Abstract: A compass (1) with safety pivot is disclosed for drawing arcs or complete circles on a surface without perforating it and in an absolutely safe manner for young users. The safety pivot of said compass has a rounded end at the end of a pin (8) housed in the body (9). Said rounded end is partially or fully covered by a non-slip finish (7') designed-to be in contact with said drawing surface to define the centre of the arc or circle to be drawn.

Abstract: The bait locating device for accurately positioning bait adjacent a particular fish to be caught. The device comprises a floatation member for causing desired floatation of the device, an attachment member for attaching the device to a suitable weighted member, via fishing line, to drag or sink the device to the bottom of the body of water and a spacer for spacing the bait a sufficient distance away from the floatation member. A method of locating bait adjacent fish is also disclosed in this application.

Abstract: The invention concerns a control system (10) for changing automatic gears (3) that operates according to fuzzy logic methods. All the fuzzy-production rules are divided into at least three sections: a set of basic rules to determine the gear-changing point in a consumption-oriented driving style, a set of adaptation rules to modify the set of basic rules depending on a current driving style and an identification set of rules for classifying the driver according to his/her driving style. By way of a supplementary set of adaptation rules the set of basic rules can be additionally modified according to a current driving condition. Individual function blocks (11 to 15) operate preferably according to the same inference mechanism. Gamma operators are used in order to approximate as closely as possible human behavior. A process is proposed for generating membership functions to determine a running condition by fuzzy-production rules.

Abstract: A motorization unit comprising two internal combustion engines able to run alternately or simultaneously.The two engines (20, 40) each comprise their own cooling circuit (21, respectively 41). These two circuits are each provided with an expansion vessel (26, 46) and are connected to a heat exchanger (30). The purpose of this heat exchanger is to keep the cooling circuit of one of the engines not running, at the right temperature by means of the cooling circuit of the other engine which is running, when the unit is operating in alternate mode.This motorization unit can be adapted to road, rail and aquatic vehicles.

Abstract: The present invention concerns a production line for rows or layers of products, especially food products and more specifically, confectionery products such as chocolate wafers, bars, or the like, comprising a recycling device for the timed reintroduction of the temporarily stored products into the empty spaces between the products on said conveyor belts.The recycling device (13) comprises a first endless conveyor belt, called the recycling belt (18), mounted on a pivoting support, and a second endless conveyor belt, called the switching belt (19), also mounted on a pivoting support, said switching belt (19) being positioned either in the extension of the recycling belt (18) or inserted between two conveyor belts (10) on the line, and the recycling belt (18) being positioned either in the extension of the switching belt (19) or in the extension of the conveyor belt of the storage device (14).

Abstract: A modular cage system (10) for a terrestrial animal or a bird which comprises at least two enclosures (11, 13) each enclosure being joined to another enclosure by a tunnel or walkway (12) and an entrance/exit (14) from and to sleeping quarters, wherein each enclosure is sufficiently large to allow the animal or bird to move in a relatively unobstructed fashion and wherein each tunnel or walkway is adapted to provide unobstructed passage from one enclosure to another and to provide the illusion of travel over an extended distance and a diminished sense of being caged.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for electronically controlling an automatic transmission in which the torque transmission is reduced when the engine throttle setting and vehicle speed are below a threshold. The transmitted torque causes the vehicle to creep slightly, warning the driver that a gear is engaged. The slant and load of the vehicle are taken into account for controlling the drive torque.

Abstract: The invention relates to a double pump consisting of a radial piston pump (1) and a vane-cell pump (2). The double pump is to be simplified in such a way that its over-all length is reduced and there is only one casing separation. The radial piston pump (1) has a ring insert with a molded face plate (8) fitted in an aperture (5) of the casing (4) to seal a pump set (20, 21, 22) of the vane-cell pump (1). One frontal surface (23) of the face plate, belonging to the ring insert (8), together with the casing (1) forms a dividing seam between the two pumps (1 and 2). Thus, only one annular seal (35) is needed to seal the dividing seam. The ring insert (8) with a concentric bore (36) also serves as a shaft (6) bearing and as an axial stop face (38) in the region of the eccentric (12).

Abstract: A bridging coupling is actuated by an annular piston to which the converter's internal pressure is applied on one side thereof in an opening direction and a closing pressure is applied in the closing direction. The closing pressure is controlled by a precontrolled regulating valve depending on the output pressure of the converter and on a control pressure that depends upon further operating parameters. With the coupling open, the closing pressure in the closing pressure chamber remains below the internal pressure of the converter by a specified value. This ensures that the bridging coupling responds quickly and can be precisely regulated within narrow tolerances. In addition, only relatively little power is needed for the regulation.

Abstract: An electronic sound generating device is proposed which can generate sound that is complex, profound and high in fidelity to acoustic sound. Sound of the acoustic instruments consists of a plurality of harmonics. Some of the harmonics have swings on their envelope curves, thereby causing beats of the sound. Inspired by this feature, the present invention causes swing on predetermined harmonics in synthesizing a plurality of harmonics for generating sound. A construction for swinging the envelope curves is also proposed.

Abstract: The process has an open control loop which detects the total current intensity of actuators and supplies it to a microprocessor. In a modulation mode the microprocessor successively generates at its output a modulated set value signal for each actuator, the set value signals lying below the response level of the process. The microprocessor then determines compensation values from the total current signal with which the set values of the actuators are corrected. The (regulating) speed of a control is thus combined with the accuracy of a regulation. The hardware expenditure (costs) is minimized thanks to the total current detection instead of the individual current detection.

Abstract: A data communications system which comprises at least one group of subscriber data interface elements, with each interface element having at least one data input port and a data output port, and each output port being electrically connectable to a subscriber line of the telephone network to transmit data thereon without interfering with any telephone service that may be present on these subscriber line. A network data interface element, for each group of subscriber data interface elements, being located within a short distance from the farthest subscriber data interface element. Each subscriber data interface element having a data input port and a data output port, and each input port being electrically connectable to a subscriber line of the telephone network and in communication with these subscriber data interface elements thereover.

Abstract: A device (in part 10) for holding a banner in position over a motor vehicle which comprises:1. at least two upright means (11).2. separate prop means (12) attached to the lower portion of each upright means (19, 191); and3. foot means (13, 14) connected to the bottom of each of the upright means and each of the prop means,wherein each foot means may be positioned to one side of a corresponding tire of the motor vehicle, an upright means and a corresponding prop means extending generally upwards across the outside of the tire, whereby a banner may be connected to one upright means and extend above the vehicle to a corresponding second upright means.

Abstract: A seat adapted to accommodate three passengers has a seat cushion and a seat back, three headrests are located in juxtaposed relationship along the upper edge of the seat back, the central headrest is coupled to a central armrest so that the headrest will retract into the seat back when the armrest is lowered and will be raised so that it extends upwardly from the upper edge of the seat back when the armrest is raised.

Abstract: In the sound source system, the waveform sampled from the sounds of keys pressed down with two or more kinds of intensity are synthesized in a specified rate, thereby forming the waveform of the sounds of keys pressed down with the other kind of intensity. Thus, almost the actual instrumental deep sounds can be reproduced. The sound waveform sampled from weak key presses is passed through a low pass filter, and the filtered waveform composed only of low order harmonic components is transformed to weak press data in the pulse code modulation system for the storage. Similarly, the sound waveform sampled from strong key presses are passed through a high pass filter, thereby removing the low order harmonic components. The filtered waveform composed only of the high order harmonic components are transformed to strong press data in the pulse code modulation system for the storage. The high pass filter can remove the frequency components which pass through the low pass filter.

Abstract: An illumination device for illuminating an object to be observed, by a machine vision camera of the like for example, with a continuous diffuse wide angle light which is supplied both along the viewing axis of the machine vision camera and off axis. The diffuser of the present invention is tilted with respect to the observation axis so that the diffuser is not viewable by the object to be observed. This provides better uniformity of the light which illuminates the object. A second diffuser may be utilized to provide illumination of the object with light of reduced intensity.