Abstract: Disclosed is a diffuser apparatus for facilitating a reduction in fluid pressure and suppression of noise. The apparatus comprises a tubular inner sleeve, a tubular muffler and a tubular outer sleeve. The inner sleeve defines a fluid flow axis and has a plurality of inner sleeve passages. The outer sleeve has the inner sleeve concentrically positioned therein and defines a plurality of outer sleeve passages. The muffler is concentrically positioned between the inner and outer sleeves such that fluid flows radially outwardly through the inner sleeve passages, through the muffler, and through the outer sleeve passages. The muffler may be spaced from the inner sleeve so as to define a gap between the muffler and the inner sleeve. The muffler may also be spaced from the outer sleeve so as to define a gap between the muffler and the outer sleeve.

Abstract: “The Instant Musician, Recording Artist and Composer” permits ordinary computer users to select an instrument and music number from their computer screen and immediately start playing the selected instrument by simply typing letters displayed on their computer screens. It also may serve as a learning tool for learning how to play classical instruments by depicting the physical parts of the instrument to be activated with each note entered into the keyboard. Additional features allow personal computer user to make recordings of multiple instruments (and voice) numbers with altered sound spectrum, if desired, as well as composing their own music by simply clicking a mouse, modifying other music scores, humming, whistling or any other sound input.

Abstract: A floor mopping assembly finding use in a cleaning robot. The cleaning robot may be remotely controlled or autonomous. In one embodiment, a feed roller lets out a roll of webbing or toweling, a take-up roller reels in the toweling, and a motor system causes transfer of the toweling between the feed roller and the take-up roller. A housing holds the motor system and the rollers, which are mounted in the housing such that the motor causes transfer of the webbing between the rollers. One of the rollers is configured to rest on the floor or surface so as to cause the toweling to clean the surface. In an alternative embodiment, the assembly also includes a pad to press the toweling against the surface, where the pad is mounted in the housing such that the motor causes transfer of the toweling between the rollers and between the pad and the surface.

Abstract: A speaker system includes a first speaker; a second speaker; and a first spacer for separating the first speaker and the second speaker from each other so that the first speaker and the second speaker face each other. The first speaker and the second speaker are located so that opposing faces of the first speaker and the second speaker output sounds of an identical phase. The first speaker, the second speaker and the first spacer form a first sound path through which the sounds output from the opposing faces of the first speaker and the second speaker pass. The speaker system according to the present invention includes n number speakers and (n−1) number of spacers and can be arranged so that the opposing faces of even-numbered speakers and odd-numbered speakers output sounds of an identical phase.

Abstract: Control section determines necessary acceleration of a transporting section in accordance with an actual transporting speed, and also determines a correction coefficient corresponding to the number of rotations of an engine from among correction coefficients having a characteristic of becoming closer to a value of one as the number of rotations of the engine increases. The control section multiplies the necessary acceleration by the correction coefficient to thereby provide corrected necessary acceleration, and controls rotation of a transporting drive motor in accordance with the corrected necessary acceleration. When the amount of electric power to be generated by a power generator driven by the engine has increased, the control section controls the opening of a throttle valve.

Abstract: A speaker damper comprises a damper casing and a metallic whisker, wherein the damper casing is substantially a woven pad formed as a circular wafer with corrugated sections, while the metallic whisker is substantially a conductive wire intermittently penetrated and buried in the damper casing. A fastening string is provided to tie the metallic whisker intermittently and hold it steadily to the damper casing without incurring the so-called repetitious jump-rope phenomenon during vibration of the later.

Abstract: A stepper motor is initialized so that the exciting signal is applied to coils with the step shifted by half of one electric cycle from the rebounding step being synchronized with the timing when the stopper piece is brought into contact with a fixed stopper. The rebounding step, in which the rotor of the stepper motor reverses its rotating direction, can be easily detected. If the rebounding step can be detected, the position for initializing can be easily defined in the angle shifting manner as described above.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a flexible and compact motor control module based on the Controller Area Network (CAN) communication network. More specifically, the present invention relates to a motor control module which is based on the ISO11898 standard Controller Area Network (CAN), recognized for its suitability in the communication of intelligent sensors and actuators, and also capable of obtaining the location, speed and torque control commands of a motor and executing digital control functions irrespective of motor's type and power consumption, transmitting feedback data.

Abstract: Object of the present invention is to distribute signals indicating angular position of a rotor from a controller for a brush-less motor to another control device. A controller for driving a brush-less motor has a magnetic-pole detecting circuit (9) that receives from a Hall-effect semiconductor disposed in a motor roller (4) sequential (pole position-representing) signals relating to a rotor's position. These signals are converted into pulses and then supplied to a current-controlling circuit (8), so that currents to stators are controlled based on the signals from the detecting circuit (9) so as to drive the motor roller. A sequencer (20) supplies to a controlling circuit (7) “ON/OFF” and other commands, that are then processed in this circuit and fed to the current-controlling circuit (8) for driving the motor.

Abstract: An electrical machine includes a rotor, a stator operably coupled with the rotor, at least one phase winding operably coupled with the rotor and stator and arranged to establish flux in a magnetic circuit in the machine, and a flux observer adapted to produce a signal indicative of flux-causing voltage across the at least one phase winding. A flux control system includes a flux controller adapted to receive a flux command as an input and to provide a phase coil energization signal as an output. The system also includes an electromagnetic system adapted to receive the phase coil energization signal, the electromagnetic system including at least one phase coil, and a flux observer adapted to provide a feedback signal to the flux controller. The feedback signal corresponds to flux in the electromagnetic system, and the phase coil energization signal provided by the flux controller energizes the electromagnetic system such that flux in the electromagnetic system follows the flux command.

Abstract: A chestpiece for a stethoscope, the chestpiece having a novel mix of desirable properties through being fabricated from the group of materials known as “high gravity compounds.” These compounds are prepared by loading various plastic resins with high density metal powders. In spite of the metallic content, appropriate compounds can be injection molded, providing economic and aesthetic advantages.

Abstract: A computerized music teaching instrument including a computer provided with a sound system capable of reproducing the tones of a music scale stored in a tone base, and a video screen adapted to exhibit an image selected from a series thereof stored in a data base. Each image exhibits a virtual keyboard having a row of numbered keys representing the respective tones in a musical scale, behind which is a row of puppets or progressively greater height, all puppets being shown in a reclining state except the puppet corresponding to the key in the keyboard shown in a depressed and activated state, as if actually pressed by the finger of a player. Associated with the computer is a remote controller provided with a keypad having an array of numbered switches corresponding to the keyboard keys and operating in conjunction with a digitizer whereby when a player depresses a keypad switch, the digitizer then generates a binary signal representing the number of the depressed key.

Abstract: Musical score of a music piece is divided into a plurality of displaying portions, and display progression information is supplied which defines a shift or jump, in the displaying portions, of a performed measure based on a repeat sign. Next displaying portion to be displayed following a current displaying portion is determined, and display switching timing at which the current performance progression of the music piece shifts from the current displaying portion to the next displaying portion is detected on the basis of the display progression information and performance progression information. By switching between the displaying portions in response to detection of the display switching timing, sequential switching from the current displaying portion to the next displaying portion can take place appropriately in accordance with progression of the performance.

Abstract: A cone suspension is for mounting a speaker cone to a housing. The cone suspension has an inner periphery supporting the speaker cone, an outer periphery mounted to the housing, and a resilient central portion extending between the inner periphery and the outer periphery. In cross section, the resilient central portion is separated from a base plane extending between the inner periphery and the outer periphery, and has a central apex spaced from the inner periphery and the outer periphery and spaced from the base plane by a selected height. The inner periphery and the outer periphery are separated by a selected width. The selected height is substantially greater than ½ of the selected width.

Abstract: An acoustic blanket is disclosed for an industrial machine including a plurality of flexible panels, wherein each panel includes at least one layer of a fiber glass material, an outer casing of a chemically resistant material and an attachment for connecting the panel to an adjacent panel, and the plurality of flexible panels are each assigned a position in said blanket corresponding to a location on the industrial machine.

Abstract: The invention concerns an improvement of a drive system of a color image forming apparatus. The color image-forming apparatus includes a plurality of image-forming elements; a plurality of first driving motors, each of which corresponds to each of the image-forming elements, to drive the plurality of image-forming elements; an intermediate transfer element that is disposed opposite the plurality of image-forming elements; a second driving motor to drive the intermediate transfer element; and a controlling section to control the plurality of first driving motors and the second driving motor. In the color image-forming apparatus, the controlling section controls the plurality of first driving motors and the second driving motor independently of each other, so that a first peripheral speed of each of the image-forming elements coincides with a second peripheral speed of the intermediate transfer element.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for reducing motor driving noise, comprising: a selecting circuit for selecting and outputting a current increasing or reducing signal based on a commutation control signal; and a signal synthesizing circuit for synthesizing the current increasing or reducing signal selected by the selecting circuit with a current application control signal supplied to the power supply side switching element of at least a pair of switching elements.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for controlling rotation speed of a synchronous reluctance motor, including a position estimation unit for controlling rotation speed of the synchronous reluctance motor by estimating the position angle of the rotor and rotation speed of the rotor according to the low speed or high speed region. The apparatus can control the motor in the high speed area or low speed area, stabilize the transient state generated in the process that the motor is converted from the low speed area to the high speed area and show stable speed control performance, thus performing more precise speed control.

Abstract: A three-phase motor protector uses two toroids to monitor all three phases of a three-phase motor. Current and phase loss are monitored directly in phases A and B while the phase C current level is determined by analysis of the phase A and B relationship. Current is induced into the phase A and B toroids from the motor supply lines with the resulting wave fed to an input of high-gain inverting amplifiers to provide A and B square waves which are inputted to separate channels of a microprocessor (U3). The square waves are processed by an AND gate providing an output square wave with a 16.66 percent duty cycle for normal operation. Upon loss of phase C the ANDed result is a digital low since the individual waves of phases A and B become an inverse of one another. In order to prevent nuisance tripping an AND output of less than 2 percent duty cycle is treated as a phase loss.

Abstract: The speaker assembly includes a speaker housing having a closed top wall and an opposed open end. The speaker assembly further includes a first sound source having a cone with an interior surface and an exterior surface. The first sound source is mounted within the speaker housing such that the interior surface of the cone faces the closed top wall and the exterior surface substantially faces the opposed open end. A portion of the exterior surface of the cone is covered, thereby, revealing an exposed portion which defines the directionality of the first sound source. The speaker assembly also includes a second sound source having a cone with an interior surface and an exterior surface. The second sound source is mounted within the speaker housing such that the interior surface of the cone faces the closed top wall and the exterior surface substantially faces the opposed open end.