Abstract: A thermal printer with enhanced cutting performance includes a thermal head for performing printing on successively supplied recording sheets, and a platen roller for feeding the recording sheets. A cutter for cutting the recording sheets has a fixed blade and a movable blade. A main body unit supports the fixed blade, and a cover unit supports the movable blade and is removable with respect to the main body unit. A pinion gear meshes with a rack constructed integrally with the movable blade to move the movable blade. The main body unit supports the pinion gear, and the cover unit supports only the movable blade and the platen roller.

Abstract: A lighting device has a light source, a light guiding plate having first and second opposite main surfaces, and a reflector confronting the second main surface of the light guiding plate. The light guiding plate has a light entrance part that introduces light from the light source into the light guiding plate and reflecting parts formed on one of the first and second main surfaces for reflecting light introduced into the light guiding plate toward the first main surface. The reflecting parts are arranged on respective sets of arcs of concentric circles with each concentric circle having the light entrance part as its center. Each of the reflecting parts has a long axis extending in a direction substantially orthogonal to a line connected between a center of the corresponding reflecting part and the center of the light entrance part.

Abstract: In a fuel cell power source system comprising a fuel cell, a fuel supplier for supplying a fuel to the fuel cell, an electricity storing member capable of charging and discharging an energy, and a control circuit for controlling outputs of the fuel cell and the electricity storing member and the fuel supplier for supplying a power to an external load, there are provided a method of operating the fuel cell power source system and a fuel cell system promoting safety of the fuel cell system and reducing a deterioration in the fuel cell by removing the fuel remaining at inside of the fuel cell after stopping the fuel supplier. At an initial stage of supplying the power to the external load and inside of the fuel cell system, the power is supplied from the electricity storing member, and the electricity storing member is charged by using an output outputted from the fuel cell by generating the power by the fuel cell by using the fuel remaining at inside of the fuel cell system after stopping the external load.

Abstract: In a chronograph timepiece in which the chronograph hands are electrically rotated by a motor drive pulse and are mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, a basic drive control unit controls a motor so as to drive the chronograph hands when it is detected by a contact portion and a setting releasing detection portion that the setting of the chronograph hands by a setting mechanism has been released.

Abstract: A thermal printer has a thermal head for performing printing on a continuously fed recording sheet. A platen roller is mounted to undergo rotation for feeding the recording sheet between the platen roller and the thermal head. A cutting member cuts the recording sheet after printing is performed thereon by the thermal head. A sheet presenter mechanism discharges the recording sheet cut by the cutting member to the exterior. The sheet presenter mechanism is mounted to undergo movement to vary a discharge direction of the recording sheet.

Abstract: A protection circuit device for a battery having secondary batteries connected in series. A reference voltage circuit generates a reference voltage and a voltage detection circuit for detecting a voltage of one of the secondary batteries and comparing the detected voltage with the reference voltage generated by the reference voltage circuit to thereby detect an over-charge state and an over-discharge state of the one of the secondary batteries. Each of the reference voltage circuit and the voltage detection circuit has a power supply terminal connected to a positive electrode of the one of the secondary batteries and has a ground terminal connected to a negative electrode of the one of the secondary batteries. A withstand voltage of elements forming the reference voltage circuit and the voltage detection circuit is set to be lower than an overall voltage of the secondary batteries.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus with a sensor has an exterior case, a sensor unit arranged inside the exterior case for detecting pressure, and a sensor holding frame arranged between the exterior case and the sensor unit for mounting the sensor unit on the exterior case. The sensor holding frame includes a sensor accommodating portion which accommodates the sensor unit and which has a pressure chamber into which the pressure is taken in front of a sensor body of the sensor unit, and a pressure introducing passage through which pressure is introduced into the pressure chamber from outside the exterior case. A center axis of the sensor accommodating portion and a center axis of the pressure introducing passage are displaced from each other.

Abstract: In a manufacturing method for a liquid crystal display device, a translucent first adhesive is placed between a first surface of a substrate and a display surface of a liquid crystal panel so that the first adhesive covers the entire surface of the liquid crystal panel. The first adhesive is cured to bond the substrate and the liquid crystal panel. The bonded substrate and liquid crystal panel are positionally aligned relative to a backlight unit. A second adhesive is placed between the substrate and the backlight unit so that the second adhesive surrounds an outer peripheral end portion of the liquid crystal panel. The first adhesive is cured to integrally bond the substrate, liquid crystal panel, and backlight unit to each other.

Abstract: Provided are a thermal head that has a cavity portion at a position corresponding to heating resistors and is capable of improving thermal efficiency while ensuring strength of the cavity portion, and a printer including the thermal head. The thermal head (1) includes: a supporting substrate (3) including a concave portion (2) in a surface thereof; an upper substrate (5) bonded in a stacked state to the surface of the supporting substrate (3); and a heating resistor (7) provided at a position, which corresponds to the concave portion (2), of a surface of the upper substrate (5), in which a centerline average roughness of at least a region of a back surface of the upper substrate (5) is set to be less than 5 nm, the region being opposed to the concave portion (2).

Abstract: Disclosed is a chronograph timepiece whose chronograph hands are electrically drive-controlled and mechanically zero-restoring-controlled, wherein it possible to perform a normal operation at the time of start operation and reset operation. After a mechanical control unit releases the setting of chronograph hands in response to the start operation of a start/stop button, a contact portion is placed in a start state, and an electrical control unit starts a time measurement operation to electrically hand-movement-drive the chronograph hands, and, after a contact portion is placed in a reset state in response to a reset operation of a reset button and the electrical control unit electrically resets the time measurement operation, the mechanical control unit mechanically zero-restores and sets the chronograph hands.

Abstract: A recess-mounted detector assembly has a housing configured to be recess mounted in a structure located in a preselected zone. The housing has an interior space configured to receive a detecting device operable to detect a condition in an airstream in the preselected zone. A cover removably attaches to the housing and has an aperture for allowing an airflow of air from the airstream in the preselected zone into the interior space of the housing. A base plate is mounted in the housing for undergoing pivotal movement between a first position, in which the base plate separates the interior space of the housing into a first compartment configured to receive the detecting device and a second compartment disposed between the open end of the housing and the base plate, and a second position in which the base plate is pivoted toward the open end of the housing to enable access to the first compartment from the open end of the housing.

Abstract: An information reproducing apparatus has a medium with a linear tracking mark extending in a scanning direction and a linear data mark extending in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. A light control unit irradiates the data mark with a first near-field light polarized in the scanning direction and irradiates the tracking mark with a second near-field light polarized in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. A detector detects light scattered by the data mark and the tracking mark irradiated with the first near-field light and the second near-field light, respectively. A signal processing unit processes a first output signal from the detector corresponding to the detected light scattered by the data mark and processes a second output signal from the detector corresponding to the detected light scattered by the tracking mark.

Abstract: To prevent a reduction in load resistance of a liquid crystal panel which is caused along with a reduction in thickness thereof, tempered glass is entirely bonded to both of front and back surfaces or one of the surfaces of the liquid crystal panel using an optical adhesive, and an amount of warp by which the liquid crystal panel alone is broken due to a pressure is set equal to or larger than that in a case of the tempered glass.

Abstract: An electric charge storage method is used in which a photoelectric current generated in a photodiode is stored for a predetermined time period and the stored electric charge is amplified by an amplifier to obtain an output. Further, the storage time period is switched so that an output from the circuit has a characteristic of a piecewise linear approximation of a logarithm of an illuminance, permitting a sufficient resolution even in darkness.

Abstract: To provide a calendar mechanism equipped timepiece which, being small and thin, includes two date indicators configuring date characters which are large and easy to see. A calendar mechanism equipped timepiece of the invention includes a first date indicator which displays the ones column of the date, a second date indicator which displays the tenths column of the date, and a program wheel which enables each of the first date indicator and second date indicator to rotate intermittently. The program wheel includes program wheel teeth, first date indicator advance teeth, second date indicator advance teeth having provided at the leading ends thereof second date indicator advance fingers, and correction teeth. A configuration is such that the height of the second date indicator advance teeth is greater than the height of the first date indicator advance teeth, and the height of the first date indicator advance teeth is greater than the height of the correction teeth.

Abstract: A recording head has a conical tip disposed at a distal end thereof configured to oppose a surface of a medium. The conical tip has an opening for generating near-field light and a side surface forming at least a part of an edge portion of the conical tip surrounding the opening. A magnetic recording element generates magnetization inversion in a minute area on the surface of the medium which is heated by application of the near-field light. The magnetic recording element has a main magnetic pole, a secondary magnetic pole, and a dielectric film arranged between the main and secondary magnetic poles. The main magnetic pole comprises a thin film arranged on side surface of the conical tip for providing a magnetic field to the surface of the medium in a substantially vertical direction. The secondary magnetic pole is arranged on a surface of the conical tip opposite to the side surface thereof for absorbing a part of the magnetic field provided from the main magnetic pole.

Abstract: A head chip unit comprises a first head chip having a first ink chamber configured to contain first ink and having a first channel in communication with the first ink chamber for receiving the first ink from the first ink chamber and via which the first ink is discharged in an ink supply direction of the head chip unit. A second head chip is laminated with the first head chip along a laminating direction generally orthogonal to the ink supply direction.

Abstract: An image forming and cutting apparatus has an inkjet head with a first coupling member having a hole, a cutting head with a second coupling member having a hole, and a coupling pin that is received by the holes of the coupling members to couple the first and second coupling members to each other. The coupling pin has first and tapered portions with a columnar portion interposed therebetween. The hole of the first coupling member has a tapered surface for receiving the first tapered portion, and the hole of the second coupling member has a tapered surface portion and a columnar surface portion for receiving the second tapered portion and the columnar portion, respectively.

Abstract: A printing device connects to at least one client computer via a network. The printing device includes a storage section that stores image formats for general-purpose image format data. A control section converts page description language (PDL) data sent via the network from the at least one client computer into pixel map format data, converts the pixel map format data into general-purpose image format data based on one of the image formats stored in the storage section, and sends via the network to the at least one client computer the general-purpose image format data together with a source information file containing source information indicating the source of the PDL data. A memory section stores the pixel map format data obtained through the conversion performed by the control section. A printer prints the pixel map format data.

Abstract: A lens driving device has a motor mounted to a plate, a lead screw connected to the motor for undergoing rotation about an axial line thereof, a nut threadingly engaged with the lead screw, and a casing mounted to the plate for housing the lead screw and the nut. The nut has a convex protruding portion protruding outwardly from an outer peripheral surface of the nut. The casing has a fitting groove linearly formed in the casing in a direction of the axial line for receiving the protruding portion in a state in which the protruding portion is fitted in the fitting groove so as to regulate rotation of the nut, and for movably guiding the protruding portion in the fitted state in the direction of the axial line to move the nut back and forth along the lead screw.