Abstract: A battery including a battery cell provided with an electrode terminal protruding from a side, a circuit board attached along sides of the battery cell, and a resin mould section which partially covers the circuit board and the battery cell, thereby integrating them. The circuit board includes rigid base sections for mounting components, and a flexible base section which connects between the rigid base sections and can bend flexibly. The rigid base section is provided with a pierced aperture, which pierces the rigid base section in the thickness direction, and into which an electrode terminal is fitted, and an electrically conductive material which is electrically connected to the wiring of the rigid base section, and electrically connected to the electrode terminal provided in the pierced aperture. The circuit board may be easily positioned in relation to the battery cell.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a cleaning mechanism for cleaning paper powder or toner pressed and remaining on the surface of the circumference of an endless belt is provided. The cleaning mechanism includes a rotational shaft part that is detachably and rotatably attached to a supporting frame. The supporting frame of the cleaning mechanism is turned with the rotation of the rotational shaft part so that the supporting frame of the cleaning mechanism faces the belt supporting frame, fixing both frames at a point where a cleaning member presses the surface of the circumference of the endless belt.

Abstract: The method and a device to measure the repeatable and non-repeatable runouts of a rotating component of a spindle motor with the aid of at least one probe measuring changes in the distance between the probe and the rotating component depending on the angle of rotation. The probe records a first test signal in a first test cycle from which a signal defining the RRO is determined and stored. In a second test cycle, a command signal proportional to the amplitude and phase of the RRO signal is generated and fed to an electromechanical actuator supporting the probe. Depending on the command signal derived from the first test signal, the actuator changes the distance between the probe and the outer perimeter of the rotating component, thus compensating the runout defined by the RRO signal, while the probe records a second test signal defining the NRRO.

Abstract: A rolling bearing and a rod end bearing are provided with a tilt mechanism and a rotary mechanism that are mutually independent. The tilt mechanism has a non-lubricated type spherical sliding bearing structure. The rotary mechanism has a rolling bearing structure which may or may not be sealed. By means of the non-lubricated type spherical sliding bearing structure, a tilt of the shaft center is made possible, and by means of a sealed rolling bearing structure, problems such as a lubrication oil leak are avoided, and carrying out high speed rotation and continuous rotation become possible. Because the sealed rolling bearing structure of the rotary mechanism does not call for a shaft center tilt function at all, the material of the seal can be chosen such that it emphasizes sliding resistance and high durability.

Abstract: A mobile instrument includes two housings that each incorporate circuit substrates, a hinge portion that joins the two housings such that they can rotate, and a flexible printed wiring board that is passed through a cavity formed inside the hinge portion, and that electrically connects together the circuit substrates in the two housings. The flexible printed wiring board is curled inside the cavity and an elastic body is placed on an inner side of the curled flexible printed wiring board.

Abstract: A hydrodynamic bearing system, having a bearing sleeve and a shaft inserted into an inner cylindrical bore of the bearing sleeve. A bearing gap is formed between the shaft and the bearing sleeve, the bearing gap being filled with a lubricating oil. A shield encloses the bearing sleeve. The shield is secured within a recess formed at the top surface of the bearing sleeve at a position distanced from the bearing gap. The shield is pressed against a sharp edge of the recess by a metal ring placed into the recess.

Abstract: The invention relates to apparatus and methods for measuring a human head. The apparatus disclosed herein involve the use of linear rulers, or rotating contacting members, coupled to a support member. The apparatus disclosed herein can be positioned on a human head, using the methods disclosed herein, to determine the outer contour of the head. Such a measurement can aid in the diagnosis and monitoring of various abnormalities of the human head, including plagiocephaly.

Abstract: The spindle motor includes a rotational shaft 30 which has a conical portion 34, whose outer surface gradually widens toward a thrust dynamic pressure bearing 70, and a straight portion 33 with a fixed outer diameter. Radial dynamic pressure bearing 60 supports the radial load of the rotating shaft 30. The radial bearing has a conical bearing surface 64 and a straight bearing surface 63 corresponding to the conical portion 34 and the straight portion 33 of the rotating shaft 30, respectively. Rotating shaft 30 is supported and aligned during rotation by fluid dynamic forces generated by the conical portion 34.

Abstract: A retainer for holding bearings within a shaft bearing has C-shaped pockets for holding the bearings. Between the pockets are connecting portions, which are close to the openings of the pockets. The rear sides of adjacent pockets and the rear side of the connecting portion for the adjacent pockets form a concave site that is deeply gouged into the retainer. The bottom of the concave site is closer to the openings than the bottom of the pockets, thereby allowing base oil from grease in the concave site to better migrate onto the bearings and so lubricate the shaft bearing.

Abstract: An apparatus for a serial ventilation device that increases airflow compared to conventional devices without increasing the size is presented. The first ventilator is mounted on the intake opening side of the serial ventilation device, with the front surface of its blades facing the air intake side. The second ventilator is mounted on the exhaust opening side of the serial ventilation device, with the front surface of its blades facing the air exhaust side. Thus a first ventilator, which ventilates from the rear side of the ventilator, and a second ventilator, which ventilates from the front side of the ventilator, operate as a whole. Both ventilators are connected serially such that their rotation shafts are positioned coaxially, while the number of blades of the two ventilators are different.

Abstract: A stator stack and stator jig assembly provide a consistent amount of slack in stator coil wires without increasing the complexity of coil-winding machines or adding production steps, and prevent crossing of the stator coil wires in the slack areas. A stator stack having magnetic pole teeth is mounted in a stator installation jig, and the ends of slack forming plates having grooves are made to project above the top surface of the stator stack to thrust stator coil wires upwardly. The coil-winding machine winds stator coil wires around the magnetic pole teeth, and after the stator coil wires are wound, the ends of the stator coil wires are passed through grooves in the ends of the plates to output pins. The coil-winding machine wraps the ends of the stator coil wires around the output pins. On removing the stator from the stator installation jig, the parts of the stator coil wires which where thrust upward become slack areas.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming a fluid dynamic pressure groove in a fluid dynamic pressure bearing is provided. The method is accomplished by initially positioning and securing multiple workpieces to be machined to their respective machining devices. An electrochemical dissolving effect is imparted to each target surface of the multiple workpieces and then at least one fluid dynamic pressure groove is formed on each target surface of the multiple workpieces. Each groove may have a specified shape, dimension and surface condition. An electrolyte is directed from a common electrolyte tank to each of the machining devices used on the multiple workpieces.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a belt supporting frame for supporting an intermediate transfer belt is provided. The intermediate transfer belt is a multi-layered structure composed of at least an elastic layer on a substrate layer. When a percentage difference of a stretched length of an outer circumference of the intermediate transfer belt to an inner circumference thereof at a position of contact to the driving roller is A % and a percent difference of a length of stretched side of the belt driven and stretched by the driving roller to a length of non-stretched opposite side of the belt is B %, the intermediate transfer belt is configured so that ranges of A and A+B fall simultaneously into inequalities of 1<A<6 and 3<A+B<10.

Abstract: A hydrodynamic bearing system, particularly for the rotary bearing of spindle motors to power hard disk drives. The bearing system includes a bearing sleeve, a shaft accommodated in an opening in the bearing sleeve and at least one radial bearing section provided between the bearing sleeve and the shaft with the aid of which the shaft and the bearing sleeve are supported rotatably in relation to each other. A bearing gap is formed between the shaft and the bearing sleeve and is filled with a liquid lubricant. A lubricant reservoir and equalizing volume independent from the design of the bearing arrangement is provided in that at least one duct is formed in the bearing sleeve that extends from an outer section of the bearing sleeve to the bearing gap and that is at least partially filled with lubricant.

Abstract: A pivot assembly for use in a hard disk drive, in which ball bearings are placed at both ends of a shaft, and a spacer is disposed between outer rings of the ball bearings. The spacer is fixed to the outer rings by laser welding.

Abstract: A hydrodynamic bearing system, having a bearing sleeve and a shaft inserted into an inner cylindrical bore of the bearing sleeve. A bearing gap is formed between the shaft and the bearing sleeve, the bearing gap being filled with a lubricating oil. A shield encloses the bearing sleeve. The shield is secured at to an end surface of the bearing sleeve at a position on the end surface that is distanced from the bearing gap. The shield does not contact the lubricating oil.