Abstract: A light adjusting apparatus comprising a lamp connected to a commercial a.c. power supply via a triac, and a switching control circuit operable by a direct current obtained by directly rectifying the current of the power supply for controlling the conduction timing of the triac based on the zero-cross timing of the power supply. The conduction timing of the triac is controlled by a signal obtained by producing a pulse-width modulated light adjusting signal from a signal generating circuit by a light-emitting element, causing a photodetector in the control circuit to receive the adjusting signal and subjecting the resulting output of the control circuit to pulse-width demodulation.

Abstract: In an operating apparatus of a high-pressure discharge lamp of the invention, power is supplied to a heater provided in a high-pressure discharge lamp from a battery. The battery is charged by a charger which is driven by a power section. The power section is started by an ON operation of a switch which is turned on/off synchronously with the operation of a control switch. The control switch allows power supply from the battery to the heater when it is turned on. Therefore, always while power is supplied to the heater, the battery is being charged by the charger so that the voltage of the battery will not be lowered.

Abstract: A reader identifies coded electronic badges without contact with the latter, by simple inductive coupling of inductances, the electrical supply of the badge being ensured from a voltage at high frequency F generated by the reader. The code of the badge, composed of a sequence of bits following one another at a frequency f very much less than F, is used to modulate a voltage of intermediate frequency fi comprised between f and F and the thus modulated voltage controls an electronic switch adapted to short-circuit a resonant circuit of the badge.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling a headlight of a vehicle, a light from a preceding or oncoming vehicle can be detected without being disturbed by a light reflected on guardrails and the like, or light from a traffic signal, street lights and the like, and the illumination area of the headlight can be suitably adjusted without unnecessary switching of an illumination mode of the headlight. This control is carried out by receiving a light impinging on the front end of the vehicle by a light receiving member divided into a plurality of regions, by carrying out a comparison and discrimination between the light detection signals from the plurality of regions, and based on a result thereof, by selecting an appropriate illumination mode of the headlight.

Abstract: A regulator circuit for a high intensity discharge lamp includes a magnetic regulator having three windings, the primary and second thereof being connected to line voltage and a lamp. The tertiary winding is connected to a storage capacitor and to a reactor circuit having an inductive reactor and a semi-conductor switch in series. Lamp voltage and current signals are derived by a control circuit which turns the semi-conductor switch on at specific times in each half cycle of operation. The firing angle of the switch is altered to regulate the lamp operating characteristics despite line voltage changes and operating voltage variations resulting from lamp aging and other factors. The control circuit can also be operated as a lamp dimmer circuit.

Abstract: A power supply circuit for two automotive headlamps includes a power source supplying electrical power to the headlamps via two fuses, an electrical switch for establishing communication between the headlamps and the power source, a control unit for selectively establishing communication between the headlamps and the power source in series through a single fuse and between the headlamps in parallel and the power source through respective separate fuses, and for blocking communcation between the headlamps and the power source when connected in series and either of the fuses is open.

Abstract: A lamp start, hot-restart and operating circuit for a high wattage, high intensity discharge lamp includes cascaded resonant circuits with capacitors and series-connected inductors connected to an AC source. A pulse circuit including two pulse transformers supplies streamer-forming current, the secondary windings of the pulse transformers being connected in series with the lamp. When the lamp commences normal operation, the operating current energizes a relay to remove the capacitors and pulse circuit from the operating circuit, allowing the inductor to function as the lamp ballast.

Abstract: A dimmer control circuit having time constant regulating means provided in a multivibrator for regulating the load time ratio of the output pulse signal of the multivibrator to control ON, OFF the voltage of a battery applied to a lamp by the output pulse signal to thereby regulate the luminous intensity of the lamp comprising stopping means provided in the multivibrator for operating near the end of the regulation in a direction for increasing the luminous intensity of the lamp by the time constant regulating means and stopping the operation of the multivibrator. Thus, the dimmer control circuit can stop the operation of the multivibrator near the end of regulation in a direction for increasing the luminous intensity of a lamp to control the connection of a battery directly to the lamp with a fine current.

Abstract: A DC-AC converter for supplying energy to a dishcarge lamp (17). The converter is in the form of an imcomplete half-bridge circuit (11, 12; 15, 16, 19, 18). The lamp (17) is connected in series with a coil (18) and a capacitor (16). Two switching elements (11, 12) in the half-bridge circuit are formed as semiconductor switching elements. The lamp current is a square-shaped alternating current. A diode (13) is connected in parallel with the one switching element (11) and a diode (14) is connected in parallel with the other switching element (12). The control circuit of the switching elements is provided with a switching circuit (21) which alternately switches the one switching element (11) and the other switching element (12) several times. The number of switching elements through which the lamp current flows can therefore remain limited to two.

Abstract: A conventional video recorder comprises electromechanical components, electronic circuits and a control unit with which there are associated both front panel controls and a user remote control unit with a sensor to which signals can be sent from a hand-held remote control unit. In addition to these conventional features an off-air remote controller is provided. This is capable of decoding control signals associated with the television signal and includes an encoder which generates outputs which simulate those from the conventional user remote control unit.

Abstract: An ion implantation apparatus includes an ion source, ion analyzer, ion acceleration means and ion deflection means interconnected in a sequential manner, but excludes a variable slit shutter as a means for attenuating the ion beam. A controllable source of inactive diluent gas is interconnected so as to provide a means for selecting the concentration of ions provided by the ion source to the ion analyzer.

Abstract: A switching arrangement for ignitio of a high-pressure discharge lamp, The switching arrangement is provided with means for suppressing the production of ignition pulses in case the lamp has ignited or in cast it fails. The switching arrangement comprises a pushpull circuit which is supplied on the one hand by the supply voltage and on the other hand by the voltage across the lamp. An output terminal of the push-pull circuit is connected to the means for suppressing the production of ignition pulses. Thus, it is achieved in a simple manner that the lamp voltage influences the blocking and activation of the production of ignition pulses.

Abstract: A composite loop communication network formed by combining a plurality of loop communication paths each provided with terminals with one another through a plurality of loop coupling devices so as to form a loop, is disclosed in which one of the terminals of each loop communication path is used as a management terminal, the management terminal of a loop communication path sets routing information on the communication between the loop communication path and a loop communication path adjacent thereto in a loop coupling device, and the loop coupling device selectively takes in data flowing through the former loop communication path, on the basis of the above routing information, to send the data from the loop coupling device to the latter loop communication path, thereby making possible the communication between terminals of different loop communication paths.

Abstract: A channel redundancy system for use with a central office connected to a remote location. A central office terminal at the central office has a plurality of channel units including at least one spare channel unit. A remote terminal at the remote location also has a plurality of channel units including at least one spare channel unit. The channel units in the remote terminal are correspondingly associated with the channel units in the central office termimal. From a repair service bureau located remote from both the central office and the remote location in a defective channel unit can be identified and replaced by the spare channel unit.

Abstract: In a paging receiver with an individual paging number and at least one common paging number, there is provided memory means including individual memory means including individual memory areas capable of storing at least one message signal following the individual number and specific memory areas storing message signals following the common paging number. The receiver can protect individual address information and can efficiently utilize the memory areas even when the user does not use all common addresses.

Abstract: A wide band device is provided for coupling between the delay line of a travelling wave tube and the external circuit transmitting the energy of the tube, comprising a coupling wave guide having a single ridge, connected on one side to the delay line and on the other being extended by one of the two ridges of the output guide, the section of the coupling guide increasing progressively, with constant impedance from the line to the output guide whereas this latter has an impedance transformer providing impedance matching between its standard guide part and the coupling guide.

Abstract: A method of selecting an alert pattern for a pager receiver including calling the pager terminal on a telephone, providing a unit ID, a pattern select coded signal and identifying a new alert pattern. The pager terminal then transmits a "replace alert pattern signal", which prepares a reprogrammable memory in the pager receiver for reprogramming, and the selected new alert pattern, which is then programmed into the alert pattern memory.

Abstract: This invention is a circuit for controlling the power received by a load. The operation of this circuit is based on variations of voltage amplitude rather than phase as is the case with other circuits utilizing the phase control principle. A pair of terminals couple an AC service voltage source to a load and to a distributor switch by which an operator can arrange for the load to receive power directly from the AC service voltage source, or through a transformer and a gated switch, or through a diode. The operation, by way of the transformer and the gated switch or by way of the diode, provides not only "soft-start" and protection from power line transients (voltage spikes) to the load but also prevents it from emitting acoustical noise.

Abstract: Disclosed are an annular light source unit using electrodeless discharge and a method of lighting the same. The unit comprises an annular electrodeless discharge tube, a bowl-shaped microwave cavity device, and a plurality of microwave oscillators. The cavity unit is disposed in such a manner as to cover substantially the whole outer surface of the discharge tube excluding an underside thereof. The unit has slit antennas at a plurality of portions thereof prepared by dividing into substantially equal parts a whole circumferential portion thereof facing a whole circumferential surface of the discharge tube. The method comprises the step of individually sequentially starting the operations of the microwave oscillators after the stabilization of the discharge at a portion of the discharge tube in the vicinity of the corresponding slit antenna due to supply, therefrom, of microwave powers transmitted from the immediately preceding microwave oscillator.

Abstract: A multi-brand universal remote control handunit stores compressed device control codes to make efficient use of the available memory space. In addition to storing data pointers to pairs of pulse off and pulse burst components of a transmission, the memory also stores data indicative of several characteristics of transmissions within a given brand of device to be controlled.