Abstract: A secondary battery includes a gas release valve located at a battery container housing a power generating element, wherein: the gas release valve includes a valve disk caused to expand outward by internal pressure in the battery container; wherein a plurality of grooves are formed at the valve disk in order that a plurality of valve element pieces become fractured along the grooves when the valve disk expands due to the internal pressure; and a scatter-deterring portion is formed at the valve disk in order to prevent the fractured valve element pieces along the grooves from scattering away from the valve disk.

Abstract: Delay estimation apparatus and method, comprising: a correlation step which a correlation function between a received signal and a supplied template waveform is generated, AD conversion step at which said correlation output generated at said correlation step is uniformly sampled into discrete samples; and arithmetic operation step at which a time delay estimate of the received signal based on said discrete samples generated at said AD conversion step is computed, wherein a selection criterion depending on the digital sampling frequency used at said AD conversion means is checked, if said selection criterion is satisfied, computes the time delay estimate based on the direct pick method, and if said selection criterion does not hold, computes the time delay estimate based on the simplified maximum likelihood (ML) method.

Abstract: A wireless communication system includes a coordinator (3) that broadcasts a beacon (21) having at least a preamble part (32) and a payload part (33), and a plurality of devices (2) each of which is synchronizable with at least the coordinator (3) by listening to the beacon (21) through a listen period set based on an own reference clock. The coordinator (3) fixes a position of the end of the beacon (21) with respect to a beacon slot constituting a superframe, and generates the beacon (21) where a start of a preamble part (32) is extended toward a start of the beacon slot over a time To. The devices (2) are synchronized with the coordinator (3) via an end time of the beacon slot detected from an end time of the preamble part (32) in the beacon frame.

Abstract: A fuel cell system is provided which can constantly control a fuel concentration of a liquid fuel supplied to a fuel cell, such as a DMFC. A DMFC system comprises a high-concentration cartridge in which a methanol aqueous solution having a concentration higher than a target fuel concentration is sealed, a water cartridge in which water is sealed, a mixing tank for mixing the methanol aqueous solution from the high-concentration cartridge with the water from the water cartridge to prepare the methanol aqueous solution having the target fuel concentration, and the DMFC for generating electricity by being supplied with the methanol aqueous solution from the mixing tank and air.

Abstract: An antenna common to a plurality of frequencies in which a wide band of a UWB system can be covered while suppressing interference with other systems. The antenna comprises a plurality of element part conductors, coupling conductors for coupling them electrically, and a feeder for coupling one element part conductor electrically with a feeder part capable of feeding to that element part conductor, wherein respective element part conductors are concatenated sequentially by the coupling conductors. The element part conductor has a shape substantially symmetric to a line connecting the coupling conductors or the parts coupled with the feeder. Each coupling conductor is arranged substantially linearly and the plane part of each planar conductor is arranged substantially vertically.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a membrane electrode composite module including a membrane electrode composite formed by sandwiching both surfaces of an electrolyte membrane between gas diffusion electrodes, an anode current collecting plate having fuel flow holes through which fuel flows, and a cathode current collecting plate having oxygen flow holes through which oxygen flows, wherein both surfaces of the membrane electrode composite are sandwiched between the anode current collecting plate and the cathode current collecting plate, the membrane electrode composite module further including films made of a synthetic resin (a first film and a second film) which are a base of the anode current collecting plate and a base of the cathode current collecting plate.

Abstract: The wideband L-loop antenna is presented in this invention. It has excellent performance for lower band of UWB system and has the attractive features of small size, inexpensive, and easy to design. The antenna composed of a single metallic layer is printed on the top of a substrate and a coupled tapered transmission line is printed on the top of the same substrate. A L shape portion is formed by widening partially or wholly the width of a part of antenna elements in comparison with the other part.

Abstract: [Object] To achieve high-precision distance measuring with a reduced error in a distance measuring system which calculates a distance from an arrival time of each pulse signal constituting a pulse sequence. [Solving Means] For an oscillator which generates pulse signals by counting the number of pulse signals constituting a received pulse sequence, a relative time difference between a transmitting device 2 and a return device 3 is acquired, a distance from the transmitting device 2 to the return device 3 is calculated, and the calculated distance is corrected based on the calculated relative time difference.

Abstract: A control system for an internal combustion engine for driving a vehicle, which controls an output torque of the engine, is provided. In this control system, a rapid change in a demand torque of the engine is detected, and a feedforward correction amount is generated during a correction period which is substantially equal to a resonance period of a powertrain of the vehicle, from a time when the rapid change in the demand torque is detected. An output torque control amount of the engine is corrected with the feedforward correction amount. A torque change amount integrated value is calculated by integrating an amount of change in the demand torque, and the feedforward correction amount is generated according to the torque change amount integrated value.

Abstract: One communication apparatus 2 sequentially generates a pulse sequence having pulse signals arranged based on the UWB communication system, performs a framing process to form a frame having at least a preamble and a data portion on the generated pulse sequence and inserts a preamble segment comprised of a sequence of steady pulse signals in the data portion at a predetermined time interval, and transmits it as a radio wave, and another communication apparatus 2 receives a pulse sequence as a radio wave transmitted from the one communication apparatus 2, and detects at least the preamble segment from the frame contained in the received pulse sequence through a detection window structured to have a predetermined time length, whereby a transmission timing for the pulse sequence to the one communication apparatus 2 is controlled according to a state of detection of the preamble segment.

Abstract: Wireless communication method for wireless communication from transmitter to receiver, comprising: transmission step at which said transmitter transmits sequence of radio pulses as a data packet which comprises: preamble section which consists of a preamble sequence for initial symbol synchronization and channel estimation; header section which consists of both regular header information on said data packet and multiplexed preamble sequences; payload section which consists of both regular payload message of said data packet and multiplexed preamble sequences, receiving step at which said receiver receives said data packet consisting of said preamble, header and payload section.

Abstract: The delay estimation apparatus (34) according to this invention comprises: a correlator (41) which generates a correlation function between a received signal and a supplied template waveform; an AD (analog to digital) converter (42) which samples said correlation function generated at said correlator into discrete samples; and an arithmetic operation section (43) which obtains time delays of multipath components of said received signal based on said discrete samples generated at said AD converter, wherein said arithmetic operation section includes an iteration procedure where in each iteration, the time delay and the amplitude of the strongest signal component are estimated based on the present sample sequence, and said sample sequence is updated by deducting the estimated strongest component from said sample sequence; said iteration is terminated when a termination criterion is satisfied.

Abstract: A correlator (i.e., a despreading filter) and an ultrawideband radio receiving apparatus that incorporates the correlator are provided.

Abstract: Delay estimation apparatus and method, comprising: a correlation step which a correlation function between a received signal and a supplied template waveform is generated, AD conversion step at which said correlation output generated at said correlation step is uniformly sampled into discrete samples; and arithmetic operation step at which a time delay estimate of the received signal based on said discrete samples generated at said AD conversion step is computed, wherein a selection criterion depending on the digital sampling frequency used at said AD conversion means is checked, if said selection criterion is satisfied, computes the time delay estimate based on the direct pick method, and if said selection criterion does not hold, computes the time delay estimate based on the simplified maximum likelihood (ML) method.

Abstract: A digital data that includes at least two bits is input to a chirp modulation unit. On the basis of either one of these two bits, a frequency variable range is selected as either a frequency variable range between a frequency f1 and a frequency f2, a frequency variable range between a frequency f2 and a frequency f3 (the frequency f3 is the highest, the frequency f2 the second highest, and the frequency f1 the lowest of these three frequencies). On the basis of the other bit, it is selected whether a frequency is swept to a higher frequency or to a lower frequency within the frequency variable range selected by the one of the two bits.

Abstract: The wideband L-loop antenna is presented in this invention. It has excellent performance for lower band of UWB system and has the attractive features of small size, inexpensive, and easy to design. The antenna composed of a single metallic layer is printed on the top of a substrate and a coupled tapered transmission line is printed on the top of the same substrate. A L shape portion is formed by widening partially or wholly the width of a part of antenna elements in comparison with the other part.

Abstract: An antenna common to a plurality of frequencies in which a wide band of a UWB system can be covered while suppressing interference with other systems. The antenna comprises a plurality of element part conductors, coupling conductors for coupling them electrically, and a feeder for coupling one element part conductor electrically with a feeder part capable of feeding to that element part conductor, wherein respective element part conductors are concatenated sequentially by the coupling conductors. The element part conductor has a shape substantially symmetric to a line connecting the coupling conductors or the parts coupled with the feeder. Each coupling conductor is arranged substantially linearly and the plane part of each planar conductor is arranged substantially vertically.

Abstract: A wireless impulse transmitter that is for transmitting pulse trains to a plurality of receivers, includes a pulse selector, a pulse supplier, and a transmission unit. The pulse selector is for selecting, from a plurality of orthogonal pulse shapes assigned in a two-to-one correspondence with the receivers, pulse shapes corresponding to symbols of an input data stream. Each of the two pulse shapes assigned to each receiver represents either one or zero to the corresponding receiver. The pulse supplier is for supplying pulses in pulse shapes selected by the pulse selector. The transmission unit is for transmitting the pulses supplied from the pulse supplier in pulse trains, wherein pulses with pulse shapes assigned to different receivers are transmitted simultaneously.

Abstract: The overall throughput of the radio communication traffic in a radio communication area in a radio communication environment where a plurality of types of radio communication systems are mixedly used in a neighboring radio communication area is improved. When a multi-mode control station (101) performs communication with a terminal station in a network through a plurality of types of communication systems, a communication link parameter collecting section (10141) collects parameters indicating the states of the communication links. A resource allocation determining section (10143) determines communication resource allocation for which the throughput is the greatest for each resource allocation period according to the parameters. A communication control section (1015) controls a multi-mode communication unit (1012) according to the result of the determination.

Abstract: This invention has as its object to implement the constitution of a receiver that receives signals sent by performing multi-valued pulse modulation and performs iterative decoding. The constitution includes: (1) a bank of pulse correlators that achieves correlation with all predetermined sent pulse waveforms, (2) a pulse demapper that calculates the log likelihood ratio for each bit of the interleaved code word from said pulse correlator outputs and a priori information for each bit, (3) a deinterleaver that performs deinterleaving on the output from said pulse demapper, (4) a decoder that calculates likelihood information for the deinterleaved code word bits and information bits, respectively, (5) an interleaver that interleaves the output of the decoder in the same manner as on the sending side, and (6) a feedback circuit that provides feedback of the output of said interleaver as a priori probability to the pulse demapper.