1. A molten metal pump comprising:
an elongated body having a vertical straight tube having an internal cavity defined by an inner wall which tapers down and terminates in a parabolically-shaped bottom end; and
a centrifugal impeller seated in an opening formed in the center of said bottom end, wherein molten metal ejected from the impeller is received by the parabolically-shaped bottom end, wherein said impeller has an outer diameter which is approximately one-third to one-half of the diameter of said inner wall;
whereby rotation of the impeller results in the ejected flow of molten metal to create a vortex which climbs the inner wall to an outlet opening passing through an upper portion of said body.
2. A pump as defined in claim 1, wherein said impeller has vertically downward facing liquid inlets.
3. A pump as defined in claim 2, further comprising a drive shaft extending concentrically down through the tube and attached to a hub formed in a back plate of said impeller.
4. A pump as defined in claim 3, wherein said impeller includes a plurality of radially extending spaced vanes on an upper surface of said back plate, wherein adjacent vanes define channels each having a channel inlet open to said internal cavity and a channel outlet facing said inner wall.
5. A pump as defined in claim 4, wherein solid particulate matter entering said channel inlets is ejected through said channel outlets and into said vortex such that said ejected solid particulate matter is fully immersed within said vortex.
6. A pump as defined in claim 2, wherein said liquid inlet openings are formed through a bottom face of said impeller, said impeller further comprising a plurality of spaced vane arms extending radially along a top face disposed opposite to the bottom face, wherein said spaced vane arms define a plurality of channels having channel inlets which are open axially to said internal cavity and channel outlets which are open radially to said internal cavity.
7. A pump as defined in claim 1, wherein said vortex has a substantially uniform thickness along said inner wall and above said bottom end.
8. A pump as defined in claim 1, further comprising means for mixing solid particulate matter within said vortex, wherein said mixing means is formed within an upper face of said impeller and is effective to redirect said solid particulate matter radially into said vortex.
9. A molten metal pump comprising:
an elongated body having a vertical straight tube having an internal cavity defined by an inner wall which tapers down and terminates in a parabolically-shaped bottom end; and
a centrifugal impeller seated in an opening formed in the center of said bottom end, said impeller including downward facing liquid inlets, wherein said impeller has an outer diameter which is approximately one-fourth to one-third of the diameter of said inner wall; and
a drive shaft extending concentrically down through the tube and attached to a hub formed in a back plate of said impeller;
wherein molten metal ejected from the impeller is received by the parabolically-shaped bottom end, whereby rotation of the impeller results in the ejected flow of molten metal to create a vortex which climbs the inner wall to an outlet opening passing through an upper portion of said body, wherein said impeller has vertically.
10. A pump which is immersible in a bath of molten metal, comprising:
a vertical riser tube having an inner wall which defines an internal cavity and having outlet means formed at an upper end of the tube which fluidly connects the internal cavity to transfer means external to said riser tube;
a centrifugal impeller rotatably seated coaxially within an opening formed in the center of a bottom end of said riser tube, wherein molten metal ejected from the impeller is received by said inner wall, wherein said impeller has an outer diameter which is approximately one-fourth to one-half of the diameter of said inner wall;
whereby rotation of the impeller results in the ejected molten metal to create a vortex within said riser tube and along said inner wall, said vortex climbs the inner wall to said outlet means;
wherein said bottom end has a concave parabola shape.
11. A pump as defined in claim 10, wherein said vortex has a substantially uniform thickness along said inner wall and above said bottom end.
12. A pump as defined in claim 10, further comprising means for mixing solid particulate matter within said vortex, wherein said mixing means is formed within an upper face of said impeller and is effective to redirect said solid particulate matter radially into said vortex.
13. A pump as defined in claim 12, wherein said liquid inlet openings in a bottom face, said impeller further comprising a plurality of spaced vane arms extending radially along a top face disposed opposite to the bottom face, wherein said spaced vane arms define a plurality of channels having channel inlets which are open axially to said internal cavity and channel outlets which are open radially to said internal cavity.
14. A pump as defined in claim 12, wherein the solid particulate matter entering said channel inlets is ejected through said channel outlets and into said vortex such that said ejected solid particulate matter is fully immersed within said vortex.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An imaging device for outputting an optical image of an object as an electrical image signal, the imaging device comprising:
a display section for displaying an image in accordance with the image signal;
an imaging optical system for forming the optical image of the object;
an imaging section for receiving the optical image formed by the imaging optical system and converting the optical image into the electrical image signal;
an attitude detection section for detecting an attitude of the imaging device at the time of shooting;
a recording section for recording a shot image obtained by the imaging section, and attitude information about the attitude of the imaging device, the attitude being detected by the attitude detection section and corresponding to the shot image; and
an image display control section for restoring the shot image, in accordance with the attitude information, such that an orientation thereof corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of the shooting, clipping a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image, and displaying the clipped image on the display section.
2. An imaging device for outputting an optical image of an object as an electrical image signal, the optical image being formed by an exchangeable imaging optical system, the imaging device comprising:
a display section for displaying an image in accordance with the image signal;
an imaging section for receiving the optical image formed by the imaging optical system which is mounted, and converting the optical image into the electrical image signal;
an attitude detection section for detecting an attitude of the imaging device at the time of shooting;
a recording section for recording a shot image obtained by the imaging section, and attitude information about the attitude of the imaging device, the attitude being detected by the attitude detection section and corresponding to the shot image; and
an image display control section for restoring the shot image, in accordance with the attitude information, such that an orientation thereof corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of the shooting, clipping a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image, and causing the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
3. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising,
an image extraction section for extracting, from the shot images recorded in the recording section, a shot image whose aspect ratio after the restoring is different from an aspect ratio of the display section, wherein
the image display control section restores the extracted shot image, in accordance with the attitude information, such that an orientation of the shot image corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of the shooting, clips a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
4. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising
an image extraction section for extracting, from the shot images recorded in the recording section, shot images having common attitude information or a common aspect ratio, wherein
the image display control section restores the extracted shot image, in accordance with the attitude information, such that an orientation of the shot image corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of the shooting, clips a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
5. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the image display control section displays, on the display section, the clipped image whose center position is different from that of the shot image recorded in the recording section.
6. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising
a reduction ratio setting section for setting a reduction ratio of the shot image, wherein
the image display control section clips a portion of a reduced image which is obtained by reducing, at the set reduction ratio, the shot image after the restoring, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
7. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising
a reduction ratio setting section for setting a reduction ratio of the shot image such that a length of a short side of the shot image after the restoring and a length of a long side of the display section become approximately equal to each other, wherein
the image display control section clips a portion of a reduced image which is obtained by reducing, at the set reduction ratio, the shot image after the restoring, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
8. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising
a region selection section for selecting and setting a partial region from a reduced image of the shot image, wherein
the image display control section clips the selected region from the reduced image of the restored shot image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
9. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a region selection section for selecting and setting a partial region from a reduced region of the shot image; and
a vertical image extraction section for extracting a shot image having vertical direction information in accordance with attitude information recorded in the recording section, wherein
the region selection section is operable to select any one of an upper region, a central region, and a lower region of the shot image extracted by the image extraction section.
10. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:
an image attribute recognition section for recognizing an attribute which is included in the shot image recorded in the recording section; and
a region selection section for selecting and setting a region including the recognized attribute from a reduced image of the shot image, wherein
the image display control section clips the selected region from the reduced image of the restored shot image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
11. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a color recognition section for recognizing a specific color from the shot image recorded in the recording section; and
a region selection section for selecting and setting a region including the recognized specific color from a reduced image of the shot image, wherein
the image display control section clips the selected region from the reduced image of the restored shot image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
12. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a face recognition section for recognizing a face region of the object from the shot image recorded in the recording section; and
a region selection section for selecting and setting the recognized face region from a reduced image of the shot image, wherein
the image display control section clips the selected region from the reduced image of the restored shot image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
13. The imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a vertical image extraction section for extracting a shot image having vertical direction information in accordance with the attitude information recorded in the recording section, wherein
the image display control section reduces the shot image such that a length of a short side of the extracted shot image and a length of a long side of the display section become approximately equal to each other, clips a region including an upper end of the reduced image, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
14. An imaging device operable to output an optical image of an object as an electrical image signal and to be connected to a display section, the imaging device comprising:
an imaging optical system for forming the optical image of the object;
an imaging section for receiving the optical image formed by the imaging optical system and converting the optical image into the electrical image signal;
an attitude detection section for detecting an attitude of the imaging device at the time of shooting;
a recording section for recording a shot image obtained by the imaging section, and attitude information about the attitude of the imaging device, the attitude being detected by the attitude detection section and corresponding to the shot image;
an image display control section for generating a control signal which controls a display of the shot image recorded in the recording section; and
an output section for providing the generated control signal and the shot image to the display section, wherein
the control signal includes a signal which causes the shot image to be restored in accordance with the attitude information such that an orientation thereof corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of the shooting, causes a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image to be clipped, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
15. A display control device connectable to a display section, the display control device comprising:
a reading section for reading a shot image and attitude information which are recorded in a recording section, the attitude information indicating an attitude of an imaging device and corresponding to the shot image;
an image display control section for generating a control signal causing a reduced image of the shot image to be displayed; and
an output section for providing the shot image and the attitude information, which have been read, to the display section, wherein
the control signal includes a signal which causes the shot image to be restored in accordance with the attitude information such that an orientation thereof corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of shooting, causes a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image to be clipped, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
16. The display control device according to claim 15, further comprising:
an image extraction section for extracting, from the shot images recorded in the recording section, shot images having common attitude information or a common aspect ratio, wherein
the control signal includes a signal which causes the extracted shot image to be restored in accordance with the attitude information such that an orientation thereof corresponds to the attitude of the imaging device at the time of shooting, causes a portion of a reduced image of the restored shot image to be clipped, and causes the clipped image to be displayed on the display section.
17. The imaging device according to claim 14, wherein the control signal includes a signal which is operable to control a number of display sheets of the clipped image.