A flow meter, particularly applicable to the instantaneous measurement of an automobile vehicle's fuel consumption, includes an enclosure separated into two chambers by a flexible membrane which operates in conjunction with compression springs. The fuel enters the bottom chamber and, in the top chamber, goes through a pipe which provides a calibrated pressure drop. A pick-up measures the resultant membrane movements.

An incoming oscillation, whose frequency during a brief reading interval is to be determined, is converted into a first pulse train of cadence f to be compared with the cadence f' of an astable multivibrator responsive to a stored control voltage. During the reading interval the control voltage is modified by a signal depending upon the difference of the two cadences until the same are identical; during an adjoining extended storage period, the modified control voltage keeps the multivibrator op...

The invention relates to a technique for limiting the peak transient currents in the power switches of an inverter wherein a current control circuit compares the current flow in the power switches of the inverter to a reference value and provides protective ON-OFF control of the power switches to prevent overload of the power switches. In the event the current flow through a power switch exceeds a predetermined value, the current control circuit overrides the main power switch ON-OFF control cir...

The invention relates to a technique for limiting the peak transient currents in the power switches of an inverter wherein a current control circuit compares the current flow in the power switches of the inverter to a reference value and provides protective ON-OFF control of the power switches to prevent overload of the power switches. In the event the current flow through a power switch exceeds a predetermined value, the current control circuit overrides the main power switch ON-OFF control cir...

A method and apparatus for the automatic, continuous supply on demand, of solutions of precise quantities of liquid and dry materials, for example, particularly liquid sugar from initial constituents of dry sugar and water, in which a storage supply of solution, such as liquid sugar is available for withdrawal and use, such supply being adapted to be maintained from a mixing station with the bulk materials being supplied in predetermined quantities from a supply station and converted, for exampl...

An instantaneous adaptive delta modulation system including a modulator and a demodulator. The modulator comprises a comparator having a first input connected to receive an analog signal, a second input adapted for connection to an integrator located in the conventional feedback loop of the delta modulator, and a shift register connected to the output of the comparator and adapted to store the digits generated at the output of the comparator at sampling time T.sub.0 and the digits generated at s...

A method for making an instantaneous thermochemical start on the surface of a ferrous metal workpiece, comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a preselected spot on said surface where the reaction is to begin, with the end of a ferrous metal wire which has been heated to its ignition temperature in an oxygen atmosphere, (b) impinging a high intensity jet of oxygen gas on said surface at a point 1 to 15 cm. behind said spot, thereby causing an immediate scarfing reaction to begin and a molten pud...

A motor control unit for protecting a motor against overload, short circuit and ground fault currents. The unit monitors the currents in each phase of the motor to provide values representative of each phase current. The unit also includes a contactor for opening and closing each phase, wherein the unit controls the contactor based upon the values representative of the phase currents. The contactor is opened where the phase currents exceed limits which indicate that either an overload, short cir...

A fluorescent lamp starting device in which an electronic starter is provided in the form of a hybrid integrated circuit which is mounted in a standard glow starter case and which can be utilized in a standard glow starter socket of a fluorescent lamp fixture. A nonlinear capacitor and semiconductor switch are coupled in parallel with another and across the external terminals of the starter. The nonlinear capacitor is provided in the form of a thin plate while the semiconductor switch is provide...

A gas generator is provided which can be selectively switched between reaon and nonreaction modes. The gas generator incudes a reaction chamber which has top and bottom ends. The chamber contains reactive and nonreactive liquids, the nonreactive liquid having a greater specific gravity than the reactive liquid. A solid reactant member is provided. A device is provided for projecting the solid reactant member through the bottom of the chamber, thence through the nonreactive liquid, and thence int...