Abstract: An apparatus for diagnosing the characteristic of an acceleration sensor and a method for diagnosis thereof are disclosed. The acceleration sensor includes a movable electrode (or mass part) displaced in accordance with an acceleration and a fixed electrode disposed opposite to the movable electrode. In a diagnosis mode, a signal for diagnosis is applied to the fixed electrode so that an electrostatic force as a force corresponding to a predetermined acceleration is generated between the fixed electrode and the movable electrode. In the case where the acceleration sensor is sound, the movable electrode or mass part is normally displaced. A failure of the acceleration sensor, the deterioration thereof in performance, a change in characteristic thereof caused from the lapse of time, or the like is self-diagnosed by detecting a change in capacitance between the movable electrode and the fixed electrode upon generation of the diagnosis signal.

Abstract: The invention provides an internal combustion engine misfire detection device for a motor vehicle in which an output of an internal combustion engine is transmitted via a torque converter to a drive shaft. A primary misfire detecting unit detects an internal combustion engine misfire condition including a possible false condition thereof; and an external cause detecting unit detects an influence associated with an external cause variation in terms of an operating condition variation transmitted from the drive shaft via the torque converter. A misfire judging unit judges whether the internal combustion engine misfire condition detected by the primary misfire detecting unit is a true misfire condition or a false misfire condition based on the detection output from the external cause detecting unit.

Abstract: A catalyzer control apparatus for purifying exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine has an electrically heated catalyzer that is heated by a battery which battery is isolated from the conventionally provided engine battery. The temperature of the catalyzer is detected by a sensor and a control circuit located with an engine control unit selectively applies power to heat the catalyzer. The catalyzer is arranged to be pre-heated prior to engine start and by isolating the battery for heating the catalyzer from the normally provided engine battery so, because the catalyzer takes a great power, engine starting is enhanced by virtue of having separate batteries.

Abstract: A control system for an electric car includes a motor connected to a battery as a main power source for driving the electric car, a strong electricity unit having high voltage devices including an inverter for driving the motor based on power supplied thereto from the battery, a weak electricity unit having low voltage circuits including a microcomputer for data processing, and connection devices for connecting the strong and weak electricity units in such a relationship that a signal path is connected between the units as electrically isolated therefrom, wherein signal transmission between the strong and weak electricity units is carried out with use of the signals isolated between the units.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a controller for an electric vehicle in which right and left drive wheels are respectively driven by drive motors which are individually provided. The controller for an electric vehicle comprises motors for driving right and left wheels, means for detecting rotating speeds or rotation torques of the wheels, and a facility for taking a rotation deviation between output signals from the detection means close to zero. As a result, the vehicle is always operated in safety.

Abstract: An air flow rate measuring device for measuring intake air flow rate in an automotive engine, improved to reduce any error attributable to variation in the configurations of air cleaner and/or duct forming air passage upstream of the flow rate measuring device, thus offering high accuracy of the flow rate measurement. In one aspect of the invention, the inlet opening of a sub-air passage is disposed to contain the axis of a main air passage, while the outlet opening of the sub-air passage is disposed in the vicinity of a wall defining the main air passage. In order to cause a local reduction of the pressure of the principal of the air flow at the outlet opening, a protrusion or a flat surface which causes impediment to the flow if air in the main air passage is provided immediately upstream of the outlet opening.

Abstract: An engine knocking detection method for detecting a knocking from a plurality of characteristic frequency components indicative of a knocking condition is provided. False information indicating a false knock occurrence due to an abnormal drop of the background level to be compared with the characteristic components is eliminated. Information indicating an occurrence of a knocking is extracted through comparison of the characteristic components and corresponding background levels. The background levels are compared with corresponding lower limiters when no knocking is taking place. When any one of the background levels is smaller than a lower limiter corresponding thereto, the lower limiter is adopted and set as a new background levels drops abnormally, a corresponding lower limiter thereof is effected to replace the faulty background level, thereby false information indicating the occurrence of a false knocking is prevented from being generated.

Abstract: A throttle valve control arrangement for an internal combustion engine comprising: a throttle valve; an electrical motor for actuating the throttle valve; mechanical links for coupling and decoupling the electrical motor with the throttle valve; a throttle position sensor for detecting a position of the throttle valve; and a control unit which compares an output signal from the throttle position sensor representing a detected throttle position with a signal representing a target throttle valve opening degree and generates a feed-back control signal for the electrical motor based on the comparison result, wherein the throttle position sensor shows a first output voltage characteristic with respect to throttle valve opening degrees for a first region covering ISC and FIC and a voltage gradient of the first output voltage characteristic is selected larger than that of an unmodified output voltage characteristic of the throttle position sensor, thereby a high resolution of the throttle position sensor is obtained

Abstract: A control device for a battery charging AC generator for a motor vehicle including a power transistor connected in series with a field winding of the AC generator for performing switching control of a current flowing through the field winding. A voltage deviation circuit detects a deviation of the battery voltage from a reference voltage; and a PWM signal generating circuit is responsive to a voltage deviation signal from the voltage deviation circuit for turning the power transister on and off a resistor connected in series with the power transistor detects a current flowing through the field winding; and a current limiting circuit generates a turn off signal for the power transistor when the detected current is determined to have exceeded a reference current. A latch circuit operates in response to a clock signal from the PWM signal generating circuit to limit the frequency of turning on and off of the power transistor to below 1 KHz.

Abstract: A fuel injection control device for an internal combustion engine includes a canister which temporarily collects fuel vapor purge gas generated in a fuel tank and a canister purge gas control system which introduces the collected fuel vapor purge gas into the internal combustion engine during the operation thereof.

Abstract: Electric generator control for a motor vehicle in which the field current IF provided to the field coil of the generator is variable between two values in response to variations in the load applied to the battery. The output voltage of the battery is compared to a predetermined reference value, and a signal representing the difference is supplied to a voltage divider and to an integrator circuit. The outputs of the voltage divider and the integrator are then provided to respective, comparators. A reference signal provided by a time variable signal generator is supplied to both comparators, the respective outputs of which are connected to the inputs of an AND gate which controls a gating element which in turn controls the field current.

Abstract: A noise removing apparatus wherein a .pi. filter is constructed by a pair of feedthrough ceramic capacitors and a lead for connecting the feedthrough ceramic capacitors to each other to improve the radio wave trouble resistance of an electronic equipment and remove a shielding casing. Electrodes are formed on the both sides of a dielectric plate having a plurality of through holes by plating or the like, the electrode on one side is divided into plural ones in correspondence to the number of the through holes, resist portions are formed on the electrode on the other side so as to be in one-to-one correspondence to the through holes to provide a plurality of feedthrough ceramic capacitors, and an arbitrary pair of electrodes on one side are connected to each other through an inductive lead passing through the associated through holes, thereby to construct a .pi. filter.

Abstract: A flow rate of air flowing through an air inlet pipe is detected by a heating resistor disposed therein and converted into an electric signal. A digital processing unit carries out calculation to judge whether or not the converted signal coincides with a predetermined temperature value and to correct the converted signal so that the same is caused to coincide with the predetermined value if both the values do not coincide with each other. The corrected signal is used to keep the heating resistor at the predetermined temperature. The digital processing unit is integrated with the air inlet pipe independently of a digital processing unit for engine control.

Abstract: An automatic transmission control system for a transmission which is installed in a vehicle and whose torque converter is provided with a lockup mechanism; comprising a vehicle weight estimation device for estimating the weight of the vehicle; a gradient estimation device for estimating a gradient on which the vehicle is running; a standard lockup line selector for storing therein standard lockup lines which correspond respectively to the specified gear shift ratios of a speed change gear included in the transmission, and for selecting that one of the stored standard lockup lines which corresponds to the gear shift ratio in the present state of the vehicle; a lockup line corrector for correcting the selected standard lockup line in accordance with the estimated vehicle weight and the estimated gradient; and a lockup signal output device for deciding a timing of lockup "ON" or lockup "OFF" by the use of the corrected lockup line, and for delivering a lockup signal to the lockup mechanism (a lockup solenoid) at

Abstract: On one side of a valve shaft, there are provided an accelerator drum connected to an accelerator pedal by an accelerator wire, a return spring for urging the accelerator drum in a valve closing direction, and an accelerator sensor for detecting rotation of the accelerator drum and transmitting a detected signal to a host system. On the other side of the valve shaft, there are provided a large-diameter gear and an opening sensor. An armature of a solenoid clutch is attached to the gear and held on a motor shaft via a slide bearing. Thus, the motor, the solenoid clutch and the throttle valve are arranged into a U-shaped form for interconnection through four gears.

Abstract: A semiconductor acceleration sensor is formed by a cantilever having a conductive movable electrode of predetermined mass at one end, at least one pair of fixed conductive electrodes which are stationary with respect to the movable electrode located on opposing sides of the movable electrode, and gaps provided between the movable electrode and the fixed electrodes. To prevent the movable electrode becoming fused to the contacted fixed electrode, in a first aspect of this invention, an insulating layer is provided between the movable electrode and fixed electrodes, the layer being either on the movable electrode or on the fixed electrodes and in a second aspect the movable electrode or, preferably, the fixed electrodes, are formed of a high melting point material. In such a second aspect, to improve adhesion between the high melting point material and a substrate to which the fixed electrodes are mounted, a lower melting point material is firstly coated on the substrates.

Abstract: A sync signal generator of a television receiver for use in a vehicle has a phase reset detector for gradually absorbing a phase fluctuation of an input sync signal which occurs due to a ghost phenomenon or a fading phenomenon and reducing a phase fluctuation. The sync signal generator provides a sync signal synchronized with an output signal of the phase reset signal detector. Thus, a stable sync signal without a sudden change in phase can be obtained although it is synchronized with the input sync signal.

Abstract: An integrated multi-layered microwave circuit includes a substrate which is constituted by dielectric layers and conductive layers laminated alternately. The conductive layer disposed at one major surface of the substrate forms a micro strip line which constitutes an antenna portion. The conductive layer disposed at the other major surface of the substrate forms a circuit pattern including a grounding line and a power source line, and then the circuit pattern forms a communication portion together with discrete parts incorporated in the circuit pattern. One of the intermediate conductive layers of the substrate constitutes a grounding layer and the other thereof constitutes a power source layer. In the substrate, a feeding via hole, a via hole for a power source, and a grounding via hole are formed so as to penetrate the substrate.

Abstract: A catalyst heating control device for cleaning automotive engine exhaust gases, comprising a generator, at least one battery, a catalyst heating control apparatus, a battery charging device and an electronic fuel injector. Before starting the engine, the catalyst is preheated. At the start of the engine, the catalyst preheat control is curtailed according to the state of the batteries. The catalyst current control is performed by detecting the catalyst activation temperature. The catalyst is heated usually to about 350.degree. C., at which point the current supply for heating is terminated.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing structures such as a pressure gauge, an accelerometer and the like with a single crystal material such as silicon uses etching techniques where the shape of a part subjected to stress concentration has a curvature, another part is formed in a plane body and a polyhedron is constituted by combining both.To attain the above constitution, a wafer of single crystal material is formed with a stepped surface having a value corresponding to at least the depth of the curvature in a first anisotropic etching process using a prescribed etching mask, and in a second anisotropic etching process, an etching mask is used by removing at least a part of the etching mask used in the first anisotropic etching process.