Abstract: A fault detecting apparatus for a gas concentration sensor is provided. The apparatus includes a storage device and a fault detecting circuit. The storage device stores therein fault detectable conditions in which preselected different types of faults of the gas concentration sensor are allowed to be detected, respectively. The fault detecting circuit works to detect a selected one of the faults stored in said storage device. When one of the fault detectable conditions is encountered during operation of the gas concentration sensor, the fault detecting circuit initiates detection of a corresponding one of the faults based on an output of the gas concentration sensor, thereby enabling the fault detecting circuit to identify the type of one of the faults to be detected correctly.

Abstract: A waste heat collecting system for an internal combustion engine has an object to collect waste heat from the engine and make most use of the collected waste heat to achieve the maximum effect of improving fuel consumption ratio. The waste heat utilizing system has a waste heat collecting cycle for collecting waste heat from an internal combustion engine and having an expansion device for generating rotational driving force from the collected waste heat, a refrigerating cycle having a compressor device for compressing a refrigerant and a power transmitting means rotationally driven by a driving force generating means and operatively connected to the compressor device to rotationally drive the same. In this system, the expansion device is operatively connected to the compressor device to rotationally drive the same.

Abstract: A gas detection device includes a light source, a light sensor element, and a shield plate arranged in a single package. The shield plate protects the light sensor element from light beams that travel from the light source directly to the light sensor element. The gas detection device further includes a reflector plate arranged so that light beams emitted from the light source are reflected off the reflector plate and travel to the light sensor element. The light sensor element detects a degree of light absorption by gas provided in a space between the reflector plate, the light source, and the light sensor element.

Abstract: The variable valve timing controller controls the valve timing of the intake valve. The variable valve timing controller has a shaft, the stator fixed on the engine and generating the magnetic field around the shaft and rotational phase converter converting the torque applied to the shaft. When the valve timing is in the most delayed timing, the engine can be started. The rotational phase of this timing is called the feasible phase. When the stator stops generating the magnetic field, the load torque arise on the shaft. The rotational phase converter varies the rotational phase into the feasible phase with receiving the load torque from the shaft.

Abstract: In an injection hole plate of a fuel injection apparatus, a second-side hole section of each injection hole extends from a downstream end of a base wall of the injection hole plate and is communicated with first-side hole sections, which extends from an upstream end of the wall of the injection hole plate to an axially intermediate point of the wall. The first-side hole sections may discharge fuel into the second-side hole section in a manner that forms a swirl fuel flow in the second-side hole section. The injection hole plate may includes a collision portion, in which fuel flows supplied from the first-side hole sections collide with one another.

Abstract: A gas sensor is provided which includes a sensor cell. The sensor cell is made up of a solid electrolyte member and a positive and a negative electrode installed on the solid electrolyte member. The sensor cell works to produce an electric current produced by a flow of oxygen ions from the negative to positive electrode which arises from dissociation of oxygen molecules on the negative electrode. An oxygen discharge chamber is provided on the positive electrode to discharge the oxygen molecules from outside the positive electrode, thereby eliminating an error of a sensor output caused by a stay of the oxygen molecules around the positive electrode.

Abstract: A method for producing a hologram recording an interference fringe formed by an object light and a reference light on a photosensitive dry plate, and the object light either having diffusing and scattering characteristics or being passed through an optical diffusion body, mainly includes the following steps: In a first step, a ratio &eegr;RO/&eegr;OO of a first diffraction efficiency &eegr;OO and a second diffraction efficiency &eegr;RO, is calculated. The diffraction efficiency &eegr;OO is dependent on two object light beams. The efficiency &eegr;RO is dependent on the object light and the reference light. In a second step, the intensity EO of the object light and the intensity ER of the reference light is adjusted in such a way that the ratio &eegr;RO/&eegr;OO is set to at least 10 and the efficiency &eegr;OO does not exceed 5%.