Abstract: A target is produced inexpensively by safely incorporating an additive which is inflammable in the atmosphere. A primary alloy in a molten state is formed by adding an additive into a principal material in a low-level oxygen atmosphere, and a secondary alloy is produced by increasing the volume of the primary alloy through adding the principal material to the molten primary alloy in the atmospheric atmosphere. Since the primary alloys in the molten or solid condition are stable, it does not ignite in the atmosphere. Since the volume of the primary alloy is smaller than that of the secondary alloy, a smaller size of a vacuum chamber 11 for the formation of the first atmosphere suffices.

Abstract: A method for producing a Ta sputtering target including the following steps: (a) a step of forging a Ta ingot, comprising subjecting the Ta ingot to a forging pattern over at least 3 times, wherein each forging pattern is “a cold forging step comprising stamp-forging and upset-forging operations alternatively repeated over at least 3 times; (b) an in-process vacuum heat-treating step carried out between every successive two forging patterns to thus prepare a Ta billet; (c) a step of rolling the Ta billet to obtain a rolled plate; and (d) a step of vacuum heat-treating the rolled plate to obtain a Ta sputtering target. A sputtering target produced by the above method.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser driving circuit for driving a semiconductor laser as an exposure light source is used in an image recording apparatus for recording an image using a light beam from the laser. The light beam emitted from the laser is subjected to pulse modulation in correspondence with a command signal. The circuit includes an error amplifier for amplifying a difference between the command signal and a signal fed back from the laser to output an output signal, a diode and a resistor connected in series between an input terminal and an output terminal of the error amplifier and a driver for driving the laser based on the output signal.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus is provided with a DC power supply 1, an inverter 2 that converts DC voltage to AC voltage, a matching circuit 10 that transforms the AC voltage, a rectifier 4 that converts the transformed AC voltage to direct current, and a sputtering load 6. The matching circuit 10 has a transformer 3 that transforms AC voltage from the inverter 2, inductance L provided in series with at least one of the primary winding 31 and secondary winding 32, and a condenser C provided in parallel with at least one of the primary winding 31 and secondary winding 32 through inductance L.

Abstract: An angle detector with self-calibration capability has a number of first scale read heads and one second scale read head around the periphery of a single scale disk and includes means for performing self-calibration by determining measurement differences between the second scale read head and the individual first scale read heads and calculating the average thereof.

Abstract: A first f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?1 to a main scanning plane. A second f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?2. In order to determine the inclination angles ?1 and ?2, curvature amounts of scanning lines generated on a scanned surface are measured when the f? lenses are independently inclined one at a time at a minute angle. Change rates K1 and K2 are obtained from the measured curvature amounts and the minute angles. The inclination angles ?1 and ?2 are determined such that |K1?1+K2?2| is no more than a certain value.

Abstract: An angle detector with self-calibration capability has a number of first scale read heads and one second scale read head around the periphery of a single scale disk and includes means for performing self-calibration by determining measurement differences between the second scale read head and the individual first scale read heads and calculating the average thereof.

Abstract: This discharge power supply apparatus is for supplying a D.C. voltage to a discharge load 6 and discharging the same. The discharge power supply apparatus includes an inverter circuit 2 that converts D.C. voltage to A.C. voltage; a transformer 3 having a primary winding 3a to which the A.C. voltage output by the inverter circuit 2 is supplied and a secondary winding 3b; a full-wave rectifier circuit 4 that has a plurality of diodes 4A to 4D and rectifies the A.C. voltage generated by the secondary winding 3b; and a trigger capacitor 7 connected in parallel to a part of the diodes of the full-wave rectifier circuit 4.

Abstract: A first f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?1 to a main scanning plane. A second f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?2. In order to determine the inclination angles ?1 and ?2, curvature amounts of scanning lines generated on a scanned surface are measured when the f? lenses are independently inclined one at a time at a minute angle. Change rates K1 and K2 are obtained from the measured curvature amounts and the minute angles. The inclination angles ?1 and ?2 are determined such that |K1 ?1+K2 ?2| is no more than a certain value.

Abstract: The optical scanning apparatus includes a light amount reducing filter such as a neutral density filter which has transmittance ?nd satisfying an expression ?nd=(W1/W0)/(?AOM×?ref×?tra) and a light amount reducing function using absorption or reflection and which is disposed between a laser light source and an AOM on an optical path of laser light beam. In the expression, W0 denotes the amount of light emitted from the laser light source, W1 denotes the amount of light required for recording on a recording medium, ?AOM denotes diffraction efficiency in the AOM, ?ref denotes a sum of reflectances of reflective optical elements located between the laser light source and a surface to be scanned, of the recording medium, and ?tra denotes a sum of transmittances of transmissive optical elements located between the laser light source and the surface to be scanned, other than transmittance of the neutral density filter.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser driving circuit for driving a semiconductor laser as an exposure light source is used in an image recording apparatus for recording an image using a light beam from the laser. The light beam emitted from the laser is subjected to pulse modulation in correspondence with a command signal. The circuit includes an error amplifier for amplifying a difference between the command signal and a signal fed back from the laser to output an output signal, a diode and a resistor connected in series between an input terminal and an output terminal of the error amplifier and a driver for driving the laser based on the output signal.

Abstract: A sputtering apparatus is provided with a DC power supply 1, an inverter 2 that converts DC voltage to AC voltage, a matching circuit 10 that transforms the AC voltage, a rectifier 4 that that converts the transformed AC voltage to direct current, and a sputtering load 6. The matching circuit 10 has a transformer 3 that transforms AC voltage from the inverter 2, inductance L provided in series with at least one of the primary winding 31 and secondary winding 32, and a condenser C provided in parallel with at least one of the primary winding 31 and secondary winding 32 through inductance L.

Abstract: A motor bracket is attached at one end of a vehicle body so as to be able to slide, and is fixed at the other end to the vehicle body. And weak points are provided in the vicinity of a motor bracket fixing section. Weak points are also provided in the vicinity of a first fixing section of a first pivot holder. On the other hand, weak points are also provided in the vicinity of a second fixing section of a second pivot holder. Since the motor bracket slides and becomes detachable if the weak points are ruptured, it is possible to absorb an impact at the wiper motor. Since the first and second pivot holders are also detached if the weak points and weak points are ruptured, it is possible to improve the overall impact absorbing performance of the vehicle wiper assembly.

Abstract: This discharge power supply apparatus is for supplying a D. C. voltage to a discharge load 6 and discharging the same. The discharge power supply apparatus includes an inverter circuit 2 that converts D. C. voltage to A. C. voltage; a transformer 3 having a primary winding 3a to which the A. C. voltage output by the inverter circuit 2 is supplied and a secondary winding 3b; a full-wave rectifier circuit 4 that has a plurality of diodes 4A to 4D and rectifies the A. C. voltage generated by the secondary winding 3b; and a trigger capacitor 7 connected in parallel to a part of the diodes of the full-wave rectifier circuit 4.

Abstract: A bass loudspeaker apparatus capable of according with a horn-type midbass in both the appearance and acoustics is disclosed. A bass loudspeaker apparatus A is provided with a cabinet 70 having an inner space 75 and a sound emission opening 71 in a front section; a corn-type woofer 3 disposed within the cabinet 70; a baffle plate 2 having a woofer mounting section 72 and vertically disposed in the inner space 75 so as to face the sound emission opening 71; a resonant chamber 73 defined in front of the baffle plate 2 for communicating with the sound emission opening 71. The front ends of the loudspeaker apparatuses A and 80 are approximately aligned in the state that the sound source position of the bass loudspeaker apparatus A is aligned with that of the horn-type midbass 80. Thus, the uniformity in the appearance is secured.

Abstract: Reducing manufacturing costs and weight of the wiper apparatus for the motor vehicle. A pivot-side bracket having a pivot-side supporting surface is provided in a DR-side pivot holder, and a motor-side bracket having a motor-side supporting surface which forms a pair together with the pivot-side bracket is provided in a wiper motor, and the DR-side pivot holder and the wiper motor are fixed to a pipe by the same bolts and nuts.

Abstract: A motor bracket is installed in a concave portion formed in a front bulkhead of a vehicle and onto an upper surface of which a wiper motor unit 19 is fixed. The bracket is fixed to a front wall surface of the front bulkhead and is operable to deform or fracture based upon an impact to the front wall surface during a collision. In addition, the wiper motor unit is positioned at a higher position than that of upper end surfaces of strut towers so that the concave portion can be crashed and deformed without interference from the wiper motor even if the strut towers are moved backwardly at the time of frontal crash of the vehicle to push the front wall surface of the front bulkhead. As a result, the impact energy generated from a frontal crash can be absorbed.

Abstract: A motor bracket is installed in a concave portion formed in a front bulkhead of a vehicle and onto an upper surface of which a wiper motor unit 19 is fixed. The bracket is fixed to a front wall surface of the front bulkhead and is operable to deform or fracture based upon an impact to the front wall surface during a collision. In addition, the wiper motor unit is positioned at a higher position than that of upper end surfaces of strut towers so that the concave portion can be crashed and deformed without interference from the wiper motor even if the strut towers are moved backwardly at the time of frontal crash of the vehicle to push the front wall surface of the front bulkhead. As a result, the impact energy generated from a frontal crash can be absorbed.

Abstract: Reducing manufacturing costs and weight of the wiper apparatus for the motor vehicle. A pivot-side bracket having a pivot-side supporting surface is provided in a DR-side pivot holder, and a motor-side bracket having a motor-side supporting surface which forms a pair together with the pivot-side bracket is provided in a wiper motor, and the DR-side pivot holder and the wiper motor are fixed to a pipe by the same bolts and nuts.

Abstract: A motor bracket is attached at one end of a vehicle body so as to be able to slide, and is fixed at the other end to the vehicle body. And weak points are provided in the vicinity of a motor bracket fixing section. Weak points are also provided in the vicinity of a first fixing section of a first pivot holder. On the other hand, weak points are also provided in the vicinity of a second fixing section of a second pivot holder. Since the motor bracket slides and becomes detachable if the weak points are ruptured, it is possible to absorb an impact at the wiper motor. Since the first and second pivot holders are also detached if the weak points and weak points are ruptured, it is possible to improve the overall impact absorbing performance of the vehicle wiper assembly.