Abstract: Sensor member having on it a ceramic crystal, is secured to a sieve or sieve frame of a combine harvester to be shaken with the sieve or sieve frame being so located that any grain which is discharged from the sieve and otherwise wasted will impact upon the sensor and cause an electrical signal to be transmitted by the crystal, the signal being amplified and transmitted to a readout station which enables the operator to immediately identify when grain is wasted. In being shaken along with the sieve the sensor presents a clean face to the grain, which might otherwise be partly obscured by chaff or other discrete material and this results in a higher degree of accuracy in the determination of wasted grain.

Abstract: A jacking device for an articulated vehicle includes a support member secured to the vehicle and a jacking member slidable relative to the support member to lift the vehicle. A motor is detachably secured to the support member through a reaction member to cause relative movement between the jacking member and the support member. The motor and reaction member may be removed when not in use to allow storage at a remote location.

Abstract: There is disclosed a trolley which runs along unfastened rails of a track, in which each rail is positioned between a respective one of two pairs of housings on each sleeper, the trolley moving from sleeper to sleeper in order to complete permanent fastening of the rails to the sleepers. The trolley has a pair of rail-clip driving apparatus on each side, one associated with each rail, of which each comprise a pair of magazines for storing e-shaped clips, and a clip driver for each magazine which drives a lowermost clip in a stack of clips in the magazine into a sleeper housing. Each apparatus includes a longitudinally displaceable support tube on which the magazines are mounted, the tube moving one way or the other depending upon which magazine first comes into cooperation with its respective housing in order to bring the other magazine into cooperation with its housing.

Abstract: A mountaineering implement comprises a handle (1), a toolhead (3) mounted at one end (2) of the handle (1) and at least one tool (4, 5) releasably fixed to the toolhead (3). The toolhead has a slot (8) and the tool has a plate-like appendage (18, 26) slidably inserted and locked within this slot. Two opposing flat faces of the slot each have at least one rib (10) extending parallel to the direction of sliding of the plate-like appendage (18, 26) in the slot and each of these ribs (10) is engaged in a corresponding groove (20, 28) formed in the surface (19, 27) of the plate-like appendage of the tool (4, 5). In a preferred embodiment, the toolhead is constituted by a folded sheet-metal blank and provides for the use of two tools, the plate-like appendages of which engage in opposite ends of the slot and have complementarily-stepped ends (21, 29) which contact each other.

Abstract: A device for cleaning transparent plates mounted in the detecting sections of a color sorting apparatus adapted to sort granular materials such as rice according to their colors. The device has a guide rail extended in parallel with each transparent plate, a cleaning plate assembly having a wiper making a close contact with the surface of the transparent plate and movably mounted on the guide rail, and means for reciprocatingly driving the cleaning plate assembly along the guide rail. The driving means may incorporate a reversible motor fixed to the cleaning plate assembly and a roller drivingly connected to the shaft of the motor and adapted to roll on the guide rail. As the driving means operates, the wiper of the cleaning plate assembly wipes off the contaminants on the surface of the transparent plate to clean the latter, thereby to ensure stable sorting operation of the apparatus.

Abstract: Apparatus for controlling the flushing of a lavatory, for example in a mens urinal, comprises a source of water for flushing, a flush control valve SV wherein the valve is actuated in response to the usage of the lavatory, for example by means of door switch DS. In order that over-use of the device should be prevented in busy periods, a delay circuit D1 is provided to prevent a second actuation of the water supply solenoid valve within a preset period from a first actuation.

Abstract: An anti-theft device for an automotive vehicle such as a car or truck having fluid pressure-operated brakes is disclosed. The device includes a lockable member that, when activated while the brakes have been applied by the driver, inhibits any substantial change in the then existing fluid pressure condition in the brake fluid pressure system of the vehicle. The brakes thus remain locked, preventing normal movement of the vehicle, even if the brake pedal is subsequently released and the engine is running. The device can also include an additional lockable member for immobilizing the brake pedal to prevent its being depressed. Optionally, the device can also include one or more electrical switches which are operated, when either lockable member is activated, to ground out the distributor and/or open the ignition circuit at a point away from the ignition lock terminals, thereby to prevent starting of the engine. Preferably a special key is provided for releasing the lockable member, and special screws, e.g.

Abstract: A facing unit for a reinforced earth structure, the unit having a facing element (1) that is designed to extend substantially vertically in the finished structure. A base (2) extends rearwardly from the rear surface of the facing element and at least one anchoring element (6) of lesser width than the base extends upwardly from the base. The anchoring element has a retaining surface (12) spaced rearwardly from and facing towards the rear surface of the facing element over which may be placed a link (21) connected to an anchoring member (23) extending into compacted earth behind the units.

Abstract: A rail fastening is provided which permits vertical adjustment of the rail relative to the bed. A shoulder is secured to the bed and a clip retainer adjustably mounted on the shoulder. The clip retainer includes a clip receiving bore in which one end of the clip is received. The clip retainer may be adjusted relative to the shoulder to adjust vertically the position of the clip receiving bore relative to the bed. Intermeshing teeth are provided between the shoulder and the clip retainer to lock the retainer to the shoulder in the required position.

Abstract: An anchoring device for use in anchoring a railway rail-fastening clip to a foundation for a railway rail has a head part, which anchors the clip and is to lie above the foundation, and a tail part which is to lie in the foundation and is in the form of a single vertical rod. At least one vane, to resist turning of the device about its vertical axis, has its upper extremity joined to the bottom of the head part and has one of its sides joined to the upper portion of the tail part, the vane having a vertical length and a horizontal width greater than its horizontal thickness. At least one projection, below the vane or vanes, projects laterally from the tail part and has a horizontal or nearly horizontal top, the projection or projections serving to resist vertical forces tending to pull the anchoring device vertically upwardly out of the foundation.

Abstract: A color sorting apparatus has a chute from which grains come out in the form of a linear flux, a photoelectric detection device surrounding the flux and including light sources, light-receiving units each having a lens barrel having a filter unit and adapted to receive the light reflected by or transmitted through the flux of grains, and a jet nozzle which provides a jet of air in accordance with the signal from the light receiving units thereby to blow unwanted grains of different colors away from the flux, so that the desired grains and unwanted grains are separated from each other according to their colors. The filter unit consists of a plurality of filters carried by a plate member which is movably mounted on the lens barrel.

Abstract: Apparatus for measuring the thickness of a workpiece (34) at a plurality of predetermined points separated one from another along a predetermined measurement line. A caliper has first and second opposed jaws (20, 22) mounted on a support (19), which is biased to maintain the first jaw (20) in contact with a first surface of the workpiece. The second jaw is biased relative to the support to maintain the second jaw in contact with a second, opposite, surface of the workpiece. A transducer (24a) is controlled by the second jaw to produce an output signal representative of workpiece thickness. The workpiece is mounted for relative movement between the workpiece and the caliper so that the predetermined measurement line passes between the jaws of the caliper. The output signal is sampled as the predetermined points pass between the jaws of the caliper, and the sample signals are processed to provide thickness measurements at the predetermined points.

Abstract: A railway spike consists of a bar folded to form first and second legs. Proceeding upwardly from the nose, formed by the two ends of the bar, firstly there is a first portion in which the legs are straight and parallel, then a second portion in which they diverge, then a third portion in which they converge, then a fourth portion in which they diverge again and finally a fifth portion which includes the uppermost part of the spike. When the first leg is on the left, no part of the fourth or fifth portion of the spike is further to the left than is the leftmost part of the first leg in the second and third portions. The spike may pass through a hole in a baseplate on which a rail stands, a resilient clip having a portion which bears downwardly on a flange at the bottom of the rail and having a further portion which presses upwardly on a flat surface at the bottom of the plate.

Abstract: So that a freight or storage tank for bulk material, that has at least one long emptying hole on the bottom, can be closed and opened, the tank has at least one flexible belt that extends essentially over the length of the opening and whose one end is attached to the tank, and under which is a roller or roller system that is approximately of the same length and that supports the belt when in the closed position and that can be removed from the closed position, as well as elements to move the roller or roller system across the opening between two extreme positions.

Abstract: A railway truck assembly adapted to produce steering of the wheel axles radially to a curve to reduce wear and noise and characterized by a pivot connection between the bolster and the truck frame elements which; in cooperation with direct transmission of the load to the truck frame through the opposite ends of the bolster, allows to use a relatively thinner and centrally non-bulging bolster. Thus, more space is made available between the central portion of the bolster and the top of the rails; which space is advantageously used to install some equipment such as for instance a linear induction motor or LIM.

Abstract: A method of controlling a digital actuator which controls the fuel injection pump for the internal combustion engine. In the control method for minimizing the difference between the reference command value and the resultant controlled value in response to the reference command value, the command signal is issued in such a way that the time interval from a command signal which has been issued based on the difference and the subsequent command signal is longer than a predetermined period.

Abstract: A rotary engine includes a housing defining an annular space in which two block-like pistons, each having a first side, are arranged for orbiting movement in opposite directions and so as to come into a face-to-face engaging state across the width of the annular space, with their first sides directed toward each other, at each of two opposite locations in the housing. At least one of the pistons has a concavity at its first side so that when the pistons are in their face-to-face engaging state, a sealed chamber is defined between them. An arrangement of pins connected with the pistons and riding in grooves provided in the housing enables the pistons to rotate as a unit about an axis of the unit by 180.degree. in one sense while engaged at either of the said locations and then to pivot individually by 180.degree. in the opposite sense after separating and preparatory to approaching each other for engagement at the other location.

Abstract: The invention relates to a filter with automatic cleaning using a hydraulically actuated sprinkling device. According to the invention, a carriage carrying tubes is driven by a hydraulic double-acting actuator. The working chambers of the hydraulic actuator are connected by off-take pipes to the cleaning liquid distributing circuit. Switching members control through the medium of electrically controlled valves the selective entry of the cleaning liquid into the off-take pipes. The device according to the invention can be used in an installation where air filtering is necessary, such as for example an air conditioning installation.