Abstract: An actuator has a motor and a wave gear reduction drive in which a wave generator is coaxially connected to an output shaft protruding forward from a front surface thereof. A shaft portion of the output shaft coaxially extends through inside a cylindrical trunk in the flexible internal gear of the wave gear reduction drive, and a magnetic encoder for detecting the rotation of the output shaft is mounted on the shaft portion. Since the dead space inside the cylindrical trunk is used as the space for disposing the magnetic encoder, an entire length can be reduced in comparison with an actuator in which the motor, the wave gear reduction drive, and the encoder are arranged in the axial direction.

Abstract: An articulated finger unit has a two-jointed structure comprising a joint portion on a finger base side, a finger base portion, a joint portion on a fingertip side, and a fingertip portion; the joint portion on the finger base side has a drive-side bevel gear fixed to a rotational output shaft of an actuator, a driven-side bevel gear coaxially fixed to a joint portion that is perpendicular to the rotational output shaft, and a connecting member wherein an annular boss is fixed to the driven-side bevel gear and wherein a tip portion extends in a fork shape; and a cover on the finger base side is connected to the connecting member. A rotation of the rotational output shaft is converted to rotational movement of the joint shaft by way of a pair of bevel gears, and the connecting member fixed to the joint shaft turns right and left at an angle of 90° or more about the joint shaft. The finger unit suitable for use in a robot hand that moves at high speed and with precision can be realized.

Abstract: An actuator has a motor and a wave gear reduction drive in which a wave generator is coaxially connected to an output shaft protruding forward from a front surface thereof. A shaft portion of the output shaft coaxially extends through inside a cylindrical trunk in the flexible internal gear of the wave gear reduction drive, and a magnetic encoder for detecting the rotation of the output shaft is mounted on the shaft portion. Since the dead space inside the cylindrical trunk is used as the space for disposing the magnetic encoder, an entire length can be reduced in comparison with an actuator in which the motor, the wave gear reduction drive, and the encoder are arranged in the axial direction.

Abstract: An articulated finger unit has a two-jointed structure comprising a joint portion on a finger base side, a finger base portion, a joint portion on a fingertip side, and a fingertip portion; the joint portion on the finger base side has a drive-side bevel gear fixed to a rotational output shaft of an actuator, a driven-side bevel gear coaxially fixed to a joint portion that is perpendicular to the rotational output shaft, and a connecting member wherein an annular boss is fixed to the driven-side bevel gear and wherein a tip portion extends in a fork shape; and a cover on the finger base side is connected to the connecting member. A rotation of the rotational output shaft is converted to rotational movement of the joint shaft by way of a pair of bevel gears, and the connecting member fixed to the joint shaft turns right and left at an angle of 900 or more about the joint shaft. The finger unit suitable for use in a robot hand that moves at high speed and with precision can be realized.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a winding assembly of a concentrated winding motor, bobbinless coil assemblies 1 are produced in a manner that their shapes are nearly identical to winding slots 4 in a stator core 3 of a motor. The bobbinless coil windings 1 are insulated on their surfaces by coating with an insulating film 2. The bobbinless coil windings 1, whose surfaces have been insulated, are inserted into the winding slots 4 in the stator core 3 of the concentrated winding motor and bonded in place. The method allows coil windings to be mounted in the winding slots without using a bobbin or insulator, and allows their surfaces to be insulated with little need for space.

Abstract: An optical amplifier amplifies and outputs wavelength multiplexed signal lights and a pilot light. The pilot light has a wavelength different from that of the wavelength multiplexed signal lights and a low frequency Tone signal is superposed thereon. The amplified lights are converted into electric signals, and then a Tone signal is selected. A controlling circuit controls an excitation light so that level of the Tone signal will be fixed. A pilot light generating circuit outputs a pilot light having a Tone signal of a constantly fixed level superposed thereon.

Abstract: In an output port switching device in an N-WDM system, plural ports are switched by a change-over switch 18, and a backup light source path 19 linked to the change-over switch 18 has a wavelength-variable light source 23. A first multiplexer 14 wavelength-multiplexes plural optical signals output from the plural ports, and a trouble-occurring port monitoring mechanism portion 17 monitors occurrence of a trouble on the basis of an optical signal split from the output optical signal. The change-over switch 18 selects and switches an optical signal to which the trouble is detected, and the backup light source path 19 is controlled so that the wavelength thereof is substantially coincident with the wavelength of the optical signal to which the trouble is detected, and the optical signal thus controlled and the output optical signals of the first multiplexer are multiplexed by a second multiplexer 15.

Abstract: In an optical line repeater, a gain-controlled optical amplifier provides amplification of a wavelength division multiplex (WDM) signal from an incoming optical transmission link to compensate for signal attenuation. The amplified WDM signal is split into first and second replicas and the first replica is forwarded onto an outgoing optical transmission link. The second replica is used to determine the number of wavelength components actually multiplexed in the amplified WDM signal. A reference voltage is produced corresponding to the determined number of wavelength components. The difference between the reference voltage and the intensity of the amplified WDM signal is then detected and the gain of the optical amplifier is controlled with the detected difference so that the difference reduces to a minimum. The reference voltage automatically varies with the number of actually transmitted wavelength components to maintain the output power of each wavelength component constant.