Abstract: There is proposed a circuit for operation of at least one relay having an OFF-position and an ON-position, wherein the relay assumes the OFF-position in the event of a component failure of any element of the circuit. In the ON-position of the relay a capacitor, the relay and a voltage source are switched in a predetermined cycle in such a way that in a first time interval of the cycle the voltage source delivers a current which flows through the relay and partially charges up the capacitor and that in a second time interval of the cycle the capacitor delivers the current which flows through the relay, with the capacitor being partially discharged again.

Abstract: An adjustable-length gas spring comprises a housing and a piston rod led out of the latter, on which a piston is disposed, dividing the housing into two partial housing chambers. Provision is made for a valve for the partial housing chambers to be connected with each other, the valve comprising a valve-operating lever, which is arranged pivotably at right angles to its longitudinal direction and a valve seat of which, when the lever is pivoted out of a position of rest into a position of opening of the valve, can be lifted off a seal, while forming a gap that connects the partial housing chambers with each other.

Abstract: A fluid-filled unit of a cylinder and a piston rod, in particular a gas spring, has a housing, which has an end closed by a plug. A ball socket of a ball-and-socket joint is formed in this plug. The design may additionally be such that the filling with compressed gas of the housing takes place in the vicinity of the plug.

Abstract: A longitudinally adjustable gas spring has a housing of which the edge on the side where the piston rod exits, projects freely. With the housing being moved as far as possible into an upright tube of a longitudinally adjustable column, the edge can at least in part overlap a damping member located on the piston rod, and with the housing being extracted as far as possible from the upright tube, it can serve additionally as a guidance in a guide bush of the upright tube.

Abstract: In a method and device for controlling an internal combustion engine, the fuel quantity injected into the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine and/or the start of pump delivery are determined by means of a pressure sensor. In so doing, a duration-of-pump-delivery signal, which represents a measure for the injected fuel quantity, is predefined on the basis of a start-of-pump-delivery signal and an end-of-pump-delivery signal. The start-of-pump-delivery signal and/or the end-of-pump-delivery signal are recognized as being plausible when the duration-of-pump-delivery signal is greater than a first threshold value.

Abstract: In the case of a longitudinally adjustable gas spring with two tubes enclosing each other concentrically and with a valve at one end and with a relief channel at the end where the piston rod exits the inner tube consists of plastics material. It has groove-like channels on its external wall which connect the relief channel with the valve. The webs between adjacent channels bear against the internal wall of the outer tube. The result is a cost-saving structure of the inner tube, which at the same time becomes very stable and is easy to manufacture.

Abstract: A gas spring has a housing closed at one end and a piston rod brought out of the other end of the housing. The housing is detachably mounted in a surrounding tube and is able to be pushed into the latter as far as an end position. Securing elements are mounted respectively at the outer end of the piston rod and on the surrounding tube. So as to ensure that a part supported by the gas spring is reliably held also when the housing is partly pulled out of the surrounding tube a locking element for the detachable locking of the housing with the surrounding tube is provided in an intermediate position in which the housing respective to the end position is partly pulled out of the surrounding tube.

Abstract: A longitudinally adjustable gas spring has a valve having a valve pin arranged to be moved within a valve body. On both sides of the inner chamber of the valve body annular seals are arranged and bear against the cylindrical sections of different diameters. To bridge at least one annular seal grooves are formed in an associated cylindrical section. When the corresponding annular seal is bridged by a displacement of the valve pin, the respective annular seal remains in its position bearing against the cylindrical external surface of the corresponding cylindrical section, so that the wear of the seals implying the gas spring to become unserviceable is eliminated.

Abstract: An apparatus for driving and controlling electrical loads, in particular glow plugs, is proposed which includes semiconductor switches which are assigned to the glow plugs and can be driven by a microprocessor, and also includes at least one measuring resistor and is characterized in that the microprocessor (17) is so designed that the glow plugs (RK) are switched on and/or off sequentially with time displacement for such a short time that a virtually continuous current rise or decrease is produced and/or in that, in order to detect an open circuit or a short circuit in any of the glow plugs (RK), the glow plugs (RK) are driven sequentially at any desired time interval for a very short time, preferably for 1 ms and the current flowing through the glow plugs (RK) is measured with the aid of the measuring resistor (R) and/or in that one or more glow plugs (RK) are driven simultaneously if a high-energy overvoltage occurs in the voltage supply of this apparatus.

Abstract: A longitudinally controllable adjustment device, in particular a gas spring partially filled with a fluid, has a piston disposed on a piston rod and a valve, inside of which a valve body is slidable in its longitudinal direction. It has a tapered section by which a seal, abutting on a sealing face, can be bridged. In order to make possible a long-stroke embodiment and a short-stroke embodiment, the seal has two sealing beads, of which the one sealing bead sealingly abuts in all embodiments against a truncated cone-like sealing face of the valve body, while the other sealing bead, if required, abuts on an optionally provided additional cylindrical sealing face between the truncated cone-like sealing face and the tapered section.

Abstract: A frictional damper, in particular for washing machines with spinning action, comprises a circular cylindrical housing and a tappet which is coaxially displaceable inside the housing and extends out of it with one end, the other end being provided with a friction piston. The friction piston has at least one friction coating made of an elastically resilient material and is provided with a grease chamber. In order to prevent a decrease of damping because of change from lubricated to dry friction, the grease storage chamber is provided within the friction piston and is connected with the at least one support segment by way of at least one grease channel.

Abstract: In a measurement device for contactless determination of the rotation angle and/or rotation speed, a disk is fastened on a shaft so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it. During the measurement process, layers of material with good electrical conductivity which are arranged on one or both opposing sides of the disk are moved relative to receiver coils located on opposite sides of the disk (16a and 16b). The measurement device can work according to the eddy current measurement method, as well as according to the inductive method. In order to compensate for measurement errors, the conductive layers are arranged at approximately equal distances (a, b) between two coils. In addition, the greatest possible quantity of measurement points can be used for forming an average.

Abstract: A frictional vibration damper, in particular for washing machines with an oscillatory support of a washer unit has an approximately tube-shaped housing and a tappet displaceable in it. An articulation element is provided at the outer end of each the housing and the tappet. Further, a friction piston bearing with a friction coating on the internal wall of the housing is formed on the tappet, which friction piston is extendable by means of a linearly operating servomotor. In order to achieve high safety in operation at little expenditure, the servomotor is arranged in the tappet. It is formed by an electrically heatable thermoactuator element having a housing with a piston which changes its position relative to the housing upon heating. The piston of the servomotor directly bears against an expansion member serving to expand the friction piston.

Abstract: An oscillatory support for drum washing machines having a horizontal axis of rotation comprises a washer unit (1) supported on a base plate (4) via at least two spring struts (2) disposed at either side of the vertical plane passing through the axis of rotation. The spring struts (2) are elastically articulated at one end on the base plate (4) and on the other end are articulated with their respective tappets (13) on the washer unit (1). In order to provide support means which are simple in design and easily mounted and which have good oscillatory and damping properties, the spring struts (2) are articulated at both ends by means of a plug connection to the base plate (4) and the washer unit (1), respectively.

Abstract: In a lockable elevating mechanism for the continuous adjustment of chair seats, table tops or the like, a guide sleeve (1), attachable to a pedestal (4), and a length-adjustable lockable gas spring (8) are proposed, the piston rod (10) of which is connected axially fixed but detachable with the bottom of the guide sleeve (1). The housing (9) of the gas spring (8) can be connected axially fixed, but basically detachable, with a chair seat or the like by means of an upper fastening segment (21) seated in corresponding collar (22). An activating rod (26) extends upwardly from the housing (9). In order to easily detach the gas spring (8) from the chair seat or the table top, the housing (9) of the gas spring (8) is disposed radially fixed in an additional tube (20) having the fastening segment (21), wherein one end of the housing (9) axially rests against a stop in the area of the fastening segment (21) and wherein the other end rests against a fastening element (24), detachably connected with the tube (20).

Abstract: An adjustable-length column for chairs, tables or the like has an upright tube and a gas spring disposed in it. The piston rod of the gas spring is supported against a bottom plate of the upright tube. To assure support of the bottom plate in the face of extremely strong forces in the axial direction of the column at little manufacturing expense, the rim of the upright tube is bent inward approximately semicircularly in cross section. The bottom plate is supported on the end face of this rim.

Abstract: A gas spring has a cylindrical housing and a piston rod mounted coaxially within it and sealingly extended out of same. The piston rod has a tapering cooperating with a seal in its pushed-in position. The seal is designed to be radially resilient and has an axially-operating radially resilient supporting ring which has webs extending parallel with the axis elastically movable radially to the axis, against which the seal applies. The purpose of this design lies in reducing the thrust force of the gas spring when the piston rod is pushed in, which should result at the same time in a reliable sealing in all operational positions.

Abstract: A frictional damper, in particular for washing machines with spinning action, comprising a circular cylindrical housing and a tappet which is coaxially displaceable inside the housing and extends out of it with one end, the other end being provided with an approximately cylindrical friction piston. The friction piston has at least one friction coating made of an elastically resilient material and is provided with a grease chamber open towards the inner wall of the housing. In order to prevent a loss of damping because of a change from lubricated to dry friction, an extension tube is formed on the end of the tappet which is inside the housing which, together with an adjoining bracing flange and the inner wall of the housing, defines a grease collecting chamber.

Abstract: A frictional damper has a tubular housing and a slide which is guided slidably in this housing in the direction of its longitudinal axis. In the area of its end on the slide exit side, the housing is provided with a damping lining which bears against the slide. In order to achieve the setting and maintaining of constant frictional conditions, which can if necessary be varied from one frictional damper to another, at low cost, the damping lining is arranged in a separate damping housing which is inserted into the tubular housing from the end on the slide exit side and is fixed axially at this point in the direction of its longitudinal axis. In an otherwise identical housing and slide the damping housing and/or the damping lining can each have a different design.

Abstract: A compartment in a housing has a wall serving as a pressure diaphragm in communication with the contained fluid to be measured. A measuring element with a spherical cap is arranged in the compartment for the uniform transmission of pressure to electrically responsive pressure sensitive means on the measuring element. The measuring element contacts the pressure diaphragm at virtually only a single point. The diameter of the measuring element and, accordingly, of the compartment which includes the measuring element, can be considerably reduced, so that the mechanical strength of the pressure sensor is increased.