1. A slippage prevention mechanism for a toothed endless torque transmission member which is looped around a sprocket fixed onto a crank shaft of an internal combustion engine on the outside of a cylinder block, the internal combustion engine comprising an auxiliary sprocket fixed onto the crank shaft, the mechanism comprising:
a base portion fixed directly to the cylinder block on the outside of the cylinder block;
an arm extending from the base portion in a perpendicular direction to the crank shaft;
a boss part projecting from the arm,
a slippage prevention rail formed on the arm to prevent slippage of the toothed endless torque transmission member with respect to the sprocket, and
a tensioner which is supported on the boss part so as to be free to swing and is configured to regulate a tensile force of an auxiliary endless torque transmission member looped around the auxiliary sprocket.
2. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the slippage prevention rail comprises an arc-shaped recess formed on the arm so as to face an engaging part of the toothed endless torque transmission member and the sprocket with a clearance therebetween, wherein engagement between the toothed endless torque transmission member and the sprocket is maintained within the clearance.
3. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 2, wherein the sprocket comprises teeth, and the clearance is set to be smaller than a height of a tooth of the sprocket.
4. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the tensioner is supported on the boss part projecting from the arm in a separating direction from the cylinder block so as to be free to swing.
5. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 4, wherein the tensioner comprises an arc-shaped pressing surface to press against the auxiliary endless torque transmission member.
6. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 5, further comprising a torsion coil spring interposed between the arm and the tensioner to bias the tensioner to swing in a direction to cause the pressing surface to press against the auxiliary endless torque transmission member.
7. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the base portion is fixed to the cylinder block by a bolt penetrating an elongated hole formed through the base portion.
8. The slippage prevention mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein the arm extends in the perpendicular direction to a longitudinal axis of the crank shaft.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1-22. (canceled)
23. A ventilator comprising:
a breathing circuit adapted to interact with a patient, said breathing circuit being operable in a plurality of different modes to provide breathing assistance to the patient, including an EMG-controlled mode and a non-EMG-controlled mode;
a control unit that operates said breathing circuit in a selected one of said plurality of modes;
a registration unit that registers actual breathing support provided by the breathing circuit to the patient; and
said control unit being connected to said registration unit and being supplied with an EMG signal from the patient representing breathing activity by the patient, said control unit being configured to determine, from an output of said registration unit and said EMG signal, whether an asynchrony exists between said EMG signal and said actual breathing activity and, if said asynchrony is determined to exist while said control unit is operating said breathing circuit in said EMG-controlled mode, said control unit being configured to cause a switch from operation of said breathing circuit in said EMG controlled mode to operation in said non-EMG-controlled mode.
24. A ventilator as claimed in claim 23 wherein said control unit is configured to cause switching of said breathing circuit to a support ventilation mode, as said non-EMG-controlled mode.
25. A ventilator as claimed in claim 23 wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether said asynchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and total breath time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
26. A ventilator as claimed in claim 23 wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether said asynchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and expiration time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
27. A ventilator as claimed in claim 23 wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether said asynchrony is present by comparing an actual respiratory rate represented by the output of said registration unit, and a calculated respiratory rate calculated from said EMG signal.
28. A ventilator as claimed in claim 23 wherein said control unit is configured to switch operation of said breathing circuit from said non-EMG-controlled mode back to said EMG-controlled mode if said control unit detects synchrony between said EMG signal and said breathing activity while said breathing circuit is being operated in said non-EMG-controlled mode.
29. A ventilator as claimed in claim 23 wherein said control unit is configured to automatically switch operation of said breathing circuit from said EMG-controlled mode to said non-EMG controlled mode, with no manual intervention.
30. A method for providing breathing assistance to a patient, comprising the steps of:
operating a breathing circuit that interacts with a patient in selected one of a plurality of different modes to provide breathing assistance to the patient, including an EMG-controlled mode and a non-EMG-controlled mode;
in a registration unit, automatically registering actual breathing support provided by the breathing circuit to the patient; and
supplying a control unit connected to said registration unit with an EMG signal from the patient representing breathing activity by the patient and, in said control unit being configured to determine, from an output of said registration unit signal and said EMG signal, whether an asynchrony exists between said EMG signal and said actual breathing activity and, if said asynchrony is determined to exist while said breathing circuit is operating in said EMG-controlled mode causing, from said control unit, a switch from operation of said breathing circuit in said EMG controlled mode to operation in said non-EMG-controlled mode.
31. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising, from said control unit, causing switching of said breathing circuit to a support ventilation mode, as said non-EMG-controlled mode.
32. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising, in said control unit, determining whether said asynchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and total breath time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
33. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising in said control unit, determining whether said asynchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and expiration time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
34. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising, in said control unit, determining whether said asynchrony is present by comparing an actual respiratory rate represented by the output of said registration unit, and a calculated respiratory rate calculated from said EMG signal.
35. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising, from said control unit, causing a switch in operation of said breathing circuit from said non-EMG-controlled mode back to said EMG-controlled mode if said control unit detects synchrony between said EMG signal and said breathing activity while said breathing circuit is being operated in said non-EMG-controlled mode.
36. A method as claimed in claim 30 comprising, from said control unit, automatically switching operation of said breathing circuit from said EMG-controlled mode to said non-EMG controlled mode, with no manual intervention.
37. A ventilator comprising:
a breathing circuit adapted to interact with a patient, said breathing circuit being operable in a plurality of different modes to provide breathing assistance to the patient, including an EMG-controlled mode and a non-EMG-controlled mode;
a control unit that operates said breathing circuit in a selected one of said plurality of modes;
a registration unit that registers actual breathing support provided by the breathing circuit to the patient; and
said control unit being connected to said registration unit and being supplied with an EMG signal from the patient representing breathing activity by the patient, said control unit being configured to determine, from an output of said registration unit and said EMG signal, whether synchrony exists between said EMG signal and said actual breathing activity and, if said synchrony is determined to exist while said control unit is operating said breathing circuit in said non-EMG-controlled mode, said control unit being configured to cause a switch from operation of said breathing circuit in said non-EMG controlled mode to operation in said EMG-controlled mode.
38. A ventilator as claimed in claim 37 wherein said control unit is configured to operate said breathing circuit to a support ventilation mode, as said non-EMG-controlled mode.
39. A ventilator as claimed in claim 37 wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether said synchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and total breath time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
40. A ventilator as claimed in claim 37 wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether said synchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and expiration time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
41. A ventilator as claimed in claim 37 wherein said control unit is configured to determine whether said synchrony is present by comparing an actual respiratory rate represented by the output of said registration unit, and a calculated respiratory rate calculated from said EMG signal.
42. A ventilator as claimed in claim 37 wherein said control unit is configured to automatically switch operation of said breathing circuit from said non-EMG-controlled mode to said EMG controlled mode, with no manual intervention.
43. A method for providing breathing assistance to a patient comprising the steps of:
operating a breathing circuit that interacts with a patient in selected one of a plurality of different modes to provide breathing assistance to the patient, including an EMG-controlled mode and a non-EMG-controlled mode;
in a registration unit, automatically registering actual breathing support provided by the breathing circuit to the patient; and
supplying a control unit connected to said registration unit with an EMG signal from the patient representing breathing activity by the patient and, in said control unit, automatically determining, from an output of said registration unit and said EMG signal, whether synchrony exists between said EMG signal and said actual breathing activity and, if said synchrony is determined to exist while said breathing circuit is operating in said non-EMG-controlled mode causing, from said control unit, a switch from operation of said breathing circuit in said non-EMG controlled mode to operation in said EMG-controlled mode.
44. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising, from said control unit operating said breathing circuit in a support ventilation mode, as said non-EMG-controlled mode.
45. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising, in said control unit, determining whether said synchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and total breath time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
46. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising in said control unit, determining whether said synchrony is present based on a relationship between inspiration time and expiration time for at least one breath determined from said EMG signal.
47. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising, in said control unit, determining whether said synchrony is present by comparing an actual respiratory rate represented by the output of said registration unit, and a calculated respiratory rate calculated from said EMG signal.
48. A method as claimed in claim 43 comprising, from said control unit, automatically switching operation of said breathing circuit from said non-EMG-controlled mode to said EMG controlled mode, with no manual intervention.