Abstract: The present invention relates to an air-conditioning apparatus provided in an vehicle. The apparatus is adapted to deliver conditioned air into a passenger compartment so as to regulate an interior temperature of a passenger compartment at a desired temperature. The apparatus comprises a temperature regulating device for regulating an outlet air temperature, a blower, and a controller for setting a target outlet air temperature and volume.

Abstract: This invention has as its object to provide a method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle air conditioner, which can obtain a combination of an outlet air flow rate V.sub.a and an outlet air temperature T.sub.o, which is desirable for comfort of a passenger, under a condition of air-conditioning control based on a heat balance equation. In order to achieve this object, this invention provides a method of controlling a vehicle air conditioner including the first step of obtaining, from a heat balance equation, a plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V.sub.a and the outlet air temperatures T.sub.o necessary for maintaining the passenger room temperature to be a predetermined target temperature, the second step of calculating comfort indices each representing the comfort level of a passenger on the basis of state amounts of factors which influence comfort felt by the passenger in the passenger room, and the plurality of combinations of the outlet air flow rates V.sub.

Abstract: An operation apparatus for a vehicle automatic transmission mechanism includes an actuator for driving a hydraulic valve for switching a travel range of an automatic transmission mechanism, a control unit for controlling the actuator, and a transmission operation unit for outputting a range switching instruction to the control unit. In the preferred embodiment, the transmission operation unit includes a stroke contact type operation switch suitably mounted on a side surface of a steering column so that at least forward vehicle travel ranges can be switched by only a stretched finger of the hand of a vehicle driver who continues to maintain his grip on the steering wheel with the same hand. The operation switch can include either a rotary switch or slide switch mounted on the steering column.

Abstract: A multiple signal transmitting apparatus for automobiles includes a plurality of switches mounted on the steering wheel of an automobile, a multiplexing circuit mounted on the steering wheel for multiplexing the output signals of the switches, at least one light-emitting device mounted on a moving part rotatable together with the steering wheel so as to be arranged on a circumference lying in a plane perpendicular to the central axis of rotation of the steering wheel and concentric with the central axis of rotation to generate a light signal in response to the multiplexed output signal of the multiplexing circuit, at least one light-sensitive device mounted on the surface of the steering wheel bearing portion facing the light-emitting device to receive the light signal from the light-emitting device and generate an output signal, and a decoder circuit mounted on the body portion of the automobile to decode the output signal of the light-sensitive device to generate signals corresponding to the output signals

Abstract: A method of and an apparatus for indicating a remaining fuel quantity for vehicles, designed to digitally indicate the quantity of fuel remaining in the fuel tank of a vehicle. The method of and the apparatus for repeating the operations of performing sampling detection of an amount of fuel remaining in the fuel tank of a vehicle, determining a center value for a plurality of remaining fuel quantity values detected by a microcomputer, determining limit values each thereof being apart from the center value by a predetermined amount, using any subsequent detected value exceeding the limit values as a new limit value, computing an average value of a predetermined number of detected sampling values, and indicating it on a display.

Abstract: In a gasket of a cell comprising a marginal portion, an annular center portion and an intermediate portion integrally formed with each other, the intermediate portion of the gasket has an inwardly projecting annular thin wall surrounding the annular center portion with an annular space therebetween. The annular thin wall has, generally, an inverted frusto-conical shape and is provided at the outer surface thereof with an annular horizontal groove and a vertical groove intersecting with each other.

Abstract: A sealing gasket of a cell comprises a circumferential marginal portion constricted between a metal casing and a terminal plate, a center collar through which a collector metal rod penetrates, and an intermediate portion integrally molded with the marginal portion and the center collar and having a thin wall portion tearable by a stretching force applied thereto. The center collar of the gasket is normally separated from the terminal plate but is movable toward the terminal plate by sliding on the collector metal rod in the event that the internal gas pressure within the cell is abnormally developed, whereby the thin wall portion of the gasket is stretched and torn to release the gas.

Abstract: In an alkaline battery hermetically sealed by fusion of an insulator containing silicon oxide such as glass interposed between an annular metal cover electrically connected to one electrode of the battery and a metal member connected to the other electrode of the battery, an annular packing is disposed inside the annular metal cover in abutment therewith, and a metal collector plate is connected to the metal member and disposed below the insulator. The peripheral edge of the metal collector plate is tightly held against the inner periphery of the packing to define a closed space between the insulator and the collector plate.