Abstract:
A heating element (2) comprises a thermally conductive substrate (4), an electrically insulating layer (6) provided over the substrate (4), and a heating track (8) deposited on the insulating layer. The heating element (2) has a dished portion defining a concave face (12) on one side of the element (2), the insulating layer (6) and the heating track (8) being provided on the concave face (12). The heating element is suitable for a range of liquid heating applications, including electric kettles.
Abstract:
A colour image projection apparatus comprising a plurality of (LC) image display panels (33), each operating with light of a different colour (R, G, B), whose outputs are combined by combining means (24, 25) and projected via a lens (28) onto a screen (32) and electro-optical deflection means, comprising a birefringent element (40) following the combining means and preceded by polarisation switch means (42) operable to displace slightly the outputs from rows of pixels in each of the panels in either the odd or even fields so as to produce an interlaced image on the screen. Considerably improved performance is achieved by providing a respective, separate, polarisation switch element between each display panel (33) and the combining means (24, 25), and preferably closely adjacent to the output side of the display panel.
Abstract:
In a massaging apparatus (1) with two rotatable rollers (14, 15), which are spaced apart transversely to their roller axes (16, 17), at least one of said rollers being rotationally drivable by a roller drive motor (25), and with a suction chamber (39) disposed in the area of the two rollers (14, 15) and communicating with a pump (50) via an air-transfer line (49) for generating a vacuum in the suction chamber (39) so as to form a skin fold (57) which is drawn into the suction chamber (39), there has been provided a control device (80), preferably formed by an electropneumatic vacuum switch, which is responsive to a partial vacuum and which communicates with the suction chamber (39), the roller drive motor (25) being adapted to be turned on under control of the control device (80) when a given vacuum is reached in the suction chamber (39).
Abstract:
In a transmission system digital symbols are transmitted by a transmitter (2) via a channel (8) to a receiver (10). The receiver (10) comprises a first detector (14) and a second detector (20) with different decision levels. In the case of an unreliable input signal of the detectors (14 and 20), the sequences of detected symbols at the outputs of the detectors (14 and 20) may differ. By checking the sequences of digital symbols on code rule violations, the most likely sequence of detected symbols can be selected by a selector (46) and passed to the output.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a semiconductor device provided with a semiconductor substrate (2) with a bipolar transistor (1) having a collector region (3) of a first conductivity type, a base region (4) adjoining the collector region (3) and of a second conductivity type opposed to the first, and an elongate emitter region (7) of the first conductivity type adjoining the base region (4); the collector region (3), the base region (6), and the emitter region (7) being provided with conductor tracks (10, 11, 110, 12, 120) which are connected to conductive connection surfaces (C, B, E). According to the invention, the semiconductor device is characterized in that the conductor track (11, 110) on the elongate emitter region (7) has a connection to a connection surface (E1, E2) for a further electrical connection (25) at each of the two ends (70, 77) of the emitter region (7). The emitter region (7) may be made longer in this manner because the length of the emitter region (7) is effectively halved by the connections (11, 110) at the two ends (70, 77). Indeed, charge carriers need be transported over no more than at most half the emitter length. The semiconductor device according to the invention is thus capable of supplying high powers because the charge transport is not limited by charge transport through the conductor track (11, 110) on the elongate emitter region (7).
Abstract:
The electric lamp includes a skirt (17, 40) including a plastic skirt portion (17) and a metallic skirt portion (40) having one end portion (43) molded in said plastic skirt portion (17) and a second end portion (41) secured to the lamp envelope (1). The metallic skirt portion (40) improves structural integrity and provides some thermal isolation from the lamp envelope (1) allowing the use of a less heat-resistant plastic for the plastic skirt portion (40).
Abstract:
A vacuum cleaner with a housing (1) in which a dust chamber (17) and a motor chamber (13) are accommodated, the motor chamber (13) being connected to the dust chamber (17) via a motor inlet (15). The housing (1) comprises a lower housing part (37) and an upper housing part (39). According to the invention, the dust chamber (17) is present at a side (43) of the upper housing part (39) which faces away from the lower housing part (37), and the dust chamber (17) is bounded by a depression (41) in the upper housing part (39) which faces the lower housing part (37). The motor chamber (13) comprises a chamber (45) of the upper housing part (39) which is present at a side (49) of the upper housing part (39) which faces the lower housing part (37). Said depression (41) defines an unmoulding direction (X) of the upper housing part (39), said chamber (45) having an unmoulding direction (X') which is parallel to the unmoulding direction (X) of the upper housing part (39), while the motor inlet (15) is provided in the upper housing part (39) and extends in a plane which intersects the unmoulding direction (X). The upper housing part (39) and the lower housing part (37) can be manufactured by means of an injection moulding process with a minimum number of auxiliary mould pieces or inserts, the lower housing part (37) being of a very simple construction.
Abstract:
The invention relates to a method of controlling access of messages contained, for example, in ATM cells, to a network (10). The cells transmitted by a source (11) are classified into n adjacent groups depending on the value of the instantaneous rate associated to each of the cells. For each cell (Ci) transmitted by the source (11) and which requests access to the network (10), a switch (122) only authorizes this access if in a global token reserve allocated per unit of time and distributed per group as a function of the number of cells each group contains, one token is still available for the group to which the cell (Ci) belongs or, if there is no such token, for a group of instantaneous rates which have higher values. This process thus establishes a priority for the slowest cells and does not allow cells occurring in bursts suddenly to disturb the network.
Abstract:
A II-VI compound semiconductor laser diode (10) includes a plurality of II-VI semiconductor layers forming a pn junction supported by a single crystal GaAs semiconductor substrate (12). The layers formed in the pn junction include a first cladding layer (20) of a first conductivity type, a second cladding layer (22) of a second conductivity type, and at least a first guiding layer (14) between the first and second cladding layers (20, 22). A quantum well active layer (18) is positioned within the pn junction. Electrical energy is coupled to the laser diode (10) by first and second electrodes (40, 41). Various layers (14, 16, 20, 22, 36, 38) in the laser diode are formed using Be.