Abstract: In automatic melting crucible tipping it is important that, starting from a certain angular position, the melting crucible (1) is tipped according to a predetermined model until emptying is complete. This model can be obtained, for example, by the so-called teach-in process and can be stored in an analog or digital memory (89). In order to prevent abrupt movement of the crucible (1) when the molten material touches the pouring lip (3) of the crucible (1) when the pour-lip angle has been reached, according to the invention a correction arrangement (108, 109, 37) is provided which enables the tipping process to proceed continuously and without abrupt movements even in the case of different pour-lip angles.

Abstract: A driving power control system for a vehicle which minimizes the shock due to a gear change by keeping a driving force constant throughout the shifting, resulting in high drivability. The system includes a mechanism for controlling the engine power to keep driving force unchanged, mechanisms for respectively keeping the acceleration and driving force constant throughout the shifting, and a second throttle valve for controlling the engine power.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for predicting fore-aft translations of tires. An inflated tire is rotated at a nominally constant angular velocity against a freely rotatable rigid loadwheel under a radial load. Changes in the instantaneous effective radius of the tire as it rolls give rise to fore/aft forces which tend to translate the tire alternately forward, toward the direction of travel and aft, toward the opposite direction. The tendency of the tire to so translate is predicted by measuring variations in effective radius or a parameter correlated thereto such as changes in the motion of the tread surface of the tire or the loadwheel relative to the angular speed of the tire.

Abstract: A system is disclosed for determining the positions of a set of points on a body and comparing those points to a set of reference points. The system includes a data acquisition apparatus comprised of emitters, receivers, and microprocessor controls. The emitters are mounted at various predetermined positions on the body, for example a vehicle body or frame, and are triggered in an optimal fashion by the microprocessors. Triggering generates a single acoustic burst signal from an emitter. An array of microphones acts as the receiver. After generation of the signal, the microprocessor initializes an external clock which measures the travel time of the signal from the emitter to the receivers. By repeating this process a number of times, data is acquired which yields the three-dimensional coordinates of a given point when processed by a microprocessor.

Abstract: A fabric grading method and system includes a computer and speech command system for converting oral commands spoken by an operator to signals for driving an inspection frame and a defect labeling device. The operator's spoken defect descriptions are automatically recorded and discriminated so that the defect labeler is only driven in response to detected major defects. The system also receives and records width and pick per inch measuring data for the fabric being inspected.

Abstract: A measuring instrument for determining and evaluating data representative of the condition of a machine provided with measuring points is provided with a test data probe, incorporating a test data receiver and an evaluation circuit with memory for picking up and evaluating the test data received from the relevant measuring points, and with an identifying data sensing probe incorporating a sensing unit for sensing identifying data at the measuring points. The memory includes storage positions for data specific to the measuring points which are activated by the corresponding identifying data from the measuring points. The test data probe and the identifying data sensing probe are provided in a common housing. Within the common housing there is a measuring chamber which is open towards the forward end of the measuring head of the instrument, the chamber accommodating a machine-side data transfer component which is also the carrier for the identifying data specific to the measuring points.

Abstract: Printed wiring boards (PWBs) applied to this inspection system are previously formed with marks in prescribed positional relation to wiring patterns. Deviation of PWBs with respect to absolute coordinates of the inspection system is detected by reading the marks. The PWBs are sequentially set one by one on a movable table, to be subjected to image acquisition of the marks and inspected areas. A first PWB is image-acquisited whereby obtained binary image data of the inspected area are stored in a memory unit. Thereafter a second PWB is image-acquisited, and in advance to the image acquisition of its inspected area, relative misregistration of the both PWBs is found by deviation data on respective marks of the first and second PWBs. The binary image data of the first PWB is read from the memory unit on the basis of the binary image data of the second PWB. When the binary image data of the first PWB are read, positional correction, i.e.

Abstract: The weight fractions of the phases of a composite material working specimen are determined nondestructively by first performing a sufficient number of nondestructive and destructive calibration measurements on the properties of calibration specimens. The information learned from the calibration specimens is used in combination with nondestructive measurements of the working specimen to determine the fractions of the phases therein, without damaging the working specimen. In one version of this approach, ultrasonic measurements are used to determine fractions of the fiber and matrix in a nonmetallic composite material.

Abstract: A storage system for the storage of setting values for adjusting devices on printing machines including a portable memory unit for the exchange of data with a device for communication, preferably disposed on the printing machine. A housing of the memory unit contains electrically operated, solid-state storage elements that are coupled to an electronic control unit for making logic decisions. The memory unit contains at least one data input in the form of at least one contactlessly working sensor and a data output in the form of at least one contactlessly scannable output element, both optically coupled to corresponding optical elements of the device for communication through viewing windows during data exchange. For the display and input of storage information and values, a display and a manual input device are located on the memory housing.

Abstract: An adaptive filtering procedure reduces overshoot which may be present on a waveform having infinite slopes displayed on a digital oscilloscope as a result of interpolation between samples at the location of the infinite slopes. An adaptive filtering procedure identifies sampled points adjacent the infinite slope and moves the points closer to each other to avoid ringing or overshoot on the display. Before modification, a straightness test relative to the waveform before and after a discontinuity and a test for sudden changes in the waveform before and after the discontinuity are performed.

Abstract: A system for measuring liquid comprises means for applying suction to liquid to be measured, means for maintaining liquid in a micro-pipette tube or tubes, said tube having a storage portion with a large inner diameter and a slender tubular portion with small diameter, and a pressure gauge for measuring potential head in said micro-pipette tube or tubes.

Abstract: A distance-measuring device, comprises a housing; a flexible measuring tape reelable into and out of the housing for measuring lengths; a shaft encoder rotatable by the flexible-measuring tape when reeled into and out of the housing and outputting digital pulses for each unit length of the measuring tape so reeled into or out of the housing; and an up/down counter adding the electrical pulses outputted when the tape is reeled out of the housing, and subtracting the electrical pulses outputted when the tape is reeled into the housing, and thereby providing an indication of the length of the measuring tape reeled out of said housing. Also described is a device for measuring the two coordinates of a point in space, by providing two such housings mounted on a common base, and a flexible measuring tape reelable into and out of each housing at locations spaced a predetermined distance between the two housings, the two tapes being connected at a single connection point whose coordinates are to be determined.

Abstract: A tilt steering mechanism, a telescopic steering mechanism and a seat attitude adjusting mechanism are controlled in their attitudes by an electric motor such that the respective attitudes are automatically set into a retreat attitude where the driver easily gets on and off a vehicle upon boarding/alighting, and into a driving attitude assumed before retreat upon the completion of boarding. Whether or not the driver is about to get on and off the vehicle is judged in accordance with the status of an ignition switch, status of a door switch, vehicle speed, status of a parking brake, shift lever position of a transmission, etc. A change speed of attitude is monitored during energization of the electric motor and, if the change speed is less than a predetermined value, this is judged as the presence of overload and the electric motor is stopped.

Abstract: A distributed control apparatus and method is disclosed to maintain the network stability in a packet switching local area network under changing traffic load conditions, by controlling the size of the packets transmitted by each node. The invention monitors the present information flow rate in the network and computes an average packet length which it then uses to adjust the size of the variable length data field in each message frame. In this manner, network flow control can be achieved without forcing data terminals connected to the nodes of the network to adjust their speed. The invention is applicable to a wide variety of local area network protocols for both ring and bus architectures.

Abstract: The large rotational inertia applied to a driveline component during normal driving conditions is simulated in a test stand that contains a component that driveably connects an input motor and an output motor. A computer repetitively executes an algorithm that produces a commanded torque signal which is supplied as a control signal to the motor drive of one of the electrical motors to produce an output within that motor equal to the commanded torque. The control system applies to the powertrain component under test an inertia that simulates the actual vehicle inertia. The target state of the system, when the vehicle inertia is applied, is completely defined from information known when the component being tested has substantially less inertia applied.

Abstract: A knock control apparatus for internal combustion engines includes a plurality of sensors for generating signals indicative of the operating conditions of an engine, a plurality of actuators responsive to control signals to control the respective energy conversion functions of the engine, a data processing unit responsive to the signals from the sensors to perform engine controlling data processing operations and thereby supply engine control values to the actuators, and a knock sensing unit for detecting the occurrence of knocking in the engine and generating knock detection signals, and the data processing unit is responsive to the knock detection signals from the knock sensing unit to retard the calculated ignition timing.

Abstract: A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is controlled such that an actual engine speed Ne is equalized to a desired engine speed Ne'. Defining Nc as a positive constant, the speed ratio e of the CVT is substantially fixed during a period of time when the Ne changes from Ne<Ne'-Nc to Ne'-Nc.ltoreq.Ne<Ne' and then changes to Ne.gtoreq.Ne'. Ne'-Nc is defined as a temporarily desired engine speed during a period of time when the Ne changes from Ne.gtoreq.Ne' to Ne'-Nc.ltoreq.Ne<Ne' and then changes to Ne<Ne'-Nc. During the period of time the speed ratio of the CVT is changed such that the actual engine speed Ne is equalized to the temporarily desired engine speed Ne'-Nc.

Abstract: A transducer formed of one or more electrode arrays is positioned in confronting relation and parallel to the plane of rotation of one or more rotating members. A plurality of phase modulated, two-phase, square wave drive signals of the same amplitude and frequency are applied to each electrode. The signals are combined at a central node or electrode to form, as a result of the signal, the superposition of the algebraic sum of all drive signal pairs. Samples of the resultant signal taken at the same frequency and of a duration of less than one-half the duration of the drive signal period provide a multi-step, synchronously detected signal. The detected signal is a multi-step approximation to a sine wave, the phase angle thereof relative to a timing point being proportional to the angular position of the rotating member.

Abstract: An engine control system is disclosed which includes engine idle speed control apparatus which implements a closed loop idle speed control by varying the amount of air provided to the engine by an air bypass valve. The control system develops an engine torque polarity signal related to the difference between actual current manifold air pressure and the average of the manifold air pressure which exists during engine idle. The torque polarity signal is utilized to implement engine deceleration control by selectively providing additional air and/or reduced fuel to the engine to implement engine fuel mixture enleanment during deceleration conditions. The engine idle speed control apparatus calculates an error signal related to the difference between actual engine speed and a calculated desired engine idle speed.

Abstract: A fuel metering apparatus is shown as having a throttle body with an induction passage therethrough and a throttle valve for controlling flow through the induction passage, a fuel-air mixture discharge member is situated generally in the induction passage downstream of the throttle valve, an air passage communicates between a source of air and the fuel-air mixture discharge member, the air passage is shown as also including a flow restrictor therein which provides for sonic flow therethrough, and a fuel metering valving assembly having a ball valve member is effective for metering liquid fuel as at a superatmospheric pressure and delivering such metered liquid fuel as into the air passage upstream of the flow restrictor thereby causing the thusly metered liquid fuel and air to pass through the sonic flow restrictor before being discharged into the induction passage by the fuel-air mixture discharge member, the ball valve member at least partly receives at least one resilient member which urges the ball valve