Abstract: A tire air pressure valve is described that has an air sealing surface that is protected inside the metal wheel of a vehicle. The valve has an external stem with a built in break away feature which prevents external damage to the valve stem from damaging the sealing surface located inside the tire and wheel. The location of the seating/sealing surface inside the wheel, as compared to the top of the valve stem, provides protection from collision induced sudden tire pressure loss due to valve damage incurred during collisions or simply being struck by an object in a car wash or on the street.

Abstract: In a shift lever device of the present invention, when a lever is positioned at a “P” shift position and an ignition key is positioned at a “LOCK” position, a lock bar impedes swivel of a lock plate, and the lever cannot be shifted. If the lever is not positioned at the “P” shift position, the lock bar retains rotation of a cam, and the ignition key cannot be moved to the “LOCK” position. By forming a lock body integrally with the shift lever device, a shift lock mechanism can be used as an anti-theft device. Further, a key interlock mechanism serving as a safety device of the shift lever device can be provided easily.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a half mirror which transmits light from the back of a mirror body. The half mirror comprises a substrate that at least transmits light having predetermined wavelengths; a reflecting film, comprising substantially silicon of a thickness of 20 to 45 nm and being integrally formed on a surface of the substrate, for reflecting light that is made incident upon the reflecting film from the substrate side thereof and transmitting, toward the substrate side of the reflecting film at a fixed ratio, light made incident upon the reflecting film from the side opposite to the substrate side; and a protective film, which is made of a translucent material that at least transmits light having particular wavelengths, formed on the surface of the reflecting film opposite to the surface on which the substrate is formed.

Abstract: A reflection preventing treatment is performed with respect to an edge face of a light shielding blade. The blade is composed of a film material made of a polyester, and is formed into a predetermined shape as a base piece. A flat face portion of the blade is capable of shielding an incident light, and an edge face portion is present in perpendicularly crossing to the flat face portion. An inner edge face of an aperture opening is included in this edge face portion. In order to form the blade, at first the base piece is punched from the film material in a predetermined shape. Subsequently, a chemical etching is applied to the edge face portion of the punched base piece so as to roughen the edge face portion. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress an unnecessary reflection of the incident light at the edge face portion. It is possible to evenly and efficiently roughen the inner edge face of the aperture opening by collecting a multiplicity of punched base pieces and dipping them in an etching solution.

Abstract: In order to provide a communication system for a vehicle and an vehicle accessory operation system that utilizes the communication system for a vehicle which can achieve lower cost and non-wire harness structure as long as possible, there is provided a communication system for a vehicle, the communication system comprising an inner view mirror provided with a first infrared ray projecting and receiving section that is capable of at least one of projecting and receiving an infrared ray, and at least one vehicle accessory other than the inner view mirror, which vehicle accessory is provided with a second infrared ray projecting and receiving section that is capable of at least one of projecting and receiving an infrared ray and that is disposed so as to communicate with the inner view.

Abstract: A mirror surface angle adjusting device is provided which can be used at both left and right outer mirror devices of a vehicle. At a mirror driving unit, positional relationships between respective points (fulcrum of swinging A1 and A2, first adjusting points B1 and B2, second adjusting points C1 and C2, first mounting points D1 and D2, second mounting points E1 and E2, and third mounting points F1 and F2) are set such that the points have line symmetry with respect to 45° direction reference lines P1, P2. Accordingly, from a functional standpoint as well, there are no obstacles at a time of mounting, and as a result, a same type of mirror driving unit can be used at both a left door mirror device and a right door mirror device.

Abstract: A steering wheel mark member fixing structure which enables a mark member to be strongly fixed to a pad cover and enables a reduction in costs. At a steering wheel, in a state in which fixing legs of the mark member are inserted in fixing holes of a pad cover, the fixing legs are bent, such that distal end portions of the fixing legs are abutted against taper portions adjacent to the fixing holes. The taper portions have a triangular cross-sectional configuration. Thus, the fixing legs are bent at acute angles, and bent portions of the fixing legs abut the corner portions of the taper portions. The distal end portions of the fixing legs are caught by a strong force on the taper portions, and it is difficult for the bent state of the fixing legs to be released. The mark member can thereby be strongly fixed to the pad cover. As a result, there is no need for another member such as a pin, as there is in conventional structures. A number of parts and costs are reduced.

Abstract: A method for upgrading bandwidth in a fiber optic system utilizing Raman amplification and having an initial band capacity provided by a plurality of pumps including the steps of identifying a fiber optic system to be upgraded, activating at least one new pump in the fiber optic system necessary to provide upgraded band capacity to the fiber optic system while retaining the initial band capacity provided by the plurality of pumps, and adjusting power of at least one pump of the fiber optic system to minimize gain ripple or signal output ripple.

Abstract: A circuit for testing a nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes a serial connection of flash memory cells as a first memory group. In the serial connection, the gates of the flash memory cells have been connected to each other, and a first one of the cells has its source or drain connected to the source or drain of a second one of the cells when the first and second cells are adjacent to each other.

Abstract: A dynamic controller for a multi-channel EDFA-type optical amplifier is provided that is capable of providing a substantially tilt-free output over a range of selectable gain set points. The dynamic controller includes a variable optical attenuator coupled between the two amplification coils of the EDFA amplifier, and a control circuit that instructs the attenuator of an amount that each channel should be attenuated to achieve a tilt-free output at a selected gain point. The controller further includes a gain controller and a tilt controller connected to the control circuit of the variable optical attenuator for providing signals indicative of an average amount of per channel attenuation and a relative amount of per channel attenuation necessary to achieve a selected gain set point while reducing or eliminating tilt, respectively.

Abstract: A coder of the present invention is adapted to reproduce a signal of quality at a low coding rate even when a video or audio signal continuously supplied thereto should be coded in real time. The coder includes: a quantizer for quantizing the input signal; an encoder for encoding the output of the quantizer and outputting coded data; and a quantization parameter supply circuit for supplying a quantization parameter to the quantizer. If a scene change detector has detected a scene change, the supply circuit supplies a quantization parameter, which has been determined adaptively to a scene newly appearing after the scene change, to the quantizer. Otherwise, the supply circuit supplies a quantization parameter, which has been determined at such a value as to stabilize a coding rate, to the quantizer. In this manner, an average coding rate can be controlled and coding processing can be performed adaptively to individual scenes.

Abstract: A guide pin is provided erect at a lock plate of a webbing retractor. A guide hole is formed in a V gear in correspondence with the guide pin. The guide hole is formed from a first hole portion, a second hole portion and a third hold portion. A state in which the guide pin is positioned in the first hole portion is an initial state. When relative rotation between the V gear and a spool arises, the guide pin moves from the first hole portion and reaches the second hole portion. In this process, the guide pin pushes the V gear so as to rotate reversely, and locking is cancelled. When a pushing force causing a V gear reverse rotation angle to exceed a set value is applied from the guide pin, the guide pin escapes into the third hole portion such that excessive pushing force is cancelled.

Abstract: At a lock plate of a webbing retractor, a pair of pawls and a connecting shaft are molded integrally such that the lock plate is rotated appropriately such that the connecting shaft of the lock plate is inserted into a spool from a cut-out portion and two operational surfaces oppose respective load receiving surfaces, and thereafter, other parts are assembled.

Abstract: A voice guidance switching device for use in a car navigation device. When a navigation control section receives a signal from one of a controller and a controller, the navigation control section determines whether the signal is a first signal or a second signal. When the signal is determined to be the first signal, the navigation control section reads a voice guidance switching program from a storage medium and determines whether the signal has been transmitted from the controller or from the controller. The navigation control section also determines whether or not the vehicle is travelling at the time on the basis of a signal from a speed sensor, and then switches a voice guidance generating program between an operable state and an inoperable state on the basis of these determination results.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing shibori clothes of the desired form and hue in a secure and stable manner by application of measures taken to intentionally leave relief-like shapes called “shibo” (crimps) in the clothes and to provide new types of shibori clothes with unique forms, stretchability, handling and draping qualities, comfort when worn, etc. In a shibori clothing manufacturing method[, comprising] that includes at least a “shibori (binding) process,” in which numerous portions of a dyed and sewn cloth are bound partially with a thread, a “setting process,” which has at least a “steam setting process” by which the shibori cloth, obtained by the “shibori (binding) process” is exposed to steam in order to maintain the shibori (bound) shapes, and a “thread removal process,” in which the abovementioned thread is removed after the “setting process”, and shibori clothes made by this method.

Abstract: In a webbing retractor, when a pawl engages with an internal tooth, a lock plate is guided, via a V gear, to a position at which engagement with a ratchet tooth is possible, and thereafter, the lock plate self-locks. When the V gear reversely rotates by a predetermined amount in accordance with this self-locking, engagement of the pawl and the internal tooth is cancelled. An engagement surface of the internal tooth corresponds to a locus of swinging of the pawl. Engagement with the pawl is cancelled at a smallest V gear reverse rotation angle.

Abstract: A filter layer and a buffer layer are sequentially laminated on a first principal face of a semiconductor substrate, and an island-shaped light absorption layer and a window layer are laminated on top of the buffer layer. A diffusion region in which p-type impurities have been diffused is formed in the window layer. An n-side electrode and a p-side electrode are formed on the buffer layer and the diffusion region, respectively. A light incidence portion is formed on the buffer layer where the light absorption layer has not been formed.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a method for moving grouped characters whose interaction can be expressed realistically. When an acceleration for moving a character away from anther character when the another character exists within a short distance region of the character, an acceleration for matching the character with speed and direction of another character moving as so to follow a leader when the another character exists within a middle distance region, and an acceleration for moving the character away from another character when the another character exists within a long distance region are calculated (steps 308 to 312), and a position of the character on a three-dimensional virtual space is calculated on the basis of summed acceleration obtained by sing the calculated accelerations for each of components x, y, z on the three-dimensional virtual (steps 314, 316).

Abstract: A total injected electron quantity QBD, which has reached a constant value against a variation in stress voltage applied to an insulating film for use in a semiconductor device, is obtained as a critical injected electron quantity QBDcrit. The total injected electron quantity QBD is a total quantity of electrons injected into the insulating film before the film causes a dielectric breakdown. Thereafter, a time it should take for a total quantity of electrons, injected into the insulating film under actual operating conditions of the device, to reach the critical injected electron quantity QBDcrit is estimated as the expected lifetime of the insulating film.

Abstract: A method for amplifying optical signals and an optical fiber amplifier for accomplishing the same. An optical fiber is coupled to a source of pump light and a signal gain level is correlated to a dispersion value of the optical fiber that corresponds to a local minimum power level of a cross-talk signal generated by four wave mixing. Optical signals are transmitted through the optical fiber while admitting sufficient pump light into the fiber from the source to attain the selected Raman gain level.