Abstract: An energy-absorbing device disposed between two elements which are movable apart from each other in response to an externally applied force. The device has a wire coil winding having a plurality of turns at one end and a rectilinear length portion at another end extending away from a turn of the coil winding. One of the two elements has a support axis about which the coil winding turns are would axially thereof. A second of the two elements has an end of the rectilinear length portion of the wire secured thereto. The turns of the coil winding are deformable and unwind about the axis to absorb energy of a force applied in a direction parallel to the rectilinear relatively separating apart the two elements. The energy device is uable on automobile vehicle steering columns for absorbing impact forces.

Abstract: An apparatus for measuring optical transmission characteristic, which has an input unit of data signal and of clock pulses, a signal decision unit, a display unit and a control unit. The signal decision unit comprises a plurality of signal decision circuits. A Q value employed as a parameter for the evaluation of the transmission characteristic of an optical communication system can be obtained in real time since bit error rates necessary for the calculation of the Q value can be simultaneously obtained by the plurality of signal decision circuits.

Abstract: An earthquake resisting support construction which supports a structure at a required position on the surface of ground having a bearing capacity of soil large enough to withstand the weight of the structure, comprising, at each support position: a number of base-stones buried and arranged in the ground to provide a horizontal finished top surface; a cornerstone having parallel top and bottom surfaces and disposed on the number of base-stones to produce friction between the finished top surface of the base-stones and the bottom of the cornerstone; and a pedestal having a centrally-disposed void in its bottom and mounted on the cornerstone, with the marginal portion of its bottom held in frictional contact with the top of the cornerstone.

Abstract: An air controller for an air pump capable of simply regulating the air delivery rate of the air pump. In an air pump including an electromagnetic driving mechanism 11, 13, 14, a magnet 17 carried on the tip of an arm 16, and a diaphragm 18 connected to the intermediate portion of the arm, the magnet being reciprocated by an electromagnetic action exerted between the electromagnetic driving mechanism and the magnet, the intake and discharge action being effected by the expansion and contraction of the diaphragm, the improvement lies in that the electromagnetic driving mechanism is mounted on a housing in such a manner that it is capable of advancing and retreating with respect to the magnet, whereby the advancement and retreat of the electromagnetic driving mechanism will cause the distance between the core 13 and magnet 17 and hence the reciprocating rate of the magnet to change, thus accomplishing the change of the air delivery rate.

Abstract: A voice decoding apparatus of an adaptive PCM coding system in which an auxiliary controller is provided between a controller and a prediction coefficient holder. The controller receives a voice activity detection flag b separated from a received demodulated signal a and, at the time of transition from the voice-active duration to the voice-nonactive duration and vice versa, outputs a reset signal d and a signal e indicating whether the voice activity detection flag is voice-active or voice-nonactive. The prediction coefficient holder extracts, from an ADPCM decoder for decoding a coded signal c, a prediction coefficient g, calculates and stores its average value for each frame and updates the old value with the new one and, at the time of transition from the voice-nonactive duration to the voice-active duration, outputs an immediately stored value h.

Abstract: A system for determining and registering the location of mobile terminals in a mobile communication system using non-geosynchrous satellites, in which each land earth station transmits its identification information via spot beams of satellites or together with identification information of a spot beam and that of satellite. A mobile terminal thus receives identification information, and transmits the received identification information together with information on time of reception and the terminal identifying information to the terrestrial network for registering the latest location information. Since the latest location information of mobile terminal is registered in the terrestrial network as mentioned above, a call can be connected to the mobile terminal simply by sending a call announcement message by referring the registered location information. This leads to reduction of the number of circuits that are needed for sending call announcement messages.

Abstract: An audio teleconferencing apparatus which permits two-way communications between more than two parties without the necessity of complete switching and does not allow a loss to increase in a communication channel of a particular speaker. The audio teleconferencing apparatus further comprises more than two line interface circuits, each provided with a voice activity detector for detecting voice activity in a received speech signal, a received-speech variable loss for inserting a loss into a speech receiving path when the received speech signal is voice non-active, and a sending-speech variable loss for inserting a loss in a speech signal transmission or sending path when the speech to be sent is voice-active, whereby a certain loss is inserted in any four-wire multiplex loop in the line interface circuit.

Abstract: The non-geosynchronous orbiting satellites each transmit identification information given to each of spot beams irradiated from them. A mobile terminal, when registering its location, receives the spot beam identification information at some moments in time with the predetermined time interval. Then, the mobile terminal transmits the received spot beam identification information and each of their reception time together with the terminal identification information assigned to the mobile terminal. On the basis of an overlapped area of spot beam coverage areas at time when each of identification information is received by the terminal, a terrestrial network estimates and registers the latest location of the mobile terminal.

Abstract: The network and each user i share an encryption algorithm EK.sub.i () using his authentication key K.sub.i as a cipher key, its inverse function EK.sub.i.sup.-1 (), a specific function F() and its inverse function F.sup.-1 (), and a function G(). The network calculates C.sub.1 =EK.sub.i (F(r.sub.n, r.sub.u)), using a random number r.sub.n generated by the user and a random number by the network, and sends it to the user. The user calculates (d.sub.1, d.sub.2)=F.sup.-1 (EK.sub.i.sup.-1 (C.sub.1)) and, if d.sub.1 =r.sub.n, judges the network to be an authorized one. The user generates a random number r.sub.c and sends C.sub.2 =EK.sub.i (F(d.sub.2, r.sub.c)) to the network. The network calculates (d.sub.3, d.sub.4)=F.sup.-1 (EK.sub.i.sup.-1 (C.sub.2)) and, if d.sub.3 =r.sub.u, judges the user to be an authorized one.

Abstract: A voice coding communication system in case of applying an adaptive differential PCM system in which a discontinuous transmitter is provided at the transmitting side to reduce its power consumption, transmission is suspended during a silent duration, and a pseudo-noise is generated at the receiving side and is used as the reproduced output during the silent duration. Discomfort is avoided in hearing the reproduced voice which is caused by the difference between the level of the pseudo-noise and the level of a background noise at the transmitting side.

Abstract: At the time of receiving a repeater supervisory signal superimposed on or combined by wavelength multiplexing with a main optical signal in an optical amplifier repeater system, the received optical signal is subjected to a photoelectric conversion by a photodetector and then branched into two electric signals, the one of which is subjected to equalizing amplification, timing extraction and discrimination and regeneration to extract only the main signal component. The main signal component thus extracted and the main signal contained in the other electric signal, which is not regenerated, are respectively subjected to required equalization, delay adjustment and amplitude adjustment so that they match with one another in waveform, phase and amplitude. In addition, the amplitude adjustment of the main signal is automatically controlled. By differentially combining these signals to remove only the main signal component to minimize its residual value, thereby extracting the supervisory signal to be obtained.

Abstract: Pipe lines for conducting natural gas become contaminated, over a period of time, by an accumulation of mercury, which occurs in minute amounts in natural gas. If used pipe is scrapped, for example by melting, mercury vapor escaping to the atmosphere poses a health hazard. To remove mercury, sections of pipe are closed at both ends by plugs having nipples for connection to a closed circuit and inert gas line connected with a pump for evacuating the line and with a source of inert gas, for example nitrogen. The closed circuit inert gas line contains a blower for circulating the inert gas repeatedly through the pipe sections and a condenser for condensing mercury vapor. The closed circuit further includes a heat exchanger for removing heat upstream of the condenser, a coordinated heat exchanger for restoring heat removed and an additional heater. The pipe sections are heated externally by an oven or internally by heated inert gas.

Abstract: A voice encoder using a voice activity detector in which two predictive coefficients available from an adaptive predictor in the voice encoder are received for each sample of a input voice signal of the voice encoder. Average values of the predictive coefficients are calculated for each fixed period to decide whether the period is a voice active period or a voice non-active period as a result of comparing the average values with respective ranges of predictive coefficient threshold values predetermined from respective distributions of the two predictive coefficients. Voice active/non-active flags indicative of the voice active period and the voice non-active period are obtained for voice operate switch exchange of encoded of the voice encoder.

Abstract: A multi-purpose calender having latterly spaced frames mounting four superposed calender rolls with their axes of rotation extending horizontally and three rolls offset relative to a vertical plane. Two outer rolls are provided with two coactive inner rolls intermediate the outer rolls. A first inner roll is mounted with an axis of rotation fixed in a vertical and in a horizontal plane. The frames have slot guides therein mounting beating housings and the bearings therein of the three other rolls adjustably shiftable and crossable independently along respective inclined planes.

Abstract: Through utilization of a transportable earth station capable of communicating with both of a mobile satellite communication system and a terrestrial based mobile communication system and a portable terminal which is capable of radio communication with the transportable earth station and used in the terrestrial based mobile communication system, it is possible to communicate with both of the terrestrial based mobile communication system and the mobile satellite communication system by only one portable terminal in a wide variety of communication environments.

Abstract: A massager for incorporation internally of a seat, and the seat, which may be reclinable, either in a seat portion thereof or a backrest or in both the seat portion and backrest for massaging an occupant seated or reclining on the seat. The massager has a pair of rotatable massage rollers extending longitudinally in opposite directions on a common longitudinal axis and are transported on a self-propelled carriage which travels alternately on two rectilinear paths in the form of parallel tracks. The carriage carries a pivot normal to the longitudinal axis of the massage rollers about which the longitudinal axis is selectively rotated by an electric motor so that the massage rollers are rotated in a circular path for massage different body parts of the seat occupant than when travelling on the rectilinear paths.

Abstract: A radio transceiver is disclosed in which an antenna is connected to a transmitter or a receiver through a duplexer. A controller is provided to control the switching operation of the duplexer so that when an output of the receiver exceeds a predetermined maximum threshold level of the receiver, the antenna is connected to the transmitter through the duplexer while a leakage received power of the duplexer is applied to the input of the receiver.

Abstract: A current limiting device using a superconductor limits a current flowing throu A c5 V pV:a current limiting coil, which mangetically couples to the superconductor. A control coil is provided to magnetically couple with the current limiting coil when the superconductor is switched to a normal conduction state. A variable control impedance is connected to the control coil to adjust a control current flowing through the control coil. The current limiting impedance value of the current limiting coil is adjusted by the value of the control impedance to obtain an adjustable value of the current flowing through the current limiting coil.

Abstract: A low-delay code excited linear prediction (LD-CELP) voice coding systemapplied to a scheme, in which the transmitting side interrupts transmission during the voice-nonactive period and the receiving side generates and outputs a comfort noise during the voice-nonactive period. At the transmitting side, when voice non activity is detected by the voice activity detector, the CN flag indicating the interruption of transmission is sent from the CN flag generator and shortly thereafter a background noise from the LD-CELP encoder is sent, followed by the interruption of transmission. At the receiving side, when the background noise following the CN flag is decoded by the LD-CELP decoder, the internal gain and synthesis filter coefficients are held, which is subsequently used to decode the input from the pseudo-noise generator.

Abstract: A screw extruder, for use with or without a calender, has a divided or split extruder head with upper and lower parts or halves hingedly mounted on a collar secured to a flange at the discharge end of the extruder cylinder. Each of the upper and lower extruder halves is movable between an open innoperative position and a closed operative position by a piston cylinder unit acting between a fixture on the respective extruder head part and a fixture on the extruder cylinder. When in closed position, the upper and lower extruder head parts or halves are pressed toward one another by a pair of vertical piston-cylinder units, each having a cylinder with lower end engaging the upper extruder head part and a projection on a piston rod engaging the lower extruder head part. The vertical piston-cylinder units are mounted on pivoted carriers mounted on the collar on the extruder cylinder. The two carriers are interconnected by a horizontal piston-cylinder and are also movable vertically.