Abstract: A power-saving type of ignition apparatus is provided with a spark plug of which electrodes (30, 40) are regulated in their shapes to lower an amount of energy required for its ignition. To face to a tip (31) of a center electrode (30) extending from a mounting bracket (10), a cylindrical protrusion (41) is built on one surface (43) of an earth electrode (40). The protrusion extends toward the center electrode to form a discharge gap (50) between the protrusion and the tip of the center electrode. Both of the tip of the center electrode and the protrusion of the earth electrode are 2.3 [mm] or less in each diameter (D1, D2), thus an amount of energy required for ignition being limited to 17 [mJ] or less.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine ignition device has a resin layer in a clearance between an insulator and a winding contained in the insulator. The ignition device has a cylindrical insulator and a resin layer. The insulator has an opening portion at one end and a bottom portion at the other end. The insulator contains one of a primary winding and a secondary winding. The resin layer is formed by charging a resin in the clearance between the insulator and one of the windings. The diameter of the inner periphery of the insulator gradually increases from the opening portion to the bottom portion. When the resin layer shrinks from the opening portion toward the bottom portion of the insulator, the resin layer can shrink without getting snagged on the inner periphery of the insulator.

Abstract: A combustion chamber pressure sensor for an internal combustion engine includes an elongated pressure transmitting member having one end exposed to the interior of an engine cylinder and the opposite end contacting a pressure sensing element which generates a pressure measurement signal, the pressure transmitting member and pressure sensing element being contained within an elongated housing. A damping body formed of a viscoelastic material is disposed on an outer or inner circumferential surface of the housing, for reducing an amount of engine vibration that is transmitted to the pressure sensing element and thereby reducing noise in the pressure measurement signal.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of producing a plant which exhibits improved growth and/or yield under reduced nitrogen conditions, that is, under cultivation conditions where nitrogen is limited as compared to ordinary cultivation conditions, by increasing 2-OG content in plants. Particularly, the present invention provides a method of producing a plant which exhibits improved growth and/or yield under conditions where nitrogen is reduced, that is, under cultivation conditions where nitrogen is limited as compared to ordinary cultivation conditions, by introducing a GDH gene or ECASPC gene into plants and expressing the transgene GDH or ECAPS in the plants, which results in increased 2-OG, or by spraying proline on the leaves of plants to increase the 2-OG content, thereby enhancing the incorporation of nitrogen or metabolic activity of plants. Also provided is a method of cultivating such plants under nitrogen-limited conditions.

Abstract: An insulator includes a plug side cylindrical portion having an inner space for accommodating a center electrode and a coil side cylindrical portion extending in a direction departing from a combustion chamber. The high-voltage portion of an ignition coil is entirely accommodated inside the coil side cylindrical portion. According to this arrangement, the coil side cylindrical portion can assure insulation between the high-voltage portion and the low-voltage portion. The portion to be insulated and fixed by an insulating resin is limited only to the secondary winding.

Abstract: An ignition coil for supplying a high voltage to a spark plug is mainly composed of a cylindrical casing, an outer coil wound around an outer spool and an inner coil wound around an inner spool. The outer coil wound around the outer spool and the inner coil wound around the inner spool are coaxially disposed in the cylindrical casing. Spaces in the cylindrical casing including a first space between the inner coil and the outer spool and a second space between the outer coil and the cylindrical casing are filled with insulating resin. After the resin is supplied into the cylindrical casing, the coils are inserted into the casing containing the resin therein. Accordingly, the resin can be quickly supplied from a wide opening, and the resin can enter into spaces between coils even these spaces are small.

Abstract: An ignition device for an internal combustion engine has a spark plug, an ignition coil, a housing and a mounting portion. The spark plug is for discharging a current to ignite an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. The ignition coil is for supplying the current to the spark plug. The housing encloses the spark plug and the ignition coil therein. The housing has a mounting portion to be disposed in a mounting hole provided in a cylinder head of the internal combustion engine. The mounting portion includes a screw portion a non-screw portion. The screw portion is to be screw-fastened to the mounting hole. The non-screw portion is not to be screw-fastened to the mounting hole.

Abstract: An ignition device for an internal combustion engine has a primary and secondary coils of an ignition coil, a center and ground electrodes of a spark plug, a cylinder shaped insulator and a cylinder shaped tube. The center electrode is disposed apart from the secondary coil in a longitudinal direction of the ignition device. The insulator is made of an insulating material and has a coil surrounding portion surrounding the secondary coil and a plug surrounding portion surrounding the center electrode. The primary coil is wound on an outer circumferential face of the coil surrounding portion. The ground electrode is disposed on an outer circumferential face of the plug surrounding portion. The tube is made of a magnetic material and has a coil covering portion covering the primary coil and a plug covering portion covering the plug surrounding portion and the ground electrode.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plant having a decreased dormancy period, a plant having a decreased dormancy period and uniform budding and/or germination timing, and a method for producing these plants. The intracellular 2-OG content in the plant may be increased, for example, by overexpressing an intracellular GDH gene in the plant. More specifically, the intracellular 2-OG content in the plant may be increased due to the overexpression of the GDH gene, by introducing into the plant a nucleic acid construct capable of enhancing expression of the GDH gene, particularly a nucleic acid construct capable of expressing the GDH gene.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging device capable of suppressing deterioration of the image quality is provided. This solid-state imaging device comprises a substrate provided with a photodetection area, a color filter layer formed above the photodetection area and a lens formed between the substrate and the color filter layer for condensing light on the photodetection area. The lens has a substantially flat upper surface portion, and the ratio (w/t) of the width w of the substantially flat upper surface portion of the lens to the thickness t of the lens is not more than about 0.86.

Abstract: A compact semiconductor device having a contact hole that improves stability of electric connection between a wire and an electrode. The semiconductor device includes an insulation layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, first electrodes formed on the insulation layer and spaced from one another by an interval, an insulation film covering the first electrodes, and spaced second electrodes formed on the insulation film. Each second electrode includes an intermediate portion filling the space between two adjacent first electrodes, two edge portions respectively laid above the two adjacent first electrodes in an overlapping manner, and an upper surface connected to a wire by a contact. Thickness, t1, of the insulation film, thickness, t2, of each edge portion of the second electrode, and interval, S, between the first electrodes are adjusted to satisfy the expression of S<(2t1+2t2).

Abstract: A photographing and printing device includes a mode selecting section for selecting one mode as a selection mode among from a plurality of modes which are set in advance and a mood creating device (touch panel, lighting device, and speaker) for creating a mood in accordance with the selection mode. With this arrangement, controlling the mood creating device in accordance with the selection mode makes it possible to create a specific mood throughout the device in various ways.

Abstract: The present invention provides potatoes having a tuber yield of potatoes per plant higher than that of non-transformed potatoes cultivated under the same conditions, wherein a gene encoding DNA linking protein belonging to Dof family is introduced in the potatoes. The present invention also provides a method for producing potatoes having a tuber yield of potatoes per plant body higher than that of non-transformed potatoes cultivated under the same conditions, comprising introducing a gene encoding a DNA linking protein belonging to Dof family into the potatoes, and expressing said gene in the potatoes.

Abstract: During a multiple discharges operation, a micro computer changes a discharge period of each discharge in accordance with a pressure transition in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. Thus, the energy amount consumed at each discharge of multiple discharges operation is suppressed toward the minimum requirement, and the consumption of energy accumulated in the ignition device is appropriately controlled. As a result, discharge energy is efficiently consumed at the multiple discharges, thereby compacting the ignition device. Further, the number of multiple discharges is not restricted.

Abstract: Moldings of fluoro rubbers produced by crosslinking a tetrafluoroethylene/propylene copolymer or a tetrafluoroethylene/propylene/vinylidene fluoride copolymer, which have metal contents of 1.5% by mass or below in terms of metal elements and are suitable for use applications necessitating clean environment, for example, manufacturing or carrier equipment for semiconductors, manufacturing equipment, carriers, or storage containers for food, or medical supplies.

Abstract: In an ignition device for an internal combustion engine which is mounted in a cylinder head in a state where a spark plug and an ignition coil are integrated with each other, the plug side tube section is made of ceramics and internally accommodates a center electrode and the coil side tube section is made of ceramics, with one of a primary winding and a secondary winding being wound around the coil side tube section. The plug side tube section and the coil side tube section are constructed as separate bodies and then combined with each other. This shortens the overall lengths of both the tube sections, thus preventing the occurrence of cracks or bends at calcining and improving the dimension accuracy after the calcining.

Abstract: A semiconductor device allowing simplification of a fabrication process is provided. This semiconductor device comprises a first insulator film, consisting of a single material, formed to be in contact with the upper surface of a semiconductor chip including a circuit, a first wire formed to be in contact with the upper surface of the first insulator film and a second wire formed to extend along the side surface and the lower surface of the semiconductor chip and connected to the lower surface of the first wire exposed by partially removing the first insulator film.

Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device improvable in photosensitivity also in the vicinity of an end of a substrate is provided. This solid-state image pickup device comprises a photodetection part formed on a substrate, a color filter layer and a lens, formed between the substrate and the color filter for condensing light on the photodetection part, having a lens center deviated from the center of the photodetection part by a prescribed distance.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine ignition device has a resin layer in a clearance between an insulator and a winding contained in the insulator. The ignition device has a cylindrical insulator and a resin layer. The insulator has an opening portion at one end and a bottom portion at the other end. The insulator contains one of a primary winding and a secondary winding. The resin layer is formed by charging a resin in the clearance between the insulator and one of the windings. The diameter of the inner periphery of the insulator gradually increases from the opening portion to the bottom portion. When the resin layer shrinks from the opening portion toward the bottom portion of the insulator, the resin layer can shrink without getting snagged on the inner periphery of the insulator.

Abstract: A power-saving type of ignition apparatus is provided with a spark plug of which electrodes (30, 40) are regulated in their shapes to lower an amount of energy required for its ignition. To face to a tip (31) of a center electrode (30) extending from a mounting bracket (10), a cylindrical protrusion (41) is built on one surface (43) of an earth electrode (40). The protrusion extends toward the center electrode to form a discharge gap (50) between the protrusion and the tip of the center electrode. Both of the tip of the center electrode and the protrusion of the earth electrode are 2.3 [mm] or less in each diameter (D1, D2), thus an amount of energy required for ignition being limited to 17 [mJ] or less.