Abstract: A variable-speed drive device for a power unit to be used in a vehicle equipped with a stopper pin passed through an opening in a master arm for regulating the amount of rotary movement of the master arm. Shock-absorbing device is provided on the master arm or the stopper pin At least a part of the shock-absorbing device is formed to project into the path along which the stopper pin moves relative to the opening of the master arm, from a stopper pin outer surface or from edge portions of a defining edge of the opening in the master arm onto extension of the stopper pin path. As a result, even if the master arm and the stopper pin contact one another at high speed, it is possible to suppress the sound of contact and suppress an increase in the weight of a stopper pin fixing part.

Abstract: The present invention provides a film formation method and a film formation apparatus which can fabricate an epitaxial film with +c polarity by a sputtering method. In one embodiment of the present invention, the film formation method of epitaxially growing a semiconductor thin film with a wurtzite structure by the sputtering method on an epitaxial growth substrate heated to a predetermined temperature by a heater includes the following steps. First, the substrate is disposed on a substrate holding portion including the heater to be located at a predetermined distance away from the heater. Then, the epitaxial film of the semiconductor film with the wurtzite structure is formed on the substrate with the impedance of the substrate holding portion being adjusted.

Abstract: A transmission for a vehicle has a main shaft and a counter shaft, which are supported in a transmission case by bearings. Gears on the main shaft and gears on the counter shaft include: shifter gears which are not rotatable but axially movable relative to the shaft, and fixed gears which are rotatable but not axially movable relative to the shaft. Dog clutches are provided between the shifter gears and the fixed gears, and outer races of the bearings supporting the main and counter shafts are affixed to the transmission case. Vibration-absorbing elastic members are pressed against the outer races from axially outside and are set to have a volume of 50% or more of the volume of the outer races. With such configuration, the vibration of the bearings supporting both the main and counter shafts of the transmission is attenuated, and striking noise caused by shifting is reduced.

Abstract: A main shaft side sprocket wheel and a countershaft side sprocket wheel are provided for relative rotation on the shafts with a chain wrapped around and extended between the sprocket wheels. One of the driven gears is a floating gear provided for relative rotation on the countershaft. The countershaft side sprocket wheel is provided for integral rotation with the floating gear. The main shaft includes a main shaft inner shaft which includes the main shaft side sprocket wheel, and an outer pipe disposed coaxially on the outer side of the main shaft inner shaft in a diametrical direction and capable of being placed into and out of integral rotation with the main shaft side sprocket wheel. A reverse transmission gear for meshing with a driven gear is provided on the outer pipe. A reduction gear ratio by the floating gear or the reverse transmission gear is set higher than 1.

Abstract: A final gear box accommodates a pinion gear and a bevel gear in a rotatable manner and contains an oil. A recess is provided at a downstream end of a drive shaft. The recess and the upstream end of the pinion gear shaft portion are splined coupled with each other so that the drive shaft and the pinion gear can be rotated together and relatively moved in an axial direction. A space permitting relative movement between the drive shaft and the pinion gear is provided between the pinion gear and the recess. The pinion gear is provided with a hollow portion which pierces the pinion gear in the axial direction and conducts oil to the space portion.

Abstract: A shifter gear for reducing a thrust load that occurs in a shifter gear for restraining friction between the shifter gear and a shift fork. A gear part and an engaging part with the shift fork are disposed at an outer periphery of a base part. The spline is disposed at an inner periphery of the base part. The shifter gear is mounted relatively slidable to a gear shift shaft in an axis direction via the spline and is mounted to be incapable of relative rotation around an axis. The shift fork engaging the engaging part is configured to perform a slide operation on the shifter gear. One part of the spline is configured with a splined collar in an axis direction. The splined collar is a different body from the base part and is able to relatively rotate to the part around an axis.

Abstract: A gear-shifting mechanism driving device for allowing a speedy and accurate gear-shifting operation has a light weight even in the case where a shift spindle is short. The gear-shifting mechanism driving device includes a transmission for selectively establishing a gear combination by the turning of a shift spindle for turning a master arm, and an actuator as a power source for turning the shift spindle, in which the gear-shifting mechanism driving device includes a reduction gear shaft provided in a power transmission path between the actuator and the shift spindle, a first gear provided on one end side of the reduction gear shaft to receive power from the actuator side, and a second gear provided on another end side of the reduction gear shaft to transmit power to the shift spindle side. The reduction gear shaft is made of a torsion bar.

Abstract: A transmission that reduces the difference of rotational speed when engaging a main shaft-side sprocket and a main shaft-outer shaft, in a low-speed traveling mode. When shifting from first gear to neutral in the transmission, a dog on a drive gear is engaged with a dog hole in a main shaft-side sprocket, engagement between a dog on a driven gear for first gear and a dog hole in a driven gear is released, and then a first clutch and a second clutch are disconnected with the drive gear and the main shaft-side sprocket being engaged.

Abstract: A braking force control apparatus for a saddle ride vehicle includes a transmission controller which reduces driving force of an engine by a predetermined speed reduction ratio and transmits the driving force to a drive wheel, a clutch device which connects—disconnects the driving force between the engine and the transmission, a brake device which generates braking force on the drive wheel, and a sensor which detects a state of the transmission. The transmission switches between a neutral state and an in-gear state, and when the sensor detects that the transmission is switching from the neutral state to the in-gear state, the controller causes the brake device to generate braking force on the drive wheel, and then releases the braking force upon completion of the switching to the in-gear state.

Abstract: A braking force control apparatus in a motorcycle, includes a controller which controls a transmission to reduces driving force of an engine by a predetermined speed reduction ratio and transmits the driving force to a drive wheel of a vehicle, a clutch between the engine and the transmission, and brake devices which generate braking force on the wheels. The vehicle is switchable between a normal and a slow speed driving modes. In the slow speed mode the controller detects an inclination pitching angle ?, and causes the brake devices to generate braking force on at least one of the drive wheels when ??a predetermined value, then starts switching the clutch to a connected state when a driving operation is input, and gradually releases the braking force once driving force starts to be transmitted to the drive wheel.

Abstract: A main shaft side sprocket wheel and a countershaft side sprocket wheel are provided for relative rotation on the shafts with a chain wrapped around and extended between the sprocket wheels. One of the driven gears is a floating gear provided for relative rotation on the countershaft. The countershaft side sprocket wheel is provided for integral rotation with the floating gear. The main shaft includes a main shaft inner shaft which includes the main shaft side sprocket wheel, and an outer pipe disposed coaxially on the outer side of the main shaft inner shaft in a diametrical direction and capable of being placed into and out of integral rotation with the main shaft side sprocket wheel. A reverse transmission gear for meshing with a driven gear is provided on the outer pipe. A reduction gear ratio by the floating gear or the reverse transmission gear is set higher than 1.

Abstract: A variable speed drive wherein an impact to be transmitted to an inputting mechanism is absorbed. A shift spindle has an input side end portion to which an inputting mechanism is connected and an output side end portion supported for rotation at a transmission side supporting portion provided on a transmission case. A master arm is positioned between the input side end portion and the output side end portion in an axial direction of the shift spindle. An extension collar member is fixed integrally to the master arm. The extension collar member connects the master arm and a connection portion provided at a location of the shift spindle rather near to the input side end portion than the output side end portion. The extension collar member extends from the connection portion toward the master arm with a gap left from an outer circumferential face of the shift spindle.

Abstract: A transmission of an internal combustion engine in which the shaft length of a main shaft can be shortened to eliminate a supporting wall around a reduction gear while a thrust load is received. Around a main shaft of a transmission of an internal combustion engine, a primary bearing is fastened to an inside of a primary driven gear, and is disposed between the primary driven gear and the main shaft. A collar member is disposed between the primary bearing and a main bearing. A step portion, in contact with the main bearing, is formed on the main shaft on an opposite side of the main bearing from the collar member. A cylindrical portion, an inner race of the primary bearing, the collar member, and an inner race of the main bearing are fastened to the side of the step portion.

Abstract: A water-jet pump includes a cylindrical housing and an impeller. The impeller is disposed in the cylindrical housing and is configured to be rotated in a rotating direction. The impeller includes a shaft body and plural blades. The plural blades are provided on an outer circumference of the shaft body. A front portion of one of the plural blades overlaps a rear portion of another of the plural blades adjacent to one of the plural blades when viewed in an axial direction of the shaft body. When viewed in the axial direction, at least a part of a rear edge of the rear portion is formed obliquely with respect to a radial direction of the impeller towards the rotating direction. A cutaway portion is formed in each of the plural blades between at least a part of the rear edge and the outer circumference.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine for a small planing boat for reducing the lateral width of an oil pan in conformity to the configuration of the bottom while securing the filtering surface area of an oil strainer. In addition, a vertical width of the oil pan is maintained to be small to thereby lower the total height of the internal combustion engine. In an internal combustion engine for a small planing boat, an oil pan is provided at the bottom portion of the internal combustion engine with an oil passage for communicating with an oil pump being formed inside the oil pan. A vertical wall of the oil passage is partially cut away to form communication openings each communicating between the inside and outside of the oil passage with the oil strainers being interposed in the communication openings substantially vertically to divide the oil passage into inside and outside.

Abstract: A water-jet pump includes a cylindrical housing and an impeller. The impeller is disposed in the cylindrical housing and is configured to be rotated in a rotating direction. The impeller includes a shaft body and plural blades. The plural blades are provided on an outer circumference of the shaft body. A front portion of one of the plural blades overlaps a rear portion of another of the plural blades adjacent to one of the plural blades when viewed in an axial direction of the shaft body. When viewed in the axial direction, at least a part of a rear edge of the rear portion is formed obliquely with respect to a radial direction of the impeller towards the rotating direction. A cutaway portion is formed in each of the plural blades between at least a part of the rear edge and the outer circumference.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine for a small planing boat for reducing the lateral width of an oil pan in conformity to the configuration of the bottom while securing the filtering surface area of an oil strainer. In addition, a vertical width of the oil pan is maintained to be small to thereby lower the total height of the internal combustion engine. In an internal combustion engine for a small planing boat, an oil pan is provided at the bottom portion of the internal combustion engine with an oil passage for communicating with an oil pump being formed inside the oil pan. A vertical wall of the oil passage is partially cut away to form communication openings each communicating between the inside and outside of the oil passage with the oil strainers being interposed in the communication openings substantially vertically to divide the oil passage into inside and outside.

Abstract: A vehicle headlamp system with headlamps, each of which contains a lamp unit for emitting beams forward with a predetermined luminous intensity distribution. The system carries out beam emission with a luminous intensity distribution corresponding to the travel conditions of a vehicle. In an implementation, when the speed of one's own vehicle exceeds 25 km/h, a low-beam luminous intensity distribution P(L) is varied according to a vehicle-to-vehicle distance in relation to a preceding vehicle. Remote visibility is increased by positioning a cut-off line slightly upward when the vehicle-to-vehicle distance L is long, whereas when the vehicle-to-vehicle distance L is short the cut-off line is lowered slightly in order not to give a glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle headlamp system with headlamps, each of which contains a lamp unit for emitting beams forward with a predetermined luminous intensity distribution. The system carries out beam emission with a luminous intensity distribution corresponding to the travel conditions of a vehicle. In an implementation, when the speed of one's own vehicle exceeds 25 km/h, a low-beam luminous intensity distribution P(L) is varied according to a vehicle-to-vehicle distance in relation to a preceding vehicle. Remote visibility is increased by positioning a cut-off line slightly upward when the vehicle-to-vehicle distance L is long, whereas when the vehicle-to-vehicle distance L is short the cut-off line is lowered slightly in order not to give a glare to the driver of the preceding vehicle.

Abstract: A cloth for ink jet printing, fabricated by providing a low density cloth with a sizing agent of the gel-transition type, gel-initiating agent, and ink receiving agent for filling up gaps between fibers, and by drying the low density cloth so that even in the case where the ink-jet printing process is applied to such a low density cloth as a loosely woven or knitted fabric, a clear image can be printed thereon without ink striking through gaps between fibers, and without causing the cloth to be stained. For the low density cloth, a cloth of a single yarn weight fineness of 100 d or less, and a woven or knitted fabric of a warp density of 120 warps or less/inch or a filling density of 150 fillings or less/inch are suitable. With the use of the cloth, an ink-jet printed fabric deep in color as well as abundantly expressive of gradation (that is, having a wide range of color strength) can be obtained while preventing ink from passing through, and supporting members and the cloth from being stained.