Abstract: In the case of a reciprocating pump for a high pressure cleaning appliance including a pump housing in which there is disposed at least one pumping chamber having an inlet valve, an outlet valve and a reciprocating piston that projects thereinto in sealed manner, said pump housing comprising a pump block and a pump head which abut closely together at a interface, wherein the pumping chambers and/or the connecting conduits penetrate the interface in sealed manner and, in the region of the interface, accommodate inserts that are insertable into the pumping chambers and/or the connecting conduits from the interface, said inserts being fixed between the pump block and the pump head when in their inserted position, it is proposed that the whole construction be simplified by making the inserts themselves and the region of the pumping chambers and the connecting conduits in which the inserts are accommodated out of a thermally softenable synthetic material, and by connecting the inserts to the wall of the pumping ch

Abstract: A process for conveying vehicle bodies through a treatment tank for the surface treatment of the vehicle bodies, where the liquid of the treatment tank offers only a slight immersion resistance to the vehicle bodies during immersion and the flow velocities of the liquid relative to the submerging and emerging vehicle bodies are kept low. Prior to their introduction into the treatment tank the vehicle bodies are transferred from a standard position, in which window openings of each vehicle body are arranged above the floor pan of the vehicle body, into a headfirst position, in which the window openings of each vehicle body are arranged beneath the floor pan of the vehicle body. The vehicle bodies are subsequently introduced into the treatment tank in the headfirst position, conveyed through the treatment tank and brought out of the treatment tank again in the headfirst position.

Abstract: In order to create a process for using solar energy in a gas and steam power station, which incorporates a gas turbine circuit and a steam turbine circuit for converting thermal energy into mechanical work, whereby a compressed gaseous heat carrier which has been heated is fed to a gas turbine in the gas turbine circuit and waste gases from the gas turbine are used to generate steam, which is fed to a steam turbine in the steam turbine circuit, and whereby this process has a high efficiency rate for converting thermal energy into mechanical work and makes optimum use of the solar energy, it is proposed that thermal energy be supplied to the heat carrier in the gas turbine circuit by means of solar radiation.

Abstract: An efficient chroma key-based coding technique for digital video with an optimized switching threshold. An optimized binary keying threshold is provided for switching between a first image region (such as a background region) and second image region (such as a foreground object) video picture. The threshold optimizes a PSNR of a quantization error Q of a key color K. A chroma key technique is also provided for representing the shape of a video object, where the shape information (alpha plane) of a foreground object is embedded in the keyed output, so there is no need to carry an explicit alpha plane, or use alpha plane coding. The chroma key shape representation technique provides a smooth transition at the boundary between objects without the need for special switching patterns, such as a general gray scale shape coding tool, or post-processing, e.g., using feathering filters.

Abstract: A trailer coupling for motor vehicles, in particular passenger vehicles, has a coupling ball and a ball neck. One end region of the neck is angled and bears the coupling ball. Using a drive motor, the ball neck is movable with the coupling ball from an operative position into a rest position, and vice versa. To operate as safely as possible, a control (e.g., interlock) is provided for operating the drive to allow either movement of the ball neck, or traveling of the motor vehicle, but not both at the same time.