Abstract: A system for sampling a sample material includes a probe which can have an outer probe housing with an open end. A liquid supply conduit within the housing has an outlet positioned to deliver liquid to the open end of the housing. The liquid supply conduit can be connectable to a liquid supply for delivering liquid at a first volumetric flow rate to the open end of the housing. A liquid exhaust conduit within the housing is provided for removing liquid from the open end of the housing. A liquid exhaust system can be provided for removing liquid from the liquid exhaust conduit at a second volumetric flow rate. A droplet dispenser can dispense drops of a sample or a sample-containing solvent into the open end of the housing. A sensor and a processor can be provided to monitor and maintain a liquid dome present at the open end.

Abstract: An electrifier cleaning mechanism includes a cleaning member which makes contact with part of a long discharge member, a ball screw arranged in parallel with a longitudinal direction of the discharge member and rotatably supported, a drive source which rotates the ball screw in both of forward and reverse directions, a holding member which holds the cleaning member and has a screw hole in which a screw part of the ball screw is screwed, and rotation of which in a circumferential direction of the ball screw is regulated, and a pressing member which presses the holding member from a first end side of the discharge member toward a second end side thereof in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: The present invention relates to A MEMS sensor with movable and fixed components for measuring linear acceleration. The MEMS sensor includes at least two mutually independent differential sensor elements disposed inside a common frame structure providing walls for hermetic sealing of the MEMS sensor. The mutually independent differential sensor elements are pairwise configured to perform double differential detection of linear acceleration. The MEMS sensor includes a common anchoring area to which the at least two differential sensor elements are anchored. The common anchoring area is located at the centroid of the pairwise configured differential sensor elements. A self-test capability of the MEMS sensor is also provided.

Abstract: A fixing apparatus includes a belt including a ferromagnetic layer. A ferromagnetic plate is disposed inside the belt and has a Curie point that is lower than a Curie point of the ferromagnetic layer. An induction heater causes heat generation in the ferromagnetic layer and the ferromagnetic plate. The induction heater includes a coil. A driving circuit outputs a high frequency current to the coil, and changes the high frequency current. A temperature sensor measures a temperature of the coil. A controller controls the driving circuit to decrease the high frequency current if the temperature of the coil measured by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined value.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus including: a fixing device including a heater and a temperature sensor, and a controller configured to execute: first heater control processing including: first processing of driving the heater with a predetermined energization ratio for a first time period independently of the detected temperature of the temperature sensor; second processing of stopping the driving of the heater for a second time period independently of the detected temperature of the temperature sensor; the second processing being executed when the first processing has ended, comparison processing of comparing a detected temperature of the temperature sensor with a reference temperature, which is executed when the second processing has ended; and first determination processing of determining whether to execute the first processing again based on the result of the comparison processing which has been executed when the second processing had ended.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus according to an embodiment includes an image forming section having a cartridge detachably mounted thereto. The cartridge holds a color erasable material which is erasable by heating to a color erasing temperature. The cartridge includes a housing configured to hold the color erasable material and a temperature sensing unit configured to detect a storage temperature of the housing. The apparatus includes a display unit and a control section. The control section receives a maximum storage temperature of the housing, and determines whether the received maximum storage temperature is greater than the color erasing temperature. The control section controls the display unit to display a message indicating whether the received maximum storage temperature is greater than the color erasing temperature.

Abstract: A particulate sensor (1) includes an ion source (15) and a reference potential member (45). The particulate sensor (1) detects particulates S contained in a gas under measurement EG by means of ions CP. The ion source (15) includes a ceramic structure (100) having a ceramic laminate (101) and a discharge electrode member (110). The discharge electrode member (110) has an inter-layer portion (112A, 111) embedded between the layers of the ceramic laminate (101) and an exposed portion (112B) extending from the inter-layer portion (112A, 111) to a position outside the ceramic laminate (101). The discharge electrode member (110) generates the gaseous discharge between the reference potential member (45) and the exposed portion (112B) including one or more needle-shaped distal end portions (1125) upon application of a constant DC discharge potential PV2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a correction unit configure to correct image data based on a correction condition; an image bearing member; an image forming unit configured to form an image on the image bearing member, based on the corrected image data; a transfer unit configured to transfer the image onto a recording material; a measurement unit configured to measure a measurement image formed on the image bearing member; and a converting unit configured to convert, based on a conversion condition, a measurement result of the measurement image measured by the measurement unit. A printer controller controls the image forming unit to form the measurement image, control the measurement unit to measure the measurement image, control the converting unit to convert the measurement result of the measurement image, and generate the correction condition based on the measurement result converted by the converting unit.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining and/or monitoring at least one process variable of a medium in a container, comprising: a mechanically oscillatable unit; an electrodynamic transducer unit for exciting the oscillatable unit by means of an exciter signal to execute mechanical oscillations and for receiving the mechanical oscillations of the oscillatable unit and transducing them into an electrical, received signal; and an electronics unit, which at least determines and/or monitors the process variable based on the received signal. The invention is distinguished by features including that the electrodynamic transducer unit has exactly one coil, which serves both as a drive element as well as also a receiving element.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for extracting acrylamide from a matrix comprising matrix components and acrylamide, comprising the steps: bringing said matrix in contact with water to obtain an aqueous extract, and, optionally, adding a base to the aqueous extract; loading a portion of the aqueous extract obtained in the previous step onto an inert support; allowing the inert support to absorb the aqueous extract; extracting acrylamide from the aqueous extract by passing a water immiscible organic solvent through the inert support; thereby obtaining an organic extract. It further relates to a method for analyzing acrylamide content in a matrix comprising matrix components and acrylamide.

Abstract: Provided is an image forming apparatus including an image holding member that has an outer circumferential surface in which a radius length from a center in the image holding member varies to be the longest N times and the shortest N times during one rotation of the image holding member wherein N is an integer of 2 or more, and that holds a latent image while being rotated, a developing member that develops the latent image of the image holding member with a developer, a rotation unit that rotates the developing member by a number of an integer multiple of the N during the one rotation of the image holding member, and an output unit that outputs a developer image of the image holding member to a recording medium.

Abstract: A toner amount detection sensor has a first light receiving element, a second light receiving element, and a toner amount calculation unit. The first light receiving element is provided on a side opposite to a light emitting element with respect to a plane extending in a direction perpendicular to a surface of a transfer belt. The second light receiving element is provided at a position avoiding a plane containing the light emitting element and the first light receiving element and is provided separately from the first light receiving element. The toner amount calculation unit calculates the toner amount from the light quantity of the light equivalent to the specular reflection light received by the first light receiving element and the light quantity of the diffuse-reflected light received by the second light receiving element.

Abstract: There is described an oil contamination detection system and method. The system comprises a forward sensor package, a rearward sensor package, a catalytic chamber, and a computing device. The method comprises obtaining sensor measurements from the forward sensor package and the rearward sensor package, and detecting the presence of oil in the air flow from the sensor measurements.

Abstract: A toner conveyance device includes a downward passage, a reciprocating member disposed in the downward passage, to move in a vertical direction in which the downward passage extends, a conveyance passage communicating with a lower end of the downward passage and extending in a direction crossing the vertical direction, a conveyor to rotate in the conveyance passage around an axis extending along the conveyance passage to transport the toner, and a flexible member projecting from a bottom of the reciprocating member toward the conveyance passage. The flexible member extends in the axial direction of the conveyor and moves together with the reciprocating member. When the reciprocating member is at a lowest position, a lower end of the flexible member opposes a portion of the conveyor downstream from an upper end thereof in a rotation direction thereof.

Abstract: Various methods and apparatuses are provided for calibrating a three-axis IMU sensor package using a single-axis rate table. In one embodiment, a method includes adjusting an x-axis position of a sensor by rotating an inner assembly along the circumference of the inner surface of the circular frame, adjusting a y-axis position of the sensor by rotating a portion of the inner assembly, spinning the single-axis rate table to generate z-axis rotation of the apparatus which results in simultaneous stimulation of all three axes of the sensor assembly, and obtaining measurements from the sensor corresponding to the x-axis position, the y-axis position, and the z-axis rotation of the apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an attachment part to which a toner container is detachably attached. The toner container has a main body and a non-compatible shape discriminating piece. In the main body, a toner is contained. The non-compatible shaped piece is capable of being assembled into the main body and has a shape different for each kind of the toner container. The attachment part has a non-compatible shape discriminating member capable of engaging with the non-compatible shaped piece.

Abstract: A system is provided for determining total exerted power value that is determined based on power measured at only one side of a bicycle by determining a side-to-side pedaling power asymmetry and estimating the total exerted power as a function of values of the one-sided power measurement and the side-to-side pedaling power asymmetry.

Abstract: A light scanning apparatus, including: a light source; a light intensity detecting portion configured to detect a light intensity of the light beam emitted from the light source; and a light intensity controller configured to control the light intensity based on a detection result of the light intensity detecting portion, wherein the light intensity controller is configured to supply, in advance, to the light source, a bias current smaller than a threshold current at which the light source starts emitting the light beam, and is configured to control a supply of a drive current to the light source, the drive current being generated by superimposing, on the bias current, a switching current for controlling the light source in accordance with an image signal, and the light intensity controller includes a current stopping unit configured to stop a supply of the bias current and the drive current to the light source.

Abstract: A confined space entry station is disclosed. The station has a back plate, an accessory holder, and a probe holding arm. The back plate is configured to attach to a manway of a confined space. The accessory holder is connected to the back plate. The probe holding arm has a connecting segment and a probe holding segment. The probe holding arm has a deployed position and a stored position. The connecting segment is connected to the probe holding segment. The probe holding segment is transverse to the connecting segment. The connecting segment is pivotally connected to the back plate and extends beyond the back plate when the probe holding arm is in the deployed position. The probe holding segment has a surface for supporting a probe. The probe holding segment extends transverse to the back plate when the probe holding arm is in the deployed position.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion configured to form an image on a sheet, a sheet feeding device configured to feed the sheet, an openable member configured to be opened for exposing at least a part of a sheet feeding path of the sheet feeding device to an outside of the image forming apparatus, an operating portion operated for opening the openable member, and an illumination device configured to illuminate the operating portion.