Abstract: An elongated device, e.g. an interventional guide wire or catheter, comprises an optical fiber (OF) arranged to allow transmission of light to phase change material (PCM) arranged long the elongated device, for optically heating the phase change material (PCM) to change its stiffness from one stiffness value to a different stiffness value. Using distributed tilted or blazed Bragg gratings with light wavelength dependent unique grating periods along the optical fiber, it is possible to provide a guide wire or catheter which can be stiffness controlled at selected longitudinal portions. Especially, it may be preferred to be able to control the behavior of the tip of a guide wire or catheter for optimal navigation, e.g. during a FEVAR procedure. Portions of phase change material (PCM-1, PCM 2) arranged inside a tube material T_M can be activated at selected longitudinal parts of the elongated device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a consumable recognition system for recognizing placement and/or type of consumable containing a food substance for the preparation of a beverage by use of a beverage dispenser. To enable the recognition of placement and/or type of consumable in a simple, foolproof and easily implementable way an embodiment of the system comprises a light source (31, 301, 311, 321, 331, 341) for emitting light (35) to the consumable (4a, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90), a light sensor (32 302, 312, 322, 332, 342) for sensing light (36) reflected from a reflection element (42, 52, 63, 73, 83, 93) of the consumable to obtain a sensor signal, wherein the sensor signal depends on the position, orientation, fluorescence, phosphorescence and/or polarization characteristic of said reflection element, and a signal processor (33) for recognizing placement and/or type of consumable based on said sensor signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a set of consumables comprising at least two consumables for use in a beverage dispenser for preparation of a beverage. To enable the recognition of placement and/or type of consumable in a simple, foolproof and easily implementable way each consumable (4, 40, 50, 60) of said set comprises a filtering body (41) defining a space containing a food substance, from which the beverage is obtained by use of liquid, and a recognition element (42) representing a surface of the filtering body facing a plurality of nozzles of the beverage dispenser for recognizing the type of consumable, said plurality of nozzles being provided for providing a flow of liquid through the consumable. The recognition element (42) has a mechanical property, which is recognizable and/or interpretable by the beverage dispenser by obtaining a sensor signal by sensing a flow characteristic of the flow of liquid, when the flow of liquid through the consumable is started by the plurality of nozzles.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a consumable recognition system for recognizing placement and/or type of consumable containing a food substance for the preparation of a beverage by use of a beverage dispenser. To enable the recognition of placement and/or type of consumable in a simple, foolproof and easily implementable way the system comprises a plurality of magnetic and/or electric field elements (31, 32, 33, 301) for separately sensing a magnetic and/or electric field, wherein said consumable comprises one or more magnetically and/or electrically conductive elements (42, 51, 61, 71, 81, 82, 91, 92) and the sensed magnetic fields depend on at least one characteristic of the one or more magnetically and/or electrically conductive elements, a driver (34) for providing drive currents to said magnetic and/or electric field elements, and a signal processor (35) for recognizing placement and/or type of consumable based on the sensed magnetic and/or electric fields.

Abstract: The invention relates to an interventional system (1) for performing an interventional procedure. An interventional instrument (5) like a catheter comprises a bendable portion (12), which is bendable by a bending element (11), and an OSS fiber (10) for generating OSS signals being indicative of the degree of bending of the bendable portion. The actual degree of bending of the bendable portion is determined based on the generated OSS signals and the bending element is controlled depending on the actual determined degree of bending. By using OSS, the actual real degree of bending of the bendable portion of the interventional instrument can very accurately be determined. Moreover, since the bending element is controlled based on this very accurately determined degree of bending, the control of the bending element and, thus, of the interventional instrument can be very accurately.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tube (2) and a steerable introduction element like a catheter, an endoscope or a sheath comprising the tube. The tube comprises a composite material including a shape memory alloy material (12) and a non-shape-memory polymer material (22). The tube is used for making the introduction element steerable in a relatively easy way by modifying the temperature of the tube as required for achieving a preferred bending of the introduction element. By using this steering mechanism the introduction element can be positioned relatively accurately, because the composite material includes a non-shape-memory polymer material, which is more stable than, for instance, a shape-memory polymer material and which may be optimized for other properties like hardness, stiffness, et cetera. Furthermore, using the tube for steering an introduction element can lead to cost reductions and can enable miniaturization.

Abstract: A ceramic burner, a ceramic metal halide lamp, and a method of sealing the ceramic burner is provided. The ceramic burner comprises a discharge vessel enclosing a discharge space that is provided with an ionizable filling comprising one or more halides. The discharge vessel comprises a ceramic wall arranged between a first and a second end portion. The first and the second end portion are arranged such that current supply conductors are passed through the end portions to respective electrodes arranged in the discharge space for maintaining a discharge. The ceramic wall of the discharge vessel comprises a tube for introducing the ionizable filling into the discharge vessel during manufacture of the ceramic burner. The tube projects from the ceramic wall and is provided with a gastight seal. The effect of using the tube is that it enables the gastight seal to be arranged away from the ceramic wall of the discharge vessel at a projecting end of the tube.

Abstract: A high-pressure discharge lamp and a reflector lamp including a discharge vessel enclosing a discharge space which is provided with an ionizable filling comprising one or more halides. The discharge vessel is substantially constituted by a ceramic material having first and second end portions. Current-supply conductors issue through each end portion to respective electrodes arranged in the discharge space so as to maintain a discharge. At least one of the current-supply conductors is formed as a rod including iridium. The rod is directly sealed to the ceramic material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a ceramic burner (16), a ceramic metal halide lamp, and a method of sealing the ceramic burner. The ceramic burner comprises a discharge vessel (22) enclosing a discharge space (24) that is provided with an ionizable filling comprising one or more halides. The discharge vessel comprises a ceramic wall (30) arranged between a first and a second end portion (41, 42). The first and the second end portion are arranged such that current supply conductors (51, 52) are passed through the end portions to respective electrodes (53, 54) arranged in the discharge space for maintaining a discharge. The ceramic wall of the discharge vessel comprises a tube (66) for introducing the ionizable filling into the discharge vessel during manufacture of the ceramic burner. The tube projectes from the ceramic wall and is provided with a gastight seal (76).

Abstract: The invention relates to a high-pressure discharge lamp (12), and a reflector lamp. The high-pressure discharge lamp has a discharge vessel (22, 61) enclosing a discharge space (24) which is provided with an ionizable filling comprising one or more halides. The discharge vessel is substantially constituted by a ceramic material (51, 52) having first and second end portions (33, 34). Current-supply conductors (44) issue through each end portion to respective electrodes (42) arranged in the discharge space (24) so as to maintain a discharge. At least one of the current-supply conductors is formed as a rod (44) comprising iridium. The rod is directly sealed to the ceramic material. Use of the iridium rod which is directly sealed to the ceramic material has the effect that the interface between the rod and the ceramic material is strong and substantially free from cracks, resulting in a longer lifetime of the high-pressure discharge lamp.

Abstract: One of the process steps in the manufacturing process of shadow masks (13) for color display tubes (1) is blackening. In this process step, the shadow mask (13) is heated for example to a temperature of at least 600° C. in a furnace in a gentle oxidative atmosphere of a mixture of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. Under these conditions the shadow mask (13) is covered with a layer of Fe3O4, also referred to as ‘black rust’. After this the shadow mask (13) is cooled down. The invention describes a new blackening process which has a much higher cooling rate than usual. In the present-day process, a cooling rate of 50° C./min (21) is used; this invention discloses a cooling rate of at least 500° C./min (22) or even more. This results in an improvement by at least 20% of the thermal expansion coefficient, leading to a color display tube (1) with a shadow mask (13) having a higher mechanical stability and hence to an increased picture performance.