Abstract: A shaft member for hydrodynamic bearing apparatuses which can restore the pressure balance in a thrust bearing gap formed on both axial sides of the flange portion in an early stage is provided at low costs. A shaft material 10 integrally having a shaft portion 11 and a flange portion 12 is formed as a through-hole 19 opening to its both end faces 12a, 12b on the flange portion 12 of the shaft material 10 is formed in a common forging step. As a result, the through-hole 29 is formed to open to the inner diameter side of these bearing gap W1, W2 avoiding thrust bearing gaps W1, W2 formed on both end faces of the flange portion 22 of the shaft member 2 as a finished product.

Abstract: A smooth surface of a shaft member is divided from an outer circumferential surface by a step so that its axial length dimension becomes shorter than the axial length dimension of a hydrodynamic groove region formed on the inner circumferential surface of a bearing sleeve, whereby the hydrodynamic groove regions excluding lower portions of a land between hydrodynamic grooves oppose the smooth surface.

Abstract: A steam generator is provided in which the total heat transfer efficiency can be improved by suppressing a reduction in the amount of heat exchange at an inlet side of heat transfer tubes while maintaining the effect of increasing the amount of heat exchange at an outlet side thereof.

Abstract: Image forming apparatus 1 capable of forming dots of types in quantity of ? (integer satisfying ??2) wherein there are provided, target pixel selection means 2 that selects a target pixel, recording rate acquisition means 3 that acquires a recording rate total value of dots in two types among dots of types in quantity of ? and acquires a recording rate of a dot on one side among dots in two types, first quantization means 4 that conducts quantization based on the recording rate total value and determines recording of dots in quantity of i (integer satisfying 0?i?2) on the target pixel and second quantization means 5 that determines types of dots to be recorded on the target pixel based on i representing the number of dots to be recorded on the target pixel determined by the first quantization means and on the recording rate of the dot on one side.

Abstract: A solid electrolytic capacitor includes a base substrate, a capacitor element, a metal cap, an extractor terminal and an insulating member. The base substrate has electrical conductivity. The capacitor element is provided on the base substrate. The metal cap is coupled to the base substrate and covers the capacitor element. The extractor terminal passes through the base substrate, is coupled to an anode of the capacitor element, and includes a first conductive member acting as a core member and a second conductive member covering the first conductive member. The insulating member is provided between the base substrate and the extractor terminal. Electrical conductivity of the first conductive member is higher than that of the second conductive member. Thermal expansion coefficient of the second conductive member is less than that of the insulating member.

Abstract: A fluid dynamic bearing apparatus having an increased a value of tolerance for a moment load is provided. A cylindrical sleeve portion 8 is fixed to the inner periphery of the housing 7 whose both ends are open, and a shaft member 2 is further inserted at the inner periphery of the sleeve portion 8. Sealing portions 9, 10 are fixed to the shaft member 2 in the manner of nipping the sleeve portion 8 from both sides in the axial direction, and sealing spaces S1, S2 having the oil level of a lubricating oil are formed between the outer circumferential surfaces 9a, 10a of the sealing portions 9, 10 and the inner circumferential surface 7a of the housing 7.

Abstract: A fluid lubrication bearing apparatus which can stably produce high bearing performance is provided at low costs. Moreover, a method for producing a housing for hydrodynamic bearing apparatuses which can improve the accuracy of form of the housing of this type at low costs is provided. In forming a housing 7 which has a cylindrical shape and comprises a fixing face 7c for fixing the outer circumferential surface 8b of a bearing sleeve 8, and axial circulation grooves 7d for bringing both end faces 8c, 8d of the bearing sleeve 8 into circulation on the inner periphery by forging, a groove molding portion 18a2 is provided on the outer circumference of a rod 18 which serves as a forming mold for the inner periphery of the housing 7, and the circulation grooves 7d are formed by forging with this groove molding portion 18a2.

Abstract: There is described an image forming apparatus, which can conduct the countermeasure for eliminating an ink clogging defect with accuracy lower than a recording element arrangement resolution. The apparatus includes a defect position detecting section to detect a defect position at which no recording material is outputted; a defect position specifying section to specify a defect recording element, which resides at the defect position, and a kind of recording material to be outputted by the defect recording element; a mixture ratio determining section to determine a mixture ratio of plural recording materials, so as to make the mixture ratio of a specific recording material to be outputted by plural recording elements residing in a peripheral area of the defect position and including the defect recording element, decrease to a value lower than a normal mixture ratio, while using the normal mixture ratio for other recording elements residing in other areas.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, for forming an image with using distributions of two or more types of dots having different densities per unit area in a same hue, including: a threshold value matrix; and a dot formation determining section for carrying out comparison between a pixel value at a target pixel in the input image and a threshold value corresponding to the target pixel in the threshold value matrix, and for determining, whether to form or not to form any one of the two or more types of dots, wherein threshold values in the threshold value matrix are configured so that a frequency of dot formation is lower, for gradation regions in which a dot density of any of the two or more types of dots is low and/or high, than that for gradation regions in which the dot density is in average level.

Abstract: In a steam-water separator, horizontal slits are formed on the outer side of the curving direction of the curved part and at a location between the curved part of the riser and the swirl vane.

Abstract: A solid electrolytic capacitor element includes an anode foil, a solid electrolytic layer, a cathode foil, and a connection portion. The anode foil is composed of valve metal and has at least one through hole passing therethrough in thickness direction thereof. The solid electrolytic layer is made of conductive polymer and is provided on a surface of the anode foil. The cathode foil is provided on a surface of the solid electrolytic layer. The connection portion is provided in the through hole and electrically connects a first solid electrolytic layer and a second solid electrolytic layer, the first solid electrolytic layer being a region of the solid electrolytic layer on one face of the anode foil, the second solid electrolytic layer being another region of the solid electrolytic layer on the other face of the anode foil.

Abstract: An image recording apparatus 1 for recording an image on a recording medium using colored ink and clear ink, including: an ink dot arrangement data generator 10B for generating colored ink dot arrangement data concerning arrangement of dots of the colored ink on the recording medium; a colored ink amount calculator 10C for calculating the amount of colored ink in a predetermined print area composed of pixels from the colored ink dot arrangement data; a clear ink amount calculator 10D for calculating the amount of clear ink in the predetermined print area from the amount of colored ink in the predetermined print area calculated by the colored ink amount calculator 10C; and a clear ink arranger 10E for arranging dots of clear ink in the predetermined print area, wherein, the clear ink arranger has two or more clear ink arrangement order patterns and when a preset condition is realized, selects the clear ink arrangement order pattern according to the condition and arranges dots of clear ink in the predetermined

Abstract: In a steam-water separator, a swirl vane (52) is provided inside a riser (51), an annular downcomer space (54) is formed by providing a downcomer barrel (53) outside the riser (51), a deck plate (55) is arranged above the riser (51) and the downcomer barrel (53) with a predetermined space therefrom, an orifice (56) and vents (57) are formed, and aperture ratios of plural slits (58a, 58b, 58c, and 58d) formed on the riser (51) are set at from 30% to 70%. Accordingly, the steam and the water is appropriately separated, and the separated steam is reliably discharged upward from the orifice while the separated water is allowed to reliably flow down through the downcomer space, thereby enhancing steam-water separating efficiency.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, for forming an image with plural types of dots having different densities per unit area in a same hue, including: a section to compare between a pixel value of a target pixel and a value of a prescribed threshold value matrix, and to determine, based on the comparison, whether to form a first type of dot at a position corresponding to the target pixel; a section for calculating a corrected threshold value matrix from the prescribed threshold value matrix; a section for calculating a second determining condition by reflecting the corrected threshold value matrix; and a section for determining whether to form the second type of dot, based on a target pixel value added an error with an error diffusion process and the second determining condition, at the position where the first type of dot has been determined not to be formed.

Abstract: In a first process, initial dot pattern of a predetermined dot rate “a” is created in a first process, and a gradation value corresponding to the dot rate “a” is arranged as a threshold value in the position of the pixel of the threshold value matrix corresponding to the initial dot pattern. Then in a second process, the initial dot pattern or the dot pattern having occurred prior to the second computation is used as the dot pattern of dot rate “b”, and new dots including the dots of the dot pattern of dot rate “b” is generated or any of the dots is removed from the dot pattern of the dot rate “b” by the error diffusion method. Thus, the dot pattern of the next dot rate “b?” with its dot rate having been increased or decreased in the aforementioned procedure is generated.

Abstract: A shaft member for hydrodynamic bearing apparatuses which can restore the pressure balance in a thrust bearing gap formed on both axial sides of the flange portion in an early stage is provided at low costs. A shaft material 10 integrally having a shaft portion 11 and a flange portion 12 is formed as a through-hole 19 opening to its both end faces 12a, 12b on the flange portion 12 of the shaft material 10 is formed in a common forging step. As a result, the through-hole 29 is formed to open to the inner diameter side of these bearing gap W1, W2 avoiding thrust bearing gaps W1, W2 formed on both end faces of the flange portion 22 of the shaft member 2 as a finished product.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus includes: a recording rate determining section for determining a recording rate of each of a plurality of dot types having different densities per unit area from each other according to an input value including a multi-gradation image data, the input value being quantized for forming a dot of the plurality of dot types; a dot formation judging section for judging whether the dot is to be formed on each pixel based on a sum total of each recording rate of the plurality of dot types; and a dot selecting section for selecting a dot type among the plurality of dot types having different densities per unit area from each other to a pixel on which the dot formation judging section judges that the dot is to be formed, wherein an image is formed according to an arrangement distribution of the dot.

Abstract: A discharge lamp assembly according to the present invention is advantageously used as a headlamp of an automotive vehicle. A discharge bulb, a starting circuit for initiating operation of the discharge bulb, and a controller for controlling operation of the discharge bulb are contained in a lamp housing. The lamp housing is composed of a front cover including a front lens, and a back cover. The back cover having a heat-dissipating structure such as an open window is detachably connected to the front cover. The controller unit is mounted directly on a fringe portion of the open window so that heat in the controller unit is effectively dissipated. A heat-dissipating plate, to which the controller unit is connected, and heat-dissipating fins may be additionally disposed at the window to further improve heat dissipation from the controller unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, for forming an image by using distribution of plural types of dots, including: a first section, for making comparison between a pixel value of a target pixel and a value in a dither matrix stored in advance, and determining, whether a dot having the highest density be formed at a position corresponding to the pixel; a second section for determining whether a second type dot having lower density be formed at the position where the dot having the highest density is determined not to be formed; and a section for instructing, based on results of determination by the first and second sections, whether a dot should be formed at the position, wherein the dither matrix comprises values, each being not less than a predetermined value smaller than the maximum pixel value of the input image.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a bearing member having a highly accurate dynamic pressure generating portion stably at low cost. Dynamic pressure grooves (8a1) and (8a2) are formed as the dynamic pressure generating portions on an inner circumferential surface of the electroforming portion (10) by an electroforming process, and injection molding is performed by using a resin while inserting the electroforming portion (10), thereby forming a bearing member (8). A shaft member (2) is inserted into an inner circumference of the bearing member.