Abstract: A video-type stereoscopic microscope is composed of a close-up optical system which emits object light rays from an object as parallel rays, a pair of zoom optical systems which converges the object light rays having passed through different parts of the close-up optical systems and a relay optical system which relays images formed by the respective zoom optical systems to a CCD. Zoom lens barrels which hold the respective zoom optical systems individually are fixed in a zoom housing such that the position thereof can be adjusted in the axial direction. This zoom housing is fixed in a casing of the stereoscopic microscope such that the position thereof can be adjusted in the direction of the optical axis of the close-up optical system.

Abstract: Right and left image taking optical systems are respectively composed of an objective optical system forming an image of an object, and a relay optical system relaying the image formed by the objective optical system on the corresponding region on the CCD. At the surface of the image formed through each of the objective optical system, a field stop is disposed to shield a region on the CCD that does not correspond to itself. Each of the field stops is embedded in a field stop frame. The field stop frame penetrates the corresponding field stop holder in the vertical direction and is rotatably held. Each of the field stop holders is movably supported by a base frame such that it can slide in a direction perpendicular to the optical axes of both of the objective optical systems.

Abstract: A method of making metallic iron includes heating a mixed powder containing iron oxide and a carbonaceous reducing agent on a hearth to reduce the iron oxide and melt the reduced iron. Preliminary molding of the mixed powder starting material into pellets is not required. The resulting metallic iron contains extremely low concentrations of slag ingredients, even when the mixed powder starting material contains only low concentrations of iron oxide.

Abstract: A water-cooled, two-stroke crankcase compression internal combustion engine for powering a motor vehicle. The engine includes a piston, piston rings, and cylinder bore arrangement that are constructed to inhibit piston ring sticking by cooling the piston ring gaps by holding them against rotation and spraying fuel from a fuel injector toward the gap for cooling it. Overheating of the small end of the connecting rod is inhibited by surface treating portions of the piston to render them harder and less heat conductive. Scuffing of the piston, piston rings, and cylinder bore are reduced by surface treating the area of the head of the piston around the ring grooves so as to trap and retain lubricant. The surface treatment includes the steps of utilizing an acid wash to dissolve and remove silicon particles and subsequently alumitc treating the washed area.

Abstract: The laser marking device comprises a laser source, an optical system for projecting a laser beam emitted from the laser source to form a laser spot on an object, a light distributing element that is disposed in an optical path of the optical system and includes at least one light distributing portion that distributes a part of the laser beam to form at least one static reference line on the object so that the laser spot is formed on the static reference line, a rotating mechanism that rotates at least a part of the optical system to form a dynamic reference on the object, and a switch for selecting between a rotation mode in which the rotating mechanism is activated and a stationary mode in which said rotating mechanism is not activated.

Abstract: A water-cooled, two-stroke crankcase compression internal combustion engine for powering a motor vehicle. The engine includes a piston, piston rings, and cylinder bore arrangement that are constructed to inhibit piston ring sticking by cooling the piston ring gaps by holding them against rotation and spraying fuel from a fuel injector toward the gap for cooling it. In addition, overheating of the small end of the connecting rod is inhibited by surface treating portions of the piston to render them harder and less heat conductive. Scuffing of the piston, piston rings, and cylinder bore are reduced by surface treating the area of the head of the piston around the ring grooves so as to trap and retain lubricant.

Abstract: A vortex flow blower used as an air source to be incorporated into general industrial machines. The vortex flow blower is characterized in that the shape of the blade in its impeller is three dimensionally formed such that at least the inner portion of the blade can be adapted to the three dimensional internal flow. According to the present invention, the aerodynamic performance can be significantly improved and the size of a vortex flow blower can be reduced. Furthermore, an impeller having three dimensionally shaped blades is manufactured by independently manufacturing the shroud and the blades and coupling them, so that the impeller of a complicated shape can be readily manufactured. Furthermore, since the blade can be made of a thin and light material, the secondary moment of inertia of the impeller can be reduced.

Abstract: A sheet guide mechanism is provided with a guide path along which a sheet-like member is guided and which is defined between one and the other guide surfaces. A stationary guide member has a first surface defining the one guide surface, and a movable guide member having a second surface defines the other guide surface, which is shiftable relative to the stationary guide member. Protrusions are formed on one of the first and second surfaces, protruding toward the other of the first and second surfaces by a predetermined distance. A shiftable member is shiftable relative to the stationary guide member between a guide position and a remote position. A spring is provided between the shiftable member and the movable guide member allowing the elastic contact between the protrusions and the other of the first and second surfaces, when the shiftable member is located in the guide position.

Abstract: A vortex flow blower used as an air source to be incorporated into general industrial machines. The vortex flow blower is characterized in that the shape of the blade in its impeller is three dimensionally formed such that at least the inner portion of the blade can be adapted to the three dimensional internal flow. According to the present invention, the aerodynamic performance can be significantly improved and the size of a vortex flow blower can be reduced. Furthermore, an impeller having three dimensionally shaped blades is manufactured by independently manufacturing the shroud and the blades and coupling them, so that the impeller of a complicated shape can be readily manufactured. Furthermore, since the blade can be made of a thin and light material, the secondary moment of inertia of the impeller can be reduced.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus is provided with an original separation mechanism which is disposed on a lower side of the inlet port of a feeding path. The original separation mechanism is pressed to an original pick-up roller, and is provided for separating one original, which contacts the original pick-up roller, from at least one following original. The original separation mechanism includes a unit body, and a friction member attached to the upper surface of a unit body, extending toward a downstream side of the feeding direction of the original so as to intersect the feed path at a predetermined angle, and having an upper surface with a prescribed friction coefficient. The original separation mechanism further includes a pair of supporting members attached to both sides of the unit body with respect to the friction member, and each formed of a spring material having an upper surface which extends so as to intersect the upper surface of the lower original guide member at a predetermined angle.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus is provided with a photoconductive drum including an outer peripheral surface on which a latent image corresponding to an image to be transferred is formed, and a developing device for developing the latent image by a toner. The electrophotographic apparatus further includes a housing for rotatably supporting the photoconductive drum therein and having an opening on one side, a cover member for releasably closing the opening of the housing, and a transfer charger which is attached to one surface of the cover member opposing to the photoconductive drum, and which is provided for transferring the developed image onto a sheet-like member. A pre-roller is attached to an upstream end of a housing which houses the transfer charger. The pre-roller and the photoconductive drum are positioned relative to each other so that a gap of predetermined dimension is defined therebetween.

Abstract: Several embodiments of two cycle crankcase compression internal combustion engines that include an arrangement for cooling and lubricating the small end of the connecting rod, the piston pin and the head of the piston. These systems include an opening that is formed in the side or skirt of the piston and which is aligned with a corresponding opening in the cylinder during at least a portion of the stroke of the piston for delivering air and/or lubricant to the interior of the piston.

Abstract: A vortex flow blower used as an air source to be incorporated into general industrial machines. The vortex flow blower is characterized in that the shape of the blade in its impeller is three dimensionally formed such that at least the inner portion of the blade can be adapted to the three dimensional internal flow. According to the present invention, the aerodynamic performance can be significantly improved and the size of a vortex flow blower can be reduced. Furthermore, an impeller having three dimensionally shaped blades is manufactured by independently manufacturing the shroud and the blades and coupling them, so that the impeller of a complicated shape can be readily manufactured. Furthermore, since the blade can be made of a thin and light material, the secondary moment of inertia of the impeller can be reduced.

Abstract: An electrophotographic apparatus is provided with a control device for controlling the heating temperature of the fixing unit in accordance with the detected result by use of a condition detection mechanism. The control device controls the fixing unit: (a) to set the heating temperature thereof to a fixing possible temperature when the condition detection device detects that the imaging operation of the imaging device is initiated or has been continuing, (b) to set the heating temperature to a stand-by temperature lower than the fixing possible temperature when the condition detection device detects that a stand-by condition, in which the imaging operation is interrupted, continues for a first predetermined time, and (c) to set the heating temperature to a save-energy temperature, lower that the stand-by temperature, when the condition detection device detects that the stand-by condition has been continuing for a second predetermined time.

Abstract: A vortex flow blower including a blower casing having an annular flow passageway extending from an inlet port for receiving fluid to an outlet port for discharging the fluid, the outlet port being disposed adjacent to the inlet port, and an impeller accommodated in the blower casing for producing a vortex flow of the fluid in the annular flow passageway.

Abstract: Continuous analytic transform functions implemented optically in U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,245 are instead implemented electronically and in real-time. An improved scheme is disclosed where the range of amplitudes of the monochromatic signal input is divided into n sections and constant, linear or sinusoidal transform functions are utilized in each section for transforming the monochromatic video input to three pseudocolor video signals. Even complex transform functions can be implemented by simple transform functions in each of the sections to reduce the overall complexity of the implementing circuit. The television camera, a pseudocolor encoder and a liquid crystal television monitor are placed within the same housing to form a portable hand-held unit. The weight and size of the unit can be reduced as a result of the simple electronic implementation of the encoder.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method and apparatus for measuring particles in a fluid by irradiating the fluid containing the particle with a laser beam and analyzing the laser light scattered by the particle to determine the characteristics of the particle. An elliptical laser beam is projected into a particle detection area in which the particles to be measured are caused to flow. The laser light scattered by the particle is received for photoelectric conversion into a time-series photoelectric signal in a direction along which the particle flows. The photoelectric signal is subjected to a moving average process to determine a time width during which the signal exceeds a predetermined level to cause the change in intensity of the scattered light. This change is recognized as a change in intensity caused by the passage of the particle through the particle detection area when the time width falls within a certain range.

Abstract: A ball joint for use in motor vehicles comprises a bearing member (7) made of a plastic material and disposed between a joint housing (1) made of a plastic material and a ball head (3). The bearing member has projections (10) on its outer surface that engage undercuts (11) on the inner wall of the joint housing. The joint housing (1) is simple to produce. The bearing member (7) is prevented from rotation with the ball head. To this end, the undercuts (11) are formed as circumferentially extending boundary walls of axially extending grooves (13) which open at one end (14) of the joint housing (1). The projections (10) on the outer surface of the bearing member (7) engage the circumferentially extending boundary walls of the grooves (13) and the radially extending side walls thereof.

Abstract: A ball joint for transmission rods in motor vehicles comprising a bearing member made of a plastic material and arranged between a ball head (2) and a joint housing (1). The bearing member exerts a radial pressure on the ball head and comprises an outer shell (4) having a spherical inner surface (16) and an inner shell (5) having a spherical inner surface (17). To preload the ball head (2), as independently as possible of dimension variations and to elastically damp shock loads, the outer shell (4) is made of a hard resilient plastic material, the inner shell has stop surfaces (21) on an end surface (18) thereof, is supported by resiliently deformable elevations (19) against the outer shell, and groove-like openings (20) are formed between the resiliently deformable elevations (19) and the stop surfaces (21), into which openings the elevations (19) are elastically deformed. The stop surfaces (21) contact the outer shell (4) when the elevations (19) are completely deformed into the openings (20).