Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a heating rotary member and a pressing rotary member. The pressing rotary member and the heating rotary member form a fixing nip portion and are configured to apply heat and pressure to a toner image carried on a recording medium at the fixing nip portion, thereby fix the toner image onto the recording medium. The image forming apparatus further includes a winding roller configured to wind up a web used to collect toner that is not fixed to the recording medium, a motor configured to rotate the winding roller, a contact member configured to contact an outside surface of the web wound around the winding roller, a variable resistor disposed so as to be able to change a resistance in accordance with a position of the contact member, and a control unit configured to control an amount of rotation of the motor.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fixing device including a flexible cylindrical rotary member and an inner-surface opposing portion that opposes an inner surface of the rotary member at an end portion of the rotary member in a generatrix direction. The inner-surface opposing portion moves upstream in a recording material conveying direction in accordance with lateral shift of the rotary member in the generatrix direction. This restricts the lateral shift of the rotary member.

Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus includes a motor for applying assist torque to a vehicle steering mechanism and a controller, which controls driving of the motor to cause the assist torque to follow an assist command value. The controller calculates a basic assist command value based on steering torque applied to the steering mechanism and corrects the basic assist command value using a correction value, thereby setting the assist command value. If the steering torque has an absolute value greater than a threshold value when the vehicle is in a straight-line traveling state, the controller sets the correction value such that the absolute value of the steering torque is reduced. If the steering torque has an absolute value less than the threshold value when the vehicle is in a straight-line traveling state, the controller sets the correction value such that the absolute value of the assist command value is reduced.

Abstract: [Problem to be Solved] To improve the measurement accuracy of an interference measurement device which utilizes interference of light. [Means for Solution] An interference measurement device includes a light source 10 for emitting supercontinuum light (SC light), an optical fiber coupler 11 for splitting the SC light into measurement light and reference light, a dispersion compensation element 12, a drive unit 13 for moving the dispersion compensation element 12, and light-receiving means 14 for measuring an interference waveform produced as a result of interference between the measurement light and the reference light. A measurement object 15 to be measured is an Si substrate having a thickness of 800 ?m. The dispersion compensation element 12 is an Si substrate having a thickness of 780 ?m. Namely, the dispersion compensation element 12 is formed of the same material as that of the measurement object 15 and is 20 ?m thinner than the measurement object 15.

Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus includes a motor for applying assist torque to a vehicle steering mechanism and a controller, which controls driving of the motor to cause the assist torque to follow an assist command value. The controller calculates a basic assist command value based on steering torque applied to the steering mechanism and corrects the basic assist command value using a correction value, thereby setting the assist command value. If the steering torque has an absolute value greater than a threshold value when the vehicle is in a straight-line traveling state, the controller sets the correction value such that the absolute value of the steering torque is reduced. If the steering torque has an absolute value less than the threshold value when the vehicle is in a straight-line traveling state, the controller sets the correction value such that the absolute value of the assist command value is reduced.

Abstract: The multi-micro hollow cathode light source has a cathode plate, an insulation plate, an anode plate, and metal pieces. The insulation plate is sandwiched by the cathode plate and the anode plate. The cathode plate is made of copper. The centers of the cathode plate, insulation plate, and anode plate, are provided with holes, respectively. The holes form a penetrating though-hole. Linear slots are disposed in the cathode plate continuously extending from the hole in a cross shape. Each slot penetrates the cathode plate. Four metal pieces made of materials different from one another are inserted and buried in the four slots.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter includes: a transformer including primary and secondary windings; a switching element that drives the primary winding; a comparator that compares a voltage induced in the secondary winding with a predetermined voltage to detect that the voltage is outside a predetermined voltage range; and a controller. The controller stops switching operation of the switching element when the voltage is outside the predetermined voltage range. Preferably, the DC-DC converter is of a flyback system.

Abstract: The multi-micro hollow cathode light source has a cathode plate, an insulation plate, an anode plate, and metal pieces. The insulation plate is sandwiched by the cathode plate and the anode plate. The cathode plate is made of copper. The centers of the cathode plate, insulation plate, and anode plate, are provided with holes, respectively. The holes form a penetrating though-hole. Linear slots are disposed in the cathode plate continuously extending from the hole in a cross shape. Each slot penetrates the cathode plate. Four metal pieces made of materials different from one another are inserted and buried in the four slots.

Abstract: [Problem to be Solved]To improve the measurement accuracy of an interference measurement device which utilizes interference of light. [Means for Solution]An interference measurement device includes a light source 10 for emitting supercontinuum light (SC light), an optical fiber coupler 11 for splitting the SC light into measurement light and reference light, a dispersion compensation element 12, a drive unit 13 for moving the dispersion compensation element 12, and light-receiving means 14 for measuring an interference waveform produced as a result of interference between the measurement light and the reference light. A measurement object 15 to be measured is an Si substrate having a thickness of 800 ?m. The dispersion compensation element 12 is an Si substrate having a thickness of 780 ?m. Namely, the dispersion compensation element 12 is formed of the same material as that of the measurement object 15 and is 20 ?m thinner than the measurement object 15.

Abstract: A gain setting method for setting a gain in an amplifier that amplifies signals obtained from an optical disk, which includes: a measuring step for measuring an output level of the amplifier; and a gain setting step for setting the gain as the value of the target level/output level, when the measured output level is in a range of 1/N times and N times (N is an integer of 2 or larger) with respect to the preset target level.

Abstract: An apparatus measures a voltage of a cell while scanning a group of cells in a cell stack, in which a plurality of cells is electrically connected in series. The apparatus has a first switching device and a voltage detecting device. The first switching device is connected in series with a signal line carrying a voltage of a cell. The voltage detecting device detects the voltage of the cell, which is electrically connected with signal lines carrying voltages of cells belonging to a group. When the first switching device is electrically connected with a connecting point between two successive groups of cells, the first switching device is shared by the two groups.

Abstract: [Object] To achieve a compact point light source exhibiting multielement emission spectra with which multi elements can be simultaneously analyzed. [Solving Means] The light source includes a glass vessel 40 containing He gas; a plurality of micro hollow pipes 11 that are cylindrical with a diameter of 1 mm or less and made of copper or a copper alloy; an anode mesh 32 provided at ends of the micro hollow pipes 11 with an insulating spacer 33 between the anode mesh 32 and the ends; a metal wire 14 provided in the micro hollow pipe 11, the metal wire being made of an element corresponding to a desired light-source spectrum.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter includes: a transformer including primary and secondary windings; a switching element that drives the primary winding; a comparator that compares a voltage induced in the secondary winding with a predetermined voltage to detect that the voltage is outside a predetermined voltage range; and a controller. The controller stops switching operation of the switching element when the voltage is outside the predetermined voltage range. Preferably, the DC-DC converter is of a flyback system.

Abstract: A controller controls, based upon a manual operation signal from a first operating means and the automatic operation signal from a second operating means, a driving of a driving power source for generating a driving force for an opening/closing operation of a vehicle door. The controller switches control for driving the driving power source. An automatic operation mode is selected when the automatic operation signal is inputted to the controller, in which the driving power source is driven to output a predetermined first driving output value. A manual operation mode is selected when the manual operation signal is inputted to the controller in which the driving power source is driven to output a second driving output value which is higher than the first driving output value.

Abstract: The control system of a vehicle controls the transmission ratio of the steering angle of a steering wheel relative to a turning angle of front wheels based on a drive force distribution ratio. Thus, the performance of the tires on the front wheels can be used to almost maximum potential, providing effective prevention of understeering.

Abstract: Interconnect of communication between mobile objects by another mobile object is enabled. Station A transmits its own identifier to another mobile station on a broadcast basis. Out of other mobile stations, Station B receives the identifier of Station A, and returns a response including its own identifier. Station A notifies Station B of identifiers of nodes with which it can communicate. Station B notifies Station A of identifiers of nodes with which it can communicate. This sequence of processing enables information on nodes with which either station can communicate to be exchanged between Stations A and B, and a communication path to nodes to be found between Station B (station A) and another node via Station A (station B).

Abstract: This invention provides a vehicle motion control method and a vehicle motion control apparatus capable of improving the behavior stability of a vehicle. According to the vehicle motion control method, vehicle steering characteristic is determined based on a behavior amount differentiated value obtained by differentiating (S203) a slip angle differential value which is a behavior amount of the vehicle which occurs around a z-axis in the vertical direction with respect to the vehicle body (S205, S209). Consequently, because the phase of the slip angle differential value is progressed, the transition tendency of the steering characteristic, that is, which the vehicle motion condition is moved to over-steer or under-steer, can be obtained early. Therefore, the starting timing of the steering control or drive power control of the vehicle can be accelerated thereby improving the behavior stability of the vehicle.

Abstract: A gain setting method for setting a gain in an amplifier that amplifies signals obtained from an optical disk, which comprises: a measuring step for measuring an output level of the amplifier; and a gain setting step for setting the gain as the value of the output level/target level, when the measured output level is 1/N?N times (N is an integer of 2 or larger) with respect to the preset target level.

Abstract: An electronic control unit calculates a target yaw rate in accordance with a vehicle speed and a steering angle and calculates the yaw rate difference on the basis of the target yaw rate and an actual yaw rate. The electronic control unit estimates the grip factor of a front wheel to road surface and sets a distribution ratio for distribution of a vehicle-control target value among actuators of a steering system, a brake system, and a drive system in accordance with the estimated grip factor. The electronic control unit controls the actuators of the three systems in accordance with control instruction values distributed on the basis of the vehicle-control target value and the distribution ratio.

Abstract: When a variable value indicates that a steering characteristic is understeer, a control unit controls a variable transmission ratio device to change a second steering angle such that the greater the understeer indicated by the variable value, the smaller the steering angle of steered wheels relative to the turning angle of a steering wheel becomes. When the differentiated value of the variable value indicates that the understeer is changing to increase, a correction unit corrects the variable value such that the greater the degree of change of the understeer indicated by the differentiated value, the greater the understeer indicated by the variable value becomes. Hence, the attitude of a vehicle in understeer is stabilized with a simple configuration.