Abstract: First and second valve-operating characteristic changing mechanisms for changing the valve lift and the valve timing of an intake valve respectively are provided on an intake side of an engine. A hydraulic pressure control valve for the first valve-operating characteristic changing mechanism is mounted on one side of a cylinder head, and an oil filter for the second valve-operating characteristic changing mechanism is mounted on the other side of the cylinder head. The hydraulic pressure control valve and the oil filter are mounted outside a chain cover covering a timing chain. Therefore, the control valve and the oil filter do not interfere with the timing chain, and the maintenance of the control valve and the oil filter is carried out without removal of the chain cover.

Abstract: In a case member mounting structure for mounting a chain case to an engine body, the chain case is fastened to the engine body by a number of bolts applied along the outer edges thereof and by bolts applied to portions in a central region thereof. The chain case has a plurality of central fastening boss portions in a central region of the inner wall surface, and bolt fastening holes are formed in the respective central fastening boss portions. An annular connection wall is formed in a projecting fashion to connect the central fastening boss portions such that the chain case is affixed to the engine body by putting the connection wall and the central fastening boss portions in abutment with the engine body. As a result, it is possible to fasten the chain case with fewer fastening bolts, enhance the rigidity of the central region of the chain case and prevent its vibrations.

Abstract: A closure device for transcatheter operations includes a longitudinally elasticated fixing member (1) having a shape-restoring force and being provided with a relatively large-sized, first and second circular portion (11,12) at both ends thereof, and a closure membrane (2) attached to the first circular portion (11) and closing up a ring thereof. The first circular portion (11) is fixed by a connecting portion extending from the fixed circular portion and progressively decreasing in size toward the second circular portion. The second circular portion may be provided with a holding portion (13) as occasion demands.

Abstract: Sprockets are fixed to ends of camshafts supported in a cylinder head via camshaft holders. A timing chain is wrapped around these sprockets. The relief oil from a hydraulic control valve for controlling a variable valve operating characteristic mechanism passes through an oil passage formed in the plane in which the cylinder head and the camshaft holder are joined and flows out of an oil drain hole, thus lubricating the section where the sprocket is meshed with the timing chain. The section where the sprocket of the camshaft is meshed with the timing chain can thereby be lubricated reliably by a simple structure.

Abstract: Sprockets are fixed to ends of camshafts supported in a cylinder head via camshaft holders, and a timing chain is wrapped around these sprockets. An oil drain hole is provided for supplying relief oil of a hydraulic control valve to the timing chain, and an oil jet is provided for issuing a jet of oil at high pressure from the hydraulic control valve to the timing chain. When the engine is rotating at low speed oil is supplied only through the oil drain hole, and when the engine is rotating at high speed, oil is supplied through both the oil jet and the oil drain hole. The timing chain wrapped around the sprockets of the camshafts can thereby be reliably lubricated according to the operational state of the engine.

Abstract: Camshaft sprockets are fixed to ends of an intake camshaft and an exhaust camshaft supported between a lower camshaft holder and an upper camshaft holder, and a timing chain is wrapped around these camshaft sprockets. A variable cam phase mechanism is provided on the intake camshaft sprocket, and an oil jet that issues a jet of oil for lubricating the timing chain is disposed between the exhaust camshaft sprocket and the lower camshaft holder. The jet of oil issued by the oil jet is directed toward the section where the intake camshaft sprocket is meshed with the timing chain. The oil jet that issues a jet of oil for lubricating the timing chain can thereby be arranged in a compact manner.

Abstract: An easily foldable closure device for transcatheter operations, comprises: a flat closure member including a closure membrane and a frame for fimbriating a periphery of the membrane; a fixing member for fixing the closure member to a tissue surrounding a defect aperture; and a connecting member fixed at one end to the fixing member and at the other end to the closure member for holding them in close proximity to one another. The frame, fixing member and connecting member are respectively made of the same or different shape-memory alloys with a shape recovery temperature of 30 to 37° C.

Abstract: A casing of an ECU is formed within an air cleaner of an intake module for an internal combustion engine. The casing faces an intake air passage, and formed in a pocket, so that the casing is easily formed and the water and dust proof performances thereof are improved. A printed-circuit board to which a metal plate is fixed is inserted into the casing along slits formed on an inner wall of the casing. The slits pinch the printed-circuit board and the metal plate at the rear end area thereof. Thus, anti-stress and anti-vibration performances of the printed-circuit board are improved. The metal plate including convexes and concaved contacting portions is easily formed by pressing an aluminum or steel plate. Thus, the metal plate is formed with low cost. Further, the metal plate appropriately includes holes, thereby promoting the heat radiation and reducing the weight thereof.

Abstract: In a valve operating system for an internal combustion engine, wherein connected and disconnected states of cam followers can be switched over from one to another to change the valve operating characteristic of an engine valve, each cam follower includes a cam follower body having a pair of support walls integrally provided thereon and arranged in parallel to sandwich a roller therebetween, and a hollow roller shaft which is fitted and supported at outer peripheries of its opposite ends in through-bores in the support walls, and which has the roller rotatably carried at its intermediate portion. A first groove is defined in an outer peripheral surface of the through-bore in one support wall to extend circumferentially of the through-bore, and a second groove is defined in an outer peripheral surface of the roller shaft at its one end corresponding to the first groove.

Abstract: A case which accommodates electronic control circuit is housed in a housing box. An air passage is formed between the case and a main body of the housing box to introduce cooling air for cooling an electronic control circuit in the case. A heat sink is attached to an inner surface of the case by a screw placed in a through hole formed in an area of the case to which the cooling air is not introduced. Accordingly, the electronic control circuit in the case is prevented from dust, water and the like. Further, the electronic control circuit is efficiently cooled down by the cooling air passes through the air passage via the heat sink and the case because an exothermic electronic element of the electronic control circuit is making a contact with the heat sink.

Abstract: A casing of an ECU is formed within an air cleaner of an intake module for an internal combustion engine. The casing faces an intake air passage, and formed in a pocket, so that the casing is easily formed and the water and dust proof performances thereof are improved. A printed-circuit board to which a metal plate is fixed is inserted into the casing along slits formed on an inner wall of the casing. The slits pinch the printed-circuit board and the metal plate at the rear end area thereof. Thus, anti-stress and anti-vibration performances of the printed-circuit board are improved. The metal plate including convexes and concaved contacting portions is easily formed by pressing an aluminum or steel plate. Thus, the metal plate is formed with low cost. Further, the metal plate appropriately includes holes, thereby promoting the heat radiation and reducing the weight thereof.

Abstract: In a valve movement control system of an internal combustion engine, a hydraulic operational characteristic variable mechanism with no operational lag or a shortened operational lag on re-starting of the engine is provided. The valve movement control system comprises a camshaft having a cam journal supported for rotation by a support member, a hydraulic operational characteristic variable mechanism provided on the camshaft, an oil pressure control valve, and a control oil passage for supplying operating oil to the operational characteristic variable mechanism through a plurality of members including the camshaft and the support member. An operating oil reserve chamber is provided above the cam journal for supplementing operating oil flowing out through a minute gap between the cam journal and the support member when the engine is stopped.

Abstract: In a valve lift control system for engine intake valves which selectively changes an intake valve lift of an engine, and a phase angle relationship of a timing of opening the engine valve in relation with a crankshaft angle depending on the operating condition of the engine, an arrangement is made to limit the advancing of the opening timing of the engine valve when a large valve lift is selected. It is thus possible to limit the advancing of the timing of opening the engine intake valve only when the valve lift is increased, and the advancing of the timing of opening the engine intake valve may cause an interference between the engine intake valve and the corresponding engine piston. The valve opening timing is otherwise optimized, and the maximum performance of the engine can be attained under all possible circumstances.

Abstract: A combustion improving device and a combustion improving method for an engine improves the combustion of an internal combustion engine such as a Diesel engine and can reduce noxious emissions, such as sooty smoke, or nitrogen oxides. To achieve this, magnetic poles of two magnets 2 are arranged in proximity to confront each other, so that fuel fed from a fuel tank to the engine is guided to pass through a gap 3 between the magnetic poles. At this passage, magnetic force (an attractive force or a repulsive force) per unit area to act between the confronting magnetic poles is set at 0.15 kgf/cm2 or more, and a time period for the fuel to pass between the confronting magnetic poles is set at 1.7 seconds or more.

Abstract: A closure device for transcatheter operations comprises an easily foldable closure member with a shape-restoring force, an easily inflective fixing member of an elastic material, and an easily inflective elastic member having either ends respectively fixed to the fixing member or closure member and holding the closure member and the fixing member in close proximity to one another. The closure device is used in combination with a catheter assembly comprising an elongated sheath opened at both ends and adapted to accommodate the folded closure device therein, and an operating member having at a distal end thereof a holding element for releasably holding the closure device and for guiding and protruding the folded closure device inserted in the sheath from a distal end of the sheath.

Abstract: The present invention provides a hair cosmetic composition containing an antibody (a) to hair or a hair extract obtained from egg yolk of poultry immunized with the hair or hair extract, and a polymer emulsion (b). The hair cosmetic composition of the invention can provide excellent properties including softness, moistened feel, and smoothness. In addition, since it is adsorbed only onto a specified part of the hair, stickiness or greasiness of the hair can be prevented. The composition also prevents occurrence of split hairs, and even repair the split hairs. These effects are not lost by repeated ordinary shampooings.

Abstract: A device for retrieval of defect closure devices, comprising a closure-catch catheter having at a distal end thereof a closure-catching device and at a proximal end thereof, a grip for operating the closure-catching. An elongated sheath having a lumen and is provided at the proximal end thereof with a lateral injection tube and hemostatic device. The catheter is moveably insertable in the lumen.

Abstract: A heat treating unit for semiconductor processing is adapted to conduct normal pressure high temperature processing and low pressure thermal processing using corrosive gases. The unit includes an inner tube for receiving a boat which carries objects to be processed, an outer tube concentrically disposed outside the inner tube, a cylindrical manifold which has a gas feed port and an exhaust port, and a cap which tightly closes an opening of the manifold. The inner tube, outer tube and manifold are formed of quartz which is heat resistant and corrosion resistant, and these three components are integrally joined together by melting. The interior surface of the cap is provided with a protecting layer which is heat resistant and corrosion resistant. A connection between the cap and the manifold includes a high temperature heat resistant seal in which O-rings are cooled by a cooling system.

Abstract: A shock absorber which selectively produces different magnitudes of damping forces includes a cylinder and a piston slidably disposed in the cylinder and dividing an interior space of the cylinder into first and second fluid chambers filled with a fluid. A housing assembly coupled to the piston has a main fluid passage providing fluid communication between the first and second fluid chambers at all times and an auxiliary fluid passage providing selective fluid communication between the first and second fluid chambers. The auxiliary fluid passage can be opened to provide fluid communication between the first and second fluid chamber in response to an external control signal. The auxiliary fluid passage can be closed to cut off fluid communication between the first and second fluid chambers when the speed of relative movement of the cylinder and the piston is substantially zero, i.e., when the speed of expansion and contraction of the shock absorber is substantially zero.

Abstract: A valve operating system for internal combustion engines comprises a free cam follower which is disposed between first and second drive cam followers operatively connected to engine valves and which is capable of becoming free relative to the engine valves, first and second guide holes respectively provided in the first and second drive cam followers with their axes corresponding to each other. The guide holes is opened to the free cam follower. A double open-ended guide hole is provided in the free cam follower in correspondence to the axes of the first and second guide holes. A first change-over pin is axially slidably received in the first guide hole and adapted to be fitted into the guide hole, and a second change-over pin is axially slidably received in said guide hole with one end thereof abutting against the first change-over pin, and is adapted to be fitted into said second guide hole.