Abstract: The invention relates to a depilation apparatus, comprising a housing which accommodates a pinching member for consecutively pinching hairs growing from human skin and twisting the pinched hairs about their longitudinal axes.According to the invention, the pinching member holds the pinched hairs in a substantially constant position relative to the housing while twisting the hairs. In this manner, the pinching member does not pull at the hairs and, therefore, does not cause any pain while twisting the hairs. The hairs are twisted by the pinching member until the adhesion between the hairs and the skin tissue is broken or until the hairs are broken beneath the skin surface. After having been twisted in this manner, the hairs can be removed from the skin substantially without pain.

Abstract: A vacuum cleaner, has a housing and a suction motor, arranged in the housing. When in operation, the motor draws in air via a suction opening and discharges the air via at least one outlet opening in the housing. A dust chamber in the housing collects dust entrained by the drawn-in-air when the vacuum cleaner is in operation. An odor filter is arranged in the housing downstream of the dust chamber. The odor filter includes a unit which temporarily prolongs the residence time of air drawn through the odor filter, in the odor filter during an odor suppression cycle.

Abstract: A depilation method whereby hairs are gripped and pulled from the skin by means of a depilation member. Immediately prior to depilation, a vibration member is brought into contact with the skin to be depilated, which member exerts forces of varying intensity on the skin whereby the nerve function in the skin is affected.

Abstract: A depilator is provided comprising a housing which includes a skin-following surface for the skin to be depilated and at least one drivable hair pulling element rotatably mounted in the housing, the axis of the element being directed perpendicular to the skin-following surface. A first hair pulling element is arranged annularly while a second hair pulling element adjoins the inside wall of the first hair pulling element.

Abstract: In a device where a load (R.sub.1) is powered by a battery (6), if a detection means (10) detects a battery voltage below a first threshold value (V.sub.1) defined by an adjustable voltage source (20), a first time-measurement means (40, 50) measure the time interval during which the load 6 is powered by the battery (6), at a voltage below the first threshold value. If subsequently, the load is switched off and is not connected to the AC supply voltage via a power-supply circuit (1), the battery is discharged by a discharger (30). Second time-measurement means (40, 60) measure the time interval during which the discharger is operative until the detection means detect a battery voltage below a second threshold value (V.sub.2), which is defined by a voltage source (25) and at which the battery may be regarded as fully discharged or drained.

Abstract: A motor-compressor unit comprises a motor including a magnetizable stator; an armature oscillatable about the motor shaft axis; two coils arranged opposite each other on the stator; and a magnetizable core extending between the coils. The stator has opposed sections spaced from each other and arranged to define air gaps between such stator sections and the core at the end faces of the coils remote from each other, such air gaps being concentric about the motor shaft axis. A permanent magnet is disposed between each stator section and the core, a pole of each magnet facing the core. A plurality of pole elements is associated with the armature and is arranged such that oscillation of the armature causes one pole element to move into its respective air gap and another pole element to move out of its respective air gap.

Abstract: A flyback converter for charging a battery (6) from different input voltages in which, during the forward interval, a linearly increasing current flows through a transformer primary winding (n.sub.1). The current is turned off by a first switch (S.sub.1) at a value dictated by switching means (3). During the flyback interval the energy stored in the transformer (T.sub.r) is supplied to the battery as a charging current via the secondary winding (n.sub.2) and a diode (D.sub.1). The voltage pulses appearing across the secondary winding during the forward intervals are applied to an integrator (11) via a third switch (S.sub.3). The integrator intergrates these voltage pulses. If the output voltage of the integrator (11) exceeds a first threshold value a threshold circuit (12) is activated and turns on a second switch (S.sub.2) to disable the flyback converter.

Abstract: A pivotally oscillating motor having magnetizable armature pole elements arranged to cooperate with respective air gaps. Alternating current through a stator coil aids to the permanent magnet flux through one air gap while it reduces that in another air gap, so that alternately one or the other pole element is pivotally attracted into its respective air gap.

Abstract: A device for exchanging masks used in the photolithographic treatment of semiconductor devices comprises a rotatable disk (1), on which supporting places for a number of masks (5,6) are present, which disk can be arranged by rotation in a position in which one of the mask supporting places is in a position desired for photolithographic treatment, said position can be determined by means of a detector (19), which, after a position-servo-system has been switched into circuit, supplies a detector signal to this system and thus controls the adjustment of the disk. For rotation of the disk (1), two electromagnetic movement systems (7,13; 8,14) are present each comprising a magnet and a coil, wherein either the pair of magnets or the pair of coils is fixedly arranged and the other pair is provided on the turntable and is rotatable therewith, a current connection for the coils being present to supply a constant current to the coils.