Abstract: An apparatus for testing a test wheel, provided with a tire and a rim, by passing the wheel over an obstacle. The apparatus including a road-wheel, a steering knuckle capable of rotatably supporting a hub and the test wheel, and two suspension arms supporting the steering knuckle. The apparatus also comprises a first, second, third and fourth leaf spring connected to the suspension arms and to a supporting frame, a fifth leaf spring connected to the steering knuckle and to the supporting frame, and a pneumatic spring in engagement with the steering knuckle and with the supporting frame. First and second acceleration transducers associated with the hub provide measurements of natural frequencies and dampenings of the tire in a radial and in a longitudinal direction. The apparatus can be used both in a movable-hub mode and in a fixed-hub mode.

Abstract: A metal-polypropylene-metal laminate, in which the metal sheets are steel or aluminum is provided which is suitable for cold-forming followed by heat treatment at at least 135.degree. C., e.g. for use in vehicle bodywork. To achieve this, the polypropylene of the core of the laminate has a yield stress at the heat treatment temperature of not less than 2 MPa, and has shape stability such that in a standard shape stability test at the heat treatment temperature it changes shape by not more than 0.5.degree.. A bonding agent between the polypropylene core and the metal sheets is suitably one having a thermosetting component and a polypropylene thermoplastic component.

Abstract: A method of control to determine the comfort level of a tire of a wheel for a vehicle is based on a dynamic tire model with a rigid ring having concentrated parameters that represent construction characteristics of the tire. Some concentrated parameters are measured, others are determined by parametric identification through a test of passing over an obstacle of the tire. From testing eight curves of natural frequencies and dampenings are obtained that are compared with as many calculated curves obtained from the model. By checking the coincidence between the eight calculated curves and the eight experimental curves, the values of the other concentrated parameters are determined that cause the calculated frequencies and dampenings to coincide with the experimental ones.

Abstract: A powdered water-dispersible carotenoid preparation in the form of discrete carotenoid microparticles is prepared by milling a carotenoid in an aqueous medium in the presence of a hydrocolloid so as to form a suspension, heating the suspension thus formed to a sufficiently high temperature to cause a total or partial melting of the carotenoid and cooling, finely dividing and drying the suspension to form a powder.

Abstract: A photo-chemical vapor deposition ("photo-CVD") apparatus has exchange apparatus of optical window and method of exchanging optical window therewith. There photo-CVD apparatus has exchange apparatus of optical window which can replace an optical window blurred by attachment of materials produced by dissociation of reaction gas or materials used for disposition in a reaction chamber of a photo-CVD apparatus during photo-CVD reaction with a clean optical window without exposing the inside of the reaction chamber to the air and to the method of exchanging optical window of the photo-CVD apparatus using the exchange apparatus of optical window.

Abstract: Years past 1999 are stored as binary integers in fields previously reserved for representations of years as two decimal digits. The binary integers occupy ranges of values for the fields which are not used by an integer value corresponding to any possible combination of two decimal digits from 00 to 99. In this way, data using integer-encoded years and years represented by the last two decimal digits will be able to coexist for at least ten thousand years.

Abstract: In order to reduce the amount of computation processing and simplify processing, a graphic processor apparatus includes a graphic signal generator circuit for generating video images such as graphics and characters, and a filter processor circuit for conducting filter processing on video images outputted from said graphic signal generator circuit. Anti-alias processing for reducing jaggy phenomena and flicker removing processing are simultaneously conducted in the filter processor circuit.

Abstract: An electronic cash register for registering items of articles on sale in a chit file and performing a transaction settlement processing by computing a total amount of registered items on the basis of data stored in the chit file. As structural constituent factors of the chit file, there are set in the electronic cash register a maximum customer number per chit, a maximum number of items for registration per chit and a maximum number of chit files capable of being disposed by the cash register through manipulation of corresponding keys. The cash register includes a unit for generating chit file suited for configuration of a shop where the cash register is used, and a unit for setting control information for issuing the chit file, provisional closing of the file, recalling thereof, issuance of a bill.

Abstract: A liquid sprinkler having a substantially hemispherical shaped head at the upper end of a vertical rise pipe. The head is spaced above an area to be watered and has a plurality of nozzles on the hemispherical surface which are sized and positioned to afford even water distribution over the watered area.

Abstract: Bent or twisted electrolytic seed plates are caused to undergo primary straightening by a total of at least 15 vertically staggered work rolls having a diameter not exceeding 50 mm. Then, ribs are formed on the seed plates by groove-forming rolls having annular flanges along their outer periphery, and the plates are caused to undergo secondary straightening by rolls having annular grooves along their outer periphery.

Abstract: A cylinder body has a bore and an annular recess in communication with the bore. A piston is mounted for reciprocation within the bore, the piston having an annular skirt which reciprocates within the recess. A connecting rod has one end pivotally connected to the piston and the opposite end pivotally connected to a crankshaft for turning movement about an axis. A drive roller is rotatably carried by the crankshaft for turning movement about an axis. The drive roller is disposed in a cam groove in a flywheel which is drivingly connected to an output shaft. The two axes oscillate along two parallel arcs during reciprocation of the piston.

Abstract: In a bearing body for support of a tiltable section of a component, the bearing body includes a front body part (10), a rear tap (11) and a locking device (12), the part (10) and tap (11) being held by the locking device (12) in their position relative to one another.

Abstract: Control equipment (CE) for a series capacitor (1) connected into an electric power line (2) has a semiconductor valve (3), which is controllable in both directions, for connection in parallel with the capacitor. An inductor (4) is adapted to form, together with the capacitor, an oscillation circuit in which the semiconductor valve is included. The equipment has control members (PLL, TC) for firing the semiconductor valve for reversal of the capacitor charge and for control of the times (t.sub.p) for the zero crossings of the capacitor voltage (u.sub.C) such that these become substantially equidistant also in the presence of subsynchronous components in the power line current.

Abstract: The system includes a first card-like unit adapted to communicate with a second unit giving only conditionally access to a function. Both units are capable of running software for generating a password by means of encryption of a plurality of dynamic variables produced separately but in concert (so as to have a predetermined relationship, such as identity, with one another) in the units. The encryption is carried out in each unit by a public algorithm using a dynamically varying encryption key. Each time an access request is issued by a card user, the key is modified as a function of the number of access requests previously formulated by the card user. Access to the function is granted when the passwords generated in the units have a predetermined relationship (such as identity) with each other.

Abstract: The hearing aid includes n electrodes for being implanted in the cochlea at n different points chosen to allow identification by the brain of multiple frequency bands of a sound spectrum. A microphone receives the sound spectrum and outputs a sound signal. The instantaneous energy in the frequency bands in the sound signal is measured. The electrodes are operated cyclically as a function of the energy measured in the frequency bands and in an order determined in accordance with a time distribution of the energy in the frequency bands.

Abstract: A process for producing molten pig iron uses direct reduction of iron ore in a pre-reduction stage followed by a final reduction stage.In the pre-reduction stage iron ore is pre-reduced in a melting cyclone by means of a reducing process gas originating from the final reduction stage. A post-combustion occurs in the reducing process gas in the melting cyclone so that said iron ore in said melting cyclone is at least partly melted. The partly melted iron ore passes downwardly into a metallurgical vessel situated beneath the cyclone in which the final reduction takes place by supply of coal and oxygen, thereby forming a reducing process gas. A partial post-combustion occurs in the reducing process gas in the metallurgical vessel by means of said oxygen supplied thereto. The post-combustion ratio of the gas on exiting the metallurgical vessel is not more than 0.55.

Abstract: Information, an alert or an alarm is supplied to an aircraft in proximity to the ground. A grid of geographic coordinates is established, each mesh of which exhibits a defined relief. The trajectory of the aircraft is predicted over a predetermined time interval. An intersection, if any, between the predicted trajectory and the relief of at least one of the meshes is determined. An alert or alarm is activated in the case of such an intersection. The alert or alarm is inhibited when the aircraft is in landing configuration or when the runway is detected and a series of conditions relating to landing are fulfilled.