Abstract: Provided are a busbar unit and a method of manufacturing thereof configured to prevent an increase in resistance at a connection portion therebetween, to provide a good connection condition, and to easily achieve even a complicated wiring structure, in the case of connecting between a busbar and a pre-welded member (a terminal, another busbar, or the like) made of a metal material different from that of the busbar. A busbar unit includes a busbar made of a first metal material, and a welded member made of a second metal material to be connected to an end portion of the busbar. A welded portion between the end portion of the busbar and the welded member is configured by pressure welding between end surfaces butted against each other.

Abstract: A coil unit and a manufacturing method of the same are provided which simplify the connection structure at the end portion of a coil to reduce the size of a stator, and minimize the work environment (equipment and work regions) when mounting the coil on the stator, and make it possible to perform efficient mounting work. A terminals-welded coil unit includes a coil made of a first metal material, and a terminal made of a second metal material connected to an end portion of the coil. A welded portion between the end portion of the coil and the terminal is configured by pressure welding with end surfaces butted against each other.

Abstract: In some embodiments, a method can include retrieving, from a data management server, a public key associated with a relying party. The method can further include encrypting and using the public key, a user profile data to define encrypted user profile data. The method can further include transmitting, via the data management server, the encrypted user profile data to a compute device associated with the relying party that (1) decrypts the encrypted user profile data using a private key corresponding to the public key to define decrypted user profile data, (2) generates a hash value of the decrypted user profile data, and (3) compares the hash value of the decrypted user profile data and a hash value of the user profile data stored in a distributed database to determine integrity of the decrypted user profile data.

Abstract: The coil manufacturing apparatus includes: a bending device configured to bend each of a plurality of flat conductors; and a welding device configured to weld the plurality of flat conductors. The bending device is a unit configured to bend each of the flat conductors before being supplied to the welding device. The welding device includes a first holding portion and a second holding portion disposed facing each other, and a driving portion configured to move the first holding portion and the second holding portion. The helical structure body is formed by pressing end faces of the one flat conductor and the another flat conductor against each other along a strip longitudinal direction and joining the flat conductors through pressure welding while reducing a distance in the strip longitudinal direction. The coil manufacturing apparatus includes a removing device configured to remove an unwanted portion of the flat conductors generated by welding.

Abstract: There are provided a coil unit, a stator member, a motor, and methods of manufacturing these, configured to achieve downsizing and simplified manufacturing steps. The coil unit includes a coil, and a bus bar including a connection end portion to which the coil is connected. One end of the coil and the connection end portion are welded by cold pressure welding with end faces of them being butted in a welded portion.

Abstract: The cold pressure welding apparatus includes a first holding part capable of sandwiching a first flat conductor, a second holding part disposed opposite to the first holding part and capable of sandwiching a second flat conductor, and a drive part for moving the first holding part and the second holding part. The drive part can move the first holding part and the second holding part between a first direction separated position and a close position along a first direction. The drive part can move the first holding part and the second holding part between a second direction separated position and a sandwiching position along a second direction.

Abstract: The cold pressure welding apparatus includes a first holding part capable of sandwiching a first flat conductor, a second holding part disposed opposite to the first holding part and capable of sandwiching a second flat conductor, and a drive part for moving the first holding part and the second holding part. The drive part can move the first holding part and the second holding part between a first direction separated position and a close position along a first direction. The drive part can move the first holding part and the second holding part between a second direction separated position and a sandwiching position along a second direction.

Abstract: A process cartridge, including a process cartridge housing, a photosensitive drum driving component, a driving force receiver, a flange component and a control mechanism. Opening parts are arranged on the driving force receiver and a retaining component is arranged on the process cartridge. When the control mechanism controls the driving force receiver to retract, the retaining component keeps the driving force receiver at a position non-interferential with a driving head of an image forming device. The driving force receiver and the flange component of the process cartridge are disengaged in a retracting state. In this state, the driving force receiving protrusion do not interfere with the front end column body of a machine driving head, and the process cartridge can be mounted and dismounted more smoothly.

Abstract: The cold pressure welding apparatus includes a first holding part capable of sandwiching a first flat conductor, a second holding part disposed opposite to the first holding part and capable of sandwiching a second flat conductor, and a drive part for moving the first holding part and the second holding part. The drive part can move the first holding part and the second holding part between a first direction separated position and a close position along a first direction. The drive part can move the first holding part and the second holding part between a second direction separated position and a sandwiching position along a second direction.

Abstract: It is an object to provide a lighting device having a simple configuration and excellent in waterproofing function. A lighting device includes a housing including a flat portion and an annular peripheral wall portion which is continuous from a periphery of the flat portion to a rear side, a light source which is arranged on the flat portion, and an optically transparent light source cover which is placed on the flat portion and covers a light-emitting surface of the light source.

Abstract: A method and system for spacecraft navigation using distant celestial gamma-ray bursts which offer detectable, bright, high-energy events that provide well-defined characteristics conducive to accurate time-alignment among spatially separated spacecraft. Utilizing assemblages of photons from distant gamma-ray bursts, relative range between two spacecraft can be accurately computed along the direction to each burst's source based upon the difference in arrival time of the burst emission at each spacecraft's location. Correlation methods used to time-align the high-energy burst profiles are provided. The spacecraft navigation may be carried out autonomously or in a central control mode of operation.

Abstract: Distributing pull protocol requests via a relay server and thereby reducing the number of outgoing packets used by a fragment pull protocol, including the steps of aggregating, by an assembling device, a plurality of fragment pull protocol requests into an aggregated message; transmitting the aggregated message to a relay server, whereby the relay server distributes the requests to at least two fractional-storage servers; and receiving, by the assembling device from the at least two fractional-storage servers, a plurality of fragments in response to the aggregated message.

Abstract: Controlling fragment load on shared links, including a large number of fractional-storage CDN servers storing erasure-coded fragments encoded with a redundancy factor greater than one from contents, and a large number of assembling devices configured to obtain the fragments from sub-sets of the servers. At least some of the servers share their Internet communication link with other Internet traffic, and the fragment traffic via the shared link is determined by the number of sub-sets in which the servers accessed via the shared link participate. Wherein the maximum number of sub-sets in which the servers accessed via the shared link are allowed to participate is approximately a decreasing function of the throughput of the other Internet traffic via the shared link.

Abstract: Reduction of peak-to-average traffic ratio in distributed streaming systems, including a large number of fractional-storage CDN servers accessed via the Internet, and storing erasure-coded fragments encoded with a redundancy factor greater than one from streaming contents, and a very large number of assembling devices obtaining the fragments from the servers in order to reconstruct the streaming contents. The assembling devices are spread over different time zones spanning at least three hours and balance the bandwidth load between the servers.

Abstract: Fault tolerance in a distributed streaming system including fractional-storage CDN servers storing erasure-coded fragments encoded with a redundancy factor greater than one from segments of streaming contents. Each server delivers fragments, at a certain fragment delivery throughput, to multiple assembling devices using a fragment pull protocol, wherein a reduction in the fragment delivery throughput of one of the servers triggers a process in which at least some of the other servers approximately immediately increase their fragment delivery throughput as a reaction to the fragment pull protocol, to compensate for the reduced throughput.

Abstract: Load-balancing a distributed system by replacing overloaded servers, including the steps of retrieving, by an assembling device using a fragment pull protocol, erasure-coded fragments associated with segments, from a set of fractional-storage servers. Occasionally, while retrieving the fragments, identifying at least one server from the set that is loaded to a degree requiring replacement, and replacing, using the fragment pull protocol, the identified server with a substitute server that is not loaded to the degree requiring replacement. Wherein the substitute server and the remaining servers of the set are capable of delivering enough erasure-coded fragments in the course of reconstructing the segments.

Abstract: A system including a plurality of fractional-storage servers and a plurality of peer-to-peer devices. Substantially each of the servers and peer-to-peer devices stores less than a minimum amount of erasure-coded fragments needed to decode segments of streaming content. The system delivers at least the minimum amount of erasure-coded fragments needed to decode the segments of streaming content, from any group of the servers, or group of the servers plus peer-to-peer devices, that together store at least the minimum amount of erasure-coded fragments needed to decode the segments of streaming content. Optionally, the system supplements streaming capabilities of the servers during peak traffic periods by sending erasure-coded fragments stored on the peer-to-peer devices during the peak traffic periods.

Abstract: Source-selection based Internet backbone traffic shaping, including the steps of assessing a large number of network paths through which erasure-coded fragments usually flow when transmitted from a large number of relevant fractional-storage CDN servers to an assembling device; accessing preferences for fragment delivery via many of the paths; and selecting the servers whose assessed paths fit well the preferences for fragment delivery to the assembling device. Wherein the servers are accessed via the Internet, not all servers are connected to the Internet via the same networks, and the erasure-coded fragments are encoded with a redundancy factor greater than one from contents.

Abstract: Receiving streaming content from servers located around the globe, including the following steps: requesting via the Internet, by an assembling device which may be located almost anywhere around the globe, using a fragment pull protocol, a set of erasure-coded fragments associated with segments off streaming content, from a plurality of fractional-storage servers which may be located almost anywhere around the globe. And compensating for lost fragments by requesting additional erasure-coded fragments that are needed to reconstruct the segments. Wherein the bandwidth of the streaming content is bounded approximately only by the incoming bandwidth of the assembling device.

Abstract: An assembling device obtaining enough erasure-coded fragments from fractional-storage CDN servers for reconstructing a first set of segments including at least one segment. The communication between the assembling device and the servers is subject to at least one type of communication fault, and the assembling device handles the communication faults by approximately randomly selecting on-the-fly servers from which to obtain additional fragments instead of fragments that failed to be obtained.