Abstract: A conical shaped bicycle cassette has a unitary sprocket assembly. Each annular portion of an individual sprocket is mechanically supported either from a back of the sprocket, in an axial direction toward a bicycle hub or from an inner radial direction toward a centerline axis of the bicycle cassette and hub. The axial support zones and radial support zones are alternated around a circumference of the sprocket so that an entirety of the sprocket is supported in either the axial direction or the radial direction. In this way, the chain driving loads on the cassette are spread throughout the entire cassette and the areas of highly localized stress from the cassette are removed.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing aggregate material includes a chassis, a trough mounted on the chassis at an inclined angle, and at least one shaft rotatably mounted within the trough and extending from a lower to an upper end of the trough. The at least one shaft has blades mounted thereon, the blades being angled so that they carry material within the trough towards the upper end of the trough when the at least one shaft is in a normal direction of rotation. A discharge opening is formed in a base of the trough adjacent the upper end of the trough, a weir being provided in the trough upstream of the discharge opening over which processed material must pass to reach the discharge opening.

Abstract: A touchless food dispenser. The touchless food dispenser includes one or more packets of food stored therein. The touchless food dispenser also includes one or more apertures. The touchless food dispenser is configured to dispense the food through the one or more apertures.

Abstract: This invention relates to an inverted up-flow separator, its use in a method of recovering target mineral particles from tailings and a process for the recovery of target mineral particles from tailings using the inverted up-flow separator of the invention.

Abstract: A method of separating a shell from a seed may involve introducing a feed stream containing shells of a fruit intermixed with seeds of the fruit into a separation column at a feed stream location. The method may also involve introducing a first volume of a separation liquid into the separation column at a first liquid addition location located below the feed stream location and a second volume of the separation liquid into the separation column at a second liquid addition location located above feed stream location. The separation liquid may flow upwardly in the separation column at a rate effective to cause the seeds of the fruit to flow upwardly with the separation liquid toward a seed outlet of the separation column while the shells of the fruit flow downwardly against the upwardly flowing separation liquid toward a shell outlet of the separation column.

Abstract: In batchwise operation, the granulate grains (4) are filled into the dedusting container (9), which has no closure element at the lower granule outlet opening (25) and in which the whirling nozzles (31) for introducing compressed air are arranged in a lower cone (28), and—in particular depending on the filling level in the intermediate container (14) below—are filled into the dedusting container (9) either dropped downwards without counterflow (32), dedusting being effected by conveying out the introduced air, optionally due to the negative pressure at the upper air outlet opening, whereby only freely suspended dust particles are sucked off or already during the filling process a counterflow (32) is introduced, which partially does not allow the filled granulate grains (4) to fall through the granulate outlet opening (25) but holds them quasi floating at the level of the lower third or lower quarter of the dedusting container (9).

Abstract: A vending machine includes two horizontal lead screws, a vertical lead screw, first and second motors, a shelf, a delivery cup, and a delivery area. The first and second motors drive the horizontal lead screws and the vertical lead screw, respectively. The vertical lead screw moves horizontally along the horizontal lead screws. The shelf contains a product and has a movable gate to hold the product on the shelf. The delivery cup moves vertically along the vertical lead screw and has a solenoid and a plunger. The solenoid activates the plunger, which opens the gate to dispense the product onto the delivery cup. An outer door of the delivery area isolates the delivery area from outside the vending machine when closed and provides access to the product from outside the vending machine when open. A mechanical interaction between the delivery cup and the delivery area opens the outer door.

Abstract: Article transport vehicles have, as operation states, a first state of traveling toward a transport destination that is a destination set for receiving an article or delivering an article, and a second state in which a transport destination has not been set. A controller divides the entirety of a travelable route into a plurality of set areas and executes imbalance reduction control to arrange standby transport vehicles such that imbalance of the densities of standby transport vehicles present in the areas is within a predetermined range, the standby transport vehicles being article transport vehicles in the second state.

Abstract: Conveyor arrangement including a first conveying section having first rollers, a second conveying section having second rollers, the second conveying section being arranged adjacent to the first conveying section, so that an object can be transferred between the conveying section by rolling along the first and second rollers, a mobile drive movable along different positions along the first conveying section and adapted to temporarily provide a drive power to a selected first roller depending on the position of the movable drive; wherein the movable drive is prevented to get into the second conveying section, characterized in that the conveying arrangement comprises a drive line for providing a drive power at least indirectly from the movable drive to the second rollers when the movable drive is located at a, in particular first end position, in the first conveying section adjacent to the second conveying section.

Abstract: A chain guide includes a contact guide portion that comes into contact with a chain and guides the chain, and a vibration control portion having a zero-touch surface extending along a travel line of the chain.

Abstract: A method for dilution for a pressure screen comprising a rotor rotating inside a screen a distance to the screen, includes supplying feeding stock into a screening zone formed in the spacing between the rotor and the screen with some of the feeding stock passing through the screen into an accept area to become accept, and the remaining feeding stock discharged into a reject area as reject flow. The amount of the dilution water added into the reject flow is 0.8 to 3.5 times the amount of the reject flow by volume. Additionally, a pressure screen comprises a dilution water adding apparatus adapted to add dilution water directly into the reject area of the pressure screen, wherein the amount of the dilution water added into the reject flow is 0.8 to 3.5 times of the amount of the reject flow by volume.

Abstract: A bicycle rear-wheel sprocket pairing for engaging in a meshing, force-transmitting and form-fitting manner with a bicycle roller chain, wherein the rear-wheel sprocket pairing is rotatable about a sprocket axis. The sprocket axis defines an axial direction running along the sprocket axis, a radial direction running so as to be orthogonal to the sprocket axis, and a circumferential direction encircling the sprocket axis. The rear-wheel sprocket pairing comprises a larger sprocket and a smaller sprocket which for rotating conjointly with the larger sprocket in a slip-free manner about the sprocket axis is connected to the larger sprocket so as to be coaxial with and axially directly adjacent to the latter. The larger sprocket has an even tooth count of equal to or less than twenty-two teeth, and the difference in the tooth count between the larger and the smaller sprocket is exactly two teeth.

Abstract: A system includes a longitudinal rack storing a plurality of items, a shoe movably attached to the rack, a magnet coupled to the shoe and a longitudinal circuit board arranged along the length of the rack. The circuit board includes an array of sensors along the length of the rack, wherein spacing between each pair of sensors equals a thickness of an item stored in the rack. Each sensor generates a voltage value depending on a position of the magnet in relation to the sensor. The circuit board further includes a memory storing voltage values generated by the sensors, and a processor configured to monitor voltage values generated by the sensors, detect that a particular sensor has generated a maximum voltage value and determine a number of items stored in the rack based on a particular number of items corresponding to the particular sensor.

Abstract: A method, system and apparatus for anti-sorting particles is disclosed. In an example embodiment, particles move in a fluid along a microfluidic channel. A measurement device determines which particles are selected or desired particles by measuring a desired characteristic of the particles and outputting an associated signal. The energy source continuously imparts a force on unselected or undesired particles in a deflection region of the microfluidic channel to remove the unselected or undesired particles from the stream of particles. Based upon the signal outputted by the measurement device, the energy source is controlled to reduce or eliminate the force on selected particles such that the selected particles flow on a natural or expected flow path to a collection area such as an output channel. By avoiding application of force to desired particles, the anti-sorting systems and methods can improve viability and other characteristics of the desired particles.

Abstract: Automated system and method wherein the color of each core is detected and distinguished before the core is covered, and any core having a non-conforming core color is rejected and released/removed/eliminated from further processing.

Abstract: A bicycle rear derailleur includes a base element including a first attachment end for coaxial installation on a rear-wheel axis and a second attachment end, a movable element movable relative to the base element, a linkage mechanism connecting the movable element to the base element, and a chain guide arrangement rotatably connected to the movable element. The second attachment end is coupled to the linkage mechanism. The first attachment end includes a first arm and a second arm, which are spaced apart in an axial direction with respect to the rear-wheel axis. The base element includes an angular position adjustment structure that adjusts an angular position of the derailleur relative to a bicycle frame by rotating the first arm and the second arm about the rear-wheel axis. The angular position adjustment structure is disposed between the first and second attachment ends in a radial direction of the rear-wheel axis.

Abstract: A product dispensing apparatus for dispensing hygiene products. The product dispensing apparatus includes a housing having a back portion, a side portion coupled to the back portion, and a housing door movably coupled to the side portion. A product container is configured to hold a plurality of the hygiene products wherein the product container includes a support wall and side walls coupled to the support wall. The product container is rotatably coupled to the housing, and the product container is rotatable between a loading position and a dispensing position with respect to the housing. A product door is rotatably coupled to the product container and a trigger assembly is supported by the product container. A product delivery tray is rotatably supported by the side walls of the product container and extends through a slot in the support wall during rotation of the product delivery tray.

Abstract: Apparatuses, method and computer program products for automatically performing sorting operations are disclosed herein. An example apparatus may comprise: an array of gripping elements, and at least one processing component configured to: obtain image data corresponding with the plurality of items; identify, from the image data, one or more characteristics of the plurality of items; determine, based at least in part on the one or more characteristics, an ordered sequence corresponding with the plurality of items; and generate a control indication to cause at least one of the gripping elements to perform the sorting operations based at least in part on the ordered sequence.

Abstract: A continuously variable transmission includes: a CVT mechanism including a driving pulley, a driven pulley, an annular belt wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and a centrifugal fan blade disposed at the driving pulley; and a CVT case that defines an internal space accommodating the CVT mechanism. An inner surface of the CVT case includes: a peripheral surface portion that covers the CVT mechanism from an outer side in a radial direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the driving pulley; and a guide surface portion that projects toward an inner side in the radial direction from the peripheral surface portion.

Abstract: A conveyor belt includes: —a support structure; —a mobile belt; —a plurality of rollers, which are associated to the support structure and are suitable to support and move the belt along a closed path. The plurality of rollers includes a drive roller and at least three idler rollers. Two rollers are supported directly by the support structure, while two rollers are supported by a mobile frame, which is slidingly associated to the support structure to be moved between a retracted position, in which a roller arranged at the second end is positioned completely inside the support structure, and an extracted position, in which the roller protrudes outside the support structure. In the transition between the two positions, the length of the useful conveyor area of the belt varies and is compensated by an equivalent variation in length of another portion of the closed path.