Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Daifuku Co., Ltd.

Nobuhiro Hayashi

Shuji Abe

Toshiichiro Tanaka

Seiji Yamaguchi

Seizo Hayashi

Yoshitaka Murata

Jiro Nakamura

Hidetoshi Imai

Yoshinori Takashima

Susumu Nakagawa

Toshiyuki Yoshida

Seiichi Ueno

Hiroyuki Senoo

Katsunory Zaizen

Yasuo Oshima

Jirou Nakamura

Hiroshi Nakagawa

Masanobu Satou

Kenji Okano

Teruyuki Yasuda

A carriage-type conveyance device using a carriage having a vertically movable object-supporting base that is controlled by a cam rail on the floor side, in which a turntable for changing the direction of the carriage has a low-floor structure. In the carriage-type conveyance device, the object-supporting base that is vertically movable between a lowered position and a lifted position is placed on a conveyance carriage (), a cam follower roller vertically moving in association with the movement of the object-supporting body is provided at the bottom of the conveyance carriage (), and a cam device () for pushing up the cam follower roller and a work section (A) in which the object support base is supported at the lifted position are provided in a traveling route of the conveyance carriage (). The conveyance device further has the turntable () placed in a traveling route on the downstream side of the work section (A) and changing the direction of the conveyance carriage (), and also has a means for holding at the lifted position the object-supporting body of the conveyance carriage () from at least the time immediately before the object-supporting body enters into the turntable () until it has exited from the rotated turntable ().

Carriage-type conveyance device

A carrier type conveying apparatus capable of solving a problem in a conventional conveying apparatus wherein a conveying carriers () stop abnormally, comprising a rear-pushing traveling district () having, at its inlet, a rear-pushing drive means (A) propelling the conveying carriers () at a constant speed and, at its outlet, a speed control drive means (B) for sending out the conveying carriers () at the constant speed and a high-speed traveling district (). The conveying apparatus comprises carrier connection systems (carrier connection means (), connection engagement means (), connection release means ()). When the conveying carriers () travel in the high-speed traveling district (), the connection of the conveying carriers () adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction by the carrier connection systems is disabled. Only when the conveying carriers () travel in the rear-pushing traveling district (), the conveying carriers () in the longitudinal direction are connected to each other by the carrier connection system to prevent the conveying carriers () in contact with each other at their end parts from being separated a specified distance or longer from each other.

Carrier type conveying apparatus and conveying carrier connection system of the conveying apparatus

A lifting stroke of a platform (), liftably/lowerably supported through a cross link (), of a traveling body () for conveyance is increased with a low floor structure of the traveling body () maintained. In a conveying apparatus having the lifting/lowering platform, there are laid a first cam rail (A) working on a first to-be-operated portion () to lift the platform () to a middle height (H) and a second cam rail () working on a second to-be-operated portion () to lift the platform () from the middle height (H) to the maximum height (H). The second to-be-operated portion () is provided at a middle bending fulcrum () of a toggle link () interposed between the cross link () and a fixing position on the conveying traveler body () side. When the platform () is lifted to the middle height (H), the toggle link () is extended such that both upper fulcrums () are separated, relative to the middle bending fulcrum (), to both the front and rear in the traveling direction. The second to-be-operated portion () in this extended state of the toggle link () is positioned below the first to-be-operated portion () in the same state.

Conveying apparatus with lifting/lowering platform

A conveying apparatus formed so as to selectively move a to-be-conveyed object support table () installed on a conveying traveler body () to a lifted position by pushing up the support table by cam rails () laid down in the specific section of a conveying route, wherein the holding function of the to-be-conveyed object support table () at the lifted position is increased to enhance safety. A to-be-latched portion () reciprocatingly moving in a roughly horizontal direction according to a standing/falling motion of the crosslink mechanisms () and latches () for locking automatically engaged with the to-be-latched portion () when the to-be-conveyed object support table () is lifted to a predetermined position are installed on the conveying traveler body () sides of the crosslink mechanisms () liftably supporting the to-be-conveyed object support table (). Unlocking cams () switching the latches () for locking to a lock release attitude according to the traveling of the conveying traveler body () are installed on the cam rails at an end portion of the specific section.

Conveying apparatus with lifting/lowering to-be-conveyed object support table

An oxygen enrichment apparatus includes an oxygen enriching unit for generating oxygen-enriched air and a discharge unit for discharging the oxygen-enriched air transferred from the suction unit. The oxygen-enriched air generated by the oxygen enriching unit has an oxygen concentration ranging from about 25% to 35%. The apparatus also includes a suction unit for suctioning the oxygen-enriched air from the oxygen enriching unit and a control unit for controlling the operation of the suction unit. The main body is provided with a display unit for indicating a state that the oxygen-enriched air is being discharged out by the discharge unit. The oxygen enriching unit has at least one oxygen enriching membrane for generating the oxygen-enriched air and a condensed water treating unit is installed at an air passage for guiding the oxygen-enriched air from the oxygen enriching unit to the discharge unit via the suction unit.

Oxygen enrichment apparatus

A movable member supported for movement on a track has a pressure receptor portion which faces laterally outward. An accelerating device in a horizontally held particular track portion of the track, at the upstream side thereof, acts upon the pressure receptor portion to apply high speed transport force to the movable member. A decelerating device at the downstream side of the particular track portion acts upon the pressure receptor portion to decelerate the movable member. The accelerating device acts upon the pressure receptor portion at the downstream side of the particular track portion, whereby high speed transport force is applied to the movable member so that the movable member may be transported at high speed on the horizontally held particular track portion. The decelerating device acts upon the pressure receptor portion of the movable member being transported at high speed, whereupon the movable member is decelerated. Movable members can be efficiently transported at high speed on the particular track portion and, therefore, the number of movable members present in the particular track portion can be reduced.

Transport arrangement for movable members

Method of operation of an air cleaner used in a motor vehicle, comprises the steps of: intermittently turning off a blower motor of the air cleaner at a given interval; detecting ripple components included in an output voltage developed by a dynamo driven by an engine of the motor vehicle by detecting the output voltage between dc power supply lines connected from the dynamo to the air cleaner; and maintaining turn off condition of the blower motor when the ripple component is lower than a given level during intermittently turning off the blower motor. When the engine is stopped, during the on interval of the blower motor, stoppage of the engine cannot be detected by watching the ripple components included in power supply lines. However, during the following intermittent turning off interval, stop of the engine can be detected because the ripple component due to operation of the blower motor is not developed. Therefore, the blower does not continue to run after the stopping of the engine, so that power stored in the battery is saved.

Method of operation of air cleaner used in motor vehicle

A concentration of a given gas is detected by a gas sensor when a command signal for turning off the gas sensor is present, the concentration is stored and the gas sensor is turned off. The invention detects the concentration of the given gas by the gas sensor when a command signal for turning on the gas sensor is present and determines a reference value by choosing either the stored concentration or the concentration detected after the gas sensor is turned on whichever is lower at an instant a predetermined interval after the gas sensor is turned on. A blower motor of an air cleaner is controlled in accordance with the difference between the reference value and the concentration detected after the gas sensor is turned on. In a second method, the concentration is stored in a nonvolatile memory just before the air cleaner is turned off. In a third method, a given value may be set as the reference value replacing the stored concentration if the given value is smaller than the stored concentration. In a fourth method, only when the stored concentration data is empty, the given value may be used for the reference.

Method of operation of air cleaner

Automatic electric vacuum cleaner with temporary manual override

A control circuit for an air cleaner including a gas sensor, an ultraviolet sensor and a control circuit for performing an automatic operation of the air cleaner in response to the detection of outputs of the sensors. A predetermined number of electrical pulses from the ultraviolet sensor are observed by the control circuit during a first predetermined time period after the passage of a second predetermined time period from a point of time when an initial pulse from the ultraviolet sensor has been inputted to the control circuit, the control circuit identifies the predetermined number of the pulses as a drive signal for initiating the operation of the air cleaner.

Control circuit for an air cleaner

In a vacuum cleaner of the type arranged to stop a motor when a driven brush is overloaded due to engagement with carpet or other obstacles, a starter circuit responsive to a manually operable power switch is employed to start the motor. The rotation of the rotary brush is detected by way of a sensor which produces a voltage. The starter circuit produces another voltage for a given period of time after the power switch is turned on, and these voltages are fed to a latching circuit which produces a control voltage when neither of the first nor second voltage is applied thereto, and the control voltage causes a control unit to interrupt power to the electric motor. As a result, once the latching circuit is put in a latching state after the brush has stopped, the motor is prevented from starting again unless the power switch is turned on again.

Growing community of inventors

Shiga, Japan

Nobuhiro Hayashi