Abstract: A flaw detecting method and apparatus for continuously testing a strip that is continuously carried through a liquid includes features for reducing air bubble generation in a liquid. The apparatus includes a liquid, carrying rolls for passage of the strip through the liquid, and ultrasonic testing probes arranged in the liquid for testing the strip. A carrying roll in contact with the liquid is fully immersed. Air bubble generation is inhibited to improve the testing reliability by at least one of (a) shielding the liquid dropping from the portion of the strip leaving the liquid, (b) reducing the dropping force of the liquid onto the liquid surface by inclining the strip, (c) installing the fully immersed carrying roll at a depth of at least 5 mm in the liquid, and (d) using a carrying speed of less than about 200 m/min. Upon manufacturing steel strips, testing is carried out in the stage of hot-rolled steel sheet, or, preferably, in pickling equipment.

Abstract: An air conditioner which has a controller equipped with heat-producing electrical parts and in which the driving current of a compressor, etc., is controlled by the controller, includes a temperature sensor which is provided to or in the vicinity of at least one heat-sensitive electrical part (for example, a power transistor) of the electrical parts and adapted to detect the temperature of a heat-sensitive electrical part, and means for stepwise or linearly reducing the upper-limit value of the driving current of the compressor in accordance with the increase of the detected temperature when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor is higher than a predetermined value.

Abstract: An air conditioner for exchanging heat from a refrigerant to the outside and adjusting at least one of room temperature and humidity to desired temperature and humidity and having a 1/f fluctuation function for controlling an air supplying means for supplying conditioned air to the room so as to vary the air supplying amount in multiple levels corresponding to a designated reference air amount and irregularly. A reference air amount of the air supplying means can be designated and there is an air amount control for controlling the air supplying means corresponding to the designated reference air amount, and a fluctuation width designates a fluctuation width (volume of the air amount) corresponding to the air amount designated. When the 1/f fluctuation function is employed, the fundamental functions (coolness, warmness, and so forth) of the air conditioner are improved. In addition, the noise of the air conditioner is reduced and the comfort of the user is improved.

Abstract: An air conditioner includes a means for detecting a frequency for controlling an AC motor of a compressor, a means for determining whether the frequency during operation converges to within a predetermined range, of the frequency required to maintain the designated temperature, and a means for shifting the designated temperature by a predetermined temperature when the frequency converges to the predetermined range. The temperature is shifted when the frequency decreases and converges to the predetermined range while the air conditioner operation causes the room temperature to approach the designated temperature. Thus, even if the body temperature of a user decreases because, for example, he is sleeping, the stable state of the operation can be accurately determined and thereby a comfortable temperature is maintained.

Abstract: In measuring a distribution of crystal grains in metal sheet, an exciting frequency of ultrasonic wave is determined such that a wavelength of the ultrasonic wave propagated in a direction of the sheet thickness of the grains each having an aimed orientation is set at a value of twice the thickness of the sheet multiplied by about integers or about half integers, burst-like ultrasonic pulses having this frequency and including two or more waves are directed into the direction of the sheet thickness by use of an ultrasonic probe moving relatively with a body to be measured, multiple reflected waves generated from the bottom and top faces of the metal sheet upon the reflection from the sheet surface are caused to interfere with each other, the multiple reflected waves, which have interfered with each other, are detected, orientation of the grains in the metal sheet are estimated from the magnitudes in amplitude of the interferent multiple reflected waves thus detected, and the distribution of the grains in orie