Abstract: A system for monitoring an entry-restricted danger zone of an industrial plant, wherein a machine is arranged inside the entry-restricted danger zone, the system comprising: a safety control apparatus to control operation of the machine in a fail-safe manner; an entry portal to enable a person to enter and exit the danger zone; an entry control apparatus to authenticate entry of authorized persons, the entry portal being assigned to the entry control apparatus; and a login controller to log information about a current entry event of the entry-restricted danger zone and about historical entry events of the entry-restricted danger zone, wherein the safety control apparatus is configured to generate, upon request of an authenticated, entry-authorized person, a switch-off signal for a fail-safe shutdown of the machine and to prevent a restart of the machine while at least one person is still present inside the entry-restricted danger zone.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting a parachute flight controller from a parachute comprises a bearing member, for example a pulley, a load-bearing coupling, for example a harness, connected to the bearing member and including a connector for connecting the coupling to a parachute flight controller. The coupling includes a load-bearing connector for connecting a payload thereto, and the bearing member is adapted to enable relative movement, controlled by the flight controller, between the bearing member and a support member, for example a flexible coupling line or web for supporting the bearing member connected between first and second suspension lines of a parachute. The flight controller may include one or more control lines connected to the support member or suspension lines which can be wound in or out of the flight controller to effect relative movement between the bearing member and the support member and thereby control the direction of the parachute.

Abstract: An apparatus for supporting a parachute flight controller from a parachute comprises a bearing member, for example a pulley, a load-bearing coupling, for example a harness, connected to the bearing member and including a connector for connecting the coupling to a parachute flight controller. The coupling includes a load-bearing connector for connecting a payload thereto, and the bearing member is adapted to enable relative movement, controlled by the flight controller, between the bearing member and a support member, for example a flexible coupling line or web for supporting the bearing member connected between first and second suspension lines of a parachute. The flight controller may include one or more control lines connected to the support member or suspension lines which can be wound in or out of the flight controller to effect relative movement between the bearing member and the support member and thereby control the direction of the parachute.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hydrogenation process for the preparation of aromatic amino compounds containing directly on the aryl ring or in a side chain one or more entities that may also undergo hydrogenation, such as carbon multiple bonds, nitrile groups, imino groups or carbonyl groups. The preparation is carried out by catalytic hydrogenation of the corresponding aromatic nitro compounds in the presence of a phosphorus-modified noble metal catalyst. The invention relates also to the use of modified noble metal catalysts for the hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds containing carbon multiple bonds and/or substituted by nitrile, imino or carbonyl groups.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hydrogenation process for the production of aromatic halogen-amino compounds by means of catalytic hydrogenation on noble metal catalysts of corresponding aromatic halonitro compounds, characterised in that a rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, platinum or palladium catalyst which is modified with an inorganic or organic phosphorus compound with a degree of oxidation of less than V, is used, in the presence of a vanadium compound.

Abstract: One object of the invention is a process for the catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds in solution or in melt in the presence of hydrogen and at least one noble metal catalyst, nickel catalyst or cobalt catalyst, in which process a catalytic amount of at least one vanadium compound is present, wherein the vanadium has the oxidation state 0, II, IV or V. It has been found that in the catalytic hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds the accumulation of hydroxylamines can be almost completely prevented by the addition of catalytic amounts of vanadium compounds, which usually results in concentrations of <1% hydroxylamine. The resulting hydrogenated products are whiter (purer) than those obtained without the addition of the vanadium compound because almost no azo or azoxy compounds are obtained. The hydrogenation, in particular the final phase, proceeds faster than without said addition. Accordingly, substantial advantages with respect to quality constancy and economy are obtained.

Abstract: A process for the production of compounds useful as fluorescent whitening agents of formula: ##STR1## in which X and Y, are as defined herein and n is 1 or 2, comprises A) diazotising one mole of an amine of formula: ##STR2## (2A) to produce a diazonium compound of the formula: ##STR3## (2) in which G.sub.1 is a counter ion; and diazotising one mole of an amine of formula: ##STR4## (3A) to produce a diazonium compound having the formula: ##STR5## (3); and B) reacting one mole of a divinyl compound having the formula: ##STR6## (4) with one mole of a compound having the formula (2) and with one mole of a compound having the formula (3), in the presence of an inorganic or organic palladium salt, or a mixture thereof, as catalyst-precursor.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a hydrogenation process for the production of aromatic halogen-amino compounds by means of catalytic hydrogenation on noble metal catalysts of corresponding aromatic halonitro compounds, characterised in that a rhodium, ruthenium, iridium, platinum or palladium catalyst which is modified with an inorganic or organic phosphorus compound with a degree of oxidation of less than V, is used, in the presence of a vanadium compound.

Abstract: The invention relates to processes for preparing substituted aromatic amino compounds which contain at least one unsaturated --CN bond or carbonyl group on the aromatic radical or in a side chain, by catalytic hydrogenation of appropriate substituted aromatic nitro compounds in the presence of a modified noble metal catalyst of platinum which is modified with a metal selected from lead, mercury, bismuth, germanium, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, silver and gold.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of aromatic amino compounds which are substituted by a least one group comprising at least one unsaturated carbon-carbon bond, by catalytic hydrogenation of corresponding aromatic nitro compounds in the presence of a modified noble metal catalyst, wherein the noble metal catalyst used is platinum modified with a metal selected from the group consisting of lead, mercury, bismuth, germanium, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, silver and gold, and to novel noble metal catalysts for use in this process.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of substituted benzenes or benzenesulfonic acid and its derivatives comprising diazotisation of an aminobenzene or ortho-amino-benzenesulfonic acid derivative followed by homogeneous palladium-catalyzed coupling with an olefine and heterogeneous palladium-catalyzed hydrogenation of the olefinic substituent, wherein the homogeneous catalyst is reduced and precipitated as metal after the coupling in the reaction mixture and used as a heterogeneous palladium catalyst for the hydrogenation step. The process is particular suitable for the preparation N-benzenesulfon-N'-triazinyl-urea herbicides.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of substituted benzenes or benzenesulfonic acid and its derivatives comprising diazotisation of an aminobenzene or ortho-amino-benzenesulfonic acid derivative followed by homogeneous palladium-catalysed coupling with an olefine and heterogeneous palladium-catalysed hydrogenation of the olefinic substituent, wherein the homogeneous catalyst is reduced and precipitated as metal after the coupling in the reaction mixture and used as a heterogeneous palladium catalyst for the hydrogenation step. The process is particular suitable for the preparation N-benzenesulfon-N'-triazinyl-urea herbicides.

Abstract: The catalytic hydrogenation of halogenated nitro aromatics using Raney nickel in the presence of a formamidine salt as dehalogenation inhibitor affords halogenated aromatic primary amines in high yields and high chemical purity within short reaction times even at elevated temperatures.

Abstract: A skip-field guard-bandless video tape recorder records and plays back adjacent tracks on a video tape with two closely adjacent heads of opposing head gap azimuth angles (to suppress cross-talk), only during alternate (odd) half-rotations of the head drum. Unavoidable cross-talk of synchronization pulses from adjacent tracks does not create visible interference or timing errors during playback by virtue of a special offset angle .theta..sub.1, between the adjacent recording heads, proportional to the linear offset distance between adjacent tracks. During playback, skipped fields are "filled-in" by a repetition of each recorded field through a second (duplicate) pair of closely adjacent heads of opposing azimuth positioned to retrace the recorded tracks during the other alternate (even) half-rotations of the head drum. An offset angle .theta..sub.2 between the two head pairs (i.e.

Abstract: A one step process for the preparation of bis(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidyl)amine by reacting 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone or 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone x H.sub.2 O with ammonia and hydrogen in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst, characterized in that the molar ratio of 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidone versus ammonia is between 1:0.4 and 1:0.8.

Abstract: In accordance with a novel process, 2,3-difluoropyridines of formula I ##STR1## wherein X is halogen or trifluoromethyl, are prepared by diazotising a 3-amino-2-halopyridine of formula II ##STR2## wherein X is as defined for formula I and Y is bromine, chlorine or fluorine, in the presence of hydrogen fluroide, to give a 3-fluoro-2-halopyridine of formula III ##STR3## wherein X and Y are as defined for formula II, and treating resultant 3-fluoro-2-halopyridines of formula III, wherein Y is bromine or chlorine, with a fluorinating agent.The 2,3-difluoropyridines prepared by the novel process are valuable intermediates for the preparation of 2-[4-(3-fluoropyridin-2-yloxy)-phenoxy]propionic acid derivatives which are known as herbicides.

Abstract: In a video recorder having a drum with opposing dual record heads, successive fields of only the luminance signal (without the chrominance signal) are recorded by the heads during successive head rotations through 180.degree.. The tape is overwrapped around the drum by a certain angle (over 216.degree., for example) so that the chrominance signal of each preceeding field may be compressed and recorded during each head rotation through the overwrap angle (i.e., from 180.degree. to 216.degree. in the example). Because the luminance signal is not mixed with the chrominance for recording (as has been usual), the luminance bandwidth may be increased by about 1 megaHertz to occupy the frequency band otherwise occupied by the color-under chrominance signal in the prior art. This provides a significant improvement in overall video image resolution.

Abstract: A removable container holds a plurality of video disks each storing prerecorded video pictures that are played back in a multi-disk video player. The container includes a magazine for storing the disks and a non-volatile, erasable memory supported adjacent the magazine between guide rails formed on one side of the magazine. The memory is locked in place on the rails when the container is outside the player by a movable locking key that is biased into a locking slot in the magazine. When the container is inserted into the player, the locking key is displaced out of the slot; the memory is detached from the magazine and connected into the player circuit, thus permitting movement of the magazine without disturbing transfer of data to and from the immobilized memory.

Abstract: By employing field store memories, a skip-field video recorder records odd and even fields of different frames and then plays back full frames reconstructed from the recorded odd and even fields, thus achieving maximum vertical resolution in the playback video image.

Abstract: A video cassette recorder (VCR) erase protection system which is responsive to the standard anti-erase switch on a video cassette, is capable of "filling-in" unused portions of an erase-protected video cassette without disturbing previously recorded material on the cassette and without requiring the user to turn off the anti-erase switch on the cassette. By eliminating the need to turn off the anti-erase switch before recording additional material, the possibility of forgetting to later rearm the switch is eliminated. A microprocessor, responding to the anti-erase switch position and to the video signal sensed during an initial fast winding of the tape, intelligently positions the tape prior to recording so that recording takes place in unused tape portions only, without requiring any further action by the user.