Abstract: A shock absorbing vehicle body structure in a vehicle includes a substantially quadrilateral front subsidiary frame comprised of left and right side members extending in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle body and connected at their front and rear ends to each other by a front cross member and a rear cross member. The front subsidiary frame is supported at its four corners on main frames for the vehicle body through rubber mounts and bolts. Upon full-lap collision of the vehicle, the left rear bolt is first broken, whereby the rear end of the left side member is separated from the main frame and then, the right rear bolt is broken, whereby the rear end of the right side member is separated from the main frame. The right and left side members are formed with different rigidities to a longitudinal load applied thereto, which causes the right and left rear bolts to break at different times, or with a time lag therebetween.

Abstract: An airbag module is provided at a central portion of a steering wheel, and includes an inflator, an airbag and a front steering cover. A steering boss having an arm is secured to a steering shaft. A side wall of the front steering cover is supported by the arm through an energy-absorbing support arrangement. When the developing airbag contacts with an occupant in a vehicle and a reaction force from the occupant is applied to the airbag module, the support arrangement is caused to plastically deform to move the airbag module in a direction opposite from the developing direction of the airbag. With this arrangement, when the airbag develops and holds the occupant, it is possible to hold him or her as soft as possible.

Abstract: A low-noise-block downconverter (LNB) for use with flat antennas receiving dual polarized electromagnetic waves includes a body case mounted to a rear side surface of the flat antenna, the body case having two wave guide input ports corresponding to wave guide apertures of the antenna and enclosing a selective device alternatively allowing either one of two outputs corresponding to two different type polarized electromagnetic waves received.

Abstract: At least the first chamfered portion 22 for forming the apex portion 8 has a surface roughness (R.sub.p-p) of 0.6 .mu.m or under. This first chamfered portion 22 is formed through grinding with a #2500 or #1500 grinding stone.

Abstract: In an inflatable air bag system for restraining a vehicle occupant in case of a high acceleration situation such as a vehicle crash comprising a casing accommodating a folded air bag therein, the casing is adapted to be installed into an opening of an instrument panel facing the vehicle occupant. The casing is relatively securely attached to the vehicle body at its lower end, but is simply secured to the instrument panel at its upper end by means of a slot and projection engagement structure which is adapted to be engaged as a result of fully inserting the casing in the opening. Thus, the work involved in installing the air bag system is simplified, but the casing is secured in a sufficiently stable fashion because the slot and projection engagement structure is highly effective in restraining the rotating movement of the casing around its fixedly secured lower end. In use, this structure allows the casing to be securely supported against the reaction caused by the deployment of the air bag.

Abstract: In a passive restraint system for a vehicle occupant using an inflatable air bag, an open base end of the air bag is clamped between an air bag housing for accommodating the air bag in its folded state and an inflator housing for receiving an inflator for producing the inflating gas therein. Thus, the base end of the air bag can be attached securely and tightly to the air bag system in a highly simple manner. The air bag housing diverges toward the opening for deploying the air bag, and the air bag can be therefore rapidly deployed without encountering any substantial resistance from the air bag housing. Also, the diverging shape of the air bag housing allows the air bag housing to be laterally deformed to absorb the energy of impact applied thereto.

Abstract: An air bag device for use in front of a passenger seat of an automobile includes a casing disposed in the instrument panel of the automobile, a folded air bag housed in the casing and inflatable through the upper opening upon impact, and a lid openably joined to the casing in covering relationship to the upper opening. An air bag restraint guide or protective cloth is joined to the casing for preventing the air bag from directly contacting an edge of the upper opening when the air bag is inflated through the upper opening.

Abstract: A turning center line is provided at a front edge side of a lid mounted on an upper surface of an instrument panel for permitting spreading of an air bag, and the lid is provided at a rear edge side thereof with a free end which is adapted to abut against a front windshield when the lid is opened.

Abstract: An inflatable bag assembly is suitable for a seat of a vehicle such as an assistant driver's seat and has a bag which is inflatable in a curved configuration offset to one side. The bag is accommodated in a retainer case in a folded position. A gas generator has a gas outlet which is offset to one side with respect to the bag. Alternatively, the bag itself may be distributed less to one side of the retainer case than to the other side. Such a configuration of the gas generator or the bag allows the bag to begin inflating at the particular side mentioned above.

Abstract: A planar antenna has an active circuit block, the whole or part of which is internally mounted to a planar antenna body so that connecting terminal of the block will be connected to a feeding point on power supply plate of the antenna body. Dimensional minimization of the entire antenna can be thereby attained and noise figure of the active circuit can be simultaneously reduced.

Abstract: A converter for use with planar antennas has a probe projected into an input part of waveguide structure as extended along a plane including a circuit board in a body of the converter, an opening of which input part being disposed in parallel to the plane, whereby the converter input part is allowed to have a thickness limited within the thickness of the converter body to remarkably reduce the entire thickness for effectively realizing a minimization in the thickness of the converter.

Abstract: A microwave plane antenna including rows comprising pairs of parallel conductive line antenna elements configured as a pair of out-of-phase square waves and a signal feed circuit of strip lines arranged as a corporate feed network. The respective conducting paths which run from a main feed inlet end of the circuit to each signal receiving end of the respective elements being varied in length, so that the main beam direction can be set in a plane including that of the antenna and normal to lengthwise axis of the antenna elements for a remarkable increase in the reception gain.

Abstract: A plane antenna comprises a stack of a radiator circuit, first and second power supply circuits and earthing conductor member which are disposed independent of one another with dielectric layers respectively interposed between them, wherein patch elements of the radiator circuit which are respectively disposed in each of slots made in the circuit are electromagnetically coupled to power supplying terminals of the both power supplying circuits rather than directly connecting them, whereby the radiator circuit and power supply terminals are freed from the necessity of direct connection between them as well as the impedance matching between them, so as to eventually improve the assembling ability to a large extent.

Abstract: A plane antenna assembly comprises a plurality of antenna bases and a signal composing means including amplifiers each connected to output part of each antenna base for composing respective outputs of the antenna bases amplified through the amplifiers, whereby a composite antenna output is obtained in correspondence to the number of the antenna bases and in an excellent S/N ratio.

Abstract: A microwave plane antenna comprises a plurality of pairs of antenna elements connected at their one end to a power supply circuit and respectively including at the other terminating end an impedance-matched patch antenna means, whereby signal energy remaining at the terminating ends of the antenna elements is caused to be effectively utilized as radiation energy, and any power loss is restrained for a high antenna gain and improved aperture efficiency.