Abstract: A gas sensor element is composed of a sensor section, a heater section, and a porous protective layer. The sensor section is composed of a solid electrolyte layer and a pair of electrodes. The heater section heats the sensor section to activate it. The porous protective layer covers surfaces of the sensor section and the heater section of the gas sensor element in a gas sensor which is exposed to a target detection gas to be detected. The porous protective layer is made of a mixture of hydrophobic heat resisting particles having a contact angle of not less than 75° to a drop of water, and the hydrophilic heat resisting particles having a contact angle not more than 30° to a drop of water. A gas sensor equipped with the above gas sensor element is also disclosed.

Abstract: An SCR catalyst is provided in an exhaust pipe of an engine and a urea solution addition valve is provided upstream of the SCR catalyst in the exhaust pipe. An ECU controls urea solution addition quantity of the urea solution addition valve based on ammonia adsorption quantity to the SCR catalyst. The ECU calculates the ammonia adsorption quantity in the SCR catalyst based on time-series data of an ammonia balance between ammonia supply to the SCR catalyst accompanying the urea solution addition of the urea solution addition valve and ammonia consumption in the SCR catalyst. The ECU calculates NOx quantity introduced into the SCR catalyst or a parameter correlated with the NOx quantity and performs initialization of the ammonia adsorption quantity at timing decided based on a result of the calculation.

Abstract: A fluid pump includes a driving part, a movable part that is movable by power transmitted from the driving part via a transmission part, a fixed part disposed on a side of the movable part, opposite to the transmission part, to form an operating chamber having an outlet from which a fluid flowing into the operating chamber is pressure-fed to an outside in a liquid state by the movable part, and an introduction passage for introducing a part of the fluid in the operating chamber to the transmission part. Accordingly, the liquid fluid can be introduced to the transmission part such as a bearing through the introduction passage.

Abstract: An object of the invention is to minimize energy loss to be generated at a driving shaft and a shaft seal device, when an electric rotating device is driven by an expansion-and-compressor device. According to a feature of the invention, a first driving shaft is rotationally supported by a housing and transmits a driving force from an engine to a second shaft of the expansion-and-compressor device, wherein a shaft seal device is provided on the first driving shaft for air-tightly sealing the inside of the housing from the outside of the housing. A power transmission control device (electromagnetic clutch or one way clutch) is operatively provided in a path between the first driving shaft and the second shaft, so that power transmission from the second shaft to the first driving shaft is cut off, to suppress any energy loss to be generated between the first driving shaft and the shaft seal device.

Abstract: A vehicular occupant restraint system includes a distance sensor, an electromagnetic wave radiation-type occupant sensor, a controller, and an airbag drive circuit. When the controller predicts a collision and determines it is unavoidable based on the output of the distance sensor, the controller sends an instruction signal to the occupant sensor to determine the seating condition of an occupant. Then, the airbag drive circuit performs an airbag deployment control in accordance with the determined seating condition. This system thus reduces power consumption and electromagnetic wave radiation of the occupant sensor.

Abstract: A refrigerating system, using CO.sub.2 as a refrigerant, for an air conditioner for an automobile. A pressure at the outlet of the heat emitter 2 is controlled to a target value in accordance with the temperature of the refrigerant at the outlet of the heat emitter for obtaining an operation of the refrigerating system along the optimum control line .eta..sub.max. A pressure reducer 4 and a cooler 5 are provided on a branched passageway 28 branched from a refrigerant recirculating passageway 27 for injection. The cooler 5 is for obtaining a heat exchange between a flow of the refrigerant on the branched passageway 28 after being cooled by the pressure reducer and a flow of the refrigerant on the main passageway 27, thereby cooling the refrigerant directed to the evaporator. In a second aspect of the invention, a means is provided for increasing a target value of the pressure at the pressure reducer when a thermal load of the refrigerating system is high.

Abstract: The output of a synchronous detector is made precise by reducing the offset included in the outputs of detecting piezoelectric elements. This is carried out by applying one y-axis direction exciting force to one movable piece from one pair of driving piezoelectric elements and another y-axis direction exciting force to another movable piece from another pair of driving piezoelectric elements.

Abstract: A torque detector for detecting a torque applied to a torque transmission shaft which is connected to a load such as a wheel of an automobile. A first rotating body is connected to one end of a driving shaft of an engine coaxially, and an annular second rotating body is disposed around a boss which projects from the center of the first rotating body so as to be coaxial and parallel with the first rotating body. An elastic member connects the inner peripheral portion of the second rotating body to the boss in the radial direction. The angular phase difference between the first and the second rotating bodies which occurs due to the deformation of the elastic member is detected, and torque is calculated from the obtained angular phase difference.