2179results about "Counting mechanisms/objects" patented technology

An inhaler for multiple dosed administration of a pharmacological dry powder consists externally of a housing (100,150) and of a protective cap (950) which can be removed from a special mouthpiece (900) fitted on the housing. Arranged on the inside there are a slide rail (200), a dosing slide (300), a shutter (400), a carriage (500), a funnel arrangement (600), a counter device (700), a valve shield (800) and a valve guide (850). Removal of the protective cap (950) initiates the dosing, with a dose received in the dosing cavity (302) being transported to the mouth-piece (900) by means of the dosing slide (300). Only upon application of a defined minimum intensity of inhalation is the shutter (400) moved by the suctioned valve shield (800), as a result of which the dose is released for inhalation. Completed with an electronic module and a controllable nozzle, all inhalation-relevant data can be recorded and the flow conditions regulated.

A method of manufacturing a seal in an electrosurgical device includes placing components of the electrosurgical device within an elongated housing section, the housing section including an actuator opening, introducing the housing section within a mold filled with a liquid thermoplastic elastomer and allowing the elastomer to flow within the housing, forming an elastomeric inwardly-extending lip portion circumferentially surrounding an opening at a distal end of the electrosurgical device for introducing an electrode therein, and allowing the molded elastomer to cure and become integral with the housing to seal the components within the molded elastomer contained within the housing section. The method may also include the step of forming an elastomeric actuator seal around the actuator opening.

A service-oriented bus for distributed gaming systems allowing gaming machines, servers, workstations, mobile PCs, handheld devices and automatic telling machines to talk together over a network. The game service bus provides a publish-and-subscribe message bus over a private network within a gaming property and / or over the public Internet across several properties. The service bus framework allows participating communicating end points to publish services or subscribe to services in a simple and standardized high level fashion, thereby enabling the devices to understand one-another, thus“talk” together. The “talking together” paradigm is rather appropriate, as it emphasizes the value that the service bus brings to a complex distributed casino gaming system that may include thousands of devices manufactured by dozens of vendors. Gaming machines may talk together in a peer-fashion over the service bus, which is well suited for multiplayer gaming. The service-oriented bus allows third party ultra-specialized vendors to offer dazzling plug-in services directly on the casino floor, such as automated geo-localized logistic support and other geo-localized services.

A powder dispenser includes a reservoir body including a supply of powder and an inhalation conduit; a driving body for rotating the reservoir body and including upper recesses and two spring fingers in lower driving recesses thereof; a rotatable metering plate for carrying a metered amount of powder from the supply to the inhalation conduit, and having an underside with ribs; a gas permeable retainer welded to the ribs; a spring biasing the metering plate toward the reservoir body; a nozzle having spiked ribs welded in the upper recesses of the driving body and including a chimney with vertical flutes; an adapter non-rotatably mounted with respect to the metering plate and including two locking recesses for receiving the spring fingers for locking engagement and two helical cam tracks with a square cross-section; a closure cap covering the driving body and including priming ribs biasing the spring fingers out of the locking recesses and engaging with the locking recesses to rotate the driving body, and two cams riding within the cam tracks; a base non-rotatably connected with the metering plate; and a counter rotatably mounted on the base and including rotatable counter rings providing a visual count of the number of doses of powder to be dispensed, and a pawl assembly engaging with gear teeth of the counter rings for rotating the same, the pawl assembly including an outer wall, a pawl and a pawl spring integrally molded as a single piece.

A chopped Hall effect sensor topology includes a switched Hall plate, an amplifier responsive to an output of the switched Hall plate and a filter stage responsive to the output of the amplifier and including an anti-aliasing filter and a selective filter that is tuned to the modulation frequency. The switched Hall plate includes a Hall element and a Hall plate modulation circuit that modulates the Hall offset signal component or the magnetic signal component. In embodiments in which the Hall offset signal component is modulated by the switched Hall plate, the amplifier, if chopped, includes an even number of additional modulation circuits. In embodiments in which the magnetic signal component is modulated by the switched Hall plate, the amplifier contains an odd number of modulation circuits. The described topology provides a low noise, fast response time Hall effect sensor.

The invention is an inhaler for aerosolization of medicament with a unique dosage counter. The dosage counter has a first and second counting ring and a coupling device that interconnects the counting rings. The counter being advanced by a unique armature mechanism that is interconnected with the actuation mechanism of the inhaler to insure accurate counting of doses.

A chopped Hall effect sensor topology includes a switched Hall plate, an amplifier responsive to an output of the switched Hall plate and a filter stage responsive to the output of the amplifier and including an anti-aliasing filter and a selective filter that is tuned to the modulation frequency. The switched Hall plate includes a Hall element and a Hall plate modulation circuit that modulates the Hall offset signal component or the magnetic signal component. In embodiments in which the Hall offset signal component is modulated by the switched Hall plate, the amplifier, if chopped, includes an even number of additional modulation circuits. In embodiments in which the magnetic signal component is modulated by the switched Hall plate, the amplifier contains an odd number of modulation circuits. The described topology provides a low noise, fast response time Hall effect sensor.

A method of identifying, tracking, and counting human objects of interest based upon at least one pair of stereo image frames taken by at least one image capturing device, comprising the steps of: obtaining said stereo image frames and converting each said stereo image frame to a rectified image frame using calibration data obtained for said at least one image capturing device; generating a disparity map based upon a pair of said rectified image frames; generating a depth map based upon said disparity map and said calibration data; identifying the presence or absence of said objects of interest from said depth map and comparing each of said objects of interest to existing tracks comprising previously identified objects of interest; for each said presence of an object of interest, adding said object of interest to one of said existing tracks if said object of interest matches said one existing track, or creating a new track comprising said object of interest if said object of interest does not match any of said existing tracks; updating each said existing track; and maintaining a count of said objects of interest in a given time period based upon said existing tracks created or modified during said given time period.

An electronic image reader (9) is associated to a supply meter (1), for example a water meter, for measuring and displaying a measured value in an optically readable manner. This image reader is adapted for being positioned or guided in guide systems above an inspection window (3) of the supply meter. The image reader (9) is provided with an optical system, that includes a lens (7), which is adapted to the optical configuration of the inspection window and to the optical situation, in particular the geometric position of a display (2) behind the inspection window. The supply meter includes an identification mark (12), which is also located in the region of a guide system, namely guide rails (6.2, 6.3), and which is arranged relative to the guide system such that it can be read with the image reader without changing its optical system.

A calculator which generally possesses a flat, compact and portable housing construction, and which includes a calculator lid mechanism which pivots a flat cover of the calculator in a predetermined controlled manner between a first position causing the flat cover to form a lid which overlies a calculator display, and a second operational position in which the cover is pivoted towards the rear of the calculator so as to form a stand for tilting the calculator into an upwardly inclined ergonomic position relative to a horizontal support surface during intended use thereof. Upon the actuation of a switch, a release mechanism enables the lid to be pivoted rearwardly in a controlled damped manner about a hinge connection, which articulates the lid to the calculator housing, under the urging of a torsion spring and damping drum arrangement constituting the lid mechanism located within a tubular bore within the hinge portion of the lid structure into an essentially perpendicular orientation relative to the rear surface of the calculator housing so as to form the stand for tiltingly support the calculator when positioned on a horizontal surface.

The invention provides a titanium clamp counting device and a repeating type titanium clamp applying the titanium clamp counting device. The titanium clamp counting device comprises a fixed shell, a character wheel base arranged in the fixed shell in a rotating mode and a counting character wheel arranged on the character wheel base in a rotating mode. Ratchets are arranged in the counting character wheel, the periphery of the counting character wheel is marked with numbers, and the side face of the counting character wheel is provided with the ratchets. The character wheel base is further provided with a drive rod and a push sliding block. The push sliding block is connected with the ratchets in the counting character wheel in an elastic and clamped mode. The fixed shell is provided with a retaining structure for preventing the counting character wheel from rotating reversely relatively by being matched with the ratchets of the counting character wheel. The titanium clamp counting device is simple in structure, stable in performance, capable of achieving counting or counting down when used in the repeating type titanium clamp and capable of enabling doctors to know the number of the residual titanium nails in the titanium clamp visually and bringing convenience to the doctors.

A de-agglomerator is provided for use with a breath-actuated dry powder inhaler for breaking up aggregates and micronizing particles of dry powder prior to inhalation of the powder by a patient using the inhaler. The de-agglomerator includes an inner wall defining a swirl chamber extending along an axis from a first end to a second end, a dry powder supply port, an inlet port, and an outlet port. The supply port is in the first end of the swirl chamber for providing fluid communication between a dry powder delivery passageway of an inhaler and the first end of the swirl chamber. The inlet port is in the inner wall of the swirl chamber adjacent to the first end of the swirl chamber and provides fluid communication between a region exterior to the de-agglomerator and the swirl chamber. The outlet port provides fluid communication between the second end of the swirl chamber and a region exterior to the de-agglomerator, whereby a breath induced low pressure at the outlet port causes air flows into the swirl chamber through the dry powder supply port and the inlet port. The air flows collide with each other and with the wall of the swirl chamber prior to exiting through the outlet port, such that any powder entrained in the air flows is broken down and micronized. The de-agglomerator further includes vanes at the first end of the swirl chamber for creating additional collisions and impacts of entrained powder.

Provided is a surface film for a polarizing plate in which transparent patterns having a non-visible light reflective regularity are printed on a surface of a substrate and in which a reflection preventive layer or an antiglare layer is formed thereon or on a back side thereof, wherein an ink constituting the above transparent patterns contains a material reflecting a non-visible light. Capable of being provided is a surface film which can suitably be used for providing additional informations to an image display medium in such a manner that data are input by handwriting directly on a display device and in which the function described above is built-in from the beginning without making it necessary for the user to stick later a sheet having the above function.

A system comprising a measurement device and a handheld device is disclosed, the system adapted to withstand, detect, record, and display heat cycle event counts. The measurement device comprises a sensor for measuring and a heat cycle detection unit. The heat cycle detection unit comprises a temperature or pressure responsive element, a detection module, data interface, and data memory. The handheld device comprises a screen, a button, a communication circuit, and a processing system. The communication circuit is configured to communicate with the measurement device and a computing device and the processing system is configured to receive non-measurement information from the measurement device, display the received information on the screen, and cycle the received information displayed on the screen based on an actuation of the button, wherein the handheld device is used to display a heat sterilization cycle count of the measurement device.

A manually operated metered dose inhaler includes a dose counter chamber including a dose display tape driven by a ratchet wheel which is driven in turn by an actuator pawl actuated by movement of a canister, the tape unwinding from a stock bobbin during use of the inhaler, a rotation regulator being provided for the stock bobbin and including a wavelike engagement surface with concavities which engage against control elements in the form of protrusions on resilient forks of a split pin thereby permitting incremental unwinding of the stock bobbin yet resisting excessive rotation if the inhaler is dropped onto a hard surface.

A method of identifying, tracking, and counting human objects of interest based upon at least one pair of stereo image frames taken by at least one image capturing device, comprising the steps of: obtaining said stereo image frames and converting each said stereo image frame to a rectified image frame using calibration data obtained for said at least one image capturing device; generating a disparity map based upon a pair of said rectified image frames; generating a depth map based upon said disparity map and said calibration data; identifying the presence or absence of said objects of interest from said depth map and comparing each of said objects of interest to existing tracks comprising previously identified objects of interest; for each said presence of an object of interest, adding said object of interest to one of said existing tracks if said object of interest matches said one existing track, or creating a new track comprising said object of interest if said object of interest does not match any of said existing tracks; updating each said existing track; and maintaining a count of said objects of interest in a given time period based upon said existing tracks created or modified during said given time period.

An electrical motor rotatably drives a motor shaft, and a helical rib radially extends from the shaft. The helical rib supports a number of balls, and forms a channel to accommodate the balls. The balls are dropped from the helical rib when the balls reach the bottom of the helical rib. Several targets are affixed to the shaft. A sensor is located adjacent to and apart from the shaft, and is positioned in close proximity to the targets. The sensor senses each target as each target rotates past the sensor. The number of targets sensed per revolution of the shaft is equal to the number of balls dropped from the helical rib per revolution of the helical rib. A counter in data communication with the sensor displays the number of targets sensed, and thus displays the number or balls dropped from the helical rib.

A capacitance detection apparatus includes a first open / close switch provided between both ends of a standard capacitor, one end of the standard capacitor being connected to a first voltage source, a second open / close switch provided between one end of a first capacitor to be measured and the other end of the standard capacitor, the other end of the first capacitor to be measured being connected to a second voltage source or free space, a third open / close switch provided between both ends of the first capacitor to be measured, a voltage measurement means for measuring voltage of the other end of the standard capacitor, a switch control means for performing a first switching control performing a first switching operation to open the first open / close switch after closing thereof, performing a second switching operation to open the second open / close switch after closing thereof, and a third switching operation to close the third open / close switch after closing thereof, wherein the second and third switching operations are repeatedly performed after the first switching operation, a counting means for counting the number of repetition of the second switching operation, and a judging means for judging a change of the capacitance of the first capacitor to be measured according to the number of repetition of the second switching operation, which is the number counted by the counting means during the voltage of the other end of the standard capacitor measured by the voltage measurement means being changed from an initial voltage after the first switching operation by a predetermined magnitude.

The invention relates to a hand-held device for the dosed distribution of sprayable substances, especially medicaments to be inhaled, said device comprising a cartridge that can be displaced into the distribution-opening position by means of pressure in a housing, and a feeding mechanism moved by the opening course of the cartridge and used to register and display the distribution actuation carried out. Said feeding mechanism is arranged in the centre of a housing below the front wall of the cartridge, on the opening side, overlapping the cartridge valve tube. The aim of the invention is to provide one such hand-held device in a spatially favourable manner, with more reliability in terms of handling, and a simplified structure. To this end, a stepped feeding mechanism arranged in a plate-shaped housing is provided with control elements which rotate about the axis located in the longitudinal direction of the cartridge.

An annular dose indicator (50) for use with a dispenser comprising a dispensing canister (10) comprising a substantially cylindrical container (1) having a closed end (2) and an open end (3), said open end of the container being equipped with a dispensing means (4) that comprises an outlet member (5) movable between closed and discharge positions and an adaptor comprising a support block (21) having a socket (22) adapted to receive the outlet member, the container and support block being reciprocally movable relative to each other to cause the outlet member to move to its discharge position thereby dispensing a dose, said annular dose indicator (50) comprising an annular housing (60) having an interior surface (64) defining a substantially circumferential cavity; a counter-ring (80), said counter-ring located in the cavity and being arranged to be moveable relative to the housing by rotation about an axis parallel or substantially parallel to linear reciprocal movement of container and support block; a driving member (90) mounted on the interior surface of the housing, said driving member engaging the counter-ring and being arranged to be selectively engaged during reciprocal movement of container and support block as to drive an incremental, rotational movement of the counter-ring; wherein said indicator (50) is arranged to be circumferentially mountable about the dispensing-canister (10), such that the first edge (51) of the indicator faces towards the closed end of the container, the second edge (52) of the indicator faces towards the outlet of the dispensing canister, so that at least the outlet member of the canister will extend beyond the second edge of the indicator.

An apparatus for securely monitoring the sales transactions in bulk vending machines, said apparatus comprising at least one bulk vending machine having a coin mechanism. The coin mechanism includes a coin plate; a selectively rotatable shaft extending radially therefrom; a coin shuttle, a cam-bearing lobe and a coin mechanism adapter plate co-axially and collectively located around the selectively rotatable shaft; and a first switch and a second switch. The first and second switches are fixedly mounted and oriented on the coin mechanism adapter plate so that the maximum amount of backlash in the coin mechanism is less than the angular spread of the switches. The coin mechanism further includes a microprocessor having a sales counter; and means for communicatingly connecting the first and second switches to said microprocessor, whereby the microprocessor will advance the sales counter one numeric count and record a single vend only after the cam-borne lobe contacts and completely closes both first and second switches, when it is rotated as a result of a coin deposited in the coin mechanism.

A system for using one or more criteria in order to calculate a wait-time in a business establishment, the system comprising: one or more checkout lanes located at the business establishment; a display screen positioned at each of the one or more checkout lanes; a bar code reading station; a light switch; a personal shopping assistant device utilized by each customer for receiving and transmitting first information; a central processing station for collecting second information from each display screen, bar code reading station, personal shopping assistant device, and light switch of each of the one or more checkout lanes; wherein the central processing station calculates an estimated wait time for each of the one or more checkout lanes based on the information collected and farther displays the estimated wait time of each of the one or more checkout lanes on the respective display screen.

The invention relates to a bus passenger flow collecting device, comprising a passenger flow counting module, an information collecting module, a transmitting module and a station reporting module. The passenger flow counting module is used for counting and storing the number of passengers who get on / off the bus. The information collecting module is used for collecting GPS information in order to perform the vehicle location. The transmitting module is used for transmitting information of passenger number, time and station to a server. The station reporting module is used for realizing automatic voice station reporting process. The counting method for passenger flow according to the invention can carry out passenger flow counting process on one vehicle door when two passengers pass through on two different directions simultaneously without being limited by single direction or passenger.

The invention discloses a novel remote real-time intelligent monitoring system for injurious insects and a monitoring method implemented by the system. The novel remote real-time intelligent monitoring system and the monitoring method are mainly used in the field of monitoring for injurious insects. The monitoring system mainly comprises modules such as power equipment, a trap, a counting system, an environmental information collecting system, a central control system and a safety detection system, and is characterized in that statistics of the quantity of trapped injurious insects is relevant to change of current in the trap, and insect condition monitoring information can be directly acquired after relevant instructions are transmitted. The novel remote real-time intelligent monitoring system and the monitoring method have the advantages that functions of trapping the injurious inspect, counting the injurious insects by the aid of a power grid, transmitting data, receiving the information and the like are implemented by the different modules of the system, so that effects of efficiently killing the trapped injurious insects, accurately counting the injurious insects and timely reporting the insect condition information are realized, a series phenomena such as mistaken reporting, missed reporting and information transmission lag are prevented, and the requirement on large-scale and systematic forecasting for various injurious insects during agricultural production is met.

The present invention relates to devices, frameworks and methodologies configured to enable processing of resource consumption data via monitoring physically observable behaviors of an existing resource meter, and devices, frameworks and methodologies configured to enable provision of functionalities based on processing of resource consumption data. Some embodiments of the invention have been particularly developed for application in the context of enabling real-time monitoring of meter data, for example electrical meters, and the provision of functionality of users based on processing of monitored data. While some embodiments will be described herein with particular reference to that application, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to such a field of use, and is applicable in broader contexts.

A test circuit determines whether a frequency of an output clock signal of a clock circuit is above an output threshold frequency. An input clock signal of the clock circuit is set to an elevated frequency that is higher than a specified frequency. A first counter counts the number of clock cycles of the input clock signal in a test interval to within a tolerance of the elevated frequency. The tolerance of the elevated frequency is higher than a tolerance of the specified frequency. A second counter counts the number of clock cycles of a feedback clock signal in the test interval. A comparator determines whether the frequency of the output clock signal is above the output threshold frequency based on the number of clock cycles of the input clock signal and the number of clock cycles of the feedback clock signal.

A dose counter device for an inhaler that in a reliable way registers a delivered dose from a canister in the inhaler and that at the same time substantially reduces the risk of falsely registering a dose not delivered substantially avoids erroneous counting of delivered doses from the canister.

An impedance matching apparatus 3 calculates a forward wave voltage Vfo and a reflected wave voltage Vro at an output terminal 3b, based on a forward wave voltage Vfi and a reflected wave voltage Vri at an input terminal 3a, on information on variable values of variable capacitors VC1, VC2 acquired in advance through measurement, and on a T parameter of the impedance matching apparatus 3 corresponding to the information on the variable values of variable capacitors VC1, VC2. The impedance matching apparatus 3 calculates an input reflection coefficient Γi at the input terminal 3a corresponding to the information on the variable values of the variable capacitors VC1, VC2, based on the forward wave voltage Vfo, the reflected wave voltage Vro and the T parameter. The impedance matching apparatus 3 selects the lowest absolute value out of absolute values |Γi| of the input reflection coefficients corresponding to the variable values of the variable capacitors VC1, VC2, and adjusts the impedance of the variable capacitors VC1, VC2 based on the lowest value.

The invention provides a semiconductor device capable of appropriately debugging any fluctuation in element characteristic even when the element characteristic fluctuates exceeding a value estimated at the designing stage. This semiconductor device includes a process monitor circuit that monitors any fluctuation in process and outputs a monitor signal M representing a result of monitoring, in addition to circuit blocks that perform respectively required functions. And a timing control circuit that controls timing of an input signal inputted to a predetermined circuit element forming the circuit blocks based on the monitor signal M from the process monitor circuit is provided in the circuit blocks.