Abstract: A bill accepting apparatus has a pair of photo-electronic sensors disposed spaced apart from each other on an imaginary line orthogonal to a bill transport direction. The leading edge of the bill being transported is detected at times T1 and T2 by the respective sensors. A time difference between T1 and T2 is compared with a predetermined value. From a known distance between the two sensors, a known bill transport speed and the time difference, the tilt angle of the leading edge can be determined. Analog outputs hyof the sensors are individually converted at a given frequency to first and second series of digital values. A CPU interrupt signal is obtained each time when both of each of the first and second series of digital values are obtained, and this interrupt signal initiates a skewed bill detecting task in a CPU.

Abstract: An automatic vending machine has a plurality of commodity storage chambers in a side-by-side arrangement that are divided from one another by thermally-insulating vertical dividers so that each chamber can be heated or refrigerated individually. Each chamber has a plurality of vertically spaced commodity shelves and an elevator bucket that is adapted to receive a commodity from a selected shelf. All of the elevator buckets are rigidly connected by laterally extending connecting members that are disposed through respective vertically extending slots in the dividers, so that a single unit of plural elevator buckets acts to fetch a selected commodity, heated or cooled. A pair of flexible heat-shielding sealing strips are securely fitted in each of the slots in a manner that each of the connecting members slides on and between the corresponding pair of the sealing strips to prevent communication between the adjacent chambers as the connecting member moves vertically.

Abstract: A vibrator motor has a generally sector-shaped eccentric armature rotor that has a nonmagnetic body including core parts, around which armature coils are individually wound. The core parts are disposed at an even pitch angle, but within a 180.degree. angular range, about the rotational axis of the rotor. A rotor body of one embodiment consists of a first part and a second part that includes the core parts and the first part is made of a synthetic resin and the second part is made of a synthetic resin or a nonmagnetic but electrically-conductive metal. A rotor of an additional embodiment has a single-piece body of a synthetic resin that integrally has the core parts.

Abstract: A flat coreless vibrator motor has a case and a flat generally sector-shaped armature rotor. The rotor has a body that comprises a first part made of a first synthetic resin having a density of less than 1.8 and a second part made of a second synthetic resin having a density of greater than 5.0. The first part is disposed generally radially inside of the second part. A plurality of flat armature coils are molded in the first part and arranged at a predetermined pitch angle within an angular range of 180.degree. about the rotating axis of the rotor in non-overlapping relationship with one another. Alternatively, at least a portion of the second part is interposed between a field magnet of the motor and a cylindrical side plate of the case.

Abstract: A coffee brewing apparatus has a first cylinder, having a top opening and a bottom opening. A vertically movable second cylinder containing ground coffee, having a top opening and a bottom opening, is disposed below the first cylinder coaxially therewith. A vertically movable upwardly urged plunger, having a top head and a bottom head, is disposed through the bottom opening of the first cylinder, coaxially therewith, in a manner that the top head is sealingly and slidingly fitted in the first cylinder and the bottom head is adapted to be sealingly and slidingly fitted in the second cylinder through the top opening thereof. The plunger has a hot water exit channel vertically therethrough and a pressure-operated hot water release valve disposed in the channel.

Abstract: An automatic vending machine has a housing containing a plurality of vertical commodity storage chamber sections in a side-by-side arrangement. A thermally-insulating divider panel is fixedly disposed between each pair of adjacent chamber sections in a manner that the adjacent chamber sections are communicated with each other through an air channel therebetween. A removable thermally-insulating divider panel is placed between a selected pair of adjacent chamber sections to block the air channel, thereby forming fist and second groups of chamber sections that are not communicated with each other. The first and the second chamber section groups can individually be refrigerated and heated, respectively. A top edge of the removable divider panel is adapted to abut a part of the corresponding fixed divider panel, and both the edges, when abutting to each other, are upwardly inclined toward the front of the vending machine so as to facilitate replacement of the removable divider panel.

Abstract: A coffee brewing apparatus has a first cylinder for containing hot water having a top opening, a vertically extending shaft fixedly connected to the first cylinder, the shaft having a hot water release channel vertically therethrough and a pressure-operated hot water release valve disposed in the channel, a vertically movable piston, a vertically movable second cylinder for holding ground coffee therein having top and bottom openings and disposed below the first cylinder coaxially therewith, and a vertically movable plunger sealingly and slidingly connected with the shaft. The plunger has an internal cylindrical chamber and a shallow hot water spreading chamber in a bottom section thereof. When the plunger is lowered, the bottom section thereof enters the second cylinder and compacts the ground coffee therein.

Abstract: A dual-functional fuse unit, which is responsive to an electric current and an ambient temperature, contains a current sensing fuse and a temperature sensing fuse element. The current sensing fuse is serially connected with and between lead terminals of the fuse unit directly or through an intermediate conductor member. The current sensing fuse or the intermediate conductor member is urged but kept from moving when the temperature sensing fuse element is in a solid state. When the fuse element melts at a specified ambient temperature the urged current sensing fuse or the intermediate conductor member is displaced by the urging force so that the lead terminals are electrically disconnected from each other. In other embodiment, an urged cutter member in the case is normally kept from moving but is driven to sever the element of the current temperature fuse when the temperature sensing fuse element melts at a specified ambient temperature.

Abstract: A method of stopping a scroll compressor that is driven by a 3-phase dc motor having 3-phase exciter windings is provided. The motor is energized by a 3-phase dc power that is produced from a dc power source through an electronic switching circuit. The switching circuit has three pairs of bridge-connected switching transistors whose switchings are individually controlled by a switching controller. One of each pair of the switching transistors belongs to a first transistor group that is connected to a positive terminal of the dc power source and the other belongs to a second transistor group that is connected to a negative terminal of the dc power source.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for detecting a printed value sheet for printed value sheet validation apparatus is provided. Light is emitted from a light emitting element onto a first part of a printed value sheet on a first surface side thereof while the sheet is being transported so that a portion of the emitted light transmits through the sheet from the first surface side to a second surface side. The light having transmitted through the sheet to the second surface side is guided onto a second part of the sheet on the second surface side by a light guiding element so that a portion of the guided light transmits through the sheet back to the first surface side at the second part. A portion of the light so transmitted back to the first side is received by a light receiving element so as to be converted to an optical data pattern for analysis.

Abstract: A brushless dc motor having 3-phase stator windings and a permanent-magnet rotor is driven on a dc voltage through a 3-phase electronic switching circuit. Back emf voltages across the stator windings are individually phase-delayed and the phase-delayed voltages are individually compared in comparators with a common sawtooth-wave comparator reference voltage having a frequency proportional to a current rotor speed and an amplitude whose center voltage is one-half of the motor driving dc voltage. A drive control unit, a microcomputer, transmits to the switching circuit switching control signals in sequential driving steps according to 3-phase output signals of the comparators so that the switching circuit performs commutation of the motor drive voltage in a first motor driving mode. The time constant of the phase-delay circuits is increased when the rotational speed of the rotor is below a predetermined speed or the motor driving current is above a predetermined level.

Abstract: A movable automatic bolt driving apparatus sequentially drives a plurality of bolts positioned substantially in line on flanges of elongated concrete molding frame segments for producing columnar concrete products. The apparatus has a vertically movable bolt driver unit and an air-cylinder unit. When the bolt driver unit drives a bolt in a state that the socket and the bolt are non-concentrically engaged with each other, the air-cylinder unit causes to properly reposition the bolt driver unit. At least a part of the bolt driver unit, which is normally disposed vertically, is pivotable with a horizontal pivotal axis orthogonal to the moving direction of the apparatus. The apparatus also has a flange follower for guiding the bolt driver unit. At least a part of the flange follower, which includes a roller having a vertical rotating axis, is pivotable about a vertical rotational axis.

Abstract: A circuit board unit for driving and controlling a motor that drives a compressor for an air-conditioner has a first mounting base, a second mounting base mounted on the first mounting base, and a printed circuit board mounted on the second mounting base. The first mounting base has thereon a first group of high voltage electrical elements belonging to a motor driving circuit and a heat sink so that some of the high voltage electrical elements that need positive heat dissipation are mounted thereon. The second mounting base has thereon a second group of high voltage electrical elements belonging to the motor driving circuit and a plurality of flat electrical conductors that are partially embedded in the second mounting base in an insert mold fashion and forming a predetermined wiring pattern so as to electrically connect the high voltage electrical elements. The printed circuit board has thereon a group of low voltage electrical elements belonging to a motor control circuit.

Abstract: A brushless dc motor unit has 3-phase armature windings, a permanent-magnet rotor, a dc power supply having a motor drive voltage and a midpoint voltage that is one half of the motor drive voltage, and an electronic commutation circuit. Back emf voltages at armature winding terminals are individually delayed by less than 90.degree. and the delayed voltages are individually provided to the positive input terminals of voltage comparators. To the negative input terminals of the comparators is commonly provided a sawtooth-wave comparator reference voltage having a frequency proportional to a current rotor speed and an amplitude whose center voltage is the midpoint voltage. Outputs of the comparators cause a control circuit to transmit signals to control the electronic commutation circuit so as to provide 3-phase dc power to the armature windings.

Abstract: There is provided a socket mechanism for rotating a bolt or nut, or like fastening piece, that is used with a vertical type powered bolt/nut driving apparatus. The socket mechanism has a spindle that can be coupled to a drive shaft of the driving apparatus, a socket for engaging with the bolt or nut having a guide at the bottom end thereof for facilitating the object bolt or nut to slip into the socket, a socket holding core having a downwardly tapered mid section, and a generally cylindrically-shaped core holder fixedly attached to the spindle having a bottom opening. The socket is fixedly attached to the low end of the socket holding core. The tapered part of the socket holding core freely lies on the rim of the bottom opening of the core holder in a manner that a lower part of the core and the socket are below the opening and suspending from the core holder.

Abstract: A method of making a cylindrical ferromagnetic body and cover assembly for a rotor of a dc motor is provided. In a first embodiment, a blend of a powdered ferromagnetic material and a heat-curable binder is compressedly molded into a cylindrical form in a generally cylindrical non-magnetic cover material having an annular flange around the top thereof, while heat is applied to the material from a heated stationary mold through the cover material, so that the cylindrically-molded ferromagnetic body firmly adheres to the cover material in the molding process. After the ferromagnetic body is cured, an non-magnetic annular protector is placed on the top of the cylindrically-molded body and the annular flange is radially inwardly bent over onto the protector. In a second embodiment, a heated block of a powdered ferromagnetic material is deposited in a cup-shaped non-magnetic cover material.