Abstract: A navigation system mounted on a vehicle computes in advance an optimal route from a starting point to a destination. When the vehicle travels off the optimal route, the navigation system detects an off-route deviation. When an off-route deviation is detected, the system computes a restoration route from the vehicle's present position to a selected point on the optimal route and rapidly displays navigational information to guide the vehicle thereto. Thus there is no need for the system to compute a new optimal route from the present position to the destination, and there is no delay in supplying the driver with navigational information.

Abstract: A sandwich preparation apparatus includes a plurality of sandwich production lines disposed parallel to each other. A width of each line is slightly wider than a width of a sandwich prepared in the apparatus. Each sandwich production line includes an automatic heel toasting device, an automatic patty grilling device, and an automatic crown toasting device. A heel stocker, a patty stocker, and a crown stocker are optionally included in the apparatus. A heel adding section, a patty adding section, and a crown adding section are optionally included in the apparatus. A manual preparation section is optionally included for enabling an operator manually to add additional required food materials to the sandwich. This apparatus produces a variety of sandwiches and hamburgers and is compact enough to fit in a relatively small kitchen.

Abstract: A cooking apparatus includes a container, a cooking plate above the container, and a receiving pan between the container and cooking plate. The cooking plate includes an electric heating element. A plurality of drip holes in the cooking plate allows cooking juices to drain from the cooking plate during cooking. The receiving pan supports the cooking plate and catches the juices to permit easy clean-up after cooking. The container supports the receiving pan and insulates both the cooking plate and receiving pan from a table or countertop surface.

Abstract: A zero insertion force connector, typically used for connecting a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC) to a printed circuit board, is made up of an insertion aperture formed on one side of a housing, a pressure plate insertion aperture formed on a different side of the housing, a pressure plate, and a sigmoid contact member. When the pressure plate is inserted into the pressure plate insertion aperture, a finger piece of the sigmoid contact member resiliently changes position, and a tongue piece of the sigmoid contact member makes electrical contact with an inserted FPC or FFC. Since the tongue piece of the sigmoid contact member is arranged so that the tongue piece does not come into contact with the FPC or FFC unless the pressure plate is inserted, there is no requirement to force the FPC or FFC into the insertion aperture.

Abstract: A sandwich preparation apparatus includes a food material conveyor having an upstream end region and a downstream finishing end region. The bottom part of a sandwich or burger, including a bun half or slice of bread, has sauces and condiments, and a patty if necessary, automatically added by a first automatic fixing section in the upstream end region. The upper part of the sandwich, optionally including additional sauces, condiments, and patties, is completed by a second automatic fixing section in the downstream finishing end region. Between the two regions is a manual fixing section for an operator to manually add various food materials to the sandwich. The operator controls the automatic fixing sections through first and second input devices and an order display device. The operator is able to change the order or sequence of sandwiches between the upstream end region and the downstream end region using the second input device.

Abstract: A camera with a data imprinting device has a plurality of in-line LEDs producing light focused by an optical system upon a photographic film at a first and a second position, corresponding to a full size format and a panorama size format, respectively. The focused light imprints data images upon the film at the first position are larger than data images imprinted at the second position. The optical system has first and second prisms, with integrated lenses, for reflecting and focusing the light upon the film at the first and second positions, respectively. A shutter plate is selectively positioned over apertures through which the light is focused, thus blocking the light and allowing only a selected imprint to be made upon the film. A vertical pattern of the data image is created by a controller selectively illuminating the in-line LEDs while a horizontal pattern is produced by the controller illuminating the LEDs in coordination with the movement of the film past the apertures.

Abstract: A device for tight fixing a rotary body such as a gear and a pulley, to a rotary shaft such as a motor shaft and a transmitting shaft, provides a slippage between the rotary body and the rotary shaft when an over-load occurs to the rotary body. A groove portion is formed either at the inner surface of a mounting hole in the center of the rotary body or at the outer surface of the rotary shaft, in which a pair of key members having a tapered contact surface are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft. A clamping bolt going through one of key members is screwed into the other key member, and pressed to both key members. Due to the pressure from the clamping bolt, each key member is displaced outward as guided by the tapered surface. One of key members makes a contact with the inner surface of the mounting hole or rotary body, and at the same time, the other begins to press the outer surface of the rotary shaft, respectively.

Abstract: A thermistor network for a low temperature component of a temperature compensating circuit includes a series resistor-capacitor combination in parallel with a thermistor and a capacitor. The presence of the capacitor in series with the resistor permits DC measurement of the resistance of the resistor without the measurement being affected by current flow through the thermistor. This low temperature component may be connected in series with a high temperature component of the temperature compensating circuit. Alternatively, the low temperature component can be connected in parallel with the high temperature component.

Abstract: A camera with a data imprinting device has a plurality of in-line LEDs producing light focused by an optical system upon a photographic film at a first and a second position, corresponding to a full size format and a panorama size format, respectively. The focused light imprints data images upon the film at the first position are larger than data images imprinted at the second position. The optical system has first and second prisms, with integrated lenses, for reflecting and focusing the light upon the film at the first and second positions, respectively. A shutter plate is selectively positioned over apertures through which the light is focused, thus blocking the light and allowing only a selected imprint to be made upon the film. A vertical pattern of the data image is created by a controller selectively illuminating the in-line LEDs while a horizontal pattern is produced by the controller illuminating the LEDs in coordination with the movement of the film past the apertures.

Abstract: A camera with a data imprinting device has a plurality of in-line LEDs producing light focused by an optical system upon a photographic film at a first and a second position, corresponding to a full size format and a panorama size format, respectively. The focused light imprints data images upon the film at the first position are larger than data images imprinted at the second position. The optical system has first and second prisms, with integrated lenses, for reflecting and focusing the light upon the film at the first and second positions, respectively. A shutter plate is selectively positioned over apertures through which the light is focused, thus blocking the light and allowing only a selected imprint to be made upon the film. A vertical pattern of the data image is created by a controller selectively illuminating the in-line LEDs while a horizontal pattern is produced by the controller illuminating the LEDs in coordination with the movement of the film past the apertures.

Abstract: An insulating glass layer covers the surface of a thermistor element except at the two end surfaces. The insulating glass layer is partially or fully composed of crystallized glass. A terminal electrode is integrally formed on both end surfaces. The terminal electrodes include a baked-on electrode layer formed from a conductive paste. Layers of nickel and tin or lead/tin are plated onto the baked-on electrode. The insulating glass layer enhances shape-maintainability of the insulating glass layer and the baked-on electrodes, provides a smoother glass surface, resulting in a more aesthetically pleasing thermistor, prevents resistance variance due to plating of the baked-on electrodes and provides a strong anti-breaking strength thermistor. The coefficient of thermal expansion of the glass layer is less than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the thermistor element. This difference in coefficients of thermal expansion tends to help the thermistor element resist stress breakage.

Abstract: A system for detecting the presence of an energy polarization altering dielectric material, such as ice or snow, on a surface, such as a part of an aircraft, which normally specularly reflects incident energy, such as light, when there is no such dielectric present. The energy is conveyed from a transmitter along a path to the surface and the incident energy is reflected from the surface along a path to a receiver with a dielectric on the surface destroying any polarization, such as circular, of the energy and that reflected from a specular portion maintaining the polarization. An optical system in one or both of the paths operates in an isolator state to produce an image of the dielectric portion having a first intensity level and that of the specular portion passing through the optical system having a different intensity level.

Abstract: A camera with a data imprinting device has a plurality of in-line LEDs producing light focused by an optical system upon a photographic film at a first and a second position, corresponding to a full size format and a panorama size format, respectively. The focused light imprints data images upon the film at the first position are larger than data images imprinted at the second position. The optical system has first and second prisms, with integrated lenses, for reflecting and focusing the light upon the film at the first and second positions, respectively. A shutter plate is selectively positioned over apertures through which the light is focused, thus blocking the light and allowing only a selected imprint to be made upon the film. A vertical pattern of the data image is created by a controller selectively illuminating the in-line LEDs while a horizontal pattern is produced by the controller illuminating the LEDs in coordination with the movement of the film past the apertures.

Abstract: A head device for a tape player has a head moving plate for bringing a head into contact with or pulling it away from a magnetic tape. The head is attached to a head holder. A forward azimuth adjusting screw and a reverse azimuth adjusting screw are adjustably screwed, in the vertical direction, through the head holder. A head driver moves the head holder up and down along the width of a magnetic tape. When the head driver is in motion, the azimuth adjusting screws are prevented from contacting a surface of the head device, thus reducing wear of the surface. Additionally, while the head driver is in motion, the head is set in a center position. When the head driver ceases motion, the azimuth adjusting screws contact a surface of the head device to adjust the azimuth and cause the head to be held at a height corresponding to the azimuth.

Abstract: A disk player has a magazine for storing disks and a disk transport mechanism transporting a selected disk between four positions including an eject position, a load position, a playback position, and a store position which lie in a single plane. The selected disk is carried upon a tray from the eject position to the load position where the selected disk is partially removed from the tray to the playback position above a disk reader. The magazine accepts a plurality of disks. A magazine driving mechanism provides relative movement between the magazine and a plane of transport of the disk transport mechanism permitting a selected disk to be inserted or removed from the magazine at the store position. A disk clamping mechanism moves the disk reader relative to a clamp assembly in order to clamp the selected disk to a turntable. Both the disk clamping mechanism and the magazine driving mechanism are driven from a common drive source.

Abstract: A system for detecting the presence of an energy polarization altering dielectric material, such as ice or snow, on a surface, such as a part of an aircraft, which normally specularly reflects incident energy, such as light, when there is no such dielectric present. The energy is conveyed from a transmitter along a path to the surface and the incident energy is reflected from the surface along a path to a receiver with a dielectric on the surface destroying any polarization, such as circular, of the energy and that reflected from a specular portion maintaining the polarization. An optical system in one or both of the paths operates in an isolator state to produce an image of the dielectric portion having a first intensity level and that of the specular portion passing through the optical system having a different intensity level.

Abstract: A sheet ceramic package includes a plurality of product units, such as ceramic substrates and circuit substrates for semiconductor devices. The individual product units can be separated from the sheet ceramic package by breaking them apart along snap lines. Each product unit has inner layer conductors for providing external connections to a semiconductor to be packaged therein. A dummy part, with conductor patterns for evaluating the electrical characteristics of corresponding units, surrounds at least partially the periphery of each product unit. Exposed conductors of the product units and the dummy parts are plated by means of electroless plating allowing the product units to be electrically independent of each other because of the absence of the need to apply a uniform plating potential. Semiconductors are packaged into the individual product units and are hermetically sealed.

Abstract: A surface mount flat package for a semiconductor device includes a number of leads on a lead frame. At least one of the leads is straight with a thick section and a thin section. Part of the thin section is inside a protective medium and part extends outside. A bottom surface of the part extending outside the protective medium serves as a connection terminal for the semiconductor device. Another lead is an island lead that has a bonding island on an upper surface thereof. The island lead has a thick section and a thin section. The bonding island is on the thin section. The thin section is entirely within the protective medium. A bottom surface of the thick section is exposed outside the protective medium to serve as a connection terminal. The bottom surfaces of the thick sections are coplanar with each other and preferably coplanar with a bottom surface of the package.

Abstract: A data imprinting device focusses light emitted from an array of LEDs onto the film, exposing the film as it is fed. A single chip microcomputer controls the LED array to imprint data. Some of the LEDs in the array are always energized together, while others are energized independently. The LEDs which are energized together require only a single control line, thus reducing the number of control lines, and consequently permitting reduction in the size of the camera. The group-wise serial activation of the dot matrix columns slightly staggers the imprinted data, but the imprinted characters are fully recognizable. In addition to reducing the number of control lines, the group-wise serial activation also reduces the peak load on the constant circuit, and thereby reduces the size of this circuit.