Abstract: A vehicle operator protection system capable of detecting abnormalities in an auxiliary power supply in the protection system. The auxiliary power supply comprises a backup capacitor which is part of a time constant circuit and is connected in parallel with an actuator for inflating an air bag. While the backup capacitor is charged, the voltage differences between an onboard battery and the backup capacitor are determined for a given period, and the determined value is divided by the amount that the voltage of the backup capacitor rises in the given period. An abnormality in the capacitance of the backup capacitor is determined in accordance with the divided value, and thus the abnormality of the capacitance of the backup capacitor can be detected accurately without being influenced by variation of voltage of the onboard battery.

Abstract: Air bags are located at different positions within a vehicle. Squibs serve to fire and activate the air bags respectively. An acceleration detecting device is provided in common to the squibs for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle upon a collision of the vehicle and executing a switching operation in response to the detected vehicle acceleration. Constant-current circuits supplied with an electric power from a vehicle battery feed constant electric currents for a firing operation to the squibs respectively in response to the switching operation of the acceleration detecting device. An energy storage device serves to feed a backup electric power to the constant-current circuits when the supply of the electric power from the vehicle battery is cut off.

Abstract: A vehicle operator protection system includes an actuating device, a battery for supplying the actuating device with electric power, and a backup capacitor charged by the battery and supplying power to the actuating device when the battery becomes inoperable. It further includes a switch for cutting off the power supply from the battery and a determining circuit for detecting a discharging condition of the backup capacitor after it has been cut off from the power supply with the switch to determine the existence of an abnormality in the backup capacitor and the actuating device. Through the detection of the discharging condition of the backup capacitor, determination of the existence of an abnormality, based on the intended function of the backup capacitor, can be achieved.

Abstract: A releasing circuit for actuating a vehicular safety device includes a sensor arranged to provide an acceleration signal responsive to accelerations of the vehicle and an evaluating circuit for setting a predetermined condition for activating a release element of the safety device and responsive to the acceleration signal for effecting the activation of the release element when the predetermined condition has been satisfied by the acceleration signal.

Abstract: An acceleration sensor detects an acceleration of a vehicle which is caused by a collision of the vehicle. A safety device protects an occupant in the vehicle from the collision of the vehicle. A trigger device triggers the safety device. The trigger device is activated in response to an output signal from the acceleration sensor. An operation of the trigger device is detected and a detection signal representative thereof is generated. A first judgment device judges whether or not the trigger device is activated on the basis of the detection signal. When the trigger device is judged to be activated, a second judgment device judges whether the activation of the trigger device is caused by a correct cause or a false cause on the basis of the output signal from the acceleration sensor. The judgment by the second judgment device is allowed only once and subsequent judgments by the second judgment device are inhibited. A result of the judgment by the second judgment device is recorded.

Abstract: This invention relates to a device for removing short fibers from a mass of ibers. A pair of perforated cylindrical bodies are opposed to each other with a predetermined spacing defined therebetween, and static electricity is applied across the perforated cylindrical bodies. A suction-wise removing device is installed in at least one of the perforated cylindrical bodies. The initial end of a transfer conveyor is located on the surface of one perforated cylindrical body adjacent the opposed region. Short fibers contained in the mass of fibers fed to the opposed region by a feeding device are drawn into the suction-wise removing devices through the through holes in the cylindrical bodies by the action of electrostatic force and suction air currents. The mass of fibers having the short fibers removed therefrom are oriented by electrostatic force and transferred by the conveyor while being maintained in this oriented state.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of an ethylene copolymer. In the copolymerization of a comonomer copolymerizable with ethylene and ethylene at a pressure of 500 to 3,000 kg/cm.sup.2 and at a temperature of 100.degree. to 350.degree. C. using an initiator in the presence or absence of a chain transfer agent, a gap between a packing and a retainer of an ultrahigh pressure pump for copolymerization is filled with a grease containing a polymerization inhibitor. The comonomer and a part or the whole of ethylene are mixed under an elevated pressure and then introduced into a reaction vessel. In accordance with the present invention, leakage of the comonomer from the packing of the pump, clogging of a conduit and breakage of the pump can be prevented, thus improving operation efficiency. Furthermore, the effect of diffusion of the comonomer into ethylene gas is attained sufficiently, thus enabling the production of a high-quality polymer having less gel content.

Abstract: A method for increasing the solubility of interferon in water involves admixing an amino acid selected from the group consisting of arginine, histidine, lysine, hydroxylysine, ornithine, glutamine, .gamma.-aminobutyric acid, .epsilon.-aminocaproic acid and a salt thereof with interferon.

Abstract: Stored in a two-dimensional memory is a read-in character information of one character which was scanned by an optical scanner and digitized into character digital bits and background digital bits. The character information on the storage plane of the memory is divided into a plurality of segments using 4.times.4 bit meshes as a unit and the number of the character digital bit meshes included in each of the segments is counted. A collection of segment information obtained from these count values is used as an input information and is compared by pattern matching with each of a collection of standard character information preliminarily prepared for a set of characters in the same information form as the input information, thereby effecting the desired type font character recognition.