Abstract: A walking aid for a four-legged animal having disabled hind legs comprises an engagement member for engaging a body portion between fore legs and hind legs of the animal; a collapsible resting mechanism connected to the engagement member and to at least one wheel assembly in contact with an underlying surface; and a locking mechanism operatively connectable to the at least one wheel assembly in such a way that the at least one wheel assembly is freely rotatable during forward motion of said walking aid but is rotationally immobilizable following rearward motion of the walking aid. The resting mechanism is operational to facilitate movement from a walking state to a resting state or from a resting state to a walking state only when the at least one wheel assembly is rotationally immobilized.

Abstract: A walking aid for a four-legged animal having disabled hind legs comprises an engagement member for engaging a body portion between fore legs and hind legs of the animal; a collapsible resting mechanism connected to the engagement member and to at least one wheel assembly in contact with an underlying surface; and a locking mechanism operatively connectable to the at least one wheel assembly in such a way that the at least one wheel assembly is freely rotatable during forward motion of said walking aid but is rotationally immobilizable following rearward motion of the walking aid. The resting mechanism is operational to facilitate movement from a walking state to a resting state or from a resting state to a walking state only when the at least one wheel assembly is rotationally immobilized.

Abstract: In a displacement sensor and a magnetic bearing system using the same, the displacement sensor includes: a first coil unit including at least one first coil; a second coil unit including at least one second coil differentially connected to one side of the at least one first coil of the first coil unit; a sensor drive means for supplying a first power source voltage and a second power source voltage having the same drive frequency to the first coil unit and the second coil unit, respectively; and a detection circuit for extracting displacement information from a differential signal produced by the first coil unit and the second coil unit due to a change in inductances of the at least one first coil and the at least one second coil according to a position change of a displacement measurement object.

Abstract: An active magnetic bearing includes a bearing housing, a bearing stator, a bearing armature, a position detector, a jacket, and a stress buffering member. The bearing stator is accommodated in the bearing housing to support rotation of a rotor by using a magnetic force. The bearing armature is disposed to be spaced apart from the bearing stator by an interval and fixed to the rotor. The position detector is installed in the bearing housing to detect a position of the rotor. The jacket is interposed between the bearing stator and the bearing armature to seal a space between the bearing stator and the bearing housing. The stress buffering member connected to opposite ends of the jacket and the bearing housing, to buffer a stress generated due to differences between thermal exposition coefficients and temperatures of the bearing housing and the jacket.

Abstract: Metals and alloys which have the property of electrolytic rectification are coated by immersion in an aqueous bath comprising an alkali metal hydroxide, an alkali metal silicate and a catalyst and application of a sufficiently high voltage to obtain spark discharge at the surface to be coated thereby to provide a durable coating on the surface.