Abstract: An apparatus that detects a reference position of a throttle valve. The throttle valve is forced in either a valve opening direction or a valve closing directions by an urging member. A DC motor, which is connected to the throttle valve, drives the throttle valve against the force created by the urging member within a rotatable angle that is restricted by a stopper. A throttle valve opening sensor detects an opening angle of the throttle valve. A lock current detecting circuit detects a lock current created by the DC motor when the DC motor is brought into contact with the stopper. A throttle valve reference position renewing circuit updates the reference position, which is memorized in a throttle valve reference position memory, on the basis of an opening angle of the throttle valve, which is detected by the throttle valve opening sensor, when the lock current detecting circuit detects the lock current.

Abstract: A throttle control apparatus includes an electrical drive unit for electrically driving a throttle of an internal combustion engine and a mechanical drive unit for driving the throttle through the operation of an accelerator by a driver. In the case where an abnormality is generated in the electrical drive unit, the driving of the throttle by the electrical drive unit is interrupted and the throttle is thereinstead driven by the mechanical drive unit. The mechanical drive unit is provided with a throttle opening angle control member. The throttle control apparatus further includes a torque control unit for suppressing an increase in output torque of the internal combustion engine in the case where a throttle opening angle is increased in the direction of an opening angle set by the throttle opening angle control member when the driving of the throttle by the electrical drive unit is interrupted.

Abstract: A constrained chip for a plasma Jet torch is here disclosed, and the constrained chip is made of a metal, is forcedly cooled, and functions as one discharge electrode. A plasma generated by gas discharge is Jetted through a nozzle of the constrained chip for the plasma jet torch. This constrained chip 30 is all completely made of a Cu and Zr alloy, and a nozzle portion 32 has a nozzle bore diameter of 3.0 mm to 3.5 mm and a nozzle constraint ratio b/a (b is a length of the nozzle constrained portion) of 2.5 to 3.

Abstract: A vehicle slip control system for controlling a wheel slip based on a friction coefficient of a road surface measures an engine torque T.sub.E by applying an intake pipe negative pressure Pm and a number of engine revolutions Ne to an engine model. A drive torque T is measured by applying the engine torque T.sub.E to an A/T model, and a driving wheel acceleration d.omega. is obtained by finding a difference of a detected driving wheel speed .omega.. By filtering this driving wheel acceleration d.omega., a post-filter driving wheel acceleration d.omega..sub.0 is calculated. A squat force Ws is calculated from the drive-torque T and the post-filter driving wheel acceleration d.omega., and a friction coefficient .mu. of the road surface is estimated from the squat force Ws. The estimated friction coefficient .mu. is used to control a wheel slip.

Abstract: A slip control apparatus for use in a motor vehicle having an engine for generating a motive power to drive the motor vehicle. The apparatus comprises a first detector for detecting a speed of a driven wheel of the motor vehicle which is driven by the motive power generated from the engine, a second detector for detecting a running speed of the motor vehicle and a third detector for detecting an acceleration of the driven wheel. Also included in the apparatus are a decision unit for determining the occurrence of slipping of the driven wheel on the basis of the detection results of the first and second detectors, a driving force adjusting device for adjusting a driving force of the motor vehicle, and a control unit for controlling the slip of the driven wheel on the basis of information from the first to third detectors.

Abstract: A control apparatus for use in an internal combustion engine system of a motor vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission having therein a lock-up mechanism. There is included a vehicle resonance reducing section for controlling an opening degree of a throttle valve when the motor vehicle is in an acceleration state so as to reduce a vehicle resonance accompanying an operation of the engine. The vehicle resonance reducing section estimates a torque to be required for the engine on the basis of an accel-operating amount due to the vehicle drive and the engine operating state and corrects the estimated torque by using operation variables of the motor vehicle so as to calculate a target throttle opening degree. Also included in the control apparatus is a lock-up control section for compulsorily locking up the automatic transmission when the vehicle resonance reducing section is in operation.

Abstract: A traction control system controls the engine torque so as to prevent wheel slip during acceleration. The system has an electric control unit ECU which detects the state of wheel slip on the basis of the deviation of the drive wheel speed from a target drive wheel speed computed in accordance with signals from various sensors such as drive wheel speed sensors, trailing wheel speed sensors, shift position sensor for sensing the shift position in an electronic control transmission ECT, engine speed sensor and accelerator sensor for sensing the amount of operation of accelerator. The ECU computes, in accordance with the state of the slip, a limit drive torque which does not allow surplus wheel slip during acceleration.