Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.

Abstract: An output characteristic of a fuel cell is estimated by detecting an output current of the fuel cell and a voltage between terminals of the fuel cell, and then estimating the output characteristic of the fuel cell on the basis of the detected output current and the detected voltage between the terminals, and a basic output characteristic of the fuel cell.

Abstract: A user name entered on a user authentication screen is searched and if it found to be an unregistered user name a different, registered image formation apparatus is asked to act as a proxy to perform user authentication. If the apparatus returns “OK” a decision is made that the authentication of interest is “OK” and the authentication process ends. If all of the image formation apparatuses registered in a proxy authentication apparatus registration table are requested to perform user authentication do not provide an authentication “OK” a decision is made that the authentication of interest is “NG” and the authentication process ends. Thus in networked environment an image formation apparatus can be provided that can eliminate the necessity of registering information for user authentication with all image formation apparatuses and also prevent improper use by a user registered with an unintended image formation apparatus.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, and an interlayer wiring structure further including a lower wiring layer formed on the semiconductor substrate, a first interlayer an interlayer wiring layer including an interlayer insulating film formed on the lower wiring layer and including a first upper surface and a second upper surface, the first upper surface being higher than the second upper surface relative to a surface of the semiconductor substrate, a contact plug formed in the interlayer insulating film and including a first bottom surface contacting to the lower wiring layer, a third upper surface flush with the second upper surface and a fourth upper surface flush with the first upper surface, an upper wiring layer formed on the first and third upper surfaces and including a first side surface and a second side surface opposite to the first side surface, and a second interlayer insulating film formed on the second and fourth upper surfaces.

Abstract: A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a lower wiring layer on a semiconductor substrate, forming an interlayer insulating film on the lower wiring layer, layer, forming a plurality of. contact plugs in the interlayer insulating film so that the contact plugs are brought into electrical contact with the lower wiring layer, thereby forming an interlayer wiring layer, forming an upper wiring, layer on the interlayer wiring layer so that the upper wiring layer is brought into electrical contact with the contact plugs, and patterning the upper wiring layer so that the upper wiring layer corresponds to the contact plugs. In the patterning, after the upper wiring layer has been etched, the exposed interlayer insulating film and the exposed contact plugs are etched.

Abstract: A data processing apparatus includes a receiver which receives data transmitted from a terminal, a processor which processes the data received by the receiver, and a transmitter which transmits contents processed by the processor to the terminal.

Abstract: An electric vehicle 10 includes a power supply apparatus 15. The power supply apparatus 15 includes a fuel cell system 22, capacitor 24 and secondary battery 26 that are connected in parallel to wiring 50. When a drive motor is performing regeneration, the capacitor 24 is collecting the regenerated electric power. The fuel cell system 22 generates electric power in accordance with the load demand. The switches 20 between the fuel cell and the wiring are closed when the load becomes small and the regenerated voltage attains a predetermined level. As a result, the generation of electric power by the fuel cell system is suspended under low-load conditions where the energy efficiency of the fuel cell system 22 is low.

Abstract: An information acquiring unit checks operation command information issued to the multiple information processing apparatuses over the network in order to understand the totality of the operation command information in the network. The state of utilization of each information processing apparatus is analyzed based on the operation command information. Where a utilization state analyzing unit is provided in an information processing apparatus, the utilization state analyzing unit also checks the state of utilization of its own information processing apparatus. Prompt information that prompts the issuance of operation commands to an underutilized information processing apparatus is then issued. Consequently, the level of utilization of that information processing apparatus may be increased.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a receiving device which receives an image and first printing conditions for printing the image from a terminal via a network, a generating device which generates second printing conditions on the basis of the first printing conditions and settings of the image forming apparatus, a comparing device which compares the first and second printing conditions to determine whether or not one or more discrepancies occur between them, a first storage device which stores a table which stores discrepancies to be determined to occur and solutions each of which corresponds to each of the discrepancies, a first setting device which automatically sets, by using the table, a solution among the solutions for each of the discrepancies determined to occur, and a printing device which prints the image on printing conditions in which the one or more discrepancies are solved by the set solution.

Abstract: A mode information conversion device connected to a terminal and an image forming device which performs a printing operation. The mode information conversion device including a unit for receiving first mode information transmitted from the terminal, in which a user request to the image forming device is reflected; a unit for acquiring second mode information to be peculiarly used in the image forming device; a unit for registering the first and second mode information so as to be previously related to each other; a unit for converting the first mode information to the second mode information by reading the second mode information related to the first mode information on the mode information registering unit upon receiving the first mode information; and a unit for transmitting the second mode information acquired by conversion to the image forming device which is a print output destination based on the user request.

Abstract: A power source system (1) includes a fuel cell (40) and a battery (20) connected in parallel. A DC-DC converter (30) is connected to the battery (20) side. A maximum output ratio of the fuel cell (40) and the battery (20) is set in a range in which the output of the fuel cell falls within 65 to 80% of the total output. Accordingly, electric power loss due to the DC-DC converter (30) is controlled, whereby a high energy efficiency can be achieved.

Abstract: A user name entered on a user authentication screen is searched and if it found to be an unregistered user name a different, registered image formation apparatus is asked to act as a proxy to perform user authentication. If the apparatus returns “OK” a decision is made that the authentication of interest is “OK” and the authentication process ends. If all of the image formation apparatuses registered in a proxy authentication apparatus registration table are requested to perform user authentication do not provide an authentication “OK” a decision is made that the authentication of interest is “NG” and the authentication process ends. Thus in networked environment an image formation apparatus can be provided that can eliminate the necessity of registering information for user authentication with all image formation apparatuses and also prevent improper use by a user registered with an unintended image formation apparatus.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a receiving device which receives an image and first printing conditions for printing the image from a terminal via a network, a generating device which generates second printing conditions on the basis of the first printing conditions and settings of the image forming apparatus, a comparing device which compares the first and second printing conditions to determine whether or not one or more discrepancies occur between them, a first storage device which stores a table which stores discrepancies to be determined to occur and solutions each of which corresponds to each of the discrepancies, a first setting device which automatically sets, by using the table, a solution among the solutions for each of the discrepancies determined to occur, and a printing device which prints the image on printing conditions in which the one or more discrepancies are solved by the set solution.

Abstract: Image data is transmitted from a client PC to an image formation apparatus. Upon printing, an external server conducts an authentication process. A certificate indicating that the user has been authenticated is held, with its validity period provided in the image formation apparatus. Within the validity period, the time-consuming authentication process with respect to the external server is skipped. This can reduce the burden of authentication while ensuring security, so that high productivity is guaranteed.

Abstract: Image distortion is corrected in a color printer wherein print units for a plurality of colors are aligned to form a color image by superposing images formed by the print units. A quantity of image distortion is detected, and correction data of main scan address and subscan address are calculated and stored according to the detected image distortion for each main scan address. When input color image data are corrected, printing position is corrected in combination of address change with density interpolation. When the correction data exceeds the maximum correction range, the correction data are replaced by the maximum in the correction range for distortion correction. Further, in the image data correction, after the image data are converted to data having a smaller number of gradation levels, the data are delayed according to the serial arrangement of the print units. Then, the delayed data are converted again for printing.

Abstract: A mode information conversion device connected to a terminal and an image forming device which performs a printing operation. The mode information conversion device comprises an unit for receiving first mode information transmitted from the terminal, in which a user request to the image forming device is reflected; an unit for acquiring second mode information to be peculiarly used in the image forming device; an unit for registering the first and second mode information so as to be previously related to each other; an unit for converting the first mode information to the second mode information by reading the second mode information related to the first mode information on the mode information registering unit upon receiving the first mode information; and an unit for transmitting the second mode information acquired by conversion to the image forming device which is a print output destination based on the user request.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus includes: a job input unit receiving job inputs of performing image formation from image data; a job registration unit registering the jobs of performing image formation from the image data together with priorities in an order of execution of the jobs and link information showing a link relationship between the jobs; a job management unit managing the order of execution of the registered jobs; a priority change unit performing a priority change in response to a priority change request for the registered jobs; and an image formation unit executing the jobs according to the order of execution, wherein the priority change unit changes a priority or priorities of another job or the other jobs in a link relationship with a job on which a priority change has been performed to the same priority as the job on which a priority change has been performed.

Abstract: An image processing system for identifying car stealer to be set in a car involving a high risk to be stolen, comprising a device to take the full-faced image of the criminal without his/her knowledge. A dashboard panel (2) in front of the driver's seat comprises a meter housing (10) provided on a lamp case (12) for storing a light source (13) of indicator lamps (6a) and (6b). An indicator panel (14) made of transparent material is provided in front of the dashboard panel (2), therein the lighting from the light source is sent from the lamp case (12) to the front surface of the dashboard panel (2). An image taking device (21) which is a candid camera is provided in the lamp case (12), therein the image of the person sitting in the driver's seat can be taken through the indicator panel (14). An image memory device (22) of the candid camera corresponds to the lighting of the indicator lamps (6a) and (6b), and save the image taken by the image taking device (21).

Abstract: An accessory drive apparatus includes a power source, an accessory system that provides an input to the power source, an accessory driving source that drives the accessory system, and a power combination/distribution mechanism that is connected to the power source and the accessory system to transmit power from both the power source and the accessory driving source to the accessory system. With this arrangement, the accessory system is driven by a combination of power received from the accessory driving source and the power source.

Abstract: In a load driving arrangement, electric power is supplied from an auxiliary battery to a main power supply when the power stored by charging in the main power supply is scarce at the startup of the system. The power is supplied to the main power supply by closing relays to connect the auxiliary battery to the neutral point of an auxiliary motor, operating a switching transistor of a bottom arm of an auxiliary-related inverter based on a command from a control circuit, stepping up the voltage from the auxiliary battery by using a coil of the auxiliary motor as a reactor, and supplying the step-up voltage to the main power supply thereby charging the main power supply. At this time, a drive-related inverter and a DC/DC converter are stopped. When the main power supply is charged to a sufficient degree, the relays are opened to drive each load.