Abstract: A position detecting device such as a needle position detecting device which detects a needle position with the aid of a rotor. In the position detecting device, the rotor and a position detecting annular member are abutted against each other, and thus the use of screws can be eliminated, and the annular member can be readily adjusted in angular position with a tool which is inserted through the holes of the rotor and engaged with the adjusting means of the annular member.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a trouble diagnosis device for use in a motor vehicle includes a plurality of input units for inputting signals corresponding to various conditions, a plurality of display units provided respectively for the plurality of input units, for displaying the various conditions and an engine control unit which, when plural input units, which are normally not selected in combination, are actuated, enters a trouble diagnosis mode, and turns on the plurality of display units as a trouble diagnosis display. The device can perform the inputting and displaying of the trouble diagnosis mode with ordinary units and without particular units.

Abstract: A car interval control apparatus composed of a tracking type range finder having a pair of optical systems arranged in a parallel relation and an image sensor disposed in connection with each of said optical systems, wherein a window is formed for a picture image of an object that is to be tracked and sensed by each of the image sensors. The distance to the object is measured, in accordance with a triangular method, on the basis of a shift of position of the picture image of the object displayed in the window. A observing means which emits light and observes forcible entry of an intervening car into a lane in front of and close to the driver's car by detecting light reflected by the intervening car. A control device controls the distance between the drivers car and the preceding car by using a signal produced from the tracking type range finder and generates an alarm when the forcibly entered car is detected by the observing means during the operation of the controlling of the distance of the cars.

Abstract: A series of input units (a machining attribute specification unit, a geometric element selection unit, and an additional information input unit) of a CAD/CAM apparatus according to the present invention enables machining attributes to be input in an interactive manner while such data are displayed on a display, simplifying input procedures of various items of machining attribute information, and enables the input various item information to be displayed on the display, making confirmation of the input information easy by virtue of the simplified inputting and by the visual confirmation.

Abstract: A wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus capable of machining a workpiece with a machining solution to produce a work having a desired shape. The work is magnetically attracted to be held and conveyed to a desired position by one of a pair of nozzles through which the machining solution is supplied to an interelectrode gap between the workpiece and a wire-shaped electrode. Since the attraction condition is controlled to be maintained unchanged, it is possible to move and convey the work and the like to the desired position with high accuracy and safety.

Abstract: A method of plant cultivaton and growth acceleration includes enclosing the plants within a reflective chamber, controlling the CO.sub.2 concentration within said chamber so as to be at least 200 ppm, and irradiating the plants substantially omnidirectionally with a light intensity of approximately 3000 lux, while stably regulating the ambient temperature, relative humidity and nutrient supply.

Abstract: An electromagnetic switchgear is characterized in that either a fixed or a moving member is furnished with a contact member having a contact area smaller than an area resulting from the meeting between the fixed and the moving contact, the contact member being made of wear resistant material.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a device for detecting an occurrence of abnormal condition accurately in a load such as a plurality of fuel injectors for use in an internal combustion engine or the like with a single abnormality determining circuit.

Abstract: A suspension control system for enhancing the response characteristic of a vehicle body vibration suppressing control by lowering the spring constant or the damping force to a first desired level for both front and rear wheels at a time or only the rear wheel for a predetermined time in accordance with a differential value of an output signal from an acceleration detecting means in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, to thereby soften the shock of the vehicle body when the rear wheels get over a protuberance, and also by changing the spring constant or the damping force settled beforehand to a second desired level for both front and rear wheels at a time in case an unnecessary vibration of the vehicle body is detected afterwards. The second desired level is held for a predetermined time or continuously to suppress vertical vibrations of the vehicle body.

Abstract: An ignition coil unit comprising within an electrically insulating casing (31) an ignition coil (A) and a packaged power switch circuit (E). The packaged power switch circuit (E), which comprises a plurality of electric and electronic components (F) hermetically sealed within a mold resin (G) to form a single compact unitary piece, is disposed within a power switch cavity (31d) of the casing (31). An aluminum heat dissipating plate (30) may be attached at its first end (30a) to said packaged power switch circuit (E) in a thermally conductive relationship and exposed at its second end (30b) to the exterior of said casing (31).

Abstract: A contact point is estimated by detecting a variation of a potential difference between the first and the second object as the objects approach one another. The method and apparatus are particularly suited for use in an electrical discharge machine (EDM) that is controlled by a numerical control (NC) unit for machining a workpiece.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for detecting a failure of a pressure sensor provided in association with a cylinder of an internal combustion engine for detecting the pressure therein. Decision as to occurrence of a failure in the pressure sensor is made on the basis of the cylinder pressure detected by the pressure sensor through comparison with a prescribed reference value or range. Failure of the pressure sensor is determined if the detected cylinder pressure deviates from the reference value or range by a predetermined amount. Upon detection of a pressure sensor failure, an engine control parameter such as ignition timing for controlling the associated cylinder in dependence on the pressure sensor output is set to a fixed value or the operation of the cylinder is stopped.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided for detecting a distance between cars, which apparatus is capable of continuously measuring the distance between one's own car and a preceding car even if the preceding car is moving as far as possible within the visual field of the apparatus. The apparatus is also capable of distinguishing which one of a plurality of preceding cars is being measured for distance, and of simultaneously measuring the distance to another car traveling in parallel to one of the preceding cars.

Abstract: A recording density correction apparatus in a printer, comprises; a correction gradation level data selection device for producing class numbers for selecting correction gradation level data for respective heating elements constituting a thermal head on the basis of information concerning unevenness in recording density; an odd/even line discriminator for discriminating as to whether a recording line is an odd or even line and for providing the thus obtained line information; and a correction device for providing the correction gradation level data on the basis of the class numbers and the line information so as to correct drive signals for the thermal head.

Abstract: An intermediate gear type starter comprises a movable coupling body which is mounted on the intermediate shaft in such a manner as to slide together with the intermediate gear. The movable coupling body comprises: a locking portion which is engaged with the over-running clutch: and a cover portion for closing the opening formed on the internal combustion engine side. The over-running clutch is axially coupled to the intermediate gear through the movable coupling body.

Abstract: A distance sensor is disclosed composed of a pair of objective lenses 1 and 2 separated by a base length L, and a pair of two-dimensional image sensors 3 and 4. A left and a right image of a moving object 5, shifted from each other by a horizontal distance corresponding to a distance R to the object 5, is formed on the sensors 3 and 4. The left or the right image formed on the sensor is displayed on the display 11. A human operator initially sets, via the window forming device 12, the dimension and position of a window within the screen of the display. Thereafter, the microcomputer 10A samples at a predetermined sampling period the pixel signals of the image sensors 3 and 4, adjusts the dimension and the position of the window such that the window just covers the image of the object, and determines the amount of shift of the left and the right images on the basis of the image within the window.

Abstract: The wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus includes a tension applying device for tensing a wire electrode, an instruction signal generating device for providing a movement instruction and a tension instruction for a wire electrode, the speed detecting device for detecting an actual speed of the wire electrode, comparison circuitry for comparing the actual speed detected by the speed detecting device with an instructed speed of the movement instruction provided by the instruction signal generating device and the instruction value correcting device for correcting the tension instruction value which is provided by the instruction signal generating device according to a result of comparison of the comparison device. Hence, in the wire cut electric discharge machining apparatus, the tension of the wire electrode can be controlled with high accuracy.

Abstract: A following control apparatus for an automotive vehicle is disclosed which controls the output of an engine and the brakes of a vehicle so as to maintain a target vehicle separation from a preceding vehicle. A control unit calculates a target drive force for the vehicle and controls the brakes and the throttle valve of the engine so as to achieve the target drive force. In one form of the invention, the target drive force when the vehicle is starting from a standstill is calculated based on the relative speed of the vehicle and the preceding vehicle and the difference between the measured vehicle separation and the target vehicle separation when the measured vehicle separation is at least the target vehicle separation, but is calculated based on the relative speed of the vehicle independently of the vehicle separation when the measured vehicle separation is less than the target vehicle separation.

Abstract: The invention is a chopper control for electric cars. In the control device, the currents of the armatures A1 and A2 of electric car driving shunt motors connected to a power source L are controlled by first chopper devices CH1 and CH2, the currents, in the forward direction, the field coils SF1 and SF2 of the shunt motors are controlled by a second chopper device FCH1, and the currents, in the reverse direction, of the field coils are controlled by a third chopper coil FCH2.

Abstract: A stroke end checking apparatus of a machine tool of numerical control stores an actual machine coordinates value of each of the table stroke ends on the basis of the machine reference point in detecting each of the table stroke ends which restrict a movement of the processing table in a two-dimensional direction. This apparatus also displays the relationship of the processing locus with the positions of the table stroke ends in the two-dimensional direction by the processing program of numerical control prior to actual processing on the basis of the machine corrdinates value. This enables the graphic stroke ends on the display screen to coincide with the corresponding table stroke ends, thereby permitting a rapid and accurate stroke end checking operation on the graphic display screen without the program checking operation which accompanies the transfer of the processing table in an axial direction.