Abstract: Proposed is a ceramic-made electrostatic chuck consisting of two insulating ceramic layers and a metallic electrode layer integrally sandwiched between the two insulating layers, which has a very quick response characteristic to turning-on and -off of the electric voltage applied to the electrodes without affecting the very high electrostatic attracting force. This improvement can be obtained by forming the insulating ceramic layers from a specific ceramic material consisting of a highly resistive ceramic material such as alumina and the like and titanium nitride admixed with the former in an amount not exceeding 5% by weight but sufficient to impart the insulating ceramic layers with a volume resistivity in the range from 1.times.10.sup.8 to 1.times.10.sup.13 ohm.cm at 20.degree. C.

Abstract: An improvement is proposed in an electrostatic chuck having a chuck head comprising an electrode layer sandwiched between a backing insulating layer and a frontal insulating layer, which comes into contact with a work piece when the electrostatic chuck is working, by which the electrostatic chuck can exhibit a large electrostatic attractive force by increasing the voltage applied between the electrodes without the problem of dielectric breakdown in the insulating layer and a leak current occurring on the surface of the work piece. The improvement can be obtained by forming the frontal insulating layer in a two-layered structure consisting of a high-dielectric layer made from a material having a dielectric constant of at least 50 at a temperature of 20.degree. C. and a frequency of 1 MHz and a high-resistivity layer made from a material having a volume resistivity of at least 1.times.10.sup.12 ohm.cm at 20.degree. C.

Abstract: A rotary stand having a base and a turntable connected in a slidable manner at their respective circular faces by a connecting member inserted into an axis and a spacer which has a projection fitted to the outer periphery of the axis inserted into an elongated hole of the turntable, so that the projection is restricted to turn within the elongated hole, while being permitted to turn only in a predetermined area within the guide groove of the base.

Abstract: An exhaust gas cleaning device is disposed within an exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust port of an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas cleaning device comprises an inner pipe disposed coaxially within the exhaust pipe with an annular space defined therebetween, the inner pipe being provided with a plurality of perforations, and laminated structures disposed upon the inner and outer surfaces of the inner pipe and including a catalyst for cleaning unburned components of the exhaust gas flowing within the exhaust pipe, each of the laminated structures being formed of a material which is not deleterious to the catalyst. The laminated structure includes a catalyst carrier layer formed by, in accordance with one method, fusibly injecting a catalyst including a solution onto an intermediate layer formed upon the inner and outer surfaces of the inner pipe and drying the same so as to remove the liquid component therefrom.

Abstract: A gauge for detecting both the temperature and surface level of a fluid within a container. The gauge includes an elongated casing which extends into the fluid. A float which rises and falls with the fluid surface is slidably coupled to the casing and carries a magnet. A support member positioned within the casing carries both a sensor for determining the position of the magnet and a sensor for measuring the fluid temperature. The surface level of the fluid can be determined from the position of the magnet. A heat conducting element thermally couples the temperature detecting sensor to the fluid. In a preferred embodiment, the support member takes the form of a printed board. In a separate preferred aspect, the temperature and magnet detecting sensors are reed switches which are vertically spaced apart yet aligned in parallel to minimize interference.

Abstract: A piston member for an internal combustion engine of, for example, a motor bicycle is provided with bosses having inner end surfaces opposing to each other into which a piston pin is inserted. A connecting rod has small and large end portions and the small end portion is slidably coupled with the end surfaces when the connecting rod is inserted into the body of the piston member through a cutout portion formed at one end thereof to form a skirt portion. The sizes, dimensions, and structures of the end surfaces of the bosses, the cutout portion, and the associated elements are determined to be suitable for coating thin films of metallic particles on the end surfaces by flame coating means.

Abstract: A liquid level gauge comprising a core disposed inside a liquid container that has a cross sectional configuration that varies in the direction of its height, the core extending in the vertical direction and isolated from the liquid, a coil wound around the core in the direction of the length of the core, the coil comprising a densely wound portion formed at one end of the core and a thinly wound portion wound around the remaining part of the core, a conductor ring disposed around the outer circumference of the coil and is movable in the direction of the length of the coil according to the liquid level inside the container, a detecting portion that detects the change in the inductance of the coil according to the displacement of the conductor ring, a transforming portion that transforms the change in the inductance of the coil to a change in an electric signal, and a display portion that displays the quantity of the liquid inside te container, corresponding to the electric signal, the thinly wound portion hav

Abstract: An ignition timing controlling device for an internal combustion engine includes a reference position signal generating circuit for generating a reference position signal each time the rotational angular position of a crank of an internal combustion engine reaches a reference angular position. A pressure indicating signal generating circuit generates a pressure indicating signal indicative of an internal pressure of a combustion chamber of the engine. A peak detecting circuit generates a pressure indicating peak value, a position signal indicative of a maximum peak value and a position of the pressure indicating signal after generation of a reference position signal until generation of a next reference position signal. An ignition instructing circuit is provided for instructing ignition at an ignition angle corresponding to the pressure indicating peak value and the position signal.

Abstract: A steering wheel assembly including an insulated base having a surface; a plurality of segmented slip rings having surfaces, disposed separately on the insulated base along a circular line such that they are mutually insulated; a plurality of contact pins that make sliding contact with the segmented slip rings along the circular line, and are set facing the surfaces of the segmented slip rings; and interposing pieces provided between the adjacent segmented slip rings such that the contact pins can move smoothly across the segmented slip rings.

Abstract: An ignition timing control system for an internal combustion engine which controls the ignition timing for one engine cycle in response to the maximum peak position datum of the indicative pressure signal representing the inner pressure within the combustion chamber during the preceding engine cycle. A misfire detecting means is provided which produces a misfire detection signal upon incomplete combustion in the combustion chamber in an engine cycle. The maximum peak position datum is neglected during the engine cycle in which the misfire detection signal appears. At least one pressure sensor is provided for one cylinder in a group of the cylinders having generally the same charging efficiency or volumetric efficiency.

Abstract: A liquid level indicator for detecting a liquid level by utilizing the variation inductance of a coil having a core made of an electrical insulating magnetic material and provided inside a winding of the coil. The core may be made by piling a plurality of thin, plate-shaped conductive materials one on another in the cross-sectional direction of the coil so that they are insulated from each other or by winding a conductive magnetic material at least one turn in the form of a roll so that a closed loop current is not formed in the cross-sectional direction of the coil. An eddy current loss of the core so arranged is so small that it can be disregarded. Furthermore, the winding component of the core itself is substantially released in the equivalent circuit of the coil.

Abstract: A level gage mounting structure comprising a level gage secured to an upper member of a liquid storage container and vertically extending inside the container, the level gage having its lower end supported on the bottom surface of the container, and a deformable member provided between the upper member and the upper end of the level gage to support the upper end of the level gage, the deformable member being deformable vertically in unison with any vertical deformation of the upper and bottom surfaces of the container, thus enabling the lower end of the level gage to be in contact with the bottom surface of the container at all times.

Abstract: A communication structure provided in a steering wheel. The steering wheel includes having a steering shaft; a boss fixed to it. At least one spoke fixed to the boss. A pad is installed relatively rotatably to the steering shaft at a position more proximate to the driver than the boss. A column is positioned in relation to the pad so that at least one of the spoke and a boss plate is sandwiched therebetween. At least one set of magnetic communication units composed of a receiving unit and a transmitting unit is provided on the pad and said column, at least one of which consists of a core and a coil wound thereon.

Abstract: An ignition timing control system for an internal combustion controls the ignition timing in dependence upon an indicative pressure signal representing changes of the inner pressure within the combustion chamber of the engine. The ignition timing control system ceases the feed-back control based on the indicative pressure signal but performs an open loop control under predetermined engine operational conditions.

Abstract: An ignition timing control method for an internal combustion engine which controls the ignition timing of the engine in response to the indicative pressure signal representing the inner pressure of the combustion chamber while keeping the maximum peak position of the indicative pressure signal around a target position or zone. The target position or zone is regulated in accordance with one or more engine parameters.

Abstract: An attitude detecting arrangement for detecting the attitude of objects such as electronic chip parts and the like, which includes a sensor section having sensors capable of detecting lengths in a horizontal direction and a vertical direction so as to detect the thickness and the length of the object when a portion of light is intercepted by the object held by a suction nozzle, a comparing value memory section in which preliminarily obtained data corresponding to the thickness and length of the object to be detected are stored, and an operation processing section for detecting the attitude of the object to be detected by comparing the data obtained by the sensors with the preliminarily obtained data corresponding the thickness and length of the object.

Abstract: An ignition timing control system for an internal combustion chamber includes means for holding a maximum peak position signal of an indicative pressure signal at each engine cycle, means for picking up the held maximum peak position data signal, and means for establishing a suitable ignition angle for keeping the ignition timing to a target optimum ignition timing on the basis of the picked-up maximum peak position signal. The pick-up period is restricted within a narrow crank angle region in which any appreciable level of noises will not be expected in the indicative pressure signal. The narrow crank angle region is defined precisely by counting clock or timing pulses produced therein up to a predetermined number or by supervising the variation in level of the indicative pressure signal.

Abstract: In a feed-back engine control system in response to an indicative pressure signal representing the inner pressure of the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, uncertain states are detected by comparing peak positions appearing in the respective ones of the indicative pressure signal and the filtered indicative pressure signal, thereby to avoid unfavorable operation of the system.

Abstract: An ignition timing control system for an internal combustion engine includes a crank angle detector for producing a first pulse signal indicative of a reference crank angle position of the crankshaft and a second pulse signal indicative of a crank angle position that changes constantly with rotation of the crankshaft, an ideal crank angle detector for producing an output signal based on the first and second pulse signals and indicative of an ideal crank angle position at which pressure internal of the engine cylinder attains a peak value, pressure sensing means for producing an output signal indicative of the peak pressure value, a phase difference detector for producing an output signal indicative of the phase difference between the ideal crank angle position signal and the peak pressure value signal, first ignition timing control means for producing an output signal indicative of optimum ignition timing which is in accordance with the phase difference output signal, and second ignition timing control means

Abstract: The present invention relates to a liquid level meter, comprising a coil having a core, a float which is provided at the external circumference of coil so that it can move in the longitudinal direction along the same core and comprises a conductor ring, a detector which detects change of inductance of coil in accordance with movement of said float namely conductor ring, a converting circuit which converts change of inductance detected by the detector into change of voltage and a liquid level indicator which is driven by a drive circuit in accordance with such conversion.