Author: claimsbot

1. A method for remanufacturing an electronic assembly, the assembly including a housing having therein a circuit assembly comprising a plurality of components, at least one of which is affixed to a portion of the housing, the method comprising:
removing a first portion of the housing to expose a portion of the circuit assembly, the exposed portion of the circuit assembly having thereon a plurality of solder joints, one or more of the solder joints being associated with at least one component affixed to a second portion of the housing for linking the at least one component to the circuit assembly;
lowering the exposed portion of the circuit assembly onto a desoldering fixture, wherein the desoldering fixture comprises a solder pot assembly including a plurality of solder pots each containing solder and having a closed upper edge, the upper edges of the pots lying essentially in a common plane and collectively encompassing a plurality of distinct regions, the solder pot assembly being registered with the exposed portion of the circuit assembly such that each solder joint associated with the at least one component affixed to the portion of the housing is aligned with only one of the plurality of distinct regions, and each solder joint not associated with the at least one component is registered with an area outside of the plurality of distinct regions; and
lifting the second portion of the housing away from the solder pot assembly while restraining the circuit assembly, thereby removing from the circuit assembly the at least one component affixed to the second portion of the housing.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising testing the circuit assembly to identify an improperly operating component thereon.
3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising reconditioning the circuit assembly by performing an operation selected from the group consisting of replacing the improperly operating component, repairing the improperly operating component, and adjusting the improperly operating component.
4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising reassembling the electronic assembly.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein lowering the exposed portion of the circuit assembly onto the desoldering fixture comprises engaging one or more latches to hold the circuit assembly in place against the upper edges of the plurality of solder pots.
6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the one or more latches comprise two latches located to restrain respective opposite first and second edges of the circuit assembly.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein lowering the exposed portion of the circuit assembly onto a desoldering fixture comprises melting the one or more solder joints associated with the component affixed to the second portion of the housing.
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein lifting the second portion of the housing away from the solder pot assembly comprises engaging a lifter assembly after the one or more solder joints associated with the component affixed to the second portion of the housing are melted.
9. A method of using and processing an engine control unit having a housing and a circuit assembly therein comprising a plurality of components, at least one of which is affixed to a portion of the housing, the method comprising:
installing the engine control unit into a machine unit;
using the engine control unit to control an engine of the machine unit;
removing the engine control unit from the machine unit;
removing a first portion of the housing to expose a portion of the circuit assembly, the exposed portion of the circuit assembly having thereon a plurality of solder joints, one or more of the solder joints being associated with at least one component affixed to a second portion of the housing for linking the at least one component to the circuit assembly;
lowering the exposed portion of the circuit assembly onto a desoldering fixture, wherein the desoldering fixture comprises a solder pot assembly including a plurality of solder pots each containing solder and having a closed upper edge, the upper edges of the pots lying essentially in a common plane and collectively encompassing a plurality of distinct regions, the solder pot assembly being registered with the exposed portion of the circuit assembly such that each solder joint associated with the at least one component affixed to the portion of the housing is aligned with only one of the plurality of distinct regions, and each solder joint not associated with the at least one component is registered with an area outside of the plurality of distinct regions;
lifting the second portion of the housing away from the solder pot assembly while restraining the circuit assembly, thereby removing from the circuit assembly the at least one component affixed to the second portion of the housing; and
testing the circuit assembly as if the at least one component had not been removed.
10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising repairing the circuit assembly.
11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising reassembling the circuit assembly and the first and second portions of the housing to form a remanufactured engine control unit and installing the remanufactured engine control unit into a machine unit.

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 automotive vehicle body structure, comprising:
a vehicle body main frame including a floor member defining a floor of a passenger compartment, a dashboard panel extending upright from a front end of the floor member, and a pair of front side beams extending between a front end of the vehicle body and the dashboard panel;
a crash load transmitting member extending from a front end of the vehicle body to a part adjacent to the floor member;
a vehicle seat connected to the crash load transmitting member;
a guide member attached to the main frame for normally fixedly securing the crash load transmitting member but allowing the crash load transmitting member to move rearward of the vehicle body when the crash load transmitting member is subjected to a rearward force exceeding a prescribed threshold level; and
a stopper which is fixedly attached to the main frame, and adapted to abut a part of the crash load transmitting member upon a rearward movement of the crash load transmitting member by a prescribed distance;
the prescribed threshold level being smaller than a level that will cause a collapsing deformation of the crash load transmitting member.
2. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said stopper is located adjacent to a lower end of said dashboard panel.
3. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said guide member is located adjacent to a lower end of said dashboard panel, and an enlarged part is provided in a part of said crash load transmitting member ahead of said guide member by said prescribed distance so that the guide member may serve as said stopper which abuts said enlarged part as said crash load transmitting member moves rearward by said prescribed distance.
4. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein a cushioning member is provided between said guide member and said enlarged part of said crash load transmitting member.
5. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 4, wherein said cushioning member comprises a plastically collapsible extension of said enlarged part.
6. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 4, wherein said cushioning member comprises a plastically collapsible extension of said guide member.
7. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said stopper is provided adjacent to a rear end of said floor member.
8. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said crash load transmitting member comprises a sub frame which is adapted to support an engine andor a wheel suspension system.
9. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said guide member comprises a channel shaped bracket which surrounds a part of said crash load transmitting member so as to achieve a prescribed frictional retaining force.
10. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said guide member comprises a rod which is passed through a longitudinal slot formed in one of said main frame and said crash load transmitting member and secured to the other of said main frame and said crash load transmitting member so as to achieve a prescribed frictional retaining force.
11. An automotive vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein said guide member comprises a rod which extends in the fore-and-aft direction from one of said main frame and said crash load transmitting member, and a hole formed in the other of said main frame and said crash load transmitting member to receive and retain said rod with a prescribed retaining force.

1-11. (canceled)
12. A catalytic reactor comprising at least two catalytic cellular architectures and at least one structural element, inserted between the two catalytic cellular architectures, wherein:
an entirety of an external perimeter of the combined catalytic cellular architectures and structural element(s) is in contact with an inner wall of the reactor; and
the cellular architectures and the structural element(s) are arranged coaxially.
13. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein said at least one structural element is placed at an upper end of the catalytic architectures.
14. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein the catalytic cellular architecture is a catalytic ceramic foam.
15. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein the catalytic cellular architecture is a metallic foam covered with a protective oxide layer onto which a catalyst is deposited.
16. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein the structural element is shaped as at least one ring, at least one half ring, at least one disk, at least one pierced grid; or a combinations of two or more thereof.
17. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein the structural element is shaped as a disk having at least one opening, the opening(s) representing between 85% and 95% of a surface area of the disk.
18. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein the structural element is metallic.
19. The catalytic reactor of claim 18, wherein the metallic structural element is machined from a same alloy as a shell of the catalytic reactor.
20. The catalytic reactor of claim 12, wherein the structural element is ceramic.
21. A method of producing syngas, comprising the step of producing syngas from a feed gas comprising oxygen andor carbon dioxide andor steam mixed with methane, wherein:
the reactor of claim 12 is used as a pre-reforming bed, a reforming bed andor a water-gas shift bed;
the reactor is maintained at a reaction temperature of between 200 and 1000\xb0 C., preferably between 400 and 1000\xb0 C.; and
a pressure of gaseous reactants fed to the reactor or gaseous products produced by the reactor of claim 12 are at a pressure of between 10 and 50 bar.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the pressure of the gaseous reactants fed to the reactor of claim 12 or gaseous products produced by the reactor of claim 12 are at a pressure of between 15 and 35 bar.

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. A detection control circuit for detecting a consumption status of liquid contained in a liquid container by a detection device having a piezoelectric element, the detection device comprising an actually vibrating part facing a cavity which defines the vibration of the liquid, the circuit comprising:
a measurement circuit segment for measuring a residual vibration of the detection device; and
a detection circuit segment receiving a signal from said measurement circuit segment and outputting a signal indicative of the consumption status of the liquid contained in the liquid container on the basis of the output signal of said measurement circuit segment.
2. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said measurement circuit segment measures a frequency of the residual vibration of the detection device.
3. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said measurement circuit segment measures at least one resonance frequency of the liquid surrounding the detection device.
4. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the liquid container is an ink cartridge for an ink-jet type printing apparatus.
5. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein a node of the vibration of the detection device is located on the periphery of the cavity.
6. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of said vibrating part contacts the liquid in the liquid container.
7. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein the depth of said cavity is smaller than the narrowest width of said cavity.
8. The detection control circuit according to claim 7, wherein a ratio of a radius of said cavity with a depth thereof is larger than 3\u03c08.
9. The detection control circuit according to claim 7, wherein the depth of said cavity is less than one-third of the narrowest width of said cavity.
10. The detection control circuit according to claim 1, wherein said detection device comprises a base member at which said cavity is formed, and the compliance of said vibrating part is greater than that of said base member.
11. A detection control circuit for detecting a consumption status of liquid contained in a liquid container by a detection device having a piezoelectric element, the detection device comprising an actually vibrating part facing a cavity which defines the vibration of the liquid, the circuit comprising:
a measurement circuit segment for measuring a residual vibration of the detection device; and
a detection circuit segment receiving a signal from said measurement circuit segment and outputting a signal indicative of the consumption status of the liquid contained in the liquid container on the basis of the output signal of said measurement circuit segment,
wherein said measurement circuit segment comprises an amplifier, said amplifier comprises a PNP type transistor and a NPN type transistor which complementarily connects with said PNP type transistor, and emitter of said PNP type transistor and an emitter of said NPN type transistor connect with each other, and
wherein a drive voltage generated between a point connected between the emitter of said NPN type transistor and said PNP type transistor and the ground is applied to the detection device.
12. A detection control circuit for detecting a consumption status of liquid contained in a liquid container by a detection device having a piezoelectric element, the detection device comprising an actually vibrating part facing a cavity which defines the vibration of the liquid, the circuit comprising:
a measurement circuit segment for measuring a residual vibration of the detection device; and
a detection circuit segment receiving a signal from said measurement circuit segment and outputting a signal indicative of the consumption status of the liquid contained in the liquid container on the basis of the output signal of said measurement circuit segment,
wherein said measurement circuit segment comprises an amplifier, said amplifier comprises a P-channel field effect transistor and a N-channel field effect transistor which complementarily connects with said P-channel field effect transistor, and a source of said P-channel transistor and a source of said N-channel transistor connect with each other, and
wherein a drive voltage generated between a point connected between the sources of said N-channel FET and said P-channel FET and the ground is applied to the detection device.