Hot water pipes, in areas with hard water, tend to fill with scale until they no longer pass enough water. De-scaling water pipes with acid is dangerous, expensive and damages the pipes. Ion exchange and reverse osmosis water softeners eliminate scale buildup in pipes, but are expensive. This invention is a means of keeping the scale precipitate, created when water is heated, inside the water heater by passing the hot water through a removal medium where the scale sticks to the surface. The remo...

A stretcher comprises a patient support area supported by front legs and rear legs. The front legs and rear legs are coupled by a gear mechanism, and an actuation device coupled to the gear mechanism effects retraction or extension of the stretcher in a smooth and continuous motion. The actuation device is operable to lock the gear mechanism to position the stretcher at any desired height between fully extended and fully retracted.

This fenestration locking system for a swinging sash or door is characterized by the use of a linear member running continuously from an actuating assembly to a locking pin assembly. The linear member can be a flexible linear member, allowing it to convey motion to the locking pin assembly around corners. The locking pin assembly has a moveable locking pin with an actuator and an extension that can engage a keeper. The linear member has multiple actuator engagement sites along its length where t...

Shift performance of a powertrain system of a hybrid electric vehicle is enhanced by a powertrain system including a clutch, a primary motor, an automated shift gearbox (ASG) connected to the engine interposing the clutch, a secondary motor; and a differential gearbox, wherein the primary motor is disposed between an output shaft of the clutch and an input shaft of the ASG, and the secondary motor is disposed between an output shaft of the ASG and an input shaft of the differential gearbox.

Disclosed is a method and solvent composition capable of removing iron oxide deposits from the surface of titanium components without substantially damaging the underlying titanium component. Iron oxide deposits may be removed from the surface of a titanium component by contacting the titanium component with the solvent composition of the invention. The solvent composition may then be removed from contact with the titanium component to obtain a recyclable solvent composition which is recycled in...

The present invention relates to improved diagnostic methods for early detection of a risk for developing an arthritic disorder in humans, and screening assays for therapeutic agents useful in the treatment of arthritic disorders, by comparing the levels of one or more indicators of altered mitochondrial function. Indicators of altered mitochondrial function include enzymes such as mitochondrial enzymes and ATP biosynthesis factors. Other indicators of altered mitochondrial function include mito...

An electric clothes dryer heater system including a heater element and a controller operationally coupled to the heater is provided. The controller is configured to provide an AC sine wave to a heater element of an electric clothes dryer, stop providing at a zero crossing of the AC sine wave, monitor the AC sine wave for a subsequent zero crossing and reprovide the AC sine wave to the heater element at the subsequent zero crossing.

A thermal infrared detector includes a substrate; a temperature sensor having electrical characteristics changed in accordance with changes in temperature caused by infrared absorption; heat-insulating supporting legs supporting and thermally insulating the temperature sensor and serving as signal lines for reading out electrical signals from the temperature sensor; and an infrared absorption layer in thermal contact the temperature sensor. Each of the temperature sensor, the heat-insulating sup...

A system and method for reducing torque ripple in a motor controller includes a step (60) of measuring an output voltage at each phase of the motor controller. A next step (61) includes determining a voltage mismatch between the phases. A next step (62) includes phase grounding one phase of the motor. A next step (63) includes calculating a voltage gain for the phases to compensate for voltage mismatches therebetween. The compensating gain can include a gain and/or offset, which are applied as a...

To obtain an amplifier circuit capable of realizing low power consumption and high-precision output. A controlling unit controls each switch of an offset correction circuit to select one capacitor associated with a voltage level of an input signal selected by an input signal selection unit, have an offset voltage of an operational amplifier generated according to the voltage level of the input signal stored by the selected capacitor, and correct an output of the operational amplifier by using th...