Abstract: A method is described for testing the serviceability of a seismic torsional vibration damper. In the method, a test piece, which is constructed as a viscosity torsional vibration damper and whose seismic mass is enclosed entirely liquid-tight, is flanged to the free end of a torsion-spring bar, which, in its turn, is bolted in a torsionally stiff manner onto a large stationary mass. The test piece is excited to a free, decaying natural vibration by a rotational impulse. The damping factor of the decaying response vibration is determined separately for each period by routine measurement of the amplitudes of vibration. For "healthy" test pieces, the sequence of the damping factors determined must fall in value and lie inside a predetermined falling scatter band. Should the characteristic of the damping factor be of a different type, this indicates that the viscous damping medium has aged more or less strongly and provides a measure of the serviceability of the test piece.

Abstract: In a steering wheel assembly for motor cars having a steering wheel column with two covering segments arranged side by side in an upper region in front of a steering wheel and with a passageway therebetween for the spokes of a steering wheel to pass through between the segments. A locking mechanism is provided to connect the covering segment to the steering drive. This locking mechanism is made to be disengageable from its locked fixed rotational position upon the occurrence of an obstruction in the rotation of the steering wheel hub or of the spokes to it, and thus allows at least one covering segment to be able to be rotated with the steering wheel when normal rotation is obstructed and to be reengageable in it original position after removal of the obstruction.

Abstract: For a road vehicle with front axle/rear axle brake circuit subdivision, in which the rear axle brake circuit is designed as a static brake circuit with an antilocking system operating on the pump-back principle providing brake pressure control according to the select-low principle and in which the return pump is designed as a hydraulically driven piston pump whose valve chamber is connected via an inlet non-return valve to the section of the main brake pipe of the rear axle brake circuit branching off to the rear wheel brakes and, via an outlet non-return valve, to the pressure outlet of the main brake unit associated with the rear axle brake circuit. The section of the main brake pipe extending between the connection positions of the two non-return valves can be shut off by means of a single brake pressure control valve designed as a 2/2-way solenoid valve.

Abstract: Thermal shock reactions of a heated lambda probe owing to the impact of liquid droplets on the heated ceramic probe body during cold starting, which phenomenon can lead to a fracture of the ceramic probe body, are avoided, and a better representativeness of the signals transmitted by the lambda probe is achieved, in that a gas deflector plate is arranged before the lambda probe in the exhaust gas flow, as seen in the direction of flow of the exhaust gases, in such a way that the lambda probe lies in its Lee.

Abstract: In a brake pressure setting device suitable for both an antilocking control system and a drive slip control system, a pressure modulator unit designed as a stepped cylinder is provided with a modulation chamber which can be connected to the main brake pipe of the brake circuit of the driven vehicle wheels and a control pressure space separated from the modulation chamber by the modulator piston. The control pressure space can be connected to a pressure outlet of an auxiliary pressure source or alternatively to its non-pressurized sump tank. The modulator piston is urged by a return spring into a position corresponding to maximum volume of the modulation chamber. Connecting the control pressure space to the pressure outlet of auxiliary pressure source moves the piston into an end position corresponding to a minimum volume of the modulation chamber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel injection device for an air-compressing fuel-injected internal combustion engine, which has an injection line leading from a pump element of high pressure injection pump to a bifurcation branch leading to a main injection nozzle and a preinjection nozzle. A nozzle needle of the preinjection nozzle opens counter to the direction of flow of the fuel and has a body designed with a stepped piston which, in the case of a closure initiating fuel pressure lying above an opening fuel pressure of the nozzle needle, moves the nozzle into a position to end preinjection.

Abstract: An angular adjustment is provided between a crankshaft and camshaft by a hydraulically operated rotary vane, which is pivotably mounted on the camshaft and is supported on a sprocket wheel carrier driven by a crankshaft rotation of the vane causing a relative rotation to take place between the crankshaft and camshaft. The rotary vane is held in each of its two end positions by a spring device.

Abstract: Flywheel elements are coupled by a spring arrangement having an intermediate support which is connected resiliently to one flywheel element by long-stroke arcuate helicoidal springs and to the other flywheel element through short-stroke springs. A stop spring device becomes operative between the intermediate support and the one flywheel element in the case of major relative rotations. Additionally or alternatively, a slip coupling which exhibits play may also be arranged. At higher speeds, the long-stroke springs abut bearing surfaces. The friction thereby caused produces a stiffening of the long stroke springs. The mobility of the flywheel elements relative to each other therefore increases with decreasing speed.

Abstract: The invention relates to a safety device for selectively track-guided or road-travelling vehicles, which safety device exhibits on the road side an optical indicator device switched by a control device and normally set to "stop" signalling. In order to permit a change of the vehicle from track-guided to non-track-guided operation only when the sensing rollers are fully retracted, the invention provides that both a monitoring device monitoring the assumed rest position of the sensing rollers and signal transmission device coupled therewith are provided on the vehicle side. The signal transmission device transmits a signal indirectly switching the optical indicator device temporarily to "go" only in the case of the sensing rollers occupying the rest position.

Abstract: A front section for a motor vehicle, especially passenger motor vehicle which has the task during normal driving operation to absorb without permanent deformation the forces stemming from the wheel suspension and to absorb by deformation the energy occurring in case of an impact of the vehicle. The front section according to the invention should be manufacturable cost-favorably and rationally with a small number of parts and is to offer a high safety for the vehicle passengers. The end wall of the front section is thereby divided horizontally into an upper part and a lower part, and the fork bearer is made of an upper shell and of a lower shell while one shell of the fork bearer is made in one piece with the lower part of the end wall. The front section made in this manner offers additionally a high degree of safety for the vehicle passengers in the passenger cell and is suited especially for passenger motor vehicles in which longitudinal bearers are supported at an end wall by way of fork bearers.

Abstract: A motor vehicle seat is disclosed which can pivot with respect to its underframe in a predetermined direction about a rear axis a transverse direction extending perpendicularly to the travel direction of the vehicle. The seat is supported on the underframe by means of a front deformation element arranged at a distance from the rear axis. The deformation element serves to lessen the severity of injury to person colliding with the seat backrest from behind. The deformation element is designed as a foamed material block surrounded by a shell. The upper and lower shell surfaces of the shell are respectively provided with fastening devices for fixing to the underside of the seat and to the underframe. The shell has predetermined bending sections which form the folding lines during pivoting of the motor vehicle seat caused by an accident.

Abstract: An omnidirectional optoelectronic acceleration pick-up for the automatic actuation of passenger safety devices in motor vehicles during emergency conditions, utilizes an inertial body which is held in its rest position by an annular permanent magnetic. When a preset amplitude of acceleration is exceeded, a quasi digital switching behavior is achieved by a radially opening annular gap between the end face of the inertial body and the surface of the annular permanent magnet turned towards that face.

Abstract: In a method and a device for reliably detecting at least the beginning of a voice command for a voice control of function elements, signals of a first microphone to which contact sound of an operating person is applied, are used for triggering a second microphone which is directed towards the mouth of the operating person in order to improve the reliability of the voice control in high ambient noise.

Abstract: In a servo-valve arrangement, a control piston is displaced as a function of steering forces to be applied which control piston in its turn controls throttling places in such a manner that a piston-cylinder aggregate is acted upon with a pressure difference and produces a force assisting the steering movement. A throttling section connected in parallel with the piston cylinder aggregate includes throttling places controlled by external parameters as well as by the system pressure and makes it possible to act upon the end faces of the control piston with a pressure difference in order to permit a force opposing the respective displacement of the control piston to act on the control piston. As a result thereof, an undesired overcontrol of the servo-valve arrangement, respectively, of the steering system controlled thereby is avoided.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for adjusting a vehicle seat having a movable support member. The apparatus includes a first frame member and a second frame member pivotably articulated to the first frame member. A backrest is desirably mounted on the second frame member. First and second driven gears are rotatably mounted on the first frame member. The apparatus further includes a first transmission system for pivoting the second frame member in relation to the first frame member to change the inclination of the second frame member and a second transmission system for changing the position of the movable support member in relation to the second frame member. The first transmission system is activated in response to rotation of the first driven gear and the second transmission system is activated in response to rotation of the second driven year.

Abstract: The subject of the invention is a mixture-compressing spark-ignition internal-combustion engine with a main combustion chamber and an auxiliary combustion chamber in the cylinder head. The auxiliary combustion chamber has a spark plug and is connected to the main combustion chamber by an overflow bore. The overflow bore is aligned with the piston crown in such a way that an emerging ignition jet aims at a surface region of the piston crown. According to the invention, the overflow bore is arranged concentrically with respect to the longitudinal center axis of the cylinder and the surface region of the piston crown is designed as an impact area lying opposite the bore and running orthogonally with respect to the jet direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a lockable glove and auxiliary compartment cover system for motor cars having a lock which is transferable into its tripping position by the stressing of a tripping lever by means of an actuating element. A closing member is provided which can be rotated between positions permitting and blocking the operative connection between the actuating element and the lock to change the security condition of the system. The change of the security condition occurs by means of a toothed-wheel gear which comprises a spur gear element rotatable with the closing element and a further gear element meshing with the spur gear element.

Abstract: A switching and control device is provided for a drive assembly used for driving a motor vehicle. This drive assembly is provided with a driving motor having an adjustment element for the power control system and a continuously variable gear change, which is downstream in the power flow. The gear change contains a control device which operates into an adjustment element for the transmission ratio. The drive assembly also includes a reversing gear containing a switching device for switching over between a gear position for forward motion and another gear position for reverse motion. The switching and control device operates with a link between the adjustment element for the power control and the control device and a range selection member which can be switched by a manually operable selection adjustment element.

Abstract: A painting installation with several treatment zones and a system for washing-out paint mist by means of circulated water, in which for each treatment zone or group of treatment zones with similar solvent concentration in the exhaust air, a closed-cycle water circulation of its own is provided. The gasing out of solvents out of the water in zones with low solvent concentration is avoided thereby, and the solvent emission of the painting installation is markedly reduced.

Abstract: Meander-shaped exhaust gas ducts pass through a soot burn-off filter made of porous ceramic filter material. Catalytically coated blind ducts branch from each of the outer bends to receive and combust solid combustion residues from the exhaust gases. The residual gases produced in the blind ducts by the oxidation of the combustion residues pass through the filter material into adjacent discharge ducts and are transported from there to the outside of the filter. In this way the exhaust gas ducts remain largely free of solid combustion residues, display no clogging phenomena and therefore keep the exhaust gas backpressure low. This improves the starting behavior of an engine, achieves more favorable warm-up behavior and has a positive influence upon the response behavior of an exhaust gas turbocharger.