Abstract: A vehicle exhaust system structure capable of easily improving output performance in comparison with a two-cylinder internal combustion engine having the same displacement and outputting an appealing and excellent exhaust sound relating to the two-cylinder internal combustion engine, in a four-cylinder internal combustion engine or a three-cylinder internal combustion engine. An exhaust pipe structure for an internal combustion engine is configured such that exhaust pipes are respectively connected to four cylinders of a four-cylinder internal combustion engine, the two exhaust pipes of the exhaust pipes are formed as long exhaust pipes having a long pipe length while the other two exhaust pipes thereof are formed as short exhaust pipes having a short pipe length, and a difference in a pipe length between the long exhaust pipes and the short exhaust pipes is set to 150 mm or more.

Abstract: In a liquid-crystal display device including an edge-light-scheme-employed backlight device, it is implemented to reduce its power consumption while maintaining its excellent picture-quality. The present invention is applied to the backlight device with a plurality of edge-light-scheme backlight cells in a matrix-like manner including a LED light-source, and a light-guiding plate for emitting light. The intensity of light from a backlight cell positioned at a screen's peripheral portion is so controlled as to be made lower than the intensity of light from a backlight cell at a central portion. The light intensity of a backlight cell having a LED light-source adjacent to a first edge portion of the illumination surface of the backlight device is so controlled as to be made higher than the light intensity of a backlight cell adjacent to a second edge portion opposed to the first edge portion.

Abstract: A vehicle approach alert device for a saddle-ridden electric vehicle is a vehicle approach alert device for a saddle-ridden electric vehicle that is provided with a sound emitter that is attached on the vehicle body of a saddle-ridden electric vehicle having an electric motor in a power engine, and that emits an alert sound to a surrounding area for notifying the surrounding area of approach of the saddle-ridden electric vehicle, such that sound emission of the sound emitter is controlled, and the sound emitter is arranged so that the direction of sound emission is oriented diagonally downward and forward of the saddle-ridden electric vehicle.

Abstract: A fiber made of a polyester copolymer (B), wherein the polyester copolymer (B) comprises a dicarboxylic acid component and a glycol component, and the dicarboxylic acid component comprises 75 mol % or more of a terephthalic acid component, 1.0 mol % to 3.5 mol % of component (a) derived from a compound represented by formula (I), 2.0 mol % to 10.0 mol % of a cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid component (b), and 2.0 mol % to 8.0 mol % of an aliphatic dicarboxylic acid component (c). This can afford a polyester fiber that exhibits deep color property to cation dyes and disperse dyes under a normal pressure environment and is superior in color fastness to washing and color fastness to light and can secure good spinnability.

Abstract: To provide a vehicle approach notification control apparatus for an electric motorcycle, which can output notification sound for notifying a walker or the like of approach of an electric motorcycle with an appropriate sound volume. The vehicle approach notification control apparatus for an electric motorcycle includes a speaker for generating notification sound equivalent to engine sound of an engine driven motorcycle of a vehicle category that is the same as a vehicle category of the electric motorcycle in response to a motor speed of an electric motor or a vehicle speed. The vehicle approach notification control apparatus includes a pseudo engine sound volume storage device configured to store sound volume data of engine sound with respect to the entire running sound upon running of the engine driven vehicle, and a control unit for controlling the notification sound.

Abstract: An image display device using the area control method for eliminating irregularities as seen from the side and also capable of lowering power consumption. The degree of flatness indicating the image flatness of an image in each image area is calculated, and in areas that are flat the light source luminance is set high in order to lessen irregularities as seen from the side; and in areas that are not flat the irregularities are difficult to perceive as seen from the side so an effect that cuts power consumption is obtained without having to correct the light source luminance.

Abstract: A pretensioner (1) for a seat belt system (7) of an automobile includes a gas generator (2), a gas pipe (3), a piston (5) and a coupling mechanism (6). The gas generator is adapted to generate a high-pressure gas when a shock occurs in the automobile due to a collision, a sudden stop, etc. The gas pipe is formed to receive therein the gas generator. The gas pipe is adapted to guide the high-pressure gas released from the gas generator to the piston. The piston is adapted to be moved or displaced by the pressure of the high-pressure gas guided by the gas pipe. The coupling mechanism is connected to each of the piston and a buckle (8) of the seat belt system (7). The coupling mechanism is adapted to wind up or pull a seat belt (9) in accordance with the movement of the piston to increase a restraining force of the seat belt.

Abstract: Provided is a vehicle approach notification device of a saddle-ridden electric-powered vehicle that outputs a notification sound for notifying the approach of a vehicle. The saddle-ridden electric-powered vehicle includes a front cover that covers the periphery of a head pipe of a vehicle body frame. The sound emission device is located inside the front cover, the front cover has an air opening for taking in air from an outside, and a ventilation passage that is a passage of the air from the air opening and is used for cooling at least one of a power engine of the saddle-ridden electric-powered vehicle and electric components, and the sound emission device is arranged in the ventilation passage.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fiber made of a polyester resin, wherein the polyester resin is a copolymer including a dicarboxylic acid component and a glycol component; of the dicarboxylic acid component, 80 mol % or more is accounted for by a terephthalic acid component, 4.0 to 12.0 mol % is accounted for by a cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid component, and 2.0 to 8.0 mol % is accounted for by an adipic acid component; and the glycol component contains an ethylene glycol component as a main component thereof. A polyester fiber is thereby provided which can be dyed with excellent deep color property and fastness property in dyeing under a normal pressure environment and which can offer stable quality and processing performance also by a direct spinning stretching method or other general melt-spinning methods.

Abstract: To provide a vehicle approach notification control apparatus for an electric motorcycle, which can output notification sound for notifying a walker or the like of approach of an electric motorcycle with an appropriate sound volume. The vehicle approach notification control apparatus for an electric motorcycle includes a speaker for generating notification sound equivalent to engine sound of an engine driven motorcycle of a vehicle category that is the same as a vehicle category of the electric motorcycle in response to a motor speed of an electric motor or a vehicle speed. The vehicle approach notification control apparatus includes a pseudo engine sound volume storage device configured to store sound volume data of engine sound with respect to the entire running sound upon running of the engine driven vehicle, and a control unit for controlling the notification sound.

Abstract: A backlight of a liquid crystal display device is divided into a plurality of regions. A backlight area dimmer sets a dimming value for each of the regions of the backlight according to a characteristic amount of the input image. A backlight dimming limiter sets an upper limit and lower limit of the dimming value set by the backlight area dimmer. In this case, the backlight dimming limiter may set the upper and lower limits of the dimming value according to a combination of at least two pieces of information among illuminance information on the external light, category information on the input image and image mode information set by the user.

Abstract: An initial light control value calculation section calculates the backlight's initial light control value K0 according to brightness of an inputted image signal for each area. A black area measurement section measures a black area S by obtaining ratio of the number of pixels satisfying Y?Y0 (Y: brightness signal level, Y0: black level threshold) in the screen. A minimum light control value output section determines a minimum light control value Kmin based on comparison between the measured black area S and a black area threshold S0 and outputs a maximum value permissible for the light control value as the value Kmin when the black area S is the threshold value S0 or less. An LED control signal calculation section outputs a control signal to LED light sources based on a light control value K1 as the higher one of K0 and Kmin.

Abstract: A fabric separable fastener member is provided which comprises a fiber for a base fabric and a fiber for a fastening element firmly anchored by the fused fiber for the base fabric and which is excellent in flexibility and durability without a back-coated layer. The separable fastener member comprises (?1) a ground warp, (?2) a ground weft containing a binder fiber, and (?3) a pile yarn, and the pile yarn (?3) is anchored by the fused binder fiber. In the separable fastener member, each of the ground warp (?1), the ground weft (?2) and the pile yarn (?3) comprises a polyester fiber, the mass ratio of the ground warp (a1) relative to the ground weft (a2) is 40/60 to 80/20, and the mass ratio of the total amount of the ground warp (a1) and the ground weft (a2) relative to the pile yarn (a3) is 90/10 to 50/50.

Abstract: In a liquid-crystal display device including an edge-light-scheme-employed backlight device, it is implemented to reduce its power consumption while maintaining its excellent picture-quality. The present invention is applied to the backlight device with a plurality of edge-light-scheme backlight cells in a matrix-like manner including a LED light-source, and a light-guiding plate for emitting light. The intensity of light from a backlight cell positioned at a screen's peripheral portion is so controlled as to be made lower than the intensity of light from a backlight cell at a central portion. The light intensity of a backlight cell having a LED light-source adjacent to a first edge portion of the illumination surface of the backlight device is so controlled as to be made higher than the light intensity of a backlight cell adjacent to a second edge portion opposed to the first edge portion.

Abstract: An image display device using the area control method for eliminating irregularities as seen from the side and also capable of lowering power consumption. The degree of flatness indicating the image flatness of an image in each image area is calculated, and in areas that are flat the light source luminance is set high in order to lessen irregularities as seen from the side; and in areas that are not flat the irregularities are difficult to perceive as seen from the side so an effect that cuts power consumption is obtained without having to correct the light source luminance.

Abstract: An external bus interface method including: receiving, via an access control unit, an access request conveyed through an external bus, and judging, via an access judging unit connected to the access control unit, whether the access request is to be honored or rejected, wherein upon receiving the access request, the access control unit sends to the access judging unit an access judging check request signal asking whether the requested address falls within one of access-permitted areas registered in the access judging unit, the access judging unit checks whether the requested address falls within one of the access-permitted areas registered in it and returns to the access control unit, an access judging check result signal indicating whether the access request is to be honored or rejected, and if the access judging check result signal indicates that the access request is to be rejected, the access control unit nullifies the access request.

Abstract: In a liquid crystal device, an in-region gradation value detection section detects gradation levels of input video signals on every sub-region, removing gradation levels of pixels within a predetermined upper range (m %) from the brightest gradation level in the sub-region to detect the maximum in-region gradation level Pa. A boundary gradation value detecting section removes gradation levels for pixels within a predetermined upper range (n %) from the brightest gradation level for pixel groups belonging to the region boundary portion in the sub-region to detect the maximum boundary gradation level Pb. A backlight control value deciding section selects higher one of the level Pa and the level Pb as the maximum gradation level Pc in the sub-region, and decides a backlight control value K based on the ratio between the level Pc and the upper limit value Pmax of the gradation level.

Abstract: An image display apparatus includes a dimming value determination circuit for determining a dimming value of a backlight based on an input image signal, an image signal compensation circuit for compensating the input image signal supplied to a liquid crystal panel in accordance with the dimming value, and a backlight drive circuit for driving and controlling the backlight in accordance with the dimming value. When the light emitting luminance of the present frame of the backlight increases relative to the light emitting luminance of the previous frame, the backlight drive circuit delays the timing for applying the dimming value of the present frame. This makes it possible to reduce power consumption of the backlight by suppressing deterioration in the image quality in spite of the sharp change in the display image luminance.

Abstract: In an electrically conductive sheath-core conjugate fiber including an electrically conductive layer made of a thermoplastic polymer (A) containing electrically conductive carbon black fine particles which constitutes a sheath component and a protective layer made of a fiber-forming thermoplastic polymer (B) which constitutes a core component, the ratio of the (A) to the total weight of the (A) and the (B) is 10 to 35% by weight, the L1/L0 ratio is 1.04 to 10.0 where L1 represents the length of a boundary between the core component and the sheath component in a cross section of the conjugate fiber and L0 represents the length of the circumference of a circle having an area equal to a cross sectional area of the core component, the fineness, the strength at break and the elongation at break are each adjusted within specified ranges, the shrinkage in hot water at 100° C. is within a specified range, and the fiber surface coverage of the sheath component is 85% or more.

Abstract: A pretensioner (1) for a seat belt system (7) of an automobile comprises a gas generator (2), a gas pipe (3), a piston (5) and a coupling mechanism (6). The gas generator (2) is adapted to generate a high-pressure gas when a shock occurs in the automobile due to a collision, a sudden stop, etc. The gas pipe (3) is formed to receive therein the gas generator (2). The gas pipe (3) is adapted to guide the high-pressure gas released from the gas generator (2) to the piston (5). The piston (5) is adapted to be moved or displaced by a pressure of the high-pressure gas guided by the gas pipe (3). The coupling mechanism (6) is connected to each of the piston (5) and a buckle (8) of the seat belt system (7). The coupling mechanism (6) is adapted to wind up or pull a seat belt (9) in accordance with the movement of the piston (5) to increase a restraining force of the seat belt (9).