Abstract: A casing hopper for sausage encasing machines includes a hopper having a downwardly sloping bottom terminating in a downwardly extending fence wall. A chute wall is substantially vertically disposed in parallel spaced condition to the fence wall to form a substantially vertical casing passageway with respect to the fence wall. The chute wall terminates in an inclined flange that extends upwardly and inwardly below the passageway to form a cradle portion to receive a single hollow casing from the passageway. The passageway is of sufficient width to receive a plurality of longitudinally vertically stacked elongated hollow casings.

Abstract: A multiple orifice applicator system for dispensing a plurality of rows of fluid material onto a work piece is disclosed. A source of fluid material is in fluid communication with the multiple orifice applicator. The multiple orifice applicator is mounted to a robotic arm, which positions the multiple orifice applicator relative to the work piece to enable the multiple orifice applicator to dispense fluid material onto the work piece. Fluid material is caused to flow from the source of fluid material into the multiple orifice applicator. The fluid material enters the multiple orifice applicator through an inlet port and is dispersed and spread out in a dispersing chamber. The fluid material is dispensed onto the work piece through a plurality of outlet orifices in the multiple orifice applicator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reversible cutting plate made from ceramic material for chucking in a cutting tool for machining cast materials, with each corner of the reversible cutting plate (9) having a minor cutting edge (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) and a major cutting edge (4a, 4b, 4c, 4d). In order to remove cast-material shavings from the cutting edge, it is proposed that the corners of the reversible cutting plate (9) be ground, pressed or injected into approximately ¼ of the diagonal plane (D) and form a triangular face (3) and the triangular face (3) have at least one incline.

Abstract: The present invention is directed toward head-up display based safety devices for use in motor vehicles. The first aspect of the present invention is directed towards facilitating accurate driver operation of a driver operable device deployable in a motor vehicle without the need for a driver to turn his eyes downwards toward its control panel. This can be achieved by either providing an icon representative of the position of a driver's fingertip positioned for operating the driver operable device for superimposition on a head-up display image of the layout of its control panel, or employing a speech recognition module to issue output control signals in accordance with spoken commands. The second aspect of the present invention is directed toward projecting a head-up display image of a driver's rear field of vision including wireframe images of objects located therein.

Abstract: A lubricant pump having a housing equipped with outlets and a lubricant chamber, and having a piston axially displaceable in an axial cylinder bore in the housing by means of an electrical drive arrangement. The piston is at a first end and has an axial outlet. A first portion of the axial outlet is connected to a through-opening arranged radially on the piston position and adapted in a predetermined piston position to connect the axial outlet to a predetermined outlet of the outlets. A second portion of the axial outlet of the piston is connected to the lubricant chamber by way of an inlet and a non-return valve to allow the bore to be filled with lubricant. The outlets are arranged essentially in succession to one another. The position sensor is adapted to signal the position of the piston in the event the piston stops.

Abstract: A press-machined fuel induction pipe 40, a hollow tubular type of fixed core 1 with a flange at its upper end, and a nozzle holder 18 that was press-machined into a slender tubular shape and has an orifice plate equipped with a valve seat at the lower end of the nozzle holder, are connected by welding. The upper inner surface of nozzle holder 18 and the outer surface of fixed core 1 are welded after being press-fit. A movable core 14 and a valve body 16 are connected to the welded assembly via a point 15 having a spring function. On the outer surface of nozzle holder 18 is provided an electromagnetic coil 2, the outside of which is provided with a tubular yoke 4 whose upper end is connected by welding to the flange 1a of fixed core 1 and whose lower end is press-fit on the outer surface of nozzle holder 18.

Abstract: Apparatus for ablating organic material, such as tissue, during an EP procedure generates a monitor signal to provide unambiguous indicia of real time characteristics of the ablation site prior to, during and subsequent to the EP procedure by providing indicia representative of the impedance of the tissue along with indicia of the resistive and reactive components of the impedance. Inorganic materials, such as plastic, can be analyzed, welded or otherwise acted upon and the monitor signal will provide indicia representative of the real time characteristics of the material and change of character thereof. Application of the monitor signal alone can be used to determine the real time characteristics of either organic or inorganic materials to distinguish between healthy and abnormal or diseased tissue and to distinguish between similar inorganic materials having been subjected to different environments or conditions.

Abstract: A testing apparatus for a magnetic head or a magnetic disk, includes a magnetic disk; a magnetic head moving mechanism which holds a magnetic head and which moves the magnetic head to a predetermined position in a radial direction of the magnetic disk; a movement mechanism control device for driving the magnetic head moving mechanism, wherein the movement mechanism control device moves the magnetic head moving mechanism to a predetermined radial position corresponding to position data; a read/write control device for writing a predetermined magnetic signal on the magnetic disk using the magnetic head, and for reading a magnetic signal of the magnetic disk using the magnetic head; and a memory for storing therein position data embedded in a data surface of the magnetic disk, extracted from the magnetic signal which is read by the read/write control device. A testing method is also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems and methods for laser capture microdissection are disclosed. An inverted microscope includes a vacuum chuck subsystem that is adapted to hold a microscope slide down during the process of laser capture microdissection. The systems and methods provide the advantages of increased speed and much lower rates of contamination.

Abstract: A transistor is protected when a high voltage is applied to a drain, without an increase in the capacitance of the drain. A semiconductor device has a gate electrode on a silicon semiconductor substrate on a gate oxide film, and a pair of N+-type diffusion regions at a surface of a silicon semiconductor substrate on either side of the gate electrode. An N-type diffusion region in the N+-type diffusion region of the drain protrudes to a position deeper in the substrate than the N+-type diffusion region.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring an intake air flow of an internal combustion engine, wherein presence of a backflow is determined from a waveform of the electric signal of flow detecting unit. If a backflow is present, a kurtosis is calculated. A backflow ratio is calculated based on the relation obtained from the kurtosis and the backflow ratio. The mass of the flow obtained by converting electric signals from the flow detecting unit into flows are integrated or averaged. Then, the integrated value or the average value is compensated by the backflow ratio, and accumulate mass of the air flow is calculated.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for computed radiography includes an optical pump source which may be a plurality of light emitting diodes or a movable laser. Pumping light from the optical pump source is carried through each of a plurality of optical fibers arranged in a linear array to a previously-exposed computed radiography plate having a latent X-ray image formed thereon. The plate is moved with respect to the fibers. One of a second plurality of optical fibers arranged in a linear array or a light pipe receives light emitted from the radiographic medium due to excitation by the pumping light. The second plurality of optical fibers or light pipe supplies the emitted light to an optical source, which may be a photodiode or a photomultiplier tube, where an image signal responsive to the light intensity of the emitted light is generated. The image signal is digitized and sent to a processor which generates an image representative of the latent X-ray image on the computed radiography plate.

Abstract: A wax blending process is disclosed which retains the desirable properties of a Fischer-Tropsch wax, while adjusting the hardness of the wax to within to a desired range. The invention utilizes a synergistic effect between hard virgin Fischer-Tropsch wax and softer mildly isomerized Fischer-Tropsch wax in a blending process which allows the artisan to adjust the hardness of a wax product to within desired ranges. The process involves passing a Fischer-Tropsch wax over a hydroisomerization catalyst under predetermined conditions including relatively mild temperatures such that chemical conversions (e.g., hydrogenation and mild isomerization) take place while less than 10% boiling point conversion (hydrocracking) occurs, thus preserving overall isomerized wax yield.

Abstract: A catenary conveyor belt support apparatus for supporting a conveyor belt having a first edge and second edge. The support apparatus includes a first support block having a top surface for supporting the conveyor belt at the first edge and a second support block having a top surface for supporting the conveyor belt at the second edge. First and second idler strings extend between and are connected to the first and second support blocks. Each idler string includes one or more idler rollers for supporting the conveyor belt. A pair of resilient biasing members are respectively attached at a first end to each idler string and at a second end to an anchor member. The support blocks and the resilient biasing members inhibit misalignment of the idler rollers and movement of the first and second edges of the conveyor belt to reduce the escape of conveyed material from the conveyor belt.

Abstract: A lifting and closing device for a beverage bottle comprises a stopper made of elastic material, a clamping mechanism which clamps the stopper closed in the neutral position, a handle, and a trigger integrated into the handle for actuating the clamping mechanism for the temporary opening of the stopper.

Abstract: Liquid material is caused to freeze as a molded frozen body in a cylindrical form after the shape of the tubular inner wall surface of the freeze-drying apparatus, wherein the moisture content of the molded frozen material is sublimated under the vacuum to freeze-dry the material in the apparatus. A discharge port is defined at the lower end side of the tube, and jet nozzles are disposed, in the inner wall surface of the tube, for ejecting compressed air or gas toward the inner bore of the tube. The molded frozen body of the liquid material as freeze-dried is crushed and pulverized within the tube, by jet current ejected from jet nozzles.

Abstract: A lathe (10) includes a support structure (12) which supports a magazine (14) in a substantially vertical operative orientation. The magazine (14) is rotatably supported in a carriage (24). The magazine (14) is a multi-spindle magazine and supports a plurality of workpieces. A workstation head (40) is mounted on the housing (18). The workstation head defines a plurality of workstations (46). Each workstation head includes a plurality of working tools.

Abstract: A plurality of MOS type FET devices 14 and 16 are provided on a semiconductor substrate 12. A lower interlayer insulating film 20 is provided thereon. Each of through holes 22, which extends from each of gate electrodes 14c of the plural FET devices via source/drain regions 14b and 16a, is defined in the lower interlayer insulating film 20. A local wiring 24 is buried in the through hole 22 to connect each gate electrode 14c and the source/drain regions 14b and 16a. Further, an upper interlayer insulating film 26 is provided on the local wiring 24 and the lower interlayer insulating film 20. Upper electrode layers 28 are placed on the surface of the upper interlayer insulating film 26.

Abstract: A new segmented choke is provided. Designed to reduce thermal stresses created when the fluid temperature fluctuate, this invention is constructed of segmented ceramic members fit within a relatively thin-walled retainer, shrunk fit thereto, thereby allowing the retainer to be more compliant. Shorter, multiple segments used in this invention are also easier to manufacture, can be produced with tighter tolerances, provide easier access thereby reducing maintenance costs and allow for the inclusion of sensors in the individual ceramic segments. This invention also provides improvements in size, manufacturing cost, ease of use and operating efficiency over prior choke devices.

Abstract: A support member where a flow amount detection element, which includes a heating resistor and electronic circuit parts for obtaining the air flow amount according to the flow amount signal detected by flow amount detection element are mounted, is cooled from both the direction of the main flow of main passage and the direction of an anti-main flow (i.e., the direction opposite to the direction of the main flow).