Abstract: A substrate heat treatment apparatus irradiating a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer with light and performing heat treatment is provided. 19 lamps 82 are arranged on a plane in the form of a honeycomb to form a lamp group 81. The lamp group 81 has 6-fold rotation symmetry about a symmetry axis XR. A substrate W is rotated about a rotation axis XW in a plane parallel to that formed by the lamp group 81. The symmetry axis XR of the lamp group 81 and the rotation axis XW of the substrate W are displaced for relaxing peaks and bottoms of illuminance distribution on the substrate W resulting from regularity of arrangement of the lamp group 81. Consequently, fluctuation of radial illuminance distribution on the substrate W is reduced and improving uniformity is improved. When the uniformity of radial illuminance distribution on the substrate W is improved, temperature uniformity of the substrate W in heat treatment can be ensured.

Abstract: In the case where a cooperative gear change control of an automatic transmission is executed on the basis of information with respect to a condition around a vehicle or in front of a vehicle, in a cooperative gear change control means, a gear change of the automatic transmission is directly determined on the basis of actual curve information and road surface inclination information in accordance with a previously stored downshift map, and a gear stage is switched such that a determined gear change is executed. Therefore, it is possible to directly obtain the gear stage or the gear ratio corresponding to the curve of the road and the inclination of the road surface.

Abstract: A vehicular automatic shift control unit for executing a cooperative shift control (an upshift inhibition and a downshift) of an automatic transmission based on an information associated with a road condition around a vehicle or a road condition in front of the vehicle, is provided with judging means for judging whether a vehicle exists in a predetermined area including a branch point of the road during execution of the cooperative shift control, and gear ratio maintaining control means for maintaining a gear ratio of the automatic transmission if it is judged that the vehicle exists in the predetermined area.

Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus in which a shaft of a worm interlocking with rotation of a motor for steering assistance is movable in a radial direction, a pressing body for pressing the worm toward a worm wheel is provided, and the pressing body is provided with a V-shaped contact portion to abut in two circumferential positions of the shaft and an annular elastic body for restricting movement of the pressing body in a direction crossing the radial direction.

Abstract: On the outer periphery of a bearing 10 for supporting a worm 71 rotating interlocked with the rotation of a steering assist motor 6 inside the housing 8, elastic members 20 are provided to restrain the bearing 10 from moving in the radial direction thereof. The force for the restraint by the elastic members 20 is made different depending on the position in the peripheral direction thereof. A portion of the elastic member, wherein the force for restraining the movement of the bearing 10 in the radial direction is small, energizes the worm 71 to the meshing position of the worm 71 and a worm wheel 72. Another portion, wherein the force for restraining the movement is large, restrains the worm 71 from moving along the lead of the worm wheel 72. With this configuration, the elastic members 20 can reduce the amount of the backlash at the meshing portion of the worm 71 and the worm wheel 72, and can make the rotation torque applied to the meshing portion of the worm gears relatively small.

Abstract: A substrate heat treatment apparatus irradiating a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer with light and performing heat treatment is provided. 19 lamps 82 are arranged on a plane in the form of a honeycomb to form a lamp group 81. The lamp group 81 has 6-fold rotation symmetry about a symmetry axis XR. A substrate W is rotated about a rotation axis XW in a plane parallel to that formed by the lamp group 81. The symmetry axis XR of the lamp group 81 and the rotation axis XW of the substrate W are displaced for relaxing peaks and bottoms of illuminance distribution on the substrate W resulting from regularity of arrangement of the lamp group 81. Consequently, fluctuation of radial illuminance distribution on the substrate W is reduced and improving uniformity is improved. When the uniformity of radial illuminance distribution on the substrate W is improved, temperature uniformity of the substrate W in heat treatment can be ensured.

Abstract: A method of producing 1-menthyl-&agr;-D-glucopyranoside is provided, wherein microorganisms capable of producing 1-menthol glycoside from 1-menthol are added to sugars and 1-menthol. Bacteria selected from the group consisting of Xanthomonas species, Stenotrophomonas species and Arthrobacter species may be used as the microorganisms.

Abstract: A computer implemented method and an apparatus for generating exposure data of a layout pattern used to fabricate semiconductor integrated circuits. The layout pattern is first analyzed to determine if it can be modified to one or more predefined patterns without having to segment the layout pattern into rectangular patterns. The layout pattern is then modified to the one or more predefined patterns. The modified pattern is also analyzed to determine if it can be modified into segmental block patterns and if so, it is modified accordingly. Finally, exposure data is generated using the modified segmental block patterns.

Abstract: A treatment process is provided for a copper-beryllium alloy comprising from about 0.2% to about 0.7% beryllium, no greater than 3.5% of cobalt and/or nickel, no greater than 0.5% of titanium and/or zirconium and at least 90% copper, wherein the alloy has been cold worked to a ready-to-finish gauge, comprising the steps of annealing the cold worked ready-to-finish gauge copper-beryllium alloy at a temperature from about 1500.degree. F. to about 1685.degree. F., cold working the annealed copper-beryllium alloy to reduce its gauge to a range of from about 20% to about 60%, and age hardening the copper-beryllium alloy at a temperature of from about 700.degree. F. to about 950.degree. F. for about 1 to about 7 hours. The alloy is characterized by satisfactory levels of strength and electrical conductivity as well as enhanced levels of formability, particularly in the direction parallel to the direction of rolling the alloy.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide a shift control apparatus which does not cause a vehicle driver to feel uncomfortable when shift control means resumes normal shift control using a predetermined shift pattern. Where return-to-normal determining means 105 determines that a condition or conditions under which the shift control means 102 resumes shift control using a MEDIUM MODE shift pattern is/are satisfied, return-to-normal permitting means 116 permits the shift control means 102 to resume the shift control using the MEDIUM MODE shift pattern when an output control member release determining means 108 determines that an accelerator pedal 58 has been released. In this arrangement, the driver does not feel uncomfortable even if the transmission is shifted up immediately after the shift control means 102 resumes the shift control using the MEDIUM MODE shift pattern.

Abstract: Apparatus for estimating a drive mode of a motor vehicle desired by an operator of the motor vehicle, including a variable calculating device and a drive mode estimating device, wherein the variable calculating device calculates at least one of drive mode indicating variables such as a drive force of the vehicle desired by the operator upon starting of the vehicle, a maximum rate of increase of the drive force, a maximum deceleration of the vehicle upon operation of a manually operated member for brake application to the vehicle, a coasting run time of the vehicle and a steady run time of the vehicle, and wherein the drive mode estimating device includes a neural network which receives the drive mode indicating variable or variables calculated by the variable calculating device, so that the drive mode estimating device estimates the drive mode of the motor vehicle desired by the operator on the basis of an output of the neural network.

Abstract: A first shaft 21 and a second shaft 31 parallel with each other are provided near an inlet 14 of a bill storage chamber 10. Taking-in runners 20 are disposed on the first shaft 21 and taking-in rollers 30 are disposed on the second shaft 31. The taking-in runners 20 and the taking-in rollers 30 differ in position in a direction in which the shafts extend. Further, the sum of the radius of each taking-in runner 20 and that of each taking-in roller 30 is larger than the spacing between the first shaft 21 and the second shaft 31. Thus, if a plurality of overlapped bills are caught in the space between the taking-in runners 20 and the taking-in rollers 30, they are bent in a wavy form and the intimate contact force between the bill is lowered significantly, causing the bills to be easily aligned.

Abstract: A water-soluble carboxypolysaccharide-magnetic iron oxide complex of small particle diameter composed of a water-soluble carboxypolysaccharide and a magnetic iron oxide having a core diameter ranging from about 2 to about 7 nm, wherein the total diameter ranges from about 10 to about 50 nm, the ratio of the total diameter to the core diameter is about 15 or less, and the T.sub.2 -relaxivity ranges from about 10 to about 150 (mM.sec).sup.-1. Said complex has low toxicity and small side effects and is useful in the fields of medical treatment, biology and engineering as an iron-supplementing agent, an X-ray contrast medium, an MRI contrast medium, a reagent for blood flow rate measurement, a carrier for drug administration, etc.

Abstract: Guide passages I for guiding bills S to a main transport passage M are formed. An endless belt 25 coming in contact with one face of each bill S is placed in the main transport passage M. Feed rollers 70 coming in contact with one face of each bill entering the guide passages, swing arms 74 swingably attached to a rotating shaft 73 of the feed roller, pressure rollers 27 rotatably attached to the swing arms so as to come in contact with the feed rollers 70, and coil springs 75 for urging the swing arms 74 in a direction approaching the endless belt 25 are provided upstream of the main transport passage when the guide passage I is considered to be the center of the main transport passage M. The feed roller 70 comes in contact with the pressure roller 27 rotated by motion of the endless belt 25 and is rotated by rotation of the pressure roller for transporting bills in the guide passage.

Abstract: A sheet original feeding apparatus includes a pair of spaced core members, a frame for rotatably holding the core members, and an elongated sheet having each end connected to the core members, wound around one of the core members, and adapted to hold a sheet original therein. A driver reversibly drives the core members, and a controller controls the driver to unwind the elongated sheet, thereby stopping the sheet original at a predetermined position.

Abstract: A paper money conveying equipment, comprising a driving roller and a driven roller which rotate to convey paper money in the predetermined direction. The driven roller is supported by a supporting member and movable between a first contactable position with the driving roller and a second disengaged position from the driving roller. The driven roller is urged toward the first contactable position by the force of a coil spring. At the supporting member, a lifting member is equipped for moving the driven roller from the contactable position to the disengaged position against the urging force by the coil spring for easy removal of paper money when it causes jam between the rollers.

Abstract: An oxidized complex comprising a water-soluble carboxypolysaccharide and magnetic iron oxide, which is characterized by being obtained by oxidizing a complex comprising a water-soluble carboxypolysaccharide and magnetic iron oxide. Said oxidized complex has very low toxicity, is very stable, exhibits little or no blood pressure-reducing action and has low platelets-aggregating action when administered directly into the blood vessels of animals, and is useful in medical fields such as contrast medium for magnetic resonance imaging, exothermic medium for hyperthermia and the like.

Abstract: An automatic transmit power control (ATPC) method and system for radio equipment of a cross polarization interference canceler system (XPIC system) wherein two orthogonally polarized waves of the same frequency channel are used independently of each other. The transmit powers of the polarized waves of the object frequency channel are simultaneously increased when a drop of the receive signal level of at least one of the two polarized waves of the object frequency channel is detected.

Abstract: An AC variable speed driving apparatus including an AC motor and an inverter for driving the motor. The AC motor includes a synchronous motor and an induction motor. The synchronous motor includes first stator windings and a first rotor having a permanent magnet. The induction motor includes second stator windings and a second rotor. The first and second stator windings are disposed so that they do not magnetically interfere with each other. The first and second rotors are mounted on a common axis of rotation. The inverter supplies AC power to the stator windings so that the synchronous motor and the induction motor are driven independently. A highly efficient, large output and low cost system can be realized in a wide speed range.

Abstract: An electric system for an electric vehicle includes a main battery used for driving the vehicle, an auxiliary battery used for accessories of the vehicle, an AC motor for driving one or more wheels, an inverter for converting DC power supplied from the main battery to AC power to be supplied to the AC motor, and an auxiliary battery charging circuit for charging the auxiliary battery by using the AC power from the inverter. When charging the auxiliary battery, the AC power is insulatedly transformed and then rectified. In another example, an input capacitor in the inverter is charged by a DC-DC converter connected with the auxiliary battery as its power supply when the inverter starts. The system enables the auxiliary battery charging circuit to be small, light and low cost. The system can also charge the auxiliary battery for accessories even when the vehicle is stopping.