Abstract: The switching off of one or more cylinders of a multicylinder engine to save fuel when the engine is running lightly loaded has been found to reduce the effectiveness of computer control of ignition timing and fuel injection unless additional fields of stored control information are provided for responding to the various combinations of engine parameter values that arise in operation. Accordingly, with each step of reduction of the number of working cylinders, the control of ignition timing and fuel injection is shifted to a different bank of fixed value memory (ROM).

Abstract: In order to provide a unitary, rugged and simplified engine knock sensor assembly for internal combustion engines, which is readily tunable after manufacture to particular frequency characteristics of a given engine, the invention provides a cantilevered bending oscillator which is clamped together with a suitable electrical contact in an axial channel of a metallic cylindrical socket. The radial clamping forces are permanently provided by deformation of the socket material, for example by mortising, or other dimensional changes of the socket material. A number of embodiments is presented. The invention also includes a method for simultaneously producing two separate electrical contacts from a single contact element.

Abstract: To supervise a program controlled device which is subject to stray noise or disturbance pulses, particularly microprocessor controlled automotive vehicle electronic systems, a timing circuit is provided responsive to check pulses added to the program and defining a timing interval, the monitoring system distinguishing between disturbance pulses and static defects by supervising the control pulses and, upon failure of the control pulses, generating a program restart or interrupt signal, respectively, which both initiate a new start of the program cycle or, respectively, define a timing interval which, upon failure to sense further control pulses, initiates energization of an emergency switching system. Continuous failure to receive control pulses also can initiate the emergency switching system.

Abstract: The main pressure in the gearing which under normal operating conditions is 150% of the amount required to transmit the then-present torque is reduced to 100% when an upshift takes place under load or a downshift takes place under no load. For a downshift under load and an upshift under no load the pressure is reduced to about 30%. The position of the control rod of an injection pump at the beginning of a shift operation is stored until the shift is completed. This allows the present system to cooperate with a system wherein the control of the injection pump is shifted from the gas pedal to a regulator during gear shifts.

Abstract: In order to suppress the train of detector oscillations after the disappearance of the engine knock phenomenon, the invention provides a piezoelectric oscillator which is set into vibration by engine knock and includes circuitry for applying signals of opposite polarity to the oscillator at times when no engine knock is expected. Accordingly, the output of the piezoelectric engine knock detector is used only in a relatively narrow time interval during the combustion cycle. In the remaining interval, the circuit switches over to a configuration where the oscillations of the piezoelectric oscillator are damped. The construction of the invention makes it possible to discriminate between different cylinders of a multi-cylinder engine and to assign the knock phenomenon to particular engine cylinders. A number of embodiments is presented.

Abstract: A first and second valve respectively associated with the then-present and the newly selected gear during a gear shift operation are operated with positive overlap at the beginning of the shift process if the engine is upshifting under load or downshifting under no and at the end of the shift process if the engine is upshifting under no load or downshifting under load. During the shift process the engine speed is lowered during upshift operations and increased during downshifts. The shifting process is terminated when the engine is operating synchronously with the transmission output. It is also terminated if the engine speed decreases excessive during upshifts or increases excessively during downshift or if a predetermined maximum allowable time has elapsed from the start of the shift operation. The main pressure in the gearing is decreased during the shift operation by a factor selected in accordance with the then-present operating condition.

Abstract: This invention relates to an aqueous drilling fluid containing a tall oil fraction as a lubricating additive, a method of drilling with said drilling fluid containing said tall oil lubricating additive and the tall oil lubricating additive per se.

Abstract: During gear shift, the fuel control for the engine is switched from the gas pedal to a regulator which regulates it such that the speed of the engine is changed from the speed corresponding to the then-present gear to the speed for the next subsequent gear at a predetermined rate of change of speed with respect to time. A different rate of change of speed may be provided for upshift and downshift operations. A comparator compares the engine speed to the output speed of the gearing and furnishes a shift terminate signal signifying synchronism between the two speeds when the two speeds have a predetermined relationship. A first and second offset signal may be applied to the comparator to allow the engine speed to be somewhat less than the output speed of the gear, and vice a versa, during downshift and upshift respectively.

Abstract: To permit low differences between regulated output voltage and unregulated input voltage, for example in the order of only 200mV, a control loop formed of a serially connected PNP transistor 11, a reference voltage generator 15, a voltage divider 13 connected across the regulated output, and a comparator-amplifier 14 comparing the output taken from the voltage divider 13 and the reference and providing an error control signal has a second control loop connected thereto which includes a transistor and a current sensing resistor connected to the base of the control transistor 11 and a second comparator comparing the actual current flow through the transistor 18 and the error signal to stabilize the control transistor. A switching network 16 can be additionally connected to modify or affect the error signal applied to the second control loop.

Abstract: This invention relates to an aqueous drilling fluid containing a tall oil fraction as a lubricating additive, a method of drilling with said drilling fluid containing said tall oil lubricating additive and the tall oil lubricating additive per se.

Abstract: Operating parameters, such as speed and loading of the engine are converted in electrical signals which are converted into pulse rates, to control counting of an address counter, addressing a read-only (ROM) memory in which characteristics of the engine are stored. To provide easy introduction of additional parameters such as temperature, idle condition, maximum speed, start condition, etc., the final value of an accumulator counter, the number of which at a given time controls the ignition timing, can be changed; further, to simplify the system, the speed and load signals are processed during a portion of the time between successive ignition events, the remaining portion of the time being controlled solely by one of the parameters (preferably speed), thus simplifying the circuitry by providing a transfer switch connecting for the remaining period only the selected (preferably speed) signal to the accumulator counter, the count state of which controls the ignition instant.