Abstract: An apparatus for carrying electrical data signals and electrical power over a power line is disclosed. The apparatus includes a data processing device, a power supply, and a data signal transceiver. The apparatus also includes an interference filter coupled to the power line and to the power supply and configured to reject electromagnetic interference. A coupling circuit that is electromagnetically coupled to the power line is also disclosed. The coupling circuit is configured to transmit and receive data signals carried through the power line. The coupling circuit is coupled to the data signal transceiver. The data signal transceiver is configured to transmit and receive the data signals to and from the data processing device.

Abstract: A self training tire pressure monitoring system for a vehicle includes at least two pressure sensors, at least two wheel sensors and a control. The pressure sensors are positioned at respective tires and are operable to provide a measured pressure output indicative of the pressure of the respective tires. The wheel sensors are positioned at respective wheels of the vehicle and are operable to provide a characteristic output indicative of rotation of the wheels over a period of time. The control receives the characteristic outputs and the measured pressure outputs and is operable to integrate the outputs to determine the particular wheels at which the pressure sensors and associated tires are positioned. The measured pressure and location of the tires may be displayed at a display of the vehicle. Preferably, the control deduces a deduced rolling radius of the tires in response to the characteristic output of the wheel sensors.

Abstract: The positions of an object on the sideward position of a vehicle are detected at prescribed time intervals. An expected locus of the object is computed on the basis of the positions of the object detected at the prescribed time intervals. An expected locus of the vehicle is also computed. It is determined whether or not there is a danger of collision on the basis of both the expected loci of the object and the vehicle. In this configuration, a periphery monitoring apparatus can be proposed which is capable of determining the danger of collision on the basis of the mutual movements of the vehicle and object.

Abstract: A monitoring device for vehicles has a housing and at least one mirror glass arranged in the housing so as to have a front side facing an observer. The at least one mirror glass has a reflective layer being reflective in the visible spectral range of light. At least one camera is arranged behind the reflective layer in a viewing direction viewed from the front side. The monitoring device can be used for driver identification, monitoring the driver's condition, identifying passengers and passenger positions, controlling airbags, theft surveillance, and similar purposes.

Abstract: The display accuracy of an outside air temperature detected by a temperature sensor is to be enhanced. A CPU generates a signal for displaying an outside air temperature on a display panel P wherein the temperature is detected by an outside air temperature sensor. At this time, temperature information Tr is detected by the sensor and is corrected taking into account the vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed sensor and an engine temperature detected by an engine temperature sensor. The CPU has a memory member for storing a correction function corresponding to the vehicle speed or the engine temperature and makes the above correction on the basis of a correction function corresponding to the vehicle speed or the engine temperature.

Abstract: An ambient air condition sensor housing includes a front portion releasably coupled to a rear portion and defining an interior space therebetween adapted to retain at least one ambient air condition sensor. The rear portion defines apertures for passage of the ambient air therethrough. A labyrinth having a plurality of spaced apart upstanding walls is integrally attached to an inner surface of the rear portion and is positioned so as to cooperate with the air condition sensor. Each wall of the labyrinth includes a slightly arcuate configuration for funneling the ambient air toward the air condition sensor. The rear portion and labyrinth are completely covered with a black coating so as to minimize light reflectivity within the interior space whereby to enhance proper functioning of the air sensor.

Abstract: A combination of a master machine and a plurality of slave machines communicate wireless with each other. In case of a radiation leak accident, multitudes of inhabitants or workers dealing with the accident are made to carry the slave machines. The slave machine measure the degree of radiation exposure in real time, and notifies this measured result automatically to the master machine by wireless communication. The master machine recognizes the accurate radiation dose of the exposure and determines the degree of danger. The master machine notifies in real time the determined result individually to people carrying the slave machine, who are exposed victims or people that have a possibility of being exposed, according to the danger degree. The master machine is made to extract true radiation measurement data from the measurement signal data sent by the slave machine, by discriminating noise.

Abstract: A piezoelectric transducer driving circuit has a main oscillator stage, a buffer circuit, and a voltage-doubling circuit. The main oscillator stage includes a frequency-swept signal generator that can be configured to provide different outputs to the buffers, which in turn provide the output to the voltage-doubling circuit, which supplies the piezoelectric transducer, causing it to mechanically deform and produce audible sounds of different types.

Abstract: According to the present invention, methods and apparatus are provided to generate notification about condition changes behind a vehicle. Information about a first set of conditions behind a vehicle is gathered at a first point in time. Information can be gathered using imaging devices, infrared detectors, distance meters, light intensity sensors, and timing devices. At a later point in time, information about a second set of conditions behind the vehicle is gathered. The information gathered at a first point in time is compared to the information gathered at the later point in time to determine differences between the conditions behind the vehicle. If the differences meet a notification criterion, a notification is generated conveying information about the changed conditions behind the vehicle.

Abstract: A system is provided for monitoring the food product of a remote food product retailer. The system includes a management center in communication with the remote food product retailer via a communication network. The communication network is accessible via a user interface that may be located at any of the management center, the remote location or some other location. The management center gathers food product temperature information and uses that information to determine whether the shelved food product is within acceptable food safety and quality limits. If the food product exceeds these limits, an alarm is sounded at either the management center and the remote location. The user interface is operable to monitor the status of the food product via a selection of screens and remotely respond to the alarms.

Abstract: An information exchange system is capable of realizing useful information exchange both for the service provider located along the road and providing services and the vehicular driver, by effectively using limited communication capacity of the road-vehicle radio communication. The information exchange system has a vehicle-mounted unit and a road-side unit providing information to the vehicle-mounted unit using a road-vehicle radio communication. The vehicle-mounted unit includes receiving unit receiving information transmitted from the road-side unit through a radio communication and transferring unit transferring at least a part of a content of the received information to a vehicular occupant. The road-side unit including storage unit storing information to be transmitted to the vehicle-mounted unit and transmitting unit transmitting information to the vehicle-mounted unit through the radio communication.

Abstract: Disclosed is a shoplifting monitoring apparatus. The apparatus includes an alarm device and an attachment unit to be attached to an article such that a predetermined attachment surface faces the article. The attachment unit includes a switch for detecting whether or not the attachment unit is attached to the article, and a sleeve member. The switch includes a movable piece and a contact. The contact is in the closed state when the movable piece is located at an inside of a standard position, and is in the open state when the movable piece is located at the standard position or at an outside thereof. The sleeve member has a sleeve portion that surrounds an end portion of the movable piece when the attachment unit is attached to the article. The attachment unit is to be attached to the article such that the movable piece is pushed by the article toward the inside of the attachment surface, and thereby the contact of the switch is in the closed state.

Abstract: In a vehicle speed control apparatus for an internal combustion engine vehicle, in which the first amount of fuel supply required for maintaining the vehicle speed at a desired speed and the second amount of fuel supply corresponding to the amount of depression of an accelerator pedal are separately calculated, the apparatus comprises a selector for selecting the larger of the first and second amount of fuel supply to control the fuel adjusting member, and a modifying circuit for modifying the output data showing the first amount of fuel supply to cause it to slowly change, taking into account the value of the second data showing the second amount of fuel supply just before the second amount of fuel supply becomes smaller than the first amount of fuel supply, whereby the vehicle speed is prevented from being rapidly decelerated when the mode of vehicle speed control is changed from that by the second data to that by the first data.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a signal processing system for a motor vehicle with high responsiveness to the will of a driver. The output voltage of an acceleration sensor using a potentiometer is converted into a digital value by an analog-digital converter. The nonlinearity of the output voltage is corrected by polynominally calculating the digital value. This digital value is controlled by a central processing unit which processes the digital value to generate an acceleration signal having a linear relationship to the changes in the resistance of the potentiometer during actuation of an accelerator. The central processing unit further includes a memory for storing the acceleration signal at an idling position to determine a calibrated acceleration signal using a ratio of an actual acceleration signal obtained from the accelerator pedal to the stored value thereof.

Abstract: A method of indicating when a shift operation of a manual gearbox is to be preformed includes a step for comparing a detected vehicle speed with a reference vehicle speed which is determined and changed on the basis of a detected engine operational parameter and a step for indicating that the shift operation should be performed on the basis of a result of the comparison. The reference vehicle speed is corrected to a lower speed in response to an increase of a total running time of the vehicle, thereby to maintain the driveability of the vehicle when the running time of the vehicle is short.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided with a fuel injection valve in an intake passage communicated with a combustion chamber and a swirl controlling device for controlling a swirling motion to be given to intake air in a circumferential direction of the cylinder forming the combustion chamber. When the engine load is low, the fuel injection valve is controlled to inject fuel by an amount required for one power stroke a predetermined time after the intake valve is opened and during the intake stroke, and the swirl controlling device is controlled to give intake air a swirling motion. A correction device is provided, which, when the engine is cold, controls the fuel injection valve to start fuel injection before the intake valve is opened and also controls the swirl controlling device to suppress production of swirling motion of intake air.