Abstract: A developing device includes a developer storage chamber configured to store developer to be supplied to the development chamber, a partition configured to separate a development chamber and the developer storage chamber and having an opening allowing communication between the developer storage chamber and the development chamber, and a protruding portion configured to protrude toward the inside of the developer storage chamber from the partition on a downstream side of the opening in the rotation direction of a rotating shaft, and within one turn of rotation of the rotating shaft, a receiving member moves while contacting the protruding portion according to the rotation of the rotating shaft.

Abstract: A fixing device configured to fix an image on a recording material, includes: a rotary member including an electroconductive layer; a coil which has a spiral shaped portion and is disposed in the inside of the rotary member; and a core disposed in the spiral shaped portion; with magnetic resistance of the core being, with an area from one end to the other end of the maximum passage region of the image on the recording material regarding the generatrix direction, equal to or smaller than 30% of combined magnetic resistance made up of magnetic resistance of the electroconductive layer and magnetic resistance of a region between the electroconductive layer and the core.

Abstract: A method of calibrating a trigonometric-based ranging system in first and second transmissive media including, in each of the first and second media, determining a sensor matrix for a sensor of the system therein. Rotation and translation of a sensor axis of the sensor is measured relative to an ideal sensor axis, by determining the rotation and translation of a sensor co-ordinate system of the sensor in each of the first and second media concurrently, to provide a rotation/translation matrix for a field of view of the sensor in each of the first and second media. Rotation of a device axis of a structured signal-emitting device relative to an ideal device axis is measured by determining a relative change in the structured signal in the first medium and in the second medium, to generate a device rotation matrix to be applied to the structured signal.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photoreceptor includes a substrate, an undercoat layer overlying the substrate, and a photosensitive layer overlying the undercoat layer. The undercoat layer includes a binder resin, a metal oxide particle and a compound having a thiol group.

Abstract: A system for characterizing a water retention device may include a test pipe including a mount section for holding the water retention device to be tested; an injector to inject, upstream of the mount section, an air flow loaded with at least one of dust and droplets of water; at least one sensor for determining a distribution of sizes of the at least one of the dust and water particles, and a quantity of water retained in the mount section; and a calculator receiving the measured distribution of dust and water particles delivered by the at least one sensor to determine therefrom a dust and water retention level in the water retention device.

Abstract: A non-destructive method of measuring tear lines formed in a surface of a resilient automotive trim panel configured for overlaying an inflatable safety device includes the steps of periodically selecting a trim panel for testing from a flow of in-process trim panels, mounting the selected trim panel to a mounting jig configured to support a region of the selected trim panel adjacent a tear line and to temporarily splay said selected trim panel to expose opposed edges forming at least a portion of the tear line, scanning a 3D image of the opposed edges, storing said 3D image as data in an associated processor, and removing the selected trim panel from the mounting jig. The mounting jig includes a base forming upwardly facing longitudinally elongated converging guide surfaces intersecting at a common apex, and a cover member forming downwardly facing longitudinally elongated converging support surfaces intersecting at a common apex.

Abstract: An electrophotographic image forming device includes a toner channel having an outlet port positioned on a housing that includes a flexible member that allows the housing and the outlet port to move within the image forming device. A shutter is positioned on the housing and is movable between a closed position and an open position. A replaceable unit includes a toner reservoir and an inlet port. The inlet port is formed on an extension from the replaceable unit. Upon insertion of the replaceable unit into the image forming device, the extension is closely and matably received by the housing and the outlet port aligns with the inlet port permitting toner transfer from the toner channel to the replaceable unit. Insertion of the replaceable unit into the image forming device causes the shutter to open and removal of the replaceable unit from the image forming device causes the shutter to close.

Abstract: A method of monitoring oil level in a transmission system of a machine is disclosed. The method includes monitoring an oil pressure and calculating an average value of the oil pressure over a first predetermined time duration. The method further includes calculating a variance of the oil pressure from the average value and recording a deviation if the variance is beyond a threshold variance. The method further includes detecting a low oil level condition if a count of deviations is above a threshold count within a second predetermined time duration.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes: a first conveyance section disposed on an upstream side of the image formation position in a sheet conveyance direction of the long sheet, and configured to convey the long sheet to the image formation position; a second conveyance section disposed on a downstream side of the image formation position in the sheet conveyance direction, and configured to convey the long sheet on which the toner image is formed; a displacement detection section configured to detect displacement of the long sheet in a sheet width direction; and a control section configured to move the first conveyance section in the sheet width direction to orient the long sheet in the sheet width direction, and move the second conveyance section in a direction identical to a direction along which the first conveyance section is moved based on a detection result of the displacement detection section.

Abstract: A system and method for testing an acoustic probe having a series of transducer elements adapted to convert between acoustic and electrical signals is provided. The system comprises an acoustic signal generator and a receiver. The acoustic signal generator sends an acoustic signal into at least one of the series of transducer elements of the acoustic probe. An electrical transducer signal generated in response to receipt of the acoustic signal at the selected transducer element. The receiver has a switch to receive the electrical transducer signal from each selected transducer element of the acoustic probe. A display provides an illustration indicative of an operative ability of the selected transducer element of the acoustic probe to convert between acoustic and electrical signals.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus sequentially transfers toner images formed on a plurality of photosensitive drums onto an intermediate transfer member or a transfer material to form an image. The image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer belt provided with electrical conductivity, and a power supply for applying a voltage to a secondary transfer roller to pass a current from the secondary transfer roller to the plurality of photosensitive drums via the intermediate transfer belt, thus primarily transferring the toner images from the plurality of photosensitive drums onto the intermediate transfer belt.

Abstract: A drive coupling and transmitting assembly for photosensitive drum and toner cartridges is disclosed. The assembly includes a drive shaft configured in a printer to transmit a rotational driving force and a coupling member. The coupling member includes a main drum body and a bushing member. Main drum body has a flexible shaft subassembly including a receiver, an adapter, and a flexible shaft member extended between adapter and receiver such that a first end of flexible shaft member is secured to a receiver post and a second end of flexible shaft member is secured to an upper end of adapter. The bushing member is slidably disposed between main drum body and flexible shaft subassembly.

Abstract: A pressure introduction hole of a case has a first introduction hole extended in a predetermined direction to define a first end opening and a second introduction hole extended in a direction different from the predetermined direction to define a second end opening opposite from the first end opening. The second introduction hole is communicated to the first introduction hole. An angle defined between a wall surface of the first introduction hole and located adjacent to the second end opening and a wall surface of the second introduction hole and connected to the wall surface of the first introduction hole is larger than or equal to 90°. The second introduction hole has a communication part communicating with the first introduction hole, and a space increasing chamber further extending from the communication part away from the second end opening.

Abstract: A device for measuring the pollution index of a filtration membrane includes: a raw water supply part; a first filtration membrane; a raw water supply line; a first flow rate measuring part; a first path line; a second path line; a second filtration membrane having a filtration characteristic different from the first filtration membrane; a first path selection valve installed in the first path line in parallel with respect to the second filtration membrane so that a first measuring path from the raw water supply part to the first flow rate measuring part passes through the first filtration membrane and a second measuring path from the raw water supply part to the first flow rate measuring part successively passes through the first and second filtration membranes; and a pollution index measuring part measuring the pollution indexes of the first and second filtration membranes.

Abstract: Bodily fluid sample collection systems, devices, and method are provided. The device may comprise a first portion comprising at least a sample collection channel configured to draw the fluid sample into the sample collection channel via a first type of motive force. The sample collection device may include a second portion comprising a sample container for receiving the bodily fluid sample collected in the sample collection channel, the sample container operably engagable to be in fluid communication with the collection channel, whereupon when fluid communication is established, the container provides a second motive force different from the first motive force to move a majority of the bodily fluid sample from the channel into the container.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include sensors, arrays of conductometric sensors, devices including conductometric sensors, methods of making conductometric sensors, methods of using conductometric gas sensors, methods of enhancing sensor response with light, and the like.

Abstract: A damage amount determination device, which is used for an image forming device that forms an image on paper, includes an information acquisition unit that acquires information related to whiteness of the paper used for printing and a damage amount determination unit that determines an amount of damage, which is caused by the paper to a predetermined component of the image forming device when the paper passes through the predetermined component, based on the information related to the whiteness.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure include sensors, arrays of conductometric sensors, devices including conductometric sensors, methods of making conductometric sensors, methods of using conductometric gas sensors, and the like. One exemplary embodiment of a device, among others, includes: a conductometric gas sensor including a n-type substrate having a porous layer, wherein a plurality of ‘nanostructures are disposed on a portion of the porous layer, wherein the nanostructure provides a fractional coverage on the porous layer, wherein the conductometric gas sensor is operative to transduce the presence of a gas into an impedance change, wherein the impedance change correlates to the gas concentration.

Abstract: An air mass meter has a sensor element, across which an air mass flow to be measured moves. The sensor element is a micro-electro-mechanical system having a membrane, on which a heating element is formed. An electrical measuring resistor and at least two electrical comparison resistors are arranged upstream and downstream of the heating element. A first temperature sensor element is formed with a measuring resistor upstream of the heating element and two comparison resistors arranged downstream of the heating element. The second temperature sensor element is formed with a measuring resistor arranged downstream of the heating element and two comparison resistors arranged upstream of the heating element.

Abstract: A detector for liquid chromatography has light sources that generate light in an ultraviolet region and in a near-infrared region; a flow cell, through which sample liquid flows; an optical system to let light generated from the light sources become incident on the flow cell concurrently; a detection element that detects light in the ultraviolet region that passes through the flow cell; a detection element that detects light in the near-infrared region that passes through the flow cell; and an arithmetic operation part that performs arithmetic operation of a first signal value obtained from the detection element and of a second signal value obtained from the detection element. The arithmetic operation part combines the first signal value and the second signal value to calculate a signal value with a reduced baseline fluctuation resulting from a mobile phase during a gradient analysis.