method as claimed in claim 10 wherein mechanical impact is deliberate and is a representative controlled impact energy.
12. Method as claimed in claims 1 to 11 wherein exposure to damage or disease is indirect and comprises exposure to damaged or diseased tissue or components thereof, or subjecting to conditions inducing tissue or cell damage or disease such as swelling, humidity, freezing and the like.
13. Method as claimed in claim 12 wherein damaged or diseased tissue is of the same or different potato variety, and is preferably a different variety.
14. Method as claimed in any of claims 10 to 13 wherein the stage of inducing damage directly in a potato tuber from the plant or crop or preparing damaged tissue for extract and indirect exposure of a potato tuber from the plant or crop comprises subjecting the tuber to impact at the site to be assayed as hereinbefore defined at intensity of impact in the energy (or work) range of 0.5 to 1.0 Joules.
15. Method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 14 wherein the stage of indirectly exposing to damage comprises contacting with part or the whole of an extract prepared from impacted tissue.
16. Method as claimed in claim 15 wherein an extract from tissues exposed to impact comprises excised tissues homogenised and centrifuged to give a clarified soluble extract, optionally further treated to isolate a particular component of the extract or to add additional components such as diffusion enhancers, skin digestants and the like.
17. Method as claimed in any of claims 15 and 16 wherein an extract comprises synthetically prepared equivalents of the damage tissue extract or derivatives or analogues thereof.
18. Method as claimed in any of claims 4 to 18 wherein chemical assay is by exposing to a potato tuber of the plant or crop to be assayed a chemical marker which is known to undergo visible or detectable change as a result of reaction with AOS.
19. Method as claimed in any of claims 4 to 18 wherein chemicals for use in a chemical assay include those of the tetrazolium class of dyes, preferably monotetrazolium dye which generates a charged, water-soluble formazan when reduced.
20. Method as claimed in any of claims 18 to 20 wherein quantification of chemical assay by intensity measurement is by spectrophotometry.
21. Method as claimed in claim 18 to 20 wherein a sample for assay is incubated for a period and assay is carried out at pH in the range 7 to 13, more preferably in the range 10 to 13.
22. Method as claimed in claim 20 wherein spectrophotometry is carried out at wave length in the range lamda450 nm to 650 nm.
23. A diagnostic reagent for use in the Method of any of claims 1 to 22 comprising an extract of damaged or diseased tissue of a potato tuber, or active component thereof, or synthetic equivalent or derivative thereof, optionally comprising additional components useful for aiding penetration or contact with a sample to be diagnosed wherein the extract comprises a natural or synthetic extract of the same or different potato plant or crop to that to be diagnosed.
24. Diagnostic reagent as claimed in claim 23 which comprises extract or component(s) in effective diagnostic amount.
25. Diagnostic reagent as claimed in claim 23 or 24 wherein the extract is of a different potato plant or crop which is found to have high diagnostic value.
26. Apparatus for detecting response to damage in a potato plant or crop; using the method as hereinbefore defined in any of claims 1 to 22; wherein the apparatus comprises an impactor to impose a controlled impact energy in the range 0.5 to 1.0 Joules to induce damage and to precisely locate the impact site for subsequent assay.
27. Apparatus as claimed in claim 26 which comprises means for excising a sample from the exposed site for subsequent assay for AOS.
28. Use of a method, reagent or apparatus as defined in any of claims 1 to 27 in detecting response to damage or disease in a potato plant or crop.
29. Kit for diagnosing susceptibility to response to damage or disease in a potato plant or crop using the method as hereinbefore defined in any of claims 1 to 22 comprising an apparatus as hereinbefore defined in claim 26, separate or integral chemical assay means, andor a diagnostic reagent as hereinbefore defined in any of claims 30 to 32, tissue extract reagents, assay reagents and buffers as required and means for colour grading a colour response from a chemical assay as hereinbefore defined in claim 4.
30. Method for modifying the growth or environmental conditions of a potato plant or crop which has been shown to produce a deleterious response to damage or disease by a method as hereinbefore defined in any of claims 1 to 22.
31. Method for selecting a variety of potato plant or crop which has been determined as resistant to damage or disease by a method as hereinbefore defined in any of claims 1 to 22 to an extent which is suitable for pre-determined growth or environmental or harvesting conditions.