Abstract: A travelling carriage driving apparatus includes a unit being controlled so as to be always located in a predetermined position, and a travelling carriage accommodating the unit. A guide mechanism allows the travelling carriage to be freely reciprocated. A deviation detecting mechanism detects a deviation of the unit from the predetermined position during the movement of the travelling carriage. A unit position adjusting mechanism is coupled to the unit and the travelling carriage, and moves in a predetermined direction, the unit accommodated in the travelling carraige. A controller controls the unit position adjusting mechanism in accordance with the detected deviation of the unit so that the unit is located in the predetermined position.

Abstract: A method of measuring the origin and amount of a shear between a basic light beam and a reference light beam in a shearing interferometric system. To detect the shear origin, shutters are disposed respectively in the optical paths of the basic and reference light beams. The basic and reference light beams are guided through a condenser lens toward a four-segment light detector. First, the optical path of the reference light beam is closed to allow only the basic light beam to fall on the four-segment light detector. By adjusting the position of the light detector, the position of the basic light beam is identified. Then, the optical path of the basic light beam is closed to allow only the reference light beam to reach the light detector. While output signals from the light detector are being monitored, a shearing member is displaced to shift the reference light beam to detect the shear origin in which the reference and basic light beams are overlapped.

Abstract: A remote meter reading system in which clock pulses are transmitted to a selected remote terminal to charge a capacitor there which acts as the terminal power supply. Subsequent clock pulses reset a ten-stage bit counter and four-stage digit counter, after which additional clock pulses step the bit counter, the outputs of which are AND-gated with the outputs of the digit counter, in such a manner that the current drawn from the central data collection terminal is increased whenever there is coincidence between the bit counter and digit counter outputs. A counter at the central data terminal is stepped by the clock pulses and disabled by the relatively large pulses developed when the bit and digit counter outputs coincide. Therefore, the output of the central data terminal counter corresponds to the desired meter reading.

Abstract: An alarm system for detecting a dangerous condition such as the increase in content of or the presence of toxic or inflammable gas in the air and giving a warning signal. The alarm system comprises an AC power supply, a full-wave rectifier connected to the AC power supply and rectifying alternating current from the AC power source into direct current. An AC bridge circuit connected to the AC power supply and includes a sensor element at least in one branch. An AC operational amplifier is supplied with power from the full-wave rectifier and receives an input signal which is the output signal delivered from the bridge circuit through a DC blocking capacitor. A thyristor is connected in parallel with the AC power supply, with its control gate connected to the output of the operational amplifier, and its main electrodes in series with an alarm indicator actuable when the thyristor is triggered into the conduction state.

Abstract: A data collection system wherein a metering center or central metering station sequentially selects a large number of remote terminal equipment block selectors and through the selected selector sequentially selects a plurality of terminal equipments or meters each for each comsumer belonging to the selected selector whereby the data or readings of the meters may be sequentially read into the metering center. The combinations of two coded signals are used for the selection of the terminal equipment block selectors while one code signal is singly used for selecting one of the terminal equipments. According one aspect of the present invention the terminal equipments having special instruction codes recorded therein are inserted into the groups and blocks to facilitate the switching of readings from one group or block to another.

Abstract: A number of remote terminals are connected to various utility meters to store the readings therein. A central terminal sequentially transmits signals to the remote terminals to actuate the same to transmit the meter readings to the central terminal. Each remote terminal comprises storage units to store the readings of the meters respectively. Each storage unit is designed to store the number of digits required for the meter reading, and also a code digit which indicates the type of meter (gas, electric, etc.) or instructions (skip to next meter, remote terminal address, user number, etc.). The code digit is transmitted as if it were a part of the meter reading. A connector card is insertable into a receptacle to detachably set the codes into the storage units of the remote terminals.