Abstract: An engine sound generation device adapted to an electric vehicle includes an engine speed calculation unit which calculates the virtual engine speed based on the motor revolution speed, vehicle speed, and acceleration opening. The engine speed calculation unit calculates the virtual engine speed with reference to the vehicle-dependent engine speed memory on the condition that the virtual engine speed is deemed proportional to the vehicle speed. In addition, the engine speed calculation unit calculates the virtual engine speed with reference to the vehicle-nondependent engine speed memory on the condition that the virtual engine speed is not deemed proportional to the vehicle speed, thus generating the common engine sound matching the behavior of an engine in a prescribed event such as the startup of the electric vehicle and the semi-engagement of a clutch.

Abstract: A sheet thickness detection device capable of accurately detecting a thickness of sheets of various types. In a case that information about sheets stored in a sheet feed unit is set by a user through an operation unit or through an external host PC, a CPU of the sheet thickness detection device sets a pressure changeover solenoid to ON to obtain a strong nip pressure between a detection roller and a fixed roller, if a sheet basis weight specified in the information about sheets is larger than a predetermined value, and sets the pressure changeover solenoid to OFF to obtain a weak nip pressure, if the sheet basis weight specified in the information about sheets is equal to or less than the predetermined value.

Abstract: A zoom lens system comprises, from an object side to an image side: a first lens unit; a second lens unit; a third lens unit; a fourth lens unit; and a fifth lens unit having positive refractive power, wherein: in zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the first, the second, the third, and the fourth lens units move so that an interval between the first and the second lens units is larger at the telephoto end than that at the wide angle end, an interval between the second and the third lens units is smaller at the telephoto end than that at the wide angle end, and a distance between the third and the fourth lens units varies; and a focal length of the first lens unit, and focal lengths of an entire system at the wide angle end and the telephoto end are appropriately set.

Abstract: A device for and a method form a barrier comprised of a distributed zone of fluid in a filter of a smoking article. The device includes a container for a fluid which forms a wet impact barrier when inserted into the smoking article, and a delivery feature communicating between the container and an outlet of the delivery feature, for transfer of the fluid to filter of the smoking article. The delivery feature is formed by a tube of significantly lesser diameter than the diameter of the smoking article. The combination of container and delivery feature provides for placement of a defined quantity of fluid at a predetermined location within the smoking article, such as by injection through a side wall of the filter in the vicinity of the filter/tobacco boundary.

Abstract: A perpendicular magnetic recording medium is disclosed that achieves improved recordability without deteriorating thermal stability by reducing the switching field. A perpendicular magnetic recording medium of the invention has a first magnetic recording layer and a second magnetic recording layer between with is interposed a coupling layer that ferromagnetically couples the two layers. The first and second magnetic recording layers satisfy an inequality Ku1T1>Ku2T2 in the case where Hk1 >Hk2 and an inequality Ku1T1<Ku2T2 in the case where Hk1<Hk2, where Hk1 and Hk2 are anisotropy magnetic fields, Ku1 and Ku2 are uniaxial anisotropy constants, and T1 and T2 are thicknesses of the first magnetic recording layer and the second recording layer, respectively. An exchange coupling energy between the magnetic recording layers is preferably at least 5×10?3 erg/cm2.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which is capable of correctly and accurately detecting a sheet leading edge position and carrying out image formation in appropriate image write timing, includes a detection device disposed at a reference position upstream from the transfer position and detects the recording medium being conveyed. A determining device determines image write timing for forming the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum based on a difference in position between a leading edge position of the recording medium detected by said detection device and the reference position. The detection device respectively include a plurality of light detecting pixels disposed in a recording medium conveying direction, and the leading edge position of the recording medium detected by the respective light detecting pixels.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes an input unit which inputs a plurality of image object data, an acquisition unit which acquires resolution information and area information, a generation unit which generates image data based on the resolution information and stores the image data in a memory unit, an extraction unit which extracts overlap area information and resolution information of each of the image objects, and a composition unit which reads out, from the memory unit, pixel data corresponding to a pixel position of interest in accordance with the area information, if a plurality of pixel data existing at the pixel position of interest are located in the overlap area, converts one of the plurality of pixel data in accordance with higher resolution information extracted by the extraction unit, composites the converted pixel data with the other pixel data, and outputs the pixel data.

Abstract: A SiC semiconductor substrate is disclosed which includes a SiC single crystal substrate, a nitrogen (N)-doped n-type SiC epitaxial layer in which nitrogen (N) is doped and a phosphorus (P)-doped n-type SiC epitaxial layer in which phosphorus (P) is doped. The nitrogen (N)-doped n-type SiC epitaxial layer and the phosphorus (P)-doped n-type SiC epitaxial layer are laminated on the silicon carbide single crystal substrate sequentially. The nitrogen (N)-doped n-type SiC epitaxial layer and the phosphorus (P)-doped n-type SiC epitaxial layer are formed by using two or more different dopants, for example, nitrogen and phosphorus, at the time of epitaxial growth. Basal plane dislocations in a SiC device can be reduced.

Abstract: A monitor part performs monitoring by detecting contamination on a lower surface of an article to be inspected based on a lower surface detection signal, detecting contamination on an upper surface of the article based on an upper surface detection signal, detecting contamination on a front surface of the article based on a front, lower surface detection signal and a front, upper surface detection signal, detecting contamination on a rear surface of the article based on a rear, lower surface detection signal and a rear, upper surface detection signal, detecting contamination on a left surface of the article based on a left, lower surface detection signal and a left, upper surface detection signal, and detecting contamination on a right surface of the article based on a right, lower surface detection signal and a right, upper surface detection signal.

Abstract: There is provided a perpendicular magnetic recording medium according to which both the thermal stability of the magnetization is good and writing with a magnetic head is easy, and moreover the SNR is improved. In the case of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium comprising a nonmagnetic substrate 1, and at least a nonmagnetic underlayer 2, a magnetic recording layer 3 and a protective layer 4 formed in this order on the nonmagnetic substrate 1, the magnetic recording layer 3 comprises a low Ku region 31 layer having a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy constant (Ku value) of not more than 1×105 erg/cm3, and a high Ku region 32 layer having a Ku value of at least 1×106 erg/cm3. Moreover, the magnetic recording layer 3 is made to have therein nonmagnetic grain boundaries that contain a nonmagnetic oxide and magnetically isolate crystal grains, which are made of a ferromagnetic metal, from one another.

Abstract: In order to enable detection of degradation of the heat dissipation from a semiconductor chip, even when the operating state of a semiconductor device cannot be predicted, a thermal resistance calculation circuit calculates the thermal resistance of the heat dissipation path from the semiconductor chip, based on the loss of a switching element calculated by a loss calculation circuit and the temperature of the semiconductor chip calculated by a temperature calculation portion, and when the voltage corresponding to the thermal resistance calculated by the thermal resistance calculation circuit exceeds a reference voltage, switching operation of the switching element is halted.

Abstract: A mixing control device has a plurality of input channels for processing and mixing audio signals according to parameters specified in the respective input channels. In the mixing control device, a plurality of channel strips are grouped into a first portion and a second portion, each channel strip having a fader operable for controlling a parameter. An allocating part allocates the plurality of the input channels to the plurality of the channel strips so that the fader of the channel strip is operable to control the parameter of the input channel allocated to the channel strip. An instructing part provides an instruction to switch the parameter to be controlled by the fader.

Abstract: A lever 1 pivots within a certain stroke range by a player's depression of the lever 1. A coil spring 4 is displaceable within the entire stroke range of the lever 1 to produce a reaction force having a characteristic that the reaction force increases with an increase in the displacement. A dome-shaped rubber member 5 starts being displaced at some point in the stroke of the lever 1 to produce a reaction force having a characteristic that the rate of change in reaction force with respect to the displacement decreases in an area placed in the displacement. The characteristic is obtained by the dome-shaped rubber member 5 coming into contact with the lever 1 at some point in the stroke of the lever 1 to start being displaced by further depression of the lever 1 to buckle at some point in the displacement of the dome-shaped rubber member 5.

Abstract: An operating valve of the present invention is a differential pressure operating valve 100 for performing a vacuum suction of a substrate, the operating valve comprises a body 4 having an opening which is provided at an exhaust side for exhausting an air from an inside to an outside and is opposed to a suction side for sucking the air from the outside to the inside, a valve 8, and a spring 9 whose one end is connected with one of the suction side and the exhaust side of the body 4 and the other end is connected with the valve 8. The spring 9 is configured to stretch or compress in accordance with a differential pressure between the suction side and the exhaust side, and the valve 8 is provided with at least one hole.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus capable of previously checking a setting mistake when a macro button is generated and preventing a macro using a reserved word from being inappropriately executed. A macro acquisition unit obtains the macro. A user information acquisition unit obtains user information associated with a user of the image processing apparatus. A replacing unit, when the macro obtained by the macro acquisition unit is a macro including a reserved word that is to be replaced with a portion of the user information, replaces the reserved word with the portion of the user information obtained by the user information acquisition unit. A check unit checks whether the macro replaced by the replacing unit can be normally executed. A notification unit notifies a check result of the check unit to a previously defined user.

Abstract: An image projection apparatus is disclosed which is capable of reducing noise when airflows from plural flow paths are taken in into a fan and exhausted therefrom. The apparatus comprises a first flow path through which a first airflow for cooling a light source passes, a second flow path through which a second airflow for cooling constituent parts other than the light source passes, a fan which exhausts air introduced from the first and second flow paths to the outside of the apparatus, a third flow path which introduces a third airflow to an exhaust area between the light source and the fan in the first flow path, and a light-shielding member which is provided in the exhaust area and shields the light from the light source.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus that is operable at a plurality of image forming speeds and can be constructed at low costs without adding circuits or the like. A conversion circuit converts image data into lighting patterns for turning on/off laser light on a basis of each of units of auxiliary pixels formed by dividing a pixel as an image forming element. A shift register sequentially stores lighting patterns for pixels pixel from the conversion circuit, and sequentially outputs them to a laser drive circuit. In monochrome printing, the rotational speed of a polygon motor is set to perform a printing operation. In color printing, the difference between an image forming speed for the monochrome printing and an image forming speed for the color printing is calculated, and based on the difference, the amount of insertion of pixel pieces using the shift register is determined for a printing operation.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus includes an original stage mounted with an exposure original having a pattern used for exposure, and an evaluation original having a pattern used to evaluate an optical performance of a projection optical system, a first drive mechanism configured to drive the original stage in a first direction that is a scan direction, and a second drive mechanism configured to drive the evaluation original on the original stage in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, a width of the evaluation original in the second direction is smaller than that of the exposure original in the second direction.

Abstract: A method of determining an exposure condition and a mask pattern includes: setting the exposure condition and the mask pattern; temporarily determining the mask pattern using a first evaluation function describing indices of quality of an image of the mask pattern, using the set exposure condition; calculating a value of a second evaluation function describing indices of quality of the image of the mask pattern, using the temporarily determined mask pattern and the set exposure condition; changing the exposure condition and the mask pattern based on the value of the calculated second evaluation function; and judging whether to execute a process of repeating the temporarily determining step and the calculating step. In the judging step, the mask pattern temporarily determined in the latest second step, and the exposure condition changed in the latest fourth step are determined as the mask pattern and the exposure condition, respectively.

Abstract: An object of this invention is to provide a sealing film for an organic EL element having excellent moisture resistance, due to the absence of pinholes. A sealing film of this invention is a sealing film for an organic EL element having a layered structure of at least three layers with a silicon nitride film and a silicon oxynitride film layered in alternation, and is characterized in that odd-numbered layers from the side of the organic EL element are silicon nitride films having a film thickness (T1) of 200 nm or greater, and even-numbered layers from the side of the organic EL element are silicon oxynitride films having a film thickness (T2) of 20 nm or greater and 50 nm or less.