Abstract: An expert system infers by using deep knowledge and shallow knowledge. The deep knowledge may be physical rules which are basically satisfied in an electrical circuit which is an object of inference, and the shallow knowledge may be assumption knowledge derived from expert experience relating to the electrical circuit. The deep knowledge includes structure information of the object of inference and equation information representing behavior of the object. The structure of the shallow knowledge, which includes a concluding equation derived by omitting a portion of the equation of the deep knowledge, a conditional equation representing a condition under which the concluding equation is satisfied and the omitted item, is made essentially similar to the structure of the deep knowledge so that both the deep knowledge and the shallow knowledge are uniformly handled in one inference process.

Abstract: An IC card comprises a thermoplastic resin core sheet and an IC chip bearing a conductive projection formed on an electrode of the IC chip, the IC chip being embedded in the core sheet in such a manner that the exposed top surface of the conductive projection is made flush with the main surface of the core sheet. A conductive layer pattern formed on the main surface of the core sheet is extended for contact with the exposed top surface.

Abstract: An image transmitting optical fiber device is improved in contrast by limiting the incident angle of light applied thereto and/or by placing an antireflection member in the light path at one or both of the ends of the device.

Abstract: Terminal-equipped electronic elements, such as chip resistors and chip diodes, are arranged such that one surface of each terminal contacts one surface of a support board, the support board being placed to face a flat plate through a spacer. An electrically insulative liquid synthetic resin is injected between the support board and the flat board and cured to form a synthetic resin layer burying the electronic elements. The support board, flat board and spacer are peeled from the electronic elements and the synthetic resin layer to expose one surface of the terminal of each electronic element on one surface of the synthetic resin layer. A conductive pattern is formed on the synthetic resin layer by screen printing to connect the terminals of the electronic elements.

Abstract: A composite optical fiber for use with a sensor includes an imaging optical fiber which receives information-carrying light that is reflected from a target, and a transparent material that includes the imaging optical fiber in its interior and which transmits an illuminating light from a light source to the target. The light-receiving optical fiber is an integral part of the transparent material, and it has an increased cross-sectional area for transmitting the illuminating light with respect to its overall outside diameter. The optical fiber can be produced by the extrusion technique without arranging a multiplicity of light-transmitting fibers and encasing them within a heat-shrinkable tube.

Abstract: A fiberscope for conducting observations in a region ordinarily filled with an opaque liquid, particularly, inside blood vessels or the heart. A recess is provided at a front end of a cover tube for accommodating a front end portion of an image fiber and a bundle of illuminating light transmitting optical fibers which are bonded to a light guide front end part molded to conform to a part of the inner wall of a cover tube, and an optical fiber bundle provided by bonding front end portions of the image fiber and the light guide is fixedly bonded to the inner wall of the cover tube. A transparent liquid, physiological saline in preferred embodiments, is injected from a hole near the end of the fiberscope at a flow rate determined in accordance with the flow rate of the opaque liquid to temporarily displace some of the opaque liquid to permit observation. Further, the injection of the transparent liquid may be done in synchronization with variations of the pressure and/or flow velocity of the opaque liquid.

Abstract: This invention refers to a plant operating method for overcoming an abnormal status of a plant. A plant data is detected from the plant, and all plant state members indicating an abnormality of the plant are identified from the plant data. The plant operating method includes estimating a cause whereby the plant status members are produced, predicting all plant status members arising after passing a given period of time according to the estimated cause, determining whether or not actual plant status members are present in the plant state members predicted and when the latter members are not present in the former members, repeatedly carrying out the processing of the steps of estimating and predicting to which the plant status members forecasted at the predicting step are inputted until all the actual plant status members come to exist in the plant status members forecasted at the predicting step.

Abstract: An optical fiber gyro system provides a pair of separated optical paths containing partial common portions. A phase difference .DELTA..theta. is detected using a plurality of detectors which yield sin and cos functions in .DELTA..theta.. Functions are formed as linear couplings of these functions, and the phase difference .DELTA..theta. is obtained using the function of best sensitivity for the given range of .DELTA..theta..

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a gas turbine engine. A control device is provided for controlling the energy conversion function of the engine. Adjustments of the control device are obtained by comparing an actual value of a condition of the engine with a demand value of the engine condition to produce an error between the actual and demand values and calculating a value corresponding to a setting of the control device to reduce the error to zero. A surge detector generates a surge detection signal when engine surge intensity exceeds a reference level. The engine condition demand value is modified based upon the surge detection signal to suppress the engine surge.

Abstract: A sensor for use in detecting cardiopulmonary functions employs a skin-heating conductive surface for use in achieving vasodilitation for the measurement of PO.sub.2 and PCO.sub.2. The same surface is employed as an electrode for a heartbeat and/or respiration rate measuring device.

Abstract: A vehicle brake controller provided with an electronic data processor to keep uniform the relationship between the pedal effort and the effectiveness of the brake independently of the change in various driving conditions. Data processor stores an optimum relationship, processes the signals from the sensors, computes a desired deceleration and gives a control signal to the control valve so that the actual deceleration will be equal to the desired deceleration.

Abstract: An optical connector system for combining light-receiving and light-transmitting optical fiber bundles has a male and female housing fitted to one end of light-transmitting and light-receiving bundles. The optical fiber bundles are held in the housings such that the end surface of a light receiving fiber bundle and that of a light-transmitting fiber bundle are simultaneously coupled to each other when the housings are joined. The female housing may contain a light-transmitting window and a light-receiving window such that when the male housing engages the female housing, the light-transmitting window faces the end surface of the light-transmitting fiber bundle and the light-receiving window faces the end surface of the light receiving bundle.

Abstract: An output signal of a vibration sensor mounted on an internal combustion engine is compared with a background noise reference signal to produce a knock signal which can accurately represent the intensity of knocking. The background noise level signal is produced by averaging a component of the vibration sensor output signal which represents the vibration of the engine other than knock-induced vibration. In order to produce a feedback signal for inhibiting the knock induced component of the sensor output signal, a first comparator compares the sensor output signal with a first reference signal having a sufficiently low level. Knock signal is produced by a second comparator which receives a second reference signal, which is proportional to the first reference signal but having sufficiently higher level, thereby enabling a precise determination of knock intensity.

Abstract: An ignition timing control device for an internal combustion engine, which avoids excessive knocking during sudden acceleration. There is provided means responsive to the manipulation of the engine to generate a signal. The signal thus generated is passed to actual ignition timing determining means, whereby the normal ignition timing of the engine is quickly retarded to such an extent that excessive knocking can be avoided, and the timing can be recovered immediately after the end of the retardation.

Abstract: The grounding of an electrical apparatus is monitored by a primary circuit which is inductively coupled to a coil connected in series between the grounding line of the power cord and a grounding terminal on the electrical apparatus to which a second grounding line is connected.

Abstract: Signals for controlling the discharge current and laser gas pressure are provided in predetermined combination in accordance with a selected laser output level.

Abstract: A transcutaneous blood oxygen measuring device is disclosed for the noninvasive measurement of oxygen partial pressure in arterial blood which includes a cathode surrounded by an anode held together by an insulating plastic in an electrode part, a heating portion to heat the skin of a subject to which the device is applied and to receive the electrodes plus an electrolyte. The heating portion has an opening to indirectly expose the electrodes, via an electrolyte and associated membrane, to the subject's skin surface. Adjacent the working surfaces of each electrode an electrolyte is provided, retained by an oxygen permeable membrane which, in turn, is brought into contact with the subject's skin. The working face of one electrode, typically the cathode, is extended beyond the plane of the working face of the other electrode; the opening in the heater is smoothly rounded and the cathode plus tapered hole, both having approximately the same cross-sectional area, are placed in close proximity with each other.

Abstract: A knocking detector senses engine vibration and produces an electrical signal corresponding to such vibration. This signal is then rectified and smoothed to produce a background noise signal. When the magnitude of the background noise level signal is greater than a reference value, the amplitude of the rectified signal is limited so that the background noise level signal has a substantially constant level. This limited background noise level signal is then compared with the initial signal from the sensor, and if the initial signal from the sensor is greater in magnitude than the background noise signal, the engine is considered to be in knocking condition.

Abstract: A device for judging knocking strength of an engine has a sensor (1) which detects pressure variations in a combustion chamber of the engine. A rectification circuit (3) rectifies the output of the sensor (1), the output of the rectification circuit (3) being smoothed by a smoothing circuit (4) to give the envelope waveform of the output of the sensor (1). The envelope waveform is differentiated by a differentiating circuit (5), the amplitude of the output of the differentiating circuit (5) being used to detect the knocking condition.

Abstract: This invention refers to a .[.plant operating.]. method .Iadd.and apparatus for guidance of an operation .Iaddend.for overcoming an abnormal status of a plant. A plant data is detected from the plant, and all plant state members indicating an abnormality of the plant are identified from the plant data. The plant operating method .Iadd.and apparatus .Iaddend.includes .Iadd.apparatus for .Iaddend.