Abstract: The invention relates to a drive wheel traction chain for a hybrid vehicle comprising a heat engine and a hydraulic traction machine powered by hydraulic accumulators forming two power units that can be used to drive the drive wheels of the vehicle. The invention further comprises a recharge module including electricity storage batteries connected to an electric machine which drives a hydraulic recharge machine that powers the hydraulic accumulators, and a means for controlling the recharge module connected to the means for controlling the power units of the vehicle.

Abstract: The invention relates to a power train for a hybrid vehicle, comprising two hydraulic machines (20, 22) including variable displacement, both of which are connected to a hydraulic pressure accumulator (24) which stores energy, a first hydraulic machine (20) being permanently connected to an internai combustion traction engine (2), and a second hydraulic machine (22) being connected, also permanently, to drive wheels (8) of the vehicle, characterised in that the two hydraulic machines (20, 22) are also interconnected by a linking means (10) that can be engaged or disengaged.

Abstract: A device for detecting vacuum loss in a vacuum breaking apparatus that includes an enclosure having a first part at least partially of insulating material, closed at its opposite ends by end-plates, and housing fixed and mobile electrodes. A second part of the enclosure is insulating material at least partially around the first part, this second part is an over-molding of electrically grounded conductive shielding at least a part of its outer surface. This first strip of over-molding faces both the first part and one of the electrodes, thereby providing two capacitances in series, namely, a vacuum capacitance between the electrode and the inner surface of the first part, and a solid capacitance between the inner surface of the first part and the first strip, and means for measuring change of current value in the first strip, which corresponds to a vacuum loss inside a vacuum breaking apparatus.

Abstract: A system (100) for detecting an electrostatic discharge event with respect to a device (110) to be monitored comprises a current measurement device (140) configured to measure a current flowing via a power supply connection (120) connecting the device to be monitored with the power supply to obtain a current measurement signal representing the current or a current component. Alternatively, a current flowing through a protective earth connection (180) connecting the device to be monitored with the protective earth is measured to obtain the measurement signal. The system comprises an electrostatic discharge event detector configured to detect an electrostatic discharge event in response to a pulse of the current measurement signal. The system may optionally comprise data processing of current measurement signals or values.

Abstract: A cutting head with chip collection for cutting a tubular object. The cutting head comprises a frame and gripping, cutting, advancing and sealing units. The gripping unit is used to grip the object and secure its position with respect to the frame. The cutting unit has a motor driving a blade for cutting the tubular object. The advancing unit is used to guide the cutting unit in order to vary a cutting depth of the blade through a cutting area defined by an opening of the frame. The sealing unit has members extending around the cutting area and forming a chamber to contain the chips produced by the blade during a cutting. A suction conduit communicating with the chamber allows drawing the chips and conveying them toward a chip collecting outlet.

Abstract: A circuit and a method are provided for testing the enable function of Boundary Scan Register bits that control the driver of unconnected I/O pins of an 1149.1-compliant IC during the IC's reduced pin-count access manufacturing test, and to test the connections to these pins during the test of a circuit board containing the IC, without causing excessive current if a pin is inadvertently short circuited.

Abstract: A system for transmitting data, including at least one data transmission network (10), one or several client machines (12, 14, 16) connected to the network and one or several server machines (18, 20, 22) which are also connected to the network and which can be connected at a given moment to one of the server machines in order to exchange data therewith. The system includes at least one central server (24) which is connected to the network. Each of the server machines have several connection devices enabling a permanent connection to be established with the central server, and each of the client machines have client connection devices enabling a provisional connection to be established with the central server.

Abstract: A method and device for using part of the tissue margin of an excised tissue specimen and a coating gel to form a sample block sliceable into sample slices. The method includes the steps of: positioning the part of the tissue margin on a substantially flat tissue supporting surface with its deep surface positioned adjacent or against the tissue supporting surface; covering the part of the tissue margin with an initial volume of coating gel; using a mold for molding the part of the tissue margin covered by the initial volume of coating gel into the sample block having a predetermined configuration and a predetermined size; at least partially freezing the sample block while the sample block remains inserted in the mold; removing the sample block from the mold. The device includes and sleeve component and a piston component having a tissue supporting surface.

Abstract: A circuit and a method are provided for testing the enable function of Boundary Scan Register bits that control the driver of unconnected I/O pins of an 1149.1-compliant IC during the IC's reduced pin-count access manufacturing test, and to test the connections to these pins during the test of a circuit board containing the IC, without causing excessive current if a pin is inadvertently short circuited.

Abstract: Intelligent logic activity resolution (ILAR) is provided for a process. Upon a first trigger event being received, a first subset of conditions of the process is detected. The first subset of conditions is selected based on the first trigger event. When the first subset of conditions match predetermined values, a first state is entered. When the first subset conditions do not match the predetermined values, additional conditions are checked. On the basis of the checked additional conditions, a new state is selected for entry.

Abstract: The invention concerns dairy product capsules and the method for making them. The capsules contain a coating including a food polymer, reactive to multivalent ions, inside which is confined a dairy product. The capsules are characterised in that they have a breaking force higher than 0.5 N. The invention is applicable in the food processing industry.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for producing carbon monoxide by reverse conversion, in gas phase, of carbonic acid gas and gaseous hydrogen while minimising the production of methane. The invention is characterised in that the reaction is carried out at a temperature between 300 and 520° C. and under pressure between 10 to 40 bars in the presence of an iron-free catalyst based on zinc oxide and chromium oxide. Said method is preferably carried out continuously and comprises preferably the following steps which consist in: a) preparing a gas mixture rich in carbon dioxide and in hydrogen having a temperature between 300 and 520° C.

Abstract: A number of fault injection circuits and corresponding methods for injecting correlated, uncorrelated, non-persistent and persisting faults at the primary outputs of boundary scan cells are disclosed. Fault data is loaded in the boundary scan cell update latch of all boundary scan cells at which a fault is to be injected. The fault injection circuits generate a fault inject signal which is applied to the control input of the standard cell output selector, an active signal causing the content of the update latch to be applied to the cell primary output. In order to provide for scan testing of the fault injection circuitry, the boundary scan cell shift and update latches and the fault flag latch (if employed) are provided with hold capability so that the contents of these elements can be controlled and their input captured in accordance with standard scan testing techniques.

Abstract: An improvement in a method of testing a digital circuit or system, having a plurality of scannable memory elements, in accordance with conventional BIST methods in which, at a reference clock, a test stimulus is shifted into the memory elements, the response of the elements is captured and the captured data is shifted out of the elements and analyzed, the improvement comprising controlling the average power consumption of the circuit during the test by suppressing clock pulses from the reference clock during phases of the test that do not require the maximum level of activity or in which the performance of the circuit is not to be evaluated; and, suppressing no clock pulses from the reference clock in phases of the test in which the performance of the circuit is to be evaluated, so that the conditions are substantially as those of normal mode of operation of the circuit.

Abstract: A method wherein air is separated in an air separation unit (9), the oxygen thus generated is consumed during at least one step (2, 12, 13) of the steel-making process, the resulting gas is at least partially decarbonated, and the at least partially decarbonated gas is used (at 13) in a reduction reaction of the steel-making process. The partial decarbonation step cyclically includes a CO.sub.2 fixation step using a fixation agent, and a regeneration step in which the agent is regenerated in a reactor. Nitrogen generated by the air separation unit (9) is fed into the reactor during the fixation agent regeneration step. The method is useful in combined coal gassification/direct iron ore reduction processes.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for detecting surface defects on an article freely standing on a conveyer, which generate profile trace data corresponding to profile trace at a cross-section of the article. A surface shape inspection unit comprising an optical ranging system using laser and camera is provided for obtaining the profile trace data through triangulation-based derivation techniques. Base reference curves are derived from regular portions of the profile trace data. Profile trace data are compared to defect threshold curves to recognize a defect induced departure of the trace data with respect to the base reference curve and to produce a defect output signal. The apparatus and method according to the invention are particularly useful for detecting roughness, cavities, wane, missing wood and altered wood on lumber pieces which are conveyed at high speed.

Abstract: A communication system is formed by an ATM network and a multiplexing device suitable for such a system. The ATM network includes a plurality of nodes and links which connect various access points within the network. The multiplexing device includes a plurality of access terminals which transmit information across the network to output terminals linked to the access points via demultiplexing devices. Information transmitted across the network is routed using cells containing a destination identifier which defines the connection between two of the access points and the multiplexing device.

Abstract: A multiplexer for use in conjunction with a cell-based network, which includes a plurality of access terminals each of which receives respective cells, each of the cells having one of a plurality of different classifications, a plurality of FIFO buffers each of which is coupled to a respective one of the access terminals for queuing the cells received at the respective access terminals, a plurality of decoding elements each of which is coupled to a respective one of the FIFO buffers, and, an allocation circuit which generates a coded selection signal that is applied to each of the decoding elements, wherein the decoding elements each decode the coded selection signal for selectively reading the cells out of the FIFO buffers in a manner whereby the cells are read out of the FIFO buffers in an order which is dependent upon their classification.

Abstract: A communication system, such as an ATM network, is disclosed having a multiplexing device formed by a plurality of access terminals for users who have cells to be transmitted at a certain rate, and at least one connecting terminal. An allocation circuit determines, at a current date, the supply of a cell (called chosen cell) to the connecting terminal. The allocation circuit includes a circuit for producing a first destination identifier (VP), a theoretical date determining circuit, a tree circuit, a sub-tree circuit, a root date determining circuit, and an extracting circuit. The theoretical date determining circuit is for determining a theoretical date for the transmission of the available cells of each service circuit as a function of the rate.

Abstract: An ATM network with circuits means for managing the transmission of ATM cells. An allocation circuit comprises a tree circuit which cooperates with a date calculation circuit. This calculation circuit assigns a date to each of the transmit cells as a function of the desired rate. The tree circuit is passed through, on the one hand, in a direction from leaves to root for determining the dates that have the smallest value in a classification according to priority of the calculated dates and, on the other hand, in the direction from root to leaves for selecting the date that has the highest priority and is smaller than a current date produced by a dating element.