Author: claimsbot

1. A method for operating an internal combustion engine assembly including an internal combustion engine, an ignition system for controlling the ignition in said engine, a device for supplying fuel and a detecting unit for detecting the engine rpm (n) of said internal combustion engine; said engine defining a permissible limit engine rpm (ng) and a control range (A) of said engine rpm (n) above said limit engine rpm (ng); the method comprising the steps of:
limiting said engine rpm (n) in said control range (A) by suppressing said ignition;
limiting the ignition in said control range (A) by suppressing the ignition in individual engine cycles wherein said engine rpm (n) lies above a control engine rpm (na);
forming a noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) as the ratio of a number of engine cycles wherein the ignition is suppressed to the total number of the ignitions; and,
shifting said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) in said control range (A).
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) is shifted by changing the supplied fuel quantity.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said supplied fuel quantity is changed continuously.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein said supplied fuel quantity is reduced to shift said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR).
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) is shifted until said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) has dropped to below 20%.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) is shifted until said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) has dropped to below 10%.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) is shifted until said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) has dropped to approximately 0%.
8. The method of claim 5, wherein a control variable for said engine is determined from parameters in said control range (A).
9. The method of claim 8, wherein a maximum (NECRmax) of said noncombustion engine cycle ratio (NECR) is determined in said control range (A).
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method comprises the further steps of:
forming a characteristic line indicating a fuel quantity (x), which is to be supplied, as a function of said engine rpm (n); and,
using said maximum (NECRmax) or a percentage part thereof for adjusting said characteristic line.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises the further steps of:
forming a characteristic line indicating a fuel quantity (x), which is to be supplied, as a function of engine rpm (n);
for adjusting said characteristic line below said limit engine rpm (ng), changing the airfuel ratio and evaluating a change in said engine rpm (n) resulting from the changed airfuel ratio.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said airfuel ratio is changed by changing the supplied fuel quantity.
13. The method of claim 1, wherein said device for supplying fuel meters the fuel quantity (x) which is to be supplied for each engine cycle.
14. The method of claim 1, wherein said method comprises the further steps of:
in said control range (A), monitoring a pattern (P) of engine cycles for which no ignition takes place; and,
suppressing the ignition in the following engine cycle when said pattern (P) is coincident with a critical pattern (Pcrit) of said engine cycles for which no ignition results.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A tool mounting system comprising:
a plastic tool connector head with a nose and back side;
a generally square shaft guide with four orthogonal walls and an open distal end formed within said head;
a raised section of a plastic bump extending from a wall of said shaft guide into the shaft guide whereby a portion of the shaft guide near the location of the raised section is diminished;
a tool with a metal square shaft having a free end and said shaft being of a diameter less than said shaft guide but greater than said diminished shaft guide; and,
whereby upon insertion of said free end into the shaft guide a portion of said raised section is removed by the free end, forming a pressure fit between the residual of the plastic bump, shaft guide and shaft.
2. The tool mounting system of claim 1, further comprising a well in said shaft that catches and retains residual raised section.
3. The tool mounting system of claim 2, wherein the raised section has a first and a second substantially flat side wall and a substantially flat top.
4. The tool mounting system of claim 3, wherein said first and second side walls of the raised section are generally perpendicular to the wall of the shaft guide they extend from.
5. The tool mounting system of claim 3, wherein at least one of said first and second side walls has a radiused edge wherein it meet said top.
6. The tool mounting system of claim 2, wherein the raised section has a first and a second substantially flat side wall and angled top.
7. The tool mounting system of claim 6, wherein at least one of said first and second side walls has a radiused edge wherein it meet said top.
8. The tool mounting system of claim 2, wherein at least one of said first and second side walls is at an obtuse angle to said shaft guide channel wall.
9. The tool mounting system of claim 2 further comprising a visual queue formed on the distal end of said nose indicating an orientation for alignment of a shaft with said shaft guide channel.
10. The tool mounting system of claim 1, wherein the shaft is harder than the raised section of plastic.
11. A tool mounting system comprising:
a plastic tool connector head with a back side and a nose;
a generally square shaft guide with four orthogonal walls formed within said head and opening at the distal end of the nose;
a square shaft with a diameter less than said shaft guide having a free end;
a first and second of raised section forming plastic bumps extending from walls of said shaft guide into the shaft guide whereby a portion of the shaft guide near the location of each raised section is diminished;
upon insertion of the shaft into the shaft guide each bump a tool with a metal shaft pressure fit against the residuals in said shaft guide; and,
whereby upon insertion of said free end into the shaft guide a portion of each of said raised sections is removed by the free end forming a pressure fit between the residual of the plastic bumps, shaft guide and shaft.
12. The tool mounting system of claim 11 further comprising a first well in said shaft that catches and retains the residual of the raised sections.
13. The tool mounting system of claim 12, further comprising:
a first well in said shaft that catches and retains the residual of said first raised section; and,
a second well in said shaft that catches and retains the residual of said second raised section.

1. A combination of a shackle with a pin and a locking ring comprising:
a shackle body with a closed geometry defining a primary opening therethrough and comprising:
a first side member with a first side aperture extending transversely therethrough;
a second side member spaced apart from the first side member and having a second side aperture extending transversely at least partially through the second side member, the second side aperture positioned opposite the first side aperture and axially aligned with the first side aperture; and
end portions extending between and connecting the first side member and the second side member;

a pin having a body portion longitudinally extending between a head portion and a tip portion, the tip portion sized to be received in the second side aperture and the head portion sized to be received in the first side aperture, wherein the pin defines an annular slot extending at least partially around the pin; and
an expandable retaining ring configured to be installed on the pin and occupy the annular slot;
wherein the expandable retaining ring engages the pin and the shackle body to prevent removal of the pin from the shackle body when the pin is installed in the shackle body with the expandable retaining ring occupying the annular slot.
2. The combination of claim 1, wherein the annular slot is a tip slot extending at least partially around the tip portion, wherein the tip slot defines a flange located between the tip end and the tip slot, the flange protruding radially about the longitudinal axis from the tip portion and having a flange outer diameter greater than the slot diameter and no greater than the tip diameter; and
wherein the tip slot and the flange extend through the second side aperture when the pin is installed in the shackle body.
3. The combination of claim 2, wherein the tip portion defines a plurality of threads on the tip portion between the body portion and the tip slot, wherein the tip diameter is a major thread diameter.
4. The fastener of claim 3, wherein the flange outer diameter is substantially equal to a minor thread diameter of the plurality of threads.
5. The combination of claim 1, wherein the annular slot is a tip slot extending at least partially around the tip portion;
wherein the second side aperture defines a second opening recess having at least one recess wall located between an inside body surface and an outside body surface of the second side member; and
wherein the expandable retaining ring is constructed to be installed in the tip slot and positioned to engage the at least one recess wall to prevent removal of the pin from the shackle body when the pin is installed in the shackle body with the tip portion received in the second side aperture and the head portion is received in the first side aperture.
6. The combination of claim 1, wherein the annular slot is a body slot extending at least partially around the body portion, wherein the body slot is adjacent an inside body surface of the first side member when the pin is installed in the shackle body with the tip portion received in the second side aperture and the head portion is received in the first side aperture.
7. A combination of a shackle with a pin and a locking ring comprising:
a shackle having a rigid shackle body with a closed geometry defining a primary opening therethrough, the rigid shackle body comprising:
a first side member with a first side aperture extending transversely therethrough, the first side aperture defining a first opening recess having at least one recess wall and located between an inside body surface and an outside body surface of the first side member;
a second side member spaced apart from the first side member and having a second side aperture extending transversely at least partially through the second side member, the second side aperture positioned opposite the first side aperture and axially aligned with the first side aperture; and
end portions extending between and connecting the first side member and the second side member;

a pin comprising pin body portion extending longitudinally between a head portion and a tip portion, the head portion defining an annular head slot with a slot diameter, wherein the pin body is sized to be received through the first side aperture with the tip portion received in the second side aperture; and
a retaining ring expandable for installation on the pin and sized to be received in the annular head slot;
wherein when the pin is installed in the rigid shackle body with the tip portion received in the second side aperture and the head received in the first side aperture, and the retaining ring is installed on the pin in the annular head slot, the retaining ring is positioned to engage the recess wall to prevent removal of the pin.
8. The combination of claim 7, wherein the first side aperture further defines a sloped entrance face between the outside body surface and the first opening recess.
9. The combination of claim 7, wherein the second side aperture and the tip portion are threaded.
10. The combination of claim 7, wherein the first opening recess is an annular groove in an inside surface of the first side aperture.
11. A locking fastener comprising:
a pin body portion extending longitudinally between a head portion and a tip portion, the tip portion having a tip end and a tip diameter wherein the fastener defines at least one of (i) a body slot in the pin body portion and having a slot diameter less than a pin body diameter, where the annular body slot is spaced from the head portion, (ii) a tip slot adjacent in the tip portion and defining a flange adjacent the tip end wherein the flange has a flange outer diameter greater than a tip slot diameter and no greater than the tip diameter, and (iii) a head slot in the head portion.
12. The locking fastener of claim 11 further comprising:
an expandable locking ring having an inner diameter sized for installation on one of the annular body slot, the tip slot, or the head slot, wherein when installed on the tip slot, the body slot, or the head slot, the expandable locking ring extends radially beyond the pin body diameter.
13. The fastener of claim 11, wherein the fastener defines an tip slot and wherein the tip portion further defines a plurality of threads between the tip slot and the pin body portion, wherein the tip diameter is a minor thread diameter.
14. The fastener of claim 13, wherein the flange outer diameter is substantially equal to a minor thread diameter of the plurality of threads.
15. The fastener of claim 11 wherein the body slot, the tip slot, andor the head slot is selected from the group consisting of an annular groove, two or more recesses arranged circumferentially; and two or more flats arranged circumferentially.
16. The fastener of claim 11, wherein the fastener further defines an additional body slot in the pin body portion having an additional body slot diameter smaller than the pin body diameter, the additional body slot positioned adjacent the tip portion.
17. The fastener of claim 8, wherein the pin body portion defines two or more slots distributed axially along the body portion.

The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.

1. A multi-type air conditioning apparatus comprising at least one outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units, and a communication line connecting the at least one outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, wherein each of the at least one outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units comprises:
a communicator configured to transmitreceive data through the communication line; and
a controller configured to control the communicator to transmit through the communication line at least one preamble signal, including priority information to transmit the data using the communication line, and to control the communicator to transmit the data through the communication line when transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
2. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller randomly selects a priority set time after which to transmit the at least one preamble signal, and controls the communicator to transmit the at least one preamble signal when the priority set time has elapsed.
3. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller stops transmission of the at least one preamble signal when a preamble signal transmitted from another constituent unit of the multi-type air conditioning apparatus is sensed through the communication line before transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
4. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the at least one preamble signal includes at least two pulses.
5. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines whether or not the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit.
6. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the controller stands by during a standby time so as to determine whether or not the communication line is occupied.
7. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller determines that the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit when the preamble signal transmitted from the other constituent unit is sensed during the standby time.
8. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller receives the preamble signal transmitted from the other constituent unit as an external interrupt.
9. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller stands by until data transmission of the other constituent unit has been completed, upon determining that the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit.
10. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communicator transmitsreceives the data in a differential communication mode.
11. The multi-type air conditioning apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the communicator transmitsreceives the data based on a Recommended Standard (RS)-485 communication regulation.
12. A communication module comprising a plurality of constituent units and a communication line connecting the plurality constituent units, wherein each of the plurality of constituent units comprises:
a communicator configured to transmitreceive data through the communication line; and
a controller configured to control the communicator to transmit at least one preamble signal through the communication line, including priority information to transmit the data using the communication line, and to control the communicator to transmit the data through the communication line when transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
13. The communication module according to claim 12, wherein the controller randomly selects a priority set time after which to transmit the at least one preamble signal, and controls the communicator to transmit the at least one preamble signal when the priority set time has elapsed.
14. The communication module according to claim 13, wherein the controller stops transmission of the at least one preamble signal when a preamble signal transmitted from another constituent unit of the communication module is sensed through the communication line before transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
15. The communication module according to claim 14, wherein the at least one preamble signal includes at least two pulses.
16. A control method of a multi-type air conditioning apparatus which has at least one outdoor unit, a plurality of indoor units, and a communication line connecting the at least one outdoor unit and the plurality of indoor units, the control method comprising:
transmitting through the communication line at least one preamble signal, including priority information to transmit data using the communication line; and
transmitting the data through the communication line, when transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
17. The control method apparatus according to claim 16, wherein the transmission of the at least one preamble signal includes randomly selecting a priority set time, and transmitting the at least one preamble signal when the priority set time has elapsed.
18. The control method according to claim 17, further comprising stopping transmission of the at least one preamble signal when a preamble signal transmitted from another constituent unit of the multi-type air conditioning apparatus is sensed through the communication line before transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the at least one preamble signal includes at least two pulses.
20. The control method according to claim 18, further comprising determining whether or not the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit.
21. The control method according to claim 20, wherein the determination as to whether or not the communication line is occupied includes sensing the preamble signal transmitted from the other constituent unit, and determining that the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit when the preamble signal transmitted from the other constituent unit is sensed.
22. The control method according to claim 21, further comprising standing by until data transmission of the other constituent unit has been completed, upon determining that the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit.
23. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the data is transmittedreceived in a differential communication mode.
24. The control method according to claim 18, wherein the data is transmittedreceived based on a Recommended Standard (RS)-485 communication regulation.
25. A multi-type electronic apparatus comprising a plurality of constituent units, wherein each of the constituent units comprises:
a communicator configured to transmitreceive data through a communication line; and
a controller configured to control the communicator to transmit through the communication line at least one preamble signal, including priority information to transmit the data using the communication line, and to control the communicator to transmit the data through the communication line when transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
26. The multi-type electronic apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the controller randomly selects a priority set time after which to transmit the at least one preamble signal, and controls the communicator to transmit the at least one preamble signal when the priority set time has elapsed.
27. The multi-type electronic apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the controller stops transmission of the at least one preamble signal when a preamble signal transmitted from another constituent unit is sensed through the communication line before transmission of the at least one preamble signal has been completed.
28. The multi-type electronic apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the controller stands by during a standby time so as to determine whether or not the communication line is occupied.
29. The multi-type electronic apparatus according to claim 28, wherein when urgent communication is required the controller stands by during an urgent standby time that is shorter than the standby time.
30. The multi-type electronic apparatus according to claim 28, wherein the controller determines that the communication line is occupied by the other constituent unit when the preamble signal transmitted from the other constituent unit is sensed during the standby time.