Abstract: The fuel channel leading from the pressure chamber of a fuel injection pump to the injection nozzles includes a volume containing a valve spring and formed by a cap threadedly engaging the valve body. This cap also provides an axial force which clamps internal elements of the valve mechanism into firm and sealing contact. An elastic insert, whose contours are similar to those of the cap, is located within the cap. This insert deforms under the force of the threaded cap and provides an elastic force reservoir which maintains the clamping and sealing force even when the cap is slightly loosened.

Abstract: The air flow rate meter in the induction tube of an internal combustion engine is a pivoting sector which has axial valve elements which cooperate with similar elements in the pivotal shaft to provide fuel metering in proportion to the excursion of the air flow rate meter due to the air flow. Parasitic leakage flow of air past the side walls of the pivoting sector is reduced by providing surface features, such as raised strips or fences, bored depressions, indentations and the like which cooperate with the induction tube wall which may have similar features to induce flow impedance and prevent unwanted air flow past the meter.

Abstract: What follows is a description of a fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine which employs exhaust gas recycling. The engine has a suction tube leading to the engine and an exhaust pipe leading from the engine, while the system includes a recycle line connecting both the exhaust pipe and the suction tube, and a control mechanism. The control mechanism can be located either in the suction tube, the exhaust line or the recycle line and controls the pressure therein in order to control the recycled exhaust gas flow rate. The system further has a regulating structure which regulates the quantity of the injected fuel in conjunction with the control mechanism.

Abstract: The operation of an internal combustion engine in the region of its lean-running limit is controlled on the basis of engine roughness as measured by an inductive crankshaft transducer. Its periodic signal gates the counting in a digital down-counter, from a pre-set number, at a frequency proportional to r.p.m. The content of the down counter is counted up or down in a subsequent up-down counter depending on the value of its own most significant bit which indicates the algebraic sign of the phase comparison between the transducer frequency and the r.p.m.-proportional frequency. Two digital integrating stages eliminate effects due to constant engine acceleration. A decoder supplies a control signal to a final control element for fuel, air or exhaust control.

Abstract: Engine control based on the smooth or rough running of the engine is performed by obtaining a signal indicative of crankshaft rotation and by digital measurement of the period of revolution. The periods of three successive revolutions are compared to obtain a second differential, related to acceleration and hence to combustion chamber pressure. This second differential is compared digitally to a nominal value, taken from an rpm-dependent function of the engine smoothness, derived by frequency synthesis of the frequencies from individual stages in one or more of the counters.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring liquid level. A generated broad-band swept-frequency C.W. microwave signal (2-4 GHz) is upverted to a high frequency band signal (34-36 GHz), which is transmitted towards, and reflected from, a liquid surface. The reflected signal is downverted to the frequency band of the original generated signal, and then the phase difference between the original and downverted signals is measured by a microwave phase discriminator and a quantizer, which generates video pulses proportional to the total phase shift across the swept C.W. band. During an adjacent sweep in the same direction, the original signal is compared with a signal transmitted through a calibration cable equivalent to a known free-space path length.

Abstract: The fuel supply control pulses of an internal combustion engine may be shortened or lengthened to provide operation of the engine at a definite fuel-air ratio. When operation takes place in a leaned-out region, the engine suffers dynamic instability, resulting in rapid fluctuations of the rotational crankshaft velocity, superimposed on regular, periodic changes due to compression changes.The maximum and minimum crankshaft speeds are measured at two different locations of the angular path by passing markers in front of an inductive transducer. The output signals from this transducer are fed to a gating circuit which controls the counting modes of a digital counter which is also supplied with a clocking pulse train at a constant, high frequency. The gating circuit causes alternate upward and downward counting in the counter so that a net difference of counted pulses is formed after each two successive counting periods.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are a plurality of cutting elements for use with sawing devices that are replaceable, provide a variety of cutting edges, and are retained on the saw body in a plurality of ways. Specifically disclosed is a cutting element whose working edge comprises two thin sharp parallel knife edges or alternatively very fine saw teeth. The means by which these edges are retained on the saw structure include ball and detent retention, spring biased resistance means, tongue and groove meeting surfaces, dovetailed inserts and the like.

Abstract: A reading plate has an array of holes in its surface. Rounded ends of rods project selectively through these holes by the action of a set of bimorphous piezoelectric reeds, on which they rest perpendicularly. Each reed is connected to a source of electric voltage which can assume two distinct values as a function of an electrical control signal in order to make the piezoelectric reeds bend in one direction or the other. The reading rods are distributed in groups of six and arranged in each group according to the conventional arrangement of dots of a braille character. The transducer can thus provide a relief read-out panel for a pocket electronic calculator for the blind.

Abstract: A spool frame adapted for transmission of thread to a circular knitting machine comprising a framework subdivided into open section areas with each open section area provided with superposed tiers of semi-circular supporting elements on which are rotatably supported spool carrier elements. Thread guide means are arranged above the topmost semi-circular tier of spool carriers to control feed of the thread to the knitting machine.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for repairing thread breakage occurring in an open-end spinning machine which includes a spinning rotor, a pair of draw rollers, a thread tension sensor and thread windup spindles. The end of the thread to be reattached to fibers located within the spinning rotor is guided back from the windup spindle in such a way as to bypass the drawoff rollers and avoid being pinched thereby. The thread is passed alongside one of the draw rollers, preferably on a specially configured conical surface which facilitates eventual reinsertion between the two draw rollers.The drive of the windup spindle is restarted by the tension sensor when it detects the reattachment of the end of the thread to the fibers in the spinning rotor as manifested by the increased tension in the thread. The increased tension pulls the thread between the drawoff rollers which transport it to the windup spindle at normal operating speed.

Abstract: A fuel injection pump with a simultaneously rotating and reciprocating fuel delivery piston and with rpm-dependent fuel quantity control exerted by a centrifugal force governor. The fuel delivery piston is powered by a primary shaft which also drives a secondary shaft of the governor through gears. The governor shaft powers a concentric fuel pump which supplies rpm-dependently pressurized fuel to the fuel delivery piston.

Abstract: A fuel supply and metering valve assembly used for fuel injection to an internal combustion engine includes a control pressure circuit which determines the restoring force on the movable valve member of the metering valve. The magnitude of the control pressure, and hence the fuel quantity metered out by the valve assembly, can be altered by intermittent actuation of a pressure relief valve whose duty cycle is controlled by an oxygen sensor located in the exhaust line of the engine. The oxygen sensor voltage is superimposed on a sawtooth voltage at the input of a control circuit which varies the duty cycle of the bypass valve. When the oxygen sensor is too cold to generate an output signal, the control circuit is provided with a temporary control signal supplied by a timing circuit until the oxygen sensor has reached its normal temperature and generates an output signal.

Abstract: An electro-magnetic fuel injection valve for low pressure fuel injection systems of internal combustion engines utilizing induction tube injection which includes a housing, a stationary iron core located within the housing, with the core supporting a magnetic winding, an armature-plunger concentric with respect to the iron core, a valve needle, a hollow stem connected to the housing into which the valve needle extends and a valve seat defining structure for the valve needle situated within the hollow stem. The valve seat defining structure having a plurality of bores formed therein the dimensions of which determine the apportionment of fuel by the fuel injection valve, and the disposition of which permits utilization of the kinetic energy, which results from the transformation of the pressure energy during the fuel apportionment, in the preparation of the fuel.

Abstract: What follows is a description of a system for heating a building by solar energy, and providing heated water for domestic use. A roof-mounted solar heating panel, which includes a clear specially shaped covering panel to intensify the solar energy striking the elements of the heating panel, heats a circulating liquid, which in turn heats air circulated within the building. Surplus heat is stored for a limited time by heating additional quantities of liquid. Also, solar heat is stored for an indefinite time by using a roof-mounted solar battery to power an electrolytic cell used to produce hydrogen and oxygen from water. The hydrogen and oxygen is stored and used as fuel in a furnace which heats the heat transfer liquid in the system as required.

Abstract: A horn speaker comprising a diaphragm positioned close to a throat and side walls forming sound passages for radiating the vibrations of the diaphragm effectively as sound waves from the mouth of the speaker.

Abstract: A modular leads frame for a pile driving machine is provided with a plurality of noise abating shield members which surround the driving hammer of the pile driving machine with certain ones thereof being moved with the driving hammer throughout its driving stroke in order to abate the noise resulting from the driving impact of the hammer against the pile.The pile is fed into position by first hoisting the movable shield members and the driving hammer to the top of the leads frame, hoisting the pile to be driven into a vertical position after attaching the pile hoist line to one end of the pile at ground level and thereafter actuating a pile feeder which positions the vertically hoisted pile within the leads frame and in alignment with the driving hammer.

Abstract: A volumetric air flowmeter for internal combustion engines, which includes a cast metal housing, a rectangular airflow channel therewithin, and a transversely-extending, trapezoidal-shaped pivotal baffle plate mounted on a pivot shaft. There is also provided on the pivot shaft a damping flap, angularly offset with respect to the baffle plate, which revolves, in unison with baffle plate deflection, about the shaft axis into a damping chamber. Circumferential clearances are provided between the baffle plate and its channel and between the damping flap and its chamber.

Abstract: An instrument for giving electrical indications of the distance between two reference points includes a light source, a primary light-sensitive detector and a secondary light-sensitive control detector. Both detectors may be photodiodes. In one embodiment, the light from the source is reflected from a reference plane and is intercepted by the primary detector and by the secondary control detector. The secondary control detector is part of a control loop which adjusts the intensity of the light source in such a manner that the photo current through the secondary control detector remains constant, thus providing compensation for changes in brightness and sensitivity due to aging, soiling and other influences.

Abstract: A time-keeping apparatus uses a crystal oscillator and electronic frequency dividers, as well as an electronically regulated mechanical time-keeping system (balance wheel system) which is part of an indicating system. The indicating system is driven at at least two different rpm's; at least one of these rpm's is effectively controlled to be higher and at least one of these rpm's can be controlled to be lower than a nominal rpm corresponding to the frequency of oscillation of the crystal oscillator, which may be of quartz. A storage circuit, in the form of a bistable multivibrator, has one input coupled to an output of a frequency divider which, in turn, is controlled by the output from the crystal oscillator. The other input to the storage circuit is provided with input pulses derived from the indicating system or from the electronically controlled mechanical time-keeping system, which have very nearly the same frequency as the pulses of the output of the frequency divider fed from the crystal oscillator.