Abstract: Provided is a pharmaceutical agent for effective prophylaxis and/or treatment of a pathological condition with decreased lung compliance. The pharmaceutical agent for prophylaxis and/or treatment of a pathological condition with decreased lung compliance is characterized by having a polyamine. The polyamine includes at least one of spermine (Spm), spermidine (Spd), and putrescine (Put). The pharmaceutical agent improves lung compliance and ameliorates gas exchange dysfunction, and therefore, can ameliorate pathological conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), acute lung injury (ALI), lung diseases caused by dysfunctional endogenous pulmonary alveolar surfactant, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), and cardiogenic pulmonary edema.

Abstract: An apparatus for stripping metal (12, 14) deposited on a cathode plate (16), comprises a first robotic arm (46) carrying a first stripping apparatus (40), the first stripping apparatus having a first gripping apparatus (62, 63) to grip the cathode plate such that the first robotic arm operates to lift the cathode plate out of the stripping station following stripping of the metal sheets from the cathode plate. A second robotic arm (48) carrying a second stripping apparatus (42) is located on a second side of the cathode plate, the second stripping apparatus having a second gripping apparatus (76, 77) for gripping one or both of the first sheet of metal (12) and the second sheet of metal (14). The second robotic arm can be operated to move the first sheet of metal and the second sheet of metal to a metal storage region following stripping from the cathode plate (16).

Abstract: A compressor valve structure permits improvement in durability and volumetric efficiency of a compressor and limits power losses. The width of the base portion of each suction reed valve is shorter than the width of the valve flap. The valve base plate has support portions, receiving portions, main coupling portions, and auxiliary coupling portions. Each support portion receives a central area of corresponding one of the valve flaps. The receiving portion receives a distal area of the valve flap. The main coupling portion extends from the support portion and couples the support portion to the receiving portion. The auxiliary coupling portion extends from the support portion. The suction ports are formed through the valve base plate, while leaving the support portions, the receiving portions, the main coupling portions, and the auxiliary coupling portions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a variable displacement swash plate type compressor that reduces wear of cylinder bores and the amount of blow-by gas. Each piston of the compressor has a piston main body, which has a distal portion located at an end corresponding to the compression chamber. A tapering portion and an arcuate portion are formed in the distal portion. The arcuate portion is continuous with an end of the tapering portion that is closer to the compression chamber. The tapering portion and the arcuate portion each have a diameter that increases toward the skirt. The tapering portion has a tapering angle that is in a range from 0.45 degrees to 1.5 degrees. The distance between the distal end of the piston main body and a starting point of the tapering portion on an end closer to the skirt is set in a range from 1.5 mm to 5.0 mm.

Abstract: A compressor includes a discharge chamber, a compression chamber, a partition wall, and a discharge reed valve. The partition wall is arranged between the discharge chamber and the compression chamber and includes a fixing surface facing the discharge chamber. The partition wall includes a discharge port that communicates the discharge chamber and the compression chamber. The discharge reed valve includes a fixed portion, an intermediate portion, and a valve portion. The fixing surface includes a first groove portion, which extends around the discharge port, and a valve seat surface, which is arranged between the discharge port and the first groove portion. The first groove portion extends to a range overlapped with the intermediate portion. A part of the valve portion at a distal side does not close the first groove portion. The valve seat surface includes a receiving portion.

Abstract: A compressor includes a discharge chamber, a compression chamber, a partition wall, and a discharge reed valve. The partition wall is arranged between the discharge chamber and the compression chamber and includes a fixing surface that faces the discharge chamber. The partition wall includes a discharge port that can communicate the discharge chamber and the compression chamber. The discharge reed valve includes a fixed portion, an intermediate portion, and a valve portion. The partition wall includes a supporting portion, a receiving portion, and a main coupling portion. The supporting portion supports a central region of the valve portion. The receiving portion receives a distal region of the valve portion. The main coupling portion extends from the supporting portion to couple the supporting portion and the receiving portion in order to divide into two a distal discharging region of the discharge port.

Abstract: A compressor includes a discharge chamber, a compression chamber, a partition wall, and a discharge reed valve. The partition wall is arranged between the discharge chamber and the compression chamber and includes a fixing surface facing the discharge chamber. The partition wall includes a discharge port that communicates the discharge chamber and the compression chamber. The discharge reed valve includes a fixed portion, an intermediate portion, and a valve portion. The fixing surface includes a first groove portion, which extends around the discharge port, and a valve seat surface, which is arranged between the discharge port and the first groove portion. The first groove portion extends to a range overlapped with the intermediate portion. A part of the valve portion at a distal side does not close the first groove portion. The valve seat surface includes a receiving portion.

Abstract: A variable displacement compressor includes a housing, a rotary shaft, a bearing, a seal member, a shaft seal chamber, a discharge refrigerant passage and a partition. The partition is provided in the shaft seal chamber for partitioning the shaft seal chamber into a first seal chamber to which the discharge refrigerant passage is opened and a second seal chamber part of the periphery of which is formed by the bearing and the seal member. The partition is provided with a first guide passage through which refrigerant containing lubricating oil flowed from the discharge refrigerant passage into tho first seal chamber is substantially all supplied to the seal member of the second seal chamber.

Abstract: A capacity-variable type swash plate compressor in which the preferable operability of a link mechanism and reduction of manufacturing cost are realized is provided. According to the compressor in the present invention, a link mechanism includes one swash plate arm and intermediate arms. The intermediate arms include first and second intermediate arms. The first and second intermediate arms are joined while being rotatably supported by a lug member and the swash plate arm via a lug-side pin which constitutes a lug-side axis and a swash-plate-side pin which constitutes a swash-plate-side axis and clamping the lug member and the swash plate arm via the lug-side pin and the swash-plate-side pin so as to allow a sliding movement.

Abstract: A reflector includes a substrate, a plurality of convex/concave portions formed on the substrate, and a thin reflective film formed over the convex/concave portions. When light is incident upon the reflector from a certain direction, an intensity of reflected light in a viewing angle range of about −45° to +45° with respect to a regular reflection direction of the incident light 10 is about 60% or more of an intensity of light which is incident upon a standard white plate from a direction inclined by about 30° from a direction normal to the plate and is reflected to the direction normal to the plate.

Abstract: An introduction passage is formed in a rear housing. The introduction passage extends from a wall of the rear housing across a discharge chamber to a suction chamber. The introduction passage has a first portion extending from an opening portion of the rear housing along a wall of the discharge chamber and along a wall of the suction chamber to the suction chamber. A second portion of the passage bends in the suction chamber substantially perpendicularly and then extends toward a valve plate of a compressor. The outlet of the introduction passage is located closer to the valve plate than to the wall of the suction chamber. Therefore, generation of suction pulsation is suppressed without increasing the size of the compressor.

Abstract: A suction port as a fluid port of a piston type compressor is contoured with reference to a middle line passing through a middle point of a maximum length of the suction port in the longitudinal direction of the suction valve and perpendicularly crossing a reference line extending in the longitudinal direction. The middle line divides the suction port into a first section positioned on the proximal end side and a second section positioned on the distal end side. An area of the second section is greater than an area of the first section. A width increasing region is disposed in which the width of the suction port becomes gradually greater from the proximal end side to the distal end side, and the length of the width increasing region occupies a major part of the maximum length of the suction port.

Abstract: A suction port of a piston type compressor is formed in the shape similar to a portion of a sector with an apex portion of the sector removed. A distal end portion of a suction valve which can open and close the suction port has a contour line including a distal end forming line extending generally parallel to a distal end line of the suction port, and side lines. A gap between the distal end line of the suction port and the distal end forming line of the suction valve is substantially constant, and a gap between the distal end forming line and the circle of the cylinder bore is substantially constant. The ease of the inflow of a gas when the gas is sucked from the suction port to the cylinder bore is improved.

Abstract: The discharge port 27 comprises a tapered first diameter-increasing portion 28 and a tapered second diameter-increasing portion 29. The cross-sectional areas of the first diameter-increasing portion 28 and the second diameter-increasing portion 29 increase from the upstream toward the downstream of the discharge port 27. The rate of increase of the cross-sectional area of the second diameter-increasing portion 29 is designed so as to be greater than that of the first diameter-increasing portion 28. The second diameter-increasing portion 29 is connected to the first diameter-increasing portion 28 and the maximum cross-sectional area of the first diameter-increasing portion is equal to the minimum cross-sectional area of the second diameter-increasing portion.

Abstract: A suction port of a piston type compressor is formed in the shape similar to a portion of a sector with an apex portion of the sector removed. A distal end portion of a suction valve which can open and close the suction port has a contour line including a distal end forming line extending generally parallel to a distal end line of the suction port, and side lines. A gap between the distal end line of the suction port and the distal end forming line of the suction valve is substantially constant, and a gap between the distal end forming line and the circle of the cylinder bore is substantially constant. The ease of the inflow of a gas when the gas is sucked from the suction port to the cylinder bore is improved.

Abstract: A suction port as a fluid port of a piston type compressor is contoured with reference to a middle line passing through a middle point of a maximum length of the suction port in the longitudinal direction of the suction valve and perpendicularly crossing a reference line extending in the longitudinal direction. The middle line divides the suction port into a first section positioned on the proximal end side and a second section positioned on the distal end side. An area of the second section is greater than an area of the first section. A width increasing region is disposed in which the width of the suction port becomes gradually greater from the proximal end side to the distal end side, and the length of the width increasing region occupies a major part of the maximum length of the suction port.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a reflecting plate having excellent reflecting characteristics and a reflection type liquid crystal display apparatus having an improved display quality. A mask has a plurality of basic uneven spot patterns for individual pixels, and two or more uneven regions for at least one basic uneven spot pattern are formed. Any two of the two or more uneven regions appear at least in a relation of parallel displacement in which the uneven spot patterns are displaced in parallel with each other, among relations of parallel displacement, rotational displacement and reversal of uneven spot pattern, and the uneven regions are irregularly arranged. A reflecting plate and a reflection type liquid crystal display apparatus both having convexes are manufactured by an exposure of a photosensitive resin film using the mask. Even in the case where an exposure step is repeated in different positions, no seam is observed.

Abstract: In a discharge pulsation damping apparatus of a compressor according to this invention, an expansion muffler 46 and a resonance muffler 58 each having a predetermined capacity are defined inside cylinder blocks 11 and 12 through partitions 59 and 60 so that the resonance muffler 58 is situated at a position higher than the expansion muffler 46 in a gravitational direction (vertical direction). The expansion muffler 46is connected to discharge chambers 38 and 39 and to an outlet 48, and both mufflers 46 and 58 are communicated by a communication passage 61 formed in the partitions 59and 60. The capacity of the resonance muffler 58, the open sectional area of the communication passage 61 and its passage length are set to values such that a pressure change capable of offsetting specific frequency components of the discharge pulsation inside the expansion muffler 46 can be generated inside the resonance muffler 58.

Abstract: A mechanism for attenuating torsional vibration in a compressor is described. The compressor includes a swash plate secured to a drive shaft and pistons coupled to the swash plate. Compression of refrigerant gas by the pistons generates torsional vibrations of the drive shaft. The rear end of the drive shaft is coupled to a damper for attenuating torsional vibrations. The damper includes a frictional plate secured to the rear end of the drive shaft, a weight rotatably fitted about the drive shaft, and a coil spring. The coil spring elastically presses the weight against the frictional plate and elastically couples the weight with the drive shaft. When the drive shaft torsionally vibrates, the weight contacts the frictional plate and is vibrated about the axis of the drive shaft by the coil spring. As a result, energy of the torsional vibrations is consumed and the vibrations are attenuated. Further embodiments show similar dampers attached to the exterior of the compressor.

Abstract: A compressor having a rotating member, which includes a drive shaft and a swash plate. A piston compresses gas and torsionally vibrates the rotating member. A damper is coupled to the shaft to reduce torsional vibrations of the rotating member. The natural frequency of the damper is substantially equal to that of the rotating member. The damper includes a metal pin coupled to the shaft, a weight coupled to the rotating member, and a rubberlike body arranged between the shaft and the weight. The pin functions as a spring acting in the direction of the torsional vibrations and has a spring constant that remains substantially the same within the operating temperature range of the compressor. The weight is vibrated torsionally with the rotating member by the pin to offset the torsional vibrations of the rotating member. The natural frequency of the damper is determined mainly by the mass of the weight and the spring constant of the pin.