Abstract: A radiation image detection apparatus, including an image receiving unit having a two-dimensional array of a plurality of pixels that generate electrical charges when being subjected to irradiation of radiation, the plurality of pixels including a plurality of pixels for detecting an image; and one or more pixels for detecting irradiation; an image data generation unit configured to generate image data based on an electrical signal output from the respective pixels for detecting the image, an irradiation detection unit configured to detect the irradiation of radiation based on the electrical signal output from the respective pixels for detecting irradiation, a communication unit that transmits the image data generated in the image data generation unit, and a control unit configured to include a plurality of control modes including a photographing mode generating the image data, an irradiation detection mode detecting the irradiation of radiation and a standby mode.

Abstract: A method according to the present invention for producing a cartilage-damage treatment agent, includes the steps of: (i) proliferating mesenchymal stem cells in a serum-free medium A containing an FGF, a PDGF, a TGF-?, an HGF, an EGF, at least one phospholipid and at least one fatty acid; and (ii) mixing the mesenchymal stem cells thus proliferated in the step (i), an isotonic preserving agent, and a cytoprotective agent. This method provides a cartilage-damage treatment agent which favorably regenerates a cartilage tissue.

Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner (1A) includes: an external air introduction port (33) for introducing external air into a vehicle interior; and a duct (3) having an inlet port (31) for drawing internal air into the duct and an outlet port (32) for blowing air into the vehicle interior. In the duct (3), a first indoor heat exchanger (12A) and a second indoor heat exchanger (12B) of a heat pump circuit (2A) are disposed. The first indoor heat exchanger (12A) contributes mainly to heating, and the second indoor heat exchanger (12B) contributes mainly to cooling. The duct (3) is provided with at least one of a heating exhaust port (34) for discharging air cooled in the second indoor heat exchanger (12B) to the outside of the vehicle interior in heating operation and a cooling exhaust port (35) for discharging air heated in the first indoor heat exchanger (12A) to the outside of the vehicle interior in cooling operation.

Abstract: A radiation image detection apparatus includes a control unit, during a irradiation detection mode, stops supplying of an operating power to a data processing unit until irradiation of radiation is detected by an irradiation detection unit, and when the irradiation of radiation is detected by the irradiation detection unit, the control unit proceeds to a photographing mode and begins supplying the operating power to the data processing unit.

Abstract: A belt assembly includes a belt formed into an endless loop, a plurality of support rollers with a rotary shaft, a shaft-end retainer, a movable supporting member, and a drive transmission device. The plurality of support rollers includes a first support roller and a second support roller. The shaft-end retainer is disposed at each end of the rotary shaft of the plurality of support rollers. The movable supporting member supports the first support roller and is movably disposed relative to the shaft-end retainer. The drive transmission device transmits a driving force to one of the plurality of support rollers. The drive transmission device and the movable supporting member are disposed on a same side as the shaft-end retainer in an axial direction of the plurality of support rollers. The drive transmission device is disposed between the shaft-end retainer and the movable supporting member in the axial direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a toner image forming device to form a toner image on a rotatable toner image bearer, a looped belt to carry a recording medium, a support roller to rotate the belt, a pressing member to press the belt against the toner image bearer, a transfer electric field generator to form an electric field to transfer the toner image onto the recording medium, and a contact member to contact an end surface of the belt as the belt moves to one side in a belt width direction. The belt includes a first portion pressed against the toner image bearer by the pressing member and a second portion adjoining the first portion. A relative position of the support roller relative to the toner image bearer and the pressing member is determined such that the second portion of the belt contacts the toner image bearer.

Abstract: A transfer device includes a transfer member and a bias applicator. The transfer member contacts a surface, on which a toner image is borne, of an image bearing body, to form a transfer nip. The bias applicator applies a DC voltage and an AC voltage as transfer bias to transfer the toner image on the image bearing body to a recording sheet in the transfer nip. The bias applicator applies a DC voltage having a same polarity as the DC voltage of the transfer bias and an AC voltage having an amplitude smaller than the AC voltage of the transfer bias or applies the DC voltage having the same polarity as the DC voltage of the transfer bias without applying an AC voltage, when an inter-sheet area that exists on the image bearing body passes through the transfer nip during a continuous image formation period.

Abstract: A transfer device includes an image carrier, a transfer roller, and a moving unit. The moving unit moves the transfer roller between a nip formation state in which the transfer roller forms a transfer nipping portion in contact with the image carrier and a separated state in which the transfer roller is separated from the image carrier. In a contact operation of bringing the transfer roller into contact with the image carrier via the recording medium, the moving unit moves the transfer roller toward the image carrier at a moving velocity slower than that in a pressing operation of generating a predetermined nipping pressure by further moving the transfer roller toward the image carrier after the contact operation. The moving unit causes the recording medium to enter the transfer nipping portion in the contact operation.

Abstract: An information storage device installed in a removable device configured to be removably installed in an image forming apparatus body, includes: an information storage unit that stores information communicated between the image forming apparatus body and the removable device; a terminal that comes in contact with a body side terminal; and a substrate that holds the information storage unit and the terminal and includes a hole configured to be engaged with a protruding section installed in the image forming apparatus body. The terminal includes a plurality of terminals each including one of a plurality of metallic plates arranged in a transverse direction thereof. An earth terminal, which comes in contact with a body side earth terminal formed in the protruding section, is formed in the hole. The hole is disposed at a position sandwiched between two metallic plates among the plurality of metallic plates.

Abstract: A belt assembly includes a belt, a plurality of support rollers, and a shaft-end retainer. The belt is formed into an endless loop, entrained about and stretched taut between the plurality of support rollers with a rotary shaft. The plurality of support rollers includes a first support roller and a second support roller. The shaft-end retainer including a first retainer and a second retainer is disposed at each end of the rotary shaft of the plurality of support rollers. The first retainer detachably holds an end of the rotary shaft of the first support roller. The second retainer detachably holds an end of the rotary shaft of the second support roller and includes a second-retainer opening from which the end of the rotary shaft of the second roller is detachable from and attachable to the second retainer in a direction perpendicular to the rotary shaft of the second support roller.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes multiple image bearing members, toner image forming devices, and a transfer unit. The transfer unit includes an intermediate transfer belt entrained about a plurality of rollers and onto which toner images are transferred from the image bearing members, a reference member to position the transfer unit in place, a frame to hold the plurality of rollers a certain distance from the reference member, and a moving device including a holding member to hold movably one of the rollers relative to the frame to change the position of the roller between a multiple color mode for forming a multiple color image and a single color mode for forming a single color image so that the intermediate transfer belt contacts and separates from the image bearing member. As the holding member contacts the reference member, the intermediate transfer belt contacts the image bearing members.

Abstract: A vehicle air conditioner (1A) includes a heat pump circuit (2) including a compressor (11), an outdoor heat exchanger (13), an expansion mechanism (14), a first indoor heat exchanger (15), and a second indoor heat exchanger (16). The flow direction of a refrigerant in the heat pump circuit (2) is switched, by a switching member (12A), between a first direction in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (11) passes through the outdoor heat exchanger (13), the expansion mechanism (14), the first indoor heat exchanger (15), and the second indoor heat exchanger (16) in this order and returns to the compressor (11), and a second direction in which the refrigerant discharged from the compressor (11) passes through the first indoor heat exchanger (15), the expansion mechanism (14), the outdoor heat exchanger (13), and the second indoor heat exchanger (16) in this order and returns to the compressor (11).

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus and toner container installation structure used in the image-forming apparatus, includes: a toner container with a toner container body, being attached to a fitting section in a body of the image-forming apparatus in a detachable manner. There is a latent image-bearing member, a developing unit, for developing the latent image with a toner supplied from the toner container body; an ID chip provided in the toner container, having a plurality of through-hole electrodes; and a substrate provided in the fitting section, having a plurality of pin electrodes. The pin electrodes are fitted into the through-hole electrodes when the toner container is attached to the fitting section.

Abstract: A belt device for an image forming apparatus, includes an endless belt; a first and second support rollers, each including a rotary shaft, that support the belt with tension; a contacted member that contacts the belt; a shaft displacement device to displace any of the rotary shafts of the support rollers; and a main rotary shaft disposed at a side of the rotary shaft of the first support roller moved by the shaft displacement device along a stretching direction of the stretched surface of the endless belt that the contacted member contacts, relative to a contact portion between the endless belt and the contacted member, and at an opposite side of the contacted member in a direction perpendicular to the stretching direction of the endless belt. As the first support roller and the second roller rotate about the main rotary shaft, the endless belt is separated from the contacted member.

Abstract: A conveyor system includes a first conveyor belt entrained about a separation roller and a support roller disposed upstream from the separation roller, a second conveyor belt entrained about a first roller disposed at an uppermost stream in a transport direction of a sheet-type medium and a second roller disposed downstream therefrom, a belt alignment device to tilt a rotary shaft of the separation roller to restrict a range of belt mistracking of the first conveyor belt in a width direction thereof within a predetermined range, and a restriction member to restrict an amount of inclination of the rotary shaft such that a hypothetical extended plane, which is a hypothetical extension of the outer circumferential surface of the first conveyor belt between the separation roller and the support roller to a downstream side in the transport direction, does not contact a rotational center axis of the first roller.

Abstract: An information storage device installed in a removable device configured to be removably installed in an image forming apparatus body, includes: an information storage unit that stores information communicated between the image forming apparatus body and the removable device; a terminal that comes in contact with a body side terminal; and a substrate that holds the information storage unit and the terminal and includes a hole configured to be engaged with a protruding section installed in the image forming apparatus body. The terminal includes a plurality of terminals each including one of a plurality of metallic plates arranged in a transverse direction thereof. An earth terminal, which comes in contact with a body side earth terminal formed in the protruding section, is formed in the hole. The hole is disposed at a position sandwiched between two metallic plates among the plurality of metallic plates.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit; an intermediate transfer member; a secondary transfer member to form a secondary transfer nip with the intermediate transfer member and the secondary transfer member; a biasing mechanism to bias the secondary transfer member toward the intermediate transfer member; a cam member rotatable between a first position, at which a predetermined space is formed in the secondary transfer nip, and a second position, at which the secondary transfer member and the intermediate transfer member contact each other; and a contact-separation controller configured to put the cam member in the first position before entry of the recording medium into the secondary transfer nip, rotate the cam member toward the second position when the recording medium enters the secondary transfer nip, and change a start timing of rotation of the cam member in accordance with a thickness of the recording medium.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a transfer member, a power supply, and a control device that controls the power supply to output a DC-AC superimposed bias or a DC bias to transfer a toner image on the image carrier onto a recording medium. The control device controls the power supply to alternately output a first bias being a DC component the same in polarity as the DC bias and a second bias being a DC component opposite in polarity to the DC bias to clean the transfer member when image formation is not taking place. The first bias is output with two target output values including a first value and a second value lower than the first value. The second bias is output with one target output value. An output time of the second bias is longer than an output time of the first bias.