Abstract: A picture mapping system comprises a vehicle adapted to travel on an agricultural field; a camera mounted on the vehicle for continuously taking pictures of various portions of the agriculture field; a computer mounted on the vehicle for receiving and processing pictures taken by the camera; and GPS receiver means for receiving information signals transmitted from GPS satellites and/or GPS base stations. In particular, the camera is moved continuously by the vehicle travelling on the field, the pictures taken by the camera are continuously fed into the computer, positional information signals transmitted from GPS satellites and/or GPS base stations are also fed to the computer to determine the positions and the orientations of various pictures taken by the camera device, thereby synthesizing together the pictures on the display of the computer to obtain an overall picture representing the entire field.

Abstract: An optical transmission device for interconnecting an optical full duplex transmission line and a half duplex transmission line. When a start bit of a data block of an electrical signal received from the half duplex transmission line is detected, a maintaining signal to maintain the same transmission direction is generated during which the data block can be transmitted. An optical signal is received from the optical full duplex transmission line and converted into an electrical signal. Similarly, a maintaining signal to maintain the same transmission direction is generated. In response to either one of the two maintaining signals, passage or stopping of signals by a driver for sending out an electrical signal to the half duplex transmission line and a receiver for receiving an electrical signal from the half duplex-transmission line are controlled. Possible interference of data is prevented and the transmission direction is changed over in this manner.

Abstract: A tobacco drying machine of rotary cylindrical type having a steam pipe at the wall thereof and a heated air source at the lower side of a material supply inlet, comprises means for detecting the flow of tobacco raw material at a pretreatment process line of the drying machine; a water spraying nozzle at the raw material supply inlet into which pressurized air is supplied as a carrier; and a control circuit for providing a signal to the water spraying nozzle when a predetermined period of time has passed since said circuit received a signal representative of the passage of the front or rear end of the tobacco raw material through the detector.