Abstract: When a seat belt 14 is unfastened, reactive force against treading pressure on the accelerator pedal is enhanced by a pedal reactive force enhancer 10 even if a driver tries to drive a vehicle by turning on an ignition switch 18 and pressing on the accelerator pedal. Thus, it is possible to prompt the driver to fasten the seat belt. When the seat belt is unfastened in an emergency, although the reactive force against treading pressure on the accelerator pedal is enhanced, the driver can drive the vehicle by pressing the accelerator pedal harder. In this way, the driver can deal with such emergency.

Abstract: When a seat belt 14 is unfastened, reactive force against treading pressure on the accelerator pedal is enhanced by a pedal reactive force enhancer 10 even if a driver tries to drive a vehicle by turning on an ignition switch 18 and pressing on the accelerator pedal. Thus, it is possible to prompt the driver to fasten the seat belt. When the seat belt is unfastened in an emergency, although the reactive force against treading pressure on the accelerator pedal is enhanced, the driver can drive the vehicle by pressing the accelerator pedal harder. In this way, the driver can deal with such emergency.

Abstract: A child seat anchoring structure is provided that can prevent the seat belt webbing from getting caught in the components that secure the child seat to the vehicle. The child seat anchoring structure has child seat attachment part in which a child seat is installed by moving a locking part of the child seat from the forward direction of the vehicle so that the locking part approaches the rod-shaped attachment part of a child seat fixing striker that is mounted close to a seat belt anchor to which the webbing is fixed. The structure is provided with a webbing guide bar part that prevents the webbing from entering the region between the rod-shaped attachment part and the locking part of the child seat.

Abstract: A child seat anchoring structure is provided that can prevent the seat belt webbing from getting caught in the components that secure the child seat to the vehicle. The child seat anchoring structure has child seat attachment part in which a child seat is installed by moving a locking part of the child seat from the forward direction of the vehicle so that the locking part approaches the rod-shaped attachment part of a child seat fixing striker that is mounted close to a seat belt anchor to which the webbing is fixed. The structure is provided with a webbing guide bar part that prevents the webbing from entering the region between the rod-shaped attachment part and the locking part of the child seat.

Abstract: A fuel sensor for sensing methanol in methanol-mixed fuel, which comprises a structure which defines a fuel passage through which the mixed fuel flows, an electrode assembly including a pair of probe portions which are exposed to the fuel passage, and an electric circuit causing the paired probe portions to exhibit positive and negative characteristics respectively in the mixed fuel. At least the positive probe portion is intimately covered with an electrically insulating film.

Abstract: A fuel gauge system is disclosed, which includes a first device capable of visually indicating the amount of the mixed fuel in the container; a second device for detecting a real amount of the fuel in the container; a third device for detecting the mixing ratio of compositions in the mixed fuel; a fourth device for determining a critical effective amount of the mixed fuel in accordance with the fuel mixing ratio detected by the third device; a fifth device for judging whether the real amount is less than the critical effective amount or not; a sixth device for determining, based on the fuel mixing ratio detected and the real amount, a value corresponding to a calorific power possessed by the mixed fuel in the container; and a seventh device for controlling the first device in such a manner that, when the real amount is less than the critical effective amount, the first device indicates the value corresponding to the calorific power possessed by the mixed fuel in the container, and when the real amount is not

Abstract: A plurality of fuel-cell stacks operated in electrically parallel connection are individually controlled for amounts of reaction gases fed thereto corresponding to ratios of allotment of load thereto such that each of the stacks can maintain standard gas utilization factor. Among the fuel-cell stacks operated in parallel connection, those stacks which have particularly small ratios of allotment of load are controlled so that their gas utilization factors are changed to be decreased, thus controlling the amounts of the reaction gases to be increased.

Abstract: A lateral layer-built fuel cell stack comprising a fuel cell layered body including a plurality of unit cells each of which has a matrix layer for holding an electrolyte, a pair of electrode layers which are disposed on both sides of the matrix layer and a plurality of separators. Each of the separators has a plurality of vertical passages for reaction gases which are vertically arranged on one of major surfaces of the separators and a plurality of horizontal passages for reaction gases which are horizontally arranged on the other of the major surfaces of the separators. The unit cells and the separators are alternately superimposed so that each of the surfaces of the plurality of unit cells and separators is vertically arranged. A pair of first manifolds is provided which are disposed on the sides of the upper and the lower surfaces of the fuel cell layered body and which are communicated with the plurality of vertical passages.

Abstract: A fuel cell cooling device includes a plurality of plate-like fuel cell units arranged in a vertical stack and having singly interspersed therein cooling plates. A main coolant pipe supplies coolant at a pressure above the saturation point thereof to the cooling plates through corresponding inlet cooling pipes. A throttle is provided in each inlet cooling pipe to produce a pressure drop such that coolant entering a cooling plate is at a pressure below the saturation point thereof.

Abstract: A fuel cell manifold mounted airtightly on the side walls of a fuel cell stack, the manifold comprising a seal layer covering the periphery of a wall of the fuel cell stack, a frame-shaped seal spacer having one side mounted airtightly on the seal layer and penetrated by a pipe carrying a cooling solution or electrolyte, and a box-shaped manifold cover mounted airtightly on the opposite side of the seal spacer. A second embodiment employs a hollow seal spacer that functions in place of the pipes carrying cooling solution or electrolyte.

Abstract: Plastic scrap, especially of polyolefin plastics, is converted to low pour point oils by thermal cracking in the liquid phase followed by catalytic conversion of the vaporous cracking products over an intermediate pore size zeolite such as ZSM-5.

Abstract: Herein disclosed is a cell stack assembly structure for a fuel cell, comprising a plurality of units each of which is composed of a plurality of cell elements laminated in advance and which are stacked and fastened under a predetermined pressure to construct a cell stack assembly. Each of a plurality of end plates is interposed between any adjacent two of the units. Removable pressure means are provided for fastening under a predetermined pressure any two of the end plates, that are positioned at the two ends of a corresponding one of the units.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a fuel cell having separate plates acting as bipolar plates which are sandwiched between the two adjacent cell elements. A cell stack of a fuel cell is formed therein with tunnel-shaped cooling gas passages extending between and open at two opposite sides thereof. Reactive gas supply passages for fuel gases and air are isolated from the cooling gas passages and extend between and open at the two opposite sides thereof which are different from those of the cooling gas passages. Therefore, the separate plates have their reactive gas supply passages supplied through manifolds, which are arranged at the sides of the fuel cell in a manner to face the entrance and exit ports of the reactive gas supply passages. The reactive gases are supplied at rates sufficient to be consumed by the galvanic reaction. The cooling gas passages are supplied through manifolds, which are arranged at the other sides of the fuel cell, i.e. different from the sides of the reactive gas supply passages.

Abstract: A starter for an alcohol engine, which incorporates a reformer containing catalyst heated by exhaust gas to thereby react fuel alcohol so as to produce reformed gas containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide as main components and to store the produced gas in the reformer. The reformed gas is supplied to a carburetor of the engine at its starting time to mix it with the main fuel alcohol to supply the mixture to a combustion chamber so as to facilitate easy ignition.

Abstract: In a method and apparatus for starting an alcohol engine equipped with a starting motor, alcohol is converted into a high-temperature gaseous mixture containing a relatively highly volatile substance. The gas is cooled to provide a liquid condensate containing the relatively highly volatile substance. The liquid condensate is supplied to the engine as fuel when the starting motor is in operation.

Abstract: An excess air factor control device for an alcohol reformed gas engine comprises a primary air valve, a reformed gas supply device interlocked with the primary air valve, a primary air flow meter for measuring primary air flow rate, a gas flow meter for measuring reformed gas flow rate, a secondary air valve for a secondary air controlled by the reformed gas flow rate and an alcohol adding device controlled by the primary air flow rate and reformed gas flow rate, thereby supplying alcohol to the engine when the supply of the reformed gas becomes little or is stopped.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a hybrid electric drive including a battery (E-battery) having high specific energy and a battery (P-battery) having a high specific power. These two batteries are electrically circuited with two armature coils connected to a motor shaft of a motor. The two armatures are electrically insulated from each other so that the batteries having different characteristics are electrically insulated from each other.

Abstract: A system constituted at a relatively large capacity and low output first battery such as a fuel cell, a smaller capacity and higher output second battery, and a current-limiting circuit for restricting the maximum discharge current of the first battery to a predetermined value slightly above the open-circuit voltage of the second battery, which circuit consists of a measuring circuit for measuring the discharge current, a signal generating circuit for providing a reference signal representing the predetermined current, a comparator for the comparison between the reference signal and the measured current and a current flow control circuit operated by the output of the comparator.

Abstract: In a power supply system constituted of a relatively high output and small capacity first battery such as a lead or alkaline storage battery and a lower output and larger capacity second battery such as a fuel cell, a portion of the discharge current of the second battery is utilized for charging the first battery, while the system is delivering a fluctuating load current under the control of a chopper, by controlling the flow of the charging current through a second chopper circuit such that the charging current is continuously furnished to the first battery when its residual capacity decreases to a predetermined value, but is interrupted periodically when the residual capacity reaches a predetermined upper limit so as to compensate slightly insufficiently for discharged energy in each cycle of the load current controlling chopper actions, resulting in gradual drop of the residual capacity to the former predetermined value and recurrence of the continuous charging.